How To Prepare For Eating Disorder Treatment: 5 Tips For Success
Written by ‘Ai Pono Hawaii Staff Writer
Preparing for eating disorder treatment is stressful. Not only do you have to worry about packing and tying up any “loose ends” before you leave home, you also have to face the fear of the unknown. What is eating disorder treatment like? What will the treatment center be like? What kinds of rules and schedules are there?
To ease your fears as much as possible, read on for:
What to expect in any inpatient or residential eating disorder treatment center
The day to day schedule
Potential variations between treatment centers
A guide on what to bring to eating disorder treatment
Some advice on what to expect on your first day
Treatment can be scary, but with this information, it’ll hopefully be a little less scary.
What is eating disorder treatment like?
Residential treatment stays vary in length — but no matter how long you are in treatment, your eating disorder is just as serious as anyone else’s!
As long as you are in treatment, you should try and make the most of it by actively participating in group therapy sessions, being honest in individual therapy sessions, and finding motivation for eating disorder recovery.
A typical day in eating disorder treatment will very likely include the following:
Wake up for weights and vitals. You may get in trouble for not showing up for weights and vitals, so make sure to set alarms and listen to staff members if they come get you in the morning.
Showers (if you prefer to get them in the morning), brushing teeth, getting dressed, etc.
Morning medications, if needed before breakfast
Breakfast
Break or mindfulness exercise before group therapy; medication administration, if needed
Lunch, then midday break
More group therapy
Dinner
Free time, and/or an organized activity
Snack
Free time
Preparing for bed: showers, brushing teeth, changing into pyjamas, bathroom, etc.
Lights out (usually around 10-11 p.m.)
Supervision in Residential Treatment
You will not be allowed to go to the bathroom for 30-45 minutes after meals and snacks. This is to keep patients from engaging in eating disorder behaviors after eating.
Staff members will be present for all meals, snacks, bathroom breaks, and showers. Overnight staff members will check on you throughout the night to make sure you’re not engaging in behaviors in secret. This is all to ensure patients are not engaging in destructive behaviors.
Related: This is how meal support works in eating disorder treatment.
About Meals and Snacks
The number of snacks you eat will vary depending on the treatment center you go to. Some facilities schedule three snacks per day, while others only schedule one.
This is mostly due to the way a facility gets its food delivered, and the number of staff available to supervise meals and snacks. For example, many inpatient eating disorder facilities rely on hospital delivery trays for meals and snacks, which can be difficult to coordinate with hospital staff. If there are less scheduled snacks throughout the day, meals are adjusted so that you get enough nutrition throughout the day.
Your dietician may honor any food allergies or intolerances you bring up. Allergies and intolerances that are verified by a physician will be honored, and typically, vegetarianism will be honored if you were a vegetarian before the onset of your eating disorder. They may not honor your requests, though. This is because your intolerances may not come from your body rejecting certain foods, but as a way for your eating disorder to keep in control. You will both work together to determine which is true.
Related: Is veganism a lifestyle choice for you, or a form of restriction? Here’s how to know.
Your meal plan may look very different from the people sitting next to you in the dining room. Every person has different nutritional needs, and your eating disorder is no less serious if you have less or more on your plate than someone else.
Preparing for Eating Disorder Treatment: 5 Tips for Success
1. Tell the people who need to know where you’re headed.
If you are leaving work for eating disorder treatment, you need to tell them that you’re going.
You don’t need to tell them exactly where you’re going. Simply tell them that you’re taking a medical leave of absence. Make sure to get a medical excuse from work, whether the excuse comes from your doctor or your therapist. Again, the note does not have to detail exactly where you’re going or why, but to protect your job, you want to have the proper documentation that says you’re not just abandoning your job.
If you’re leaving school for treatment, let them know about your medical leave.
Related: This is what you need to consider and the steps you need to take to leave college for eating disorder treatment.
Finally, tell anyone who wants to visit or send mail to you. Give them an address and guidelines on what they can and can’t do at the treatment center, and what they’re allowed to send you.
2. Pay close attention to the packing guidelines.
No matter where you go for treatment, there will be guidelines on what you can and can’t bring. Some places are more strict than others. ‘Ai Pono has a pretty standard packing list, so let’s use it as an example.
