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Many people are waking up to the fact that diets don't work, but if we're not dieting, now what? How are we supposed to find balance around food and figure out how to eat? Join Sarah and Stef, a psychotherapist and a health coach, as they talk about all things related to disordered eating, bad body image and creating a life that's free from food and body obsession. The hosts draw on their own eating struggles and openly share the highs and lows of pursuing food freedom over weight loss.
Two women serve up the very serious issues of eating disorders, body dysmorphia, and the culture that spoon-feeds these destructive conditions to us with a dash of irreverence.
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Life After Diets
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But How Do I Dress This Body? Feat. Dacy of Mindful Closet
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Has your body changed in recovery, or as a result of your disordered eating patterns? This can be hard enough in our fatphobic society, but there is often an added layer of “clothing grief.” Fashion can be part of a creative expression that feels like part of our identity; and its not secret that fashion culture caters to smaller bodies. In this ep…
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81. A Conversation About Brain Over Binge
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Many people who've struggled with binge eating for a long time have come across the book "Brain Over Binge" by Kathryn Hansen. Sarah and Stef, co-hosts, both read the book as they tried to recover and are discussing how the method landed for them. The episode looks into: Stef’s history and experience with reading BOB and taking the official BOB cou…
Restricting and bingeing (and the spectrum of these behaviors) can be attempts to numb our emotional experience. This episode looks at different ways of numbing and how Sarah & Stef experienced using food as an escape. We cover: Numbing via eating and numbing via restriction Do binges make us “not feel” or feel more? Stef’s recollection of numbing …
Control is an unavoidable theme in the subject of eating disorder recovery. What is your relationship to control and how do you define it? The hosts explore their own experience of the concept and also highlight its important (and at times, healthy) role in navigating recovery. Sarah & Stef discuss: Light podcast banter. What podcasts do we listen …
What role does food play in grief (around death, breakups, or existential itchiness)? In this episode Sarah & Stef share some personal stories, including a little cry! Sarah’s loss of her Mum Stef’s losses of relationships The idea of a “revenge body” Weight gain as a “sign” of a breakup? Stef’s loss of a primary friendship in college, and what hap…
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77. But Do Binge Urges Ever Completely Disappear?
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In this episode, Sarah and Stef talk about their relationship with food from a recovered perspective. Do we ever feel binge urges? Does a disordered tendency ever really disappear? Stef’s experience of over-hunger and how it impacts her urge to eat Sarah’s experience of brunch last Sunday Cake as a habit and compulsion (minus guilt) – Sarah’s story…
Happy (almost) 2023, LAD listeners! This time of year is loaded with resolutions and plans for becoming a "better" version of ourselves. It seems like this is more often than not related to changing our body size or eating in new ways. If you're looking for a conversation about the New Year that can put some of this into perspective and take the pr…
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75. ADHD & Disordered Eating: A Conversation with Becca King, RD
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The intersection of neurodivergence with disordered eating is a relatively unexplored area. Thought hyperactivity, food urgency, and nervous system dysregulation can have powerful consequences on our relationship with food. We talk to Becca King (aka The ADHD Nutritionist) about things like: Gender differences in ADHD Types and symptoms of ADHD Hyp…
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74. But Will I Ever Fully Recover From Disordered Eating?
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In this episode we answer the following question from a listener: is it possible to hit a wall in recovery and not be able to go any further? How do you know if you’re in true recovery? What if our behaviors change but the disordered thoughts remain? We discuss: Is full recovery even possible? Recovery on a spectrum Are Stef & Sarah fully recovered…
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73. But Is The Way You Eat the Way You Do Everything?
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Have you ever heard the phrase: the way we eat is the way we do everything? Do you agree? What parallels to you notice between the way you feel around food and the way you feel about other things? In this episode we talk about: Food as distraction Pace and slowing down (eating fast --> doing everything fast) What else did/does Sarah “binge” on? End…
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72. But How Do I Manage Food and Festivities?
