"Lindsey, I hate my stomach. I can't stop thinking about it. It's ruining my day, my mood, my recovery. What do I do?"
If your stomach is your biggest trigger in recovery - if you can't stop looking at it, obsessing over whether it looks bigger, spiraling every time you see your reflection - this episode is for you, girlfriend.
Host Lindsey Nichol gets real about stomach hate in recovery and shares something her client needed to hear today: "I may not love my stomach every day, but if I'm being honest? I didn't love my stomach every day when I was in the trenches of my eating disorder either."
So here's the question: Which hard do you want?
Hard #1: Hating your stomach while you're restricting, obsessing, body checking, over-exercising, and missing your life.
Hard #2: Sometimes not loving your stomach, but being FREE. Living your life. Eating with family. Being present. Having energy.
Both are hard. But only one leads to freedom.
In this episode, Lindsey shares her own stomach struggles - how she used to search for evidence it was "blowing up," how it would send her into spirals of restriction and over-exercise, and what she does NOW on the days when she doesn't love her stomach. Plus, she gives you 7 practical tools you can use on your hardest days.
This is real talk with practical help. No toxic positivity. No "just love yourself." Just honest truth and actionable tools for when your stomach triggers you.
In This Episode, You'll Hear:Lindsey's Stomach Story: The Disorder Days
- How she was super conscious of her stomach feeling or looking bigger
- Searching for evidence it was "blowing up" - every mirror, reflection, window
- The spirals: restriction, over-exercise, mood switches
- Feeling out of control and reacting - being short or avoidant with loved ones
- How stomach hate controlled her entire day, every day
The Truth Bomb: Choose Your Hard
- Hard #1: Hating your stomach while trapped in the eating disorder
- Hard #2: Sometimes not loving your stomach but being FREE
- The reality: Even at her lowest weight, Lindsey STILL didn't love her stomach
- The question: What other options do you have?
- Why you have to choose which hard you want to live with
Why the Stomach Specifically?
- Why the stomach is such an easy target for self-criticism
- How society and social media have trained us to hate our stomachs
- Why the stomach becomes the "safe" target instead of dealing with real feelings
- The truth: Restriction makes stomach issues WORSE (digestion, bloating)
- Reality check: Stomachs are SUPPOSED to change throughout the day
- Aren't stomachs supposed to be FULL? That's their job
What Lindsey Does NOW on Hard Days
- Wears baggy clothes, not restrictive clothing
- Avoids opportunities to stare in the mirror and body check
- Remin
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