Lesser Known Eating Disorders to Be Aware Of

In 2026, National Eating Disorderes Awareness Week (NEDAW) took place between February 23-March 1 and I made a series on Instagram to bring awareness to lesser known eating disorders. The response from viewers was quite incredible and reminded me why I keep posting to try to get my message out there for those who need to hear it. So now I list it all out here in one spot to continue bringing awareness:

Image sourced from National Eating Disorders Association website.

"Atypical" Anorexia

You do not have to look emaciated to have anorexia (!!!!). And most people with anorexia… don’t (1).

First, we’re talking about "atypical" anorexia and why that word "atypical" can be misleading. Atypical anorexia meets all the same criteria as anorexia nervosa:

– Restricting food.

– Intense fear of weight gain.

– Body dysmorphia.

– Thinking about food or your body most of the day.

– Rigid, black-and-white thinking.

– A strong need for control.

The only difference? The person is not considered “underweight” by BMI standards. Often, they started in a larger body, lost a significant amount of weight, and may now fall into "overweight" or “normal” weight ranges. And because they don’t look emaciated, their eating disorder is often missed. Or worse - praised.

Compliments.

Encouragement to “keep going.”

Even medical reinforcement from weight bias in weight-centric healthcare. In fact, calling it "atypical" anorexia is stigmatizing, rooted in weight bias, and can feel like struggles are invalidated. It really is just straight anorexia nervosa- More on weight stigma discussed down below.

But when your body is malnourished, it doesn’t care what you weigh. You can still experience:

– Missed periods.

– Low heart rate.

– Hair thinning.

– GI issues.

– Mood swings.

– Anemia.

–Electrolyte imbalance.

–Death (1).

Malnutrition is malnutrition.

The word “atypical” can make it sound less serious. It’s not. And in a culture swinging back toward thinness, especially with the rise of weight-loss medications, this conversation matters more than ever. You do not need to look sick to be sick. And you deserve care at any body size.

Orthorexia

Next, we’re talking about another eating disorder that often gets applauded instead of questioned - Orthorexia. When “clean eating” stops being about health… and starts being about control. Orthorexia is about eating “clean" or "perfect,” and it not officially in the DSM-5 yet, but awareness is rising fast (2).

The term was coined in 1997 and literally means an obsession with “proper” or “healthful” eating. And here’s the nuance:

Caring about nutrition? Not a problem.

Wanting more whole foods? Totally reasonable.

Orthorexia happens when that interest turns into obsession.

When “healthy eating” becomes so rigid that it harms your mental health, your relationships, or even your physical health. It often starts innocently:

“I just want clearer skin.” (3)

“I want to eat more whole foods.”

“I want to avoid chemicals.”

Notice how those all sound like "clean eating"

But, then slowly it becomes:

– Cutting out entire food groups.

– Spending hours reading ingredient labels.

– Feeling anxious if “safe” foods aren’t available.

– Believing you’re morally superior for how you eat.

– Avoiding social events because the food isn’t “clean.” (2)

And here’s where I need to lovingly challenge something: “Clean eating” doesn’t have an actual definition.

It’s a marketing term. It leans heavily on what is called the appeal to nature fallacy- The belief that natural automatically means good and synthetic automatically means bad. A common saying is "eat only pronouncable ingredients," but cyanide is natural. Even pronouncable. That doesn't mean at a certain dose it's not toxic and deadly- Dose and context matter for everything. A side bar the fits well into this discussion is the food industry and some public health rhetoric right now, and how some companies, positions in power, and figureheads are using this fear based marketing to make products seem more desirable, gain a profit or your vote:

“Made without.”

“No chemicals.”

“Only real ingredients, real food.”

Because of this "clean" eating fear based marketing, suddenly in 2026 we’re celebrating cane sugar soda as a public health win because it’s “natural” [Insert biggest eye roll on the planet here 🙄], but sugar is sugar no matter how it's processed. When food becomes moralized as clean vs dirty, pure vs toxic, good vs bad- That’s fertile ground for orthorexia as that messaging perpetuates fear about food ingredients.

