Overcoming
Disordered Eating

Overcoming Disordered Eating
Information Pack A
Take Charge … Initiate Change
Module 3
How Eating Disorders Are Maintained
Introduction
Judging Self-WorthStrategies to Control Shape & Weight
The Effects of Shape & Weight Control Strategies
Binge Eating
Compensatory Behaviours (purging and excessive exercise)
Extreme Weight Loss & the “Starvation Syndrome”
Putting it All Together
From Understanding to Action
Module Summary
About This Module

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This is the third module of Information Pack A, which provides information about disordered eating andoffers strategies to help you start changing the behaviours associated with your disordered eating and weightcontrol habits. We suggest you read through all the modules of this Information Pack, in order, before
embarking on change.
If you do think you might suffer from an eating disorder, it is important that you talk to your General Practitioner, as
there are many physical complications that can arise from being at an unhealthily low weight or from losing weightvery quickly, or from purging. We advise you to seek professional help with working on an eating disorder.
If you use any extreme weight control behaviours – even rarely – you should also see your General Practitioner for a
full medical check-up, as your health might be compromised. Such extreme measures include:• extreme food restriction/fasting (and/or rapid weight loss)• purging (self-induced vomiting, misuse of laxatives or diuretics)• extreme exercise

The information provided in this document is for information purposes only. Please refer to the full
disclaimer and copyright statement available at http://www.cci.health.wa.gov.au regarding theinformation on this website before making use of such information.

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Introduction
In Module 1 we talked about what eating disorders are and the negative impact they can have on a person’slife. In this module, we will explore the various things that keep eating disorders going. We call these‘maintaining mechanisms.’ As we go along, we will map out these maintaining mechanisms in the form of adiagram, which we call a ‘model.’ This model will help you understand your disordered eating and what
keeps it going. We will show you how eating disorders form a vicious cycle and in later modules we willshow you how this cycle can be broken.

Judging Self-Worth
You might have heard and seen words like “self-esteem”, “self-image,” “self-perception,” and “selfconcept.” All these terms refer to the way we view and think about ourselves. As human beings, we havethe ability to not only be aware of ourselves but also to place a value or a measure of worth on ourselves
or on aspects of ourselves. In general, people measure their worth and happiness based on a variety ofthings, such as their relationships, intelligence, achievements at school or work, hobbies, leisure activities,
and other abilities. People with eating disorders tend to judge themselves and their worth largely, or evensolely, in terms of their eating habits, shape and weight, and their ability to control these.
This system of self-evaluation may have developed through particular life experiences, and/or the influenceof family, friends, and the media. In many Westernised societies and cultures there is a strong pressure to
be thin. Not only is thinness considered to be important, but it is equated with being attractive, desirable,
successful and in control – in short, being of worth. This idea is taken to extremes by people with eating
disorders. They put enormous effort into controlling their eating in order to control their weight andshape. This is an issue that is central to what keeps eating disorders going.
Take a few moments to jot down how you see yourself. How much are your judgementsof yourself and your worth based on your physical appearance, such as your shape or
weight? Do you tend to judge yourself on your ability (or inability) to control these? What
thoughts do you have about yourself?

