Author Archives: Ginny Jones

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:  My answer to all of these questions is the same:Continue 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 autismContinue 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,Continue 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 goesContinue 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 badContinue reading “Podcast episodes for parents raising anti-diet kids”

An eating disorder diagnosis can throw parents into a tailspin as they try to figure out the best course of action. The alarm you feel when your child is diagnosed is appropriate and necessary, because the sooner you mobilize treatment for your child, the greater their chances of recovery. It is never a good ideaContinue reading “Secrets to success: outpatient eating disorder treatment “

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 decisionContinue reading “A parent’s guide to residential eating disorder treatment”

Watching your child when they’re binge eating is stressful, but you can help. Your confident support before, during, and after binge eating episodes will help them recover. Here are my top five tips to help your child during a binge eating episode: 1. Remember that the binge is a symptom of a problem Seeing yourContinue reading “How to help a child who is binge eating”

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 FBTContinue 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 ofContinue 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.Continue reading “I’ve got my own eating disorder now”

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 evenContinue reading “Mom’s worried about daughter’s eating disorder”

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, IContinue 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 dealingContinue reading “There’s still so much to do”

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 whatContinue 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 isContinue 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 theContinue 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 thanContinue 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 DearContinue 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 ChristmasContinue 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 alsoContinue 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 forContinue reading “Why can’t I talk about her weight?”

Today we’re going to hear from a parent whose teenager has an eating disorder and never seems to be happy. While the parent is trying really hard to make the child happy, it’s just not working. The letter Dear Ginny, My teenage daughter has an eating disorder, but my main problem right now is thatContinue reading “Child with eating disorder is never happy anymore”

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. WhenContinue 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. ThisContinue reading “Child won’t talk about food and eating”

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, butContinue 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.Continue 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 atContinue 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 recoveryContinue 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 ofContinue 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 necessaryContinue 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 inContinue 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 justContinue 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 aContinue 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 toContinue reading “My daughter is intermittent fasting in eating disorder recovery”

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. OfContinue reading “Gifts 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 cyclingContinue reading “How To Fight Diet Culture At Home”

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 haveContinue reading “What are the causes of eating disorders?”

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 lookContinue 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 isContinue 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 causeContinue 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 andContinue reading “Story: My marriage nearly fell apart during my child’s eating disorder”

Sometimes parents accidentally contribute to their child’s eating disorder – it’s never on purpose, and it’s not the sole cause. But since parental behavior does have an impact on a child’s eating disorder, it’s helpful to take a look. It helps if parents understand how their behavior can impact a child’s eating disorder. This wayContinue reading “How parents may accidentally contribute to eating disorder development”

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 sheContinue 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, hasContinue 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 aContinue 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 sheContinue 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 couldContinue 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 willContinue 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,Continue reading “Story: My adult child has anorexia”