This episode is about diabetes. Diabetes is the one condition that everyone seems to agree the only answer is weight loss. But what if that wasn’t the answer? What if there was another way? And what if the intentional weight loss idea was actually more harmful to someone with diabetes?

Glenys Oyston, RDN is a Texas-based Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor and body image coach who helps recover from eating and body image issues created by toxic diet culture through the non-diet approach. She was the co-host of the Dietitians Unplugged Podcast and is a co-creator of the Haes-aligned online program, Self-Care for Diabetes.

Dr Lara Zibarras is a psychologist and food freedom coach. She helps women create a healthy and happy relationship with food, without guilt or emotional eating. She is the founder of the Health Mindset Matters program which helps women discover the science and psychology behind their eating struggles and binges. She teaches women how to tune into their bodies and rediscover how to eat for both nourishment and enjoyment - creating a mindset for sustainable health.

This conversation is all about research. Alright, it may sound boring. But trust me, you’ll learn things that you haven’t heard before (come back and thank me later). Sitting with us today is Molly Fennig, an author and clinical psychology student dedicated to eating disorder research. Her book entitled Starvation has received multiple recognition and has inspired many. Molly is always one step ahead in impacting the world by using quantitative and qualitative strategies to back up her interest in eating disorder treatments. She’s now pursuing her Ph.D. at Washington University in St. Louis. and has been a part of multiple studies in the eating disorder field. 

Learn what does evidence-based research mean, fact-checking studies, interpreting subjective research, and the fundamentals of how we become better critical thinkers when we hear the famous term “research shows.” Tune in to this episode and discover more.

Jessica Setnick has worked in the eating disorder field for nearly 25 years, as well as her own eating disorder recovery. She envisions a world where no one is ashamed to talk about their eating issues, and everyone who wants it has access to help. She works toward these goals by educating health professionals and the public, especially through her training workshop, Eating Disorders Boot Camp, and her Eating Disorders Pocket Guides. She started a professional organization for eating disorder dietitians through which she advocates for legislation to improve access to care. 

Anyway, about the title. I know what you’re thinking, “Um, eating disorders are definitely a problem,” and you’re not incorrect. This chat will highlight why eating disorders have come about because they were solutions to a larger problem. Solving that problem will enable you to get rid of ED for good. Solving just the problem of ED will leave you with the roots untouched. That’s when your body, psyche, whatever will find another solution to the larger problem.

Also, we talk about how anger can get the best of us and how we can approach conflict in a way that helps us learn more. Obviously not easy 🙄.

After sobbing in her boss’s office 15 years ago, Julie Duffy Dillon, registered dietitian and PCOS expert, taught her last diet. Once she saw the anti-fat bias, she couldn't unsee it. Now Julie helps people with PCOS confidently tackle health concerns moving forward without shame and blame. She teaches them how to burn their PCOS diet books while bringing clarity into their relationship with food and body.

Listen as we debunk common “weight gain” misconceptions together and break down the intricacies of how diets could bring risk to someone diagnosed with PCOS. Julie will guide us through finding the exact tools that could give us relief when dealing with these hormonal shifts. Add more value to this episode by paying it forward to someone who needs it. ❤️

In this episode, we will be unpacking Alexis’s Diet Free Revolution. We talk about incorporating mindfulness (insert eyeball if you feel like it, we’ll talk directly to you soon) and compassion and why they are so important. We’ll talk about some major problems with diet culture, society’s obsession with wellness and thinness, and how you can break free from the ridiculous standards.

Alexis Conason, PsyD, CEDS-S, is a clinical psychologist and certified eating disorder specialist in private practice in New York City. She is the owner of Conason Psychological Services, a Health At Every Size ®-informed group therapy practice specializing in the treatment of binge eating disorder, disordered eating, and body image. She is the founder of The Anti-Diet Plan, a weight-inclusive online mindful eating program and is the author of The Diet-Free Revolution: 10 Steps to Free Yourself from the Diet-Cycle with Mindful Eating and Radical Self-Acceptance (North Atlantic Books, 2021). She was previously a research associate at the New York Nutrition Obesity Research Center in affiliation with Columbia University. Her research has been published in peer-reviewed journals, she is a frequent speaker at conferences, and she has been featured widely as an expert on the topics of mindful eating, body image, and diet culture in the media. ​

Dr. Danielle Novack is a pioneer in the world of psychoanalysis and eating disorders. She’s the one who writes the papers I use for myself. She has a profound way of understanding one’s relationship with food and is sharing some of that with us here.