And something to note- Body image doesn’t even have to be the driver for this eating disorder. This can masquerade as discipline, wellness, or self-improvement even. So really look inward- Are you heading down this dark path? or are you already there?

Personally, I struggled with my relationship with food as a teen in this manner so know you are not alone and you can redirect yourself. That starts with not labeling food as good or bad and using critical thinking when you hear something marketed using fear or if it sounds too good to be true. Unfortunatley, as I said at the start, many people will critize you for making peace with these feared food/ingredients because you are "promoting cHeMicAls," but you know your truth and your jouney so just it moving. Educate on this topic if you have the capacity to entertain that conversation, but I understand if you don't lol. It can be a lot.

Bigorexia

Up next, we’re talking about how obsession shows up differently in men especially in gym culture as sometimes it’s not about shrinking or perfection- It'll be about getting bigger. Bigorexia is clinically called muscle dysmorphia and it's when someone becomes preoccupied with the belief that they’re not muscular enough (3,4). And here’s what makes it tricky: They might actually be very muscular. Strong. Lean. The guy people ask for advice from. But in their own mind? They still feel small.

It can look like:

– Structuring your entire day around training.

– Panicking if you miss a lift.

– Bulking and cutting on repeat.

– Obsessing over protein while cutting carbs or fat.

– Skipping social plans to stay on program.

– Using steroids or performance-enhancing drugs to chase “more.”

From the outside, it gets praised as discipline. On the inside, it can feel like anxiety, compulsion, and never being enough. Muscle dysmorphia is more common in boys and men, especially weightlifters and competitive athletes. It’s linked to higher rates of depression, anxiety, substance use, and even suicide risk. And, it often overlaps with disordered eating. Recovery doesn’t mean quitting the gym. It means breaking the belief that your worth lives in your physique. Treatment often includes working with a therapist trained in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to challenge distorted body beliefs and rigid thinking patterns. And working with a disordered eating or eating disorder dietitian is often warranted too, especially if food rules, cutting cycles, or supplement use are part of the pattern (3,4).

The gym can build strength. But everyone deserve strength that includes mental freedom too. If your pursuit of muscle is shrinking your life instead of expanding it… that’s not weakness. That’s a sign you deserve support!

Disordered Eating

Up next are the shades of gray between "normal" eating and a diagnosible eating disorder, where you don’t have to be sick "enough" to deserve help. And aint that the truth about disordered eating. By the way, perhaps "normal eating" can be defined as intutive eating: A good relationship with food/body, eating for mainly biological reasons, having your 💩 together around food for lack of better words lol to put context to this discussion.

Many people do not have or meet formal diagnosis of anorexia, bulimia, or binge eating and yet struggle immensely with food and body image. Disordered eating can look like:

– Chronic dieting or restricting, even if it feels “moderate.”

– Limiting carbs out of fear of weight gain.

– Going vegetarian, vegan, or gluten-free for weight reasons rather than ethical or health reasons.

– Following rigid, all-or-nothing eating patterns: "I eat no cookies, or I eat all the cookies."

– Obsessively counting calories, points, or macros.

– Following arbitrary food rules picked up from friends, blogs, or lingering diet mentality.

– Feeling guilt or shame after eating.

– Constantly thinking about “starting over Monday.”

– Compensating for foods you ate with extra exercise or skipped meals.

– Letting the scale dictate your mood or your food choices.

Studies show that 35% of initial dieters progress to pathological dieting. Of those, 20–30% may eventually develop partial or full eating disorders (5). Even mild dieting in teens increases risk - Moderate dieting can raise the risk fivefold, and severe restriction can raise it 18x (6).

You also don’t need to be on a formal diet program like keto, weight watchers, or low-carb - Pseudo-dieting behaviors (whats listed above^) and “lifestyle change” rhetoric can trigger disordered eating patterns just the same. Because, for example, not everyone who diets or tracks food develops a disordered relationship with numbers, food, and body, but mostly everyone who has disordered eating has dieted and/or tracked.

