Understanding Disordered Eating: For anyone whose relationship with food feels harder than it should

Emotions that aren't expressed through words don't just fizzle away…they get channeled through the body and our bodies and behaviors will do the expressing for us. So what in the WORLD do we do about it if we're not interested in having an eating disorder do the communication for us?    Tom is a psychologist and Certified Eating Disorder Specialist and Supervisor. He's a psychoanalyst and chairman...

Obesity rates in America are on the rise, so the obvious solution is to start eating less and eating better. Simple, right?   Yeah, right. If only life were that simple.    Today's episode is a conversation with Chana Ganz, a family nurse practitioner. Chana is currently based in Israel, and spends her summers as a family and pediatric nurse practitioner in the US. Her year-round job is treating a...

You might not be surprised to hear that perfectionism and disordered eating go hand-in-hand… but why is that? And HOW do we go about addressing it?   Disclaimer : I'm not saying everyone who is a perfectionist has an eating disorder, or that everyone with an eating disorder is a perfectionist, BUT the correlation is pretty high.   And if this sounds like you? In this episode, we'll explore what th...

Exploring your relationships and your past is more important than you realize – and ignoring them might actually be hurting you.  If you've been to therapy before, or read much about it (or listened to my signature approach before), you've probably heard the idea that your past affects your present.  And if you've rejected that notion, then you'd be in good company 🤷🏻‍♀️ In fact, I get a lot of...

Do you ever feel like you just can't understand WHY you do the things you do?   You want to change your behaviors, so you've read all the research and know exactly what you're supposed to do… but for some reason, you feel like there's a glass wall that's blocking your way. You don't know why it's happening or how to change, but you do know it's SUPER frustrating.   That's where Jen Diaz comes in. ...

When you know in your gut that something isn't working in therapy how do you approach the conversation so you get what you need?  You're feeling stuck. You've been seeing your therapist for a while or perhaps just a short time, and maybe you don't know what it is, but you KNOW something isn't working. Maybe they're just not getting you.  You've heard of just "not clicking," but maybe this goes bey...

Taking the first step toward treatment is terrifying, and riddled with information overload… and that's where Ibbits Newhall comes in.    Ibbits runs a consulting business as a treatment resource consultant. She works with individuals and families on treatment planning and what to do when navigating recovery – like step down options, residential programs, after care plans… any point of recovery. S...

Trauma is a word that's thrown around a lot. And the idea that trauma and ED's are connected is pretty known… but WHY are they connected, and what connects them?    Heather is a clinical social worker and psychoanalyst with a private practice in NYC. She's also an eating disorder and trauma expert. She is faculty and a supervisor at The Institute for Psychoanalytic Study of Subjectivity ; The Nati...

There is SO much information out there on therapy, eating disorders, and self-help that you could spend endless amounts of time reading and learning… but what do you do when you've learned so much, and your life STILL isn't changing the way you'd hoped?    Giuliana Hazelwood is the owner of Sense of Self Somatics. She's an acupuncturist who also does coaching. She does a lot of somatic therapies –...

Eating disorders are complex and multi-faceted, but what if they're far more connected to our emotional experience with the world than we realize?   First of all: This is episode 55… our 1 year anniversary! Happy anniversary, guys! 🎉🎉   I am SO excited to start another year with all of you. I have loved getting to know all of this past year. I love putting this show together, and connecting with...

Intuitive Eating is a highly popular framework that seems perfect on the surface… but is it always the right fit for those struggling with eating disorders?    Laura Pumillo is the owner of Nutrition for Every-Body , a nutrition practice in Manhattan. Laura has over 25 years of experience working with people suffering from eating disorders. Right now, she treats every type of eating disorder: anor...

We know that the onset of eating disorders very typically begins in the teenage years and that teens are particularly vulnerable to disordered eating… so how can we create an environment that fosters a healthy relationship with food and body for teens? Whether you are a teen, have a teen, or just want to understand your teenage self, Danielle Swimm, LCPC, provides enlightening answers for us. Dani...

When gut health issues, chronic illness, and disordered eating meet at a crossroads, how does someone take steps towards healing?    That's the subject we tackle today with Gianna Michalak, a Certified Nutrition Specialist and specifically gut health nutritionist. She works with women who have chronic illnesses to optimize their digestion and improve their quality of life.  If you're an Instagram...

