Find Your Food Voice

Welcome to International Dieting Month. Let's Rally together to withstand the pressure from Diet Culture. This episode's letter connects the dots on the pressure to diet, lose weight, and control oneself. Content Warning: this letter describes eating disorder behaviors linked to Bulimia. Subscribe and leave a review here in just seconds. This episode of the Love Food Podcast is brought to you by my PCOS and Food Peace course. Grab it before the price goes up the end of January at PCOSandFoodPeace.com. New Podcast alert! Check out My Black Body Podcast hosted by Rawiyah and Jessica Wilson. Click here to support their show or learn more. Dear Food Dear food, or really, dear me for we are nothing without one another. Together we have navigated rocky terrain, a tumultuous relationship full of more fear than love. I have needed you, hated you, and in that needed and hated myself. I have blamed you, restricted you binged you earned you burned you enjoyed you hidden you purged you. My Self is tied to you closely and painfully. But as I have arrived at my 23rd year most of the previous 22 spent focusing far too much on you, I am unravelling some of the tangled web we exist in together and realizing it is not your fault, food. Ant it is not mine either. It feels cliché to say but I have seen the truth. It’s society that has created all of this. It’s all lies mirrors and smoke illusions to suck away happiness and freedom and, most importantly, money and power. It’s the patriarchy and capitalism two systems of oppressive power that taught me to worry about you about us about my size and shape and the effect that you have on those parts of me. So young I felt for the first time like I took up too much space with this body of mine. That I needed to shrink so I could fit into tiny little premade boxes. So young I cut you out I forgot the pleasure you could bring me. I thought only of numbers, trying to get you as small as possible so I could be that way as well. The rush that success brought is tempting even now, but I have learned since the first time that trying to make yourself smaller is a process doomed to fail. That in fact our bodies try to protect us by making us take up even more space after. Because our bodies don’t believe the lies. Our innate wisdom sees through the smoke and mirrors. And if only I was better at balancing my body and my mind I would also be able to see the truth. Instead, I still look in the mirror and hear the voices of the systems whispering their poison. So insidious they are that I yearn to listen to them to try again to shrink. But I won’t, not anymore. Because after years of finding myself with my fingers down my throat, after years of having the most abusive relationship with you, food, I’ve decided to save my own life. I am unlearning the lies. I am shouldering a lifetime of clearing away the darkness that has been put into my mind. Because I realized that even when my body is not what the world tells me it should be, I feel lighter When I can just see you, food, As a friend. SHOWNOTES: Julie Dillon RD blog The PCOS + Food Peace Free Roadmap The PCOS + Food Peace Course Link to get latest Food Peace Syllabus. 6 Keys To Food Peace Submit your Dear Food letter here or https://forms.gle/pepKRGPC8JbHLHHn8 Julie on Instagram: Instagram.com/FoodPeaceDietitian Find Eating Disorder Dietitians near you. Do you have a complicated relationship with food? I want to help! Send your Dear Food letter to LoveFoodPodcast@gmail.com.  Click here to leave me a review in iTunes and subscribe. This type of kindness helps the show continue!Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Have you heard Intuitive Eating can help you lose weight if you do it right? Blech. NO. I know you've heard that yet it is sooooo off. That advice is steering you in the direction away from Food Peace. I want to help you get back on track. Listen to latest Love Food Podcast for insight. This episode of the Love Food Podcast is brought to you by Jennifer McGurk's Pursuing Private Practice programs. Anti-diet dietitians: take business building one step at a time surrounded by community and support. I highly recommend Jennifer's Pursuing Private Practice Programs. Check out her free resources for Love Food Listeners here: PursuingPrivatePractice.com/LoveFood NEW PODCAST ALERT Do you host a podcast I need to tell Love Food listeners about? I want to support Black podcasters get the word out about their fat positive show. Send details to LoveFoodPodcast@gmail.com. Dear Food: After a lifetime of eating, bingeing, and restricting, I finally felt like I needed to shift the way we exist in the world together. I've loved you, feared you, needed you, and abused you. We were in need of couples therapy. Luckily, I found a great podcast that was all about you! After binge listening to the Love Food Podcast, I was inspired to explore intuitive eating. For the last month, I've immersed myself into the intuitive eating/body positive culture by reading and investigating different books, blogs, etc. What I learned felt