Breaking Free: Your Recovery. Your Way. – Details, episodes & analysis

In this episode we discussed holiday-related boundaries. We talked about body and food-related boundaries, knowing our limits, and how to keep ourselves safe and honor our needs. For Liv, this has been one of the most painful lessons in recovery. Some of the challenges she has faced are well-meaning family members being overly focused on her body size and eating habits, and not understanding her needs as an empath and introvert.

For Tiffany, her challenges are self-expectations: hosting the family and ensuring everyone gets everything they might want. Sometimes, she has pushed herself to the point of exhaustion, and eaten foods she wouldn’t otherwise in fear of upsetting others.

This episode is packed full of hard won lessons, and potential solutions we can all use at this time of year.

We invite you to subscribe to our podcast, and tell us the ways in which you’re breaking free in our free Facebook community: Breaking Free Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/breakingfreecommunity.

#Recovery #Allpaths, #allpathways, #recoverypathways, #BreakingFree, #12steprecovery, #AlcoholicsAnonymous, #alternativepathways, #alternativesToAA, #sober, #sobriety,  diets dont work, #anti-diet, #IntuitiveEating, #Dietculture, #whycantIstopeating, #helpwithovereating, #bingeeating, #binging, #lifeafter12steprecovery, #bodyattunement, #Disorderedeating, #eatingdisorders, #sugaraddiction, #Alcoholism, #addiction, #howtolivesober, #sobriety, #howtostopdrinking, #recoverypodcast, #sobrietypodcast, #whatisintuitiveEating, #bodyrespect, #HAES, #healthateverysize, #bodypositivity, #BoPo, #foodrecovery, #BreakingFreeRecovery, #BreakingFree#Podcast, #Breaking Free:Your Recovery.Your Way., #recoverypatchwork, #eatingrecovery, #recoveryboundaries, #eatingdisorderrecovery, #disorderedeatingrecovery, #TiffanyThoen, #LivPennelle, #Liv’srecoverykitchen, #OliviaPennelle, #LivandTiffany

In this episode, we talk about how self-expectation is so prevalent in our lives, especially as female entrepreneurs, and what we can do to be more realistic with our expectations of ourselves.

The longer we’ve been in recovery, the more awareness we’ve gained around self-expectation. That’s not uncommon for women, as sexist and binary as this is. We’re often expected to have two roles: looking after the household, taking care of kids if we have them, and going to work all week.

As business owners, we both have competing priorities. But we still experience a gap between what we think we can do and what we achieve. For Liv, she can then use that deficit in achievement as a reason to be critical of her abilities. For Tiffany, there are always so many things she wants to do and so many unreasonable expectations.

As an antidote to high self-expectation, we discuss boundaries with ourselves and others, particularly our clients. We practice business efficiency where we can, and we try different ways to manage our time and our endless to-do lists more effectively. We talk about the importance of downtime, saying no, and listening to and honoring what our bodies need.

We rang a bell for:

• Camp Yes
  
• Eat that Frog
  

We invite you to subscribe to our podcast, and tell us the ways in which you’re breaking free in our free Facebook community: Breaking Free Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/breakingfreecommunity.

#Recovery #Allpaths, #allpathways, #recoverypathways, #BreakingFree, #12steprecovery, #AlcoholicsAnonymous, #alternativepathways, #alternativesToAA, #sober, #sobriety,  diets dont work, #anti-diet, #IntuitiveEating, #Dietculture, #whycantIstopeating, #helpwithovereating, #bingeeating, #binging, #lifeafter12steprecovery, #bodyattunement, #Disorderedeating, #eatingdisorders, #sugaraddiction, #Alcoholism, #addiction, #howtolivesober, #sobriety, #howtostopdrinking, #recoverypodcast, #sobrietypodcast, #whatisintuitiveEating, #bodyrespect, #HAES, #healthateverysize, #bodypositivity, #BoPo, #foodrecovery, #BreakingFreeRecovery, #BreakingFree#Podcast, #Breaking Free:Your Recovery.Your Way., #recoverypatchwork, #eatingrecovery, #recoveryboundaries, #eatingdisorderrecovery, #disorderedeatingrecovery, #TiffanyThoen, #LivPennelle, #Liv’srecoverykitchen, #OliviaPennelle, #LivandTiffany

“Oh, you look great! Did you lose weight?” “Are you really going to eat that?” These are milder things people “innocently” ask, but there are so many more questions and comments that are even more harmful. In this episode we dive into how to set boundaries with friends and family around food and body comments.