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It’s that time of year again! More food, more parties, more alcohol, more people to see. In this episode we talk about the many topics that come up during a season that can be tricky in a life without dieting. How the holidays “ruined” Sarah’s Paleo streak Alcohol, work parties, and eating How Sarah developed her inner alcohol threshold voice Drink…
Stef’s mom, Donna, joins us on the podcast to talk about what it was like to be a mother to a daughter with an eating disorder, and how Stef & Donna reconcile that period of time in present day. Donna’s memories of how Stef developed her EDs Stef’s experience in college and in an IOP Stef’s favorite therapist Binge eating as not serious “enough” Ho…
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70. But Why do I Self-Sabotage Around Food?
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**LONDON LIVE EVENT** Click here for more info and to purchase tickets Do you feel like you have good intentions for yourself but somehow end up "ruining it"? In this episode we look at why we self-sabotage, including how we might thwart our efforts at weight loss and also how the term itself might be misleading. We'll discuss: Why Stef isn’t a fan…
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69. But Depression and Anxiety Mess Up My Eating
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Depression and anxiety are common partners with binge eating, overeating, restricting, and other forms of disordered eating. What do we make of this intersection? How can we have more influence over our relationship with food if we are also dealing with these conditions? In this episode, we discuss: Definitions of depression and anxiety (and spectr…
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68. But What If I Just Keep Gaining Weight?
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When we reject diets, there is often a period of weight gain that follows. But what if it feels like you'll just keep gaining weight and never stop? How long does this go on for? In this episode, we discuss: How long it took Stef to reach her weight set range Periods of rapid weight gain Weight gain as the body’s insurance policy Doesn’t it make se…
Part Two in a two-part series about hunger and fullness: what about the fear of fullness? Last week we discussed why feeling hungry can be triggering for some people, and this week we are looking at how fullness can activate belief systems and automatic behaviors. We explore: Sarah’s experience of fullness with spaghetti bolognese Fullness and guil…
What is your relationship with hunger? Do you ever eat to prevent the feeling of hunger? What do you think this is about? In this episode, we talk about: Stef’s internal hunger “alarm bell” The difference between hunger and deprivation What if we have hunger AND anxiety? Eating prophylactically to avoid hunger What does hunger actually FEEL like fo…
To weigh or not to weigh? This question can interrupt many an intuitive eater's journey, so we dedicated a whole episode to the topic. We cover questions like: Do Stef & Sarah know their weights? Can weight just be data? What stories do we attach to numbers What about getting weighed at the doctors office? How to decline being weighed at the doctor…
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64. 5 Things We Learned in Recovery From Disordered Eating
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Sarah and Stef share the lessons they learned through their recovery from disordered eating. Join our growing support community. This community is for you if you want to improve your relationship with food and become more comfortable in your own skin. Community membership includes invites to live episode recordings (online), support meetings, a pri…
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63. Living in the Messy Middle: Nicole's Story
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This episode features a guest -- not an expert -- who is still working through her relationship with food and body image and doesn't have it all figured out. We hope you find it helpful to hear from someone who might be exactly where you are, and can relate to the parts of this process that don't feel like they have answers. We discuss: Where food …
Having a disordered relationship with food can erode our sense of self-trust. Not only do we learn to trust outside voices over our own hunger, but we also can't seem to keep the promises we make to ourselves about food. In this episode, we cover a range of topics including: What is self trust How promises to “not binge today” erodes our self-trust…
Stress is a common trigger for eating, overeating, and binge eating. If you're someone who experiences increased urges to eat when you're stressed or anxious, this episode explores the following topics: What does stress look like? The stress of transitions What if stress is not something we can reduce? Challenging beliefs about how stress and copin…
Guilt can be a huge barrier to feeling peaceful with food. What do we do with the feelings of guilt that remain around what we eat, how we eat, and how much we eat? In this episode, we discuss: Guilt, defined Two layers of cognitive belief systems Can guilt be useful? Reframing guilt as disappointment Regulating guilt in the beginning of recovery S…
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59. A Conversation with Bri Campos of Body Image With Bri
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In this episode we are talking to Brianna Campos of Body Image with Bri about the Body Grief framework. We’ll also talk about: How Bri came to focus on grief in her work around body image Dealing with: other people’s judgment; discomfort; health concerns The difference between body acceptance vs body positivity Bri’s framework for body image grief:…
If we overeat or find it hard to stop eating because we don't want to waste food, how can we navigate this conflict? This episode talks about: Sarah’s experimental task to throw away one bite of food What about throwing away food so you don’t eat it? What about leftovers? Kids’ lunchboxes Being a “good girl” or “good boy” by finishing what’s on you…
There is a significant intersection of people with eating disorders and disordered eating with T/trauma. In this episode, we identify the meaning of trauma and explore how it shows up in our body beyond intellectual awareness. We also discuss: Trauma informed vs trauma aware A little of Stef’s history Anger and eating disorder behaviors The issue o…
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56. But What About Food Logging and Meal Planning?
