Eating Disorders in Discussion, Wednesday's Child

We all know eating disorders like to destroy things. They destroy physical health, mental wellbeing, career scope, educational paths, memories and moments….and relationships too. Today’s episode sees us chatting with Vicki and Rich, who give us a candid insight into what life is like for couples navigating eating disorder distress and recovery. Rich speaks openly about how he learned to understand...

There’s no holding back from Sarah and Debbie in this, the latest Wednesday’s Child podcast episode. Giving an insight into what’s required to be in what Debbie dubs the ‘80%+ Club’, the pair delve into the concept of full recovery, vs accepting a life of plateau and ‘functioning’ existence. You’ll hear their own experiences, plus their plea that you avoid trying to ‘kid a kidder’ when embarking o...

Wow. Do we have an important and informative episode for you this time. In this special guest episode, Debbie chats with India Ruiterman, a researcher for King’s College London who is actively studying gut-brain connection. India and her team are recruiting those who’ve experienced an eating disorder, to gain more understanding of gastrointestinal issues and their connection to the illness. The ep...

Here we go with an episode which will really challenge your thinking on issues like identity, narrative, labels and self acceptance. All too often, we feel the need to have our illness label as some form of validation or recognition, but can it give way to becoming our identity? Do we forget where our individual persona ends, and that cruel disease starts? Do we fear getting well, because we’re no...

We kickstart this episode with something of a necessary public health warning. No, not urging you to wear a mask and wash your hands, but encouraging you to remember that your recovery journey is unique and that you shouldn’t interpret statistics about a rise in eating disorder referrals as a need to feel or be ‘more poorly’. Our theme for the full episode is all about grocery shopping and the tri...

Our latest podcast episode gets right to the heart of the matter – the function of food and eating. While eating disorders have so many layers and impact us in so many ways, it is the food itself which plays such a critical role in our mental and physical healing. Debbie and Sarah talk about ‘doing the doing’ and embracing the ‘challenge, repeat’ approach which can take us beyond a functioning lif...

Just because the media wants to go overboard with the ‘New Year, New You’ rhetoric, it doesn’t mean you need to start buying into the idea of a diet or exercise regime. Living with, or recovering from, an eating disorder, makes this an incredibly tricky period, and Sarah and Debbie are back to help encourage and empathise. This episode, we’re focusing in on the issue of compulsive exercise and how...

On the road to recovery, it’s one of the most tricky hurdles to articulate and overcome – helping family and friends appreciate that your mind is far from well, even if your body has improved. In this episode, Debbie, Sara and Abi discuss how to deal with the reactions of others when your body is somewhat more restored. Should you speak out about your angst? How do you help loved ones to help you?...

For our latest episode, Debbie gets into conversation with our systemic eating disorder family therapist, Dr Sara Betteridge. Sara’s experience is in the ‘open dialogue’ approach to therapy, and she’s had huge success working with families affected by an eating disorder. She discusses why the approach is so effective, and who it benefits. After you’ve listened, if you’re interested in an appointme...

Whether you’re meeting over a table of turkey this season, or catching up for a socially distanced walk or via zoom, it’s inevitable the festivities cause more interactions with those we know and love. So how do we prepare ourselves for the potentially clumsy comments about our shape, our food intake, our recovery, and our ‘level of poorliness’? In this latest episode, Sarah and Debbie discuss the...

We’re heading towards those family gatherings and the prospect of seasonal eating, so how ready are you to challenge the demon voice of your eating disorder? Are you already stressing about how that Christmas buffet will play out, or planning your excuse to avoid the turkey and the trimmings? Stop right there. Listen to this latest episode from Sarah and Debbie, as they discuss the tips and tactic...

Remember the story of Ebeneezer Scrooge and of the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future? This episode, Sarah and Debbie consider what those fictitious ghosts might have had to show you or ask you, in order to get you to flick the switch on your eating disorder and create a happier freedom-focused Christmas this year. Are you prepared to spend more festive holidays being ruled by your illn...

