The Honeymoon Period in Eating Disorders

The honeymoon period refers to a common initial phase of eating disorders where the person has gone on a “health kick” or is attempting to follow an extreme diet or exercise regime. 

During this initial phase, the person typically:

• Still has energy
• Still has functioning metabolism
• Can maintain friendships
• Can keep working or studying
• Can keep the disordered behaviours a secret, and might even get encouragement from others for being “healthy” or having “self-control”
• Still has functioning bowels
• Is not yet experiencing long-term effects of chronic dieting or starvation syndrome symptoms
• Has fully functioning organs and adequate muscle mass

During this period, the person is very unlikely to seek help, and those around them are often completely unaware of the problem.

Then the cracks start to show. Initially, it’s bit by bit. The individual tells themselves that they will try harder and be more disciplined. They overcompensate even more through studying harder, working longer hours, running longer distances, cutting out more foods, weighing themselves more frequently, or promising to themselves that they will change. 

When this doesn’t work they double down - more rituals, more counting, more behaviours, more secrecy, more lies. 

And just like that the honeymoon period is over, and the reality of living with an eating disorder starts to set in:

• Chronic fatigue
• Irritability
• Insomnia
• Obsessive rituals
• Rigid thinking
• Inability to tolerate change
• Poor concentration
• Memory difficulties
• Metabolism slows down
• Binge eating
• Hypoglycaemic episodes
• Dizziness, etc. 

Many can spend years chasing the honeymoon period, but things can never go back to the way they were. The honeymoon period has a time limit. That exact time frame might differ from person to person, but once it ends it is gone forever.

As soon as you can accept that there’s no going back, you can be freed up to process the grief, move towards a place of acceptance, and work towards getting your life back - or finding a new one.

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