The Full Plate Podcast with Abbie Attwood, MS

This conversation will heal you. What started as an episode meant to be about recovery during pregancy expanded into one that spans across our lifetime of healing. Allyson Inez Ford, MA, LPCC (also know as @bodyjustice.therapist on IG) joins Abbie in an episode that we all need to hear. Topics include: Navigating body grief, how white supremacy fuels eating disorders, Allyson's experience as a multiracial child, what it looks like to show up for your partner in recovery, the impact of chronic illness on disordered eating and body image, finding support through community, how to practice self-compassion in our hardest moments, losing friendships as an adult, coping with life transitions that trigger ED behaviors, and continuing to move forward in the face of all that life throws at us.   Oh, and we talk about turkey sandwiches. Come for the body image talk, stay for the pregnancy support, and hang on even longer for the stuff that's really underneath it all.    Allyson Inez Ford, MA, LPCC is a multiracial, queer, neurodivergent therapist specializing in Eating Disorders and OCD through a social justice lens. Allyson is also a new mother, which has fueled her passion for working with new and expecting parents in ED recovery. Allyson has lived experience of an Eating Disorder, and owns a group private practice in California. Allyson is rooted firmly in a relational, feminist and liberation psychology framework. In addition to therapy, she provides supervision, consultation and speaking engagements. You can connect with her via her website: www.eatingdisorderocdtherapy.com and IG: @bodyjustice.therapist   Support the show: Enjoying this podcast? Please support the show on Patreon for bonus episodes, community engagement, and access to "Ask Abbie" at Patreon.com/fullplate   Group program: Looking for more support and concrete steps to take to heal your relationship with food and your body? Apply for Abbie's next 10-week group program: https://www.abbieattwoodwellness.com/group-coaching   Group membership: Already been at this anti-diet culture thing for a while, but want community and continued learning? Apply for Abbie's monthly membership: https://www.abbieattwoodwellness.com/circle-monthly-group   Social media: Find the show on Instagram: @fullplate.podcast Find Abbie on Instagram: @abbieattwoodwellness   Transcripts: If you’re looking for transcripts, you can find those on Abbie's website, www.abbieattwoodwellness.com/podcast   Podcast Cover Photography by Anya McInroy Podcast Editing by Brian Walters This podcast is ad-free and support comes from our Patrons on Patreon: Patreon.com/fullplate This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit abbieattwoodwellness.substack.com/subscribe

Many of us stumble into a disordered relationship with food unknowingy -- perhaps thinking we were being "healthy", following a doctor's dieting advice, or having just always had a restrictive mentality from our upbringing. In this revisited episode, Abbie sits down with one of her incredible clients, Dory, to talk about accidental disordered eating, the binge-restrict cycle, and how to keep going when everyone around you seems to be stuck in diet culture. This episode was the first time Abbie had a client on the pod. It's so important that we hear diverse stories and the real talk from people who are "in it". Dory speaks about her experience with a lifetime of dieting, why she used to see it as "healthy", how she always thought that she was just a binge eater and had to use "will power", the diet that ended her dieting, her experience with healing through community and group coaching, and so much more. If you enjoy hearing from folks who are in the messy middle, please let us know. You can always email the show at fullplatepod@gmail.com with compassionate feedback, questions, or thoughts. Support the show: Enjoying this podcast? Please support the show on Patreon for bonus episodes, community engagement, and access to "Ask Abbie" at Patreon.com/fullplate   Group program: Looking for more support and concrete steps to take to heal your relationship with food and your body? Apply for Abbie's next 10-week group program: https://www.abbieattwoodwellness.com/group-coaching   Group membership: Already been at this anti-diet culture thing for a while, but want community and continued learning? Apply for Abbie's monthly membership: https://www.abbieattwoodwellness.com/circle-monthly-group   Social media: Find the show on Instagram: @fullplate.podcast Find Abbie on Instagram: @abbieattwoodwellness   Transcripts: If you’re looking for transcripts, you can find those on Abbie's website, www.abbieattwoodwellness.com/podcast   Podcast Cover Photography by Anya McInroy Podcast Editing by Brian Walters This podcast is ad-free and support comes from our Patrons on Patreon: Patreon.com/fullplate     This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit abbieattwoodwellness.substack.com/subscribe

