Body Kindness

In this episode I talk with fellow HAES dietitian Glenys Oyston and body image coach Sarah Vance about the confusing and difficult space between “non dieting” and “healthy eating”. There’s a process to changing to a non-dieter, which includes letting go of food rules, and then working with your individual food preferences as you build intuitive eating skills and learn how to “feel your feels”. We go many different places in this conversation from the “Unicorn Drink Craze” that showed us how sugar phobic our culture really is today and how emotional eating can be informative and even helpful in life, especially while you’re overcoming dieting and working on coping with negative emotions in ways other than food. Overall, we complain that dieting has ruined the idea of healthy eating because it labels individual foods as good or bad vs one’s overall pattern of eating, which literally can include all foods. We agree that “healthy eating” is highly individual and should not be tied to weight. We close out our chat

Holley Grainger is a registered dietitian -- "the expert", but even experts struggle. Holley e-mailed me privately and asked about a family member who wanted to try the HCG diet (on top of the other dozens she tried that have not worked) and I asked her to join me on a podcast to discuss it. In this episode Holley opens up about her genetically larger body compared to her peers, her weight gain during her fertility treatments that gave her two healthy girls. "How can I still love my body at the same time while I want to get to a healthier place", she asks. Weight concerns make sense because our culture sucks. I help Holley understand that diet culture keeps her stuck in an "I’m not good enough" mental place and continually believing her body is a "problem." I share a story about a client who was body shamed by her gynecologist and the Kevin Hall NIH research on NBC’s The Biggest Loser that shows the metabolic reasons why dieting -- cutting calories and over exercise -- is followed by a “fight back” from the b

Whether you’re a chronic dieter, a person who “eats clean”, or a dedicated exerciser who never seems to take a rest day, you never know when the day will come when your eyes open up and you realize what you’re doing is no longer working for you. “How did I get here and how can I get out?”. When you first have your “wake up call,” pay attention. You won’t have all the answers for what you should do next. You won’t be in the same place as someone else. Uncertainty can keep you just scared enough to prevent you from moving forward and taking action. But just one step, one scary risk, can be exactly what you need to liberate yourself from diet culture. Change is not just good, it’s normal. Follow my conversation with fellow intuitive eating dietitian, Alexis Joseph, as she shares her epiphany that her blog, brand, and personal life was disordered and no longer serving her. I loved her blog post “I have been changed for good” which shares more of her story. I hope this chat helps people (including dietitians, trai

Elyse Resch knows all about Intuitive Eating because she is the co-author of the Intuitive Eating book and workbook, along with previous podcast guest Evelyn Tribole (Episode 26). In this episode, we talk about Intuitive Eating in the family dynamic. We are all born with an internal wisdom, but we get pulled away by diet culture and external regulation of eating - even as young kids with well-intentioned parents. Elyse gives a plethora of tips to raising Intuitive Eaters on this show, including some things I haven’t heard yet like food preferences being brain based and hormonally driven -- like if you have a penchant for sweet and creamy vs salty and crunchy. Tune in and find out how you can set boundaries on body and weight talk with doctors and other people who may have concerns for your child’s weight -- and if you’re concerned, some specific ways you can positively encourage intuitive eating skills in your kids and teenagers. About Elyse Elyse Resch, MS, RDN, CEDRD, FAND, is a nutrition therapist in priva

When the Netflix Original 'To the Bone' was released many helping professionals who work with people with eating disorders were not too happy. The primary complaint was concern that (once again) stereotypes for eating disorders would be reinforced by centering the story around a very thin white woman. See here: How Current Eating Disorder Discourse Fails The LGBTQ Community. And How We Can Change That To the Bone: creating eating disorder awareness or doing harm As An Eating Disorder Therapist, I’m Worried After Seeing Netflix’s ‘To The Bone’ Why We Need More ‘Hunger’ And Less ‘To The Bone’ I sat down with Chevese Turner, founder of the Binge Eating Disorder Association (BEDA) to discuss the myths and misconceptions about who gets eating disorders (we all do) and how we can all do better to identify and help those struggling find recovery. It’s pretty tricky because many people with weight concerns show up to diet programs and weight loss centers when they could have an eating disorder. In this episode

