The Eating Disorder Therapist

Overcoming Emotional Eating, Healing the Gut, The Seduction of Weight Loss and Self-Care, with Amber Romaniuk

Today I’m speaking to Amber Romaniuk, an Emotional Eating, Digestive and Hormone Expert who helps professional women achieve optimal health through mindful eating, self-care and overcoming self-sabotage with food. Her podcast “The No Sugarcoating Podcast” has a million downloads, over 300 episodes and is listened to, in over 88 countries. She was featured on TV Personality Whitney Port’s podcast and has also appeared on local TV 50 times in the last three years alone. Go AMBER!

Amber overcame her own emotional eating, after gaining and losing more than 1000 lbs and spending over $50,000 on binge foods and spending 5 years balancing her hormones and digestion. Now she helps others achieve Body Freedom™ so they have the confidence and health to create amazing lives.

In this episode, we are going to explore the highs and lows of Amber’s journey in fully healing her own relationship with food and overcoming emotional eating, to reaching the point where she is experiencing the food freedom she has today. Amber shares about the dietary changes she made on the healing journey, so healing the gut, balancing hormones and eliminating food cravings. We explore our different therapeutic approaches and the importance of tailoring support to each individual client. Amber discusses the seduction of the weight loss journey and the impact on wellbeing, and how getting hooked on a weight loss journey can fulfill a perfectionist obsession, where it is extremely hard to win or feel good enough. She will also reflect on the importance of self-care in the healing journey, through prioritising your own needs and setting firm boundaries in place. There’s so much valuable content here. I hope that you enjoy the conversation.

To find out more about Amber: -

Website: https://amberapproved.ca/

The No Sugarcoating Podcast: https://amberapproved.ca/podcast/

Instagram: @amberromaniuk

Finding Love After an Eating Disorder

The impetus for creating this episode came from one of my lovely listeners. She talked about only ever feeling comfortable, worthy of romantic attention or able to be intimate, whilst having an eating disorder and actively losing weight. A large motivator for the eating disorder was to feel pretty or worthy of male attention. Although my listener has made huge recovery strides in many areas, this is still an area of vulnerability, with a strong fear of being rejected based on her body. She’s looking for some thoughts on re-entering the dating scene when being in recovery, especially when this involves weight gain. In this episode, I am going to explore 5 different ways to look at this – reflecting your attachment style, early influences at home with dieting and body image;  the whole thing about external validation and how seductive this can be; then moving towards actively improving body image as you go out into the world but most importantly creating your own identity and solid sense of self-worth. I hope that you enjoy the episode.    

Understanding Why you may be in Patterns of Control, Neglect and Self-Sabotage around Eating

Your early relationships in life will impact the way you care for yourself, the way you interact with others and also your relationship with food and your body. Patterns of over-control, conditional acceptance, emotional neglect or even abuse can all have a significant impact. In this episode, I talk about Reciprocal Roles, a tool used in Cognitive Analytic Therapy, to give you greater insight into understanding this. I hope that you enjoy the episode.

6 Ways to Boost Self-Esteem in Eating Disorder Recovery

When you have an eating disorder, underneath the symptoms, your self-esteem is often shaky. You might not feel good enough at all. You may feel that you are flawed in some way and you may not treat yourself with the respect that you deserve. You might experience ‘I’m not good enough’ thoughts such as: - ‘I’m boring, I’m not intelligent, I’m unattractive. I’m too this or that; I’m not as good as X person’. You will likely be adept at noticing your perceived flaws and ignoring any positive qualities.

This inner feeling of unworthiness can permeate every area of life, through choice of relationships, work progress and social engagements. It’s like having a millstone around your neck, as you carry this heavy psychological baggage into every situation.

 In this episode, I explore common causes of low self-worth and give six tips on how to radically improve this, with some journal prompts. I hope that you enjoy the episode.

Breaking Free from Cycles of Binge Eating and Over-Exercise

In this episode, I explore the destructive cycle of experiencing out of control binge eating episodes followed by compulsive over-exercise, as compensation. When this happens the exercise is not a joyful, happy movement anymore, rather it is a relentless, punishing and punitive thing that has to be endured, even if you are weary and exhausted. It can go on for hours of the day. Some of my clients are wedded to their fitness trackers and having to walk numerous steps per day. This can involve extensive walks or pacing around the house to achieve their required target. Or even walking on the spot before getting into bed to achieve the step target for the day. Sometimes, we can forget that this is actually a problem. In a culture that continuously tells us to eat less and move more. No amount of exercise can feel wrong. You might even be outwardly praised for the amount of activity that you’re doing – with no one really understanding what’s going on behind closed doors. So how do you begin to interrupt this cycle? Do you focus on the binge eating or do you focus on the over-exercise first? It’s a bit of a chicken and egg scenario. I’m going to talk you through some steps to help you consider how YOU might break your cycle of binge eating and over-exercise. I hope that you enjoy the episode.