right, and I started to implement the tenets of intuitive eating. We had a great two week honeymoon, where I wasn't anxious about dining out and I allowed myself to eat what I truly craved. I was also vigilant about stopping before I got too full. It was pretty amazing to learn how little I actually needed to feel satisfied. Things were going great until I did something stupid. I stepped on the scale. Yes, I know the experts said you can't diet and practice intuitive eating at the same time. But, my old compulsion got the best of me. So I weighed myself and it turns out I lost a few pounds. Almost effortlessly. And that's where I derailed. Since finding out I've lost some weight, I've been bingeing and restricting again! It's the same thing I would do when I used to diet. Lose a little, and then eat my way back up the scale. What am I doing??? I can't seem to find the intuitive path again. Every day I try, but end up bingeing by the end of the day. How did I get here again? I was feeling so empowered and free just a couple of weeks ago, and now I'm feeling defeated and fat all over again. I somehow turned  intuitive eating into another diet gone wrong. Food, I want to get us on the right path again but I'm not sure how. Love, Intuitive Saboteur SHOW NOTES: Julie Dillon RD blog Link to get latest Food Peace Syllabus. Evelyn Tribole on Love Food PCOS Body Liberation 6 Keys To Food Peace Julie on Instagram: Instagram.com/FoodPeaceDietitian Find Eating Disorder Dietitians near you. Do you have a complicated relationship with food? I want to help! Send your Dear Food letter to LoveFoodPodcast@gmail.com. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

So you weighed yourself and well, shit, all the rainbows and unicorns from your Intuitive Eating Honeymoon are in the crapper. What the hell happened? Just getting on the scale, seeing a scale, or thinking of stepping on a scale is enough for your brain to connect with your Dieting Trauma. Let's pull up a chair and sift through this on the latest Love Food Podcast episode. This episode of the Love Food Podcast is brought to you by Jennifer McGurk's Pursuing Private Practice programs. Anti-diet dietitians: take business building one step at a time surrounded by community and support. I highly recommend Jennifer's Pursuing Private Practice Programs. Check out her free resources for Love Food Listeners here: PursuingPrivatePractice.com/LoveFood NEW PODCAST ALERT Do you host a podcast I need to tell Love Food listeners about? I want to support Black podcasters get the word out about their fat positive show. Send details to LoveFoodPodcast@gmail.com. Dear Food: After a lifetime of eating, bingeing, and restricting, I finally felt like I needed to shift the way we exist in the world together. I've loved you, feared you, needed you, and abused you. We were in need of couples therapy. Luckily, I found a great podcast that was all about you! After binge listening to the Love Food Podcast, I was inspired to explore intuitive eating. For the last month, I've immersed myself into the intuitive eating/body positive culture by reading and investigating different books, blogs, etc. What I learned felt right, and I started to implement the tenets of intuitive eating. We had a great two week honeymoon, where I wasn't anxious about dining out and I allowed myself to eat what I truly craved. I was also vigilant about stopping before I got too full. It was pretty amazing to learn how little I actually needed to feel satisfied. Things were going great until I did something stupid. I stepped on the scale. Yes, I know the experts said you can't diet and practice intuitive eating at the same time. But, my old compulsion got the best of me. So I weighed myself and it turns out I lost a few pounds. Almost effortlessly. And that's where I derailed. Since finding out I've lost some weight, I've been bingeing and restricting again! It's the same thing I would do when I used to diet. Lose a little, and then eat my way back up the scale. What am I doing??? I can't seem to find the intuitive path again. Every day I try, but end up bingeing by the end of the day. How did I get here again? I was feeling so empowered and free just a couple of weeks ago, and now I'm feeling defeated and fat all over again. I somehow turned  intuitive eating into another diet gone wrong. Food, I want to get us on the right path again but I'm not sure how. Love, Intuitive Saboteur SHOW NOTES: Julie Dillon RD blog Link to get latest Food Peace Syllabus. Evelyn Tribole on Love Food Fearing the Black Body by Dr. Sabrina Strings 6 Keys To Food Peace Julie on Instagram: Instagram.com/FoodPeaceDietitian Find Eating Disorder Dietitians near you. Do you have a complicated relationship with food? I want to help! Send your Dear Food letter to LoveFoodPodcast@gmail.com.  Click here to leave me a review in iTunes and subscribe. This type of kindness helps the show continue!Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Have you been walking your Food Peace Journey™️ for awhile singing anti-diet praises yet suffer in secret? Do you call yourself body positive yet find yourself fantasizing about losing weight? This is an isolating space yet you are not alone. We have options to explore. Listen as guest expert Kirsten Ackerman describes ways to navigate this part of your Food Peace Journey. This episode of the Love Food Podcast is brought to you by Jennifer McGurk's Pursuing Private Practice programs. Anti-diet dietitians: take business building one step at a time surrounded by community and support. I highly recommend Jennifer's Pursuing Private Practice Programs. Check out her free resources for Love Food Listeners here: PursuingPrivatePractice.com/LoveFood NEW PODCAST ALERT Do you host a podcast I need to tell Love Food listeners about? I want to support Black podcasters get the word out about their fat positive show. Send details to LoveFoodPodcast@gmail.com. Dear Food: I feel like an imposter with you and with intuitive eating. I feel that I'm not truly anti-diet, truly in recovery for binge eating and anorexia, or that I am really past all the dieting. My relationship with you has been unstable since I was five. I remember being highly aware of my body at such a young age and knowing I was larger than everyone. So I started to diet. And the dieting cycle didn't stop until two years ago when I found intuitive eating. I've worked so hard to unlearn my internalized fatphobia and diet culture that was ingrained in me from such a young age. But everyday I feel like I'm faking it. I tell myself that I don't want to be skinny, but I do. I tell myself I dont want to diet anymore, but I do. I tell myself that calories and carbs count isn't important, but I find myself still glancing at the nutrition facts on food labels. What if I'm not meant for intuitive eating? What if dieting is the only way I can manage my PCOS and my weight? And even as I say this to you, food, I know it's not the truth. I know that dieting is a short term solution and that it will do more harm than good. But sometimes working against the system is so difficult. I constantly have coworkers, friends, and family that are so deep into diet culture that it's easy to get sucked back into it.  And then of course there's the PCOS. There is so much misinformation about how to manage my symptoms with PCOS and much of the time it's diet related. I want to be fully free with you, food. I want to truly feel free from diet culture and know that I am a good person, regardless of the food I consume. But it's so tough. I know that nutritious foods feel so good in my body and that less nutritious foods exacerbate my PCOS symptoms. And in my mind that means I can only eat "healthy" and that I can't have ice cream if I want it. That the moment I eat something, it will make or break my PCOS management skills. That I will do too much damage that can't be undone. So what do I do, food? How do I feel free with you? Because I am an imposter, a sham, and I'm afraid that someone will realize that I'm not as anti-diet as I make myself out to be.  Thanks for listening, The Perfectionist SHOW NOTES: Julie Dillon RD blog Link to get latest Food Peace Syllabus. Kirsten Ackerman Kirsten Ackerman on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theintuitive_rd/ Kirsten Ackerman's book The Intuitive Eating Plan 6 Keys To Food Peace Julie on Instagram: Instagram.com/FoodPeaceDietitian Find Eating Disorder Dietitians near you. Do you have a complicated relationship with food? I want to help! Send your Dear Food letter to LoveFoodPodcast@gmail.com.  Click here to leave me a review in iTunes and subscribe. This type of kindness helps the show continue!Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Ever feel like intuitive eating is not for you? Think it is taking way too long and you are still stuck in a cycle of rebellious eating and body hate? We don't think you are doing it wrong. Listen to the latest Love Food Podcast with Intuitive Eating co-author Evelyn Tribole as we sort through next steps. This episode of the Love Food Podcast is brought to you by Jennifer McGurk's Pursuing Private Practice programs. Anti-diet dietitians: take business building one step at a time surrounded by community and support. I highly recommend Jennifer's Pursuing Private Practice Programs. Check out her free resources for Love Food Listeners here: PursuingPrivatePractice.com/LoveFood NEW PODCAST ALERT Do you host a podcast I need to tell Love Food listeners about? I want to support Black podcasters get the word out about their fat positive show. Send details to LoveFoodPodcast@gmail.com. Dear Food: I've been struggling with you for almost my entire life.  When I was little I remember watching my Dad go on diet after diet and rigidly refusing to go up a pant size.  It looked so miserable but I also wanted to be like him.  I also knew (from what my parents had told me) that I was getting fat.  So when I was 8, I went on my first diet and began counting calories.  Later, around age 15, I began to reject dieting and wanted to relax and eat what I wanted.  This made my parents uncomfortable and eventually they began to mandate that I diet and exercise.  