This was my story and I’ve heard it HUNDREDS of times from women I’ve worked with over the years:

You grow up feeling obsessed or insecure about your body.

You lose weight (usually through an intentional fitness/weight loss journey but sometimes due to illness, grief or a traumatic event).

You experience an INFLUX of compliments and you LOVE what you see in the mirror.

You become *anxiously attached* to this result…your subconscious mind says: “I MUST KEEP MY BODY LOOKING THIS WAY. AT. ALL. COSTS.”

❗This is the moment❗

You start restricting food to the point of ignoring your human needs.

➡️ Physical needs - hunger cues/cravings

➡️ Emotional needs - connecting with others over food

➡️ Mental needs - enjoying food for pleasure, honoring cravings, feeling flexibility and freedom in what you can eat

Symptoms start developing as the body’s (smart) way of trying to get its needs met:

Constant food thoughts

Extreme hunger/cravings

Binge urges

Missing periods

Slowed digestion (constipation, bloat)

If you can relate to this story and are experiencing these symptoms now…play with me for a sec.

🪄 Let’s turn back time and consider an alternate reality with the same original circumstances:

You learn healthy coping skills to deal with your body image issues.

You get into fitness and make some conscious changes to your diet *without* restricting in an unhealthy way.

You lose fat and build muscle.

You experience the flood of compliments and the pride in how your body looks.

The voice comes in: “WE MUST KEEP THIS BODY AT ALL COSTS”, but this time…

…it’s no longer so intense.

And you’re AWARE of it.

Your CONSCIOUS (smart, higher brain) comes in and says:

“We hear you - AND we need to still meet our needs.”

“Our bodies will be exactly what they’re supposed to be when we are taking care of our needs.” 

“Anything that would require us to sacrifice mental or physical health is not truly going to bring us health/happiness and is not sustainable.”

“I will accept wherever my body ends up when I’m meeting my needs and I understand these things will change with time.”

You may practice *restraint* around food to try to maintain your physique…but it does not lead to restriction.

You:

Continue to honor hunger cues

Continue to honor strong desires for food, and pull back when cravings are not as strong

Don’t obsess or stress over eating socially or spontaneous eating experiences because you know these are non negotiables for your life 

Negative symptoms DON’T develop because your body and mind feel safe.

You don’t think about food between meals.

Your hunger and cravings ebb and flow but don’t feel intense most of the time.

Urges to binge do not develop.

Periods remain normal.

Digestion remains healthy.

And you proceed on your merry way to enjoying a full life feeling confident in your skin and at peace around food 💃🏼.

✨ YOU CAN STILL GET TO THIS PLACE NOW ✨

You can effectively turn back time by letting go of restriction and healing your relationship with food and body image.

It’s been an honor to help hundreds of women get here over the last 5 years, and I’ve done it myself.

To learn more about all of this, listen to this episode!

Contact me:

DM me on Instagram @elenakunickird     

Email me at [email protected]

✨ Learn more about my group program + apply: bit.ly/normaleater

✨ Watch my free class - How I Stopped Binge Eating: bit.ly/howIstoppedbingeeating

Stephanie Buttermore is a fitness influencer who in 2019, popularized going “All In”.

She’d spent years tracking macros, cutting and bulking, and working to be as lean and muscular as possible.

But she was struggling with extreme hunger, irregular periods, and constant thoughts about food.

The “All In” approach, for her, meant eating to complete satiety, every meal.

Eating to satiety means eating until you feel completely content. You genuinely don’t want to eat anything else.

Stephanie Buttermore did this for several months and at the beginning was eating over 5000 calories per day.

Her Youtube videos showed her VERY physically full, with a distended belly…but feeling satisfied and like she actually could stop thinking about food between meals.

She gained weight rapidly in the beginning, then hit a plateau a few months in, and about a year later seemed to lose some body fat naturally.

If you’re struggling with binge eating, thinking about food and feeling hungry all the time…

…or you’ve lost your period and have a similar background to Stephanie Buttermore, you may wonder if this approach is right for you.

