Author Archives: Ginny Jones

As I know from experience, hosting a podcast (or website, blog, or social media account) about eating disorders is challenging.  Google and other tech businesses are hesitant to publish and promote eating disorder information since it can be hard for them to differentiate “good” and “bad” content in this complex category. This means that thoseContinueContinue reading “The Very Best 2024 Podcast Episodes About Eating Disorders”

Below is my response to a parent who worries about her neurodivergent daughter who is binge eating.  Dear Ginny,  Do you have any advice for me regarding binge eating in a neurodivergent child? I have an 8-year-old daughter who is neurodivergent and is frequently binge eating to the point where she complains that she ateContinueContinue reading “How to help a neurodivergent child with binge eating”

The most common question I get asked by parents who have a child with an eating disorder is “is it my fault?” Many parents worry it’s their fault—that they somehow caused their child’s eating disorder. For example, when I’m coaching parents they might ask me:  Did I wait too long to seek treatment for myContinueContinue reading “Is it my fault my child has an eating disorder?”

Hello! Today I’m going to respond to a letter from a mom whose daughter has both autism and an eating disorder. Her sister’s judgment and criticism are making family events unpleasant, so I’ll review how to set boundaries and provide education to family members. The letter Dear Ginny,  My 11-year-old daughter was diagnosed with autismContinueContinue reading “Help! My sister blames me for my daughter’s eating disorder”

It’s both exciting and stressful when a child returns from residential treatment for an eating disorder. Parents can optimize success by planning a recovery routine. Here’s a letter from a parent who’s going through this right now.  The letter Dear Ginny,  My child is coming home from almost two months of residential treatment. Before that,ContinueContinue reading “I’m so terrified that I can’t sleep – what can I do?”

There are many reasons parents feel guilt when their child has an eating disorder. The biggest one is that our society blames parents for kids’ behavior even though kids have their own unique biology, psychology, and social experience. Parents are just one part of the complex puzzle of child behavior. And yet, when something goesContinueContinue reading “How to handle guilt when your child has an eating disorder”

Here are four podcast episodes to listen to if your goal is raising anti-diet kids who are free from diet culture, weight stigma, and eating disorders. Diet culture is a set of beliefs that promotes intentional weight loss, thin bodies, and limited and privileged ways of eating. Basically, it says that fat bodies are badContinueContinue reading “Podcast episodes for parents raising anti-diet kids”

Choosing to send your child to residential treatment for their eating disorder is a big decision. I have yet to meet a parent who doesn’t feel nervous and unsure about how to decide how to handle this. Following are some of the most common questions and my answers to help you make the best decisionContinueContinue reading “A parent’s guide to residential eating disorder treatment”

Getting parent support when kids have eating disorders can make all the difference in treatment and recovery. Parents are not the cause of eating disorders, and yet the way they approach treatment and recovery can make all the difference in whether their child accepts and ultimately embraces recovery. What causes eating disorders? The first (veryContinueContinue reading “Parent support for eating disorders”

Today I’m going to address a letter from a mom whose daughter accuses her of being an almond mom. I’m not sure if you’re familiar with this term, so I’ll start by giving you a quick overview.  An almond mom is a trend that blew up on TikTok in late 2022. It’s driven by girlsContinueContinue reading “Daughter accuses me of being an almond mom”

If your child has an eating disorder, you want to get support for yourself as a parent. This is because eating disorders don’t only affect the person with the diagnosis – they affect everyone. And often parents becomes overwhelmed, stressed, and burnt out with the caregiving required when a child has an eating disorder. TheseContinueContinue reading “Getting support for your child’s eating disorder”

Today we’re going to hear from a parent whose daughter has anorexia and has threatened suicide during meals. Obviously, this is a tough topic, but it’s not uncommon so I’m going to give you a practical, step-by-step approach that I’ve seen work well. The letter Dear Ginny,  My daughter is 12 and we’re doing FBTContinueContinue reading “When your child with anorexia threatens suicide”

