The Eating Disorder Therapist

5 Ways Towards Understanding and Interrupting your Binge Eating

Today is an old episode that I am sharing with you again.

This episode is about binge eating - a behaviour that can be seen across all the eating disorders (anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder and OSFED). I see a binge as an end point coping strategy, following a series of cumulative triggers, which are often out of awareness. The binge can offer relief, escape, numbing, fleeting euphoria and more. Of course, these impacts are short lasting and lead to detrimental impacts on mental and physical well-being. 

I talk about 5 ways to understand your binge eating better and how to begin to change this.  I explore dietary restraint, physical and mental restriction, regular eating, self-soothing and self-care, body image, low mood and developing deeper awareness of your thoughts and feelings.This episode will support you in understanding and unpacking your binge eating, to empower you to take the first steps towards change. I hope that you enjoy it.  

This episode is brought to you by Altum Health - https://www.altumhealth.co.uk/

 

Help! How can I Support my Child to Develop a Healthy Relationship with Food?

A Bite Size episode.

It can feel like an insurmountable task to ‘get it right’ with your child in helping them to develop a healthy body image and balanced eating habits. On the one hand, we hear daily scaremongering news of the dangers of your child becoming overweight or eating too much sugar. Simultaneously, we are also terrified of our child developing an eating disorder and becoming too thin or disordered eating habits.  The culture and environment do not support our efforts, with tasty, processed food available in abundance, whilst we at the same time we continue to be bombarded by perfect social-media images. This discrepancy alone creates an unhelpful backdrop for trying to develop healthy attitudes towards body image and eating.  

In this episode, I explore some ways to support your child through all of this. I hope that you find it helpful

Gay Men and Body Image, Unrealistic Standards, Steroids, Porn and Social Media, with Jack Rose

Today I’m talking to Jack Rose, a 25 year old, gay man who is a trainee therapist in Integrative Therapy at Bangor University in Wales. He is currently living in Manchester, a city with a large LGBT population.. Jack previously graduated with a 2:1 in Psychology, with counselling and psychotherapy from Manchester metropolitan University. 

Jack’s undergraduate research was focused on gay men’s perception of self (body image) and the influence that porn plays on formation and maintenance of body image among gay men. This was a qualitative study that was analysed using thematic analysis. 

In the episode today, Jack shares insights into understanding and improving awareness of body image concerns amongst gay men. He talks about unrealistic body standards and the pressures felt in this population. Jack talks about his own journey and what has motivated him to delve deeply into this area of work. He talks about the impact of porn, social media, steroid use and education (or lack of).  He shares about his current research exploring specifically  LGBT perceptions of their therapist and if they perceive them as more competent if they share a sexuality. It’s a fascinating conversation and I hope that you find it helpful.

To find out more about Jack: -

Facebook Jackrose

Twitter @itsjackrose

Tiktok @jackofalltrades911

Living with Chronic Illness and an Eating Disorder - Tips for Coping

A Bite Size episode. A question this week from a listener, all about living with chronic illness and an eating disorder. This episode has mainly been created by my listener, Lauren. She shares the grief in coming to terms with the limitations imposed on her life through illness, and moving to find her own acceptance and peace. I hope that you find it helpful.

Muscle Dysmorphia, Disordered Eating and Exercise Addiction, with George Mycock (MyoMinds)

Today, I’m talking to George Mycock, the founder of MyoMinds, the mental health platform that works to improve knowledge and awareness of exerciser mental health. George is also a PhD researcher focusing on men’s experiences with muscularity-oriented issues like muscle dysmorphia, disordered eating and exercise addiction, and has delivered presentations on these topics to a range of audiences. George also brings a lived experience perspective, having experienced muscle dysmorphia and associated behaviours for a number of years.

In the podcast today, George talks about his own journey in navigating through these issues. He explores muscularity orientated issues in men and the link between masculinity and these behaviours. George talks about how the fitness community can feed into poor help-seeking behaviour for distress associated with these concerns. He also explains the link between muscle dysmorphia and suicidal ideation. Currently, if you are suffering, then getting help for these concerns is challenging. George discusses the need for radical change in this area.

I hope that you enjoy the conversation.

To find out more about George and MyoMinds: -

Website: https://www.myominds.com/

Instagram: @myo_minds

 

 

 

5 Ways to Support Yourself, When You’re on a Waiting List for Eating Disorder Therapy

A Bite-Size episode.

All about how to cope with managing symptoms and holding onto hope, whilst you are on a very long waiting list, for eating disorder therapy.

Although eating disorder support provision has improved significantly in recent years, many NHS services (UK reference) are still under-resourced, and it can be a post-code lottery, as to whether you can access the treatment you need.

In this episode, I explore 5 ways to support and encourage yourself along, whilst in this difficult phase of waiting.

I hope that you find it helpful.

Supporting Clients in Eating Disorder Recovery - Nutrition, Gut Issues and Intuitive Eating, with Adrien Paczosa

Today I’m talking to Adrien Paczosa from Texas, the founder and Chief Clinical Officer of Nourish - a national tele-nutrition company with all anti-diet dietitians. Adrien is also a Business Strategist and Coach for and helps private practice owners and and dietitians build their businesses.

Adrien has over 20+ years of working with clients on their recovery and food freedom journey and is passionate about these issues. In the show today, Adrien talks about her new venture, in making nutritional/dietetic support available to every corner of the USA. She explores gastro-intestinal issues in recovery and how these might need addressing before stepping into an Intuitive Eating place. Adrien also shares her radical thinking about how to change diet culture and create an environment that promotes health for each individual, rather than a weight-focused approach. She also explores creating better access to care, for those seeking recovery.

I hope that you enjoy the conversation.

 

To find out more information about Adrien/Nourish:-

Website: https://www.usenourish.com/

Instagram: @usenourish

When it Feels Challenging to Eat a ’Proper Meal’ in Eating Disorder Recovery

A Bite Size episode.

In eating disorder recovery, for some people it can feel incredibly challenging to have permission to eat a full meal.  You might be worried about breaking your food rules or that your eating habits will be judged by others. In this episode, I dive into the problems around this and give some thoughts on how to challenge faulty habits using thought challenging, exploring underlying beliefs and behavioural experiments.

I hope that you enjoy the episode.

Eating Disorders - Navigating Pregnancy, Birth and Post-Natal Challenges

Pregnancy, birth and the months after you’ve birthed your baby can be incredibly magical, and also incredibly challenging times. If you have an eating disorder you may struggle with the changes in your body and appetite. If you’ve previously struggled with an eating disorder, you can be vulnerable to relapse during the prenatal and postpartum periods.

Some people who have not struggled previously with disordered eating, may also find this to be a triggering time with all the physical and emotional changes. Having said this, some people also find that these times helped them with a shift in body image, with a change in values and perspective. There is no right way to cope and you probably won’t know how you’ll fare with all of this, until you in the situation.

In this episode, I explore the challenges of navigating these phases, when you are struggling with an eating disorder and offer some tips on getting through. I hope that you enjoy the episode.

 

An Exploration into Food Rituals and Eating Disorders

Many of us have food rituals in the way that we shop, prepare, store, cook, present and eat our meals. Mainly, these habits or rituals are likely harmless and can in fact be comforting and beneficial. But sometimes, rituals become compulsive or a way to avoid or hide deeper issues. If you feel compelled to carry out your food rituals, otherwise experiencing high anxiety or distress. Or if you are avoiding social situations and if your diet has become very imbalanced due to rituals - these are signs it could be time to reflect with curiosity and compassion about the function of them.

I hope that you enjoy the episode.