September 6, 2025 • 15 mins
Welcome to the Outweigh Q&A series, where we are tackling your most pressing questions that you submitted. In this first episode of the series, we're diving into some of the most common struggles around disordered eating, especially when it’s fueled by habit, stress, or depression. Have you ever found yourself turning to food for comfort, only to feel more out of control afterward? You’re not alone. We're addressing how disordered eating shows up in these scenarios and sharing practical tips to break the cycle. Plus, if you've ever found yourself Googling binge eating facilities, wondering where to even start, we're here to guide you through the first steps towards reclaiming your relationship with food. Tune in for an honest conversation and actionable advice that can help you take control of your eating habits and start healing from within.
HOSTS:
Amy Brown // RadioAmy.com // @RadioAmy
Leanne Ellington // StresslessEating.com // @leanneellington
To learn more about re-wiring your brain to heal from the all-or-nothing diet mentality for good....but WITHOUT restricting yourself, punishing your body, (and definitely WITHOUT ever having to use words like macros, low-carb, or calorie burn) check out Leanne's FREE Stressless Eating Webinar @ www.StresslessEating.com
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
I won't let my body out be outwait everything that
I'm made, don't won't spend my life trying to change.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
I'm learning to love who I am, A young strong
I feel free. I know every part of me. It's beautiful.
Speaker 1 (00:19):
And then will always out way if.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
You feel it with your hands and there she'll some
love to the boo. Why get there?
Speaker 3 (00:28):
Say you?
Speaker 2 (00:29):
One day? Anita? Did you? And die out way? Happy Saturday?
Speaker 3 (00:36):
Outweigh Amy here and Hi, it's Leanne. We're excited to
be back together again. Leanne was doing some What's God
Got to Do with It? Outweigh collapse and that was
really special series and this series coming up for the
next five weeks. It's from a Q and a box
that I put up and you all submitted your questions
(01:00):
and we sort of bunched some of the questions together
in different categories that were sort of related, which thanks
to everyone that replied to the question box. I actually
put it up on Instagram with the picture of an
old journal that I found lean where I was clearly
measuring different parts of my body and it was very chaotic,
(01:20):
like you could even see the dates. It was very
structured like it would be you know, July nineteenth, and
then July twenty first, and then be like August eighth,
and I would just have it sporadically written throughout the journal.
And I also had actual journal thoughts in this journal too,
but some pages, I guess I would dedicate to what
I weighed that day, what my arms measured, my waist,
(01:41):
my hips, and I sat down with that for a
little bit and had compassion for that version of.
Speaker 1 (01:47):
Me that alt the need to do that.
Speaker 3 (01:49):
And I did put a disclaimer when I posted it
that like, if you measure or weigh yourself and you
have goals for your health and your body, that in
itself is okay. And I'm not saying that anybody has
disordered behaviors if they're doing that with the right intentions.
My intentions were extremely disordered and unhealthy in many more
(02:10):
ways than just the journaling part. My thoughts were toxic,
My behaviors were my actions. It had taken me over
and it was really interesting. During my move, I just
moved and came across that journal, so that was something
that I also took a moment and celebrated my growth
and how far I have come. And I think our
(02:32):
brains need that celebration, which I think celebration may come
up in some of these q and a's, like the
answer may be, when you make a step of progress
in the right direction, you make time to celebrate that.
Even if the tiniest, tiny, absolutely celebrations are steps forward,
you celebrate it actually in a big way, don't downplay
(02:53):
it at all. So Leanne, I'm going to read the
first bundle of questions that I pulled, and then we
can go into to answering them. The questions are going
to cover does disordered eating apply to people who are
eating out of habit, stress or depression? How to stop
comfort eating? And then someone typed in the question box
I was literally googling binge eating facilities thirty minutes ago.
Speaker 2 (03:15):
Where do I start?
Speaker 3 (03:16):
It's taken over and that's what I felt at a
certain point in my life, have been taken over. And
so LeAnn, let's start with that first question about it
applying to people that might be eating if they're stressed
or depressed, because there is a difference.