As an RD who works with women along the disordered eating/eating disorder spectrum, and have guided MANY clients through the all in process…

…I have some thoughts.

Who “All In” is right for:

• People who lost weight, got fit and are considered the “picture of health” - and that’s when these symptoms started:

• People who’ve grown an enjoyment for nutritious food, an understanding of macros, and are in the habit of creating “balanced” meals.

• People with OK mental health, not dealing with severe mental health issues OR are working with a therapist that you find very effective and helpful at providing skills to cope with difficult emotions.

Who “All In” is NOT right for:

• Someone who is currently struggling at a very high body weight.

• Someone has been dealing with severe restriction or purging - like in the case of Anorexia, Bulimia or ARFID - or are at a clinically low body weight.

I give lots more detail/nuance and explain the WHY behind each of these points in this week’s podcast episode!

Contact me:

DM me on Instagram @elenakunickird     

Email me at [email protected]

✨ Learn more about my group program + book a free discovery call: bit.ly/normaleater

✨ Watch my free class - How I Stopped Binge Eating: bit.ly/howIstoppedbingeeating

Resources for this episode:

• Nicola Rinaldi - noperiodnowwhat.com

• Stephanie Buttermore’s Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@StephanieButtermore

• Eating Disorder Helplines: https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/get-help/

Heather’s story is nothing short of amazing.

She went on a MAJOR weight loss journey, losing 210 lbs over 2 years, and then went into the other direction:

Restricting food so heavily as she became addicted to the numbers.

Leading her to lose her period for a year, and start experiencing out of control episodes of binge eating.

She went to Overeaters Anonymous to try to gain control around food - but it didn’t work.

Finally she realized - her missing period and urges to binge eat were signs that she was not eating enough food.

She took the plunge to join my group program and face her fear of weight gain so she could heal her body from the effects of under eating and find a healthy balance.

Now?

She’s stronger than ever in the gym (hello 200 lb deadlift 😍).

Her binge urges are gone.

Her period comes every month.

And she can finally LIVE a full life again - travel, enjoy delicious food, and make memories with her husband and friends.

This is what TRUE health and fitness looks like in my humble opinion.

If you want to get inspired af - give this episode a listen!

Contact me:

DM me on Instagram @elenakunickird     

Email me at [email protected]

✨ Learn more about my group program + book a free discovery call: bit.ly/normaleater

This week on the podcast I had a licensed clinical therapist, Amy Margolis, share her own story of recovery from anorexia and perfectionism + how she now helps her clients do the same.

She talks about the “anorexic mindset” and how it extends far beyond food.

If you’re someone who’s struggling with anxiety, guilt or feeling out of control around food AND…

➡️ You always feel like you need to be doing MORE…

➡️ You need to do a million things to EARN something pleasurable (whether that be rest, food or a shopping spree)…

➡️ You’re highly disciplined and it’s brought you success but you’re not able to actually ENJOY the fruits of your labor because you can’t relax and take a break…

…this episode is going to help you.

Finding a peaceful and free relationship with food can coexist with being a high-achieving, driven person.

But it’s going to require you to LET GO OF CONTROL and FACE YOUR FEARS.

We talk about:

• Allowing yourself to be SLOPPY

• Taking the leap of faith to give yourself permission to eat

• Knowing how to restrict but not knowing how to GIVE to yourself without guilt

• Eating when you’re hungry, eating what you want and learning to trust your body

• Looking at what comes BEFORE a binge (were you fully listening to your hunger? Were you planning to restrict later on?)

As someone who has disconnected her perfectionism from food/body/exercise but still REALLY struggles with it in other areas of life…I really loved recording this and can’t wait for you to hear it.

Amy’s Resources:

Here’s the Memo Book: https://amymargolislcsw.com/new-book-from-amy-margolis-heres-the-memo/

Amy’s Website: https://amymargolislcsw.com/

Amy’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heres_the_memo/

Contact me (Elena):

DM me on Instagram @elenakunickird     

Email me at [email protected]

✨ Learn more about my group program + book a free discovery call: bit.ly/normaleater

In school to become a dietitian, I was struggling massively in my relationship with food.

