Do you have a history of addiction to substances, and also have a difficult relationship to food? Have you ever been involved in a 12-step program? Are you trying to experience connection and joy with your body and others, and attempting to reach out to support groups for help, but find them to be a hotbed of diet culture rather than a healing place that cultivates self-acceptance? Listen now as we break it all down, and help you find food peace.

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Key Points:

• The pursuit of weight loss will only keep us from connecting with our body and others, and keep giving food power over our lives.
• Have you worked with a support group that you like? If you have, let me know by shooting me an email at LoveFoodPodcast@gmail.com!
• Love, Food is one year old, and I'm not stopping anytime soon!! Leave a rating and review on iTunes to push us up in the rankings, help other people find the show who need support around food, and make my day!
• Overeaters Anonymous: Good? Bad? Useful? Does abstinence from "trigger foods" work? Is using food to cope with emotions the same as using drugs or alcohol? Are OA's original intentions reflected in the current programs?
  • No matter what our personal opinion, anyone who has improved their relationship to food through the program is valid and their stories are their own!
• You are not alone! Many people who deal with addiction to substances also deal with difficult relationships to food.
• OA and abstinence: Many people who went to OA wanted to find abstinence from dieting, but instead were told to be abstinent from certain food groups (e.g. sugar, flours).
• "The pursuit of weight loss is part of that powerlessness that we feel over food." - Julie
• When we pursue weight loss, we inevitably focus heavily on food choice and become obsessional. But this isn't a failure, and this doesn't mean you are addicted to food! Instead, it is our body's way of making sure we don't starve it. Once we have unconditional permission to eat, the addictive feeling of food tends to dissipate, and the feeling of being powerless around food becomes less of an issue.
• The spiritual component and group support of OA can be super beneficial and healing for some people.
• Eating Disorder Anonymous (EDA): no abstinence required, but also incorporates the group support and spiritual components that many people find fulfilling in OA! There are also other dietitians out there who provide group support through online intuitive eating and eating disorder communities.
• Tapping into our wisdom and allowing it to guide you is so key to figuring out if certain things are right for you in your path to recovery!
• Trust your instincts!!

Show Notes:

• Link to subscribe to the weekly FREE Food Peace Newsletter. It is sent out every Tuesday morning and no spam EVER. By signing up, I will also send you Love Food's Season 1's Food Peace Syllabus.
• Love, Food episode with Marci Evans
• Marci's work on food addiction
• Eating Disorder Anonymous
• Erica Leon's virtual Intuitive Eating Support Group
• Christy Harrison's Intuitive Eating Fundamentals course (with Facebook group support)
• Glenys Oyston's online course and group coaching
• Paige Smathers' online course
• Ginella Testa's blog post (this week's letter writer)!
• Eating Disorder Dietitians
• Julie Dillon RD blog

Do you have a complicated relationship with food? I want to help! Send your Dear Food letter to LoveFoodPodcast@gmail.com. 

Click here to leave me a review in iTunes and subscribe. This type of kindness helps the show continue!

Thank you for listening to the Love, Food series. Give me feedback via Twitter @EatingPermitRD.

This episode is sponsored by my friends at Green Mountain at Fox Run.
A special promotion for Love Food listeners:
Join Green Mountain at Fox Run for their Binge & Emotional Eating Weekend Intensive (January 20-22, 2017). Participants will explore personal barriers and how to counter them with evidence-based strategies to prevent eating in response to stress and emotions. For more information or to register, please visit https://www.fitwoman.com/therapy-services-eating-disorder/offerings/binge-eating-intensive-weekend/.

TAKE TIME TO INVEST IN YOU.

It’s time to shine the light on yourself and make YOURSELF the priority. Here at Green Mountain at Fox Run, we’re all about embracing and supporting yourself through self-care. Through powerful tools such as mindfulness techniques, stress management skills, and movement that is customized to your body and fitness level, you’ll learn to practice self-care in your daily life. Visit https://www.fitwoman.com/ for more information.

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