Tick-tock, tick-tock. That’s the sound of the Christmas Countdown we hear calling. Are you becoming more stressed by the thought of the festive season looming? Is your eating disorder demanding that you refuse seasonal invitations, make your usual excuses and avoid stepping out of your comfort zone? Do you have a habit of over-thinking the pending ‘foodie occasions’, and, worse still, trying to co...

What are you prepared to change to get the life you really long for? Recovery from an eating disorder doesn’t come without a whole lot of effort, so no matter how much you talk the talk – you’ve sure as heck got to walk the walk too. In this episode, Debbie and Sarah talk about recovery motivation and the critical requirement that you continue to ‘change one thing’ in order to keep stepping forwar...

You’ve dabbled, you’ve tried, you’ve come ‘nearly but not quite’, and perhaps you’ve decided ‘well at least I’m 80% there’. Does that sound like you? Have you attempted eating disorder recovery only to find yourself in that horrid world of ‘quasi recovery’? If you have, you’re know that it’s often the worst state of being – with so many of your friends and family convinced you’re better…while you...

Does or did your eating disorder involve regimes and behaviours which left you wholly ashamed or petrified you’d be ‘found out’? Have you sat on the floor of the kitchen, eating in desperation and distress at 3am? Have you driven yourself and others to distraction by the need to make even the simplest meal into a ceremonial event which requires the perfect location, crockery, temperature and food...

Arrrrgggggh. What’s going on with my metabolism? Oh no. I’m gaining weight far quicker than I expected. What’s this thing called overshoot? In this episode, Sarah and Debbie lift the lid on these tricky issues and help you understand why it’s ‘absolutely normal’ that your metabolism gets super confused in recovery They discuss the threat of sticking in ‘quasi recovery’ by refusing to ever reach ov...

Have you been in to an eating disorders residential unit for treatment? Are you on a waiting list for a specialist hospital? Is the question of whether to seek private ‘in-patient’ support, something you’re seriously considering as a family? In this latest episode, Sarah, Abi and Debbie discuss the ups and downs of tackling recovery within hospita All three have experienced periods in residential...

In the latest episode from Wednesday’s Child, Debbie has a candid chat about relapse and recovery, with London firefighter, Vicki Butler. Vicki discusses how her disordered eating pattern emerged, how a friend helped her seek treatment, and what it took to break her compulsive obsession with over-exercise. The episode provides a great insight into care pathways as an adult, how an eating disorder...

Sarah and Debbie are back for another insightful episode, discussing some of the big themes which concern and annoy you around eating disorders. They debate the infuriating situation which still sees so many healthcare professionals judging someone’s eating disorder ‘status’ on the basis of a numerical BMI. You’ll hear them call for your own experiences under different regional healthcare provider...

It doesn’t get much better than the chance to sit with an Olympic athlete and talk at length about their career, their fear of failure, their mental health stability, their attitude to food and body image – and the joy of motherhood. Wednesday’s Child is thrilled to have had the very special opportunity to get a window into the world of one of Britain’s most successful ever swimmers, Karen Pickeri...

Recorded within two hours of the news that the UK government had made a U-turn about the allocation of A Level grades, the latest Wednesday’s Child podcast sees Sarah and Debbie chatting about the desire for validation, attainment, and achievement. Anyone in the midst of an eating disorder battle will undoubtedly have found the A Level debacle hugely difficult to deal with, but has this period giv...

Debbie and Sarah get stuck into an eating disorders discussion all about Boris Johnson’s recent announcement on tackling obesity in the UK. Does a campaign like this pose a risk to those with an eating disorder? Does it cause those without an eating disorder to become obsessive about their weight and food? Will it breed a society of people who feel unable to have a happy and spontaneous eating rel...

Debbie and Sarah return for the latest Wednesday’s Child podcast exploring eating disorder recovery. They chat about the importance of ‘showing up’ and remaining accountable to yourself and others.

How do you handle clothes shopping as you navigate body restoration? Did certain clothes define your eating disordered identity? Sarah and Debbie call on their experiences to discuss this and more in our latest episode.