Understanding Disordered Eating: Eating Disorder Recovery and Body Image Healing

Rachelle Heinemann
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  • MENTAL HEALTH
  • UPDATED WEEKLY
Understanding Disordered Eating: Eating Disorder Recovery and Body Image Healing

This show will explore the deeper meaning of our relationship with food. We dive into issues related to body image, restriction, bingeing, purging, compulsive exercise, and eating disorder related behaviors. We utilize ideas from psychoanalysis, the deep work therapy, to bring you answers about why you do the things you do and one step closer to a healthier relationship with food and yourself.

  1. 5 DAYS AGO

    Eating Disorders and Control

    If you’ve ever talked about eating disorders for more than five seconds, someone always drops the classic line: "It’s not about the food; it’s about control.” Boom. Case closed, right? Well, not exactly. Because what does that even mean? Control over what? Your body? Your feelings? Your life? And why does control even matter so much? That’s where things get interesting. So today, we’re getting into it. Not in some vague, theoretical, “let’s throw around big words” way, but in a way that actually helps us understand what’s happening—whether in our own relationships with food or in the work we do with others. Tweetable Quotes "Eating disorders are not about the food. It's about something deeper." - Rachelle Heinemann "Eating disorders are ways to moderate our emotions." - Rachelle Heinemann "One of the biggest, most important questions to ask is, ‘I know which emotion I'm feeling now, am I allowed to [feel it]?’”- Rachelle Heinemann "Building up your tolerance for experiencing parts of your emotional experience will actually help you bring up your tolerance overall of emotions." - Rachelle Heinemann "There is a big difference between acting out anger and saying it in words. - Rachelle Heinemann Resources Bergen Mental Health Group Inc. is hiring! If you think you’d be a great fit, check it out! Learn about our 6 week body image group! If you're interested, send an email to me (rachelle@rachelleheinemann.com), or you can book a call with Sydney to see if this would be a good fit! Grab my Journal Prompts Here! Looking for a speaker for an upcoming event? Let’s chat! Now accepting new clients! Find out if we're a good fit!    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

    29 min

  2. FEB 18

    Eating Disorders and Low Self-Esteem

    Alright, let’s talk about self-esteem. Have you ever felt like you're just one awkward social interaction away from a full-blown identity crisis? Like, one unanswered text, one awkward pause in a conversation, or one unliked Instagram post, and suddenly you're spiraling into, "Does anyone even like me?” Well, welcome to the club—it's a big one. In this episode, I’m talking about self-esteem: what it really is, why so many of us struggle with it, and how it connects to our relationship with food and body image. Because let’s be honest, it's not about staring at yourself in the mirror and repeating affirmations until you magically feel worthy. Tweetable Quotes "We all, every single person, need to be seen, heard, accepted, and supported." - Rachelle Heinemann "In order to heal from an eating disorder and in order to develop some version of a healthy self-esteem, it's all the same idea—the acceptance that I am who I am." - Rachelle Heinemann "I take up space. I do have lots of flaws. Not everyone's going to like me, but I have to take up space." - Rachelle Heinemann "Self-esteem is about knowing the people who matter to you already, accept you and you know you're good enough the way you are without changing." - Rachelle Heinemann Resources We're hiring! If you think you could be a great fit, email your resume & cover letter to w.rachelleheinemann.com Grab my Journal Prompts Here! Looking for a speaker for an upcoming event? Let’s chat! Now accepting new clients! Find out if we're a good fit!    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

    24 min

  3. FEB 11

    Intuitive Eating Updates You Need to Know with Elyse Resch MS, RDN, CEDS-C, Fiaedp, FADA, FAND

