There isn’t always a “cure” for these conditions. The emphasis of treatment will be on working toward recovery and preventing future relapses. To learn more about what eating disorders and disorder eating treatment can look like, here are three topics that we will cover in this article: levels of care, treatment team, and types of treatment.

What Are the Levels of Eating Disorder Treatment?

The list below is ordered from least intensive to most intensive treatment levels:

• Intensive Outpatient/Outpatient. The patient is medically stable and does not require daily medical supervision. Additionally, the patient is psychiatrically stable and has symptoms under control enough to function in normal social, educational, or vocational settings while making progress in recovery.
  • What to expect: Appointments with dietitians typically last thirty minutes to an hour and may occur bi-weekly, weekly, or less frequently. They encompass nutrition education, goal setting, meal planning, collaboration with your healthcare team, and accountability for your meals.
• Partial Hospital. The patient is medically stable, but the eating disorder impairs functioning, though there is no immediate danger. Needs daily assessment of physiologic and mental status. The patient is psychiatrically stable, but the patient is unable to function in normal social, educational, or vocational settings and engages in binge eating, purging, fasting, or very limited food intake on a daily basis, or other pathogenic weight-control techniques.
  • What to expect: Partial hospital programs typically include individual, family and group counseling, as well as medication management, nutritional counseling and meal supervision.
• Residential. The patient is medically stable and requires no intensive medical intervention. Additionally, the patient is psychiatrically impaired and unable to respond to partial hospital or outpatient treatment.
  • What to expect: Patients live in the treatment centers. Programs typically include individual, family and group counseling, as well as medication management, nutritional counseling and meal supervision.
• Inpatient. Patient is medically unstable as determined by unstable or depressed vital signs, laboratory findings presenting acute health risk, and/or complications due to coexisting medical problems such as diabetes. Additionally, the patient is psychiatrically unstable as determined by rapidly worsening symptoms and/or suicidal and unable to contract for safety.
  • What to expect: meal support & group meal times. In between meals and snacks, which occur every 2-3 hours, residents attend family or individual therapy, family visits, outings (if at that level), or group therapy. The meal plan is created with your dietitian and treatment team to ensure weight restoration during your inpatient stay. The focus, at first, will be getting you to a medically stable place, then weight gain to get you to a place where you feel strong and healthy.

What Does a Treatment Team Look Like for Eating Disorder recovery?

Whether you start by seeing your primary care practitioner or some type of mental health professional, you’ll likely benefit from a referral to a team of professionals who specialize in eating disorder treatment. Members of your treatment team may include:

• A mental health professional, such as a psychologist to provide psychological therapy. If you need medication prescription and management, you may see a psychiatrist. Some psychiatrists also provide psychological therapy.
• A registered dietitian to provide education on nutrition and meal planning.
• Medical or dental specialists to treat health or dental problems that result from your eating disorder.
• Your partner, parents or other family members. For young people still living at home, parents should be actively involved in treatment and may supervise meals.
• Additional therapists as required (yoga therapist, art therapist, etc.)
• Case manager at your insurance company (if needed)

What are the types of treatment for eating disorder recovery?

Treatments for eating disorders vary depending on the type and your specific needs. Even if you don’t have a diagnosed eating disorder, an expert can help you address and manage food-related issues. Treatments include:

• Psychotherapy: A mental health professional can determine the best psychotherapy for your situation. Many people with eating disorders improve with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). This form of therapy helps you understand and change distorted thinking patterns that drive behaviors and emotions.
• Medications: Some people with eating disorders have other conditions, like anxiety or depression. Taking antidepressants or other medications can improve these conditions. As a result, your thoughts about yourself and food improve.
• Nutrition counseling: A registered dietitian with training in eating disorders can help improve eating habits and develop meal plans. This specialist can also offer tips for grocery shopping, meal planning and preparation.

The best treatment approach is often a combination of all of these professionals working together to obtain a comprehensive treatment to address the physical, mental and behavioral aspects.

What Services Does Confidently NourishED Offer?

Our company, Confidently NourishED specializes in eating disorders, disordered eating, chronic dieting, and a weight-inclusive approach to nutrition care. We fall under the outpatient treatment level for eating disorder treatment. 

Here are two ways you can work with us: 

1. Individual Sessions: Schedule an initial consultation and individual follow-up sessions. 
2. Packages: Our packages range from 3-12 months with your choice of weekly or bi-weekly sessions. 
3. Additional Services: Such as individual meal support, meal planning, or loved-one consults.

For more information about our services, click here.