Speaker 1 (03:29):
First and foremost, thank you so much for sending in
these questions, and you know, asking does disordered eating apply
to people who are eating.
Speaker 2 (03:35):
Out of habit? Or stress or depression.
Speaker 1 (03:37):
So I think sometimes we do desire to put ourselves
in some sort of box or give ourselves a label
or a diagnosis, you know. And so what I'll say
is this, if acknowledging that disordered eating is something that
is happening to you is as helpful to give you
clarity to move forward, then keep that in mind too.
But if putting yourself in a box or labeling it
might cause a little bit more disorder or shame or whatever,
(03:57):
just keep that in mind too.
Speaker 2 (03:58):
That's the little disclaimer.
Speaker 1 (04:00):
But when it comes to eating out of habit or
stress or depression, So what's happening is our social emotional
brain is signaling alert, alert, like there's.
Speaker 2 (04:08):
Something going on. There's a gap.
Speaker 1 (04:10):
I'm not getting what I need either, I'm like my
nervous system is stressed or I'm feeling you know, sad, lonely, bored, whatever, right,
And so what happens is and I'm using the word
you know, healthy in air quotes, but like a healthy
response would be like acknowledging the problem, acknowledging what's causing
the fire and putting the.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
Fire out right.
Speaker 1 (04:27):
And so when we are sad, when we're stressed when
we're lonely, when it's you know, a habit of you know,
maybe needs bored and comfort that would technically be classified
as a disordered pattern because what's happening is you're not
you're not really putting the fire out, and then you
fired and wired your brain to think that sugar is
the thing that'll make it feel better when you're experiencing
(04:48):
those things. And so this example comes up a lot
with my clients is to create like a kind of
a binary example.
Speaker 2 (04:54):
It's like if a little girl came up to and.
Speaker 1 (04:56):
Was like, hey, hey, hey, I'm really stressed right now,
I'm really depressed.
Speaker 2 (04:59):
You wouldn't say, oh, here's a cookie. Right.
Speaker 1 (05:01):
First of all, you'd hold space of like, oh my gosh,
that I'm so sorry, like I'm so sorry you're sad,
like acknowledging the sadness, right, And then you would probably
do some investigating what's causing you to feel sad, and
then you'd figure out how to get that little girl's
needs met emotionally in that moment, in an ideal and
healthy situation.
Speaker 2 (05:18):
Right. So part of it is.
Speaker 1 (05:19):
That when we fire and wire a response that food
will make us feel better when we're whether it's just
out of habit or stress or depression. Technically, yes, that
is a disordered habit, but part of it is the
disorder that's happening in your emotional system is never really
being a dress. It's just getting kind of a temporary
fix that anybody who's been through that cycle, and you know,
it's very understandable because I think pretty much everyone listening
(05:42):
to this has.
Speaker 2 (05:43):
But anybody who's.
Speaker 1 (05:44):
Been through that cycle knows that actually, when I'm stressed,
food will not only not take that stress away, but
now it's adding a new level of stress because now
I have cognitive dissonance, or I have shame or I
have guilt about that stress or about what I just
ate or when I'm depressed. In our mind, we think
like food will make us feel better, because that's what
our brain has fired and wired to think will make
us feel better. But that's where it's kind of an illusion,
(06:05):
because in reality, when we're sad or depressed, food not
only does not take away that depression, but it adds
a new level of.
Speaker 2 (06:12):
Stress in our brains.
Speaker 1 (06:13):
So the next question actually blends into this of like
how to stop comfort eating, and part of it is
like This isn't a one and done and every person
is so individualized, so it's hard to share without knowing
more about the situation. But the next question of how
to stop comfort eating is really kind of goes along
with the first question, which is it's a process that
you have to learn how to be emotionally available to
(06:34):
yourselves in those moments without using food. And that's a
process that takes time, and it's a little bit delicate
and complicated, but it can also be different for everyone.
But it's a process I believe has to happen for
us to actually overcome that habit.