    Have you ever felt that tiny bit of excitement about breaking a “food rule?” Like finally getting your hands on the “forbidden” chocolate cake, only to inhale half of it and immediately promise yourself you’ll “be good” tomorrow? Yeah, we’ve all been there. But what if that intense food drama could just… disappear? No guilt, no shame, no last-supper mentality—just food, doing what food is supposed to do: nourish and satisfy. So, if you’ve ever felt trapped in food rules, if “cheat days” have ever dictated your weekend plans, or if you’re just curious what the next step in healing your relationship with food looks like—this episode is for you.  Elyse Resch, MS, RDN, CEDS-C, Fiaedp, FADA, FAND, is a nutrition therapist in private practice with forty-three years of experience, specializing in eating disorders, Intuitive Eating, and Health at Every Size. She is the co-author of Intuitive Eating, now in its 4th edition, the Intuitive Eating Workbook and The Intuitive Eating Card Deck—50 Bite-Sized Ways to Make Peace with Food. Tweetable Quotes "Maybe for the beginning, you might eat more of something that you have previously restricted, but it takes its place because it's no longer forbidden." - Elyse Resch "It's not like we're ruining the enjoyment of food, it's just that we don't have that charge anymore of, ‘I'm going to get my hands on this and I'm going to be so good tomorrow, I'll just eat it all right now.’" - Elyse Resch "It's all about healing. I never talk about recovery. I talk about the healing process." - Elyse Resch "So every one of us who makes a change in that kind of thinking [ weight stigmatization] is actually bettering the world." - Elyse Resch "Children are listening. Be careful." - Elyse Resch Resources Visit Elyse’s Website Here! Learn More About Intuitive Eating Grab my Journal Prompts Here! Looking for a speaker for an upcoming event? Let’s chat! Now accepting new clients! Find out if we're a good fit!    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

    45 min

  4. FEB 4

    Your Eating Disorder Diagnosis Doesn't Matter

    Many often question whether they’re “sick enough” or feel like their struggles don’t fit into a neat little box. So let’s talk about it. This week, we’re diving into why eating disorders are way more complex than the labels we slap on them—and why real recovery requires thinking outside the diagnosis. Tweetable Quotes "It is impossible to focus on just symptom reduction and not the bigger picture of all the other things that contribute to someone's eating disorder." - Rachelle Heinemann "The second someone's relationship with food or really anything out there bothers them, it's already an issue." - Rachelle Heinemann "When we typically see one version of an infection in a hospital, we can sort of treat it the same way—but with mental health, it's not uniform at all." - Rachelle Heinemann "You couldn't possibly treat someone based on a diagnosis because then you've missed most of the story." - Rachelle Heinemann Resources Grab my Journal Prompts Here!  Looking for a speaker for an upcoming event? Let’s chat!  Now accepting new clients! Find out if we're a good fit!    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

    17 min

  5. JAN 28

    Tools for Dissociation

    In this episode, we’re diving headfirst into practical tools to deal with dissociation —the kind of techniques that are handy to have when you feel like your brain and body feel like they’re speaking two different languages. Tweetable Quotes "Dissociation is just sort of like what it sounds like: dissociated from whatever's going on." - Rachelle Heinemann "Our bodies hold everything in that is important." - Rachelle Heinemann "There has to be some wiggle room to be able to open yourselves up and try something new." - Rachelle Heinemann "If you eye roll too much, or if you use sarcasm through all of this, then you completely cut off yourself from your internal somatic experience." - Rachelle Heinemann "Your body will often have the answers way before your brain does." - Rachelle Heinemann Resources Grab my Journal Prompts Here! Looking for a speaker for an upcoming event? Let’s chat! Now accepting new clients! Find out if we're a good fit!    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

