Celebrating Thanksgiving While in Eating Disorder Recovery: How to Overcome Common Challenges With a Strong Support System

Thrive • November 22, 2021
By Thrive Waco’s Executive Director Erin McGinty Fort, MS, MHA, LPC-S, CEDS-S

With Thanksgiving fast approaching, individuals in eating disorder recovery might be fearful of engaging in the holiday celebration. Although Thanksgiving offers an opportunity to connect with loved ones, the food-focused holiday may present challenges for those struggling to overcome an eating disorder.

By understanding the ways Thanksgiving can be intimidating for their loved one, family members can prepare to support them with compassion throughout the holiday. Below are three challenges that individuals with eating disorders may struggle with during Thanksgiving.

THREE COMMON CHALLENGES INDIVIDUALS IN EATING DISORDER RECOVERY FACE ON THANKSGIVING

  1. Negative Associations With Past Thanksgivings

Individuals in eating disorder recovery may struggle to remember a Thanksgiving when their eating disorder was not active. For example, they may have engaged in restricting, binging, purging, and other disordered eating behaviors during previous Thanksgiving holidays as a way to cope with their emotions and triggers. If this is the case, they may feel more vulnerable, anxious, and uncertain about what to expect and how make it through a holiday with such a strong emphasis on eating.

  1. Heightened Holiday Emotions Brought on by Family Dynamics

Holidays are often associated with family gatherings. Though connecting with family can be a source of joy and comfort, these relationships and reunions can also cause feelings of conflict and tension for many. Often, eating disorder behaviors serve as an attempt to avoid, escape, or cope with tough emotions. As a result, individuals in recovery may find it hard to face difficult feelings and situations without turning to their eating disorder to process the experience.

  1. The Abundance and Array of Food

Commonly, many celebrating Thanksgiving refrain from eating throughout the day in an effort to “save up” their calories for the Thanksgiving meal. Conflictingly, individuals in eating disorder recovery are typically guided by their treatment teams to engage in regular and adequate daily food intake. For a food-focused holiday such as Thanksgiving, eating disorder treatment specialists will generally encourage their clients to eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner while also observing any other components of their treatment meal plans as normal. 

Individuals with eating disorders may already feel like it’s “wrong” to eat other meals in addition to the central Thanksgiving feast. The social pressure to abstain from eating before the main event may increase their sense of anxiety over following their recovery plan, especially if they are the only ones eating prior to the meal. 

HOW FAMILY MEMBERS CAN EXTEND THEIR SUPPORT THIS THANKSGIVING

This Thanksgiving, family members can support their loved one’s eating disorder recovery by acknowledging that the holiday can be difficult for them. Since every individual with an eating disorder has unique challenges, family members can ask their loved ones how they can be most helpful to them. 

In the weeks leading up to holidays, Thrive clinicians encourage clients to invite their family or other members of their support system into nutrition and therapy sessions. Incorporating their family into these sessions provides a safe and supportive space to openly discuss the elements of the event that will be challenging and identify needs to be aware of. Together, the care team, family, and individual can collaborate on a game plan to put into action if struggles arise during the holiday. 

After Thanksgiving, family members may consider checking in with their loved one, which can offer an opportunity to recognize their loved one’s progress, even if struggles are involved. 

FOR CLINICAL SUPPORT

To learn more about Thrive’s eating disorder treatment and family support services, reach out to Thrive.

About the Author
Thrive Waco’s Executive Director Erin McGinty Fort, MS, MHA, LPC-S, CEDS-S

Erin is a licensed professional counselor and supervisor in the state of Texas and has her graduate degrees in both Counseling and Health Administration. She is a Certified Eating Disorder Specialist through the International Association of Eating Disorders Professionals (iaedp), which allows clients to rest assured that they are receiving care from a highly trained, competent, and skilled provider in the area of eating disorders. She is a professional member of both iaedp and the Academy for Eating Disorders. She has specialized training in anxiety disorders, trauma, and perinatal mental health.

She has regularly provided eating disorder training and conference presentations to medical and mental health professionals.

A transplant from the Midwest, Erin has embraced Texas as her home. When not working at Thrive Waco, she enjoys spending time with her husband, daughter, and furry son.

