Rewired

“Unnecessary" CaloriesIn both of our EDs, “unnecessary calories” was one of those rules that sometimes didn’t even feel like a rule. It was more like a fact, or something so ‘obvious’, it wasn’t even worth questioning. Leaving out the oil, the dressings, the sauces and syrups and liquid calories (basically, the bits that make food actually taste good!) was a default setting. So, in this episode, we dig into this “minimal version” mindset: the urge to always choose or make the lowest possible option. Challenging it was vital for us in our recoveries, as it impacted much more than just the meal itself. We go through some of the tools we used to challenge our own minimal version mindsets — and how our lives became all the wider, and richer, for it. Topics covered: * What “unnecessary calories” looked like in practice • The thoughts and justifications behind it • How meals became more stripped back over time • The impact on cooking, eating out, and social situations • The “minimal version” mindset • Where it leads if left unchecked • Challenging the rule and adding things back inConnect with us:Meg Instagram: @megsy_recovery YouTube: Megsy Recovery TikTok: megsy recoverySafia Instagram: @safia_edrecoverycoach Email: hello@safiaed.com Website: https://www.safiaed.comEm (copywriter & editor) Instagram: @em_schoneTallulah Self (podcast editor) Instagram: @tallulahself[DISCLAIMER] We’re not medical professionals, and the podcast content reflects our own experiences and opinions. If you’re struggling with an eating disorder or disordered eating, please reach out to a medical professional for personalised support.

Q&A with Dr Jennifer GaudianiThis week, we’re joined by Dr Jennifer Gaudiani: eating disorder specialist physician, founder and Medical Director of the Gaudiani Clinic, and author of Sick Enough. Her work has been key in helping shift understanding around what eating disorders actually look like in the body — and we know from personal experience just how powerful an informed, evidence-based voice can be in ED treatment.So, with that in mind, we sat down with Dr G to explore some of the most common (and often misunderstood) medical concerns in recovery. From why someone can be seriously unwell — despite “normal” bloods — to fears around metabolism, digestion, and weight restoration, this episode challenges the ED mirage of “sick enough” and offers a true understanding of what the body actually needs to heal.Topics covered: * Dr Gaudiani’s background • Why medical markers can appear “normal” • Feeling “not sick enough” and delaying recovery • Metabolism, weight restoration, and common fears • The updated edition of Sick Enough • Neurodivergence and eating disorder presentation • Athletes, RED-S, and hidden medical risk • GLP-1 medications and emerging concerns • Bloating and digestion • What supports recovery from a medical perspective Connect with us:Meg Instagram: @megsy_recovery YouTube: Megsy Recovery TikTok: megsy recoverySafia Instagram: @safia_edrecoverycoach Email: hello@safiaed.com Website: https://www.safiaed.comDr Jennifer Gaudiani Website: https://www.gaudianiclinic.com/teamEm (copywriter & editor) Instagram: @em_schoneTallulah Self (podcast editor) Instagram: @tallulahself[DISCLAIMER] We’re not medical professionals, and the podcast content reflects our own experiences and opinions, as well as that of our guests, so it shouldn’t be taken as medical advice. If you’re struggling with an eating disorder or disordered eating, please reach out to a medical professional for personalised support.

Eating Behaviours PT. 3Today, we share some of the food habits we had during our EDs: the behaviours that felt strange, secretive or embarrassing, even whilst sick. From tiny teaspoons of peanut butter to obsessing over textures, these behaviours brought up a lot of shame and self-consciousness. We explore why they develop, how surprisingly common they are, and how starvation physiology can drive them. Looking back, we reflect on how these habits were coping strategies in a difficult situation, and how we challenged them (or how they naturally improved) over time. It can be a tricky topic to navigate, and we really want to stress the importance of understanding your body’s perspective and responding to it with compassion rather than judgement. If you can relate to any of this, we hope that by sharing our experiences, we help take some of the stigma away. Topics covered: * Specific cutlery* ⁠Tiny teaspoons, bites, slithers and fragments* Strange food combinations and veg bulking; pouring water on food * Obsession with textures and needing food a certain way* Spacing and timing between foods* Liquid calories* Food temperatures* What changed, how, and when?Connect with us:Meg Instagram: @megsy_recovery YouTube: Megsy Recovery TikTok: megsy recoverySafia Instagram: @safia_edrecoverycoach Email: hello@safiaed.com Website: https://www.safiaed.comEm (copywriter & editor) Instagram: @em_schoneTallulah Self (podcast editor) Instagram: @tallulahself[DISCLAIMER] We’re not medical professionals, and the podcast content reflects our own experiences and opinions. If you’re struggling with an eating disorder or disordered eating, please reach out to a medical professional for personalised support.