Speaker 3 (06:49):
I would like to just interject and then you can
share your thoughts and opinions on this. But for me personally,
there are times though that food does bring a lot
of comfort, something special or nostalgic or meaningful, or you know,
my mother's cheesecake or my favorite Oreo like whatever it is,
or this meal my dad used to make that I
(07:11):
actually used to deny myself because it was quote unquote bad,
and now I allow it and it gives me comfort
because I think of my dad, and so I think
that I do want to differentiate, not make out. And
that's where you know, even with that first question, I
think there is a difference in stress eating because sometimes
I catch myself still doing that and I have to say, hey,
(07:33):
it's okay that you're stressed and this food is actually
maybe doing a little something for me right now. But
to your point Land, it can then backfire when it
goes to the next level, and I think that's for
me as a former binge eater, I'm dancing with going
to the next level, Like if I dip my not water,
but just because I overeat or I eat nexcess now,
(07:53):
I don't like throwing the towel and think like, oh
my gosh, did I just have a binge? I think
you know, since you mentioned earlier, we don't know everybody individually,
and we're all so different that we do have to
speak with such caution and that if you're listen now,
what's advice for somebody may not be the exact perfect
advice for you. And that's why getting one on one
(08:13):
care for you and being able to share everything about
what's going on in your life and its entirety so
you can unpack some stuff is super crucial and important.
Outweighs just a tool to keep in your back pocket.
But yeah, I just wanted to pipe that food can
be of comfort more you agree with me on this, Leean,
I think that I want to make sure we're speaking
to that listener too. Yeah, still be comforting, but it's like,
(08:38):
at what point are you taking food to such a
level that now you're numbing out and you're not feeling
what you need to feel.
Speaker 2 (08:45):
Absolutely, And that's the thing.
Speaker 1 (08:47):
Food can be fun, it can be pleasure, it can
be a source of connection, it can be comforting, all
of those things.
Speaker 2 (08:52):
Anything can be a tool.
Speaker 1 (08:53):
Or a weapon, right, And so I think when it
gets to that point where we literally don't know how
to cope with emotions or bring comfort to ourselves without food,
Food absolutely should be delicious and fun and comforting and
all those things. But when it is our one source
of comfort, I think that's when it becomes a weapon.
Speaker 3 (09:09):
Right, And what other things can you work into your life?
Like I'm picturing that little girl and you know, someone
just handing her cookie and being like it's all going
to be okay. But what if you hand that little
girl or that little boy and picture yourself as that
child and hand them a journal and a pen and
say write this down. Let's process or hand them a
little chair to like sit down next to you and
(09:30):
like pat them on the back and be there for them.
What else could we hand them that would be potentially
help looks through more of the what's going on inside.
Speaker 1 (09:40):
Yeah, sometimes people just need to be heard and have
space held for them, and then they need a hug,
you know what I mean. So it doesn't even have
to be this like physical tangible thing. It can be
just like emotional support.
Speaker 3 (09:51):
Which fun fact, I saw something that the AP put
out today about the Gotman Institute and research they'd put
out a while back, but again the AP was just
covering it.
Speaker 2 (10:00):
It's back in the news.
Speaker 3 (10:00):
Cycle about oxytocin the love hormone and it being released
and that if you want it released from a hug,
you need to hold the hug for twenty seconds or longer.
Speaker 2 (10:11):
Okay, not died. I love I love John Gotman. I
think he's brilliant. But yeah, and it's you bring it up,
and that's beyond the scope of this episode.
Speaker 1 (10:19):
But like what you just said is so important too,
because oftentimes what we're needing in those moments is oxytocin
is like comfort, feeling safe and that's where the food
is just that dopamine hit. And if we fired and
wired that only food creates safety, that's where it can
be a problem.
Speaker 3 (10:33):
Yeah, and so we're going to go into the next
question about someone binge eating facilities and where to start
when you feel like it's taken you over. And I
think with the comfort eating, the stress eating all that,
I remember being so confused, like am I a binge eater?
I didn't know what that really meant. And this was
(10:56):
late nineties, early two thousands when nobody was talking about it.
