Understanding Disordered Eating: Eating Disorder Recovery and Body Image Healing Rachelle Heinemann

You know, parents have an intuition for a reason.
If you ever feel like your child is getting worse or not receiving the right treatment, trust your gut and seek alternatives.
Many listeners have requested episodes focused on parents and families dealing with eating disorders. We usually address the issues from the perspective of those struggling or the clinicians working with them. But families need support too, right?
In our field, we often talk about "lived experience" versus "expert by experience." These are people who have directly dealt with eating disorders, either personally or within their families. Their insights are invaluable, yet they are often underrepresented in the conversation.
Tweetable Quotes "If you feel like your kid is getting sicker, if you feel in your gut that your kid is getting bad treatment and they're only getting worse, find an alternative." - Rachelle Heinemann
"Parents have to be empowered. And the best way to do that is through education. And we believe that nobody should go through this journey by themselves." - Judy Krasna
"The idea isn't control. The idea is restoring someone to health. The idea is making sure that somebody recovers." - Judy Krasna
"If their kid's getting resentful, they're doing the right thing, they're doing a good job." - Judy Krasna
"There's no recovery without weight restoration. It just can't happen." - Judy Krasna 
Resources Judy can be reached at judy@feast-ed.org.
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Are you team strict diet or team intuitive eating?
Or maybe, the team thing is kind of ridiculous.
When it comes to nutrition, it often feels like we're stuck between two opposing camps: those who are all about strict diets and scientific nutrition, and those who advocate for intuitive eating. It’s like there’s an invisible line, and folks tend to stick to their side, often mocking the other without really engaging in meaningful dialogue. But reality isn’t that black and white. It’s not just about choosing between nutrition science and having a peaceful relationship with food.
So a bit about Claire. Claire Chewnig is a Registered Dietitian and Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor who's not on board with restrictive diets. She’s the owner and founder of Yours Chewly Nutrition, a virtual private practice where she helps individuals heal from chronic dieting and disordered eating so that they can discover more peace, satisfaction, and trust in their relationships with food + body. Claire is also the RD Advisor for Health-Ade Kombucha where she educates both employees and consumers on all things gut health from an evidence-based, non-diet lens. When she’s not on the clock, you can find her either taking a walk on the beach near her house or glued to her Kindle reading a fiction novel. 
Tweetable Quotes "A lot of times when we talk about either nutrition science or intuitive eating or relationship with food, it seems to be boiled down into two camps." - Rachelle Heinemann
"There's the nutrition science world and, you know, the science world. And then there's like this [concept of] intuitive eating, woo woo, spiritual, whatever you want to call it, like free for all going on on the other side. They're two separate worlds. " - Rachelle Heinemann
“The most basic thing that we have to make sure we're doing is eating enough and eating regularly throughout the day. Because if we're not doing that, then focusing on any like specific nutritional concept isn't really going to matter because our body's energy needs have to be met.” - Claire Chewning
“The bottom line is, if you're not getting enough food or your food with your relationship with food is chaotic like this restrict binge situation going on, like we haven't even gone the first step. And so going to step 10 is just kind of out of order and doesn't work.” - Rachelle Heinemann
"It is about so much more than the specific food choices that you're making." - Rachelle Heinemann
Resources Connect with Claire on Instagram - @clairechewning
Connect with Claire on TikTok - @clairechewning
For additional information about how to work with Claire 1:1, join her monthly membership program, or enroll in one of her self-paced online courses, please visit www.clairechewning.com. 
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What is really considered an “expert” opinion?
When we talk about topics like weight loss or body positivity from an emotional angle, it's easy to paint the other side as the villain. It's tempting to accuse those advocating for weight loss of spreading misinformation or manipulating the truth. It’s tempting to speak with cynicism and sarcasm and scoff at the other side.  This mindset can lead us to dismiss their views, believing that only our perspective holds the real answers.
Tweetable Quotes "Most people who are providing information about anything weight loss and obesity-related don't really think about eating disorders and disordered eating the way that somebody who is part of this world thinks about it." - Rachelle Heinemann
"I think we have to be open to other people's opinions; when we open our mouth, we have to be the ones to invite the curiosity, to invite the compassion, and to ditch the rigidity in terms of how people are supposed to think." - Rachelle Heinemann
