December 30, 2025

Episode 144: Q&A - When Recovery Feels Terrifying — Extreme Hunger, Food Obsession, “All In”, Set Point, and Rebuilding Trust in Eating Disorder Recovery

1 hour 9 minutes

Welcome to this episode of Fly To Freedom — a Q and A session filled with real, honest questions from inside The Eating Disorder Recovery Circle. If recovery has felt confusing, scary, messy, or strangely “too much”… this episode will help you feel understood, and steady again.

We talk about the moment recovery starts to feel terrifying rather than freeing — when the eating disorder has been a familiar “safety structure” for so long that choosing freedom can feel disorienting. You’ll hear why that wobble often means the brain is rewiring, why belief grows through action, and how to keep moving forwards even when certainty feels far away.

This episode also covers some of the most searched (and most misunderstood) parts of eating disorder recovery and anorexia recovery: extreme hunger, constant thoughts about food, panic when hunger hits, fears about “healthy eating” turning into new rules, worries about set point and balance, and the wave of physical symptoms that can arrive during weight restoration.

Why recovery can feel unreal and frightening even when you’re doing the “right” things
What to do with old photos from the lowest point of the eating disorder (and what it means when sadness shows up)
Recovery with a busy life: kids, work, studying, dogs, and chaos — and still choosing freedom
Guilt about wanting recovery: why it appears, and how to meet it with courage
“All in” as a mindset (not a rigid protocol) — and how to stay committed without turning it into another set of rules
Perfectionism, cleaning, hypervigilance, and anxiety: how these patterns link to the same root system as an eating disorder
Eating disorder behaviours that start in adulthood: why inner child work still matters, and what it’s really about
The moment restriction starts feeling “impossible”: why biology can begin protecting you (and why that’s a win)
“Healthy” rules like five a day or “clean eating”: how to spot restriction dressed up as wellness
Constant food thoughts even at a stable weight: why weight is not a measure of mental recovery, and what food preoccupation often signals
Hunger panic and urgency: why it can feel extreme, and how proactive nourishment rebuilds trust
Extreme hunger in the evenings: why it happens, how long it can last, and what consistency teaches the body
Itchy, sensitive skin and hair changes during weight restoration (including telogen effluvium) and gentle ways to support your body
The longing for “balance” and the fear of being too much: rebuilding an inner compass based on values, not shame

Recovery belief grows through repetition and action. Each recovered choice teaches the brain what safety really is.
Food obsession often eases through permission and consistency. The brain quiets when it truly trusts that food is allowed and available.
Freedom includes flexibility. Nourishment supports health, and a rigid rulebook keeps the eating disorder alive in disguise.
A busy life can still hold real recovery. Freedom gets built in real-time moments, right in the middle of everything.

Finding Your WHY (inside The Eating Disorder Recovery Circle) — a powerful anchor for staying committed when fear gets loud
Feelings Navigator — support for processing emotions and building safety from the inside out

If this episode resonated, daily support like this exists inside The Eating Disorder Recovery Circle — with community chat, Q and A sessions, group coaching calls, workshops, on-demand courses, and the Feelings Navigator.

Join here: https://www.edrecoverycircle.com/join

...more

View all episodes

By Julia Trehane

4.6

88 ratings

December 30, 2025

Episode 144: Q&A - When Recovery Feels Terrifying — Extreme Hunger, Food Obsession, “All In”, Set Point, and Rebuilding Trust in Eating Disorder Recovery

1 hour 9 minutes

Why recovery can feel unreal and frightening even when you’re doing the “right” things
What to do with old photos from the lowest point of the eating disorder (and what it means when sadness shows up)
Recovery with a busy life: kids, work, studying, dogs, and chaos — and still choosing freedom
Guilt about wanting recovery: why it appears, and how to meet it with courage
“All in” as a mindset (not a rigid protocol) — and how to stay committed without turning it into another set of rules
Perfectionism, cleaning, hypervigilance, and anxiety: how these patterns link to the same root system as an eating disorder
Eating disorder behaviours that start in adulthood: why inner child work still matters, and what it’s really about
The moment restriction starts feeling “impossible”: why biology can begin protecting you (and why that’s a win)
“Healthy” rules like five a day or “clean eating”: how to spot restriction dressed up as wellness
Constant food thoughts even at a stable weight: why weight is not a measure of mental recovery, and what food preoccupation often signals
Hunger panic and urgency: why it can feel extreme, and how proactive nourishment rebuilds trust
Extreme hunger in the evenings: why it happens, how long it can last, and what consistency teaches the body
Itchy, sensitive skin and hair changes during weight restoration (including telogen effluvium) and gentle ways to support your body
The longing for “balance” and the fear of being too much: rebuilding an inner compass based on values, not shame

Recovery belief grows through repetition and action. Each recovered choice teaches the brain what safety really is.
Food obsession often eases through permission and consistency. The brain quiets when it truly trusts that food is allowed and available.
Freedom includes flexibility. Nourishment supports health, and a rigid rulebook keeps the eating disorder alive in disguise.
A busy life can still hold real recovery. Freedom gets built in real-time moments, right in the middle of everything.

Finding Your WHY (inside The Eating Disorder Recovery Circle) — a powerful anchor for staying committed when fear gets loud
Feelings Navigator — support for processing emotions and building safety from the inside out

Join here: https://www.edrecoverycircle.com/join

...more