For ‘Ai Pono residential treatment, you should bring:
Insurance and ID cards
Name, address, and phone numbers of current therapists and doctors
All prescribed and OTC medications you are currently taking
Medical information regarding any allergies you have to medications, food, or other sources and any information regarding special needs
A small amount of cash in case you need to buy something on outings
Appropriate reading material
Laptop, tablet, and/or phone, with chargers of course
Nair or a depilator (razors are not permitted)
Comfortable clothes for one week (you will have access to a washer and dryer to wash clothes and undergarments at every treatment center out there)
A light jacket or sweatshirt as bedrooms have AC and tend to be cooler
Shoes that are slip-on or that have Velcro closure, or socks/slippers to wear indoors; in some facilities, your shoes are held by staff until you’re allowed on outings, and in others, it’s just traditional to not wear shoes indoors
A traditional battery-operated watch
You should not bring:
Jewelry and other valuables
Shoelaces, belts, or items with drawstrings
Knives, guns, or weapons of any kind
Lighters, candles, illicit drugs, alcohol
Outside food or beverages
Glass items, including ones from picture frames
Scissors or other sharp objects
Razors; for hair removal can use Nair or a depilator
Clothing that might expose midriff, or clothing that is inappropriately tight or short
"Smart" watches or fitbits
Some other things to consider when packing:
Some centers allow smoking. If you are a smoker, check with the center about their smoke break policies.
Consider bringing your own blanket if it will make you more comfortable, but if you need to stick to a certain number of suitcases, leave it at home.
All treatment centers have toiletries available if you need them, especially if you’re flying and then going directly to a treatment center without the ability to purchase anything on the way.
You might be able to bring a stuffed animal, if it brings you some joy throughout this tough experience.
Often, residential treatment centers wash all of your clothing before you can get settled in. This may also include the clothes you wear to the location, so pack a spare outfit in a convenient place in case this happens.
They’ll probably dry your items on high heat (to kill any possible bugs or germs that could be on your items), so don’t bring anything that can’t withstand the heat.
If you bring an item with drawstrings, staff will take it away or cut the drawstrings off, so really try to remember not to pack anything like that.
Some centers might not allow gum. Don’t bring any, just to be safe.
A lot of inpatient centers do not want you to bring things with zippers, for safety reasons. Consider leaving items with zippers at home.
These guidelines are in place to reduce the amount of triggering items on the premises, to make you more comfortable, and to keep everyone safe. If you’re unsure whether you’re allowed to bring something, first ask yourself whether the item could be harmful to anyone on the premises, physically or emotionally. If you’re still unsure, contact someone from admissions and ask.
3. Bring some of your favorite things from home (that are allowed, anyway.)
Throughout eating disorder treatment, there’s a lot of waiting for things, and a lot of down time.
Some facilities allow you to use your phone, others have restricted phone usage, and other facilities don’t let you have electronics at all. So, bring some other things to pass the time, such as:
Books (consider bringing paperback books, as some treatment centers don’t allow hardback books for safety reasons)
Coloring books
A journal
Crosswords/sudoku
A planner, if that’s something you’re interested in
Writing prompt books, if you enjoy writing
Some of your favorite quotes written down on paper
Many residential treatment centers have art therapy groups and art supplies available. You might get the chance to paint, scrapbook, collage, or a number of other things.
4. Wear clothes that are comfy and (hopefully) make you feel as good about your appearance as possible.
While you might be inclined to wear sweats all day, it often helps patients to get dressed for the day. It helps you differentiate between sleep and wake times, mark the passing of each new day, and may raise your self-esteem if you wear things you like every day.
It’s probably best to bring more flowy clothing to residential treatment, as your body may change during your treatment stay. Tight clothing can trigger you (and your peers) and make treatment so much more difficult.
Really try to bring clothing that makes you feel confident: flowing dresses, cute sweaters, silly t-shirts, sentimental items given to you, clothing that you associate with happy memories, etc.
And, of course, bring a cozy pair of pyjamas for bedtime.
5. Do not expect too much from your first day (or week.)
You will spend most of your first day of treatment filling out intake forms, touring the facility, and getting a medical evaluation. You might meet your therapist, dietician, and psychiatrist on your first day. You might meet them on your second or third day.
There are a lot of rules and systems to learn, whether you’ve been in a residential treatment setting before or not. It will take some time to get used to, and that’s okay.
It’s okay if your first day (or week, even) does not go perfectly. No one expects you to be perfect on Day One. You’ve spent a lot of time engaging in eating disorder behaviors, so you shouldn’t expect to easily get back into a routine of normal eating and stop all eating disorder behaviors at once.
Lastly, it’s hard to be the new person in treatment, but you don’t have to fear your fellow patients. In general, everyone is really nice, and no one is harshly judging you. They have their issues to work through, and you have yours. They will also be one of your greatest sources of strength. They will understand both the facility’s systems and your struggles more than anyone else could.
We here at ‘Ai Pono wish you the best of luck on your first day of treatment! Recovery is possible for everyone, and that includes you!
If you or someone you know is suffering from an eating disorder, take the first step today and talk to someone about recovery or simply learn more about the holistic eating disorder recovery programs we offer.