The Full Plate Podcast with Abbie Attwood, MS – Details, episodes & analysis

"Eating disorders are dissociative by nature. It's very difficult to be connected to your feelings while you're engaging in eating disorder behaviors. So it makes a lot of sense that people develop eating disorders as a way of keeping themselves as “safe” as possible."

In this special episode, Abbie is joined by the incredible Monica Ostroff, a therapist and eating disorders specialist, to explore Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) and its overlooked intersection with eating disorders. They also have a deeper conversation about the relationship between trauma and disordered eating.

Monika shares her personal journey, detailing her experiences with anorexia and trauma, and how these experiences shaped her professional path in the field of eating disorders. 

Listen to hear more about:

• The misconceptions surrounding DID 
• Trauma-related origins of both DID and eating disorders
• Taking a strengths-based perspective in recovery
• Trauma-informed approaches to treatment
• The complex relationship between trauma, eating disorders, and self-compassion
• Understanding our internal voices
• Using inner world tools for healing 
• The protective nature of eating disorders
• What it means to be gentle in recovery
• Addressing the challenges of worthlessness
• Coping with societal pressures surrounding body image
• Why healing is really about connection
• How we can show up for ourselves with kindness and understanding
• So much more!

About Monika: Monika Ostroff, LICSW, CEDS-S is the Executive Director of the Multi-Service Eating Disorders Association, Inc (MEDA). Prior to leading MEDA, she directed several residential, partial hospital and intensive outpatient eating disorder programs in addition to having owned a thriving private practice. 

Monika is the co-author of Anorexia Nervosa: A Guide to Recovery and a contributing author to Self-Harm Behavior and Eating Disorders. With more than 25 years of experience in the field of eating disorders, Monika has presented at many national conferences, taught at the university level, and appeared on many media broadcasts, publications & podcasts. 

Practicing from a trauma informed, social justice and staunchly HAES® aligned lens, Monika is a dedicated ally and strong advocate working to ensure access to equitable, compassionate, and affirming care for all. Her passion for treating eating disorders and mentoring other professionals was borne out of her own struggle with severe and enduring anorexia nervosa and life experiences.

Support the show: Enjoying this podcast? Please support the show on Patreon for bonus episodes, community engagement, and access to "Ask Abbie" at Patreon.com/fullplate

Group program:

Looking for more support and concrete steps to take to heal your relationship with food and your body? Apply for Abbie's next 10-week group program: https://www.abbieattwoodwellness.com/group-coaching

Group membership:

Already been at this anti-diet culture thing for a while, but want community and continued learning? Apply for Abbie's monthly membership: https://www.abbieattwoodwellness.com/circle-monthly-group

Social media:

Find the show on Instagram: @fullplate.podcast

Find Abbie on Instagram: @abbieattwoodwellness

Transcripts: If you’re looking for transcripts, you can find those on Abbie's website, www.abbieattwoodwellness.com/podcast

Podcast Cover Photography by Anya McInroy

Podcast Editing by Brian Walters

This podcast is ad-free and support comes from our Patrons on Patreon: Patreon.com/fullplate

This is a free preview of a paid episode: the first 30 minutes are available to everyone, but to hear the full conversation, upgrade to paid on Patreon: patreon.com/fullplate   (thank you, your support is what makes this podcast possible!)

Abbie chats with Jo Walduck, a recovery coach, about the intersection of gender, mental health, and personal growth. Jo shares her multifaceted identity and journey through recovery from both disordered eating and alcohol use while navigating the world as a trans person. She discusses the complexities of healing through multiple identities while overcoming addiction and chronic illness. 

This episode is an exploration of the non-linear nature of recovery – from the importance of compassion, to the impact of childhood experiences, to why our coping mechanisms need to be seen with nuance and respect. 

Jo reflects on the challenges of feeling at home in her body, letting go of perfectionism, and why it’s so hard to reach out for help when we’re struggling.