And then I spent a long time trying to figure
it out. And I feel like we have a better
understanding of what binge eating is and hopefully there's not
as much shame attached to it. Please know, if you
have been in any kind of binge restrict purge cycle,
you are not alone at all. So I remember googling
(11:18):
support groups that I could go sit in on, like
sitting in a circle like AA and Hi, I'm Amy,
I'm a binge eater.
Speaker 1 (11:25):
I felt addicted to food.
Speaker 2 (11:27):
It's all I thought about.
Speaker 3 (11:29):
So, yeah, it can take you over. So whoever sent
in that statement and then question where to start is
different for everybody, but I'm going to defer to leanne
on maybe a helpful place because it could look different
for so many people.
Speaker 1 (11:43):
The fact that you're googling binge eating facilities, I think
that's a great sign that you're realizing you can't do
it on your own, you know.
Speaker 2 (11:50):
And I think that's the first.
Speaker 1 (11:51):
Thing kind of going with what Amy said, because again
I don't know your specific circumstances, but what I would say,
just generally speaking is when it comes to a beinge
eating disorder or the you know, the self amine body
image that comes alongside it eating disorders themselves, I think
there's that tendency to think that there's something eternally broken
or wrong with us. And so first of just letting
you know, like, no, you just learned disordered habits, just
(12:12):
like I learned, just like Amy learned. It's something that
your brain picked up along the way. And it doesn't
mean that you are any less amazing and perfect and
beautiful and intelligent. Ironically, this is very common among highly
intelligent people, right, So it's not lack of anything on
your part.
Speaker 2 (12:27):
But what I will say is.
Speaker 1 (12:28):
Just acknowledging, like, hey, this is something that I can't
do on my own, and honestly, you don't want to
do on your own.
Speaker 2 (12:33):
And I think the fact that.
Speaker 1 (12:34):
You were, you know, googling binge eating facilities is a
great start. But what I would say is just you know,
getting that one on one support, that somebody that can
actually walk you through this, and the first step would
just be acknowledging, like, no, it's.
Speaker 2 (12:45):
Not bad that I'm looking for support. This is a
good thing.
Speaker 1 (12:48):
Asking for help is not weakness, it is strength, and
it's what I need to actually get through this.
Speaker 3 (12:53):
And this book may not be for you, but it's
something that was life changing for me. And it's called
Brain over Binge. I've talked about it a lot here
on Outweigh, but if you have experienced binge eating, that
is a book that was such a game changer. I
do know people that that wasn't what they needed for
whatever they had going on, But for me, that was
(13:14):
my desperation. That was my hail Mary signed. I got
the book, I signed up for her course, I ordered everything,
like I remember everything about when I signed up for
that and all it's all I wanted to consume because
I was so exhausted and tired from my binge per
dirict lifestyle and I went all in. So that's a
(13:37):
resource you can just google. Catherine Hanson brainover binge. She
has a podcast, she has the workbooks, she has live
Q and a's that she does a lot of helpful things.
So maybe that is a place to start where if
you can't afford one on one care, you don't have
access to that. There are resources out there specifically for
(13:58):
binge eating. And that's that I can give a personal
testimony to. I'm sure there are other amazing things out there.
And then Leanne works with people one on one all
the time, and it's just going to look different for everybody.
But I just know that there's resources you can pay for,
and then there's also free resources until you can save
up and figure out what you need to do for yourself.
(14:19):
But there is hope. Like I'm someone I lived in
such despair and I thought, well, this is just the
way I'm going to be the rest of my life.
And I am here to say that you do not
have to live that way, and there is a life
for you that is free. Like the shackles can be
removed when it comes to that part of your life,
and you will experience relationships differently, you'll experience food differently,
(14:41):
you'll experience i mean life.
Speaker 2 (14:44):
Yeah, it'll spill over everywhere.
Speaker 3 (14:46):
So thank you for sending in those questions again. We'll
be continuing the Q and A into next week as well,
so we'll see you then. Until then, Lean, Where can
people find you?
Speaker 2 (14:55):
Yeah? Absolutely.