The incredible Dr. Whitney Trotter (RD / RN) joins us in this revisited episode to talk about intersectionality, trauma-informed care, and how eating disorder treatment fails BIPOC communities (plus, of course, what needs to be done to improve access and approaches to care). We discuss... Whitney’s experience as a Black college athlete How college athletes are impacted by diet culture How "eating for performance" affects body image Body grief in transitioning out of athletics Why Whitney fell in love with nutrition, and then eating disorders What we need to know about eating disorders in BIPOC (underdiagnosis, lack of medical care, lack of resources and support, how universities and education systems play a role, socioeconomic barriers to treatment, discrimination, stigma, and lack of research) The intersection of HIV and eating disorders Weight-gain on medications and providing informed consent for harm-reduction Racism in nutrition Social Determinants of Health and eating disorders in BIPOC The bio-psycho-social components of eating disorders How we can make care and treatment more accessible Intergenerational trauma and the increased risk of disordered eating behaviors   Resources mentioned: BIPOC eating disorders conference Whitney's post on the social determinants of health Whitney's IG post about bio-psycho-social aspects of EDs Whitney's IG post about the price of divestment Whitney Trotter (she/her) is dually licensed as a Registered Dietitian, Nurse, and yoga instructor and is currently working on her doctorate degree to become a psychiatric nurse practitioner. Whitney has over ten years of experience working as a registered dietitian serving various communities such as the HIV/AIDS community and the eating disorder field. Whitney also previously worked at a Level 1 Pediatric Trauma Center as a Pediatric emergency room nurse. In addition to working as an RDN and RN, Whitney has served as a member of her county's Rape Crisis Center. Her work at the Rape Crisis Center equipped her to co-found an anti-trafficking organization Restore Corps, where she now provides medical training to the community focusing on human trafficking response. Whitney's career in the Eating Disorder field includes being a former Nutrition and Nursing director of a Residential, PHP, and IOP center. Whitney is also the owner/founder of Bluff City Health, a private practice that bridges the gap in the eating disorder field of equitable care and social justice. This past year Whitney created the first-ever BIPOC Eating Disorders Conference and started #bipoceatigndisordersawarenessweek. Learn more about Whitney on Instagram and her website. Enjoying this podcast? Please support the show on Patreon for bonus episodes, community engagement, and access to "Ask Abbie" at Patreon.com/fullplate If you’re looking for transcripts, you can find those on my website, www.abbieattwoodwellness.com/podcast Find the show on Instagram: @fullplate.podcast Find Abbie on Instagram: @abbieattwoodwellness Group Coaching & Membership: - Looking for more support and concrete steps to take to heal your relationship with food and your body? Apply for Abbie's next 10-week group program: https://www.abbieattwoodwellness.com/group-coaching - Already been at this anti-diet culture thing for a while, but want community and continued learning? Apply for Abbie's monthly membership: https://www.abbieattwoodwellness.com/circle-monthly-group Podcast Cover Photography by Anya McInroy Podcast Editing by Brian Walters This podcast is ad-free and support comes from our Patrons on Patreon: Patreon.com/fullplate This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit abbieattwoodwellness.substack.com/subscribe

Virginia Sole-Smith joins me on this revisited episode to talk about one of the most difficult, yet most important, pieces of healing from the effects of diet culture: Not passing it on to the next generation. Virginia is such an important voice on raising kids in an anti-diet and weight-inclusive way, on confronting anti-fatness as a parent, and looking back to our own upbringing. She is also a talented writer and journalist (I highly recommend both of her books!) and I highly recommend her podcast, Burnt Toast. There is something for everyone in this episode. Because whether or not we are parents, we’ve been parented in some way. We chat about… Hard questions and conversations that led to Virginia's book "Fat Talk" “I don’t want my kid to have a messed up relationship with food, but I also don’t want them to be fat” The Gilmore Girls effect Holding compassion for our moms and their influence on our body image and relationship with food Why mothers bearing the blame of eating disorders and fatness How dads are left out of the conversation and ED research The difference between how fat kids and thin kids are fed Family dinner and diet culture (helpful or harmful?) Having conversations with kids that don’t center on weight …and so much more This episode will help you reflect on your own childhood and provide tools to break the inheritance of body shame and disordered eating.   