Speaking Of Hungry

What thoughts or concerns do you have about gaining weight?  I asked this question in my Intuitive Eating & Body Compassion Community on Facebook. I received many responses including worry over health, fearing judgment from others, not being able to fit into clothes, and other concerns that all stem from fatphobia.  In this episode, I address some of the comments in response to my question about weight gain. Most of our fears associated with gaining weight are from diet culture making us believe that a smaller body is a healthier more acceptable body.  Is it your weight that you need to focus on? Should you start restricting and hopping on the scale every day to improve health? Or do you need to take a better look at habits without pointing a finger at specific foods?  Don't miss this episode where I give you the scoop on my thoughts about weight gain!!  -------------------------------------- Interested in working with me? There are two ways I can help you: #1: My intuitive eating group coaching program,

Are you trying to stop dieting but diet culture messages and thoughts in your mind convince you to stay? Or maybe you've started the diet ditching and intuitive eating process but you still have some diet tools and mentality lingering that you can't seem to get rid of? Whether you're brand new to exploring intuitive eating or have been working on it for a while, this episode can help drive your thought process deeper into why you want to ditch diets and HOW. I break down 5 steps that can get you started on your journey TODAY to start walking away from food rules, diet thoughts, and negative self-talk. BONUS: Listen to my episode and click here to download my FREE workbook 5 Steps to Ditch Diets - An Intro Workbook. In this workbook, you can go through each of the five steps and have a space to write your personal thoughts and experiences to help you through the process. ———————————————— If you are enjoying my podcast, please go to iTunes and leave a 5-star rating and review!! Send me a DM on Instagram or Face

Did you know that binge eating disorder (BED) is a widely misdiagnosed eating disorder?  I am chatting with Jennifer McGurk, a NY-based registered dietitian nutritionist who specializes in the treatment of eating disorders and the practice of intuitive eating.  She explains what binge eating disorder (BED) is and why so many people try to “fix” this disorder with a diet or even bariatric surgery. The trouble is that these “fixes” rarely get to the root of why a person is bingeing. It is a much more complex disorder requiring more than the temporary “band-aid” of weight loss.  My conversation with Jennifer about binge eating disorder is straightforward, factual, and eye-opening. We talk about: How EVERYONE has ups and downs when they embark on disordered eating recovery and most of us don’t hear about the “messy middle” of others’ recovery process.  Jennifer’s personal journey with food, an eating disorder, and how it played a role in the work she does today. How her education in nutrition taught her that the

Do you have past trauma or an inner critic in your head that dictates who you are today and driving you to eat emotionally?  Lynn Louise Larson is talking to me about how past trauma and our inner critic are shaping the landscape for how we live. We talk about her past relationship with food and running. A running injury changed her story and how she was able to approach food and her body, as well as her career. Women have been struggling with diet culture for generations. Lynn talks about how our inner critic is trying to protect us, yet it’s demeaning and relentless, and there are ways to change this inner critic.  This one’s all about habit change!!! Lynn Louise works with women so that they don’t have to struggle for years the way she did with her body image. We discuss: The power of community in a group program to help the healing process. How she guides women through the process of letting go of trauma so they can embrace and design the life that they deserve. Her past life obsession with running and d

This week I'm talking to Philly-area dietitian Heather Rudalavage. She takes a weight-neutral and health-at-every-size approach with her clients to help them achieve their health goals with compassion, empathy and a dash of humor! We are talking about how diets don't work, how to manage stress eating during COVID-19, and how our default reaction to health problems is going on a diet and trying to lose weight. Our conversation includes:  Heather's life growing up and not ever thinking about diets or weight loss.  She became a dietitian and felt like she was "doing something wrong" because she wasn’t fixated on weight loss and food rules like the rest of the world.  Her first moments questioning her body came around the time of her three pregnancies and becoming a mom.  Once she was a mom and questioning her body for the first time ever, her diet attempts never lasted longer than 24 hours.  She started a private practice called Intuitive Nutrition before she knew anything about intuitive eating and the Intuiti