Speaker 1 (14:56):
If you want to see my viewpoints on how you
can kind of turn off the part of your brain
that is obsessed with food and really heal your way
to freedom, you can check out my free masterclass over
at Stressless Eating dot com and then Leannelinton dot com
for all other.
Speaker 3 (15:08):
Things Boom Free Resource. I'd love to hear it, and
we'll link all that in the show notes so it's
easy to find. I'm at Radio Amy and we'll see
you next Saturday.
Speaker 2 (15:19):
Bye bye
I won't let my body out be outwait everything that
I'm made, don't won't spend my life trying to change.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
I'm learning to love who I am, A young strong
I feel free. I know every part of me. It's beautiful.
Speaker 1 (00:19):
And then will always out way if.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
You feel it with your hands and there she'll some
love to the boo. Why get there?
Speaker 3 (00:28):
Say you?
Speaker 2 (00:29):
One day? Anita? Did you? And die out way? Happy Saturday?
Speaker 3 (00:36):
Outweigh Amy here and Hi, it's Leanne. We're excited to
be back together again. Leanne was doing some What's God
Got to Do with It? Outweigh collapse and that was
really special series and this series coming up for the
next five weeks. It's from a Q and a box
that I put up and you all submitted your questions
(01:00):
and we sort of bunched some of the questions together
in different categories that were sort of related, which thanks
to everyone that replied to the question box. I actually
put it up on Instagram with the picture of an
old journal that I found lean where I was clearly
measuring different parts of my body and it was very chaotic,
(01:20):
like you could even see the dates. It was very
structured like it would be you know, July nineteenth, and
then July twenty first, and then be like August eighth,
and I would just have it sporadically written throughout the journal.
And I also had actual journal thoughts in this journal too,
but some pages, I guess I would dedicate to what
I weighed that day, what my arms measured, my waist,
(01:41):
my hips, and I sat down with that for a
little bit and had compassion for that version of.
Speaker 1 (01:47):
Me that alt the need to do that.
Speaker 3 (01:49):
And I did put a disclaimer when I posted it
that like, if you measure or weigh yourself and you
have goals for your health and your body, that in
itself is okay. And I'm not saying that anybody has
disordered behaviors if they're doing that with the right intentions.
My intentions were extremely disordered and unhealthy in many more
(02:10):
ways than just the journaling part. My thoughts were toxic,
My behaviors were my actions. It had taken me over
and it was really interesting. During my move, I just
moved and came across that journal, so that was something
that I also took a moment and celebrated my growth
and how far I have come. And I think our
(02:32):
brains need that celebration, which I think celebration may come
up in some of these q and a's, like the
answer may be, when you make a step of progress
in the right direction, you make time to celebrate that.
Even if the tiniest, tiny, absolutely celebrations are steps forward,
you celebrate it actually in a big way, don't downplay
(02:53):
it at all. So Leanne, I'm going to read the
first bundle of questions that I pulled, and then we
can go into to answering them. The questions are going
to cover does disordered eating apply to people who are
eating out of habit, stress or depression? How to stop
comfort eating? And then someone typed in the question box
I was literally googling binge eating facilities thirty minutes ago.
Speaker 2 (03:15):
Where do I start?
Speaker 3 (03:16):
It's taken over and that's what I felt at a
certain point in my life, have been taken over. And
so LeAnn, let's start with that first question about it
applying to people that might be eating if they're stressed
or depressed, because there is a difference.
Speaker 1 (03:29):
First and foremost, thank you so much for sending in
these questions, and you know, asking does disordered eating apply
to people who are eating.
Speaker 2 (03:35):
Out of habit? Or stress or depression.
Speaker 1 (03:37):
So I think sometimes we do desire to put ourselves
in some sort of box or give ourselves a label
or a diagnosis, you know. And so what I'll say
is this, if acknowledging that disordered eating is something that
is happening to you is as helpful to give you
clarity to move forward, then keep that in mind too.
But if putting yourself in a box or labeling it
might cause a little bit more disorder or shame or whatever,
(03:57):
just keep that in mind too.