    21 min

  6. JAN 21

    What People Got Incredibly Wrong About Eating Disorders

    The media often portrays eating disorders as affecting ultra-thin, hospital-bed-bound college girls. While this happens, it’s not the majority of what we mean when we say someone struggles with an “eating disorder.” In this episode, I’m talking about how the media’s (and beyond) portrayal is not only wildly inaccurate but also dangerously misleading. That “sick enough” myth? It’s real. And let’s be honest, it’s all kinds of messed up. I’m unraveling the reason why those 19-year-old, emaciated models aren’t the majority, and how most people don’t fit neatly into a category. Tweetable Quotes "Eating disorders are when food and emotions are kind of messed up."- Rachelle Heinemann "The emotions are the crux of it. They're the absolute foundation of it. And if we neglect to look at the emotions part of it, then we are neglecting basically the entirety of the eating disorder." - Rachelle Heinemann "Just because somebody doesn't have any medical complications at all doesn't mean they don't have an eating disorder." - Rachelle Heinemann "The largest percentage of people that we see with eating disorders... is the category for the people who don't fit in the categories." - Rachelle Heinemann "It's important to talk about what eating disorders actually are: a complicated relationship with food, and we have this continuum of where the symptoms lie." - Rachelle Heinemann Resources Grab my Journal Prompts Here! Looking for a speaker for an upcoming event? Let’s chat! Now accepting new clients! Find out if we're a good fit!    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

    15 min

  7. JAN 14

    Women's Hormones, Body Image, and Facts with Dr. Esther Rollhaus

    Picture this: you’re 18, your body is one way. Then you blink, and suddenly you’re navigating a new shape, new rules, and oh, a closet that betrays you every step of the way. What gives? Hormones give, my friend. And they’re running the show. Today’s episode is the reality check you might be looking for.  In this episode, I’m joined by Dr. Esther Rollhous, She’s a reproductive psychiatrist who’s here to unpack the hormonal chaos—er, beautiful journey—we all endure. From the sneaky effects of estrogen on your brain to the “Oh, my hips just widened forever” postpartum revelation, she’s breaking it all down. Dr. Rollhous is bringing both science and empathy to help us reset those expectations and maybe—just maybe—make peace with our ever-evolving forms. Tweetable Quotes "Your body is different. It will probably be bigger, maybe a different shape completely. And that is expected." - Rachelle Heinemann "To expect to have the same or similar body to what we had when we were 18 or 19 years old is absolutely bonkers." - Rachelle Heinemann "The reproductive system is not essential to survival. When the body is in a calorie deficit, it's going to prioritize living over reproducing." - Dr. Esther Rollhaus "Pregnancy literally remodels your brain, with some changes lasting up to two years postpartum." - Dr. Esther Rollhaus "Snapback is a really toxic expectation to have of women, not acknowledging the tremendous change their bodies and identities have undergone." - Dr. Esther Rollhaus "Moms want to do everything they can for the baby, but sometimes this leads to disordered eating." - Dr. Esther Rollhaus "The healthier the mom is, the healthier the baby and the pregnancy will be." - Dr. Esther Rollhaus Resources Dr. Esther Rollhaus’ website: https://www.childandfamilypsychiatry.com/  Grab my Journal Prompts Here! Looking for a speaker for an upcoming event? Let’s chat! Now accepting new clients! Find out if we're a good fit!    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

    47 min

  8. JAN 7

    Cracking the Confidence Code: Part 2

    Welcome to 2025, where we’re leaving behind unrealistic New Year’s resolutions and that tired idea that confidence is about power poses and pretending to have your life together - cause it’s not. We’re throwing out the idea that confidence is some sort of performance art and instead diving into the real deal: confidence as resilience.  Tweetable Quotes "Confidence itself is not showy. It is feeling secure." - Rachelle Heinemann "Resilience and confidence cannot be born.” - Rachelle Heinemann "If you don't embody this courageous version of yourself, if you don't do things, especially before you're ready, you won't go anywhere." - Rachelle Heinemann "Instead of saying, 'I'm going to power through this particular piece,' even though it seems challenging, think about it and think about, 'What is holding me back here? What am I afraid of?'” - Rachelle Heinemann "Maybe building resilience and building mastery means starting from the ABCs." - Rachelle Heinemann Resources Grab my Journal Prompts Here! Looking for a speaker for an upcoming event? Let’s chat! Now accepting new clients! Find out if we're a good fit!    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

    15 min
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4.9
out of 5
57 Ratings

About

This show will explore the deeper meaning of our relationship with food. We dive into issues related to body image, restriction, bingeing, purging, compulsive exercise, and eating disorder related behaviors. We utilize ideas from psychoanalysis, the deep work therapy, to bring you answers about why you do the things you do and one step closer to a healthier relationship with food and yourself.

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