Strategies for Controlling Shape & Weight
Because people with eating disorders tend to judge their worth based on their ability to control their eating
habits, shape and weight, their lives become preoccupied with all of these matters. Controlling what one
eats, losing weight, controlling one’s shape – these become extremely important and are actively sought
after. The flip side is that losing control over eating, putting on weight and being overweight are important
as well – only they are things to be avoided at all costs.
So, how can you juggle all of these notions? People with eating disorders use various strategies, some ofwhich are quite extreme, to try to control their eating, shape and weight. We will consider a few main
strategies in this section.
Strict Dieting and Dietary Rulesfor
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One strategy that is common to those who have an eating disorder is strict dieting, or severe attempts to
reduce the amount of food consumed. In Module 1 we described how dieting itself can lead to overeating
and binge eating, since our bodies are wired to make up for any food restriction.
It is probably fair to say that a large majority of people (especially women), at least once in their lifetime,
have been on a diet in which the goal is to lose some weight. As we mentioned in Module 1, dieting is very
common, especially among girls and young women. There are all sorts of diets being used and there areplenty of books written about dieting and losing weight. So what makes the type of dieting engaged in bypeople with eating disorders different from diets used by the general population? The key difference is in
the strictness and rigidity of their dieting. People with eating disorders engage in very strict dieting. Thismeans that they often have very specific goals for dieting that they have to meet and very strict andinflexible rules for dieting that they attempt to keep. We refer to these rules as “dietary rules”.
There are a number of ways in which people with eating disorders diet. Here are three of the mostcommon categories of strict dietary rules:• When they eat. Some people try to avoid eating altogether. Some people make themselves fast for
as long as they can. Others avoid eating for much of the day and only allow themselves to eat once aday. Some people skip meals and others may not allow themselves to eat after a certain time.
• What they eat. People with eating disorders tend to believe that certain types of food are especiallyfattening and are therefore “forbidden,” “bad,” or “dangerous.” The types of food avoided may differ
from person to person, but the list can be very long.
• How much they eat. Often, people with Anorexia Nervosa or Bulimia Nervosa have a specific daily
calorie limit. For example, some might try to eat less than 800 calories a day. This is well below theamount needed for everyday functioning.
Strict dieting may also include having other specific rules that may be unique to the individual.
Some people have rules about the way they eat and where they can eat. Examples of suchrules include not allowing themselves to sit down and eat, or not allowing themselves to eat
with other people, or only eating at home on their own, or only eating less than everyoneelse. Others cut their food into tiny pieces, or eat extremely quickly or extremely slowly.
Are you currently on a diet? Take a few minutes to jot down what you do when you’re trying to restrict
what you eat, and the sorts of rules you might have about dieting.

Extreme Weight Control Strategies
Many people with eating disorders think that dieting alone may not be enough to control their shape
and weight. They want their bodies to absorb as little food as possible. They may try to get rid of thecalories they have consumed by making themselves vomit or using laxatives or diuretics (pills taken to
reduce water retention). They may also try to burn up calories by engaging in excessive, driven
exercise. They may spend long hours in the gym on exercise machines, or going for long runs or walks.
Do you use any of these or other strategies? Take a few minutes to jot them down.

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It may seem surprising and even unbelievable, but most of these weight and shape control strategies
actually play a huge role in keeping disordered eating going. Let’s explore how this might happen.
Our understanding begins with the central issue in eating disorders. Remember that previously we said
that people with eating disorders tend to judge themselves and their self-worth based largely on theirability to control their eating habits, shape and weight. They set strict rules for themselves with the aim ofcontrolling their food intake, shape, and weight. This is illustrated in the diagram below.

Self-worth based (largely) on:• Eating habits, shape, weight• Ability to control these

Strict Dieting and Extreme Shape &Weight Control Strategies

However, the role these shape and weight control strategies play is that they maintain this system of
judging self-worth. This means that if you base your self judgement on what you eat, your shape, yourweight, and your ability to control these, AND you use various strategies to control your shape and weight
you will be more likely to CONTINUE this process of self judgement. This in turn will then keep these twoprocesses linked and contribute to your disordered eating. Let’s see how this develops.

The Effects of Shape & Weight Control
Strategies
So far we’ve described several ways in which people with eating disorders try to control their shape andweight. Let’s now consider what sorts of effects they can have on a person using them.
Preoccupation with Food & Eating
One of the psychological effects of strict dieting is that the person engaged in dieting often becomes
preoccupied with food and eating. Aren’t these the very things that people who are dieting don’t want tothink about? Isn’t that interesting?
Many people with eating disorders have reported that they can think about little else. Others have said
that they think about food and eating so much that it even affects their ability to concentrate on otheractivities such as watching television, reading, studying, and talking to people. They think about what to eat,
how much they will allow themselves to eat, how they can prepare it, how they will divide the food up, andhow they will eat it.