Today we’re going to hear from a mom whose daughter hates her body. The body bashing is intense and hard to deal with.  The letter Dear Ginny, My daughter hates her body. This isn’t the normal teenage stuff that I expected. She genuinely hates her body and can spend the day standing in front ofContinueContinue reading “My daughter hates her body”

Today we’re going to hear from a mom whose daughter has an eating disorder, and now the mom is experiencing her own eating issues.  The letter Dear Ginny, I’ve spent the past six years trying to help our daughter recover from anorexia. We have tried every treatment, and it’s been a very expensive uphill battle.ContinueContinue reading “I’ve got my own eating disorder now”

Today we’ll hear from a parent who wants to convince her daughter that she knows the best eating disorder treatment, but her daughter refuses to listen. I’ll talk through what this parent can do to increase her influence and support her child’s eating disorder recovery.  The letter Dear Ginny,  Our daughter is 23 and hasContinueContinue reading “How can I convince her I know the best treatment?”

Today we’re going to hear from a parent who is worried all the time about her daughter’s eating disorder. Her loved ones are getting annoyed, and she is wondering if her worry makes sense.  Worry always makes sense, but how we handle it can make the difference between feeling supported and loved and feeling evenContinueContinue reading “Mom’s worried about daughter’s eating disorder”

Sometimes parents are told to “back off” eating disorder treatment so a child can choose to recover. I’ll tell you why this all-too-common advice is terrible, and what you can do instead. The letter Dear Ginny, Our 16-year-old son has an eating disorder. He has been seeing a therapist for anxiety and participating in anContinueContinue reading “Should parents back off eating disorder treatment?”

Today we’re going to hear from a dad who is worried that his son is angry with his daughter, who had an eating disorder. Sibling rivalry is normal and expected throughout life, but it’s definitely something to pay attention to during an eating disorder crisis and recovery. The letter Dear Ginny,  A year ago, IContinueContinue reading “Sibling rivalry after an eating disorder”

Today we’re going to hear from April, who is feeling a bit stuck with her daughter’s recovery progress. While her daughter is weight restored, April still sees a lot of signs of the eating disorder and isn’t sure what to do about it.  The letter Dear Ginny, My daughter is 15 and we’ve been dealingContinueContinue reading “There’s still so much to do”

Clara was 15, and her parents Tina and John were terrified that her eating disorder was not budging. “I think it started when she was about 12 years old and she started complaining about her body,” says Tina. “Then I noticed she was restricting food and skipping meals. She began exercising a lot more thanContinueContinue reading “Clara’s story: eating disorder accommodation”

A child’s return from residential eating disorder treatment is both exciting and terrifying for a lot of parents. So today we’re going to hear from a parent whose child is returning from residential treatment. Like so many parents, she is afraid of what could happen and feels very, very stressed about it. I’ll talk through whatContinueContinue reading “How to prepare for return from residential eating disorder treatment”

If you have a child who has an eating disorder then you might have heard of the HAES approach to health and recovery. So what is HAES, and why is it so important to eating disorder recovery? I’ve done my best to distill this significant and nuanced concept to its most important points. What isContinueContinue reading “What is HAES and how can it help with an eating disorder?”

Today we’re going to hear from Ashley, who says her marriage is headed for divorce as she struggles to help her son recover from an eating disorder. This is a really hard place to be, but many people find themselves here at some point. So I’m going to talk through some ways to consider theContinueContinue reading “My kid has an eating disorder & I’m headed for divorce”

Today we’re going to hear from a mother who is suffering from burnout after more than two years of caring for her child with an eating disorder. She’s having trouble functioning and wonders what she should do.  The letter Dear Ginny,  My child has an eating disorder that we’ve been dealing with for more thanContinueContinue reading “Burnout when your child has an eating disorder”

Today we’re going to hear from a parent who thinks their child’s eating disorder treatment team is not working out. Since this parent is paying for treatment, they would like to insist upon a change. I’ll talk through why this makes sense, but also why they might want to try a different approach. The letter DearContinueContinue reading “Can I change my daughter’s eating disorder treatment team?”