About Virginia: She is the author of the NYT-bestselling FAT TALK: Parenting In The Age of Diet Culture and The Eating Instinct: Food Culture, Body Image and Guilt in America. As a journalist, she has reported from kitchen tables and grocery stores, graduated from beauty school, and gone swimming in a mermaid’s tail. Virginia began her career in women’s magazines, alternatively challenging beauty standards and gender norms, and upholding diet culture through her health, nutrition and fitness reporting. Motherhood inspired a reckoning, and led to her first book, The Eating Instinct: Food Culture, Body Image and Guilt in America. Her work has also appeared in the New York Times Magazine, Harper’s, Scientific American and many other publications. Virginia now writes the popular anti-diet newsletter Burnt Toast and hosts the Burnt Toast Podcast. Enjoying this podcast? Please support the show on Patreon for bonus episodes, community engagement, and access to "Ask Abbie" at Patreon.com/fullplate   Patreon is also home to the episode transcripts (which are publicly available to everyone, not just our patrons!). If you’re looking for those, head over to Patreon.   Find the show on Instagram: @fullplate.podcast Find Abbie on Instagram: @abbieattwoodwellness   Looking for more support and concrete steps to take to heal your relationship with food and your body? Apply for Abbie's next 10-week group program: https://www.abbieattwoodwellness.com/group-coaching   Already been at this anti-diet culture thing for a while, but want community and continued learning? Apply for Abbie's monthly membership: https://www.abbieattwoodwellness.com/circle-monthly-group   Podcast Cover Photography by Anya McInroy Podcast Editing by Brian Walters This podcast is ad-free and support comes from our Patrons on Patreon: Patreon.com/fullplate This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit abbieattwoodwellness.substack.com/subscribe

On a revisited conversation -- one that left a lasting impact on me -- the incredible Savala Nolan joins us to talk about belonging versus conforming, understanding the body as our home, and how to walk away from a lifetime of disordered eating. Savala is warm, funny, kind, smart as hell, and she will blow your mind open when she explains really hard, complex, and nuanced topics. I felt so at home speaking with her, and I hope you enjoy our conversation as much as I did. Our conversation covers… Growing up with many dualities of race, body size, and class Being put on a diet starting at age 4 Rebelling and conforming Our mothers, their diets, and our dieting The bond of dieting Our body as our home Unlearning the language of diet culture Quitting diets not being a choice for some The body being inescapable The cake we all need to have, and eat too   About Savala: Savala Nolan is the author of the critically acclaimed Don't Let It Get You Down: Essays on Race Gender and the Body.  Her writing has been featured in Vogue, The New York Times Book Review,  NPR, Time, Harper’s Magazine, and more. She holds a law degree from the University of California at Berkeley, where she lectures on identity and law and directs the Thelton E. Henderson Center for Social Justice.  Her second essay collection, Good Woman, is forthcoming from HarperCollins. Find Savala on IG: @notquitebeyonce   Enjoying this podcast? Please support the show on Patreon for bonus episodes, community engagement, and access to "Ask Abbie" at Patreon.com/fullplate You can find episode transcripts (which are publicly available to everyone, not just our patrons!) on Abbie's website: www.abbieattwoodwellness.com/podcast Find the show on Instagram: @fullplate.podcast Find Abbie on Instagram: @abbieattwoodwellness Group Counseling: Looking for more support and concrete steps to take to heal your relationship with food and your body? Apply for Abbie's next 10-week group program: https://www.abbieattwoodwellness.com/group-coaching Group Membership: Already been at this anti-diet culture thing for a while, but want community and continued learning? Apply for Abbie's monthly membership: https://www.abbieattwoodwellness.com/circle-monthly-group Podcast Cover Photography by Anya McInroy Podcast Editing by Brian Walters This podcast is ad-free and support comes from our Patrons on Patreon: Patreon.com/fullplate   This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit abbieattwoodwellness.