At some point during recovery, those with an eating disorder may be asked to go out for a meal with friends or family. Although to most, it may sound like a pleasant or enjoyable experience, someone with an eating disorder may experience a significant amount of stress and anxiety. Learning coping tools and strategies for dining out is an important part of recovery. Your therapist or dietitian can join you for food exposures to help build your confidence before going out with family or friends. Below are some tips for dining out during recovery:
Review menu options and make a selection ahead of time.
Discuss your plan with your therapist and dietitian. It would be helpful to process any anticipated fears or difficulties you may have. If you have a specific meal plan, your dietitian can help determine which options would be the best fit.
Select a support person and review with them how they can support you if any difficulties come up during the meal.
Inform a support person of a few dishes you may enjoy prior to the meal. This way they may select an item for you if it becomes overwhelming to do on your own.
If the menu has triggering nutritional information listed (calories and macronutrients), you can avoid looking at it altogether and your support person can read the menu options to you.
Think of non-food related topics you can bring up during the meal: movies, weather, upcoming plans, etc.
Utilize your coping skills if needed: deep breathing, distraction, affirmations, etc.
In general, eating at restaurants can be very difficult for those in eating disorder recovery. Learning to be more confident around the anxieties while dining out is an important part of the recovery process.
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