Eating Disorder Recovery Guide
Practical, lived-experience-informed guidance for every stage of recovery.
About Hanne Arts
I'm a recovered anorexic and recovery coach with over 9 years of experience helping people recover from eating disorders. My approach combines psychological knowledge with lived experience — I've been through recovery myself, and I understand the challenges from the inside.
Books, Podcast & Media
Alongside one-to-one coaching, I've written about recovery, hosted and guested on conversations about it, and shared my story through the media.
Books
- Just Perfect (2014) — fictional memoir about anorexia, bullying and recovery.
- The Recovery Letters (2017) — contributor to this anthology of recovery letters.
- Red Ribbons (2017) — sequel to Just Perfect.
Podcast
The ED Recovery Messages — my own show: conversations on eating disorder recovery.
Guest appearances
- Recover To Flourish (2026) — "Trusting Extreme Hunger & Breaking Food Rules".
- Wellness With Mae — "Busting Eating Disorder Myths".
Media & press
- BBC News — radio feature on my recovery journey.
- Beat — "Hanne's Story": my recovery story for the UK's eating disorder charity.
- Love What Matters — my recovery journey.
- Het Laatste Nieuws (2015) — feature in Belgium's leading newspaper.
Recovery Topics
Explore guidance on specific aspects of eating disorder recovery:
Fear Foods & Food Challenges
How to systematically challenge fear foods, break rigid food rules, and desensitise anxiety around eating.
Extreme Hunger
Understanding extreme hunger in recovery — why it happens, why it's normal, and how to respond to it.
Quasi-Recovery
Recognising when you're stuck in quasi-recovery and how to commit to full recovery.
Body Image
Navigating body image during and after recovery, dealing with weight changes, and building body acceptance.
Food Guilt & Shame
Managing guilt and shame around eating, and building a healthier relationship with food.
Meal Plans & Eating Enough
Practical guidance on meal planning, calorie increases, and recognising hidden restriction.
Relapse Prevention
Recognising warning signs, coping with setbacks, and maintaining recovery long-term.
Exercise in Recovery
When and how to reintroduce exercise safely during eating disorder recovery.
Period Recovery
Getting your menstrual period back after an eating disorder — causes, solutions, and when to seek help.
The ED Voice
Understanding and externalising the eating disorder voice, intrusive thoughts, and mental resistance to recovery.
Relationships & Intimacy
Navigating relationships, intimacy, and sex during and after eating disorder recovery.
Social Comparison
Dealing with comparison to others, feeling like a bad role model, and building self-worth.
Binge Eating & Overeating
Understanding binge eating in recovery, breaking the binge-restrict cycle, and learning what overeating actually means.
All-In Recovery
What committing fully to recovery means — eating without restriction and trusting the process.
Recovery Motivation
Staying motivated to recover, finding reasons to keep going, and what recovery gives you back.
Food Obsession
When food occupies all your mental space — obsessive food thoughts and how to redirect focus back to living.
Bloating & Digestion
Dealing with bloating, constipation, and digestive issues that commonly accompany recovery.
Weight Gain Pace
How quickly to gain weight in recovery, and why aggressive refeeding matters early on.
Metabolism Recovery
Metabolism myths, metabolic adaptation from restriction, and what actually happens during recovery.
Weight Redistribution & Overshoot
Why body shape changes during recovery, what overshoot weight is, and when it settles.
Sleep in Recovery
Sleep disturbances, insomnia, and foundational habits that support the recovery process.
Scales & Weight Obsession
Why weighing yourself undermines recovery, and how to let go of the number.
Am I "Sick Enough"?
Feeling like your eating disorder isn't serious enough to deserve help — and why you are valid.
Holidays & Christmas
Navigating Christmas, birthdays, and social eating events when you have an eating disorder.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you ever fully recover from an eating disorder?
Yes, full recovery from an eating disorder is possible. While recovery looks different for everyone, it involves not just physical restoration but also healing your relationship with food, your body, and yourself. Recovery means reaching a place where food no longer controls your life and you can eat intuitively without anxiety or guilt.
What is extreme hunger in eating disorder recovery?
Extreme hunger is a normal and necessary part of eating disorder recovery. After periods of restriction, your body signals intense hunger to repair damage, restore weight, and heal metabolic function. It's not binge-eating — it's your body's way of catching up on nutrition it's been denied. Listening to this hunger is essential for full recovery.
What is quasi-recovery?
Quasi-recovery is when you're eating enough to survive but still following ED rules, restriction patterns, or compensatory behaviours. You might look recovered to others but still feel controlled by food thoughts, guilt, and anxiety. True recovery means letting go of all ED behaviours, not just the most visible ones.
How do I deal with fear foods in recovery?
Fear foods are foods your eating disorder has taught you to avoid. Systematic exposure — gradually reintroducing these foods — helps desensitise the anxiety they trigger. Start with less challenging foods and work up. The goal isn't to force yourself to eat specific foods, but to break the rigid rules that keep you stuck in the ED cycle.
Do I need a meal plan to recover from anorexia?
Meal plans can be helpful tools, especially in early recovery when your hunger signals are unreliable. However, they're a starting point, not an endpoint. The goal is to eventually eat intuitively. A meal plan should be flexible and increase over time as your body heals. Working with a professional can help determine the right approach for your stage of recovery.