This is the last episode of The Binge Eating Dietitian Podcast 💓. We discuss the reasons why the podcast is ending and what to expect moving forward from me and my services as a dietitian. I also answer a listener question about what to focus on when you have the urge to lose weight but you don’t want to go to an extreme like you did in the past that was unhealthy. Sending so much love. Thank you. Contact me: elena@elenakunicki.com Resources from this episode: Body image coaching from licensed ...
Feb 05, 2025•36 min
In this episode I interview past client Rachel - mom of 3, business owner, and fellow health and fitness lover who has ALSO struggled with her relationship with food and body image. In this episode we cover Rachel’s entire story, including: When she first felt the need to lose weight as a teenager How this spiraled into extreme food restriction and unhealthy weight loss Gaining back the weight she lost, plus more Struggling with the restrict/binge cycle for almost a decade When she knew it was t...
Jan 24, 2025•1 hr 17 min
This episode is NOT only for men! Gals - you’ll also learn what’s causing your binge eating and how to stop getting the urge to binge, and have more understanding for any men in your life who might be struggling. Here’s a preview: Main differences in how men might experience binge eating vs women: Generally, men place more self-worth on wealth and status than weight and shape, and so the pressures of “beauty standards” are less of a driver for their issues with food Men *generally* require a hig...
Jan 10, 2025•46 min
This week we’re chatting about oral hormonal contraceptives (aka the birth control pill) and bone loss . This is a common recommendation I see for my clients who’ve lost their period after eating less, exercising more or losing weight. Sometimes, they’re blood tests will show low estrogen levels, and since prolonged exposure to low estrogen can lead to a decrease in bone density, some doctors will prescribe the birth control pill to protect bone. While it’s true: the research to date (that I’m a...
Jan 03, 2025•24 min
DON’T SKIP THIS ONE! I know self-compassion can seem woo-woo and spark a lot of eye-rolling from my high achieving, perfectionistic peeps but guess what… …you need it the most. Especially if you’re struggling with binge eating or constant anxiety around food and your weight. Most issues with food go back to body image. And most issues with body image go back to a lack of self-compassion. Self-compassion is not about telling yourself lies about how beautiful and successful you are even when you d...
Jan 02, 2025•55 min
When you begin working on healing your own food and body issues, you realize just. How. fucked. Up. our society is on this front. All of a sudden you notice how much EVERYONE is talking about dieting, body weight and body shape. And it impacts all of us differently. Some of my clients are EXTREMELY triggered - having to remove themselves and hysterically cry, then struggling with anxiety and guilt around food and their body for several days after. Others find them mildly annoying, depressing, or...
Dec 20, 2024•48 min
Hey all! This week on the pod I’m talking about the 80/20 approach to nutrition. For those of you who don’t know, this is an approach to eating designed to prioritize health and nutrition-related goals without being overly perfectionistic. The general concept: make 80% of your diet whole, minimally processed, nutrient-dense foods, and you don’t need to stress about the other 20% - eat what you want. While I love this as a strategy for general health and nutrition, I don’t see it being helpful fo...
Dec 13, 2024•45 min
Hair loss is a not-fun symptom that can occur with disordered eating. Under-eating, overexercise and the mental stress of a poor relationship with food take a physical toll on the body. ALL systems are impacted - and that can include our hair. I’ve seen hair loss occur in my clients both during their food restriction and overexercise, and as they are eating more and resting more in recovery. It can be especially frustrating during recovery. You’re already facing your fear of weight gain, your bo...
Dec 06, 2024•44 min
As you probably already know, in my private practice as a dietitian, I work with clients who’ve successfully lost fast and achieved their “dream body”… …but it’s come at the expense of their mental and physical health. They’ve dieted their way to constant food thoughts, missing periods, digestive issues and urges to binge eat. They get to a point where they desire food freedom - to feel at peace and free around food. When they find my content telling them that in order to get there they have to ...
Nov 29, 2024•43 min
This week on the pod I’m sharing some REAL tips on how you can enjoy your holiday season completely free from the urge to binge. I know it might sound too good to be true, and you’ve probably already tried a million things to not act on the urge to binge. My approach is different. It’s not about finding ways to NOT eat when that urge hits. It’s about getting to the root cause and eliminating the urge all together. If you started binge eating after losing weight or getting fit - this episode is f...