We love this Self article on the importance of ending body and weight loss “compliments.” Why are women's bodies and what we choose to put in our bodies up for discussion? It is nobody's business!

This Fat Girl Flow article is brilliant and so needed. They point out that health is not a moral issue, and asks people to stop justifying comments with this cop-out.

You can also check out Coach Tiffany’s blog on boundaries for more tips!

Listen in to hear our take on how to set boundaries around these sensitive subjects. It's not easy, but we are here for you. Remember, together, we are breaking free!

We invite you to subscribe to our podcast, and tell us the ways in which you’re breaking free in our free Facebook community: Breaking Free Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/breakingfreecommunity.

In this episode, we talk to Shannon Whaley about bodies — more specifically, about her journey towards body acceptance. We discuss the pervasiveness of diet culture, Shannon’s process of removing her breast implants and what she learned on that journey, and boundaries that Shannon has with others around her body.

Bio: Shannon Whaley (she/her) is a certified storytelling and marketing coach as well as the head of admissions for Inner Glow Circle, the #1 Coach Training company for women. Shannon believes that if you're alive, you have a story and her mission in life is to help women heal themselves and the world through raw, honest storytelling. Shannon uses her coaching platform to bring attention to issues that are important to her and to educate her community so we can all do better.

She is an American expat living in Italy with her husband, Stefano, and two cats, Niccolo and Kevin. You can find Shannon via her website: https://shannonwhaley.com/

We invite you to subscribe to our podcast, and tell us the ways in which you’re breaking free in our free Facebook community: Breaking Free Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/breakingfreecommunity.

#Recovery #Allpaths, #allpathways, #recoverypathways, #BreakingFree, #12steprecovery, #AlcoholicsAnonymous, #alternativepathways, #alternativesToAA, #sober, #sobriety,  diets dont work, anti-diet, Intuitive Eating, Diet culture, why cant I stop eating, help with overeating, binge eating, binging, life after 12 step recovery, body attunement, Disordered eating, eating disorders, sugar addiction, Alcoholism, addiction, how to live sober, sobriety, how to stop drinking, recovery podcast, sobriety podcast, what is Intuitive Eating, body respect, HAES, health at every size, body positivity, BoPo, food recovery, Breaking Free Recovery, Breaking Free Podcast, Breaking Free: Your Recovery. Your Way., recovery patchwork, eating recovery, recovery boundaries, eating disorder recovery, disordered eating recovery, Tiffany Thoen, Liv Pennelle, Liv’s recovery kitchen, Olivia Pennelle, Liv and Tiffany

In this episode, we zero in on body comparison. Liv and Tiffany share about beginning to compare our bodies to others as very young girls. We explore how our culture is hyper-focused on bodies, how it begins to appear early in life how it’s harmful, and what we can do about it.

We ask:

-How many times a day do you check your body in the mirror and then adjusting your clothes, and  try to make yourself look smaller?

-What does your Facebook and Instagram feed look like? Do you see only small bodies?

-How often are we body-bashing ourselves or listening to others comment on people’s bodies?

We dive into this awesome article by Abby Langer, R.D. in Self. It explains in depth why even complimenting people on weight loss is harmful. https://www.self.com/story/we-really-need-to-stop-complimenting-people-on-weight-loss?utm_sq=g5hbx3uhyc&fbclid=IwAR3l0xEklfweb4GFbnI8mR9SxvHKoQgbITbxsItFYbMK554oX-xvpx8QZGw

We also look at  this fantastic article by Fat Girl Flow on why our body (and our health) is nobody’s business but our own. https://fatgirlflow.com/afraid-youre-going-to-die-fat/

We are not JUST a body. We ring the bell for Lindsay Kite of Beauty Redefined/ Check out her great TED talk about being more than just a body: https://youtu.be/uDowwh0EU4w

Tiffany talks about her passion for helping women that know their value and worth is not related to how their body looks or what they weigh.

Tiffany’s Womanifesto: https://www.coachtiffanyrn.com/womanifesto.html

We dive into one of our favorite Principles of Intuitive Eating — Respect your body.

• Acceptance

• Gratitude

• Self-care

• No longer commenting on bodies

• Fighting fatphobia, starting within!