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To listen to the full conversation, support the show on Patreon! In this week's VERY special episode, I am joined by my client, Kimberly. She speaks from the heart in bravely sharing her body story — from childhood adversity and weight stigma, to the decision to get weight loss surgery, to dealing with the traumatic aftermath of that experience, to learning how to create real safety and belonging in her life. Kimberly has magnetic energy, and is an example of why vulnerability is true courage and strength. She has changed my life, and I think you’ll quickly understand why. She doesn’t just talk the talk, she walks the walk, and is a beautiful example of what it looks like to move from constantly seeking external validation to learning to trust our innate worthiness. Tune in to hear more about… Kimberly’s journey from seeking external validation through weight loss to finding internal trust and self-acceptance. Her decision to get weight-loss surgery and what she wishes she knew back then. The severe physical, mental, and emotional side effects of the surgery. Why Kimberly wanted to get the surgery reversed. Setting firm boundaries with family as an act of self-respect. The difficulty of rebuilding a healthy relationship with movement after experiencing trauma and disordered behaviors. How to reconnect with movement in a positive way. Overcoming avoidance and old rules to embrace a more compassionate approach to food and exercise. The role of a supportive coach in creating a safe space for healing and growth in movement and self-respect. Navigating a world that is still steeped in bias, even when you are working to free yourself.   Support the show: Enjoying this podcast? Please support the show on Patreon for bonus episodes, community engagement, and access to "Ask Abbie" at Patreon.com/fullplate   Group program: Looking for more support and concrete steps to take to heal your relationship with food and your body? Apply for Abbie's next 10-week group program: https://www.abbieattwoodwellness.com/group-coaching   Group membership: Already been at this anti-diet culture thing for a while, but want community and continued learning? Apply for Abbie's monthly membership: https://www.abbieattwoodwellness.com/circle-monthly-group   Social media: Find the show on Instagram: @fullplate.podcast Find Abbie on Instagram: @abbieattwoodwellness   Transcripts: If you’re looking for transcripts, you can find those on Abbie's website, www.abbieattwoodwellness.com/podcast   Podcast Cover Photography by Anya McInroy Podcast Editing by Brian Walters This podcast is ad-free and support comes from our Patrons on Patreon: Patreon.com/fullplate   This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit abbieattwoodwellness.substack.com/subscribe

Therapist Edie Stark joins the pod to chat all about anxiety, perfectionism, disordered eating, red flags to look out for when finding or working with a therapist, and how to protect our peace on social media. Edie has become a dear friend of mine, and I had so much fun chatting with her about her lived experience with mental health and learning differences, what drove her to become a therapist, and coping strategies to create calm and safety in our lives. Most importantly, we discuss chocolate chip cookies for a good ten minutes at the start of the episode, so if that’s not up your alley, just go ahead a hit that fast forward button. I’ll never know.  Edie is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and owner of Stark Therapy Group, a psychotherapy group practice specializing in eating disorders, trauma and anxiety from a humanistic, fat positive and inclusive lens. She believes in the value of lived experience being met with clinical knowledge to create a collaborative therapeutic experience for all of the client at STG. Edie is passionate about Trader Joe’s snacks, dismantling the US healthcare system, and the complete and total takedown of diet culture ( in no particular order). Foillow Edie: @ediestarktherapy and @starktherapygroup   Support the show: Enjoying this podcast? Please support the show on Patreon for bonus episodes, community engagement, and access to "Ask Abbie" at Patreon.com/fullplate   Group program: Looking for more support and concrete steps to take to heal your relationship with food and your body? Apply for Abbie's next 10-week group program: https://www.abbieattwoodwellness.com/group-coaching   Group membership: Already been at this anti-diet culture thing for a while, but want community and continued learning? Apply for Abbie's monthly membership: https://www.abbieattwoodwellness.com/circle-monthly-group   Social media: Find the show on Instagram: @fullplate.podcast Find Abbie on Instagram: @abbieattwoodwellness   Transcripts: If you’re looking for transcripts, you can find those on Abbie's website, www.abbieattwoodwellness.com/podcast   Podcast Cover Photography by Anya McInroy Podcast Editing by Brian Walters This podcast is ad-free and support comes from our Patrons on Patreon: Patreon.com/fullplate This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit abbieattwoodwellness.substack.com/subscribe

