Life After Diets

An obsession with healthy eating has become part of the Eating Disorder and disordered eating spectrum. But how do we differentiate between taking responsibility for our health and disorder? Where's the line? This episode looks at:

• What's wrong with valuing health and nutrition?
• What is orthorexia?
• How did Stef develop orthorexia in her 30's?
• Healthy eating as a vehicle for black and white thinking
• Basic nutritional wisdom (aka Gentle Nutrition)as an Intuitive Eating principle
• Is identifying with Clean Eating a bad thing? And if it's not, who would benefit from it?
• But what if you're addicted to processed foods?
• Flag: Do you bring your own food coolers to social events?
• Those moderate, peaceful, non-obsessed people. How do they do it??!
• Is it possible to be neutral about nutrition if you have an ED background?
• Carrots and cupcakes
• Permitters and restrictors
• But the doctors and experts say XYZ!!!
• Stef's Gentle Nutrition Course starts in April!

The most common time of day for people to overeat and/or binge is in the evening. After work, after dinner, after the kids are in bed, after the quiet sets in. Those hours between dinner and bedtime can be the hardest to navigate and there are many reasons why this happens so much -- we're here to take a comprehensive look at many of these reasons. We'll discuss:

• The #1 reason people eat more at night
• Reward and Dopamine (see episode 120)
• Can it just be boredom?
• Joylessness
• Ghrelin, the hunger hormone
• The stories we tell ourselves (and the judgments we make)
• Our evening environments and the people who are (or are not) around us
• Stillness, loneliness, and procrastination (see episode 89)
• But how do we fix it?

Join the LAD Membership

Life After Diets on Instagram

The LAD Website

Email us @ lifeafterdietspodcast@gmail.com

Stefanie's Website

Stefanie on Instagram

Stef's Body Image Webinar + Workbook

Sarah's website

Sarah's YouTube Channel

Sarah’s book, I Can’t Stop Eating, is available on Amazon

This episode is different from our usual ones in that it was created not just for you, dear listener, but for your loved ones. If you've ever felt like you want your friend or family member to understand eating disorders better, but just don't know how to describe it or feel like it's hard for them to understand what you're going through in recovery, this episode if for you AND them.

• The rational experience versus the felt experience
• This is not a willful choice
• Frustration exists on both sides!
• A note on offering health advice
• Binge eaters don't "just need to eat less"
• The DONT's! 
• and the DO's! 

Join the LAD Membership

Life After Diets on Instagram

The LAD Website

Email us @ lifeafterdietspodcast@gmail.com

Stefanie's Website

Stefanie on Instagram

Stef's Body Image Webinar + Workbook

Sarah's website

Sarah's YouTube Channel

Sarah’s book, I Can’t Stop Eating, is available on Amazon

Self-esteem has implications in eating disorder recovery, and this episode explores some of those -- including self-compassion, connection, competence, comparison, social expectations, shame, and even anger! Tune in for this nuanced conversation about self-esteem (and self-worth, by extension) with topics including:

• What comes first -- low self-esteem or disordered eating behaviors?
• The relationship between safety, shame, and self esteem (especially in restrictive behaviors)
• The role of creativity (for Stef) and self-compassion (for Sarah)
• Addressing the expectations we have of ourselves
• The momentum of self-esteem when it interacts with other concepts (like consistency)
• "Pinterest Moms" as a gateway to Stef's self esteem rehabilitation
• Social covert pressure vs overt pressure 
• Competence for self-esteem for self worth
• The Five C's of self-esteem in research
• The role of Joy (and rethinking "joy")
• Are glimmers the opposite of triggers? 
• Six Pillars of Self Esteem by Nathaniel Brandon (book)
• Self esteem vs self worth
• Tickets to Brighton Event on May 20
• Tickets to Bournemouth Nervous System Retreat on May 23

Join the LAD Membership Community HERE

Life After Diets on Instagram

The LAD Website

Email us @ lifeafterdietspodcast@gmail.com

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Stefanie's Website

Stefanie on Instagram

Stef's Body Image Webinar + Workbook

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Sarah's website

Sarah's YouTube Channel

Sarah’s book, I Can’t Stop Eating, is available on Amazon

What if you're recovering from an eating disorder and it's not all it's cracked up to be? What if the "better life" everyone talks about doesn't feel true for you, and you wonder if it was actually better before? In this episode, we look at this very nuanced, delicate, and lesser-talked-about aspect of some people's experience.

