Feck It, Fun, Fabulous & Free Eating Disorder Recovery

Eating disorder recovery can be compared to a pendulum-swing effect. It can feel like the eating disorder pulls you to one extreme and as you let the eating disorder go, you go through centre to the other extreme in all kinds of ways, such as high hunger, eating more, feeling exhausted, weight gain and body changes which can all be alarming.  My books: Addicted to Energy Deficit Aiming for Oversho...

Restrictive eating disorders and the things you need to do to overcome one will affect your digestion and your poop in ways that can be uncomfortable and even alarming if not expecting them. In this episode I talk about some of the symptoms that you might experience and how to cope with them. Don't miss my two books that are also available now about eating disorders and how to overcome one: Addict...

Restrictive eating disorders and the ability of the brain to develop an addiction to energy deficit has an evolutionary explanation. This episode explores how and why the brain adaptations that occur with a restrictive eating disorder were once a much needed survival response and not the 'mental illnesses' they are considered today The information for this episode is taken from my newly available...

The stereotype of restrictive eating disorders having a look and only being present in people who appear emaciated is damaging and completely false. Restrictive eating disorders don't have a size and the symptoms and risks of an eating disorder are the same, no matter where a person falls on the BMI spectrum. Find out more in my books: Addicted to Energy Deficit Aiming for Overshoot   www.hellybar...

My second book, 'Aiming for Overshoot' is available to buy now and is a complementary handbook to 'Addicted to Energy Deficit'. This episode of the podcast introduces the book and why you should aim for overshoot to overcome a restrictive eating disorder. My two books: Addicted to Energy Deficit Aiming for Overshoot   www.hellybarnes.com

Refeeding syndrome is a potential risk when you are abstaining from restriction and overcoming a restrictive eating disorder and addiction to energy deficit. An awareness of the risks and how to prevent them will help to ensure you are able to continue to do all you need to beat the eating disorder out of your life safely. More on this is available in my book: ' Addicted to Energy Deficit ' which...

When overcoming a restrictive eating disorder and addiction to energy deficit, you can apply an abstinence or moderation approach. This post explores what moderation to overcome a restrictive eating disorder & addiction to energy deficit can look like and when you might choose this method. Find out more from my book, ' Addicted to Energy Deficit - A Neuroscience Based Guide to Restrictive Eati...

Restrictive eating disorders can also be described as an addiction to the state of energy deficit. The gold standard approach to overcome any addiction can is often considered to be abstinence... But how do you abstain from a restrictive eating disorder? This episode discusses this and you will find out more in my book, Addicted to Energy Deficit .   www.hellybarnes.com    

The withdrawal symptoms when you are overcoming a restrictive eating disorder and addiction to energy deficit can be intense. This episode explains what symptoms to expect and what causes them. To know even more, please see my book, ' Addicted to Energy Deficit - A Neuroscience Based Guide to Restrictive Eating Disorders '.   www.hellybarnes.com

Rituals and restrictive eating disorders go hand in hand. If you have a restrictive eating disorder or are working to overcome one, it is important to understand rituals - what they are, how to recognise them and why it is so important to address them. Want to know more? My book, ' Addicted to Energy Deficit - A Neuroscience Based Guide to Restrictive Eating Disorders ' covers this in a lot more d...

When you have a restrictive eating disorder, your brain has developed an addiction to the state of energy deficit. But what is it that made energy deficit so rewarding to your brain in the first instance that it led to this addiction? The answer to this is explored in this episode. To understand more, my book, Addicted To Energy Deficit is available to buy now and covers so much more besides. www....

Understanding restrictive eating disorders as a form of addiction, it helps to understand the neuroscience behind an addiction to energy deficit. In this episode I explain the the dopamine balance model to addictions and to restrictive eating disorders and how this impacts on the symptoms you will experience in overcoming an eating disorder. To understand more, please pick up a copy of my newly pu...

Understanding eating disorders as an addiction allows you to then understand a little more of the neuroscience to an addiction to energy deficit.   This episode focuses on the deep learning processes that occur in the brain in the development of an eating disorder and overcoming one.   To understand more, please pick up a copy of my book, 'Addicted to Energy Deficit - A Neuroscience Based Guide to...

As I continue to introduce my newly published book, 'Addicted to Energy Deficit - A Neuroscience Based Guide to Restrictive Eating Disorders', I continue from the last episode, with an explanation about what an addiction to energy deficit actually is and what behaviours and symptoms it can lead to. The book is available now to buy on Amazon and other online book retailers. www.hellybarnes.com

I have written a book!! It's called 'Addicted to Energy Deficit' and it is all about what restrictive eating disorders are, using neuroscience and research to finally de-mystify exactly what is happening with a restrictive eating disorder and how to use this information to overcome one. This episode introduces the book and why eating disorders are a form of addiction. Please support me, my work an...

A scarcity mindset is a very powerful feature of a restrictive eating disorder and will add extra layers to the impact the eating disorder has on your life, how you live, think and function.   It's important to recognise the symptoms of a scarcity mindset so you can address it, aiming for abundance for a while instead!   www.hellybarnes.com

A very helpful tool to use as you are going through the process of overcoming an eating disorder, or eating disorder bashing as it is also known, is something called a pre-mortem. This is where you get out your crystal ball to predict disaster and then take steps to ensure disaster does not strike. Intrigued?  Have a listen to find out more. www.hellybarnes.com

This episode is a personal one in which I share more of my journey to overcome the eating disorder and a point in the process in which I was mentally exhausted, emotionally drained and ready to give up on it all and let the eating disorder fully consume me again. This is for anyone in that position now. www.hellybarnes.com

When you eat restrictively for any length of time through a restrictive eating disorder or as a result of dieting, your body metabolism will be affected.  Many people have concerns and questions about this. In this episode, I cover what the metabolism is, what it means to have a high or a low metabolism and how restrictive eating can impact on this, alongside what happens to the metabolism if you...

When you are overcoming a restrictive eating disorder and bringing your body out of a state of energy deficit, weight gain is inevitable. But when you are gaining weight despite still engaging in some level of restrictive eating and disordered behaviours, it can feel unjustified and make the process even harder. Therefore, this episode is about making sure the weight gain that is part of your heal...

Many people make commitments in the process of overcoming an eating disorder which might be things like, 'I will eat without restriction'; 'I will non purge' etc etc... These commitments are great but they are also up in the clouds and not entirely meaningful to the brain. One way to make those commitments work FOR you is by using If-Then statements to pin those commitments down to your real life...

In eating disorder recovery, many people experience very high or 'extreme' levels of hunger. The extreme hunger experienced can be overwhelming and frightening when it hits, especially when a person is coming from a history of very restrictive eating. This episode is about what extreme hunger can feel like and it is about some of my experiences when it came to navigating it. www.hellybarnes.com

In part one (the last episode), I discussed the analogy of eating disorder recovery as a tug of war and explained that when it feels like you are fighting that inner battle with the eating disorder, it is time to put the rope down and walk away... This episode covers some practical recovery examples of what battling the eating disorder in that tug of war looks like and what it does look like to st...

Eating disorder recovery very often feels like a constant game of tug of war between you (in recovery) and the eating disorder.  This looks like constant mental battles, mental gymnastics and negotiations.  It is exhausting, anxiety provoking and distressing. However, what if recovery doesn't need to be like this? What if you don't need to engage in that tug of war and still make progress in your...

The way in which the body monitors our energy levels and need for food is through a variety of different processes, chemicals and structures (all very complicated!). In this episode, I explore what these processes are in a 'healthy' person and how they differ when someone is experiencing an eating disorder. www.hellybarnes.com