Life After Diets

Do you feel like your problem is just that you love food too much? Is it possible for true foodies to ever feel neutral around food -- and is feeling neutral around food the key to recovery? In this episode we discuss: Stef & Sarah: do we identify with loving food? Stef appetite for The Crown (and other nightly TV) Dopamine as a "pleasure" and "seeking" neurotransmitter Is it that you really love...

Do you feel like procrastination is a barrier to recovery? Sometimes we eat as a form of procrastination, or we eat because we feel badly about procrastinating. In this episode, we explore the concept and its intersection with food and body image. Is procrastination bad? And if not, what's it good for? Why do we procrastinate? Procrastination and body image (clothes) Changing the language – "I sho...

The definition of failure Stef's motherhood "failures" When we feel like our appetite is a failure I have the tools but I don't use the tools The failure of not showing up to an event because of your body image How do you want to show up for yourself with you fail? The importance of recognizing our "parts" Sarah's story of customer service Sarah & Stef discuss their future personal dynamics for al...

Psychologist Elaine Aron coined the term "Highly Sensitive Person" to refer to a subset of the population (estimated to be about 15-20%) who seem to have more sensitive nervous systems than the rest of the population. HSPs may be more easily overwhelmed and activated by stimuli in their internal and external environments, which may intersect with using food to help regulate the system. In this epi...

The voice of the "should" -- the things we know we should be doing but can't seem to do. Maybe we consume so much self-help information and don't feel like we can apply any of it. Why does this happen? What can we do about it?  Shift of language: "I'd like to" or "I can" instead of "I should" or "I need to" Stef's experience of the should voice in yoga Permission to do things inconsistently Do we...

Have you ever looked at a photograph of yourself (or passed by your reflection in a mirror) and felt a surge of shock or body image distress run through your whole body? This is what Stef calls a "flood," and in this episode we dive a little deeper into why this happens and what we can do about it.  We're coming to NYC! Fatphobia is implicit in feeling disgust or disapproval of our image Disorient...

Have you noticed difficulty or discomfort in the small transitions of life, like coming home from work or preparing to wind-down for the night? Why are transitions a time we turn to food for help? In this episode, we talk about: What is transition eating Sarah's afternoon walk Stef's nighttime transition and home/work transition When the kids go to bed Transitioning back to work after lunch Eating...

Many of us have tried to reduce or eliminate white sugar, flour, carbohydrates, and/or processed foods in order to improve our relationship with food, reduce overeating, and lose weight. Does this approach make sense? Does it help? Is it a problem with the approach or a problem with us? In this episode, we explore: Stef's experience of feeling good on keto, and it's unraveling Is it a psychologica...

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 episode, we talk to Dacy of Mindful Closet. Dacy emp...

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 course Sarah's experience of "looking forward to" the...

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 in London circa 2000 The feeling that tomorrow it...

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 to? The thrill of control/restriction Stef feels l...

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 happened after Nostalgia (grief) for places and eras...

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 Food neutrality does not mean some foods aren't m...

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 pressure off, this episode is for you. We'll discuss...

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 Hyperactivity of the brain (hyperactive thoughts) Bec...

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? The role of patience What comes first: self acce...

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? Ending the eating experience as another version of lo...

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 Drinking as an excuse to eat Dealing with getting dress...

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" How an ED impacts an entire family How Stef's husban...

**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 of the term Self-sabotage as an identity or confi...

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 spectrums of each) Stef & Sarah's experiences of how dep...

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 sense that if eating stabilizes, we should lose weig...

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 guilt Fullness and feeling like we "should" stop Fulln...

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 for you How somatic awareness helps us feel safer wi...