5 Ways I Maintain Mental Well-being and Remain Fully Recovered from an Eating Disorder

In this episode, I share five of my top tips for maintaining good mental well-being and being fully recovered from an eating disorder, after struggling for almost a decade with bulimia nervosa. Recovery is possible. Stay hopeful and continue to seek out your own truth and healing journey. I hope that you enjoy the episode.

Eating Disorder Recovery, Writing and Inspiring Resources, with Carly Newberg

Today, I’m talking to Carly Newberg from Eastern Oregon, USA.  Carly is an Author and Freelance Writer and Editor. As an adolescent, she struggled with eating disorders – anorexia, bulimia and exercise addiction which has contributed to her passion for mental health and overall wellbeing. Carly has been recovered for four years and is now on the journey to training as a Mental Health Counsellor. She recently worked in a residential treatment facility with those aiming to recover.

Carly recently published her debut book, Good Enough: Believing Beautiful through Trauma, through Life, through Disorder. In it, she shares her story through messages of faith, forgiveness, and trusting in the unknown. She believes that eating disorders are multidimensional puzzles with no one cause and that to move past them, we must trek through our past with open arms and compassion.

In this episode today, Carly shares about her ongoing recovery journey in eating disorder recovery, what helped, hindered and supported her to find the healthier and more peaceful place she is in today. She also talks about writing her book and shares a multitude of resources that inspired her along the way. I hope that you enjoy the conversation.

To find out more about Carly: -

Recent writings/published articles: medium.com/@sincerelycarly

Instagram: @_sincerelycarly

Website: www.believing-beautiful.com

Book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Good-Enough-Believing-Beautiful-Disorder/dp/163676522X

 

Understanding More about the Psychology of Eating Disorders

People that develop eating disorders tend to be sensitive souls, who feel their feelings very deeply. Ultimately this is a super-power and means that individuals are hugely empathetic, kind and compassionate beings. But it also means that the world can feel overwhelming and tricky to navigate at times. It can exacerbate issues with low self-esteem, people pleasing, perfectionism and in managing emotions. In this episode, I focus in on pleasing and perfectionist traits to hopefully help those with eating disorders feel better understood and to offer carers and loved ones further insight. Of course, I am generalising in this episode and every person’s experience is unique, so if you don’t relate, trust your inner wisdom and your own path. I hope that you enjoy the episode.

Eating Disorder Recovery, External Validation and Finding your Beauty Within, with Eric Pothen

Today I’m talking to Eric Pothen, a middle school choir teacher and passionate eating disorder advocate based in Albertville, Minnesota, USA. Eric struggled with an eating disorder for several years, but I’m pleased to say is now well along the recovery road and healing from this. Today, Eric uses his eating disorder struggles as his strength, to raise awareness and become an advocate for those who are and have struggled with eating disorders, disordered eating, and/or body image.

Eric is the owner and founder of an apparel company, "Embrace Wear," whose mission is to help others learn to embrace themselves and find beauty and self-worth within. At Embrace Wear, they believe that our bodies don’t define who we are, and that beauty does not come in one size; Embrace Wear means recreating what it means to be beautiful, accepting others for who they are not for what they look like. As a wonderful bonus,10% of the proceeds from this company go to local eating disorder clinics in Minnesota.

In this episode, we talk about Eric’s journey in eating disorder recovery – what helped, what hindered and what triggered Eric to begin the courageous path to healing. Eric shares about the seduction of external validation, good and bad foods and bravely addresses the stigma around binge eating and chewing and spitting. Eric also shares about his new apparel company and his incredible advocacy work. I hope that you enjoy the conversation.

To find out more about Eric: -

Instagram: @embracewearco; @epothen

https://www.etsy.com/shop/embracewearco

 

BONUS EPISODE! Men Get Eating Disorders Too - my Recording with Calum Stronach on #NotAllMen??? Podcast

A BONUS EPISODE for you!

Recently, I spoke with Calum Stronach on the #NotAllMen??? Podcast. We delve into the topic of men and eating disorders - getting help, typical symptoms and barriers for getting the support you need.

We explore dieting, forbidden foods, over-exercise, fitness and identifying disordered eating symptoms. We also talk about managing emotions helpfully, when you naturally lean towards a pragmatic and solution focused approach. We think about creating an environment that supports change with eating difficulties and utilising our relationships, rather than isolating and trying to figure it out alone. And lots more! I hope that you enjoy the conversation.

Link to the #NotAllMen podcast https://open.spotify.com/show/08wQGgbJWtkomCY8hcg65e

Follow Calum on Instagram: @calumstronach