Understanding Excessive Exercise as part of an Eating Disorder
11. Understanding feedback loops in exercise
Whilst many people exercise to experience positive feedback, anyone is at risk of it switching from ‘wanting to exercise’ to ‘needing to exercise’.
For people with eating disorders this switching to the negative loop is particularly problematic. Remember this scene from the animation you have just watched:
‘I was completely overtraining and got tired, irritable, more stressed... but the only way I knew how to handle those feelings was through exercise so it was a vicious cycle.’