Have you ever thought about how diet culture has impacted your professional life, the career path you've chosen, or how you've been able to show up in that area of your life more generally? In this conversation, Abbie is joined by career and leadership coach Rachel Garrett (who is also a client of Abbie's!). We explore Rachel's story with her body and food -- from childhood influences and coping mechanismsm, to her ongoing struggle with self-acceptance, and the constant pursuit of aligning her life with her values. In particular, we focus on the intersection between diet culture and professional growth, the parallels between societal pressures in career and diet culture, focusing on productivity, appearance norms, and power dynamics. Tune in to here more about the impact of diet culture on mental space, personal values, and professional achievements, along with the effects of childhood trauma on disordered eating behaviors. Rachel Garrett is a Career and Leadership Coach supporting clients in designing careers on their own terms. With a combination of mindset shifting tools and personal branding know-how from her 15-year career in marketing, she inspires clients to confidently “speak elevator pitch", build out career paths based on their priorities and step into their worth. Prior to starting her coaching practice, Rachel built a successful career in digital and social marketing at brands like American Express, Reader’s Digest, and VNS Health. She is a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) through the International Coaching Federation and lives in Brooklyn, New York. Rachel just celebrated one year of her anti-diet journey (WOOT!) after joining one of Abbie's group programs. It's been a healing time and also one of noticing how much her eating/body road has intertwined with her career failures and successes. Learn more at rachelbgarrett.com and rachelbgarrett.com/connections.   Support the show: Enjoying this podcast? Please support the show on Patreon for bonus episodes, community engagement, and access to "Ask Abbie" at Patreon.com/fullplate   Group program: Looking for more support and concrete steps to take to heal your relationship with food and your body? Apply for Abbie's next 10-week group program: https://www.abbieattwoodwellness.com/group-coaching   Group membership: Already been at this anti-diet culture thing for a while, but want community and continued learning? Apply for Abbie's monthly membership: https://www.abbieattwoodwellness.com/circle-monthly-group   Social media: Find the show on Instagram: @fullplate.podcast Find Abbie on Instagram: @abbieattwoodwellness   Transcripts: If you’re looking for transcripts, you can find those on Abbie's website, www.abbieattwoodwellness.com/podcast   Podcast Cover Photography by Anya McInroy Podcast Editing by Brian Walters This podcast is ad-free and support comes from our Patrons on Patreon: Patreon.com/fullplate This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit abbieattwoodwellness.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a bonus episode. To listen to the full conversation, you'll need to be a paid supporter on Patreon. Join the Full Plate Patreon right here! Ragen Chastain is back for part two with us this week. This time, we continue our "is being fat bad for your health?" conversation by answering your questions about GLP-1s. We chat about the current hype around weight-loss drugs, how they "work" (or don't), and the truth about their risks and side effects. If you haven't listened to part one of my conversation with Ragen, head back to episode 116. It's a really good one, and sets the stage for our discussion about weight-loss drugs in this episode.  Ragen Chastain is a speaker, writer, researcher, Board Certified Patient Advocate, multi-certified health and fitness professional, and thought leader in weight science, weight stigma, health, and healthcare. Utilizing her background in research methods and statistics, Ragen has brought her signature mix of humor and hard facts to healthcare, corporate, conference, and college audiences from Kaiser Permanente and the Diabetes Education Specialists National Conference, to Amazon and Google, to Dartmouth, Cal Tech and canfitpro. Author of the Weight and Healthcare newsletter, the book Fat: The Owner's Manual, co-author of HAES Health Sheets, and editor of the anthology The Politics of Size, Ragen is frequently featured as an expert in print, radio, television, and documentary film. In her free time, Ragen is a national dance champion, triathlete, and marathoner who holds the Guinness World Record for Heaviest Woman to Complete a Marathon. Ragen lives in Oregon with her fiancée Julianne and a rotating cast of foster dogs. PS: I highly recommend signing up for Ragen’s Weight and Healthcare newsletter.   