Today we’ll hear from a parent whose daughter has an eating disorder and the parent is concerned that her extended family will trigger the eating disorder during holiday gatherings.  The letter  Dear Ginny, My daughter has an eating disorder and this is our first time seeing extended family since it started. Going into the ChristmasContinueContinue reading “Coping with an eating disorder at family holiday events”

We’re going to hear from a parent who has a son who is purging and wants it to stop. The dad is trying to stop the purge by monitoring bathroom time, but it’s not really working. So I’m going to talk about what I think he can do to help in this situation and alsoContinueContinue reading “How can I stop my son from purging?”

Lots of parents who have kids with eating disorders ask me why they can’t talk about weight. This is because whether you’re mentioning it as praise or criticism, weight is a highly sensitive topic that parents should be really careful about. I’m going to tell you why that is and give you some ideas forContinueContinue reading “Why can’t I talk about her weight?”

Today we’re going to hear from a mom whose daughter blames her for everything from serving dinner to getting a divorce. Feeling blamed is something most parents can relate to, so I’ll walk you through how to think about this and how to respond more effectively when you feel blamed. The letter Dear Ginny,  MyContinueContinue reading “Daughter blames mom for everything”

Today I’m going to respond to a dad who is exhausted by the non-stop negotiating that happens during mealtimes with his child who has an eating disorder. I’m going to share my favorite approach to this situation, which is based on FBI hostage negotiation techniques.  The letter Dear Ginny, I’m so exhausted by mealtimes. IContinueContinue reading “Negotiating with a child who has an eating disorder”

Today we’re going to hear from a parent who is having trouble with yelling at their child who has an eating disorder.  I’m going to talk through how this parent can start to respond differently and in the process deepen their connection and relationship with their child. The letter Dear Ginny, My child has anContinueContinue reading “How can I stop yelling at my child with an eating disorder?”

Today I’m going to address the question of how parents can help a child recover from an eating disorder. I’ll talk about the most important thing that I think parents can do that nobody ever talks about. The letter Dear Ginny, My 12-year-old daughter went to a treatment facility for orthorexia six months ago. WhenContinueContinue reading “Help your child recover from an eating disorder”

What do you do when your child has an eating disorder and won’t talk about food and eating? It can feel impossible for parents who desperately want to help but can’t break through this barrier. Today I’ll respond to a parent whose son has an eating disorder and refuses to talk about food and eating. ThisContinueContinue reading “Child won’t talk about food and eating”

Today we’re going to talk about a child who has returned from being in treatment for an eating disorder and is now unmotivated for recovery.  I’ll talk through what this parent can do to help her child stay on the road to recovery and discuss an important technique to help with emotional metabolism, which IContinueContinue reading “Unmotivated in eating disorder recovery”

Today we’re going to hear from a parent whose child is facing food fear during eating disorder recovery. She is afraid of food and her list of safe foods is getting smaller and smaller. I’ll talk through what food fear feels like and provide some advice for the parent so that she can help herContinueContinue reading “Food fear in eating disorder recovery”

Today we’re going to hear from a dad who is worried because his son has gained weight, and he wonders if it’s binge eating disorder. I’ll talk through some of the things to consider and help him make some decisions about moving forward.  The letter Dear Ginny,  My son was chubby as a kid, butContinueContinue reading “Son has gained weight – is it binge eating disorder?”

Today we’re going to hear from a parent whose child is complaining about their body, and I’ll teach you a method for how to respond to bad body thoughts. I’m going to teach you a powerful, scientifically proven technique for responding to these situations. It may surprise you, but I assure you that it can be transformative.ContinueContinue reading “How to respond to bad body thoughts”

Today we’re going to talk about a child who likely has bulimia and won’t talk to her mom. In my response, I’ll try to address the different aspects of the behavior that they’re describing and think about how we might interpret some of that behavior. The letter Dear Ginny, My daughter told her counselor atContinueContinue reading “Daughter with bulimia won’t talk to mom”

I think lots of people have their own way to define eating disorder recovery. Today I’m going to do my best to share my view of recovery. As someone who has personally navigated eating disorder recovery and a coach who helps parents get their kids through recovery, my view may help you visualize what recoveryContinueContinue reading “How do you define eating disorder recovery?”

