And the dangers of aspiring toward any number less. — If you haven’t said it yourself, you’ve likely heard someone make a comment like, “Only 12 more pounds to go before I reach my goal weight.” Ah, the almighty goal weight. It’s a number most everyone seeking to shed some pounds has in mind. …

Don’t get stuck in quasi-recovery like me. — There were countless times in my eating disorder recovery I didn’t know what was worse: living in the grips of my illness or exhausting so much time, energy, and money trying to overcome it. After more than a year of outpatient treatment and months of abstinence from restricting, bingeing, and…

And the precious lessons I learned about my body and exercise. — I’ll be honest, so much of my eating disorder recovery is a blur, but there are those few breakthrough moments that haven’t escaped me—like realizing the 10-plus-year running routine I religiously obeyed was, largely, a hoax. I (eh-hem, my eating disorder) told myself that my slender physique was only possible…

Recognizing personal advantage is crucial, but it’s not enough. — I can’t tell you how many times I’ve described myself as someone with thin privilege or someone who exists in a thin-privileged body (easily several hundred). From the first time I uttered those words to the most recent, the feeling I’ve gotten is equally unsettling — and I know precisely…

Some pointers from a former compulsive exerciser, bulimia survivor, and certified eating disorder recovery coach. — For many, exercise has evolved from being a form of pleasure and self-care to a cold-blooded act of self-torture. This is certainly the case for many of my clients in eating disorder recovery (and was also once the case for me). Movement of the body is now merely a mode…

A young woman’s journey of dismantling toxic beliefs about food. — If there’s one food that comes to mind when thinking back on my childhood, ice cream is it. The hot midwest summers. Winning (or losing) a soccer game. Needing a sweet treat on the drive home after a four-hour swimfest at the waterpark. These were all occasions for ice cream. …

An attempt to bring some levity to the often daunting recovery process. — This past fall, I finally jumped on the sticky sourdough bandwagon so many endeavored at the peak of the pandemic. Before attempting my starter (a mixture of flour and water that produces natural yeasts and serves as a leavening agent for baking bread), I thoroughly researched the whole bread-making process…

How to overcome the black-and-white thinking you have about food and your body. — No one asks to be at war with their body. No one asks for a life where the remorse from drinking a milkshake feels more intense than forgetting your best friend’s birthday. No one asks to drop gobs of money on rapid weight loss programs that inevitably fail you every…

How deprioritizing your needs is a disservice to others — and to you. — Whenever a new client describes themself as “high-achieving,” “hard-working,” and “altruistic” (which is a good chunk of the time in my work as a disordered eating recovery coach), my internal alarm bells go off. Customarily, we praise these types of chivalrous attributes. They paint the picture of someone who wants…