Nov 22, 2024•37 min
This was my story and I’ve heard it HUNDREDS of times from women I’ve worked with over the years: You grow up feeling obsessed or insecure about your body. You lose weight (usually through an intentional fitness/weight loss journey but sometimes due to illness, grief or a traumatic event). You experience an INFLUX of compliments and you LOVE what you see in the mirror. You become *anxiously attached* to this result…your subconscious mind says: “I MUST KEEP MY BODY LOOKING THIS WAY. AT. ALL. COST...
Nov 15, 2024•35 min
Stephanie Buttermore is a fitness influencer who in 2019, popularized going “All In”. She’d spent years tracking macros, cutting and bulking, and working to be as lean and muscular as possible. But she was struggling with extreme hunger, irregular periods, and constant thoughts about food. The “All In” approach, for her, meant eating to complete satiety, every meal. Eating to satiety means eating until you feel completely content. You genuinely don’t want to eat anything else. Stephanie Buttermo...
Nov 08, 2024•27 min
Heather’s story is nothing short of amazing. She went on a MAJOR weight loss journey, losing 210 lbs over 2 years, and then went into the other direction: Restricting food so heavily as she became addicted to the numbers. Leading her to lose her period for a year, and start experiencing out of control episodes of binge eating. She went to Overeaters Anonymous to try to gain control around food - but it didn’t work. Finally she realized - her missing period and urges to binge eat were signs that ...
Nov 01, 2024•55 min
This week on the podcast I had a licensed clinical therapist, Amy Margolis, share her own story of recovery from anorexia and perfectionism + how she now helps her clients do the same. She talks about the “anorexic mindset” and how it extends far beyond food. If you’re someone who’s struggling with anxiety, guilt or feeling out of control around food AND… ➡️ You always feel like you need to be doing MORE… ➡️ You need to do a million things to EARN something pleasurable (whether that be rest, foo...
Oct 25, 2024•56 min
In school to become a dietitian, I was struggling massively in my relationship with food. Weekly binge episodes that felt like an addict getting their fix - lying, stealing and hiding so I could eat, then crying and feeling depressed for days after. Intense anxiety in any situation that was off my “usual routine” with food - holidays, parties, restaurant meals. I distinctly remember one day, sitting in lecture and learning about eating disorders. The words “Anorexia Nervosa” plastered across the...
Oct 18, 2024•56 min
So last week I sent an email to my list talking about food freedom and fat loss. I said: “Food freedom feels like being in control around food but not NEEDING to control food - because: 1. It’s just not AS exciting anymore (don’t get me wrong I still LOVE food but I don’t feel addicted to it) 2. You trust your body. That when you have more cravings or hunger you must need the food, and you know it will balance out later on” And one of my list members responded. She said: “If that is the case the...
Oct 11, 2024•56 min
Live Class + Q&A - Thursday Oct 10th! (*You can still watch the recording if you're seeing this in the future!) Register, or catch the recording, via this link: bit.ly/howIstoppedbingeeating
Oct 08, 2024•2 min
For 4 years I was trying to stop binge eating. I was a disciplined person. Dean’s list 4/4 years at Penn State on track to become a dietitian. Worked out 6 days a week and hit my 10-15k steps daily. Was complimented for my abs, my commitment to “eating healthy”. But behind the scenes: I’d wake up in the morning at least once a week and the despair would sink in as I remembered eating a whole box of cereal, all of my roommates peanut butter pretzels, and going to the store for more food. Througho...
Oct 04, 2024•51 min
After my 4 year struggle with binge eating, trying desperately to regain the control around food I had at the beginning of my fitness journey, I was fucking done. I finally realized that RESTRICTION was the root cause - my missing periods, uncontrollable urges to eat anything in sight, and chronic constipation and boat were clear evidence of that. But I didn’t know HOW to eat anymore without rules, calorie targets, or a specific diet plan to follow. So I read the book Intuitive Eating and tried ...
Sep 27, 2024•1 hr
If you’re reading this, it’s likely because you’re struggling with some combo (or all) of these 4 symptoms: ➡️Binge eating ➡️Missing periods ➡️Constant food thoughts ➡️Anxiety/guilt around food You went through a fitness/weight loss journey, felt SUPER in control and “finally” confident in your body, but then these issues crept in and it’s been a struggle to regain control ever since. The reason you’re struggling with these things? You are engaging in RESTRICTION around food vs RESTRAINT or Intu...
Sep 20, 2024•41 min
You may have heard before that in order to get your period back with Hypothalamic Amenorrhea (aka a missing period due to under eating, overexercise and/or STRESS)...you need to exercise less. With my clients, I actually recommend taking a FULL exercise break. I believe this to be proven by the data we have on women who lose their periods due to HA, and the BEST path to regaining optimal hormonal health + become truly healthy and fit. I took a 3 month exercise break back in 2018, and have walked...