A child who is gender fluid, transgender, non-binary, or otherwise gender creative may need special treatment for their eating disorder. The fact is that the intersection of eating disorders and gender identity can be a bit tricky, and it’s best to get specialized, trained care. This can be challenging, so I’ll walk through some ofContinueContinue reading “Child is non-binary and has an eating disorder”

It’s fairly common for a treatment team to ask people not to run during eating disorder treatment. This can be complicated since many times being athletic is a major part of a person’s identity and social life. The decision to pull a child from sports should never be taken lightly. But sometimes it is necessaryContinueContinue reading “When you’re not allowed to run during eating disorder treatment”

Do you have a grandma who talks about weight and diet a lot? If you do, then I’m going to walk you through how you can protect your child from the dangers of weight and diet talk. This is especially important if your child has an eating disorder. But even if they don’t, intervening inContinueContinue reading “How to set a boundary when Grandma talks about weight and diet”

When a child is in an eating disorder residential treatment center, calls home can be devastating. A mom reached out to me to ask how to handle them. She’s at the end of her rope, and is ready to jump on a plane and pull her daughter out. The letter Dear Ginny, My daughter justContinueContinue reading “How to handle calls from residential treatment center”

Binge eating disorder can be a tricky subject, so when a dad reached out to get my opinion on whether his son has binge eating disorder, I dove into several questions. Binge eating is sometimes an adaptive response to not eating enough food. Other times though, it’s a serious eating disorder. So I asked aContinueContinue reading “Does my son have binge eating disorder?”

Sometimes people who have recovered from an eating disorder can slip back into restriction with compelling diets like intermittent fasting. These diets have a sneaky way of convincing people that they are healthy and an ideal way to eat. But any form of restriction is dangerous territory during recovery. In this article, I respond toContinueContinue reading “My daughter is intermittent fasting in eating disorder recovery”

How can a parent get their child who has anorexia to eat? One of the symptoms of anorexia is food refusal, which can lead to screaming matches at every meal. While parents are tasked with getting enough food into their kids’ bodies, your child may be determined to not eat anything. This sets parents upContinueContinue reading “How to get someone with anorexia to eat”

Eating disorder recovery is tough, and parents and loved ones often want to send thoughtful gifts for the person who is working so hard to get better. Like any illness, it’s nice to be thought of! Here are some ideas for gifts that may be appropriate when your loved one has an eating disorder. OfContinueContinue reading “Gifts for eating disorder recovery”

There are thousands of TED Talks on almost every topic you can imagine, but are there any that are good for eating disorder recovery? Luckily, there are! And while I don’t include some of the most obvious choices that are directly related to eating disorders, that’s largely on purpose. Talks about eating disorders can beContinueContinue reading “TED Talks for eating disorder recovery”

We live in what’s called “Diet Culture,” the belief that everyone can and should lose weight, but it’s time to fight back, and it can start at home. Diet culture is associated with worse physical and mental health outcomes, because a focus on weight loss results in weight cycling 95% of the time. Weight cyclingContinueContinue reading “How To Fight Diet Culture At Home”

If you are in eating disorder recovery (or have a family member in recovery) and are looking for movies to watch, here are a few that I recommend. You’ll notice that I haven’t listed any movies that are actually about an eating disorder. This is because I have yet to find a movie that coversContinueContinue reading “Movies for eating disorder recovery”

Eating disorders are serious mental illnesses, but what are the causes? Considering that millions of individuals worldwide have eating disorders, this is an important question. And despite the natural assumption, eating disorders affect people of all races, ages and gender. They’re also not limited to people who “look sick.” The majority of people who haveContinueContinue reading “What are the causes of eating disorders?”

