All the self-help input in the world feels like it makes sense until the moment a binge urge presents itself – and then what? In this episode, we discuss: Announcement: More live Zoom Community events! Is the point of recovery to get rid of binge urges or to manage them? Permission to binge as a binge management tool Are there different kinds of binge urges? What do binge urges feel like physically? Binge urges as rebel urges Boundaries and honesty with the self for binge prevention Connect with...
Jan 05, 2022•38 min•Ep. 25
Have you ever looked at a photograph of yourself and moved into a bad body image spiral? What is it about photos that feels so triggering? In this episode, we discuss: Why Sarah changed the topic of this episode at the last minute The difference between intellectual body image and emotional body image How a photo feels in the moment vs how it feels a few days later Stef’s photo shoot experience Anticipating an emotional reaction to photographs Should you avoid looking at photographs if it feels ...
Dec 29, 2021•45 min•Ep. 24
GUIDED MEDITATION TO RESET AFTER OVEREATING, BINGE EATING AND/OR EMOTIONAL EATING – Sarah shares her guided meditation to help you find balance after an episode of out-of-control eating. Compulsive eating is a cycle and sometimes the place to break in the cycle is how we treat ourselves AFTER we have binged by shifting our emotional state and setting an intention that will help to restore balance. Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/lifeafterdietspodcast Email – lifeafterdietspodcast@gmail.com...
Dec 24, 2021•15 min
Have you ever felt like you might be truly addicted to food? Have you been told that food is addictive and you have to avoid certain foods in order to have control over your eating? In this episode, we discuss: Is food addiction about the food or the behavior? The role of the addiction model in OA The withdrawal effect of a post-binge day Do “hyperpalatable” foods automatically mean they are addictive? How your emotional state may trigger an addictive behavior Rebellion looking like addiction Is...
Dec 22, 2021•42 min
This week, Sarah & Stef answer a listener question: is there hope for healing even after having an eating disorder for decades? We discuss: The role of social media in recovery Is recovery a real thing, anyway? The emerging role of somatic experiencing The difference between younger clients and older clients in therapy and coaching Readiness that comes with age References: Somatic Experiencing The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk Waking the Tiger by Peter Levine Connect with the s...
Dec 15, 2021•37 min•Ep. 22
Has dieting been center-stage for so long that you don’t know who you would be without it? In this conversation, we discuss: Dieting, body image, and the pursuit of recovery as an identity The Diet Personality vs the Restricting Personality How our identities can feel black and white in a dieting mentality Why is dieting “bad” if it helps us create a sense of purpose? How dieting behaviors show up in other parts of our lives How Sarah & Stef’s self-perceptions have shifted post-recovery The ...
Dec 08, 2021•49 min•Ep. 21
So many people are on board with the idea of not dieting anymore, but does that mean giving up on weight loss entirely? In this episode, we dive into: Can you diet and heal from dieting at the same time? Can you heal your relationship with food and return to the pursuit of weight loss? Does “taking better care of yourself” mean you’ll lose weight? Why can some people diet “successfully” then? Sarah & Stef’s experience with weight fluctuations in recovery What are we seeking through not dieti...
Dec 01, 2021•48 min
But How Do I Handle My Relatives? As we head into the holiday season, discussions about family dynamics and boundary setting with loved ones is a relevant conversation post-dieting. Do you find it difficult to stay grounded in the presence of family members? Is it harder to stay in a protected headspace? Join the conversation where we talk about: The roles we play with our family members The difference between being “close” and not having boundaries Stef’s experience of enmeshed family dynamics ...
Nov 24, 2021•49 min•Ep. 19
All or Nothing (otherwise known as black and white) thinking is one of the most common thought patterns of disordered eaters. Do you ever feel like you’ve eaten one “bad” food and you “might as well keep going?” Or feel rigid thinking that turns into an all-out binge? In this episode, we talk about: What is black and white thinking? How black & white thinking shows up with food Gray area thinking associated with mediocrity “This might not be true” thinking What is the link between self-compa...