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By Erin McGinty Fort, MS, MHA, CPC, LPC-S, CEDS-C December 18, 2025
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Like the fir tree, a symbol of endurance rooted in hope, our Family Inclusive Recovery (FIR) approach reflects the strength that grows when families face challenges together. At our new residential center “The Greenhouse”, FIR is more than a treatment model, it’s a philosophy of healing that places families at the heart of recovery for adolescents and young adults navigating eating disorders, anxiety disorders, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). We believe lasting healing doesn’t happen in isolation; it’s built with the support of families through perseverance, hope, and compassionate care. What Is Family Inclusive Recovery (FIR)? Family Intensive Recovery (FIR) is a specialized and immersive approach that actively engages caregivers as central agents in their child’s healing process. Rather than seeing families as contributors to a problem, we view them as essential partners in recovery. Drawing from two evidence-based frameworks, Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions (SPACE) and Family-Based Treatment (FBT), FIR helps families cultivate resilience, confidence, and connection throughout the journey to recovery. Grounded in SPACE and FBT Through the SPACE model, parents learn how to recognize and reduce well-intentioned but unhelpful behaviors known as accommodations that can reinforce anxiety and OCD symptoms. By shifting from rescuing to supporting and challenging, parents develop the confidence to guide their child through discomfort, helping them build distress tolerance and self-trust. Simultaneously, Family-Based Treatment (FBT) empowers families to take an active, compassionate role in their child’s nutritional and emotional recovery. Parents learn how to support weight and nutritional restoration, disrupt the eating disorder’s patterns, and reestablish boundaries that promote health and growing autonomy. Together, these approaches strengthen both the individual and family system, allowing recovery to take root within an environment of empathy and optimism. From Blame to Collaboration A cornerstone of the FIR model is removing blame. At Thrive, parents are not viewed as the cause of their child’s struggles, but rather as key partners in recovery. Treatment focuses on joining forces to create a safe, supportive environment where: Families learn to sit with their child's discomfort alongside them without rushing to fix or control it. Parents practice compassionate firmness, setting boundaries grounded in care and safety. Teens and caregivers rebuild trust through open, honest communication. This collaborative framework helps families reestablish a sense of connection and confidence, fostering long-term resilience and open communication that extends beyond the treatment setting. Why Family Matters in Recovery Recovery from eating disorders, OCD, or anxiety isn’t a one-person job, it requires integrated care including the family. When families learn to navigate challenges together, they can model emotional regulation, reinforce healthy boundaries, and create conditions for sustained recovery. Through FIR, we aim to strengthen attachment bonds, reshape family interactions, and empower every member of the family to grow. The result is not only symptom reduction but also a deeper sense of unity, hope, and shared endurance, just like the steadfast fir tree that stands resilient through every season. Moving Toward Hope Family Inclusive Recovery invites caregivers and loved ones to become active participants in change. It’s a journey of learning, letting go, and leaning into love and acceptance. Together, families and clinicians can cultivate the courage in clients to face uncertainty, and in doing so, help them discover that recovery is not just possible, but enduring. If you’d like to learn more about Family Intensive Recovery at The Greenhouse or how we support families in eating disorder and OCD treatment, reach out to our team today.
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The Greenhouse at Thrive Wellness A New Chapter of Hope and Healing in Nevada On Friday, November 14 , we gathered with our partners at Molina Healthcare to share an important moment for our community. Together, we celebrated Molina’s generous $50,000 grant , an investment that is helping bring The Greenhouse to life. Their support is not only a financial contribution—it’s a statement of belief in the young people and families of Nevada who deserve access to compassionate, evidence-based mental healthcare close to home. This gathering marked the beginning of something we’ve dreamed about for years: a place designed specifically for adolescents and emerging adults to receive the care, connection, and support they need during some of the most vulnerable moments of their lives. Something New Is Growing In early 2026 , Thrive Wellness will open The Greenhouse , Nevada’s first residential treatment center devoted to adolescents and emerging adults navigating eating disorders, anxiety, and OCD . For too long, families have faced a heartbreaking dilemma—send their child far from home for treatment or go without the specialized care they need. The Greenhouse is our answer to that gap. It will be a place where young people can settle into an environment built for healing, where they are understood, supported, and surrounded by a team that believes in their capacity to recover. The Greenhouse represents a natural extension of our mission. It’s a living expression of our belief that recovery is possible—and that with the right support, families can find their footing again. 
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