Kate T Parker is known for her viral photos of strong girls just being themselves, which is now compiled into a book, Strong is the New Pretty. This beautiful book celebrates girls for who they are, not their appearance or shape. Growing up Kate was always encouraged to be herself -- messy hair, muddy knees, and all! As a mom herself, she passes this empowering mindset on to who kids and she challenges the cultural labeling of what girls “should” be in order to be a girl. In this podcast we discussed how she got into photography (hint: passion, passion, passion). We touch on the real benefits of exercise - like feeling good, not weighing less. We address why it can be so darn hard just posing in the picture when you struggle with body kindness -- and how to stop erasing yourself from your life. Then we get into the theme behind the images in the book, which is organized by positive character traits, not appearance-focused “beauty” requirements. One sample quote: Hayley, age 10 “I think girls should focus way

Guys have body image issues too, they just aren’t talking about it. In fact, research shows over 90% of men struggle in some way with body dissatisfaction and negative affect (negative opinions of self), or negative emotions and thoughts towards one’s body (Castonguay et al. 2014). In this episode, fellow HAES dietitian Aaron Flores and I discuss the “dad bod” that requires men to have muscle and a bit of softness to show they like to workout and eat pizza. While it’s still body oppression and a singular “ideal” for men to strive to become, we acknowledge that it’s much more forgiving and flexible than the thin ideals for women. We delve into the ways men’s body image issues look different than women’s and why most men wouldn’t dare to bring up their weight and body concerns with their friends. Mainly, it has to do with societal expectations of men to maintain power, be strong, and solve problems, not have problems. We discuss how men can set boundaries with their male friends around diets, weight loss, and m

I sat down with my long time friend, fellow dietitian, mama, and co-author of the new book 'Born to Eat', Leslie Schilling. We share our experience as kids with family members who dieted and how we began to notice the intergenerational impact of dieting as adults with kids of our own. But that’s just the warm up. In one of my favorite conversations to date, you’ll learn about why Leslie had to drop her “achievement idol” in order to find true happiness in life, recover from the traumatic high risk pregnancy that left her hospitalized for nearly two months, and find a way to make meaning of her good friend’s untimely death that left her devastated. Leslie is an amazing mom and friend because of her challenges in life, not despite them. We eventually get to chatting about her amazing book, Born to Eat, which we joke is like “body kindness for babies”. You’ll learn all about how Leslie came to embrace baby led weaning as a feeding approach for her family and then show me and her co-author, our friend and chef/di

We all know the voice of the “inner critic” where nothing is ever good enough and you’re on high alert about… well, most everything. The job of the critic voice (which is not YOU) is to keep you worried and afraid. Anita Johnston thinks worrying is a good use of imagination because it brings transformational change. A pioneer of the use of metaphor in helping people heal, Anita discusses how you can acknowledge your inner critic “voice” without giving her front stage permission to rule your life and all the choices you make around food, exercise, and body. Anita shares an activity from her Light of the Moon Cafe course on “creating the inner mother.” Tune in to practice this activity yourself and get several of her metaphorical lessons that have helped me over the years and embrace them as part of your Body Kindness transformation, including my all-time favorite “The Log”. Plus, you’ll get a story about my surprise dinner with Anita way back in the day when I was just coming out of dieting and how watching he

In this episode, Bernie and I finally catch up on the mind-blowing podcast episodes from “masturbation month” in May. We also discuss the stigma we faced growing up around body pleasure and we share our passion for helping our kids grow up with better sexual health as part of their overall well-being. --- You can subscribe to Body Kindness on iTunes and Stitcher. Enjoy the show? Please rate it on iTunes! - http://getpodcast.reviews/id/1073275062 Are you ready for Body Kindness? Get started today with my free e-course and on-demand digital training. Learn more - http://bit.ly/2k23nbT The New York Times Book Review calls Body Kindness “simple and true”. Publisher’s Weekly says it’s “a rousing guide to better health.” http://bit.ly/2k228t9 Watch my videos about why we need Body Kindness on YouTube. https://youtu.be/W7rATQpv5y8?list=PLQPvfnaYpPCUT9MOwHByVwN1f-bL2rn1V Did you enjoy the podcast? Please subscribe and rate it. Have a show idea or guest recommendation (even yourself!) E-mail podcast@bodykindnessbook.