If you’re into unconscious processes, this is your episode. Danielle talks about the topic of dissociation, how it happens, why it happens, and how it comes out throughout our lives. We break down how we see the mind-body disconnect in various ED symptoms. And most importantly, we identify how in the world a person can work through it.

A bit more about her: Dr. Danielle Novack is a clinical psychologist in private practice in Manhattan. She has over 20 years of experience working with eating disorders and concerns related to food, weight and body image. She has written scholarly articles and chapters on the psychoanalytic treatment of eating disorders, and she serves as a clinical supervisor for psychology doctoral students. Dr. Novack is currently completing her psychoanalytic training at the NYU Postdoctoral Program in Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis.

Dawn Lundin is a registered dietitian, endurance athlete, and full-time mom. She also runs a virtual private practice focusing on eating disorders and sports nutrition. She aims to help clients achieve nutrition and athletic-related goals and shift their mindset into a happier and healthier manner.

Join us in today’s discussion as we dig deeper into how you can manage your relationship with exercise so that it serves you. Dawn also shares some first-hand insights on how one can reframe their thoughts and break food/movement bondage. We break down how athletes and non-athletes are different yet similar. Feeling chaotic in your relationship with movement? Feeling anxious about not working out? This one is for you.

Metaphors for eating disorders: this is one of my favorite topics, hands down.

A bit about Courtney: Courtney is a passionate and dedicated therapist who obtained her graduate degree from New York University. She is a licensed creative arts therapist in New York State, Certified Eating Disorders Therapist (CEDCAT) and a registered/board certified drama therapist with over 10 years of clinical experience.

Courtney brings warmth, compassion, and insight, offering clients an avenue to examine their thoughts and feelings in a nonjudgmental space. She brings all this to our conversation about metaphors and how we can utilize these ideas to incorporate into our food healing journey. 

Welcome to another episode of Understanding Disordered Eating. In this episode, we’re talking to Courtney Vickery. Courtney is a licensed dietitian, part-time Nutritional Science instructor at The University of Georgia, and a certified intuitive eating counselor. She is also the founder and owner of Vickery Wellness, where its primary goal is to help clients break free from the bondage of fad diets and eating disorders. In addition, she also works with young adults and college students who yearn to achieve eating disorder recovery.

Today, Courtney and I will be discussing everything you need to know about the prevalence of eating disorders in college students and how important it is to get the support that they need—proving to the students that there is more to life than counting calories and carbs.

Jeffrey DeSarbo, D.O. is a physician, psychiatrist and Medical Director of ED-180 Eating Disorder Treatment Programs in Garden City, N.Y., one of the largest private treatment centers in the country. His personal practice manages about 400 patients with eating disorders and related conditions. Dr. DeSarbo is an IAEDP certified supervisor overseeing the specialized training of other clinicians in the eating disorder field. He is the host of the podcast Translating ED and the producer of the free YouTube series The Brain and Neurobiology of Eating Disorders.

Join us in this episode to discuss important topics such as the relationship between eating disorders and neurobiology, biological predisposition, and the science behind irregular eating patterns. If you’ve ever thought “I just have to rewire my brain”, this episode is definitely for you!

Jennifer McGurk is the CEO of Pursuing Private Practice, a coaching practice empowering non-diet dietitians to grow their practice. She is also the owner of Eat With Knowledge, a group private practice in New York. On top of that, Jennifer is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist with a heart. Her mission is to aid every client to be at peace with food, help them in their eating disorder recovery, and as well as to get support and accountability in building a business.

In this episode, we will be navigating the relationship between success, business, wellness, and diet culture. We talk about how hustle culture is so similar to diet culture and how we can make peace with where we are at in business as well as with our relationship with food. Tune in to today’s session and find out more.