In this episode of Shoulders Down Podcast, Leah talks with therapist and certified intuitive eating counselor, Libby Supan, about her 15 years in Overeaters Anonymous (OA) — and why she ultimately believes the program worsened her eating disorder rather than healed it.

Libby shares how OA’s abstinence-based model, the idea of food and sugar addiction, and rigid sponsorship dynamics fueled binge eating, shame, and co-dependency. Together, Leah and Libby unpack the concept of “fat serenity,” the fatphobia embedded in the OA ethos, and why abstinence backfires.

Libby also explains how eating disorder treatment and intuitive eating helped her rebuild trust with her body, move away from restriction, and find a more sustainable path to recovery.

You’ll hear about:

• What Overeaters Anonymous (OA) is and how it works
• The link between abstinence, restriction, and binge eating
• Why the Food addiction model is inherently flawed
• Sponsorship, power dynamics, and co-dependency in OA
• “Fat serenity” & fatphobia in the OA community
• How Libby left OA after 15 years and found true healing 
  
  

Mentioned in the episode:
https://leahkernrd.com/are-you-addicted-to-sugar/

More From Libby:

Website: https://www.libbysupan.com/

More From Leah:

• 📚Download your free Intuitive Eating Starter Pack
• Apply to The Embodied Method, my 1:1 coaching program
• Join my self-paced course, The Return
• Subscribe to Leah's Youtube Channel
• Subscribe to my personal Substack
• Follow me on Instagram for more intuitive eating content @leahkern.rd
• Visit my website to learn more about my coaching offerings
• Subscribe to my weekly newsletter to get a nugget of intuitive eating inspiration delivered straight from my heart to your inbox each week.
• Send me a voice message on Speakpipe
• Email me: [email protected]

🍽️ Do you wish you could eat  ice cream without feeling out of control? Do you want to care for your health without becoming obsessive? If so, you’ll want to grab our FREE Intuitive Eating Starter Kit here.