I began to sneak you up to my bedroom and eat you in the middle of the night.  I was riddled with shame, guilt, and self-hatred.  Even when I was outside of my parent's control, I carried their voices of judgment with me and continued dieting throughout most of my adult life.   Now I'm 31 and I've tried so hard to redefine my relationship with you and my body.  I've seen a counselor and nutritionist who come from an intuitive eating approach.  I was fortunate enough to be part of a 10-week intuitive eating group and I loved it!  But a job change caused me to move away from those resources and now I feel stuck.  I'm heavier than I've ever been in my entire life and I'm so ashamed of my body.  I don't even recognize myself when I look in the mirror.  While the dream of being smaller is still tempting, the thought of dieting repulses me.  I know dieting isn't the answer, but I can't seem to get the hang of intuitive eating.  I feel like I'm making zero progress on my journey to food peace.   Often I still feel like that rebellious teenager who would overeat (whether it made her feel good or not) just to spite her parents.  I still want to lose weight but I know that intuitive eating isn't suppose to be about that.  How do I stop the incessant desire to be smaller when it's been a part of my life for so long?   I'm also feeling scared because sometimes listening to my body and choosing to stop eating when I'm full/satisfied or not eat something because my inner wisdom is telling me that I don't truly want it reminds me of the rules and restrictions I lived under for so long.  Intellectually I know that responding to my body and inner wisdom is different than dieting.  But emotionally they sometimes feel the same.  Eventually I end up still engaging in rebellious eating even though I'm not sure what/who I'm rebelling against.  Then I feel like I've fallen off track and give up and shame takes over.  I know this is a diet mentality but I can't seem to shake it!  I'm not sure how to interrupt this cycle and stop thinking of intuitive eating through this dieting lens.  I want to move forward in my food and body peace journey but I'm not sure how to get past this hurtle.  I just want to find peace with you and my body but I'm not sure what the next step should be.   Love, Stuck In The Cycle SHOW NOTES: Julie Dillon RD blog Link to get latest Food Peace Syllabus. Evelyn Tribole Intuitive Eating peer-to-peer support Intuitive Eating workbook Intuitive Eating 4th edition Evelyn Tribole on Instagram 6 Keys To Food Peace Julie on Instagram: Instagram.com/FoodPeaceDietitian Find Eating Disorder Dietitians near you. Do you have a complicated relationship with food? I want to help! Send your Dear Food letter to LoveFoodPodcast@gmail.com.  Click here to leave me a review in iTunes and subscribe. This type of kindness helps the show continue!  Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

We are concluding the PCOS podcast series with a letter from someone moving along their Food Peace Journey in a different body. Things feel different--they can't cross their legs and breathe differently. Therapist and fashion blogger Shira Rosenbluth joins as a guest expert to share her clinical wisdom and lived experience in her own recovery--both that will give you insight on your path. This episode of the Love Food Podcast is brought to you by The Eating Disorder Trap book and podcast by Robyn Goldberg. It is likely you have a close friend, client or loved one who is currently struggling with an eating disorder. Do you feel lost in a deluge of information? Are you unsure who to trust? Let this book be your guide. Written by an expert with over twenty years of experience in the field of eating disorders, this book will give you the facts in a friendly and easy to read format. Get to know what you are dealing with and how it is taking a toll on your body and quality of life. Get rid of the myths “diet culture” has had you believe. Find out where to go and who to turn to for expert and compassionate care, maximizing your potential for recovery. A useful, inviting and all inclusive guide to eating disorders. Also be sure to tune in to The Eating Disorder Trap Podcast, an expansive support and resource system for people struggling with eating disorders. This podcast is for clients, clinicians and anyone who wants to be able to support someone who is struggling. Grab your free download here. NEW PODCAST ALERT Be sure to check out, support, and SUBSCRIBE to the Demystifying Diversity Podcast with hosts Daralyse Lyons and AnnaMarie Jones. The trailer has me hooked and can't wait to hear more. I have a feeling you'll love this podcast too. Dear Food: I’ve been a listener to this podcast for a while now and it has been a helpful resource as I’ve worked on my own recovery from bingeing and restricting along with repairing my own body image. This year I began teaching at a new school and a teacher on my team has been a big trigger for me. She’s a former gymnast/power lifter and she often talks about