The good news? Support exists. Working with a professional, like a registered dietitian specializing in intuitive eating and a therapist, can help you rewire your relationship with food and your body before things escalate.

If any of this feels familiar, you deserve help. Shameless plug: My affordable course and 1:1 counseling are here for you! 1:1 sessions are likely to be covered by your insurance! Estimated cost for starting is $0.00, typically, so just get on my calendar for your first session asap (Self pay is also accepted). Because the gray area still matters. You still matter! Hope to see you in sessions 😊

Weight Stigma

And in discussing these lesser known eating disorders, I couldn't not also talk about weight bias and stigma as this topic is SO relevent to this conversation.

Have you ever seen a larger person and thought "They must eat takeout"- That kind of thinking? That’s weight bias rooted in weight stigma, and it’s everywhere, even in healthcare.

Weight stigma isn’t just rude- It’s dangerous. People in larger bodies are often missed for eating disorder diagnoses, misdiagnosed for medical conditions, or have care delayed because the focus is on weight (8) . Across fields, healthcare professionals hold negative attitudes toward fat people, and more than half of women in larger bodies report bias from physicians, nurses, and even dietitians (9).

Weight stigma is relevent to eating disorderes and disordered eating as it relates to distress with food and body and negative health consequences, such as avoidance of care, delayed diagnoses, depression, increased stress and inflammation, emotional eating, and worse long-term health outcomes (8, 10, 11, 12, 13).

In current weight centric health care climate, a common recommendation is weight loss, but when that commonly results in weight cycling (weight loss and regain) from unsustainable intentional weight loss behavior changes- Its not a very effective intervetion long term. Do you think a drug should be kept on the market after learning that by year 1 it didn't work for 80% of people, and then by year 5 it didnt work for 90% of people? No? Didn't think so, but that's the prevalence of diets failing and weight being regained in the United States (14) so its a wonder why weight loss continues to be recommended, especially when its not harmless, willy nilly intervention. More interestingly is how weight cylcing is a known independent risk factor for the same diseases often blamed on larger bodies: Diabetes and heart disease (15, 16). So that means regardless of how large a person is, telling them to lose weight to "be healthy" is counter productive and increases their risk for developing those same diseases trying to be avoided, negatively impacting the persons health- This is quite the vicous cycle to keep asking of someone to do.

And to top it off weight stigma significant associated with disordered eating (17).

This conversation isn’t about "personal responsibility"- People taking their "own initiative and work out more and eat less." This conversation is about a biased system that harms people, regardless if they were to take personal responsibility. The solution? Focus on actual health markers, not body size: Blood sugar, cholesterol, blood pressure, and the behaviors that improve them like sleep, stress, physical activity, and nutrition- There are certain dietary/lifestyle interventions that directly help certain diseases, known as Medical Nutrition Therapy, that can only be implemeneted with a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RD/RDN). Advocate for yourself in medical settings -You can request not to be weighed, set boundaries, and insist on evidence-based care (Note: There is a lot of evidence in weight loss interventions, but don't let this weight bias conversation be omitted in your discussion with your healthcare provider. Remember weight loss intervetions are studied for weeks, months, or 2 years long, typically. Ask about year 5+ when 90% of people cannot sustain it and weight is regained). In the doctors office asking “If I was a thin person, what would your advice be for me?”- If weight loss isnt the advice for someone thin, then its likely not that helpful for you either.

I've also seen a lot of hate on the body postivity/nuetrality movement with GLP-1 landscape lately and the shift in skinny culture so let me clear this up: Acceptance about body weight is not saying "don't care about your health" or “don't create healthy changes,” if needed. Okay? K. Please see more Health At Every Size (HAES) for more on this topic.

As a weight nuetral dietitian, my job isn't to make people fit an aesthetic, it's to support people's health and wellbeing through nutrition, relationship with food/body image, and lifestyle changes ensuring that they feel respected and heard throughout the journey.