Weekly binge episodes that felt like an addict getting their fix - lying, stealing and hiding so I could eat, then crying and feeling depressed for days after.

Intense anxiety in any situation that was off my “usual routine” with food - holidays, parties, restaurant meals.

I distinctly remember one day, sitting in lecture and learning about eating disorders.

The words “Anorexia Nervosa” plastered across the big projector in front of class.

Pictured was an emaciated woman standing in front of a mirror that reflected a larger bodied lady back at her.

I resonated with all the big 3 eating disorders, but not fully.

I had the extreme fear of weight gain of anorexia, but I was never clinically under weight.

I had at times fasted, exercised more, or used laxatives after a binge - but not frequently enough to be classified as bulimic.

I struggled with the binge eating episodes described in binge eating disorder - but I DID compensate sometimes after a binge.

“So”, I reasoned, “I don’t have any eating disorder. It must really just be a will power issue then.”

And I went back on my not-so-merry way, reading articles from my favorite fitpros every night with advice on how to stick to your plan with food to reach your physique goals.

If you can relate, I want you to know these 3 things:

➡️ Relationship with food is a spectrum from normal, healthy eating to a full blown eating disorder.

➡️ “Disordered eating” has serious mental and physical health consequences and requires specific solutions to heal from (hint: not general advice from fit pros or wellness influencers).

➡️ The vast majority of disordered eating involves food restriction, and you can be unhealthily restricting food while still being at a “healthy weight”.

The sooner you take your issues seriously, the sooner you can be free from them.

This episode of The Binge Eating Dietitian Podcast unpacks eating disorders vs disordered eating and gives you resources for healing!

Learn more about my group program + book a free discovery call: bit.ly/normaleater

Contact me:

DM me on Instagram @elenakunickird     

Email me at [email protected]

Eating Disorder Helplines:

Australia 

• The Butterfly Foundation: Phone: 1800 334 673 | Email: [email protected]

• InsideOut Institute: Phone: (02) 8627 5690 | Email: [email protected]  

• Eating Disorders Victoria: Phone: 1300 550 236 | Email: [email protected] 

• Eating Disorders Queensland: Phone: (07) 3844 6055 

• Australia & New Zealand Academy for Eating Disorders: Phone (AU): +61 491 134 289 | Phone (NZ): +64 9 887 0552 | Email: [email protected] 

New Zealand

• Canopy Eating Disorder Support Services: Email: [email protected] 

• EDANZ: Phone: 0800 233 269 | Email: [email protected] 

United States

• National Eating Disorders Association: Phone: 1-800-931-2237 | Email: [email protected] 

• National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders: Phone: 1-888-375-7767 | Email: [email protected] 

• The Alliance for Eating Disorders: Phone: 1-866-662-1235

Canada

• Body Brave: Phone: 1-905-312-9628 | Email: [email protected] 

• National Eating Disorder Information Centre: Phone: 1800 866 NEDIC 20 (1-866-633-4220) | Email: [email protected] 

• National Initiative for Eating Disorders: Email: [email protected] 

United Kingdom

• BEAT Eating Disorders: Phone: +44 (0)808 801 0677 | Email: [email protected]

Ireland

• Bodywhys: The Eating Disorders Association of Ireland: Phone: 01 – 2107906 | Email: [email protected]

Denmark

• LMS: The National Association against Eating Disorders and Self-Harm: Phone: 7010 1818 | SMS 7710 1818 | Email: [email protected]

Norway

• Norwegian Society for Eating Disorders: Email: [email protected]

• The Eating Disorders Association: Phone: 22 94 00 10 | Email: [email protected] 

Middle East

• Middle East Eating Disorders Association: Email: [email protected] 