• Does it matter if you have other "things" in your life to fall back on?
• Needing something else to fill the gap of a sense of "purpose"
• What does it mean to "create" a relationship with yourself
• Book recommendations for cultivating a relationship with the self: Martha Beck's Following Your Own North Star and the Bewildered Podcast; Untamed book by Glennon Doyle
• The caveat of safety
• What if trauma comes up in the recovery process?
• Hope
• The irony of needing to escape recovery
• Sarah's dating comparison
• Tweaking the recovery approach and getting another set of eyes on it
• The case of the messy middle
• Weight loss surgery -- is it a part of recovery or a departure from recovery?
• TICKETS TO AN EVENING IN BRIGHTON with Stef, Sarah, and Marcus Kain
• TICKETS TO NERVOUS SYSTEM RESET DAY RETREAT IN BOURNEMOUTH

Connect with the show!

Join the LAD Membership

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/lifeafterdietspodcast/

Email – lifeafterdietspodcast@gmail.com

Website – www.lifeafterdietspodcast.com

Connect with Sarah Dosanjh

Website – www.thebingeeatingtherapist.com

YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/c/TheBingeEatingTherapist 

Sarah’s book I Can’t Stop Eating is available on Amazon

Connect with Stefanie Michele

Website – www.iamstefaniemichele.com

Wednesday Weekly Emails: www.iamstefaniemichele.com/wednesdays

Body Image Webinar + Workbook: https://www.iamstefaniemichele.com/get-started/p/bodyimage

This episode, livestreamed to our Facebook community, is a response to a listener question that asks: How do we know when we're making progress in recovery? If we aren't celebrating pounds or dress sizes lost, how do we mark the "successes" of recovery? And how do we deal with the fact that no one else can "see" it?

• Stef's moment in the kitchen, yesterday
• Sarah's mincemeat pies (and a tangent discussion on mincemeat)
• Stef offers examples of the small wins from her first year in recovery
• Self-compassion instead of shame
• Vulnerability and sharing with other people (power of witness)
• The perspective of our progress from others
• The value of stability and regulation
• Can other people "feel" your recovery?

Join the LAD Membership

Connect with the show!

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/lifeafterdietspodcast/

Email – lifeafterdietspodcast@gmail.com

Website – www.lifeafterdietspodcast.com

Connect with Sarah Dosanjh

Website – www.thebingeeatingtherapist.com

YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/c/TheBingeEatingTherapist 

Sarah’s book I Can’t Stop Eating is available on Amazon

Connect with Stefanie Michele

Website – www.iamstefaniemichele.com

Body Image Webinar + Workbook: https://www.iamstefaniemichele.com/get-started/p/bodyimage

The fourth and final in our Back to Basics Series (following a set list of: (1)Do I Have a Problem? (2)How Did I Get Here? and (3)A Recovery Toolbox). This episode looks at what recovery looks like from a process perspective. How does it actually look as you go along?

• How long does it take to recover?
• Stef's Tetris analogy -- what if you've been working on recovery forever and your behaviors don't change?
• Where do the feelings of discomfort (hopelessness, despair, insecurity, anxiety, depression) go when food is not the outlet? What happens to them in recovery?
• The Whack-a-Mole phenomenon
• What if you feel hopeless a lot?
• How do you know if you're ready to recovery? How do you become ready?
• Does it matter what age you are when you recover?
• Can you focus too much on recovery?
• Sarah's theory of "State A and State B"
• The Dahlia; nature's instinct to expand and contract
• Trauma and recovery

RESOURCES:

• Somatic Experiencing and Nervous System Regulation Course (starts January 29 2024):  https://www.iamstefaniemichele.com/sebegin 
• Book: Body Positive Power by Megan Jayne Crabbe
• Book: The Body Is Not an Apology by Sonya Renee Taylor

Join the LAD Membership

Connect with the show!