"Ultimately, we have to think about the delivery of our message and how the person is receiving it." - Rachelle Heinemann
Resources Save Your Spot for my Upcoming Webinar
Grab the replay of my Basics of Assessment and Early Treatment of Eating Disorder Webinar
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Communication shapes our world.
The words we use don't just reflect our thoughts; they shape our experiences, both internally and in our relationships with others. We often ask: What's the deeper meaning behind someone's struggle with food? What could be going on beneath the surface? While these questions are important, we should also be thinking of how we can apply this understanding to create positive change.
In this episode, I am joined by Karen Koenig.
Karen R. Koenig, LCSW, M.Ed., is a psychotherapist and international, award-winning 8-book author. Her books and blogs for chronic dieters and emotional, binge, and over-eaters are full of humor and practical wisdom and have been called “therapy on the page.” With 35 years of experience in the field of eating psychology, she teaches people how to eat “normally” and create a joyous, healthy, meaningful life for themselves. Her media experience includes scores of TV, radio, print, and podcast interviews. She lives and practices in Sarasota, Florida and her website is http://www.karenrkoenig.com.
Tweetable Quotes "There is often a connection to anxiety and depression, and we talk about them differently, but they're kind of the same neurotransmitters." - Karen Koenig
"I think stable sense of self and regulated emotional reactions are the places that I often go right to." - Karen Koenig
"Emotions are, to me, the richest experience that we'll have." - Rachelle Heinemann
"It's okay to just feel that, just name it and be with it." - Karen Koenig
"There's a great deal of pain in life, and sometimes the only pain we can avoid is the pain of trying to avoid pain." - Karen Koenig
Resources Connect with Karen Koenig Here!
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Join Our Body Image Group Here!
Grab the replay of my Basics of Assessment and Early Treatment of Eating Disorder Webinar
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Food, desire, intuition, and… sex.
We often get stuck in the food and body image loop when discussing eating disorders. But let's be real, it's so much more than that! Our relationship with food and our bodies spills over into every aspect of our lives, especially anything that connects with our desires, including our sexual desires and intimacy.
This week, I am welcoming back Dr. Judith Brisman. She joined me back in episode 73 for a discussion on food and desire. Now she’s back to talk about how eating disorders have an impact on our sexual desires.
Dr. Judith Brisman was the Founding Director of the Eating Disorder Resource Center for over 35 years. She is co-author of  Surviving an Eating Disorder: Strategies for Family and Friends  (Now in its fourth edition and available at Harper Collins or on Amazon!). She is an associate editor of Contemporary Psychoanalysis and is on the editorial board of the journal Eating Disorders. She is a member of the teaching faculty at the William Alanson White Institute and she maintains a private practice in New York City. Dr. Brisman is known internationally as among the first in her field to develop a treatment program for bulimic patients. She has published and lectured extensively regarding the interpersonal treatment of eating disorders.
Tweetable Quotes "It's like what's driving the eating disorder and what stops someone from getting better?" - Rachelle Heinemann
"I hear this all the time. It's either the fear of wanting too much, but when someone starts to get into recovery, the discussion becomes what else they're wanting.” - Dr. Judith Brisman
"I think wanting and desire is a huge issue." - Dr. Judith Brisman
"How is it that we got to this point? That people are so either disconnected from what they want or so afraid of what they want." - Rachelle Heinemann
"One of the most important things that you can do for yourself and for the people around you is to begin to tolerate really uncomfortable emotions internally so that you can take a second and think about what does this other person need?” - Rachelle Heinemann
Resources Connect with Dr. Judith Brisman Here!
Save Your Spot for my Upcoming Webinar
Join Our Body Image Group Here!
Grab the replay of my Basics of Assessment and Early Treatment of Eating Disorder Webinar
Grab my Journal Prompts here!
Provide Audio Feedback Here!
 
LEAVE A REVIEW + help someone who may need this podcast by sharing this episode.
Be sure to sign up for my weekly newsletter here!
You can connect with me on Instagram @rachelleheinemann, through my website www.rachelleheinemann.com, or email me directly at rachelle@rachelleheinemann.com
 

Check out all of the things we have going on this month!
Body Image. WTF Even Is it? - Body Image group hosted by myself and Sydney Green. Book your intro call with Sydney to sign up today! 
Resistance in Treatment - Eating Disorder Edition Webinar - happening on May 31st at 11am EST! Grab your spot now!