Disordered Eating

4 Steps of ED
Recovery
1

Start Recovery 

Semi-Recovered

Food Freedom

4
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4 STEPS OF ED RECOVERY SimpleHealthyEats

Hi babe!

I'm Bree (@simplehealthyeats on the 'gram) and I created this epic tool just for you!
Seriously, if you're struggling in your relationship with food, then it's time for you to take
control of your health and your happiness. You deserve it more than anything and I'm
totally going to help you do that!

Read on if...

- You've been in recovery for a long time, but still struggle to find total Food Freedom.
- You're just starting your recovery journey now and are looking for a roadmap to success.
- You're not quite sure if you're in full recovery and want to make sure you're optimizing   
   everything for your happiest life possible.
- You don't know if you're truly struggling with food, don't know how to ask for help, and   
   just need some guidance on how to get out of a potentially sticky mess.

Why hasn't anything else *actually* worked?

The issue is, there is SO much information out there about what to do when you're
struggling with disordered eating (whether it be an actual "labeled" eating disorder or
disordered eating behaviors like occasional binges and excessive dieting-related
restriction).

All of this information can be super overwhelming and can totally leave you with
"information overload". You know... that feeling where you just don't do anything at all
because it's too challenging to even START?? Yeah, that annoying thing.

Well *phew* that's why we're not doing that here!

Why does this 4 step roadmap work?

The beauty of the whole thing is that you don't have to do E V E R Y T H I N G. You get to
figure out where you are on the roadmap, follow THOSE directions only, and then focus
on the real work: healing. 

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4 STEPS OF ED RECOVERY SimpleHealthyEats

The biggest advantage is that you won't be taking on things that you're not ready for... so
you won't be set up to fail! I've seen it happen too many times where a recovery
journey unnecessarily comes to a halt because the person doesn't feel like they're doing
anything right. Trust me, I've been there and done that too, so I know it absolutely sucks
to have those setbacks. 

That's why I always advise that you take BABY steps. It's not the most glamorous or
exciting path to Food Freedom, but it's the one that works! If you can do that, you'll learn
how to create a super solid foundation of recovery that lasts a lifetime! Not one that
crumbles under stressful times. Sounds great, right? :)

How do I know this works?

I share these 4 steps with my coaching clients and it's always a home run! Seriously,
knowing that you don't have to take it all on, all at once, is a HUGE relief. So I KNOW it
works. (And these are the steps that I used to find Food Freedom in my own recovery
journey!) Plus this community, that you're now a part of, has over 2,000 amazing women
in it, so we have to be on to something!

How long does this roadmap take?

You might find yourself stuck in one step of recovery longer than another, that’s NORMAL.
You also might slip back into an earlier stage if you're going through a rough patch, that’s
also NORMAL. But that's part of the 2 reasons why I made this:

1. To get you to Food Freedom as simply and sustainably as possible. 

2. To prevent slip-ups and setbacks so you're always moving forward, not backward.

 Your journey is unique and everyone's time frame will be different. Taking an honest
evaluation of YOUR relationship with food (and then checking to see if things have
improved) will be the best way for you to make sure that you're moving at the right pace
for YOU.

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4 STEPS OF ED RECOVERY SimpleHealthyEats

Where am I now?

Today (as I'm writing this ebook) I’m grateful to be at step 4 and living with total Food
Freedom. Although, I will totally and openly admit to falling back into a 3 when I'm neglecting
my self-care. But when I'm managing my stress and feeling good, I'm absolutely at a 4.

Honestly, I don't think I've ever been in a healthier relationship with food in my life. Last night I
was faced with taco takeout from a new Korean BBQ place near me. My boyfriend's dad got
them for us to try... and let's just say it would have been more than rude to not eat it. 

At one time this would have left me in complete PANIC. But today? It's seriously no big deal! I
ate those dang delicious tacos with flour tortillas and sticky sweet sauce without guilt... and
then went out for drinks with friends an hour later... again, without a second thought or trace
of guilt. Happiness and freedom? I definitely think so! 

I WANT YOU TO BE FREE TO LIVE YOUR LIFE.

To me, Food Freedom is the flexibility to live my happiest and healthiest life - mentally,
physically, AND emotionally. And that is exactly what I'm here to help you get!

