The Body Love Binge - Eating Disorder Recovery Podcast

The History of Fatphobia, Diet Culture & Why Your Body Was Never the Problem with Paula D. AtkinsonThis conversation lit me up from start to finish.Paula D. Atkinson is a body liberation psychotherapist, a body justice professor, and someone who has lived in every size of body: from almost dying of anorexia to being labelled morbidly obese, and everywhere in between. She created a course at George Washington University on the history of fatphobia, eating disorders, and health as a moral imperative, and how all of it intersects with white supremacy, capitalism and patriarchy. She is also writing a book. And she is one of the most ragefully, lovingly clear voices I have ever had on this podcast.This episode is for you if:You want to understand where fatphobia actually came from and why it has nothing to do with healthYou are in recovery and still struggling to understand why thinness felt like safetyYou want the historical and political context behind diet culture so you can be genuinely free from it, not just recovered from itYou have been waiting for permission to be angry about all of thisYou are ready to stop contributing to your own oppressionIn this episode, we cover:✨ Paula's personal story: born almost eleven pounds, almost died of anorexia at seventeen, homecoming queen, and still felt completely empty✨ Where fatphobia actually began: the eugenics movement, white supremacy, the BMI, and how all of it was a backdoor form of racism when skin colour alone was no longer enough✨ The insane closed loop of diet culture: selling us starvation, which biologically causes obsession with food and weight gain, and then selling us more starvation✨ How the obsession with thinness keeps women too busy and preoccupied to access their actual power✨ Why "I am no longer willing to contribute to my own oppression" is one of the most revolutionary things a woman can say✨ How the rage we turn inward on our bodies needs to go outward instead, and why that rage is sacred✨ Why every time you hate your thighs, you are participating in the oppression of every person in a bigger body than yours✨ Earning as a white supremacist concept, and why you do not have to earn your needs being met by being thin or pretty✨ The history of body ideals across the twentieth century and why whatever is hardest to achieve is always what gets sold to us next✨ GLP-1 drugs, the death and resurrection of body positivity, and why corporations cannot give us liberation✨ What to actually do when you look in the mirror and your head goes straight to fear and self-abandonment✨ Why your inner child, that ten year old girl who saw through everything, deserves to be reclaimedPowerful quotes from the episode:💬 "The obsession with thinness is not about beauty. It is about obedience."💬 "Every time I prioritise your experience of looking at my body over my experience of existing in this body, I abandon myself. And it is always empty."💬 "I am no longer willing to contribute to my own oppression. I have decided that I am hot as hell and other people's opinion about that is not relevant to me."💬 "Saying there is something wrong with your body is like saying a tree is the wrong shape. It is not possible."💬 "Women's rage is sacred. Everything good in the world exists because a woman got pissed off enough."💬 "Your body is nature. She is so much smarter than you. The entire universe is inside her."You can find Paula at:Insta: @pauladatkinsonWebsite: https://www.pauladatkinson.com/TikTok: @pauladatkinson5YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@WINWWYEpisode of Surrounded: https://youtu.be/M7K87rGoGps?si=KPjMLmxc4KPfp0nJ Much love. 💛💙 Join my FREE support group: https://victoriakleinsman.com/free-support-group💙 Free trial in The Freedom Collective: https://victoriakleinsman.com/coaching💙 Work with me 1:1: https://victoriakleinsman.com/1-1-coaching💙 Become a coach: https://victoriakleinsman.com/become-a-coach

Live Group Coaching: Mental Restriction, Emotional Eating & The Fuck Yes to YourselfThis one is a live hot seat coaching session from inside The Freedom Collective.Sandy joins me for coaching today, and what unfolds is one of those conversations that touches something really universal. She has done so much work already: she left restriction behind, rebuilt her relationship with food, got into her body in a completely new way. And then life hit hard. Loss, family illness, exhaustion. And food became the thing she defaulted to. And now she is in her head about it, ashamed of herself for it, and wondering why she cannot just choose the things she knows will make her feel better.Sound familiar?This session is for you if:You have done a lot of recovery work and then life happened and you feel like you have gone backwardsYou are emotionally eating and giving yourself a hard time about it even though you know it makes senseYou find yourself mentally restricting even when you are physically eating freelyYou have thoughts of going back to old diets or food rules and then sabotage yourself in response to those thoughtsYou want to understand what the difference between restriction and genuine choice actually feels likeIn this episode, we cover:✨ Why emotional eating during an emotionally depleted season of life makes complete and total sense✨ Why food should always be on your emotional support list, and why putting it there is not a step backwards✨ The difference between being back here and being here: why there is no back, only forward✨ Mental restriction: how judging your food choices, even subtly, creates the same biological drive to eat as physical restriction✨ Why thoughts of going back to old rules or diets can trigger the exact sabotage you are trying to avoid✨ What your brain and nervous system need to see before they will trust that restriction is not coming again✨ The fuck yes to yourself energy: who she is, how she thinks, how she moves through the world and how to start embodying her now✨ Why attachment to outcomes at the gym creates suffering whether you achieve them or not✨ Seasons of life: why this moment is not the moment to overhaul everything, it is the moment to be held by everything you have already built✨ Homework: write the letter to yourself, visit the grocery store as your fuck yes self, notice when mental restriction is quietly running the showPowerful quotes from the episode:💬 "There is no back here. Ever. You've evolved and changed. You are not the woman you were before."💬 "Mental restriction always creates a biological response. Your body hears the thought of restriction and reacts, even if you are physically eating freely."💬 "Unrestricted eating is a fuck you to restriction. Intuitive eating is a fuck yes to yourself."💬 "You are exactly where you are supposed to be. If you could have accessed the other tools, you would have. Thank goodness for food."💬 "This season of life is not about changing your body. It is about embodying everything you have already learned and loving yourself through it."You cannot go backwards. You can only be here, right now, exactly where you are. And that is enough to start from.Much love. 💛💙 Join my FREE support group: https://victoriakleinsman.com/free-support-group💙 Free trial in The Freedom Collective: https://victoriakleinsman.com/coaching💙 Work with me 1:1: https://victoriakleinsman.com/1-1-coaching💙 Become a coach: https://victoriakleinsman.com/become-a-coach