Listen to hear more about:

• What’s on Jo’s plate—literally and metaphorically
• Navigating life as a collection of niches and identities
• The ongoing nature of recovery and learning to set things down
• Why self-compassion is essential in the healing process
• How childhood experiences shape our coping mechanisms
• The role of food and alcohol as tools for survival
• The intersection of gender identity and substance use
• How therapy offers tools but isn’t a quick fix
• The pivotal moment of moving beyond coping mechanisms
• The importance of support and community in building a new life
• Grief as a part of understanding identity and healing
• The parallel journeys of sobriety and gender transition
• How chronic illness can complicate the recovery process
• Why recovery is non-linear, layered, and deeply personal
• The role of self-love in living authentically
• Finding a sense of home in one’s body
• Reaching out for support as an act of strength
• Letting go of moral judgments around food and prioritizing self-care
• Embracing uncertainty as part of being human

You can access the first 30 minutes for free, but if you want access to the whole episode, subscribe on Patreon right here! 

More about Jo:

Jo Anne Walduck (pronouns she/they), is in her late 30s, a Brit who’s lived in France for almost all her adult life, a trauma-informed business, life, and recovery coach, a cat lover, a woman in recovery, a writer, a dreamer, a napper. A storyteller and a delighter in the growth and healing that happens when we turn our nurturing energy inwards and let it overflow outwards, rather than focussing on everyone else and gasping for the dregs. A trans femme living with chronic illness and fatigue, a human navigating the waves of generational trauma, familial grief, and queer joy.

Support the show: Enjoying this podcast? Please support the show on Patreon for bonus episodes, community engagement, and access to "Ask Abbie" at Patreon.com/fullplate

Group program:

Looking for more support and concrete steps to take to heal your relationship with food and your body? Apply for Abbie's next 10-week group program: https://www.abbieattwoodwellness.com/group-coaching

Group membership:

Already been at this anti-diet culture thing for a while, but want community and continued learning? Apply for Abbie's monthly membership: https://www.abbieattwoodwellness.com/circle-monthly-group

Social media:

Find the show on Instagram: @fullplate.podcast

Find Abbie on Instagram: @abbieattwoodwellness

Transcripts: If you’re looking for transcripts, you can find those on Abbie's website, www.abbieattwoodwellness.com/podcast

Podcast Cover Photography by Anya McInroy

Podcast Editing by Brian Walters

This podcast is ad-free and support comes from our Patrons on Patreon: Patreon.com/fullplate

This is a free preview of a bonus episode. To hear the full conversation, become a paid subscriber to the show on Patreon: www.patreon.com/fullplate. Your support on Patreon is what makes this show possible. Thank you so much!

Abbie answers a listener question about the challenges of dating and relationships amidst diet culture  -- especially while navigating a history of body control, body shame, and disordered eating. Our listener's concerns are about dating men who are overly focused on fitness and diet, and how to know whether those concerns are a reflection of her gut instincts, or a sign that more healing needs to happen.

What you'll hear:

• The importance of safety and self-worth in relationships
• How we can learn to trust our intuition in dating
• Exploring shared values beyond diet culture
• Ways to set both internal and external boundaries
• Knowing when to share your mental health history
• Working through dating app parameters
• What is a trigger versus what is something to work through
• Abbie's experience with ED recovery and dating

Jeb, Abbie's husband, joins later in the episode to have a conversation about the way they met:

• What happened when they shared about eating disorders and addiction
• Vulnerability and when to talk about hard things
• Jeb shares his initial anxiety about dating post-treatment
• What it was like meeting on a dating app
• Why Jeb needed to find someone open to discussing hard topics
• This is an episode that ultimately centers on the nuances of vulnerability and openness, what it means to prioritize our mental health without sacrificing important relationships, and getting clear on what we truly value in a partner.

This is an episode that ultimately centers on the nuances of vulnerability and openness, what it means to prioritize our mental health without sacrificing important relationships, and getting clear on what we truly value in a partner.

LISTEN TO THE FULL CONVERSATION HERE!