They also think about what they “shouldn’t” eat (and how much they want those foods), what they“shouldn’t” have eaten, and how to avoid eating. They think about ways they might compensate for theforCentrelinical
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extra calories they have eaten or fear they might consume. They beat themselves up for having “given in.”
Some people have said that they even dream about food and eating. The stricter the rules are for dieting,the more one thinks about food and eating.
Is this something you might have noticed about yourself? Do you think more about food and eatingwhen you are on a strict diet? If you are currently trying to restrict your food intake, take a few
moments to jot down the things you think about during the day. What do you tend to be
preoccupied with?

Nutritional Deprivation & Physical Hunger
Another effect of strict food restriction is that the likelihood of being able to keep to your dietary rules isvery low. The stricter the rules are, the harder it is to meet all these rules. Why is this so? One of theimmediate effects of such food restriction, especially when the amount of food eaten is very small, is thatyou become hungry. This is your body telling you that its energy supplies are getting low and it is being
deprived of adequate nutrition (although some people who have had disordered eating patterns for many
years may not be aware of their hunger pangs).
If you are also vomiting or using laxatives or diuretics or exercising excessively, your body will begin tocrave food physically (even if you are not aware of this). So, strict dieting and use of other weight control
strategies has almost an opposite effect – the stricter the rules, the less likely it is that you will succeed.
Broken Rules & Emotional Distress
In this state of depleted nutrition there is a strong psychological and physiological pressure toeat. What do you think happens when you are not only thinking about food and eating, andyour body is also craving nutrition? Most people would begin eating – and not just “dietfoods”! To people with disordered eating, this means that at least one of their dietary rules
has been broken.
People who set strict and rigid dietary rules and goals for themselves tend to be very hard on themselves
when they are unable to keep to those rules and meet their goals. They might feel guilty and believe thatthey have “failed.” They may get very down on themselves and criticise themselves for being “weak” or“useless.” As a result, they probably don’t feel good about themselves and may feel upset and distressed.
Is this something you can relate to? If you have ever been on a strict diet and have not been able to meet
one or more of your rules, what have you said to yourself? How do you then feel? Jot down some of yourthoughts about this.

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Binge Eating
Some people, who initially don’t succeed with dieting, may try again and try harder, with perhaps evenstricter rules. However, this is likely to lead into the vicious cycle we have been describing. The harder
you try to restrict your food intake, the harder it is to sustain this over a long period of time. The
psychological and physiological pressure to eat continues to build up the more you try to resist eating.
Eventually, you will eat – and often this is unplanned eating which breaks one or more rules.
If this vicious cycle continues, you reach the next stage of the maintenance process. Having broken one ormore dietary rules, you become extremely hard on yourself for doing so. Setting the scene for binge eating
goes something like this: You become upset with yourself and feel guilty, and then criticise yourself harshly,
believing that you have failed. You may then add words to your self-criticisms such as “I might as well giveup,” or “I might as well let myself go.” Bingo, the scene is set!
This type of thinking is called an “All-or-Nothing” or “Black-or-White” thinking style. Many people whohave disordered eating recognise that they think in this way, so when they break a dietary rule, they think“I’ve blown it, I may as well continue…” and the result is that they abandon all control, and binge. This isshown in the model below, which illustrates how binge eating might be maintained.

••

Self-worth based (largely) on:
Eating habits, shape, weight
Ability to control these