South Africa

• Eating Disorders South Africa: Phone: (+27) 073 593 2722 | Email: [email protected]

Project HEAL: https://www.theprojectheal.org/what-program-is-right-for-you

Citations:

• Types of Eating Disorders: https://nedc.com.au/eating-disorder-resources/find-resources/show/issue-13-dsm-5-overview-of-changes

• Eating Disorder Statistics: https://anad.org/eating-disorder-statistic/

• DSM 5 binge eating disorder: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK338301/table/introduction.t1/

• DSM 5 anorexia nervosa: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK519712/table/ch3.t15/

• DSM 5 bulimia nervosa: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK519712/table/ch3.t16/

So last week I sent an email to my list talking about food freedom and fat loss.

I said:

“Food freedom feels like being in control around food but not NEEDING to control food - because:

1. It’s just not AS exciting anymore (don’t get me wrong I still LOVE food but I don’t feel addicted to it)

2. You trust your body. That when you have more cravings or hunger you must need the food, and you know it will balance out later on”

And one of my list members responded.

She said:

“If that is the case then why do people become overweight or obese in the first place if they listen to their body? Isn't that the trouble, that listening to our bodies can make us unhealthy, unfit, reduces life span etc?”

VALID.

This is basically the biggest fear my clients have when they start my program.

They are fit women struggling with binge eating, missing periods and digestive issues.

These are all signs of under-eating.

And I tell them they need to take a break from exercise and start eating what they want, when they want, until they don’t want anymore food.

They're like…uhhh Elena? Aren’t I just going to endlessly gain weight and end up on “My 600-lb Life?”

But that’s not what happens. 

Listening to their hunger and giving their bodies temporary rest allows their hormones to heal, their binge urges to go away, and their cravings to decrease.

And I’m explaining WHY in this episode of the podcast.

It’s truly too long for me to type in an email lol, so I hope you give it a listen.

Any questions?

Contact me:

DM me on Instagram @elenakunickird     

Email me at [email protected]

✨ Click here to learn more + apply for my small group program: https://6c4aacdb6e461e386fe04ab2538fc20f.mykajabi.com/normaleater

Resources for this episode:

• Previous episode: Hyperpalatable foods: How to Trust Yourself Around Them https://elenakunicki.libsyn.com/hyperpalatable-foods-how-to-trust-yourself-around-them

• Metabolically healthy obese

• https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2802164#:~:text=Main%20Outcomes%20and%20Measures%20Metabolically,%2DC)%2C%20or%20triglycerides%20based

• Dieting predicting future weight gain:

• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3759019/

• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16650913/

• https://www.nature.com/articles/s41366-020-0547-1#:~:text=The%20notion%20that%20dieting%20makes,classic%20longitudinal%20Minnesota%20Starvation%20Experiment.

• https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1471015315000045

• 2014 meta-analysis showed: Compared to normal weight-fit individuals, unfit individuals had twice the risk of mortality regardless of BMI. Overweight and obese-fit individuals had similar mortality risks as normal weight-fit individuals.

• https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0033062013001552?via%3Dihub

• Restraint vs Restriction past podcast episode: https://elenakunicki.libsyn.com/dietary-restraint-vs-restriction-the-key-to-reaching-physique-goals-without-binge-eating

Live Class + Q&A - Thursday Oct 10th! (*You can still watch the recording if you're seeing this in the future!) Register, or catch the recording, via this link: bit.ly/howIstoppedbingeeating

For 4 years I was trying to stop binge eating.

I was a disciplined person.

Dean’s list 4/4 years at Penn State on track to become a dietitian.

Worked out 6 days a week and hit my 10-15k steps daily.

Was complimented for my abs, my commitment to “eating healthy”.

But behind the scenes:

I’d wake up in the morning at least once a week and the despair would sink in as I remembered eating a whole box of cereal, all of my roommates peanut butter pretzels, and going to the store for more food.

Throughout those 4 years I tried EVERYTHING POSSIBLE to control the urge to binge.

