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?”

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”

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 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 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”

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”

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”

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?”

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 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 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”

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”

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”

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”

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”

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”

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”