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/lifeafterdietspodcast/

Email – lifeafterdietspodcast@gmail.com

Website – www.lifeafterdietspodcast.com

Connect with Stefanie Michele

Website – www.iamstefaniemichele.com

Somatic Experiencing and Nervous System Regulation Course (starts January 29 2024): https://www.iamstefaniemichele.com/sebegin 

Connect with Sarah Dosanjh

Website – www.thebingeeatingtherapist.com

YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/c/TheBingeEatingTherapist 

Sarah’s book I Can’t Stop Eating is available on Amazon

The third in a four-part series of Back to Basics; this episode reviews helpful tools for recovery from disordered eating and eating disorders. Tools include cognitive, somatic, emotional, behavioral/practical resources to support your recovery with a list of helpful accounts, books, podcasts, and links below. 

• Education from social media, books, podcasts, etc
• The case for regular eating
• How ghrelin works
• "All-in" recovery or a gradual approach?
• Does body size matter if you do all-in? Is it easier to do in a smaller body? The part of the conversation that gets glossed over on social media.
• Is it true that you ALWAYS gain weight in recovery?
• Why is self awareness important?
• Tools we used for increased self-awareness
• The various approaches to self-compassion
• Retreats, including Sarah's highly recommended UK retreat (and the US version)
• Inner child work

Join the LAD Membership

Connect with the show!

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/lifeafterdietspodcast/

Email – lifeafterdietspodcast@gmail.com

Website – www.lifeafterdietspodcast.com

Connect with Sarah Dosanjh

Website – www.thebingeeatingtherapist.com

YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/c/TheBingeEatingTherapist 

Sarah’s book I Can’t Stop Eating is available on Amazon

Connect with Stefanie Michele

Website – www.iamstefaniemichele.com

Somatic Experiencing and Nervous System Regulation Course - starts January 29 2024: https://www.iamstefaniemichele.com/sebegin 

RESOURCES:

Books:

Free audio recording of Sarah’s book: https://youtu.be/Qr5qmQxiutw?si=RdTf9q07wNbmWniE

The Fuck It Diet by Caroline Dooner

Intuitive Eating by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch (featured on LAD Episodes 102 & 103)

Body Neutrality by Jessi Kneeland

More Than a Body by Lindsay & Lexie Kite

The Body Is Not an Apology by Sonya Renee Taylor

Recovery accounts:

Sarah’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/thebingeeatingtherapist

https://www.instagram.com/iamstefaniemichele/

https://www.instagram.com/the_binge_eating_therapist/

https://www.instagram.com/intuitive.eating.ireland/

https://www.instagram.com/intuitive.eating.ni/

https://www.instagram.com/mkaincoaching/

https://www.instagram.com/knacoaching/

https://www.instagram.com/bingefreeandbeautiful/

https://www.instagram.com/body_peace_liberation

https://www.instagram.com/theeatingdisordertherapist

https://www.instagram.com/theeatingdisordernutritionist

Nondiet fitness accounts:

https://www.instagram.com/elenakunickird/

https://www.instagram.com/amysnellingpt/

https://www.instagram.com/sizeinclusiveyoga

Body Image accounts:

https://www.instagram.com/jessikneeland/

https://www.instagram.com/mybodypositivehome/

https://www.instagram.com/bodyimagewithbri/

Sarah’s favourite YouTube yoga channels:

https://www.youtube.com/@yogawithkassandra and https://www.youtube.com/@yogawithadriene

Byron Katie’s method: https://thework.com/ and her examples on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=byron+katie

The retreat Sarah’s always banging on about:

https://www.heros-journey.co.uk/

LAD Episode mentions:

Episode 107: Journaling

Episodes 101-103: Intuitive Eating Series

Episode 87: Highly Sensitive Person

Episode 56: Food planning/logging

Episode 57: Trauma and eating

Sarah’s guided meditations: https://youtu.be/uhFEtY4Drs0?si=vrGgIDth0fQTLQgk https://youtu.be/4qRtno0UBjI?si=jGf3TKRI_PxXVIni https://youtu.be/HbiBvGoPnVA?si=2ww0kuYztUxuWEwo

Journal with Sarah: https://youtu.be/MMr5IhwgBL4?si=TsnmizIpmKpNyPBJ

Podcasts:

Second in a four-part Back to Basics Series, this episode looks at the question of how we develop disordered eating, eating disorders, and body image issues. What causes it to get so...well, disordered... for some people and not for others? 