Strict Dieting and Extreme Shape& Weight Control Strategies

Preoccupation with
Eating & Food

Breaking
Dietary Rule/s

Nutritional Deprivation& Physical Hunger
Self-Criticism &All-or-Nothing
Thinking

Binge Eating

Initially, a binge can be an enjoyable experience. The food may be satisfying and taste good, and you mightexperience feelings of pleasure. However, these pleasurable feelings are almost always replaced by severe
self-criticism and self-blame and feelings of guilt, shame, disgust and revulsion, especially when the binge
continues in an uncontrollable manner. What makes the initial problems worse and keeps the cycle goingis usually a determination to do better the next time. This is also illustrated in the above diagram. So, theabandoning of control is temporary, and there is a renewed fervour to carry out the shape and weightcontrol strategies again. If this happens, you can see that the cycle is becoming more vicious, with thesethree mechanisms maintaining each other.
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Compensatory Behaviours (Purging &Excessive Exercise)
After a binge, in addition to experiencing negative thoughts and feelings, some people experience anoverwhelming urge to get rid of the calories that were eaten during the binge. This is typically done byusing the output control strategies that have previously been discussed – self-induced vomiting, using a large
amount of laxatives or diuretics, or engaging in extremely strenuous physical exercise. The ultimate aim ofthese strategies is to get rid of, or compensate for, the calories consumed in a binge. We therefore callthese ‘compensatory measures.’ These compensatory measures actually serve to keep the binge eating going,
because once people believe they can “make up” for their binges, they find that it gets harder and harder tostop themselves from binge eating. At the back of their minds they are thinking: “Well, I can always
vomit” (or use laxatives or exercise excessively). They often tell themselves, “This is the last time,” but findthat they have a great difficulty controlling their actions.
The model below illustrates how over time and with repeated cycles, an eating disorder such as Bulimia
Nervosa is maintained.

Self-worth based (largely) on:• Eating habits, shape, weight• Ability to control these

Strict Dieting and Extreme Shape& Weight Control Strategies

Preoccupation with
Eating & Food

Breaking
Dietary Rule/s

Nutritional Deprivation& Physical Hunger

Self-Criticism &All-or-Nothing
Thinking

Binge Eating

Compensatory
vomiting/laxative misuse/excessive exercise

This is one possible result or pathway of what might happen when people evaluate themselves based largelyon their shape and weight and then use strict strategies to control these. In the next section, we willconsider another possible result or pathway.

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Extreme Weight Loss & The “Starvation
Syndrome”
For some people, even though they experience the psychological and physiological pressure to eat, they areable to sustain their strict eating habits and other weight control strategies for some time. This usually
results in significant weight loss. This may seem very positive at first and the person who loses a lot ofweight may gain a sense of achievement and satisfaction, and even praise from others. Given this, theperson may go on to lose even more weight and end up reaching a very low weight. Losing a lot of weightor being at a very low weight brings its own set of problems.
Losing a lot of weight fast or being at a very low weight means that a person is eating very little in order tosustain the low(er) weight. Prolonged under-eating results in some very interesting and serious effects,
which make up what we call the “Starvation Syndrome.” We introduced these effects in Module 1.
First of all there are physical effects when the body is constantly being deprived of nutrition. A person at avery low weight may experience dizziness or blackouts, become anaemic (lack of iron in the blood), lose
their ability to menstruate (women), have lowered testosterone (men), experience hair loss and changes inthe texture of their skin, nails and hair. They may find that a fine layer of body hair has grown on theirback, face and arms as their body tries to stay warm. Their metabolic rate may slow down substantially inorder to conserve energy, the body may also slow down heart rate, blood pressure and body temperature.
People who are at a very low weight often feel very cold, not only on the outside of their bodies but on theinside as well. They tend not to be able to sleep very well or feel that they are not refreshed after a night’s
sleep. Although a person experiencing the starvation syndrome may experience intense hunger, they alsofeel very full and/or bloated after eating very little.

Prolonged starvation during childhood and adolescence is particularly serious. It can result in stunted
growth – that is, you stop growing taller – and affects bone density. This damage to your bones can neverbe reversed and leaves you vulnerable to broken bones and stress fractures.
In addition to physical effects, the starvation syndrome also results in psychological and social consequences.
A person at an extremely low weight tends to be preoccupied with food, become inward looking andinflexible in their thinking, and experience difficulty in concentrating and making decisions (often
procrastinating). They also often experience low mood and irritability, and are prone to mood swings andsudden flare-ups.
They tend to withdraw from their family and friends. Their begin to narrow their interests,
often losing interest in sex and relationships, and becoming socially isolated and unaware ofwhat goes on around them. They may even become quite obsessional, doing things in aritualistic and rigid way, for example, engaging in ritualistic eating (such as counting mouthfuls
or cutting their food into tiny pieces), extremely competitive behaviour, obsessive list-making,and hoarding.
The key point about all these effects is that when a person is at that low a weight, the starvation syndrome
plays a role in KEEPING them at that low weight, as well as maintaining the strict dieting and weight control
strategies and the way they view themselves. There is now a vicious cycle going on here as well. This is
illustrated in the model overleaf.
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Self-worth based (largely) on:• Eating habits, shape, weight• Ability to control these