Speaker 2 (03:58):
That's the little disclaimer.
Speaker 1 (04:00):
But when it comes to eating out of habit or
stress or depression, So what's happening is our social emotional
brain is signaling alert, alert, like there's.
Speaker 2 (04:08):
Something going on. There's a gap.
Speaker 1 (04:10):
I'm not getting what I need either, I'm like my
nervous system is stressed or I'm feeling you know, sad, lonely, bored, whatever, right,
And so what happens is and I'm using the word
you know, healthy in air quotes, but like a healthy
response would be like acknowledging the problem, acknowledging what's causing
the fire and putting the.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
Fire out right.
Speaker 1 (04:27):
And so when we are sad, when we're stressed when
we're lonely, when it's you know, a habit of you know,
maybe needs bored and comfort that would technically be classified
as a disordered pattern because what's happening is you're not
you're not really putting the fire out, and then you
fired and wired your brain to think that sugar is
the thing that'll make it feel better when you're experiencing
(04:48):
those things. And so this example comes up a lot
with my clients is to create like a kind of
a binary example.
Speaker 2 (04:54):
It's like if a little girl came up to and.
Speaker 1 (04:56):
Was like, hey, hey, hey, I'm really stressed right now,
I'm really depressed.
Speaker 2 (04:59):
You wouldn't say, oh, here's a cookie. Right.
Speaker 1 (05:01):
First of all, you'd hold space of like, oh my gosh,
that I'm so sorry, like I'm so sorry you're sad,
like acknowledging the sadness, right, And then you would probably
do some investigating what's causing you to feel sad, and
then you'd figure out how to get that little girl's
needs met emotionally in that moment, in an ideal and
healthy situation.
Speaker 2 (05:18):
Right. So part of it is.
Speaker 1 (05:19):
That when we fire and wire a response that food
will make us feel better when we're whether it's just
out of habit or stress or depression. Technically, yes, that
is a disordered habit, but part of it is the
disorder that's happening in your emotional system is never really
being a dress. It's just getting kind of a temporary
fix that anybody who's been through that cycle, and you know,
it's very understandable because I think pretty much everyone listening
(05:42):
to this has.
Speaker 2 (05:43):
But anybody who's.
Speaker 1 (05:44):
Been through that cycle knows that actually, when I'm stressed,
food will not only not take that stress away, but
now it's adding a new level of stress because now
I have cognitive dissonance, or I have shame or I
have guilt about that stress or about what I just
ate or when I'm depressed. In our mind, we think
like food will make us feel better, because that's what
our brain has fired and wired to think will make
us feel better. But that's where it's kind of an illusion,
(06:05):
because in reality, when we're sad or depressed, food not
only does not take away that depression, but it adds
a new level of.
Speaker 2 (06:12):
Stress in our brains.
Speaker 1 (06:13):
So the next question actually blends into this of like
how to stop comfort eating, and part of it is
like This isn't a one and done and every person
is so individualized, so it's hard to share without knowing
more about the situation. But the next question of how
to stop comfort eating is really kind of goes along
with the first question, which is it's a process that
you have to learn how to be emotionally available to
(06:34):
yourselves in those moments without using food. And that's a
process that takes time, and it's a little bit delicate
and complicated, but it can also be different for everyone.
But it's a process I believe has to happen for
us to actually overcome that habit.