• The Minnesota Starvation Experiment
• Social and Family influences
• Growing up in the 80s, 90s and 2000s
• Why do some people develop a disorder and not others?
• Perfectionism and black and white thinkers
• The role of Self esteem
• Nature or nurture?
• The role of trauma and the nervous system
• The Primal Brain
• Mental Restriction
• Stef's Somatic Experiencing and Nervous System Regulation Course for beginners - starts January 29 2024:  https://www.iamstefaniemichele.com/sebegin 

Join the LAD Membership

Connect with the show!

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/lifeafterdietspodcast/

Email – lifeafterdietspodcast@gmail.com

Website – www.lifeafterdietspodcast.com

Connect with Sarah Dosanjh

Website – www.thebingeeatingtherapist.com

YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/c/TheBingeEatingTherapist 

Sarah’s book I Can’t Stop Eating is available on Amazon

Connect with Stefanie Michele

Website – www.iamstefaniemichele.com

Somatic Experiencing and Nervous System Regulation Course (for beginners - starts January 29 2024): https://www.iamstefaniemichele.com/sebegin 

The first in a four-part series called: Back to Basics to explore the foundational concepts of disordered eating and eating disorders from the ground floor. We hear from so many people who weren't aware that their experiences had a name, or that other people are dealing with them, too. In this first session, we're looking at the question: Do I Have a Problem? Is what I'm dealing with considered a disorder? Is it binge eating? Restricting? Orthorexia? What if I'm just an emotional eater?

• Do you need to have a diagnosis to listen to this podcast or get "help"?
• Binge Eating, Restriction, Orthorexia, Bulimia, and Chronic Dieting
• What's the difference between ED and disordered eating?
• Is it helpful to name the problem? Do we need labels? A few ways of looking at it
• If you stop binge eating and you just overeat, is your issue more stigmatized? Now it's not even a "real" eating disorder?
• What is binge eating?
• "Normal amounts of food" is highly subjective
• Does "normal eating" even exist nowadays??
• What constitutes "restriction"?
• Whats the difference between "normal healthy eating" and orthorexia? Stef offers three criteria for consideration
• Are anxious attachment styles more susceptible to EDs?
• When does emotional eating become a disorder
• When does body image distress become disordered?
• What can community do?
• Somatic Experiencing and Nervous System Regulation Course (starts January 29 2024): https://www.iamstefaniemichele.com/sebegin

  Join the LAD Membership

  Connect with us!

  Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/lifeafterdietspodcast/

  Email – lifeafterdietspodcast@gmail.com

  Website – www.lifeafterdietspodcast.com

  Connect with Sarah Dosanjh

  Website – www.thebingeeatingtherapist.com

  YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/c/TheBingeEatingTherapist 

  Sarah’s book I Can’t Stop Eating is available on Amazon

  Connect with Stefanie Michele

  Website – www.iamstefaniemichele.com

   

Two annoucements! Join our mailing list if you want to be in the know about upcoming events in the UK this May 2024; and our next four episodes will be a Back To Basics Series.

Now on to this week's episode...we're reflecting on the past year and looking ahead to the new one, but not in the mainstream fashion of toxic positivity or or New Year New Me crap. If you need to get away from that energy, this one's for you. It's a silly-ish one.

• Our words and intentions for 2023 -- how did we do??
• Writing a book?
• Sarah's reflection on her year of nomading and her new word for 2024
• Sarah helps Stef pick a word because she doesn't want to pick a word but also sort of does
• What does makeup have to do with it?
• Frivolous bullshit
• What can you possibly take from this episode? (we do get there)

Join the LAD Membership

Connect with the show!

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/lifeafterdietspodcast/

Email – lifeafterdietspodcast@gmail.com

Website – www.lifeafterdietspodcast.com

Connect with Sarah Dosanjh

Website – www.thebingeeatingtherapist.com

YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/c/TheBingeEatingTherapist 

Sarah’s book I Can’t Stop Eating is available on Amazon

Connect with Stefanie Michele

Website – www.iamstefaniemichele.com

Somatic Experiencing and Nervous System Regulation Course (for beginners - starts January 29 2024): https://www.iamstefaniemichele.com/sebegin 

We believe that authenticity can have to do with our relationship with food. In this episode, we explore those intersections and tell personal stories abour our own experiences with authenticity and how that has impacted our behaviors with food.