The 12 Step Program and Overeaters Anonymous have been around for a while… but is there a side to it that might be harmful to some people?  We'll explore that… or at least, we'll explore my opinions on that.  But first, a couple of disclaimers.  First of all, I am by no means an Overeaters Anonymous or a 12 Step expert. I've been to one meeting and it was for an assignment at school. So, in no way...

We're talking about self-compassion… but not the kind you're thinking.    Don't roll your eyes yet, because if you know me, you know I'm right there with you. I'd never hand you mushy-gushy self compassion as a whole freaking episode. So hang with me. 😬😬   I love that the two of us are talking about this topic. Why? Because she and I are the most direct, no-nonsense women in the world. So we won...

Have you ever considered the issues you have with food… might just be connected to issues you have in your relationships? Believe it or not, the two are closely related in ways you've probably never thought about – and Dr. Sarah Chipps is going to explain how, and give some tips for healing.  Dr. Sarah Chipps is our beloved Vice President (soon to be President – woohoo! 🎉) of IAEDP New York. She'...

There are so many different types of chronic illnesses, from IBS to Crohn's Disease, that make healing your relationship with food infinitely more complicated.    It's not as simple as "read the intuitive eating book, eat when you're hungry!" (let's be real – that's a boiled-down version of intuitive eating, anyway). When someone's body responds differently to different foods due to a chronic illn...

In this episode, I'm excited to talk about dancers and how dancers, specifically, are athletes. Dancers, specifically, can work towards a healthy relationship with food. Even in a world that might be, you know, thin-obsessed. Or, obsessed with what kind of foods to eat. Or, making sure that you eat specific types of food in order to fill your body. But, that is not an oxymoron for developing a hea...

Intuitive eating has become a hot topic in the media. I'm glad it's become popular, but that comes with a danger… diet culture has adopted intuitive eating for its own purposes. So, as people who actually want to heal our relationship with food and not subscribe to diet culture, how do we approach intuitive eating? During this week's episode, we discussed just that.   This episode is with my dear...

We reference intuitive eating all the time, but we haven't discussed it in depth.   In this episode, I talk about the basics of intuitive eating. Please take note that this is not in lieu of reading the book.    In fact, I am encouraging you to read the book or listen to the audiobook to understand the principles enumerated even more.    Let's dive in.      [00:01- 01:40] Introductions [01:41-22:5...

It's hard to determine whether a loved one is suffering from an eating disorder or not. The good thing is, that there are signs that you can look out for that can help you know when to start a conversation. In this episode, I talk about red flags and warning signs. If you see someone you love who might be experiencing any of these, you can go way back to episode 9 about what the heck to do. Spoile...

You know me. I'm the first person to roll my eyes at the idea of breathwork. And mindfulness. I'm so quick to laugh at the seemingly preposterous idea that using our breath can really help in recovery. Or maybe I should say, used to be that person.  Talking to Erin kind of changed that.  She is a Certified Eating Disorder/Anxiety/Breathwork, NLP Practitioner, and Trauma Coach. She also is the kind...

Lindsay Bryan-Podvin is a social worker-turned-financial therapist, author, and speaker. She has a Master's degree in Social Work from the University of Michigan, and a bachelor's degree in Sociology from Michigan State University. She authored the book, "The Financial Anxiety Solution" which is a self-paced workbook that integrates therapy techniques to improve your relationship with money.    I'...

Marci Evans, RD has dedicated her career to counseling, supervising, and teaching in the field of eating disorders. She is a Certified Eating Disorder Registered Dietitian and Supervisor and certified Intuitive Eating Counselor. In addition to her group private practice and adjunct teaching positions, Marci launched an online eating disorders training for dietitians and co-directs a specialized ea...

I know that I talk quite a bit about the deeper meaning of different eating disorder symptoms and behaviors. But sometimes, especially right after a binge, what you need is tips to help at the moment . In this episode, I share 5 tips to keep in mind after a binge.  That obviously doesn't mean that we forget about the function of the binge. The binge is there for a reason. It is there to help us ma...