Support the show: Enjoying this podcast? Please support the show on Patreon for bonus episodes, community engagement, and access to "Ask Abbie" at Patreon.com/fullplate

Group membership:

Already been at this anti-diet culture thing for a while, but want community and continued learning? Apply for Abbie's monthly membership: https://www.abbieattwoodwellness.com/circle-monthly-group

Social media:

Find the show on Instagram: @fullplate.podcast

Find Abbie on Instagram: @abbieattwoodwellness

Transcripts: If you’re looking for transcripts, you can find those on Abbie's website, www.abbieattwoodwellness.com/podcast

Podcast Cover Photography by Anya McInroy

Podcast Editing by Brian Walters

This podcast is ad-free and support comes from our Patrons on Patreon: Patreon.com/fullplate

Christy Harrison, RD MPH CEDS, joins Abbie on the pod to talk all things wellness culture. This conversation is such an important one, as they explore how the diet culture contrived version of wellness preys on those with medical conditions, is steeped in healthism, and perpetuates misinformation about pseudo-scientific diagnoses. Christy's second book, "The Wellness Trap", just released last week, so you'll also get to her more of the BTS on her book launch and writing process in this episode, too!

Topics discussed:

• Our love affair with chips of all kinds
• Christy's experience launching her second book in a different stage of life and as a new mom
• Creating boundaries and protecting your mental and emotional well-being on social media
• Wellness misinformation during pregnancy and postpartum
• Debunking dubious diagnoses: "adrenal fatigue", "candida overgrowth", and "leaky gut"
• How our consumption of social media influences our experience of diet and wellness culture
• The spread of misinformation and disinformation about health conditions
• How fearing food harms our health and wellbeing
• Chronic illness and wellness culture
• Finding trustworthy sources of information
• How diets cherry-pick insignificant studies or cite studies that don't support their claims
• The meaning behind Christy's new book cover and new podcast art

Christy Harrison, MPH, RD, CEDS is a journalist, registered dietitian, and certified intuitive eating counselor. She’s the author of The Wellness Trap: Break Free from Diet Culture, Disinformation, and Dubious Diagnoses and Find Your True Well-Being (coming in April 2023) and Anti-Diet: Reclaim Your Time, Money, Well-Being, and Happiness Through Intuitive Eating.  

Christy is also the coauthor, with psychotherapist Judith Matz, of The Making Peace with Food Card Deck.

Christy is the producer and host of two podcasts, Rethinking Wellness and Food Psych, which have helped tens of thousands of listeners around the world think critically about diet and wellness culture and develop more peaceful relationships with food. In addition to her media work, Christy offers online courses and private intuitive eating coaching to help people all over the world make peace with food and their bodies.

Full Plate is listener-supported (no ads!) so please support the show on Patreon for bonus episodes at Patreon.com/fullplate

Patreon is also home to the episode transcripts (which are publicly available to everyone, not just our patrons!). If you’re looking for those, head over to Patreon. 

Find the show on Instagram: @fullplate.podcast 

Find Abbie on Instagram: @abbieattwoodwellness

Apply for Abbie's summer group coaching cohort: https://www.abbieattwoodwellness.com/group-coaching 

You won't want to miss this incredibly healing conversation. Dr. Anita Johnston joins Abbie to discuss the magic of metaphors and story-telling in ED recovery, and how we can return home to our authentic selves to find freedom. They discuss why highly intuitive and deeply feeling people tend to be most vulnerable to eating disorders, and how to use those gifts as superpowers in recovery.

Topics covered:

• How being highly sensitive impacts disordered eating and healing
• The safety and security that EDs can provide
• Anita's childhood in Guam and how that shaped her experience with food, body, and herself
• Our illusion of control in having an eating disorder
• Storytelling and metaphor in ED treatment
• Language of recovery and healing
• Disordered eating thoughts and behaviors as a coping mechanism and distraction
• Following our joy and authenticity to freedom from diet culture
• Emotional literacy and boundaries
• Why those who suffer from EDs are the ones that the world needs most
• Mothering energy and how to provide that to ourselves

Full Plate is listener-supported (no ads!) so please support the show on Patreon for bonus episodes at Patreon.com/fullplate

Patreon is also home to the episode transcripts (which are publicly available to everyone, not just our patrons!). If you’re looking for those, head over to Patreon. 