• The definition of authenticity
• How it feels to be authentic...and to be not authentic
• Can disordered eating behaviors come from an authentic place?
• "Racket feelings"
• A look at authenticity through a "Parts Work" lens
• Inauthenticity, roles, and family
• Where does authenticity go when we feel triggered?
• Authenticity and friendship
• Authenticity and marriage
• Is too much authenticity not a good thing?
• Somatic Experiencing and Nervous System Regulation Course (for beginners - starts January 29 2024): https://www.iamstefaniemichele.com/sebegin 

Join the LAD Membership

Connect with the show!

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/lifeafterdietspodcast/

Email – lifeafterdietspodcast@gmail.com

Website – www.lifeafterdietspodcast.com

Connect with Sarah Dosanjh

Website – www.thebingeeatingtherapist.com

YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/c/TheBingeEatingTherapist 

Sarah’s book I Can’t Stop Eating is available on Amazon

Connect with Stefanie Michele

Website – www.iamstefaniemichele.com

Somatic Experiencing and Nervous System Regulation Course (for beginners - starts January 29 2024): https://www.iamstefaniemichele.com/sebegin 

Catastrophizing things like what we've eaten or how much weight we've gained (for example) can often led to despair or fear-based decision-making. In this conversation, we explore what catastrophization is, why we do it, and strategies to deal with it. We also discuss:

• Feelings of catastrophization post binge
• "Meta-eating" as a version of catastrophizing (meta-eating is Stef's terminology for eating more because you're upset that you're eating)
• What's the problem with catastrophizing, ultimately?
• What are we supposed to DO when we feel this way? What can help?
• The role of doubt
• Reality testing -- is is smart to compare our fears to realities, especially when it comes to body image?
• Is it easier to catastrophize than to feel things?
• Somatic Experiencing and Nervous System Regulation Course (for beginners - starts January 29 2024): COURSE DETAILS

Join the LAD Membership

Connect with the show!

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/lifeafterdietspodcast/

Email – lifeafterdietspodcast@gmail.com

Website – www.lifeafterdietspodcast.com

Connect with Sarah Dosanjh

Website – www.thebingeeatingtherapist.com

YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/c/TheBingeEatingTherapist 

Sarah’s book I Can’t Stop Eating is available on Amazon

Connect with Stefanie Michele

Website – www.iamstefaniemichele.com

Somatic Experiencing and Nervous System Regulation Course (for beginners - starts January 29 2024): https://www.iamstefaniemichele.com/sebegin 

Body Image Webinar + Workbook: https://www.iamstefaniemichele.com/get-started/p/bodyimage

Aside from body image, health seems to be one of the biggest concerns about gaining weight. Because weight gain is common for many people recovering from eating disorders, health is a big sticking point making recovery harder and more complicated. In this episode, we're looking at the relationship between weight and health, to include:

• Stef explains why she can't look at her bloodwork results as the episode records
• Separating the impact of binge eating (and restriction!!) on health versus weight
• Defining "health at every size"
• Does health decrease when BMI increases? An anecdote.
• Why isn't the desire for better health enough to get us to stop eating in a disordered way?
• The relationship between health and our self-esteem
• The rebel response -- what's that got to do with health?
• Mental health as a gateway to physical health
• The power of lowering expectations
• Why don't we want to take care of ourselves when we're feeling low? Why wouldn't we want to help ourselves? The concept of self-sabotage.
• The difference between being broken and just being lost or in a freeze state
• The role of shame
• Health and fearmongering
• Regulating the nervous system as a strategy
• The Roseto Effect
• https://www.tbsnews.net/thoughts/roseto-effect-secret-long-life-512826

Join the LAD Membership

Connect with the show!

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/lifeafterdietspodcast/

Email – lifeafterdietspodcast@gmail.com

Website – www.lifeafterdietspodcast.com

Connect with Stefanie Michele

Website – www.iamstefaniemichele.com

Somatic Experiencing and Nervous System Regulation Course (for beginners - starts January 29 2024): https://www.iamstefaniemichele.com/sebegin 

Body Image Webinar + Workbook: https://www.iamstefaniemichele.com/get-started/p/bodyimage

Connect with Sarah Dosanjh

Website – www.thebingeeatingtherapist.com

YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/c/TheBingeEatingTherapist 

Sarah’s book I Can’t Stop Eating is available on Amazon

Geneen Roth coined the terms "permitters" and "restrictors" to differentiate between two types of (disordered) eaters -- the latter, who tend to restrict food and adhere to food rules and regulations; and the former, who reject food rules and regulations. The rule-followers vs the rebels, if you will.

