A Hunger Artist

Learning to let go of disordered eating

Emily T. Troscianko

Applied Optimization in Eating Disorder Recovery

In the final part of the series, we offer a third perspective on the perceived “bodyweight” versus “health” tradeoff, and consider what changes as recovery proceeds.

The Mathematics of Optimization in Recovery

In Part 2 of our series on recovery as an optimization process, we consider how multiple objectives get reconciled, and the difference between technically optimal and good.

The Basics of Optimization in Eating Disorder Recovery

A primer on optimization, eating disorders, and how recovery so easily gets stuck halfway.

Cognitive Dissonance and Anorexia: Optimizing Differently

I propose a set of interlinked questions designed to disrupt dissonance reduction patterns and create possibilities for behavior change to eliminate—not just reduce—dissonance.

Cognitive Dissonance and Anorexia: Optimizing for Tolerable

I suggest that the evolved skill of “optimizing for tolerable” is a major factor in deferring and preventing full recovery from anorexia.

Cognitive Dissonance and Anorexia Nervosa: How They Play Out

Cognitive dissonance helps us understand some fundamental features of life with anorexia, and how it ends.

Cognitive Dissonance and Anorexia Nervosa: Existing Evidence

A successful preventative intervention for eating disorders works by exploiting the power of cognitive dissonance reduction.

Cognitive Dissonance and Anorexia Nervosa: The Basics

Cognitive dissonance is a powerful psychological theory that can offer a revealing angle on how eating disorders survive. Here, an overview of the basics of the theory.

“I’m Not Sick Enough to Get Better”

How can we better understand the idea that "If only I were more seriously ill I would do something about it", and then let it go?

“I’m Not Sick Enough to Get Better”

How does a statement like "I'd commit to recovery if only I were sicker" come to feel it makes sense? How does it keep so many people hesitating so long on the brink of recovery?

Treating Eating: New Research

A new paper argues that to treat eating disorders effectively we need to acknowledge the psychological and physiological aspects but intervene where it works: in the behaviors.

Disordered Eating and Mental Health in a Post-COVID World

What the divergent trends in disordered eating versus depression and anxiety might mean for society and health after lockdown.

Eating Disorders and Mental Health in the COVID Era

Why have the pandemic and lockdown affected people with eating disorders more negatively than those with other mental health conditions?

How and Whether to Make Recovery More Enjoyable: The Whether

Should we try to reduce the unpleasantness of the recovery process from anorexia, or might other approaches be more useful?

How to Make Recovery From Anorexia More Enjoyable

Recovery from anorexia is hard to say yes to, and harder to see through. How can we reduce the unpleasantness of the process?

Anorexia and Dietary Fat: To Ditch One, Embrace the Other

Three ways in which not limiting the amount of dietary fat you consume will help make your recovery wholehearted—plus reflections on the timeline of recovery and fat's roles in it.

Anorexia and Dietary Fat: Brain Function, Hunger and Satiety

An overview of dietary fat’s roles in healthy brain function as well as the regulation of hunger and satiety signalling.

Anorexia and Dietary Fat: A Relationship of Estrangement

An overview of the typical lack of dietary fat in anorexic diets, and some common reasons for it.

26 Ways to Be Happy About Getting Fatter

Gaining significant body fat is a non-negotiable element of recovery from anorexia. It's time to make peace with the idea and the reality of getting fatter.

Are You More Than Your Body? Free Will

Are your philosophical views relevant to your recovery? If you believe free will doesn’t exist, might you be more or less likely to get better?

Are You More Than Your Body? Self-Objectification

Are your philosophical views relevant to your recovery? If you believe matter is all that the universe consists of, might you be more or less likely to get better?

Anorexia and Friendship: Can Friends Galvanize Recovery?

As anorexia gives way to recovery, friendships continue to play a role, for good or for ill, and continue to be shaped themselves by the movement from illness to health.

Anorexia and Friendship: How Friendship Can Affect Anorexia

Can friendships also hinder somebody's wellbeing? Here I consider what friendships can do to affect the course of an illness, for better or worse.

Anorexia and Friendship: What Eating Disorders Do to Friends

Friendships are changed by anorexia, and relationships with loved ones can be deeply stressed from the hurt of an eating disorder. Here's a couple of reasons why.

Anorexia and Friendship: The Science of Their Reciprocity

Friendships are changed by anorexia, and anorexia can be changed by friendship. What difficulties can manifest prior to anorexia's onset, and what's the research behind it?

Zooming Out and Back In: A Cognitive Foundation for Recovery

Seeing the bigger picture, and applying what you have seen to the little details that make the difference, is crucial to making any major life change come good.

8 Ways of Responding to Stress

I describe eight forms of stress response and map out how they can change from anorexia to recovery and post-recovery.

Coping with Stress During and After Recovery from Anorexia

Why is recovery from anorexia so stressful? How can you make it less so? And what happens when it’s over?

The Things No One Tells You about Anorexia and Recovery

Anorexia messes life up in profound ways, but in the little things too. Some are easily attributed to starvation, others less so. Recovery requires openness to them all changing.

Pros and Cons of Taking Time Out for Recovery from Anorexia

There are arguments for and against putting life on hold for recovery. How should you decide, and how can you make what you decide on work as well as possible for you?

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