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Food logs and meal planning are hallmarks of weight loss efforts and diet culture. Is there any place for them in a non-diet approach? In this episode, we talk about: Do we like food diaries? Food structure reduces decision making Is intuitive eating about meal variety? But I don’t like meal planning because I don’t know what I’ll want to eat Sarah…
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55. But Why Can Some People Control Their Weight?
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The "anti-diet" and "diets don't work" messages can be very empowering for many people, but how do we reconcile these ideas when there seem to be people that do, in fact, diet and lose weight? In this episode, we discuss: Dieting as a physical trauma stored by the body Biology of weight set point and safety Psychology tendencies toward one-track th…
In 1978, Susie Orbach wrote the groundbreaking book: Fat is a Feminist Issue (FIFI) to decontrust the role of dieting as oppressive to women. She has remained an author, psychoanalyst, advocate for women and women's bodies. In this episode, we discuss: Dieting is taking your agency back The beauty of hunger in all forms The mother’s body anxiety & …
Why is eating in moderation so hard? In this episode, Sarah & Stef discuss: What does moderation mean? Is the 2000 calorie RDA based on moderation? Satisfaction and extreme hunger Why are some people able to eat in moderation more easily? Is moderation a challenge for impulsive people? How other parts of our lives can influence the reward aspect of…
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52. But I'm a Fussy Eater and I Don't Like "Healthy" Food
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Intuitive Eating advocates may have us believe that we will naturally start to crave nutritious food after allowing ourselves to eat what we want, but is this true? What does it look like if you're someone who feels more selective around food or doesn't really like vegetables? In this episode, we talk about... The foods that Sarah and Stef don’t li…
The summertime can be a difficult time of year when we’re dealing with body image – the heat, the clothes, the vacations. In this conversation, we break down some reasons why summertime can be difficult, share our own experiences with summer and body image, and offer mindset shifts that can help. Summer bodies syndrome Summer clothing – is fashion …
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50. But How Do I Become More Intuitive With Food?
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If intuitive eating is the gold standard of a healthy relationship with food, how do we actually become more intuitive? In this episode, Sarah & Stef talk about: The definition of Intuition (UK vs US) What role does conscious reasoning play in intuition? The role of intuition in Sarah & Stef’s lunches this week How long does it take to become more …
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49. But How Do I Raise My Kids to Have Positive Body Image? A Conversation With Molly Forbes
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This week we talk to Molly Forbes, author of the book Body Happy Kids and founder of The Body Happy Org. Molly talks to us about her experience raising children in diet culture and the work she does to educate and empower both children and adults to create body image resilience. We discuss: Molly’s experience on Naked Beach TV How Molly navigates h…
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48. But I Can't Stop Disconnecting From Myself
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Dieting can promote disconnection from self. Sometimes we use food to further disconnect from our experience or our shame. As we heal our relationship with food, body, and self, how do we address the tendency to disconnect? What is the difference between disconnection and self-abandonment? Sarah’s airport story of accepting the moment How to stay c…
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47. But How Do I Know If I'm Restricting (Part 2)
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A follow up to last week’s episode is out by popular demand. In this episode we continue talking about the nuances of restriction and the ways this might be showing up in your disordered eating and/or recovery process. We cover: What is emotional restriction? What does it look like to have emotional regulation instead of emotional restriction? Rest…
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46. But How Do I Know If I'm Restricting? (Part 1)
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These days, restriction is a buzzword in the anti-dieting space, and it’s often talked about in disordered eating recovery. But what does it really mean, and how do you know if it applies to you? In this episode, we cover: The difference between physical and mental restriction The relationship of self talk with mental restriction Is it always restr…