Every piece of content from the fitness professionals I followed that said:

 “Discipline equals freedom”!! 

“Just put your head down and do the work”!

“No one said it was easy - RESIST the hunger if you want to get to your goals”

Would temporarily motivate me and give me a dopamine hit, as I wrote out a plan for how I would eat to lose fat and commit my will power to resisting the urge to binge.

…I’d feel so good for those 5 days that I was able to stick to my goals.

…and utterly hopeless by the end of the week when I binged YET AGAIN.

If you can relate to this - you may have been tempted by the “Winter Arc” trend on Tiktok. 

It may have given you this sense of hope that if you can use discipline and follow a list of rules for the next 3 months - you can resist the urge to binge.

One of my client’s recently brought this trend to my attention - so I decided to do a podcast episode about it.

I would have totally jumped on this trend back in my binge eating days.

But it wasn’t until I LET GO of rigid control around food, took a break from fat loss and physique goals and started listening to my body's hunger and cravings that I finally stopped binge eating.

I’ve been binge-free for 6 years, and I’m still a very disciplined person who loves to push herself hard in the gym.

I still am mindful of my physique - I recently made some changes to my diet and lifestyle to lose  a bit of fat - but it’s not the most important thing to me any more and I WILL NOT sacrifice my mental or physical health, or enjoyment of life in the process.

I accept my body at its natural set weight range and understand that certain levels of leanness are just not healthy for my genetic make up.

And if you too are tempted by this “Winter Arc” trend as yet another approach to ignore your hunger and cravings and try to “just have more will power”...

…may I suggest a different approach?

I unpack more in this episode! Give it a listen and let me know any questions/feedback

Contact me:

DM me on Instagram @elenakunickird     

Email me at [email protected]

✨ Click here to learn more + apply for my membership - NORMAL EATER: bit.ly/normaleaterdetails

After my 4 year struggle with binge eating, trying desperately to regain the control around food I had at the beginning of my fitness journey, I was fucking done.

I finally realized that RESTRICTION was the root cause - my missing periods, uncontrollable urges to eat anything in sight, and chronic constipation and boat were clear evidence of that.

But I didn’t know HOW to eat anymore without rules, calorie targets, or a specific diet plan to follow.

So I read the book Intuitive Eating and tried to start implementing the principles:

Reject the diet mentality!

Give yourself unconditional permission to eat!

Honor your hunger!

Feel your fullness!

This all made sense. But when I tried to do these things I felt lost and confused.

“Am I really hungry or just bored?”

“I just ate an hour ago but I’m thinking about food a lot…I can’t be hungry again?”

“Okay…” *puts down fork mid-meal to assess fullness level* “I guess I’m full…but I still want to keep eating. Fuck it. Let’s just open the floodgates and eat everything.”

The binges improved a bit, but still continued.

Can you relate to this??

It’s something I see frequently in my clients.

I tend to work with women who are very fitness-focused, Type-A, perfectionistic and goal-oriented. They tend towards anxiety and overthinking. 

I attract you because I AM YOU 😅 - and I’ve found that we need a slightly different approach to the Intuitive Eating framework.

When I made these shifts (that I’m sharing with you in this episode), and when my clients make them:

Binges IMMEDIATELY stop, food thoughts between meals disappear, periods return on average within 3 months, digestion improves, hunger/cravings hit a peak before settling to their “normal” levels AND…drumroll please 🥁…you develop a normal + healthy relationship with food where you can prioritize fitness and physique goals in a way that is actually achievable and does not cause food to consume your life.

Here are the shifts:

1️⃣Fully break the diet mindset - don’t try to satisfy hunger with the “lower calorie” option. This process is not about minimizing calories at all. Trust that your body will decrease your hunger and desire for food overtime when it’s got what it needs.

2️⃣Focus on eating what you want, when you want, until you don't want it anymore. Don’t overanalyze - if there’s even a question if you want to eat or not, err on the side of EATING. 