Strict Dieting and Extreme
Shape & Weight Control
Strategies
Preoccupation
with Eating &Weight Loss

Nutritional
Deprivation & Physical
Sense of
Achievement

Low Weight“Starvation Syndrome”

So, how does the starvation syndrome maintain a person at that low weight? When a person has lost a lotof weight or is at a very low weight, they actually become more preoccupied with food and eating than at
any other point in their life. They think a lot about the little that they will allow themselves to eat, how to
prepare the food, how to divide it up, and when they can eat it. As previously mentioned, they may even
eat the food in a very ritualistic way. They may withdraw from family and friends, stop doing the things
they used to do, and even stop pursuing goals they previously valued. Because their interests havenarrowed significantly, their life is now all about strict dieting and controlling their shape and weight.
Furthermore, when they do eat, even small portions, they feel bloated as a result of starvation, but theyoften misinterpret this as evidence of them being fat.
The result is that they will likely stay at that low weight or lose even more weight, which will make theeffects of the starvation syndrome even stronger. This is how the eating disorder Anorexia Nervosa ismaintained. This is a really vicious cycle because the person is now being controlled by the starvation
syndrome. The ultimate danger is when a person’s weight becomes too low, because their heart can fail,which may result in death.
Starvation at average weightIf you have recently experienced a dramatic weight loss over a short period, even if you are still at an
average weight, your body might be experiencing “Starvation Syndrome” and your health might be at risk. It
is important to see your General Practitioner for a medical check-up.
If you have sporadic eating habits, even if you are in the healthy weight range, you may also be experiencing
aspects of the “Starvation Syndrome”. If you leave more than 5 hours between eating (during the day), yourbody goes into “Starvation Mode”, preparing for a further lack of food. It lowers its metabolic rate in orderto preserve energy. Therefore, when you do eat next, the food you consume will be metabolised
differently, for the purpose of storage – exactly what you are trying to avoid!
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Putting It All Together
Let’s now look at the two possible pathways together. This is shown on the model below. As we
mentioned in Module 1, at times there may be an overlap of eating disorders, and one problem may evencross over to the other. Remember that our model begins with the central issue in eating disorders.
People with eating disorders tend to judge their worth based largely, or even solely, on their eating habits,
shape, and weight and their ability to control these. When they then engage in strict dieting and use otherextreme shape and weight control strategies, this maintains their system of evaluating self-worth.
Self-worth based (largely) on:• Eating habits, shape, weight• Ability to control these

Strict Dieting and Extreme Shape & Weight Control
Strategies

Preoccupation with
Eating & Food

Self-Criticism &All-or-Nothing
Thinking

Weight Loss

Sense of
Achievement

Binge Eating

Low Weight

Compensatory
vomiting/laxative misuse“Starvation
Syndrome”

Anorexia Nervosa

Bulimia Nervosa

Breaking
Dietary Rule/s

Nutritional
Deprivation &Physical Hunger

Some people, in spite of their preoccupation with food and hunger, begin to lose weight quickly and gain asense of achievement and satisfaction from doing so. This may lead to further weight loss, perhaps ending
up at a very low weight. When this happens, the effects of the starvation syndrome kick in and continue tomaintain the low weight. This is the Anorexia Nervosa pathway.
It is possible that people with Anorexia Nervosa may cross over to the Bulimia Nervosa pathway. We
have mentioned that one of the psychological effects of strict dieting and extreme shape and weight control
strategies is a preoccupation with food and eating, and that a physical effect is nutritional deprivation andhunger. With such psychological and physical pressure to eat, the breaking of dietary rules (for example,
eating more than is allowed, or eating a forbidden food) may occur. When this happens, and harsh selfcriticism and all-or-nothing thinking is added to the mix, binge eating and the use of compensatory
measures are likely to take place. All these are mechanisms that keep the problem going.
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From Understanding to Action
In this module, we have talked a lot about how eating disorders are maintained. From the next module
onwards, we will be talking about how to address your problem. We will discuss a number of strategies totackle the various parts of the problem. A lot of research has gone into studying these strategies and they
have been found to be very effective if people stick with working at them.
If you have disordered eating or think that you might be developing an eating disorder, we encourage you
to come along this journey towards recovery and well-being. Do join us for the next modules of thisinformation package!
Remember, if you are engaging in any strict dieting or extreme weight control behaviours, such as purging orexcessive exercise, it is important to go to your General Practitioner for a thorough physical examination. You may
also need professional help for your eating problems.

