A Talk with Eating Disorder Specialist Dr. Marianne Miller

Feb 7

In my practice, it's common to hear my clients have skipped a meal. Usually lunch because they are working through it to catch up or get more done. I've found that they are so focused and busy that food or eating isn't a thought. They might nibble on a bite if someone brought them food or someone tells them to eat. Since this is a common occurrence, I thought I'd reach out to one of the best eating disorder treatment specialist around to learn more. I was able to talk with an eating disorder therapist and binge eating coach, Dr. Marianne Miller.

Eating and High Achievers

Can you tell me about your backstory? How did you decide to become an Eating Disorder Treatment Specialist in San Diego?

I am an eating disorder therapist and binge eating coach. I have been a psychotherapist for 25 years, and I have treated eating disorders for 10 years. I had a part-time private practice while I was a full-time professor at Alliant International University in San Diego. Over time, I found myself enjoying the practice more than I did my academic pursuits, and decided to leave academia in 2018 and be a full-time therapist. It was more of a transition than I anticipated; however, I was working with business coaches who specialize in therapists, and it helped me get to the successful place I am today. There was a steep learning curve, as I didn’t know a lot about marketing and business. I made mistakes along the way, and I learned from them, which made me stronger and more resilient. In January of 2022, I decided I had a unique knack of helping people stop binge eating. I began developing live, virtual classes helping people recover from binge eating and binge/purge behaviors. These classes evolved into a 3-month virtual coaching and integrated online course called the Elite Binge Eating Recovery Method, which I launched in November of 2022. Overall, I want the world to know that I am a very intuitive, sensitive, experienced clinician and eating disorder powerhouse with a great sense of humor, with a surprising knowledge of popular culture, and a shrewd understanding of what makes people tick. I provide a caring, compassionate, supportive environment that helps teens and adults recover from eating disorders. In both my therapy and coaching, I use my academic background to integrate cutting-edge treatments to ensure people get the quality eating disorder care they deserve.

I know you work with all walks of life. My readers are high performers. Are there common stressors with high-performers who have an eating disorder?

I often see perfectionism as a characteristic of many people who struggle with eating disorders and disordered eating in San Diego, California and elsewhere. It can show up in all-or-nothing or rigid thinking, which is a cognitive distortion that can trigger self-criticism and keep people stuck in unhelpful behaviors.

Person working through lunch by Steve Ding- Online Therapy

With high performers, many do not eat regularly. They skip breakfast, work through lunch and may eat dinner if someone reminds them too. Why do you think this is? What causes this? Can you speak to this?

I’m a high performer myself. I am also long-recovered from an eating disorder. Many of my clients and I have this amazing ability to hyperfocus on tasks in order to get them done. It’s like a superpower! One drawback to this ability is that it feels like tunnel vision at times. It’s so easy to hyperfocus on a task so much that hours pass and you don’t eat, sometimes don’t drink, and even don’t go to the bathroom! It takes time and practice to watch the clock and ensure you’re eating every 3-4 hours and getting up every now and then to walk around and stretch. And please, go to the bathroom! Setting alerts on your phone or Apple watch can really help.

Can you share common roadblocks people experience when dealing with an eating disorder?

A common roadblock is fear. Today I taught a webinar called “How to Outwit Fear in Binge Eating Recovery in 2023.” I shared three common fears that can be barriers to getting more involved in recovery are (a) fear of failure, (b) fear of vulnerability, and (c) fear of loss. Fear of failure is SO prevalent in high performers. With eating disorder recovery, it’s the fear you won’t be able to cut it—that you won’t be able to recover completely. With fear of vulnerability, many high performers don’t like being vulnerable because they think it makes them look weak. Also, vulnerability can lead to others really knowing the insecurities with which high performers struggle, and that’s terrifying! Fear of loss means the fear of losing the eating disorder behaviors as a coping strategy. I remember in undergraduate college I would study for final exams and have foods I would binge eat to keep me going during that really stressful time. It was difficult to consider letting that go. I’m thankful I was able to get the right help and recover completely.

What do you want high-performers to know about eating disorders and treatment?

It’s important to work with an eating disorder therapist whose clientele is at least 80% eating disorders and who has a lot of eating disorder training and experience. It’s a very specialized, complex condition that has one of the highest mortality rates of all mental disorders. You want to ensure you are seeing someone who really knows what they are doing, and who can work with a treatment team (eating disorder dietitian, medical professional, psychiatrist, etc.) to help you recover.

What warning signs should high-performers be aware of if they might have an eating disorder?

It really depends on which eating disorder. I would say overall, if you find yourself thinking about food, eating, and body image at least 60% of the time or higher, you may have disordered eating, if not a full-blown eating disorder. Other symptoms include restrictive eating (restricting amount of food and/or entire food groups), binge eating, compensatory behaviors (purging, overexercising, etc.), and body checking.

What are some of the most interesting or exciting new projects that you’re working on?

In November 2022, I launched the Elite Binge Eating (EBE) Recovery Method. It is a 3-month virtual coaching and an integrated online course that helps high performers regain their mental and emotional energy by shifting their relationship with food to be fully present in their life. In January of 2023, I will offer a 6-month iteration of the EBE Recovery Method. I’m so excited about helping people recover from binge eating in this new format! ☺

How can our readers best reach or follow you?

Website: www.drmariannemiller.com

Instagram: @drmariannemiller

Facebook: @drmariannemiller and The Private Facebook Group.