Speaker 3 (06:49):
I would like to just interject and then you can
share your thoughts and opinions on this. But for me personally,
there are times though that food does bring a lot
of comfort, something special or nostalgic or meaningful, or you know,
my mother's cheesecake or my favorite Oreo like whatever it is,
or this meal my dad used to make that I
(07:11):
actually used to deny myself because it was quote unquote bad,
and now I allow it and it gives me comfort
because I think of my dad, and so I think
that I do want to differentiate, not make out. And
that's where you know, even with that first question, I
think there is a difference in stress eating because sometimes
I catch myself still doing that and I have to say, hey,
(07:33):
it's okay that you're stressed and this food is actually
maybe doing a little something for me right now. But
to your point Land, it can then backfire when it
goes to the next level, and I think that's for
me as a former binge eater, I'm dancing with going
to the next level, Like if I dip my not water,
but just because I overeat or I eat nexcess now,
(07:53):
I don't like throwing the towel and think like, oh
my gosh, did I just have a binge? I think
you know, since you mentioned earlier, we don't know everybody individually,
and we're all so different that we do have to
speak with such caution and that if you're listen now,
what's advice for somebody may not be the exact perfect
advice for you. And that's why getting one on one
(08:13):
care for you and being able to share everything about
what's going on in your life and its entirety so
you can unpack some stuff is super crucial and important.
Outweighs just a tool to keep in your back pocket.
But yeah, I just wanted to pipe that food can
be of comfort more you agree with me on this, Leean,
I think that I want to make sure we're speaking
to that listener too. Yeah, still be comforting, but it's like,
(08:38):
at what point are you taking food to such a
level that now you're numbing out and you're not feeling
what you need to feel.
Speaker 2 (08:45):
Absolutely, And that's the thing.
Speaker 1 (08:47):
Food can be fun, it can be pleasure, it can
be a source of connection, it can be comforting, all
of those things.
Speaker 2 (08:52):
Anything can be a tool.
Speaker 1 (08:53):
Or a weapon, right, And so I think when it
gets to that point where we literally don't know how
to cope with emotions or bring comfort to ourselves without food,
Food absolutely should be delicious and fun and comforting and
all those things. But when it is our one source
of comfort, I think that's when it becomes a weapon.
Speaker 3 (09:09):
Right, And what other things can you work into your life?
Like I'm picturing that little girl and you know, someone
just handing her cookie and being like it's all going
to be okay. But what if you hand that little
girl or that little boy and picture yourself as that
child and hand them a journal and a pen and
say write this down. Let's process or hand them a
little chair to like sit down next to you and
(09:30):
like pat them on the back and be there for them.
What else could we hand them that would be potentially
help looks through more of the what's going on inside.
Speaker 1 (09:40):
Yeah, sometimes people just need to be heard and have
space held for them, and then they need a hug,
you know what I mean. So it doesn't even have
to be this like physical tangible thing. It can be
just like emotional support.
Speaker 3 (09:51):
Which fun fact, I saw something that the AP put
out today about the Gotman Institute and research they'd put
out a while back, but again the AP was just
covering it.
Speaker 2 (10:00):
It's back in the news.
Speaker 3 (10:00):
Cycle about oxytocin the love hormone and it being released
and that if you want it released from a hug,
you need to hold the hug for twenty seconds or longer.
Speaker 2 (10:11):
Okay, not died. I love I love John Gotman. I
think he's brilliant. But yeah, and it's you bring it up,
and that's beyond the scope of this episode.
Speaker 1 (10:19):
But like what you just said is so important too,
because oftentimes what we're needing in those moments is oxytocin
is like comfort, feeling safe and that's where the food
is just that dopamine hit. And if we fired and
wired that only food creates safety, that's where it can
be a problem.
Speaker 3 (10:33):
Yeah, and so we're going to go into the next
question about someone binge eating facilities and where to start
when you feel like it's taken you over. And I
think with the comfort eating, the stress eating all that,
I remember being so confused, like am I a binge eater?
I didn't know what that really meant. And this was
(10:56):
late nineties, early two thousands when nobody was talking about it.
And then I spent a long time trying to figure
it out. And I feel like we have a better
understanding of what binge eating is and hopefully there's not
as much shame attached to it. Please know, if you
have been in any kind of binge restrict purge cycle,
you are not alone at all. So I remember googling
(11:18):
support groups that I could go sit in on, like
sitting in a circle like AA and Hi, I'm Amy,
I'm a binge eater.
Speaker 1 (11:25):
I felt addicted to food.
Speaker 2 (11:27):
It's all I thought about.
Speaker 3 (11:29):
So, yeah, it can take you over. So whoever sent
in that statement and then question where to start is
different for everybody, but I'm going to defer to leanne
on maybe a helpful place because it could look different
for so many people.
