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A SUDDEN interest in becoming "more healthy" and a fixation on body image could be signs of a bigger problem.
National Eating Disorders Collaboration director Christine Morgan, who also heads the Butterfly Foundation for Eating Disorders, said there were warning signs to look out for.
"People with an eating disorder often start to concentrate on what they eat," she said.
"They start to eliminate food groups in the interest of being healthy and we live in a society where eliminating food groups is seen as being a good thing to do, unfortunately.
"They might go to the gym and start exercising a lot more, they become a lot more fixated on their body shape and size.
"And then it starts to increase - they start to become more fixated and perhaps secretive about some of the behaviors they're doing."
Ms Morgan said people with eating disorders were obsessive about some of their behaviors.
"Their moods change and the conversations around food and body image can be another sign," she said
The National Eating Disorders Collaboration hosted a community consultation and training forum in Bendigo on Thursday.
Ms Morgan said support was on hand for people with eating disorders.
"There's the nationally-funded support line, Eating Disorder's Hope, on 1800 334 673," she said.
Alternatively, people can email support@thebutterflyfoundation.org.au