Sep 13, 2024•52 min
So you’ve seen a “bad” photo or video of yourself. You were kind of shocked at what you saw, it doesn’t match with how you think you look. Or it’s “worse” than what you thought. You’re picking apart certain parts of your body - your face, your belly, your arms - and maybe judging them as “fat” or “ugly”. A COMMON response is to say: “Omg. Something needs to change. It’s time to start working out more, eating less, or doing a new diet so I can lose weight and change these parts of my body.” This ...
Sep 06, 2024•38 min
If you’re struggling with disordered eating as well as period problems - I’ve got some information to help you. My clients are women who have a history of dieting, losing weight and undergoing a “fitness journey”, after which they start struggling with missing or irregular periods as well as binge eating or constant food thoughts. Many of them spend months-years trying to figure out WHY their period is irregular, getting little-to-no answers from their doctors other than: “You probably have PCOS...
Aug 28, 2024•37 min
My clients often struggle with listening to and TRUSTING their hunger cues. After years of dieting and controlling their weight, they’re more used to following external food rules than their bodies. This not only leads to things like missing periods, digestive issues, food obsession and binge eating… …it also leads them to ask the question “am I REALLY hungry? Or am I just bored?” 😵💫When they’re sitting at their desk working and can’t stop thinking about the pre-prepped asian chicken and rice...
Aug 21, 2024•42 min
Past client Emily is back on the podcast this week sharing her 1 year update. She went from being so obsessed with “healthy” eating that she was deathly afraid of sugar and dairy 😁… …to casually saying yes to ice cream on a date for the experience, and naturally not finishing it 🤷🏼♀️. From feeling literally possessed by a demon during her binge episodes… …to sitting in disbelief that she ever even had the urge to binge 🤯(that’s how at peace she feels around food). From feeling constant pres...
Aug 14, 2024•58 min
➡️ You think you’ve stopped restricting food, but you’re still struggling with binge eating… ➡️ You’re baffled as to why your period is missing because you’re at a “healthy weight” and think you eat enough... ➡️ You have a history of a “restrictive period” where you’re like: 🤔 “Yea. I was definitely under eating and overexercising back then…” 😡 “...but now I’m fine! I eat way more. I allow myself to eat less healthy foods in moderation. I just can’t STOP eating them once I start. Why can’t I j...
Aug 07, 2024•40 min
😢 “I was a fat child who loved food too much” 🍫 “I’m just addicted to sweets” 😪 “I’m always just going to have to try to control myself around them” ⬆️ I couldn’t be around sweets without spiraling into a binge episode, and these were my real thoughts as to why. 🍬I always loved sweet foods as a child, but it wasn’t until I started dieting that I started feeling obsessed and out-of-control around them. If you can relate - know you’re not alone. 👋 I’m 6 years free from the urge to binge and c...
Jul 31, 2024•47 min
In 2018 I took a 3 month break from exercise. No lifting. No cardio. I didn’t even go for walks unless I GENUINELY wanted to (which I didn’t in the beginning). This was part of healing from the previous 4 years of under-eating and overexercise… …which led me to lose my period, struggle with massive binge eating episodes at least once per week, and feel controlled by my obsession with food. Now, 6 years later? I’m about to compete in my first Crossfit competition. I train HARD and often, and I’ve...
Jul 24, 2024•57 min
If you’ve been consuming my content you hear me say this all the time. The KEY step to stopping binge eating and getting your period back without the pill is to let go of ALL food rules and give yourself unconditional permission to eat. What does this mean? Eating WHAT you want, WHEN you want, until you DON’T WANT ANYMORE. What’s the purpose of giving unconditional permission to eat? To provide your body with the calories it needs to heal from under eating and overexercise To psychologically “ha...
Jul 17, 2024•1 hr 2 min
The basic steps to being completely free from the urge to binge, getting your period back without the pill and stopping constant food thoughts are: ➡️Stop dieting ➡️Give yourself full permission to eat ➡️Listen to ALL of your hunger cues (mental and physical) ➡️Take an exercise break But the REAL work? Is coping with the negative thoughts and DIFFICULT AS FUCK emotions that come up when you implement these steps. 💔Body image struggles 😱Catastrophic thoughts of spiraling into never ending weigh...
Jul 10, 2024•42 min