Find the show on Instagram: @fullplate.podcast 

Find Abbie on Instagram: @abbieattwoodwellness 

Abbie’s website: www.abbieattwoodwellness.com

Light of the Moon Cafe: https://lightofthemooncafe.com/

Anita's website: https://dranitajohnston.com/

Find Anita on Instagram: @dranitajohnston

We're REALLY getting into it today with this one. Hunger, as a broad topic, is something that I continue to receive the most questions on. We will likely have a part two to this episode in the future, so stay tuned!

FAQs covered:

• What even is hunger? What is the physiology and psychology behind it?
• What are the signs of hunger that we might be ignoring?
• Why do we lose our hunger, or become disconnected from the hunger cues themselves?
• What happens to our appetite and hunger as a result of dieting, accidental under-eating, and / or disordered eating?
• How can we approach eating when hunger is absent?
• Abbie's analogy for rebuilding trust with our body and hunger
• What do we do to get our hunger cues back?
• Abbie's go-to meals for when hunger feels confusing

Full Plate is listener-supported (no ads!) so please support the show on Patreon for bonus episodes at Patreon.com/fullplate

Patreon is also home to the episode transcripts (which are publicly available to everyone, not just our patrons!). If you’re looking for those, head over to Patreon.

Find the show on Instagram: @fullplate.podcast

Find Abbie on Instagram: @abbieattwoodwellness 

Learn more group coaching with Abbie: https://www.abbieattwoodwellness.com/group-coaching 

Abbie chats with Dr. Kim Daniels, a licensed clinical psychologist and emotional eating coach, about the biospychosocial components of eating disorders, the diagnosis of binge eating, and how so many factors come together to create our relationship with food and our bodies.

Topics discussed:

• What’s on Kim’s plate right now as a mother, and her current favorite snack
• Kim's relationship with food and her body as a child
• How our experience of puberty impacts body image
• Working in bariatric surgery prior to finding the weight-inclusive approach
• Binge eating as a diagnosis
• Assumptions in ED treatment
• The hurdles of transitioning into anti-diet work
• The problem with emotional eating and the restrict-binge cycle
• Internal Family Systems (IFS) as a model for healing our relationship with body and food 
• Using self-compassion in understanding our parts
• How to begin using IFS without overwhelm

Dr. Kim Daniels is an emotional eating coach with a degree in clinical psychology. She is also trained in Internal Family Systems (IFS) and is a Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor.

Full Plate is listener-supported (no ads!) so please support the show on Patreon for bonus episodes at Patreon.com/fullplate

Patreon is also home to the episode transcripts (which are publicly available to everyone, not just our patrons!). If you’re looking for those, head over to Patreon. 

Find the show on Instagram: @fullplate.podcast 

Find Abbie on Instagram: @abbieattwoodwellness 

More info on Abbie's monthly "advanced!" group: https://www.abbieattwoodwellness.com/circle-monthly-group

Abbie’s website: www.abbieattwoodwellness.com 

Find Kim on IG: @kimdanielspsyd

Kim's website: https://www.drkimdaniels.com/

Upcoming webinar series with Kim: https://bit.ly/eewebinarseries

You're in for a treat with this one! Sharon Maxwell (@heysharonmaxwell) joins the pod to chat with Abbie about her experience recovering in a fat body, the cost of delayed eating disorder treatment, weight stigma in recovery, and so much more. Sharon is incredible. She speaks bravely and openly about her ED, her recovery, and the things that both harmed and helped her become the person she is today. You'll want to follow her on IG if you're not already!

Some of the topics discussed:

• Restaurants and leftovers in eating disorder recovery
• Reclaiming space, energy, and mental capacity through recovery
• Experiencing medical weight stigma as a young child, and how it leads to avoidance or delay of care
• Growing up in a religious cult and how that influenced her body image and relationship with food
• The harms of delayed eating disorder treatment
• Binge eating and anorexia being assigned to body sizes
• The difference between thin and fat folks with eating disorders
• Weight bias in eating disorder treatment centers
• The fat activism that has to take place at every level of eating disorder support
• Partial recovery and fat-phobia
• Where Sharon is in her recovery in this moment and how she is approaching it

Sharon Maxwell (She/Her) is a mental health advocate and fat activist. She works as a weight inclusive consultant, providing education to treatment centers and healthcare providers on the immense harms of weight stigma. Due to her lived experience facing weight stigma, Sharon provides unique insight and offers practical tools to make treatment centers and healthcare settings safe and accessible for fat folks. Sharon is passionate about breaking down the stigma around eating disorders and working to eradicate societal anti-fat bias. When she’s not studying or engaged in her activism work, Sharon can be found exploring San Diego with her dog and her best friend.