Support the show: Enjoying this podcast? Please support the show on Patreon for bonus episodes, community engagement, and access to "Ask Abbie" at Patreon.com/fullplate   Group program: Looking for more support and concrete steps to take to heal your relationship with food and your body? Apply for Abbie's next 10-week group program: https://www.abbieattwoodwellness.com/group-coaching   Group membership: Already been at this anti-diet culture thing for a while, but want community and continued learning? Apply for Abbie's monthly membership: https://www.abbieattwoodwellness.com/circle-monthly-group   Social media: Find the show on Instagram: @fullplate.podcast Find Abbie on Instagram: @abbieattwoodwellness   Transcripts: If you’re looking for transcripts, you can find those on Abbie's website, www.abbieattwoodwellness.com/podcast   Podcast Cover Photography by Anya McInroy Podcast Editing by Brian Walters This podcast is ad-free and support comes from our Patrons on Patreon: Patreon.com/fullplate     This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit abbieattwoodwellness.substack.com/subscribe

The idea that fatness and weight gain are synonymous with poor health has become a seemingly incontestable truth in our society. So much so that you have undoubtedly heard that “we’re in the midst of an obesity epidemic”. But where did this claim originate? And what does the research actually say about the relationship between weight and health outcomes? These two things may be connected, but not in the way we’ve been led to believe. This week, I am joined by the incredible and incomparable Ragen Chastain — who is a groundbreaking researcher in weight science, as well as a writer, speaker, and thought leader (among so many other things.) We explore the assumption that continues to uphold diet culture and anti-fat bias: “Isn’t being fat bad for your health?” Ragen helps us unpack the science — as well as the social rhetoric — that continue to perpetuate lies about fatness, health, and disease. And oh yes, we get into pharmaceutical companies, weight loss drugs, and celebrity culture. Topics discussed include: What's on Ragen's plate Ragen's food and body story, starting as a young kid Dance culture and body image The origin of the word "obese" The many problems with the term "obesity epidemic" Weight stigma in healthcare and its impact on health outcomes Weight cycling, yo-yo dieting, and cardiovascular risk How the weight-loss industry pathologized bodies for profit Public opinion, medical guidelines, and the myths about weight and health How weight loss studies are funded and designed The flaws in the research on how weight and health are related Medical education and anti-fat bias If not weight loss for health, then what?   About Ragen:  Ragen Chastain is a speaker, writer, researcher, Board Certified Patient Advocate, multi-certified health and fitness professional, and thought leader in weight science, weight stigma, and health. She is the author of the Weight and Healthcare newsletter, the blog Dances With Fat, the book Fat: The Owner's Manual, editor of the Praeger Anthology "The Politics of Size," co-author of the HAES Health Sheets. In her free time, she is a national dance champion, triathlete, and marathoner who holds the Guinness World Record for Heaviest Woman to Complete a Marathon. She lives in Oregon with her fiancée Julianne and their adorable foster dogs.   Support the show: Enjoying this podcast? Please support the show on Patreon for bonus episodes, community engagement, and access to "Ask Abbie" at Patreon.com/fullplate   Group program: Looking for more support and concrete steps to take to heal your relationship with food and your body? Apply for Abbie's next 10-week group program: https://www.abbieattwoodwellness.com/group-coaching   Group membership: Already been at this anti-diet culture thing for a while, but want community and continued learning? Apply for Abbie's monthly membership: https://www.abbieattwoodwellness.com/circle-monthly-group   Social media: Find the show on Instagram: @fullplate.podcast Find Abbie on Instagram: @abbieattwoodwellness   Transcripts: If you’re looking for transcripts, you can find those on Abbie's website, www.abbieattwoodwellness.com/podcast   Podcast Cover Photography by Anya McInroy Podcast Editing by Brian Walters This podcast is ad-free and support comes from our Patrons on Patreon: Patreon.com/fullplate This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit abbieattwoodwellness.substack.com/subscribe