Additional Resources

• If you or a loved one are coping with an eating disorder, contact the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) Helpline for support at 1-800-931-2237 (call or text).
• If you are in a crisis and need help immediately, text “NEDA” to 741741 to be connected with a trained volunteer at Crisis Text Line. Crisis Text Line provides free, 24/7 support via text message to individuals who are struggling with mental health, including eating disorders and are experiencing crisis situations.
• For more resources, click here.

Just like not all doctors specialize in all diseases or medical concerns, neither do dietitians! Think about it… you wouldn’t see a foot doctor if you’re having eye issues. 

It’s important to find a dietitian whose experience, skills, and approach are aligned with your needs and preferences to ensure a good fit and that they can adequately help you with your food and nutrition concerns.

What is an anti-diet dietitian?

The phrase “anti-diet dietitian” can be confusing, especially since “diet” is included in the word “dietitian”! Anti-diet dietitians do not buy into the obsession with thinness, weight loss, or restricting oneself through food. Many of us did in the past because we were socialized in this culture as well, but we learned and grew and now practice in a more ethical and evidence-based manner.

The anti-diet approach is weight-neutral and emphasizes food freedom over food rules. With an anti-diet approach, you’re able to experiment and build a flexible eating pattern to nourish yourself with foods that you actually enjoy. Anti-diet is a philosophy many practitioners have adopted to help you connect to your internal wisdom instead of looking outside of yourself. In other words… listening to your body to tell you what, how much, and when to eat, instead of relying on some app like MyFitnessPal. 

Why would someone see an anti-diet dietitian?

People often seek the support of an anti-diet dietitian for reasons such as eating disorder recovery, chronic dieting, disordered eating, binging, emotional eating, negative body image, and more. Read on to see if working with an anti-diet dietitian is a good fit for you:

#1: Anti-diet dietitians see you as more than your weight.

If you recognize that your health is more complex than just reaching a certain number on the scale, you’ll want a healthcare provider who shares your point of view. Dietitians who are anti-diet do not make assumptions about you based on your weight. And we’re not even going to ask you how much you weigh! (unless a client is in eating disorder recovery and weight restoration is necessary). Instead, we’ll get to know you, your history, your concerns, and any non-weight-related goals you have. We recognize that through normalizing eating patterns and working on a peaceful relationship with food, human bodies will settle at whatever weight they feel most comfortable and safe. 

#2: Anti-diet dietitians move you away from diets and towards food freedom.

Many of our clients have tried every diet under the sun and have learned from personal experience that diets don’t work. Not only do they not work, but they also contribute to negative physical and mental health over time. An anti-dietitian can help you break free from rules and restrictions and develop a more respectful and intuitive relationship with food and your body. (For more information on Intuitive Eating, click here!) Many clients describe working with an anti-diet dietitian as food-focused therapy, and they’re right! Although we are not psychotherapists, we do a lot of work with your thoughts and feelings about food and your body. 

#3: Anti-diet dietitians recognize that YOU are the expert of YOUR body.

You know what challenges you’ve faced, the pace of recovery that works for you, what didn’t work for you in the past, what feels good and what doesn’t, and what works for you. Dietitians can assist you by asking questions and providing support (and advice when given consent), but you are ultimately in charge. You reflect, set your own goals, and take responsibility for the process.

#4: Anti-diet dietitians provide a safe space for you to discuss your relationship with food and body.

Discussing your dieting and exercise experiences, desires to lose weight, fear of eating certain foods, fears of gaining weight, and feelings/beliefs about your body are all common topics of discussion with an anti-diet dietitian. These judgment-free conversations, along with homework assigned by a dietitian in between sessions, allow you to recover from diet culture and disordered eating. When working with an anti-diet dietitian, you’ll discover the connections between food, mental, emotional, and social health.

#5: Anti-diet dietitians can help you get back to the basics of nutrition.

They will work with you to develop personalized goals or strategies to ensure that you are eating enough, eating consistently throughout the day, and eating a variety of foods that you enjoy as you progress in healing your relationship with food. They can work with you to incorporate gentle nutrition into the management of your health condition(s), if applicable and desired.

We recognize that working with an anti-diet dietitian may be a scary step, especially if you have a history of dieting and have worked only with traditional dietitians in the past. However, working with an anti-diet can be truly life-changing in healing your relationship with food & your body. 

If you’re ready to take the next step, we’d love to help you on your journey toward body respect and acceptance. To learn more about each of our anti-diet dietitians at Confidently NourishED, click here!