If you haven’t “met” Victoria Welsby through her Fierce Fatty podcast or book, Fierce Fatty: Love Your Body and Live Life Like the Queen You Already Are, then allow me to introduce you! You’re going to want to hear what Victoria has to say about fatphobia and how our own internalized fatphobia can greatly sabotage our best efforts to become intuitive eaters and heal the way we feel about our bodies. In this episode we talk about: Victoria’s story of overcoming homelessness, abuse, and internalized fatphobia. Her stumbling upon Regan Chastain’s blog, Dances with Fat, and this being her first introduction to the idea that she doesn’t need to change herself and try shrinking her body. Fatphobia. What is it? What does it mean to have internalized fatphobia or to be fatphobic? When the idea that having a bigger body means you will be unloved or unwanted is simply a belief and that beliefs can be replaced with other beliefs that actually serve you. How a coach or therapist can help you get out of your own

I am so excited to bring you this latest episode of Speaking of Hungry! I’ve been listening to the Dietitians Unplugged podcast with Glenys Oyston and Aaron Flores for quite some time now. Recently I was reading Christy Harrison’s Anti-Diet book and Glenys popped up. Then I was listening to the Pursuing Private Practice podcast and Glenys was the guest. I am beyond thrilled that Glenys, a Los Angeles-based anti-diet dietitian, joined me to chat on Speaking of Hungry. I know you’re going to like this one! Glenys joins me and talks about her relentless pursuit of weight loss, how losing weight was never enough, and that keeping weight off for several years meant taking obsessive measures.  We talk about: Her dieting history starting in her early 20’s that led her to sign up for the National Weight Control Registry. How Glenys was a weight-loss “unicorn” who kept the weight off for over five years but this wasn’t all rainbows and butterflies.  She explains the obsessive measures required to keep her weigh

On this latest episode of the podcast, I’m speaking to Long Island-based registered dietitian Madeline Basler about how we can achieve health without dieting. Madeline is the owner of Real You Nutrition, has her master’s in clinical nutrition, is a registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN), and certified dietitian nutritionist (CDN).  She identifies as a non-diet dietitian and sees a variety of patients including those with chronic disease, eating disorders, and disordered eating.  Madeline and I addressed a variety of topics all weaving into how health can definitely be achieved without making weight loss a focus. We chat about: Her past as a child in a larger body and dieting at a young age.  Why she decided to go back to school later in life to pursue a career in nutrition.  Her quick realization that counseling clients on weight loss wasn’t working and the path she took to intuitive eating.  Her work in private practice with disordered eating and eating disorders.  A client success story showing g

Are you a mom struggling with your body shape and size? Are you trying to be a mom to your little ones but also putting pressure on yourself to get to some "pre-pregnancy" size you once were?  In this latest episode of Speaking of Hungry, I'm talking to anti-diet dietitian Gabrielle Kahn. She works with moms who struggle with disordered eating and want to create a healthy relationship with food and their body in order to help themselves and protect their daughters from diet culture. Even if you're like me who only has boys, you have to listen to this interview with Gabrielle. The information she shares about our kids looking up to us as role models and potentially adopting our disordered relationship with body and food is truly eye-opening. We talk about:  Gabrielle's dieting at 10 years old, how she was awarded a certificate of praise for losing weight from her nutritionist, and how this launched her into disordered eating and mistrusting her body.  How kids are absorbing our diet talk and diet behaviors. 