[Adult content & language] Dr. Sybil Lockhart is no "Masters and Johnson" - she’s so much more! With OMGyes.com, Dr. Lockhart is taking men and women to the next level of pleasure with a website dedicated to the education of women’s sexual pleasure with unique videos, vocabulary, and even interactive tools to practice techniques. Sybil says when we’re open up to giving ourselves pleasure (even if struggling with body image), we are more open up to all the other good things in the world. She says “any starting point is a good starting point, even if you never had an orgasm.” I had the pleasure of testing out the website and I have to say, it’s very cool, very comforting, and very fun. Plus, Emma Watson has a subscription so it must be good. JK. I hope you like this episode and all the other sex-themed Body Kindness podcasts this month. --- Get to know Sybil Sybil Lockhart studied psychology at UC Berkeley and neuroscience at Brandeis university. She has taught high school English and French, done post-doct

[Adult content & language] Elle Chase had a lifetime of terrible sex so you don't have to -- any more! In this lively, laughter-filled, and stimulating conversation we discuss very specifically how you can get more out of your sex life, and how you can reconcile poor body image and a poor sex life. It's not your fault, you were not broken and there are steps you can take that can make a difference, even if they seem small and insignificant. If you get nothing else out of this conversation I want you to understand that you are not alone and that your effort to pursue more happiness and confidence can begin in the bedroom, whether you're by yourself or with a partner you care about. --- Get to know Elle Sex educator, activist, author and speaker Elle Chase is a powerful voice and thought leader in the sexual health community with a key influencer in the body acceptance movement. A member of the American College of Sexologists and the International Society for the Study of Women’s Sexual Health, Chase and he

When Melissa Fabello talks, sex is bound to come up. It’s her job. As a sexuality scholar and body acceptance activist, Melissa sees so clearly that diet culture, body image, and sexuality intersect in ways that contribute to bodies experiencing oppression. One example is the lack of permission to bring our body pleasure and enjoy our sexual selves. From our basic human need to experience touch as a form of connection, to getting a nice massage, to the “Big O” when we struggle with our body image we are also likely to struggle with allowing ourselves to express desires and to feel pleasure through our bodies. This is not a chat about “here’s what you need to do to have a normal sex life.” In fact, Melissa offers a very interesting answer to this reader question at the end of the show. This conversation will help you understand that girls and women aren’t allowed to experience sexuality in positive ways and that impacts our body image. We discuss the “power dynamics” of subject vs object in our society and, pe

[Adult content & language] How do we teach our daughters to respect their bodies, while still being curious about their sexuality? What do you say to a 2 or 3 year old in the bath? Would you tell a 10-year-old what the clitoris is for? If you’re squirming in your chair, so am I, but this is important issue if we really want our kids to normalize sex. Body liberation and sexual liberation go hand in hand. Find out why Peggy Orenstein, bestselling author of Girls & Sex: Navigating the Complicated New Landscape and Cinderella Ate My Daughter, thinks we all gotta start doing a whole lot more talking to our kids and teens about what’s normal with our bodies and in sex for everyone’s health and well-being. --- About Peggy Peggy Orenstein is the author of The New York Times best-sellers Girls & Sex, Cinderella Ate My Daughter and Waiting for Daisy as well as Flux: Women on Sex, Work, Kids, Love and Life in a Half-Changed World and the classic School Girls: Young Women, Self-Esteem and the Confidence Gap.

It's time for an update with my friend, parent, and fellow (former) chronic dieter turned body kindness advocate Bernie Salazar. In this episode we share each other's highs and lows of the last month. Bernie fills us in on his most favorite dessert he was able to find in Chicago and I let Bernie know about how I had to transform my schedule to find a little bit of peace. And you won't want to miss the end of the podcast where I give Bernie his exciting assignment for this next month. And he's inviting you to get in on the action too. (tee hee...) --- You can subscribe to Body Kindness on iTunes and Stitcher. Enjoy the show? Please rate it on iTunes! - http://getpodcast.reviews/id/1073275062 Are you ready for Body Kindness? Get started today with my free e-course and on-demand digital training. Learn more - http://bit.ly/2k23nbT The New York Times Book Review calls Body Kindness “simple and true”. Publisher’s Weekly says it’s “a rousing guide to better health.” http://bit.ly/2k228t9 Watch my videos about why w