Spirituality, Recovery & Coming Home to Yourself: A Conversation with LolaThis one is a conversation from the heart.Lola found my podcast when she was deep in her eating disorder and listened on repeat, every single day. Now, recovered and radiant, she reached out to record something together. What followed was one of the most genuinely beautiful conversations I have had on this podcast: about spirituality, about discovering who you are after the eating disorder, about emotional eating in recovery, about allowance and choice, and about what true freedom actually feels like from the inside.This episode is for you if:You are in recovery and wondering if there is more to life than just the eating disorder and the healing of itYou feel curious about spirituality but do not know where to start or think it is not for youYou have been in a coaching relationship that felt like it was missing something, and you want to understand what that something isYou are nutritionally recovered but still feel pulled towards food in ways that confuse youYou want to hear from someone who has been through it and is genuinely living on the other sideIn this episode, we cover:✨ Lola's experience of working with a coach who, despite good intentions, had too many rules and not enough room for her own autonomy and intuition✨ Why feeling truly understood in recovery matters so much, and what to do if you have not found that yet✨ How spirituality found both of us through the back door of personal development and suffering✨ Swapping "my pain" for "the pain" and why that shift in language was quietly revolutionary for body image✨ Body neutrality versus body positivity, and why detaching from appearance entirely is the deeper freedom✨ "I am going to the shop and my body is coming with me" as a practice for separating self from body✨ What emotional eating in recovery actually is, why it makes complete sense, and why trying not to do it is just another diet✨ Allowance creates space for choice: what this actually means and how it plays out in real life✨ How to practice saying no to food when you genuinely do not want it, without it becoming restriction✨ Cacao, nature, intuitive movement and plant growth as accessible doorways into spiritual experience✨ Why recovery is non-linear, why going back to square one is never actually square one, and why it is always worth itPowerful quotes from the episode:💬 "Allowance creates space for choice. That is true freedom."💬 "You are not creating a new self in recovery. You are finding the one who was always there."💬 "Sexy is not an image. It is a feeling, an energy, a connectedness with someone else."💬 "Nature does not do edges and corners. Nature loves curves. And so does the body."💬 "Recovery is so possible, whoever you are. The growth and the freedom you build, you carry with you for the rest of your life."💬 "There is nothing better than witnessing another soul come back home to themselves."Recovery is never too late. One day at a time, it is always worth it. And one day you will be recording something exactly like this, wondering how you got here and so grateful that you kept going.Much love. 💛💙 Join my FREE support group: https://victoriakleinsman.com/free-support-group💙 Free trial in The Freedom Collective: https://victoriakleinsman.com/coaching💙 Work with me 1:1: https://victoriakleinsman.com/1-1-coaching💙 Become a coach: https://victoriakleinsman.com/become-a-coachLola's YouTube: Lola Love: https://youtube.com/@thesensitiveclub?si=nrrL7AYQZUb-0bnD