Nov 17, 2021•46 min•Ep. 18
Are you still influenced by the diet culture messages you received in childhood? Does your family conditioning still impact your beliefs and behaviors about food and eating? In this episode, Sarah and Stef take a look at: Jane Fonda, Nair commercials, and Disney princesses Beliefs about the “ideal feminine” and gender hierarchies, especially in previous generations Sarah’s memory of mangoes and Stef’s memory of ravioli Sundays When one parent has a troubled relationship with food Happy memories ...
Nov 10, 2021•40 min
Do you feel obsessed with thoughts of food? In this episode, Stef & Sarah talk about the reasons this may be happening for you -- none of which include being selfish, addicted, or gluttonous! We cover: The role of restriction in food obsession (including the role of ghrelin, the hunger hormone) Food obsession driven by feelings of food guilt, including guilt about not eating “clean” enough Is it food obsession or anxiety? Thinking about food as a way of escaping your thoughts or reality The ...
Nov 03, 2021•39 min•Ep. 16
In this episode, Sarah and Stef discuss the role of rules, comfort, joy, creativity, and boundaries in relation to food-as-reward. We’ll take a look at: Food as a pressure-release system at the end of a long day How diet culture has manipulated happy, comfort foods as something we have to earn Sarah & Stef’s memories of food as rewards or treats Stef’s concept of “joy reservoirs” The interplay of body image and reward What does creativity have to do with this concept? Saying No more often to...
Oct 27, 2021•41 min•Ep. 15
In this episode, Sarah and Stef make sense of the impulse to eat when your rational brain doesn’t want to be eating. Do you ever feel conflicted about eating? Do you feel like you self-sabotage? We’ll take a look at: Why the conscious brain and the subconscious mind have different agendas Eating just to “get it over with” Eating from rebellion or to access pleasure Can you talk yourself out of a binge? Is non-consenting eating just a habit? Connect with the show! Instagram – https://www.instagra...
Oct 20, 2021•39 min
B ut I Can’t Cope With My Emotions In this episode, Sarah and Stef talk about the role of emotions in binge eating versus emotional eating recovery. Do you feel like you’ve tried “sitting with” your feelings but it doesn’t make a difference? Or that you don’t know what to do with your emotions at all? We’ll take a look at: Why addressing emotions doesn’t always “work” to stop binge eating The issues of existential loneliness How food distracts us from our emotions What boundaries have to do with...
Oct 13, 2021•37 min•Ep. 13
But I Can’t Cope with My Weight Gain In this episode, Sarah and Stef talk about how difficult it is to deal with weight gain that we experience from binge eating or overeating, as well as the weight we may gain after giving up diets.. Do you feel like you want to give up diets but feel torn about the possibility of gaining weight? Or do you feel distress about the weight you’ve gained during overeating or binge eating periods? We take a look at: Feeling a sense of panic that weight gain will nev...
Oct 06, 2021•47 min•Ep. 12
In this episode, Sarah and Stef talk about exercise, movement and impact on weight, hunger and mental health. Do you struggle to approach exercise in a non-diet way? If you’re not losing weight do you find it difficult to motivate yourself to get moving? We take a look at: Our relationship to exercise Having a routine vs flexibility When to move and when to rest Examining self-talk about exercise Exercise vs “movement’ Connect with the show! Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/lifeafterdietspo...
Sep 29, 2021•40 min•Ep. 11
Do you find yourself eating when you’re bored? In this episode, Sarah & Stef interrogate the feeling of boredom and how it relates to eating urges. We cover things like: What is boredom, really? Why Sarah dislikes terms like "tolerate" and "sit with" when it comes to emotions. What do you DO to cope with an emotion like boredom? Boredom, eating, and watching TV If you eat when you're bored, can you still feel the emotions? Structure as support Do we have to fix it? Connect with the show! Ins...
Sep 22, 2021•30 min•Ep. 10
But What If I Need to Diet For My Health? In this episode, Sarah and Stef discuss the idea of dieting for health reasons. Do you believe weight loss will improve your health? Are there foods you need to avoid and feel guilty for still having them? We take a look at: How linked are weight loss and health? Food intolerances and bingeing Dealing with guilt about the impact of our eating on our health Stef’s experience with IGG tests Self-sabotage and rebellion Connect with the show! Instagram – htt...