her body and fat people in a really disparaging way. It started in the beginning of the year when she wouldn’t eat meals. Then it continued as she would talk about how disgusting she thought her body was. This year she had a miscarriage and later shared her PCOS diagnosis with me and how frustrating it is for her that she gains weight so easily. Since quarantine has begun she’s been heavily into weight loss and has dropped 25lbs in the 3 months we’ve been in quarantine. I unfollowed her on social media but I still have to attend video calls with her where she tends to bring up her weight loss and about how disgusting she was before in her already thin body. I mentioned my concern to work friends that have worked with her before, and it sounds like she’s lost weight really rapidly before using diet pills and not eating consistently. They did not seem as concerned as I was. I recognize that I cannot change anything she does, and truthfully I consider her a friend outside of this issue. We’re all on a team together so it would be far more difficult to not get along with her. That said, being around her and having to do video calls with her where all she talks about is weight loss and dieting (even after I’ve  asked her not to) has been really triggering for me.  At this point, I don’t think she’d be receptive to anything I have to say especially because I do have a fat body and I’m worried she’s going to only hear my concerns as jealousy of her thinness. At one point i asked her to not send me her weight loss updates anymore and she gave me a not so sincere sorry.  How can I continue my own journey of recovery while I have to be in close contact with someone who hasn’t even begun to realize they might have a problem? Over the summer I can hopefully take a break but I’m still worried about maintaining the friendship I have with my team while also trying to avoid her? I see an eating disorder dietitian and I used to work with an eating disorder therapist, but this has been a new problem.  I know I don’t need to be thin to be healthy. I’m really proud of the healthy relationship I’ve built with food and permission and I have made strides in finding non-weight related motivation to consistently exercise. I just worry continued exposure to her fat phobia and rapid weight loss will cause me to spiral back only focusing on losing weight.  Thanks for reading.  Sincerely, Don’t Want to Go Back SHOW NOTES: Julie Dillon RD blog PCOS + Keto blog post which includes details discussed including the research. Link to get latest Food Peace Syllabus. Intuitive Eating (aff) by Tribole and Resch The Eating Disorder Trap book and podcast 6 Keys To Food Peace Shira's Eating Disorder Recovery Group Shira Rosenbluth psychotherapy practice and fashion blog Shira's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theshirarose/ Julie on Instagram: Instagram.com/FoodPeaceDietitian PCOS Body Liberation Community PCOS Body Liberation on Instagram: Instagram.com/PCOSBodyLiberation Find Eating Disorder Dietitians near you. Do you have a complicated relationship with food? I want to help! Send your Dear Food letter to LoveFoodPodcast@gmail.com.  Click here to leave me a review in iTunes and subscribe. This type of kindness helps the show continue!  Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

We see you exhausted trying to swim upstream against diet culture. Do you work or live with someone who is hard core into dieting and just won't shut up about it? Have you told them to stop and they keep at it anyway? We made this episode for you. Join this latest episode of the Love Food Podcast with guest expert Laura Burns. We want you to keep swimming! This episode of the Love Food Podcast is brought to you by The Eating Disorder Trap book and podcast by Robyn Goldberg. It is likely you have a close friend, client or loved one who is currently struggling with an eating disorder. Do you feel lost in a deluge of information? Are you unsure who to trust? Let this book be your guide. Written by an expert with over twenty years of experience in the field of eating disorders, this book will give you the facts in a friendly and easy to read format. Get to know what you are dealing with and how it is taking a toll on your body and quality of life. Get rid of the myths “diet culture” has had you believe. Find out where to go and who to turn to for expert and compassionate care, maximizing your potential for recovery. A useful, inviting and all inclusive guide to eating disorders. Also be sure to tune in to The Eating Disorder Trap Podcast, an expansive support and resource system for people struggling with eating disorders. This podcast is for clients, clinicians and anyone who wants to be able to support someone who is struggling. Grab your free download here. NEW PODCAST ALERT Be sure to check out, support, and SUBSCRIBE to the Demystifying Diversity Podcast with hosts Daralyse Lyons and AnnaMarie Jones. The trailer has me hooked and can't wait to hear more. I have a feeling you'll love this podcast too. Dear Food: I’ve been a listener to this