We ring a bell for Michelle Elman at #scarrednotscared. We encourage you to read her post “Fat is not a Feeling”:

https://www.instagram.com/tv/BxaiuTRBmI0/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_lin

We also share more about the Health at Every Size components:

• Respect
  
  • Celebrates body diversity
    
  • Honors differences in size, age, race, ethnicity, gender, dis/ability, sexual orientation, religion, class, and other human attributes
    
• Critical Awareness
  
  • Challenges scientific and cultural assumptions
    
  • Values body knowledge and lived experiences
    
• Compassionate Self-Care
  
  • Finding the joy in moving one’s body and being physically active
    
  • Encourages eating in a flexible and attuned manner that values pleasure and honors internal cues of hunger, satiety, and appetite, while respecting the social conditions that frame eating options
    

Check out the Health at Every Size website here: https://haescommunity.com/

We invite you to subscribe to our podcast, and tell us the ways in which you’re breaking free in our free Facebook community: Breaking Free Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/breakingfreecommunity. 

In this episode, we discuss the nuances of sugar addiction. We ask:

• Does sugar addiction exist?
  
• Is it truly an addiction?
  
• What’s wrong with the argument that sugar lights up the same pathways as cocaine?
  
• Why is throwing around the phrase “sugar addict” harmful?
  
• Why do we experience sugar cravings?
  

We talk about the neurochemistry, the role dopamine plays in sugar cravings, what the science is currently telling us, and why the data isn’t able to give us a full picture.

We also look at the role that diet culture plays in this messaging. It is so important to consider where these messages are coming from. Who benefits from us thinking there is something wrong with us?

Check out this awesome article by Imma Eat That on Sugar and Intuitive Eating. https://immaeatthat.com/2017/05/02/intuitive-eating-haters/

So, should we swear off sugar forever? No, because that actually increases the brain reward for sugar.

What to do instead of restriction if you are struggling with sugar:

• Release judgement and get curious.
  
• Try other focusing on overall health. Increase sleep, see your doctor, try supplements, decrease stress, implement gentle nutrition by increasing consumption of veggie fiber, cooking at home, and eating enough throughout the day.
  
• Look at emotional eating (again without judgement). Learn new ways of coping. Increase pleasure in your life to help improve dopamine tone.
  

If you need support around sugar and your relationship with food, reach out to Coach Tiffany at tiffany@coachtiffanyrn.com or visit her website at https://www.coachtiffanyrn.com

We invite you to subscribe to our podcast, and tell us the ways in which you’re breaking free in our free Facebook community: Breaking Free Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/breakingfreecommunity.

In this episode, Liv and Tiffany share their experiences with finding Intuitive Eating. Diving deeper, we look at the barriers to Intuitive Eating and how to get started. 

Barriers: 

• Diet culture
• Rigid food rules growing up
• Poor modeling around food
• Parents who dieted
• Shaming messages
• Negative body image
• Childhood trauma
• Mental health conditions: depression, anxiety, PTSD
• Pain

Getting started with IE:

• Reject diet culture, food “shoulds,” judgement and shame
• Celebrate awareness
• Honor your body, focus on body attunement
• Honor your hunger — IE encourages you to eat food, and experience fullness and satisfaction
• Body acceptance/respect (gratitude for our body, self-care, body comparison, self criticism)
• Honoring feelings without using food (how do I feel, what do I need?)
• Honoring your health: gentle nutrition, exercise because it feels good

These are our bellworthy and noteworthy resources:

The Ten Principles of Intuitive Eating: 

https://www.intuitiveeating.org/10-principles-of-intuitive-eating/

Coach Tiffany’s self-paced Intuitive Eating course:https://www.coachtiffanyrn.com/course.html

Grab Coach Tiffany’s hunger scale here:

https://www.coachtiffanyrn.com/hunger-scale-opt-in.html

Harvard’s take on the ACE test: https://developingchild.harvard.edu/media-coverage/take-the-ace-quiz-and-learn-what-it-does-and-doesnt-mean/

Article: What Cookies and Meth Have in Common: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/30/opinion/sunday/what-cookies-and-meth-have-in-common.html

Books to check out: 

Intuitive Eating by Evelyn Tribole, MS, RDN, CEDRD-S and Elyse Resch, MS, RDN, CEDRD-S, Fiaedp, FADA, FAND

The Body Keeps the Score by Gabor Mate 

We invite you to subscribe to our podcast, and tell us the ways in which you’re breaking free in our free Facebook community: Breaking Free Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/breakingfreecommunity.