Do you know someone who may be identifying as vegetarian or vegan in an attempt to further restrict food and lose weight or support their current weight suppression? In this episode, I’m talking to Christine Frangione, MS, RD, CDN, RYT, about disordered eating among vegetarians and vegans. We talk about: Christina’s personal story with being vegan and how it became disordered. Ways to identify if a person is choosing to eat a plant-based diet for moral or health reasons vs. coming from a place of restriction and disordered eating. How Christina works with her clients on plant-based eating that doesn’t fall into a trap of disordered eating. Christina’s experience as a yoga instructor and how identifying as vegetarian or vegan can send mixed messages in yoga studios. There are plenty of people who choose to avoid meat and other animal products because they don’t want to support harmful practices toward animals. Sometimes people choose this path already having a history of disordered eating. The restr

Are you getting the support you need to move away from chronic dieting and disordered eating?  In this latest episode, I'm talking about support. I could not have found the peace I now have with food and my body without support. I found support from an amazing therapist, the Food Psych Podcast with Christy Harrison (among other podcasts), the Intuitive Eating book and workbook by Elyse Resch and Evelyn Tribole, and support from my family who wanted me to heal.  Having one-on-one support from a professional with intuitive eating expertise can be eye-opening. I realize this type of support isn't available to everyone. There are online group courses where you will pay less than having personal, one-on-one coaching. Then there are so many FREE resources out there including books, podcasts, blogs, and both in-person and online support groups.  In this episode, I talk about all of the ways we need support. I also announce the launch of my NEW Facebook group, Intuitive Eating & Body Compassion Community! I'm so

Do you have strict control over food and your body size? Maybe you're a "control freak" or perfectionist with everything in your life. You find it hard to delegate responsibilities to co-workers or family. You take everything on yourself because you're convinced if someone else handles a task you'll need to re-do it.  Perhaps you're going through something in your life where you feel completely out of control: ✅Being a new mom. ✅Your body changing as you age or through menopause. ✅Taking care of a sick parent.  ✅Hating your full-time job and feeling "stuck" in it.  Perhaps you need to be in tight control of your health. Maybe a doctor said you're at risk for heart disease, diabetes, or another disease. Perhaps there is a strong family history of a disease that you fear will be passed on to you. Your fear may lead to tight control over food, exercise, and other parts of your life in an effort to avoid disease.  In this episode of Speaking of Hungry, I'm talking about control. Whether you are a perfectionist, g

On Episode 28 of Speaking of Hungry, I'm asking what thoughts come to mind when you think about the word DIET.  I asked this question recently in an intuitive eating workshop at a local pilates studio. It opened up a conversation about how many NEGATIVE thoughts flood our mind when we think of dieting. And yet we keep getting sucked back in for more. Here are some of the words that were brought up at the workshop: Boredom Weight gain Isolation Tough to sustain Time-consuming Depressing FALSE HOPE That last one is my favorite. All diets, wellness plans, and lifestyle changes give us FALSE HOPE. The hope that this will be the LAST attempt at weight loss. This time it will be different. This time I will keep the weight off.  Check out the episode today! It will solidify all of the reasons you want to continue NOT dieting.   -------------------------------------- Need help healing your relationship with food AND exercise? I am currently booking clients for my 1-on-1 online intuitive eating program! Let's chat!

This week on the Speaking of Hungry podcast I’m speaking with Amber Thomas, RD, and board-certified specialist in oncology nutrition. Amber takes 15 years of experience working with cancer patients in hospitals, cancer clinics, and the home health setting and now works privately with cancer patients as an online nutrition coach in her private practice, Cancer Nutrition Solutions. She is the first dietitian on the podcast who takes an intuitive eating approach to nutrition in cancer care. Amber helps cancer patients manage treatment side effects, goal-setting strategies to support nourishment and healing both during and after treatment works with cancer patients to help them uses compassionate mindset work to help clients examine deep-held beliefs about food and cancer, overcome food fears, and empower their survivorship journey through food after treatment. This is a great conversation whether you have a personal connection with cancer or are simply curious about the claims surrounding diet, nutrition, weigh

It's mid-January and many of us may be struggling to stick with the stringent food rules and diet plans we vowed to start in the new year.