I stopped binge eating, stopped restricting, found my ideal healthy weight, got my period back,
fixed my hormones, healed my IBS, and stopped stressing about food, fitness, and my body
image 24/7. Seriously, I've never been able to do this in my entire life... until now! :)

How do you set yourself up for Food Freedom?

Here's how it's going to go:

1. On the next page and in the rest of the ebook, identify which step of the roadmap you're at. 
2. Follow the directions for your step (in the remaining pages of this ebook) to build a strong   
    and sustainable foundation that leads to a lifetime of Food Freedom.
3. Check in with yourself frequently to make sure you're continuing to progress forward.

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 Disordered Eating
4 Steps of ED
Restrictive Dieting Recovery
Bulimia Orthorexia
1
Anorexia Binge Eating
Tips
Exercise Bulimia - Move in order from 1 to 4
- Don't try and skip steps           
  (results won't be sustainable)
Start Recovery  - Going backward at times
   is normal
Still have shame and guilt
Physical and
Frequent ED
behaviors
2 mental health
focused recovery
Professional help
and/or community
support
Semi-Recovered
Mental health
focused recovery
Food Freedom
Happiness and Less shame Occasional
and guilt
3 ED behaviors
healthiness focused
Practicing
Full Self
recovery
4 awareness
personalized
normal behaviors
No guilt, shame, or
disorder behaviors
4 STEPS OF ED RECOVERY SimpleHealthyEats

Disordered Eating

Restrictive Dieting
Orthorexia
Bulimia
1
Binge Eating
Anorexia
Exercise Bulimia

Step 1: Disordered Eating

Everyone who's on this journey starts here.

You may be struggling with a "labeled" eating disorder like:

-Binge Eating
-Anorexia
-Bulimia
-Exercise bulimia

Or you might be struggling with: 

-Orthorexia (basically a "labeled" eating disorder but not yet an official disorder)
-Restrictive dieting and/or occasional binges
-Overexercising and undereating

In order to start your recovery journey, you need to:

-Decide to get help or be forced to get professional help depending on the circumstances 
-Understand your position so that you can accept that you need to move forward

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4 STEPS OF ED RECOVERY SimpleHealthyEats

Start Recovery 

Still have shame and guilt

Frequent ED Physical and

behaviors 2 mental health
focused recovery
Professional help
and/or community
support
Step 2: Start Recovery

Here's where your recovery journey starts. Naturally, you're still going to be struggling
with a lot of restriction... but at the same time, you're learning how to heal.

Here are some of the signs that you might be in this recovery step:

-You're getting treatment, seeking help, or choosing to help yourself

-Food is still causing a TON of guilt or anxiety
-If you're underweight, you're starting to restore a healthy weight
-You're still struggling with a lot of disordered eating behaviors
-You may be going through periods of overeating and undereating
-You probably have no idea what feeling “full” is
-You think about food 24/7
-You feel the need to always be in control

In order to progress in your journey you need to:

-Get to the bottom of the ED behaviors and practice overcoming them

-Focus on your physical AND mental health
-Seek professional support, if needed
-If required by a professional, follow your recovery meal plan
-Rest mentally and physically
-Practice self-love and self-acceptance

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4 STEPS OF ED RECOVERY SimpleHealthyEats

Semi-Recovered
Mental health
focused recovery
Occasional
Less shame 3 ED behaviors
and guilt
Practicing
personalized
normal behaviors
Step 3: Semi-Recovered

This third step can feel like you're in a full recovery, but there may be a few restrictions
remaining to work on. Overall, you'll see lots of progress and feel much better.

Here are some of the signs that you might be in this recovery step:

-You're breaking restrictions by eating what you never allowed yourself to eat
-You may go through periods of overeating (which is extremely normal and expected)
-You're still unsure of hunger and fullness cues, but you're getting a better idea of what     
  being “full” feels like.  
-You're starting to “listen to your body” and honoring what it needs
-You may occasionally fall into old ED behaviors, but very rarely 
-You think about food less and less and are able to be present
-You don't feel the need to have as much control over your food
-You've restored a healthy weight by gaining weight, if needed 

In order to progress in your journey you need to:

-Focus on your mental health to overcome remaining restrictions

-Experiment with intuitive eating and mindfulness
-Practice self-awareness - understand what you need in order to progress
-Self-care (manage and prevent anxiety and stress) 
-Practice body positivity and embrace physical changes

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4 STEPS OF ED RECOVERY SimpleHealthyEats

What is the difference between semi-recovery and full recovery?