Which camp do you identify with? 

What can we learn about ourselves and our relationship with food through the lens of these concepts? We'll discuss:

• What does it look like to be a permitter vs a restrictor?
• Overeaters Anonymous meetings felt like a meeting of restrictors for Sarah; but not for Stef
• The importance of choice in our mentality
• Sarah's experience at the gym and having to "set goals"
• What if you are both a permitter AND a restrictor?
• The goal is not just learning how to say yes or no to food; the goal may be to learn how to regulate ourselves and find the wise mind.
• Hmmm...but how do we do that??
• Activation can occur as a result of imminent danger or emotional danger

Join the LAD Membership

Connect with the show!

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/lifeafterdietspodcast/

Email – lifeafterdietspodcast@gmail.com

Website – www.lifeafterdietspodcast.com

Connect with Stefanie Michele:

Website – www.iamstefaniemichele.com

NEW! Nervous System Regulation Course: https://www.iamstefaniemichele.com/sebegin

Body Image Webinar + Workbook: https://www.iamstefaniemichele.com/get-started/p/bodyimage

Connect with Sarah Dosanjh:

Website – www.thebingeeatingtherapist.com

YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/c/TheBingeEatingTherapist 

Sarah’s book I Can’t Stop Eating is available on Amazon

If we're no longer dieting, should we keep all of our trigger foods and/or "fear foods" in the house? Will we just end up eating them all and feeling MORE out of control? On the other hand, would it be restricting to not have them around? It's complicated! We're here to talk about the nuances of this question, including:

• Does not keeping foods in your house mean the same thing as abstaining from those foods altogether?
• Stef’s client story: can it be a bad idea to bring foods into the house?
• Inserting a “reactionary gap” – the pause between wanting the food and eating it
• Restrictors vs Permitters – does this have an influence on the approach of keeping foods in the house or not?
• The recovery stage hierarchy
• The difference between “allowing all foods” versus truly feeling peaceful with those foods
• The issue of impulsivity
• Who/what is your voice of "no"? (and the parent on the soccer field)
• Have you "failed" at intuitive eating if you have the foods in the house and still want to binge on them?
• What if there is just one certain food that you just cannot habituate?
• What comes first: belief changes or behavior changes?

This episode was livestreamed to our Community during recording. To join our community and gain access to live episodes, bonus Ask Us Anything episodes, monthly support meetings, and an active (and highly supportive!) Facebook group, Join the LAD Membership

Connect with the show!

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/lifeafterdietspodcast/

Email – lifeafterdietspodcast@gmail.com

Website – www.lifeafterdietspodcast.com

Connect with Sarah Dosanjh

Website – www.thebingeeatingtherapist.com

YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/c/TheBingeEatingTherapist 

Sarah’s book I Can’t Stop Eating is available on Amazon

Connect with Stefanie Michele

Website – www.iamstefaniemichele.com

Body Image Webinar + Workbook: https://www.iamstefaniemichele.com/get-started/p/bodyimage

This week we talk to Marcus Kain, a nutrition coach and trainer specializing in binge eating recovery. Marcus, who also hosts the Strong Not Starving Podcast, shares with us his own journey into and through an eating disorder. 

Marcus discusses his journey with food and body image issues, tracing back to childhood and the influence of his environment. He highlights the impact of early experiences, including body composition tests during adolescence, which led to a fixation on appearance. His career in the music industry further intensified these issues, with a focus on external validation and strict dieting.

The turning point came when Marcus met his future wife, who challenged his rigid mindset around food. Her perspective, coupled with guidance from a mentor, prompted Marcus to reevaluate his approach. He gradually shifted towards a more flexible and balanced relationship with food, acknowledging the importance of genuine connections and prioritizing overall health. 