3️⃣Erase the word “overeating” from your vocabulary - there is only eating what you want and eating until you feel genuinely satisfied, and yes that might mean your stomach is pretty damn full in the early stages.

4️⃣Honor all forms of hunger - those that show up in your mind (desires for food) as well as body.

Hope this helps!

If you want to hear more about my personal story with this (as someone who is now 6 years binge-free and able to prioritize fitness and fat loss goals in a way that does not trigger food anxiety, binge urges or missing periods)

+ more details on all things discussed in these shownotes - listen to the full episode!

Contact me:

DM me on Instagram @elenakunickird     

Email me at [email protected]

✨ Click here to learn more + apply for 1:1 coaching: bit.ly/elenakwebsite

Resources for this episode:

• Past episodes where I share my story:

• https://elenakunicki.libsyn.com/how-i-stopped-bingeing-and-got-my-period-back-without-the-pill-after-5-years-of-struggle

• https://elenakunicki.libsyn.com/my-fitness-binge-eating-journey

• Intuitive Eating Principles: https://www.intuitiveeating.org/about-us/10-principles-of-intuitive-eating/

• Past episode on emotional eating: https://elenakunicki.libsyn.com/how-to-stop-an-emotional-binge-qa-with-elena

• Past episode on “mental hunger”: https://elenakunicki.libsyn.com/why-you-cant-stop-thinking-about-food-how-to-stop

If you’re reading this, it’s likely because you’re struggling with some combo (or all) of these 4 symptoms:

➡️Binge eating

➡️Missing periods

➡️Constant food thoughts

➡️Anxiety/guilt around food

You went through a fitness/weight loss journey, felt SUPER in control and “finally” confident in your body, but then these issues crept in and it’s been a struggle to regain control ever since.

The reason you’re struggling with these things?

You are engaging in RESTRICTION around food vs RESTRAINT or Intuitive Eating.

☝️Restriction = rigid and extreme dietary control to reach or maintain a certain weight or aesthetic goal, or pursue “health”. 

It’s governed by pre-planned rules around what, how much and when one can eat.

🤗Restraint = moderate and flexible dietary control to reach or maintain a certain weight or aesthetic goal or pursue “health”. 

It’s focused on general intentions around health/aesthetics that influences food choices and ebbs and flows day to day, moment to moment.

🌈Intuitive Eating = both a 10-step program of healing from chronic dieting/diet culture and eventually a long-term way of life. 

It focuses on letting go of control over weight and instead listening to hunger and fullness cues, honoring food preferences/cravings, engaging in physical movement for health/feeling good…

…and integrating how different foods make you feel + providing your body the nutrients it needs to thrive as part of decision-making around what/how much to eat.

RESTRICTION is associated in the research with feeling out of control around food vs restraint.

Intuitive Eating is the MOST associated with a peaceful relationship to eating.

So how do you shift from restriction to restraint, you ask?

1️⃣Focus on becoming an Intuitive Eating FIRST

2️⃣If you’re struggling with disordered eating or an eating disorder, work with a dietitian to create a plan to eat adequately + consistently throughout the day BEFORE transitioning to intuitive eating

3️⃣Heal/manage the root causes of low self worth and anxiety that caused you to become restrictive in the first place

Want to learn more about all this?

I go into lots more detail in this episode.

Give it a listen and let me know what you think/any further questions you have!

Contact me:

DM me on Instagram @elenakunickird     

Email me at [email protected]

✨ Click here to learn more + apply for 1:1 coaching: bit.ly/elenakwebsite

Resources for this episode:

1. Research on restraint shown to be less associated with LOC than restriction: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36688566/#:~:text=Public%20significance%3A%20Some%20research%20suggests,both%20within%20and%20between%20individuals.

2. 10 Principles of Intuitive Eating - https://www.intuitiveeating.org/about-us/10-principles-of-intuitive-eating/

3. Past podcast episode on Mental Restriction (what, when and how much food rules): https://elenakunicki.libsyn.com/mental-restriction-the-hidden-cause-of-your-binge-eating