Orthorexia and “Clean Eating”“Wellness”. “Clean eating”. “Being healthy”. When it comes to diet, these sorts of things come up time and time again, and are often linked with concepts of discipline or even self-care. But when food choices become driven by fear and moral rules rather than nourishment or enjoyment, something else may be going on…Today, we’re looking at orthorexia: an unhealthy obsession with eating “pure” or “healthy” foods. While not formally listed in diagnostic manuals, it’s becoming increasingly acknowledged in clinical settings. Safia shares her own experience of orthorexic elements within her ED: how it initially felt health-focused, but how it became restrictive, anxiety-driven and all-consuming. We explore how wellness culture can blur the line between health and harm — why this makes orthorexia difficult to spot in the first place — and what recovery can look like.Topics covered:* What orthorexia is and where the term originated* How it differs from other eating disorders* The role of wellness culture, documentaries, and influencers* Moral ranking of foods and fear around ingredients* Excessive researching of food, nutrients, and labels* The mental, social, financial, and physical costs* Why orthorexia is so hard to spot sometimes* What recovery involves: rebuilding flexibility and redefining healthConnect with us:MegInstagram: @megsy_recoveryYouTube: Megsy RecoveryTikTok: megsy recoverySafiaInstagram: @safia_edrecoverycoachEmail: [hello@safiaed.com](mailto:hello@safiaed.com)Website: [https://www.safiaed.com](https://www.safiaed.com)Em (copywriter & editor)Instagram: @em_schoneTallulah Self (podcast editor)Instagram: @tallulahself[DISCLAIMER]Please keep in mind we’re not medical professionals, and the podcast content reflects our own experiences and opinions. It shouldn’t be taken as medical advice. If you’re struggling with an eating disorder or disordered eating, please reach out to a medical professional to discuss your own situation and get professional support.

Should I Continue Restoring Weight?This episode is for anyone who’s reached a point in recovery where things might “look better” on the outside – maybe eating is more regular, maybe you’ve restored some weight – and is grappling with the question: do I really need to keep going…?We talk about why this stage can be so confusing, why early progress is often mistaken for being “done”, and how both of us reached moments in our own recoveries where others thought we were fine – but internally, the eating disorder still had far too much space. By the end of the episode, we really hope to have helped you recognise that partial recovery isn’t the finish line — and why continuing can be the difference between coping and genuinely living.Topics covered:* Wondering whether continued weight restoration is really necessary* When others think you’re “better”, but something still doesn’t feel right* Why early progress is not the same as full recovery* The discomfort of partial recovery and feeling stuck in the middle* How stopping early keeps the eating disorder as a backup plan* Identity, freedom, and what hasn’t rebuilt yet* Why the life you want often sits beyond this stage of recoveryConnect with us:MegInstagram: @megsy_recoveryYouTube: Megsy RecoveryTikTok: megsy recoverySafiaInstagram: @safia_edrecoverycoachEmail: hello@safiaed.comWebsite: https://www.safiaed.comEm (copywriter & editor) Instagram: @em_schoneEmail: ejschone@gmail.comPodcast editor:Tallulah Self

Practical Tips and ToolsThere’s no quick fix for recovery – but there are tools that can help ease those overwhelming moments. Today, we’re exploring practical techniques that can make a difference, drawing on our own experiences as eating disorder recovery coaches. We talk about what coaching is, how it differs from therapy, and how it can complement other forms of support. From metaphors and mantras to transitional objects and time-hopping, we hope you find that some of these strategies bridge the gap between awareness and action – and help you stay grounded in your bigger picture when things feel tough.Topics covered:· Coaching, therapy, and how they can work together· On building a toolkit for recovery· Transitional objects: what they are and how to use them· Using metaphors and analogies· Time-hopping – using milestones and memories· It's okay to be repetitive! The power of reiteration· “Bucketing” your actions · The concept of the shield: protecting your recovery· Shining the spotlightConnect with us:MegInstagram: @megsy_recoveryYouTube: Megsy RecoveryTikTok: megsy recoverySafiaInstagram: @safia_edrecoverycoachEmail: hello@safiaed.comWebsite: https://www.safiaed.com[DISCLAIMER]Please keep in mind we’re not medical professionals, and the podcast content reflects our own experiences and opinions, as well as that of our guests, so it shouldn’t be taken as medical advice. If you’re struggling with an eating disorder or disordered eating, please reach out to a medical professional to discuss your own situation and get professional help with your own unique recovery.