podcast for a while now and it has been a helpful resource as I’ve worked on my own recovery from bingeing and restricting along with repairing my own body image. This year I began teaching at a new school and a teacher on my team has been a big trigger for me. She’s a former gymnast/power lifter and she often talks about her body and fat people in a really disparaging way. It started in the beginning of the year when she wouldn’t eat meals. Then it continued as she would talk about how disgusting she thought her body was. This year she had a miscarriage and later shared her PCOS diagnosis with me and how frustrating it is for her that she gains weight so easily. Since quarantine has begun she’s been heavily into weight loss and has dropped 25lbs in the 3 months we’ve been in quarantine. I unfollowed her on social media but I still have to attend video calls with her where she tends to bring up her weight loss and about how disgusting she was before in her already thin body. I mentioned my concern to work friends that have worked with her before, and it sounds like she’s lost weight really rapidly before using diet pills and not eating consistently. They did not seem as concerned as I was. I recognize that I cannot change anything she does, and truthfully I consider her a friend outside of this issue. We’re all on a team together so it would be far more difficult to not get along with her. That said, being around her and having to do video calls with her where all she talks about is weight loss and dieting (even after I’ve  asked her not to) has been really triggering for me.  At this point, I don’t think she’d be receptive to anything I have to say especially because I do have a fat body and I’m worried she’s going to only hear my concerns as jealousy of her thinness. At one point i asked her to not send me her weight loss updates anymore and she gave me a not so sincere sorry.  How can I continue my own journey of recovery while I have to be in close contact with someone who hasn’t even begun to realize they might have a problem? Over the summer I can hopefully take a break but I’m still worried about maintaining the friendship I have with my team while also trying to avoid her? I see an eating disorder dietitian and I used to work with an eating disorder therapist, but this has been a new problem.  I know I don’t need to be thin to be healthy. I’m really proud of the healthy relationship I’ve built with food and permission and I have made strides in finding non-weight related motivation to consistently exercise. I just worry continued exposure to her fat phobia and rapid weight loss will cause me to spiral back only focusing on losing weight.  Thanks for reading.  Sincerely, Don’t Want to Go Back SHOW NOTES: Julie Dillon RD blog PCOS + Keto blog post which includes details discussed including the research. Link to get latest Food Peace Syllabus. Intuitive Eating (aff) by Tribole and Resch The Eating Disorder Trap book and podcast 6 Keys To Food Peace Laura Burn's webpage: RadicalBodyLove.com PCOS Body Liberation Community Laura on Instagram: Instagram.com/RadicalBodyLove Laura on Patreon: Patreon.com/RadicalBodyLove Julie on Instagram: Instagram.com/FoodPeaceDietitian PCOS Body Liberation Community PCOS Body Liberation on Instagram: Instagram.com/PCOSBodyLiberation Find Eating Disorder Dietitians near you. Do you have a complicated relationship with food? I want to help! Send your Dear Food letter to LoveFoodPodcast@gmail.com.  Click here to leave me a review in iTunes and subscribe. This type of kindness helps the show continue!  Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Are you coming to terms with the fact that diets don't work for most people--yourself included? And yet every cell in your body feels repulsed with the idea of body acceptance? If you've been riding that diet roller coaster for as long as you can remember and want OFF you have come to the right place. Join us as we learn from guest expert Nina Mills who has new insight to get you on solid ground. This episode of the Love Food Podcast is brought to you by The Eating Disorder Trap book and podcast by Robyn Goldberg. It is likely you have a close friend, client or loved one who is currently struggling with an eating disorder. Do you feel lost in a deluge of information? Are you unsure who to trust? Let this book be your guide. Written by an expert with over twenty years of experience in the field of eating disorders, this book will give you the facts in a friendly and easy to read format. Get to know what you are dealing with and how it is taking a toll on your body and quality of life. Get rid of the myths “diet culture” has had you believe. Find out where to go and who to turn to for expert and compassionate care, maximizing your potential for recovery. A useful, inviting and all inclusive guide to eating disorders. Also be sure to tune in to The Eating Disorder Trap Podcast, an expansive support and resource system for people struggling with eating disorders. This podcast is for clients, clinicians and anyone who wants to be able