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Module Summary
•
•
•
•
•
•

People with eating disorders tend to judge themselves and their self-worth largely, or even solely, interms of their eating habits, shape and weight, and their ability to control these. This is an issue that iscentral to what maintains eating disorders (what keeps them going).
People with eating disorders use various strategies, some of which are quite extreme, to control theireating, shape and weight. These include: having strict dietary rules, purging (vomiting or using laxatives)
and/or excessive exercise.
As a result of these strategies, people develop a preoccupation with food and eating, as well as
nutritional deprivation and physical hunger.
Breaking the dietary rules leads to emotional distress, which often results in “all-or-nothing” thinking
and binge eating, and the possibility of compensatory behaviours (purging and/or excessive exercise), in
Bulimia Nervosa.
Extreme weight loss and /or low weight can result in the “starvation syndrome” which itself makes it
more likely that the low weight will be maintained, in Anorexia Nervosa.
A vicious cycle develops: judging oneself based on eating, weight, shape and the ability to control all
three  dietary rules and extreme weight control strategies  preoccupation with food  nutritional
deprivation and physical hunger  “all-or-nothing” thinking  either binge eating and/or compensatory
behaviours or “starvation syndrome”  reinforced dietary rules and an increased tendency to judge
oneself in terms of eating/ weight/ shape.

What I Have Learned in this Module
Think about what you have learned in this module and any useful bits of information, tips or strategies thatyou want to remember. Write them down below so you can refer to them later.

Think about how you might use the information you have just learned. Write down some ways in which
you could make use of this information.

Coming Up…
In Module 4 (Self-Monitoring) you will learn how to break thevicious cycle of your disordered eating, through the use of selfmonitoringforCentrelinical
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About This Module
CONTRIBUTORS
Dr. Anthea Fursland (Ph.D.1)
Principal Clinical Psychologist
Centre for Clinical Interventions

Paula Nathan (M.Psch.3)
Director, Centre for Clinical Interventions
Adjunct Senior Lecturer, School of Psychiatry andClinical Neuroscience, University of Western Australia

Dr. Sue Byrne (Ph.D.1, D.Phil.2)
Senior Clinical Psychologist
University of Western Australia andCentre for Clinical Interventions

Dr. Louella Lim4
Clinical Psychologist
Centre for Clinical Interventions

1 Doctor of Philosophy (Clinical Psychology)

2 Doctor of Philosophy (Clinical Psychology)

3 Master of Psychology (Clinical Psychology)

4 Doctor of Psychology (Clinical)

We would also like to thank Karina Allen for her contributions to the presentation of these Information Packs.
BACKGROUND AND REFERENCES
The concepts and strategies in this module have been developed from evidence-based psychologicaltreatment of eating disorders, primarily Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT). This can be found in thefollowing:•••

Fairburn, C. G. (1995) Overcoming Binge Eating. New York: The Guilford Press
Fairburn, C. G., Cooper, Z., & Shafran, R. (2003) Cognitive behaviour therapy for eating disorders:a “transdiagnostic” theory and treatment. Behaviour Research and Therapy 41, pp 509-528
Fairburn, C. G. (2008) Cognitive Behavior Therapy and Eating Disorders. New York: The Guilford
Press“OVERCOMING DISORDERED EATING”
This module forms part of:
Fursland, A., Byrne, S. & Nathan, P. (2007) Overcoming Disordered Eating. Perth, Western Australia: Centre
for Clinical Interventions
ISBN: 0-975799525

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Created: March 2007. Revised November 2010.

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