Speaker 1 (11:43):
The fact that you're googling binge eating facilities, I think
that's a great sign that you're realizing you can't do
it on your own, you know.
Speaker 2 (11:50):
And I think that's the first.
Speaker 1 (11:51):
Thing kind of going with what Amy said, because again
I don't know your specific circumstances, but what I would say,
just generally speaking is when it comes to a beinge
eating disorder or the you know, the self amine body
image that comes alongside it eating disorders themselves, I think
there's that tendency to think that there's something eternally broken
or wrong with us. And so first of just letting
you know, like, no, you just learned disordered habits, just
(12:12):
like I learned, just like Amy learned. It's something that
your brain picked up along the way. And it doesn't
mean that you are any less amazing and perfect and
beautiful and intelligent. Ironically, this is very common among highly
intelligent people, right, So it's not lack of anything on
your part.
Speaker 2 (12:27):
But what I will say is.
Speaker 1 (12:28):
Just acknowledging, like, hey, this is something that I can't
do on my own, and honestly, you don't want to
do on your own.
Speaker 2 (12:33):
And I think the fact that.
Speaker 1 (12:34):
You were, you know, googling binge eating facilities is a
great start. But what I would say is just you know,
getting that one on one support, that somebody that can
actually walk you through this, and the first step would
just be acknowledging, like, no, it's.
Speaker 2 (12:45):
Not bad that I'm looking for support. This is a
good thing.
Speaker 1 (12:48):
Asking for help is not weakness, it is strength, and
it's what I need to actually get through this.
Speaker 3 (12:53):
And this book may not be for you, but it's
something that was life changing for me. And it's called
Brain over Binge. I've talked about it a lot here
on Outweigh, but if you have experienced binge eating, that
is a book that was such a game changer. I
do know people that that wasn't what they needed for
whatever they had going on, But for me, that was
(13:14):
my desperation. That was my hail Mary signed. I got
the book, I signed up for her course, I ordered everything,
like I remember everything about when I signed up for
that and all it's all I wanted to consume because
I was so exhausted and tired from my binge per
dirict lifestyle and I went all in. So that's a
(13:37):
resource you can just google. Catherine Hanson brainover binge. She
has a podcast, she has the workbooks, she has live
Q and a's that she does a lot of helpful things.
So maybe that is a place to start where if
you can't afford one on one care, you don't have
access to that. There are resources out there specifically for
(13:58):
binge eating. And that's that I can give a personal
testimony to. I'm sure there are other amazing things out there.
And then Leanne works with people one on one all
the time, and it's just going to look different for everybody.
But I just know that there's resources you can pay for,
and then there's also free resources until you can save
up and figure out what you need to do for yourself.
(14:19):
But there is hope. Like I'm someone I lived in
such despair and I thought, well, this is just the
way I'm going to be the rest of my life.
And I am here to say that you do not
have to live that way, and there is a life
for you that is free. Like the shackles can be
removed when it comes to that part of your life,
and you will experience relationships differently, you'll experience food differently,
(14:41):
you'll experience i mean life.
Speaker 2 (14:44):
Yeah, it'll spill over everywhere.
Speaker 3 (14:46):
So thank you for sending in those questions again. We'll
be continuing the Q and A into next week as well,
so we'll see you then. Until then, Lean, Where can
people find you?
Speaker 2 (14:55):
Yeah? Absolutely.
Speaker 1 (14:56):
If you want to see my viewpoints on how you
can kind of turn off the part of your brain
that is obsessed with food and really heal your way
to freedom, you can check out my free masterclass over
at Stressless Eating dot com and then Leannelinton dot com
for all other.
Speaker 3 (15:08):
Things Boom Free Resource. I'd love to hear it, and
we'll link all that in the show notes so it's
easy to find. I'm at Radio Amy and we'll see
you next Saturday.
Speaker 2 (15:19):
Bye bye
Hosts And Creators
Amy Brown
Leanne Ellington
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