to support someone who is struggling. Grab your free download here. NEW PODCAST ALERT Be sure to check out, support, and SUBSCRIBE to the Demystifying Diversity Podcast with hosts Daralyse Lyons and AnnaMarie Jones. The trailer has me hooked and can't wait to hear more. I have a feeling you'll love this podcast too. Dear Food: You and I have had a difficult relationship for a very long time. I am only 21 years old, in the middle of working hard to be successful in my college career and other life goals, but I can't ignore my fear and addiction to you that has always followed me like a creeping shadow. I was unhappy with my body from an early age; I recall looking back in my diary and complaining about my size (I was a healthy weight at that time) when I was 7; even back then I attributed my problems to you, though I continued to look forward to the junk food I was allowed to consume at parties or weekend restaurant trips. Puberty hit me like a truck and I grew too quickly, gaining stretch marks all over my thighs, hips and breasts. I blamed you for that too. As a teen I gradually started putting on the weight, and suffering from mysterious little things that I just thought were a part of being a growing woman. My periods were irregular and heavy; I had borderline high cholesterol and was diagnosed with prediabetes in high school. I had such low energy and craved a nap every single day. I suffered from terrible panic disorder and depression, and was put on medication that I continue to take for almost 6 years now. My acne was so bad that it made my skin itchy and red, and I spent over eight years trying what I have totaled to be at least 10 different topical and medicinal treatments for my problems. Eventually my dermatologist's assistant (a woman) suggested I had PCOS. I did the blood work and consulted with my gynecologist; turns out they were right. I got the news of my diagnosis over phone call. I was immediately put on birth control to manage my periods, with a promise that none of these medications would affect my steadily rising weight. I sought out the help of my GP multiple times with what to do about my weight gain and other symptoms. I thought I would find a woman who understood what was wrong and how to help me. What I found was someone who just agreed to whatever I suggested I try for myself, whether it be meds, diets, or somewhat suspicious natural treatments that I was so desperate to trust that I tried them anyway. Needless to say Food, you and I both know none of it worked. I tried restricting my consumption of you to only about 1000 calories a day, for almost two months. I tried intermittent fasting. I hit the gym hard 4-5 times a week, following the instructions of other women online who said they "cured" their PCOS. I tried quitting my birth control even if it meant painful periods. I have even had my family involved in helping me; my sister-in-law recommended the keto diet and running as much as possible; my brother helped me meal plan for weeks. My weight has stayed the highest it's been. I am miserable at parties; seeing my skinny friends eat pizza and chips and soda while still staying slim makes me so upset I want to peel myself out of my own skin if it means I don't have to be in this body. If I enjoy even a little bit of you I feel immediately riddled with guilt and shame. If I indulge a little bit I use it as an excuse to indulge a lot. Then I beat myself up, cry myself to sleep, and get up and hit the diet hard again. I have finally admitted to myself that none of these diets are working, and it isn't my fault or necessarily yours either. PCOS was not something I got by eating one too many Oreos at sleepovers as a kid; it was genetic, something out of my control. The thing is though, even though part of me knows this to be true, I still hate my body, and I hate what you do to it. I hate that I feel like I can't escape your influence. And I hate that I hate the way that I am. Will our relationship ever improve? Will I ever find the right combination of you that benefits my body the most? Will I be able to realize the difference between dieting or a final lifestyle change? And lastly, will I ever be happy with you around?   Sincerely, -Struggling for Life  SHOW NOTES: Julie Dillon RD blog Get on Nina Mill's course wait list here: https://feelgoodeating.com.au/wait-list Josée Sovinsky’s food addiction round up of resources: https://www.joseesovinskynutrition.com/blog/food-addiction-resources-july2018 Learn more about Nina Mill's work: https://feelgoodeating.com.au PCOS + Keto blog post which includes details discussed including the research. Link to get latest Food Peace Syllabus. Intuitive Eating (aff) by Tribole and Resch The Eating Disorder Trap book and podcast 6 Keys To Food Peace PCOS Body Liberation Community Julie on Instagram: Instagram.com/FoodPeaceDietitian Find Eating Disorder Dietitians near you. Do you have a complicated relationship with food? I want to help! Send your Dear Food letter to LoveFoodPodcast@gmail.com.  Click here to leave me a review in iTunes and subscribe. This type of kindness helps the show continue!  Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Who hasn't heard of Keto? Wonder if it is the right option for you? Many people with PCOS or another chronic condition like diabetes, migraines, or knee pain are encouraged to give Keto a try. This is not a harmless recommendation. This week's listener letter teases apart what Intuitive Eating means for her after years of Keto. Wonder what to do next? Listen up for more. Want to dive deep into the research and discussion? Click here for my blog post on PCOS + Keto. This episode of the Love Food Podcast is brought to you by The Eating Disorder Trap book and podcast by Robyn Goldberg. It is likely you have a close friend, client or loved one who is currently struggling with an eating disorder. Do you feel lost in a deluge of information? Are you unsure who to trust? Let this book be your guide. Written by an expert with over twenty years of experience in the field of eating disorders, this book will give you the facts in a friendly and easy to read format. Get to know what you are dealing with and how it is taking a toll on your body and quality of life. Get rid of the myths “diet culture” has had you believe. Find out where to go and who to turn to for expert and compassionate care, maximizing your potential for recovery. A useful, inviting and all inclusive guide to eating disorders. Also be sure to tune in to The Eating Disorder Trap Podcast, an expansive support and resource system for people struggling with eating disorders. This podcast is for clients, clinicians and anyone who wants to be able to support someone who is struggling. Grab your free download here. NEW PODCAST ALERT Be sure to check out, support, and SUBSCRIBE to the Demystifying Diversity Podcast with hosts Daralyse Lyons and AnnaMarie Jones. The trailer has me hooked and can't wait to hear more. I have a feeling you'll love this podcast too. Dear Food: After four years of eating keto to manage my PCOS and prevent diabetes, I have started trying intuitive eating, but am honestly a little skeptical that it will work for my situation. One year into keto, I quit counting carbs and have been eating somewhat intuitively since then, even enjoying a full-sugar treat a few times a year (not without consequences to my physical and mental health, but balance, right?) I don’t worry about my weight, and in fact got rid of my scale last year and don’t miss it.  Keto was all about health for me. In fact, when I saw a new doctor a few months ago, she said I had probably gotten rid of my PCOS by cutting out sugar and I felt pretty good about that. I know it’s not possible to completely get rid of PCOS, but I know I did something right, because I started having a regular cycle for the first time in my life two years ago, thanks to keto and intermittent fasting. I don’t want to undo that and go back to where I was.  This is why I am approaching intuitive eating with a bit of hesitation, while wanting to be free from “food rules” and not think about food so much. If I could go back to eating how I did 7 years ago without suffering adverse health effects, that would be amazing, but maybe that’s not possible because bodies and metabolisms change.  I’ve tried eating fruit, beans, and rice in the past week. All of them messed with my blood sugar and made me feel like crap. Do I have to accept the fact that I just can’t get along with a whole category of you, namely grains and sugar, that those are just off-limits for me for the majority of the time? When I think of intuitive eating, I think of “all foods fit”, so I’m feeling a bit confused and stuck. I want to be healthy but I also want us to get along.  Frustrated Foodie SHOW NOTES: Julie Dillon RD blog PCOS + Keto blog post which includes details discussed including the research. Link to get latest Food Peace Syllabus. Intuitive Eating (aff) by Tribole and Resch The Eating Disorder Trap book and podcast 6 Keys To Food Peace PCOS Body Liberation Community Julie on Instagram: Instagram.com/FoodPeaceDietitian Find Eating Disorder Dietitians near you. Do you have a complicated relationship with food? I want to help! Send your Dear Food letter to LoveFoodPodcast@gmail.com.  Click here to leave me a review in iTunes and subscribe. This type of kindness helps the show continue!Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Do you have a complicated relationship with food? I want to help. Connect every Tuesday to hear a listener letter describe their woes in a Dear Food letter. Julie Duffy Dillon--seasoned dietitian and food behavior expert--sifts through the letter and sometimes features guests with exceptional insight. Each episode concludes with Food writing back to help you focus on permission, healing, and compassion.This podcast is not about dieting. It is not about how to lose weight. It combines 20 years of Health at Every Size informed nutrition counseling into a new way that is unapologetically anti-diet and fat positive.Find out more at JulieDillonRD.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy