Avoidance of Food

• People who show a lack of interest in food and cannot decide what to eat may have the eating disorder called anorexia nervosa. These people will also eat small portions of food and count every calorie they eat.
  
  

Obsession with Exercising

• Along with an abnormally watchful eye on calories intake, people with an eating disorder may be obsessive with exercising, and many sufferers will exercise to the point of burning off far more calories than they consume. Loss of weight results, and this is an early sign of an eating disorder.
  
  

Vomiting After Eating

• An early sign of the eating disorder called bulimia nervosa is eating a lot of food in one sitting and inducing vomiting after consumption. This behavior is triggered by an abnormal fear of weight gain.
  
  

Overeating Without Vomiting

• Early signs of a binge-eating disorder include eating alone and eating too much. Binge eaters do not force themselves to bring up their food after eating, and they will eat large amounts of food even if they aren't hungry.
  
  

Pills and Laxatives

• In some instances, an early sign of an eating disorder is the taking of diet pills, water pills or laxatives to prevent weight gain.
  
  

Strange Behavior When Eating

• Someone with the early signs of an eating disorder may delay eating by playing with the food on her plate. She may also waste time by cutting her food more than is necessary in an effort to delay eating it.