Poems can be an excellent way to reflect on eating disorder recovery. They can help us tap into our feelings and thoughts about bodies, food, our identity, and our place in the world. Most of all, they can help us consider what healing and recovery means for us as individuals, since one size does notContinueContinue reading “Poems for eating disorder recovery”

What is eating disorder recovery, and how do you know what it looks like? It’s a harder question than it may seem to be. Because the fact is that just as every eating disorder is unique, every recovery is unique, too. Defining recovery can be a tricky business, especially since one person’s recovery can lookContinueContinue reading “What is eating disorder recovery?”

Facts And Real Confessions About Living With an Eating Disorder I asked hundreds of people who are in recovery or recovered from their eating disorders which facts about eating disorders they want to share with the world. Their answers might surprise you! Here they are … in their own words: 1. My eating disorder isContinueContinue reading “10 things I wish the world knew about eating disorders”

Almost every parent who has a child with an eating disorder asks: are eating disorders genetic? And the underlying secondary question is: is this my fault somehow? So let’s address the real question: are parents to blame for eating disorders? Did they pass along genetic code that caused the eating disorder? No, parents don’t causeContinueContinue reading “Are eating disorders genetic?”

In this story, we look at parent coaching for Amelie, whose marriage almost fell apart during her daughter Maggie’s eating disorder. Maggie started showing disordered eating behaviors when she was eight years old, and the couple almost immediately locked horns over what it meant and how they should handle it. Maggie is now 12 andContinueContinue reading “Story: My marriage nearly fell apart during my child’s eating disorder”

In this story, we look at parent coaching for Alicia, whose adult daughter Quinn is in eating disorder recovery and has become estranged. Quinn told Alicia that she has bulimia since the age of about five, but Alicia never knew. Soon after entering treatment for her eating disorder at 32, Quinn told Alicia that sheContinueContinue reading “Story: my adult daughter is estranged because of her eating disorder”

In this story, we look at parent coaching for Christina, whose daughter Olivia has an eating disorder, which triggered a mental breakdown for Christina. Olivia was originally diagnosed with anorexia when she was 11 years old and underwent treatment. Christina thought the eating disorder was gone until she found out that Olivia, now 15, hasContinueContinue reading “Story: I had a mental breakdown because of my daughter’s eating disorder”

Weight is a major hot-button issue in our culture, and it can be hard to accept our child’s weight. We have been told that it’s our responsibility to keep our kids healthy, and it is. But the lie is that keeping kids healthy means keeping them thin. Those two things are completely different. Raising aContinueContinue reading “Resolve to accept your child’s weight”

In this story we meet Carol, who says her daughter lied about her bulimia. Carol knows that Jessie is purging frequently, but every time she brings it up, Jessie becomes aggressive, denies it or just ignores her mother. Carol doesn’t know what to do. She’s scared that Jessie will permanently damage her body. But sheContinueContinue reading “Story: My daughter lied about her bulimia”

In this story, we look at parent coaching for Gina, whose 8-year-old daughter is gaining weight. Her daughter Becca’s pediatrician raised alarms about her weight at a recent appointment. Gina knows that she has a lot of fear about her daughter’s weight. But she also knows that her own body image and eating issues couldContinueContinue reading “Story: My daughter is gaining weight”

Sometimes when something goes wrong with our kids, we think that we need to clamp down our feelings and just get stuff done. And that might be necessary sometimes. But a big part of eating disorder recovery is learning to feel feelings. Your child is going to learn to process their feelings, and it willContinueContinue reading “Feel your feelings to help your child recover from an eating disorder”

In this story we take a look at parent coaching for an adult child who has anorexia. We meet Lee, mom to Olivia, who was diagnosed with Anorexia Nervosa at age 13. Lee can’t sleep, and refuses to speak with Olivia until she gets treatment for her eating disorder. But Olivia is 26 years old,ContinueContinue reading “Story: My adult child has anorexia”