The Truth About Ozempic, Wegovy & Mounjaro: Why GLP-1 Drugs Are Dangerous If You Have an Eating DisorderI have been wanting to do this episode for a while. Today's the day.GLP-1 drugs are everywhere right now. The injections your work friends are on, your cousins are on, that celebrities are crediting for their body transformations, that GPs are handing out like paracetamol, that social media is celebrating as if they are the answer to every problem a human body could possibly have.I have a lot of feelings about this. And I am going to share all of them with you.But first: I understand why people take them. I understand the desperation that comes from decades of being told your body is wrong. And honestly, if they had existed when I was in the depths of my eating disorder, I would have taken them without a second thought. I am so grateful they were not an option then. And I want better for you.This episode is for you if:You are considering GLP-1 drugs or are currently taking themYou have an eating disorder history and want to understand the specific risksYou have done recovery work but are still tempted because the old thoughts are thereYou want the full picture that the mainstream conversation is not giving youYou are supporting someone considering them and want to understand the concernsIn this episode, we cover:✨ What GLP-1 drugs actually are, where they came from, and why the pharmaceutical industry is projected to make over 200 billion in profit from them by 2030✨ What these drugs do to appetite and hunger, and why the world's celebration of that is worth questioning✨ Muscle loss: why a significant portion of weight lost on these drugs is lean muscle, and what that means for your metabolism long-term✨ Gut damage, gastroparesis and the side effects that are common, serious and not being spoken about enough✨ What happens to the body when people stop taking them, and why the weight returns✨ Why these drugs never address the why: the emotional and nervous system roots always underneath✨ The body image piece: why losing weight does not heal body hatred, and what actually does✨ Why for someone with an eating disorder history, appetite suppression is not a neutral side effect, it is a relapse trigger✨ The identity work that GLP-1 drugs bypass entirely, and why that matters✨ Why this is the most sophisticated, medically legitimised, culturally celebrated form of diet culture that has ever existed✨ What actually works: the root cause healing that brings genuine, lasting freedom✨ Q&A: the nervous system and eating disorders, going all in versus smaller steps, unintentional restriction during a hard period, and practical tools for taking action when fear is loudestPowerful quotes from the episode:💬 "We are celebrating a drug that makes human beings not want to eat. In any other context, we would call that an eating disorder."💬 "Body hatred is not caused by the size of the body. It is caused by beliefs about the body. And beliefs are not changed by changing the body. They are changed by doing the inner work."💬 "Not feeling hungry is not a neutral psychological state for someone with an eating disorder history. It is a relapse trigger being handed to you in the form of a prescription."💬 "This is the most sophisticated, medically legitimised, culturally celebrated form of diet culture that has ever existed."💬 "Trading in a thin body for genuine freedom is worth it a million times over."Much love. 💛💙 Join my FREE support group: https://victoriakleinsman.com/free-support-group💙 Free trial in The Freedom Collective: https://victoriakleinsman.com/coaching💙 Work with me 1:1: https://victoriakleinsman.com/1-1-coaching💙 Become a coach: https://victoriakleinsman.com/become-a-coach

Why Knowing What to Do Isn't Enough: Hypnotherapy, Recovery & the Subconscious Mind with Bonnie KillipBonnie Killip is a dietitian, clinical hypnotherapist and eating disorder recovery specialist based in Australia. She also lived with anorexia for fifteen years, went through hospital treatment repeatedly, knew more about nutrition than almost anyone, and still could not recover until she found something that worked at a completely different level. That something was hypnotherapy. What she shares here is genuinely game-changing.This episode is for you if:You know what you need to do to recover but cannot seem to actually do itYou have spent years in therapy and still feel stuckYou feel like there must be something uniquely wrong with you because others seem to be able to recoverYou have been told recovery is just something you manage forever, not something you fully achieveYou are curious about hypnotherapy and what it actually involves in practiceYou want to hear from someone who found the system lacking and discovered a different wayIn this episode, we cover:✨ Bonnie's fifteen years living with anorexia, in and out of hospital, and why having all the nutritional knowledge made no difference at all✨ The moment she sat in her car after a support group and cried, and why it changed everything✨ How she found hypnotherapy through a newspaper clipping her grandmother had saved✨ Why she went to her first session completely sceptical and what happened anyway✨ What hypnosis actually is, and why the subconscious responds to it differently than conscious talking therapies✨ The ninety-five percent principle: why almost everything we do runs on autopilot and why that matters so much for recovery✨ Why feelings, beliefs and identity, not lack of information, are what keep people stuck✨ How pre-verbal beliefs get formed and why talk therapy often cannot reach them✨ What hospital treatment looked like for Bonnie and why disempowerment keeps people cycling back✨ Why no one asked Bonnie what she wanted for fifteen years of treatment, and what happened the first time someone did✨ Why trying something different when what you are doing is not working is wisdom, not failurePowerful quotes from the episode:💬 "Fifteen years of treatment and no one asked me what I wanted. The very first question my hypnotherapist asked was: what do you want? I was shocked."💬 "I knew more about nutrition than almost anyone. That was not the problem. The feelings and emotions just took over every single time."💬 "Our subconscious runs about ninety-five percent of what we do in a day. An eating disorder is mostly repetition of the same patterns. Working at that level is a shortcut to actually changing things."💬 "I cannot connect now to how I could possibly have believed I did not deserve to eat. But I believed it. Hypnotherapy helped me change that."💬 "Shame can only live in the darkness. When it is brought into the light and met with love and understanding, that heals something at a foundational level."Full recovery is absolutely possible. Bonnie is living proof of that, and so am I. If what you have tried so far has not worked, that does not mean you cannot recover. It means you have not yet found the thing that works for you. Keep looking.How to find Bonnie:https://fuellingsuccess.com/and on Instagram @fuelling_successMuch love. 💛💙 Join my FREE support group: https://victoriakleinsman.com/free-support-group💙 Free trial in The Freedom Collective: https://victoriakleinsman.com/coaching💙 Work with me 1:1: https://victoriakleinsman.com/1-1-coaching💙 Become a coach: https://victoriakleinsman.com/become-a-coach