On the latest episode of the Speaking of Hungry podcast, I speak with Molly Bahr, LHMC, a licensed mental health counselor and certified intuitive eating counselor with a private practice in Miami. She also provides virtual sessions to residents of Florida and Hawaii.  Molly brings a Health At Every Size (HAES) perspective to the work she does as a therapist helping people with disordered eating, body shame, anxiety, depression, and trauma. The focus of her practice is to help people make peace with food and their body while creating a full and meaningful life. Molly works with disordered eating, body shame, anxiety, depression, and trauma. She has worked in a variety of treatment settings including inpatient and outpatient programs for eating disorders, substance abuse disorders, and an outpatient transgender clinic. January is a time we are hit hard with diet culture.  Everyone is chatting it up about their newest detox or reset, TV and social media diet ads are relentless, and gyms are in full force market

On this episode of Speaking of Hungry I chat with Rachel Larkey, a Brooklyn-based registered dietitian and certified intuitive eating counselor, who works in a federally funded health center where she uses intuitive eating and health at every size (HAES) in her approach to community healthcare. Rachel and I discuss: Teaching intuitive eating to clients who struggle to make ends meet and don’t have access to enough food on a daily basis.  How the desire to lose weight for various reasons is universal across various ethnicities, backgrounds, and sexual identities.  Working with a patient who is convinced they must focus on weight loss.  Teaching intuitive eating to a patient population that does not have financial means for resources and a lack of food security.  Rachel’s master’s degree work and hopes to develop a protocol for other community dietitians to bring intuitive best practices into a health clinic and community settings successfully. Rachel’s side work teaching weight lifting and how she

This week on the Speaking of Hungry podcast I speak with Michelle Vino-Baltsas, a Certified Intuitive Eating and Body Confidence Coach, who's been coaching women internationally for over six years. She specializes in helping women deal with body changes in midlife.  It’s hard enough for us to feel good about our bodies when we’re up against diet culture and unrealistic thin ideals. Michelle recognizes that when you throw in the natural process of aging, pre-menopause, and menopause, the struggle deepens.  In this episode, we talk about Michelle’s relationship with food and how it’s changed as she’s grown personally and professionally.  We discuss:  Embracing the fact that we age.  Dealing with body changes that women face through aging.  Coping with weight gain that may occur once we give up dieting without going on another diet or “lifestyle change”. Dieting causes weight gain in the long run by messing with metabolism and throwing us into a restrict-binge cycle.  Helpful tips on handling the holidays that

I hear it so much from clients whether it's when we first start working together or in the middle of our work. "Alison, I need to lose weight." I get it. Many of us can't escape that urge to lose weight because of the society we live in. We are praised for weight loss. The diet industry bombards us with "wellness plans" and "lifestyle changes" everywhere. Everyone we're around will bring up nutrition, dieting, and exercise in conversation. I don't blame anyone for wanting to lose weight. What I ask is for you to dig deep and uncover the reason for wanting such a thing. Is it your health? Do you want to change the way you look? Do you feel uncomfortable or are you in pain and you blame excess weight?  Once you uncover the core reason you want to lose weight, consider alternatives to jumping into a structured diet. How will following food rules make you feel? How will stepping on a scale regularly to track your progress make you feel? If dieting has made you anxious and/or miserable in the past, you may want to

How did all of the Halloween candy make you feel? Did you have a bunch around you for several days? Maybe the first day you ate more than you bargained for? Day 2, maybe it didn't see as exciting. Day 3, by now it really may have lost its appeal. Day 4... you're so over candy, right?  This is an example of the "habituation effect" as outlined in principal 3 of the Intuitive Eating book by Elyse Resch and Evelyn Tribole.  The more you hang around a food, allow yourself to eat it, and tell yourself you can always have more, the less that food will have power over you.  On the flip side, if you restrict a food, refer to it as "off limits" or "forbidden", the more likely you will crave that food and eventually overeat or binge on the food.  The goal of the "habituation effect" is to stop any "forbidden fruit" thinking that leads causes us to obsess and binge on a food. The end result is making peace with that food. Listen to this latest episode to learn more and why practicing the habituation effect is essential