When we're only semi-recovered (step #3)...

-We get “stuck” in the recovery process

-We heal physically but not 100% mentally
-We embrace it “half-way” without digging deep into the things that scare or               
  challenge us the most
-Some type of restriction still remains and food still controls part of our lives, which we       
  have to continue to work through

A crucial conversation between me and my coaching client about embracing a full

recovery:

“I'm sitting here tonight realizing that if I don't feed my mind and what it wants I'm never going
to get better. It can't be calories. It can't be eating a little extra. It has to be hearing my mind say
"I want this" and me doing it. What I do now is hear that it wants whatever it wants, me
saying it's "too scary" and trying to substitute with something else. And although I may be
physically “full" my mind isn't. And I guess I'm realizing that my body can't be the only focus. My
mind is so deprived. And I keep saying "but my weight is fine. I'm not starving. I eat enough"
but my poor brain is like "come on. I need different and more and fun". And I will never get
past this point or stage in recovery unless I start to honor my mind’s needs and wants... 

So basically, I'm coming to terms with the fact that I'm going to stay in this place of
semi-recovery until I just surrender and give my mind what it needs and focus less on my
body. I guess I never realized that my mind has a stomach as well and that it's really really
hungry. It's time to feed my mind.  

THIS IS EXACTLY THE REALIZATION YOU NEED TO HAVE TO REACH FULL RECOVERY!

Which is why, in order to progress from semi-recovery to Food Freedom, you have to
focus on your mental health and practice breaking free from the remaining restrictions.

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4 STEPS OF ED RECOVERY SimpleHealthyEats

Food Freedom
Happiness and
healthiness focused
Full Self
recovery
4
awareness
No guilt, shame, or
disorder behaviors
Step 4: Food Freedom

In this last step, your mind and body finally understand that you're allowed to eat without
restriction. You can live your life with presence, without disordered eating habits, and
without food taking control of what you want.

Here are some of the signs that you might be in this recovery step:

-You found a balance between healthy eating AND indulging

-You have a healthy relationship with all foods
-Food is an integrated part of your life but does not control your life
-You feel body acceptance and self-compassion

Solution to maintain Food Freedom:

-Create a life beyond food that makes you happy

-Practice empowering personal growth and amazing self-care

Will you never struggle again if you’re in full recovery?

There are always moments in our life that test us with food. Which is why I'll occasionally
have days where I feel like I'm a 3. BUT, that is exactly why it's so important to continue to
practice self-care and personal growth to create a life BEYOND food. That way, you'll be as
resilient as possible in your recovery journey so you can maintain Food Freedom for life!

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4 STEPS OF ED RECOVERY SimpleHealthyEats

How do you DO this?

3 steps of healing your relationship with food:

1. Create an honest awareness of your relationship with food. Learn the ins and outs of the 
    triggers that cause YOUR disordered eating habits. (The foundation for Step #2)

2. Practice healing your relationship with food by learning how to break free from                   
    restriction. Create customized eating habits that allow you to find your natural balance     
    between healthy eating and indulging. (The foundation for Step #3)

3. Figure out your life BEYOND food by practicing empowering personal growth techniques 
    and amazing self-care to create a lifestyle that supports your healthy and happy                 
    relationship with food as easily and simply as possible. (The foundation for Step #4)

How to practice all of these steps:

I know, I know... you want all of the results NOW. 

Well, guess what? I got you, babe!

Learn how to do all 3 steps of Food Freedom in my free Food Freedom Workshop.

And remember: ALL STEPS ARE PART OF THE PROCESS! Do not try to skip ahead and go
from disordered eating to Food Freedom all at once... it's just not going to work! Believe me,
even if you "think" you've got some of the stuff down, I bet you there are a TON of new
strategies to make it all even easier. We all heal on our own time and have our own journey
to get there. So, do yourself a favor and trust the process... because I'm about to make this
as simple and easy for you as possible!

Sign up for the free Food Freedom Workshop here.

COPYRIGHT 2018 SIMPLE HEALTHY EATS | SIMPLEHEALTHYEATS.COM