Dealing With Restaurants and Eating Out In Bulimia Recovery

Contributor: Crystal Karges, MS, RDN, IBCLC, Special Projects Coordinator at Eating Disorder Hope/Addiction Hope

For many individuals who struggle with bulimia, certain foods, food groups, and environments can trigger urges to binge and purge. While bulimia itself results from a variety of factors, certain stressors can trigger the behaviors of binging and purging. Eating out at restaurants or eating outside food in general can be difficult for many people with bulimia to cope with for several reasons.

Often times, restaurants serve portion sizes that are much larger than a typical portion size or normal serving for an individual. A person might also feel overwhelmed at the number of choices that are available on a menu, which itself can trigger anxiety about eating out.

Restaurant Foods May Seem Indulgent for Those with Eating Disorders

Other people may feel uncomfortable eating the types of foods that may be offered in a restaurant. Foods that may feel “indulgent” than foods that are typically eaten on a daily basis can be enough to trigger a sense of feeling out of control when it comes to eating out. The environment of restaurants or eating out with others can also be hard to manage.

For example, a person with bulimia might feel pressured or stressed by the crowd of a restaurant or the time that is taken to sit at a table with a group of people. Whatever the factors may be, it is important to be aware of what potential triggers may lay in eating out while in recovery from bulimia.

Rely on Your Support Group while Learning to Eat Out

If you are in recovery from bulimia and are learning to eat out at restaurants once more, be sure to stay connected to your support group and team for help in managing the triggers you may encounter. Working with your therapist might be helpful in terms of developing appropriate coping mechanisms for stress, anxiety, etc. while your dietitian can be resourceful in assisting you with the eating process, portioning, mindful/intuitive eating skills and more.

Eating out and occasionally visiting restaurants for a meal is very much a normal part of life, and learning how to manage triggers you may encounter can be a helpful part of your recovery from bulimia.

Community Discussion – Share your thoughts here!

Have you been in recovery for bulimia? If so, how did you effectively manage triggers that may be encountered with eating out at restaurants or other fast food places? What encouragement might you offer to other individuals who may be struggling in this area?

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Crystal is a Masters-level Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) with a specialty focus in eating disorders, maternal/child health and wellness, and intuitive eating. Combining clinical experience with a love of social media and writing, Crystal serves as the Special Projects Coordinator for Eating Disorder Hope/Addiction Hope, where her passion to help others find recovery and healing is integrated into each part of her work.

As a Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor, Crystal has dedicated her career to helping others establish a healthy relationship with food and body through her work with EDH/AH and nutrition private practice.

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The opinions and views of our guest contributors are shared to provide a broad perspective of eating disorders. These are not necessarily the views of Eating Disorder Hope, but an effort to offer discussion of various issues by different concerned individuals.

We at Eating Disorder Hope understand that eating disorders result from a combination of environmental and genetic factors. If you or a loved one are suffering from an eating disorder, please know that there is hope for you, and seek immediate professional help.

Last Updated & Reviewed By: Jacquelyn Ekern, MS, LPC on January 17, 2016
Published on EatingDisorderHope.com