We talk a lot about binge eating in this podcast, but this episode is dedicated to our experiences with bulimia – how it looked, how it felt, and how it was different from binge eating disorder. We’ll discuss: What is bulimia? Purging as an aggressive emotional expression Purging as a perceived boundary against binge eating Bulimic behavior feeling…
In this episode, Sarah and Stef discuss the role of the inner critic, and how each host dealt with the evolution of the critic during recovery from binge eating. We'll cover: Sarah’s embarrassment of her self critic versus Stef’s comfort with her own Binges as a criticism of being “out of control” Identifying as a Critic or not Does your critic spe…
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43. Can Cosmetic Surgery Improve Body Image? with Becca Robinson
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Back with another guest! In this episode, we talk to Becca Robinson, a BEAT advisor in recovery from bulimia, about her experience with breast implants and her decision to ultimately have them removed. “As long as your belly is never wider than your bust, you’re fine.” Puberty, developing breasts, and having “real woman” proportions Does cosmetic s…
What does humility have to do with binge eating recovery? In this episode, we discuss: Is it wrong to be self-focused? Stef’s “fall from grace” during college and how humility diminishes the ego The power of letting go of how things “should be” The relationship between our humility and our insecurities Leaning into our insecurities to see that they…
There is a relationship between fatigue, tiredness, and food. In this episode, we discuss: The evolution of Sarah & Stef’s fatigue over the years "Fatigue" versus "being tired" Sarah naps! Rest: Splitting attention versus single-focus restoration Connection and purpose to mitigate fatigue Routines, intentions, and structure as coping tools We are n…
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40. A Look Inside Our Eating Disorder Journals!
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In this episode, Sarah and Stef pull out old journals to read excerpts from their deepest binge eating days. In this vulnerable episode, we share: Stef’s entries from college: feeling like the cycle never stop repeating, and themes of loneliness and disconnection Sarah’s “Fasting Journal” The difference between Sarah’s despair and Stef’s inner crit…
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39. A Conversation About The F*ck It Diet
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In this episode, Sarah and Stef review Caroline Dooner’s book: The F*ck It Diet. We’ll talk about: The book that changed Stef’s life The power of the Minnesota Starvation Experiment Caroline’s Five Tools The parts of the book most helpful to Stef versus Sarah Orthorexia and “in defense of sugar and carbs” Does food become a “non-issue” after we hea…
Improving body image is one of the most popular topics in this field. In this episode, we talk about our own stories of making more peace with our bodies and offer concrete tools we use with clients and ourselves. We discuss: Stef’s initial body image recovery journey in a group Sarah’s sense of “splitting” from her identity Stef’s story of being c…
Lisa and Diana have an announcement about The Hunger Trap Podcast.By Lisa and Diana
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37. Not Dieting in the Public Eye: A Conversation with Katie Thistleton
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Our very first guest on the podcast! This week we’re talking to former dieter Katie Thistleton, host of Life Hacks on BBC radio. Katie has given up on dieting while in the public eye as a media presenter and is here to chat with us about her experience. We’ll discuss: Katie’s New Year’s Instagram post and how that prompted this episode The “Last Su…
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True Life: I’m A Breast Cancer Survivor Who Struggled With My Body
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Vincenza opens up to Diana and Lisa about how her lifelong body struggles and disordered eating were influenced by her breast cancer diagnosis at age 36. (Note: The terms “obesity” and “overweight” appear in this episode.)
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36. But How Do I Talk To Loved Ones About My Disordered Eating?
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Talking to loved ones about recovery from disordered eating (or the choice to give up dieting) is complicated. We created this episode to share with friends and family who want to support your journey but aren’t quite sure what to say. We’ll discuss: Sarah & Stef’s experience of talking to friends about binge eating When your disorder is not taken …
Equestrian Lisa Whalen, author of Stable Weight: A Memoir of Hunger, Horses, and Hope, chats with Diana and Lisa about how her spiritual connection with horses helped her seek balance in life and overcome an eating disorder.