Getting married? Don't let diet culture ruin your wedding experience. Writer and bride-to-be, Kelsey Miller, refuses to fall into the body shame trap and she wants to help you too. Kelsey’s story in Glamour magazine about finding size 14 and higher bridal gowns showcases the ups and downs of finding your perfect dress in a larger body. In this lively conversation, Kelsey shares some of the injustices that exist in bridal culture, especially how brides in larger bodies experience systematic oppression. We discuss the parallels between diet culture and bridal culture, including the weight loss and fitness industries that profit off all of our insecurities. Plus we talk about her awesome book Big Girl and the 67% project by Refinery29. --- Get to know Kelsey Kelsey Miller graduated from Boston University with a BS in Film & Television, and began her career in the film industry before transitioning to full-time writing. For three years, she penned the column On The Couch for SundanceNOW. She was Refinery29’s

Jessamyn Stanley tried to avoid falling in love with yoga several times in her life, but the universe had another plan for her. Now Jessamyn travels the world helping to shatter stereotypes of modern yoga (a physical exercise for thin, white women with money) by making yoga accessible for all bodies, all skill levels, and elevating yoga to a practice you do even when you’re not practicing. In her new book, Every Body Yoga, Jessamyn blends personal story with a simple home practice anyone can do with minimal funds. I love how she offers asanas you can practice depending on what’s going on in your life - like a series to do when you feel your emotions spiraling out of control. Beyond the conversation that yoga is indeed for every body, we also discussed how yoga helped her grow after being bullied in high school, helped her deal with depression, and heal her relationship with food and her body. Get a few sneak peak passages from my favorite parts of the book and then go out and get her book. It’s a gift to all

Jes Baker gives two proud middle fingers to our culture that dictates what is valuable and beautiful. Through her blog, The Militant Baker, her book, Things No One Will Tell Fat Girls, speaking engagements, and social media spaces, Jes has disrupted the “thin ideal” by challenging marketing of clothes, perfume, and more showing that fat bodies get to enjoy all the things thin bodies can enjoy. Jes calls in (not calls out) the fat phobic nature of the current body positivity movement and challenges all of us to become aware of intersectionality issues around body positivity as well as how to be an inclusive ally to the fat acceptance movement. Her 3 (not at all) easy steps: 1. Use your voice. 2. Listen 3. Improve. We also get into a great conversation on healthism and the concept of Health at Every Size, and how knowledge doesn’t always translate into practice. We close on how connecting to our own body and building body trust is fundamental to engaging in life. I love that she calls it “a mindful healing”. Th

The co-creator of Intuitive Eating, Evelyn Tribole, MS, RD wants people to understand that dieting is associated with weight gain, the opposite of it's promised intention. On this podcast, we chat about how we use intuitive eating as a model for being the expert on your body when it comes to nourishment. We swap client stories of struggles and how we have helped them overcome their challenges. We dig into the research a bit to show the positive, life-enhancing benefits of ditching diets for intuitive eating. We also touch on diet culture and body oppression, especially of fat bodies that get "concern trolled" so often by society.... "Oh, you really DO need to lose weight.... for health." Nope. We believe intuitive eating is for every body. Tune in and take action on your freedom from diets. --- About Evelyn Evelyn Tribole, MS, RD is an award-winning registered dieti­tian with a nutrition counseling practice in Newport Beach, CA, specializing in eating disorders. She also trains health professionals on how to

Can you control your health risk as much as society makes you think? Probably not. Because... genetics. But you can control your values, choices, and ultimately your habits. In this episode, Bernie and I check in on our body kindness practice to help each other spiral up. We discuss our challenges with fitting in exercise and how our tricky thought patterns influence our behaviors. Bernie talks about his "exercise is punishment" belief and how he's fixing it. And we have an honest conversation about the very surprising news that Bob Harper -- the picture of health and wellness (according to society) had a heart attack. We discuss why it's unfair that society judges our health based on our appearance and undervalues the role of genetics. We wish Bob a speedy recovery and I daydream about Bob becoming a body positive well-being coach! --- You can subscribe to Body Kindness on iTunes and Stitcher. Enjoy the show? Please rate it on iTunes! - http://getpodcast.reviews/id/1073275062 Are you ready for Body Kindness?