Sep 15, 2021•44 min•Ep. 9
In this episode, Sarah and Stef talk about the difference between food rules and food boundaries. Have you ever felt like you don’t want food rules, but you feel lost without some kind of structure? We talk about: The definition of rules vs the definitions of boundaries Why rules feel good at first Stages of setting boundaries When are you ready to set a boundary? Sarah’s morning video technique Stef’s “go-to” list technique Why can some people follow rules and I can’t? Connect with the show! In...
Sep 08, 2021•40 min•Ep. 8
In this episode Sarah and Stef talk about bad body image days. Do you look in the mirror and hate what you see? It’s a big subject, so this week we are focusing on What it’s like to have poor body image Creating a more neutral response to body dissatisfaction Cognitive dissonance Body acceptance How we handle a bad body image day Connect with the show! Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/lifeafterdietspodcast/ Email – lifeafterdietspodcast@gmail.com Connect with Sarah Dosanjh Website – www.the...
Sep 01, 2021•42 min•Ep. 7
In this episode, Sarah & Stef discuss the different ways hunger can show up and different ways of responding to it. Does it matter if hunger is physical, mental, hormonal, or emotional? How should we handle each kind of hunger? We discuss things like: Should we listen to hunger signals when we're not physically hungry? Why Sarah gets triggered to eat when she's cold Symptoms of hunger Why our brains won't stop thinking about food Why you can last so long without feeling hungry and then feel ...
Aug 25, 2021•36 min•Ep. 6
In this episode Sarah and Stef delve into the idea of self-compassion. Can self-compassion be a tool for changing your behaviour, or is it a way to let yourself off the hook? Tune in to hear us talk about Common misunderstandings about self-compassion Why it’s easier to have compassion for others Shame around binge eating and our bodies Improving negative self-talk Kindness vs compassion Never feeling good enough Connect with the show! Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/lifeafterdietspodcast/...
Aug 18, 2021•38 min•Ep. 5
Have you ever tried Intuitive Eating (IE) and thought: this doesn't work for me? Sarah & Stef discuss some of the reasons why this might be happening, including: Is IE the gold standard? Turning IE into another set of rules Allowing foods versus permission to binge Approaching IE as another way to lose weight Permission to take what you need and leave the rest Fullness as a trigger vs fullness as a positive experience Wanting to lose weight before starting IE Connect with the show! Instagram...
Aug 11, 2021•36 min•Ep. 4
In this episode we look at that all-important question many of us have asked ourselves – why can’t I stop eating? In an attempt to answer this question Sarah and Stef discuss the following: Compulsive and trance-like eating The role of biology and the nervous system in our eating behaviours Physical restriction vs mental restriction Brain hunger vs physical hunger Binge-restrict cycle Overeating post dieting Keeping busy to eat less Connect with the show! Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/li...
Aug 04, 2021•39 min•Ep. 3
Welcome to the second episode of the Life After Diets podcast. This week Sarah and Stef talk about the desire to lose weight, even after giving up dieting. We deep dive into topics like: Is weight loss incompatible with giving up diets? The reasons why we decided to stop pursuing weight loss Weight set point theory How we deal with friends talking about weight loss and dieting Why we feel like we need others to approve of our bodies Why giving up weight loss isn't just a vanity issue Acceptance/...
Aug 04, 2021•41 min•Ep. 2
Welcome to the pilot episode of the Life After Diets podcast. This week Sarah and Stef share their own stories of eating disorder recovery and body image healing. Tune in to hear them talk about the lows and highs of their journeys, including When they realised their disordered eating was a problem The swing between dieting and binge eating Binge eating disorder vs bulimia nervosa, eating disorders vs disordered eating The many ways they tried to ‘fix’ their eating problems Hitting rock bottom (...
Aug 04, 2021•48 min•Ep. 1