Links mentioned:

"You Don't Look Anorexic" in New York Times Magazine

Connect with Sharon on IG: @heysharonmaxwell

Learn more about Sharon: https://www.heysharonmaxwell.com/

Find Abbie on IG: @abbieattwoodwellness

Abbie's website: www.abbieattwoodwellness.com

Follow Full Plate Pod on IG: @fullplate.podcast

Support the show on Patreon: Patreon.com/fullplate

Abbie's husband, Jeb, is back on the pod again! They discuss how to support a partner (or friend, loved one, family member) through their recovery. This episode is focused on recovery from chronic dieting and disordered eating, but we also talk a lot about recovery from addiction, given that it Jeb's background. 

Topics discussed:

• What is "recovery", and how can we think about "full" recovery?
• How Abbie feels about the language of "recovery" and "recovered"
• Ways Abbie and Jeb have supported one another's healing
• Communication and boundaries in recovery
• Asking for support and expressing your needs
• Commenting on food and bodies
• How to show up imperfectly for your loved one
• How to work through and honor the evolution of healing in a partnership
• Being okay with not understanding everything
• Feeling helpless as the supporter of someone else's healing

Full Plate is listener-supported (no ads!) so please support the show on Patreon for bonus episodes at Patreon.com/fullplate

Patreon is also home to the episode transcripts (which are publicly available to everyone, not just our patrons!). If you’re looking for those, head over to Patreon.

Find the show on Instagram: @fullplate.podcast

Find Abbie on Instagram: @abbieattwoodwellness

Abbie’s website: www.abbieattwoodwellness.com

Oh my, this is a GOOD ONE, fam. Chrissy King joins the pod to talk about her journey through and away from the harms of diet and fitness culture. And of course, her NEW book, The Body Liberation Project, which you should order and read immediately.

Topics discussed:

• Chrissy's experience with dieting and her body image growing up
• Getting wrapped up in fitness culture and the pursuit of thinness
• The connection between racism, the patriarchy, the beauty standard, and diet culture
• Macro counting and psychological distress
• The difference between body positivity and body liberation
• Chrissy's rock bottom moment with dieting, and how she moved forward
• The impact of restriction and deprivation on our mental, emotional, and physical health
• How diet culture effects our relationships
• Processing grief in healing out relationship with our body
• Cultivating joy in our lives without the distraction of dieting
• Why self-love isn't enough 
• Lack of inclusivity and diversity in wellness culture
• Chrissy's advice for taking one small step towards body liberation

About Chrissy: Chrissy King is a writer, speaker, educator, and former strength coach with a passion for creating a diverse and inclusive wellness industry.  She empowers individuals to stop shrinking, start taking up space, and use their energy to create their specific magic in the world. With degrees in Social Welfare and Justice and Sociology from Marquette University, Chrissy merges her passion for fitness to inspire members of the wellness industry to create spaces that allow individuals from all backgrounds to seen feel, welcomed, affirmed, and celebrated.

Full Plate is listener-supported (no ads!) so please support the show on Patreon for bonus episodes at Patreon.com/fullplate

Patreon is also home to the episode transcripts (which are publicly available to everyone, not just our patrons!). If you’re looking for those, head over to Patreon.

Find Chrissy on IG: @iamchrissyking

Order Chrissy's book: https://chrissyking.com/book/

Apply for group coaching with Abbie: https://www.abbieattwoodwellness.com/group-coaching

Find the show on Instagram: @fullplate.podcast

Find Abbie on Instagram: @abbieattwoodwellness

Abbie’s website: www.abbieattwoodwellness.com