Connect with Marcus:

https://www.mkaincoaching.com

www.instagram.com/mkaincoaching

Strong Not Starving Podcast

Connect with LIFE AFTER DIETS:

Join the LAD Membership

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/lifeafterdietspodcast/

Email – lifeafterdietspodcast@gmail.com

Website – www.lifeafterdietspodcast.com

Connect with Sarah Dosanjh

Website – www.thebingeeatingtherapist.com

YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/c/TheBingeEatingTherapist 

Sarah’s book I Can’t Stop Eating is available on Amazon

Connect with Stefanie Michele

Website – www.iamstefaniemichele.com

Body Image Webinar + Workbook: https://www.iamstefaniemichele.com/get-started/p/bodyimage

Do you ever feel like you're just kidding yourself about things? About how you're going to just get it together one day, or finally arrive in that smaller body you keep striving for? What is the difference between hope and self-deception? This episode talks about:

• Stef is just soooo self-aware
• Self deception might look like: “just one last time; I won’t binge tomorrow.”
• Does self awareness change the behavior?
• Deluding ourselves into thinking our “thin body” is just around the corner
• Updating old beliefs with new goals or values
• Splitting and “parts” (IFS theory)
• Not looking in the mirror – are we lying to ourselves about what we look like?
• So what do we do?
• Do we deceive ourselves into believing that we will become something other than ourselves?
• Black and white thinking is part of self-deception (and what we can do instead)

Join the LAD Membership

Connect with the show!

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/lifeafterdietspodcast/

Email – lifeafterdietspodcast@gmail.com

Website – www.lifeafterdietspodcast.com

Connect with Sarah Dosanjh

Website – www.thebingeeatingtherapist.com

YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/c/TheBingeEatingTherapist 

Sarah’s book I Can’t Stop Eating is available on Amazon

Connect with Stefanie Michele

Website – www.iamstefaniemichele.com

Body Image Webinar + Workbook: https://www.iamstefaniemichele.com/get-started/p/bodyimage

Sarah and Stef review the book Dopamine Nation by Dr Anna Lembke, professor of psychiatry at Stanford University School of Medicine and chief of the Stanford Addiction Medicine Dual Diagnosis Clinic. Dopamine is a fascinating neurotransmitter when it comes to binge eating for its role in the pain and pleasure connection in the brain. This episode covers:

• What is dopamine's role in the brain and body?
• Is it helpful to focus on dopamine when it comes to disordered eating recovery?
• Addiction to food and the chase of food
• The pain and pleasure see-saw
• What if our pain and pleasure balance doesn't work? For example, in the case of neurodivergent brains and/or the excessive amount of dopamine available in our environment in the modern world
• Stef talks about those darn M&Ms again
• The barrier strategy: is it too slippery? When does it make sense?
• Cold water plunges
• The role of stress and impulsivity
• The intersection of depression and the pain/pleasure mechanism
• Sarah talks about that darn TV again
• The strategy of radical honesty and what it has to do with shame -- and pain tolerance

Join the LAD Membership

Connect with the show!

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/lifeafterdietspodcast/

Email – lifeafterdietspodcast@gmail.com

Connect with Stefanie Michele

Website – www.iamstefaniemichele.com

Instagram – www.instagram.com/iamstefaniemichele

Work With Stef - www.iamstefaniemichele.com/application

Connect with Sarah Dosanjh

Website – www.thebingeeatingtherapist.com

Instagram – www.instagram.com/the_binge_eating_therapist

YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/c/TheBingeEatingTherapist 

Sarah’s book I Can’t Stop Eating is available on Amazon

• Are you a “should”-er or a rebel?
• Let’s talk about Kettle Chips, for example
• Milkshakes, beliefs, and ghrelin (the hunger hormone)
• What if our mind wants more than our body needs?
• Collecting data & experimenting with portion sizes
• How Stef worked with portions of peanut butter
• Satisfaction and bottomless pit syndrome
• Can you eat a whole box of mac and cheese? Is that normal?
• If eating feels compulsive, understanding why the compulsion is there can be helpful to alleviate guilt
• Portion sizes that are based on habits
• How micromanaging your body size impacts the ability to intuitively sense a portion size

Join the LAD Membership

Connect with the show!

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/lifeafterdietspodcast/

Email – lifeafterdietspodcast@gmail.com

Website – www.lifeafterdietspodcast.com

Connect with Stefanie Michele

Website – www.iamstefaniemichele.com

Body Image Webinar + Workbook: https://www.iamstefaniemichele.com/get-started/p/bodyimage

Connect with Sarah Dosanjh

Website – www.thebingeeatingtherapist.com

YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/c/TheBingeEatingTherapist 

Sarah’s book I Can’t Stop Eating is available on Amazon