In this episode, we share ten things that helped us during those tougher times: the tips, tricks, and lists we used to redirect our thinking – to zoom out – and reframe our focus. These strategies aren’t about perfection; they’re about creating small shifts that, with consistency, can make a big difference.From writing letters to your future self to quickfire affirmations and perspective-shifting techniques, we unpack our personal recovery toolkits. We discuss the importance of time-hopping, stepping outside yourself, and why these tools work best when used messily, in the moment – without the pressure to be perfect.Topics covered: Writing our five-year letters Zooming out with bullet point lists Ejecting the ED DVD and rewriting the script Affirmations and soundbites – it’s okay to be repetitive! Questions that made us stop and think Recovery lists: what EDs take vs. what recovery gives Shining the spotlight on recovery Connecting with nature The power of helping others and acts of kindness Time-hopping BONUS: understanding food fixation Connect with us:Meg:Instagram: @megsy_recoveryYouTube: Megsy RecoveryTikTok: megsy recoverySafia:Email: safia.s.muzaffar@gmail.comInstagram: @safia_edrecoverycoachMember of the Beyond Body Coaching team: Beyond Body CoachingEm [copywriter & editor]:@em_schonePlease keep in mind we’re not medical professionals, and the podcast content reflects our own experiences and opinions, as well as that of our guests, so should not be taken as medical advice. If you’re struggling with an eating disorder or disordered eating, please reach out to a medical professional to discuss your own situation and get professional help with your own unique recovery.

Chrissy is an incredible recovery coach, currently training to be a counsellor, and has experience working at a clinic as both an eating disorder recovery coach and mentor. She has a passion for ED recovery, mental health, body-image and self-compassion since she started her own recovery journey seven years ago. At the start of Chrissy’s journey, she was in treatment for an eating disorder, describing these as one of her symptoms, but in fact was really in recovery for all areas of her life. Since then she has also delivered workshops on body-image and the history of diet-culture, the science behind why diet culture tells us lies and why fatphobia and body ideals are just plain wrong. Her core message is that no one deserves to feel that they are inherently unlovable for whatever reason; their body, their soul, their voice or anything. She speaks about the fact that sadly there is much trauma that we, individually and societally, are hurting from and self-hatred is a huge product of that. Her biggest hope is to help others realise that they are worthy of love and a good life, as she was helped to discover on her own journey. She has a particular interest in the relationship between self-image and body-image, how the two exist in parallel and impact each-other. Topics covered: Chrissy’s own recovery journey and how she became interested in body image History and origins of diet culture, and how racial, patriarchal, healthcare and all sorts of systems play a part. Our bodies having their own ‘genetic set range’ and how respecting this impacts living a fulfilling life Detaching her own sense of ‘lovability’ from body aesthetics Connection between body image and trauma Navigating diet culture and body expectations we are surrounded by Where to start in developing a better relationship with our body and self as a whole Find Chrissy here: Instagram: @chrissy_shroomie You can find us on social media: Tallulah Self (editor and Producer) Instagram: @tallulahself Meg: Instagram: @megsy_recovery YouTube: Megsy Recovery TikTok: megsy recovery Safia: Email: safia.s.muzaffar@gmail.com Instagram: @safia_edrecoverycoach Member of the Beyond Body Coaching team: https://www.beyondbodycoach.com Please keep in mind we’re not medical professionals, and the podcast content reflects our own experiences and opinions, as well as that of our guests, so it shouldn’t be taken as medical advice. If you’re struggling with an eating disorder or disordered eating please reach out to a medical professional to discuss your own situation and get professional help with your own unique recovery.