Ep. 191: Bodybuilding and Bingeing: Natasha’s Story of Recovery and Reclaiming a Healthy Relationship with Eating and Training (with Natasha Kostalas)

Brain over Binge Podcast

Kathryn Hansen

Health & Fitness

4.6 • 785 Ratings

🗓️ 4 October 2025

⏱️ 59 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Kathryn talks with Natasha Kostalas, author of Beyond the Barbell: Confessions of a Female Fitness Competitor, about her journey of overcoming binge eating that was fueled by competing in bodybuilding. Natasha shares how the intense restriction of competition prep led to a loss of control around food, and how binge eating often becomes a hidden aftermath in extreme fitness. She speaks openly about the harm this caused and how she eventually found a healthier relationship with food, her body, and training. This conversation is relevant not only for the bodybuilding community but for anyone struggling with bingeing.

Learn more about Natasha Kostalas:

Beyond the Barbell: Confessions of a Female Fitness Competitor

Instagram: Natasha Kostalas

Brain over Binge resources:

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Disclaimer: *The Brain over Binge Podcast is produced and recorded by Brain over Binge Recovery Coaching, LLC. All work is copyrighted by Brain over Binge Recovery Coaching, LLC, and all rights are reserved. As a disclaimer, the hosts of the Brain over Binge Podcast are not professional counselors or licensed healthcare providers, and this podcast is not a substitute for medical advice or any form of professional therapy. Eating disorders can have serious health consequences and you are strongly advised to seek medical attention for matters relating to your health. Please get help when you need it, and good luck on your journey.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to the Brain Over Binge podcast, where you learn a simple, brain-based approach to ending binge eating.
0:11.6	I'm Catherine Hansen. I'm the author of Brain Over Binge and the Brain Over Binge Recovery Guide.
0:16.9	Today's show contains an inspiring recovery story from Natasha Castalas, who overcame binge eating
0:22.9	that was fueled by competing in bodybuilding. Natasha shares what it was like to go from the
0:28.2	intense discipline of competition prep to feeling completely out of control around food.
0:34.0	In the world of extreme sports and especially bodybuilding, where restriction is normalized,
0:39.7	binge eating often becomes a hidden aftermath. Natasha was not alone in this. She speaks openly about
0:45.9	how destructive this was and how she eventually found her way to a healthier relationship with
0:50.9	food, her body, and training. Before you listen, know that Natasha does share
0:55.7	some details about restrictive eating practices, body changes, and binging behaviors. And we think
1:02.1	this is all very important for awareness and understanding of this dark side of extreme fitness.
1:08.1	But if this feels too challenging for you to listen to at this point,
1:12.0	you can always revisit this episode another time. Natasha's story is so important not only for the
1:17.6	bodybuilding community, but for anyone caught up in the struggle with binging. Hi, Natasha. Welcome to the
1:23.1	show. Hi, Catherine. I'm so excited to be here today. I'm really excited to talk to you. This is a big topic. You are a fitness competitor. You now have a book coming out called Beyond the Barbell, but you got into it in a very extreme way that ended up causing problems with your eating and led to binge eating, and now you're approaching it in a much more healthy way. So this is something I know a lot of people in the fitness world are going to be interested in.
1:48.0	So maybe you could just introduce yourself and just start sharing a little bit of your journey.
1:53.5	Yeah, so I'm Natasha, everyone.
1:55.8	You can find me on Instagram at Natasha Costalas.
1:58.5	And my journey really started, I I guess from when I first started getting
2:03.5	into weight training and that was about I'd say around 2015 2015 2016 and obviously I was someone
2:11.7	that actually had binge eating disorder for a lot of my life prior to that. And I was at a very, very bad time of
2:19.1	my life around that time, 2015, 2016. And I was actually still teaching at the time. So I wasn't
	...

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