Intuitive Eating is Tiffany’s passion. In her work as an Intuitive Eating coach, she helps people to heal their relationship with food. In this episode, Tiffany and Liv discuss what is and why it is awesome. 

Intuitive Eating is essentially learning to let go of all of the “shoulds” around food. Judgement and shame around food keep us from gaining awareness, connection, and attunement with our bodies. By letting go of all the judgment, we can focus instead on building trust in our bodies and honoring our bodies’ needs. With Intuitive Eating, we give ourselves unconditional permission to eat by making feeding ourselves satisfying foods a priority while also being discerning about how we want to feel.

These are our bellworthy and noteworthy resources:

The Ten Principles of Intuitive Eating: 

https://www.intuitiveeating.org/10-principles-of-intuitive-eating/

http://boldandbadass.com/the-principles-of-intuitive-eating/

Coach Tiffany’s self-paced Intuitive Eating course: https://www.coachtiffanyrn.com/course.html

Grab Coach Tiffany’s hunger scale here:

https://www.coachtiffanyrn.com/hunger-scale-opt-in.html

Some of our favorite places to eat treats in Portland:

• Rawdacious
• Gem
• Kyra’s
• Wholism
• Fern Kitchen

We invite you to subscribe to our podcast, and tell us the ways in which you’re breaking free in our free Facebook community: Breaking Free Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/breakingfreecommunity. 

In this episode, we focus on weight loss — why dieting doesn't work and why focusing on weight loss is actually harmful. Studies show that dieting to lose weight does not work long-term: while initially people often lose weight, if we zoom out and look 2-5 years past the diet, 85-95% of the time people gain back all the weight and often even more. Listen in to find out what to focus on instead. 

The healthcare industry also contributes to harm by focusing on weight. When we focus on weight rather than health, people are not treated as thoroughly and are stigmatized. 

Ellen Maud Bennett’s obituary, where her final message is her experience of fat shaming by the healthcare industry, is highlighted. https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/timescolonist/obituary.aspx?pid=189588876

In this article, Laura Fraser writes about her sister, Jan, whose symptoms were disregarded, likely due to weight bias while her cancer went undiagnosed: https://www.statnews.com/2017/08/15/cancer-diagnosis-weight-doctors/

These are our other noteworthy acknowledgements:

Great article by the Intuitive Eating founders, Evelyn Tribole, MS, RDN, CEDRD-S and Elyse Resch, MS, RDN, CEDRD-S, Fiaedp, FADA, FAND, about risk of increasing weight from dieting referencing the twin study: 

https://www.intuitiveeating.org/warning-dieting-increases-your-risk-of-gaining-more-weight-an-update/

Interesting article by Melissa Gerson, LCSW, on the conscientious objectors starvation experiment:  

https://www.theprojectheal.org/healblog/impact-of-starvation-on-behavior

The New York Times article focused on the biggest loser study by Sandra Aamodt, a neuroscientist - https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/08/opinion/sunday/why-you-cant-lose-weight-on-a-diet.html

We invite you to subscribe to our podcast, and tell us the ways in which you’re breaking free in our free Facebook community: Breaking Free Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/breakingfreecommunity. 

In this episode we discuss diet culture: what it is, Tiffany’s take on it, and why it's harmful. Ultimately, we are all affected by diet culture. It is subtle and it is pervasive. Listen in to learn why it's time to reject diet culture and focus instead on building connection and trust with our body. 

These are our bellworthy and noteworthy acknowledgements:

A great article on how diet culture is related to social inequity: https://katebrowne.net/defining-diet-culture/

#iweigh: https://www.instagram.com/i_weigh/ by https://www.instagram.com/jameelajamilofficial/ to be reminded that you are more than a number on the scale. 

Shilo George is the fat activist we mentioned who shared on another podcast about negative self-talk and “shoulds” being like invasive species. https://podtail.com/en/podcast/every-body-reclaiming-body-talk/ep-28-great-awakening-of-heart-and-spirit-shilo-ge/

https://www.sarahblondin.com/: Check out her meditations on loving and listening to yourself. 

Tiffany’s favorite definition of diet culture: Christy Harrison, MPH, RD, CDN is an outspoken leader in the non-diet, weight-inclusive movement, and her definition of diet culture has been widely quoted and referenced. 

She says:

“Diet culture is a system of beliefs that: