Perimenopause often starts quietly. Maybe your sleep gets weird, maybe your cycles change, maybe you just don’t feel like yourself. And when that happens, most of us do the obvious thing: we start looking for information. We want reassurance. We want a roadmap.

And that’s where the trap springs.

Because the loudest voices don’t talk to you like a human moving through a profound hormonal transition. No—they talk to you like a problem, a project, and a body in need of tightening, shrinking, purifying, or fixing.

Cole Kazdin returns (her second time on the pod!) to talk to me about this whole mess.

We get into so much in the episode, including:

• the sneaky ways diet culture slips into menopause advice

• the reactivation of old eating disorder behaviors

• orthorexia, “eating clean,” and restriction as coping mechanisms

• the research on midlife vulnerability to dieting

• longevity and nutrition misinformation

• reclaiming exercise from wellness culture

• how we can experience more joy, autonomy, and nourishment during this transition

Support the show: Enjoying this podcast? Please support the show on Substack for bonus episodes, community engagement, and access to "Ask Abbie" at abbieattwoodwellness.substack.com/subscribe

Apply for Abbie’s Group Membership:

Already been at this anti-diet culture thing for a while, but want community and continued learning? Apply for Abbie's monthly membership: https://www.abbieattwoodwellness.com/circle-monthly-group

About Cole:Cole Kazdin is a four-time Emmy Award-winning journalist, writer, and performer. She is the author of What’s Eating Us: Women, Food, and the Epidemic of Body Anxiety and has contributed to The Moth Presents All These Wonders. Cole has written for outlets including VICE, TIME, The New York Times, and Cosmopolitan, and produced for Good Morning America, Nightline, and Netflix. A celebrated storyteller, she’s performed on The Moth Mainstage nationwide and NPR’s The Moth Radio Hour, and currently teaches writing at UCLA Extension. She lives in Los Angeles. 

Find the show on Instagram: @fullplate.podcast

Find Abbie on Instagram: @abbieattwoodwellness

 Podcast Cover Photography by Anya McInroy

Podcast Editing by Brian Walters

This podcast is ad-free and support comes from your support on Substack. Subscribe HERE.

Eating disorders have long been treated through talk therapy, nutrition support, and medication, but what happens when these approaches aren’t enough? In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Marissa Raymond-Flesch, a leading researcher exploring the potential of psychedelic therapies as a treatment for anorexia.

We dive into:

The science behind psychedelic therapy and its emerging applications in mental health.

Current research on psychedelics for anorexia and what the early findings suggest.

How psychedelic therapy could complement traditional approaches to eating disorder care.

The ethical and safety considerations surrounding this innovative treatment.

Questions researchers are still asking and the future possibilities in the field.

Whether you’re a clinician, researcher, or someone with lived experience, this episode offers a thoughtful, evidence-based look at a groundbreaking frontier in eating disorder treatment.

Support the show: Enjoying this podcast? Please support the show on Substack for bonus episodes, community engagement, and access to "Ask Abbie" at abbieattwoodwellness.substack.com/subscribe

Apply for Abbie’s Group Membership:

Already been at this anti-diet culture thing for a while, but want community and continued learning? Apply for Abbie's monthly membership: https://www.abbieattwoodwellness.com/circle-monthly-group

More on Dr. Raymond-Flesch's clinical trial: https://eatingdisorders.ucsf.edu/spanya-study

More on Dr. Raymond-Flesch: https://profiles.ucsf.edu/marissa.raymond-flesch

Social media:

Find the show on Instagram: @fullplate.podcast

Find Abbie on Instagram: @abbieattwoodwellness

Podcast Cover Photography by Anya McInroy

Podcast Editing by Brian Walters

This podcast is ad-free and support comes from your support on Substack. Subscribe HERE.

Deb Benfield, RDN, returns to talk about what it really means to age unapologetically. We explore how diet culture and anti-aging messaging collide in midlife, why our bodies deserve more kindness (not more control), and how to build a relationship with food, movement, and aging that feels spacious and grounded rather than restrictive and punishing.

Deb shares practical, compassionate ways to reclaim vitality, joy, and presence in a world obsessed with youth and thinness.

We get into:

How to move from “I know diet culture is harmful” to actually living differently

Why aging can feel so emotionally charged — and how to process grief without self-criticism

Nourishment vs. optimization: fueling your body without chasing “anti-aging fixes”

Navigating ageism, visibility, and the pressure to stay youthful

What joyful, sustainable movement can look like in midlife

How to reclaim pleasure, rest, and spaciousness

The legacy we offer younger generations when we age without apology

Support the show: Enjoying this podcast? Please support the show on Substack for bonus episodes, community engagement, and access to "Ask Abbie" at abbieattwoodwellness.substack.com/subscribe

Apply for Abbie’s Group Membership:

Already been at this anti-diet culture thing for a while, but want community and continued learning? Apply for Abbie's monthly membership: https://www.abbieattwoodwellness.com/circle-monthly-group

Social media:

Find the show on Instagram: @fullplate.podcast

Find Abbie on Instagram: @abbieattwoodwellness

Podcast Cover Photography by Anya McInroy

Podcast Editing by Brian Walters

This podcast is ad-free and support comes from your support on Substack. Subscribe HERE.

Hunger is messy and imperfect. It shows up at the wrong times, in the middle of a meeting, or when your calendar is packed. It comes when you don’t think it “should,” or when no one else around you is eating. It’s sometimes loud, sometimes quiet. It can be helpful, and it can also be frustrating—but that doesn’t make it the enemy. That makes it human.

Our bodies have a rhythm older than us, older than culture, older than the spreadsheets of rules we’ve been taught to follow. Hunger is simply asking for attention, for fuel, for care.

For so long, we’ve been taught to fight it, doubt it, silence it. But what if we flipped the script to see it as one of the clearest ways our bodies communicate what we need?

Because despite what diet culture says, hunger is honest. It doesn’t judge. It doesn’t keep score. It doesn’t care what the clock says.

Yesterday on a “live” Substack, I had the chance to talk to my wonderful friend Deb Benfield about why hunger is not something to outsmart or ignore—and how learning to listen can be an act of radical care for yourself.

We also get into childhood experiences of food shaming, reasons we might not have strong hunger cues, and ways to rebuild trust in our appetite after years of thinking it’s “too much.”

Thank you to everyone who joined our live video! These are a fun way to connect, and I hope to keep doing more of them if you enjoy tuning in.

xoxo, Abbie

Full Plate is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Living with chronic illness changes everything—energy, trust in your body, and even your relationship with food. In this episode, I answer a listener question about why chronic illness and disordered eating overlap so often.

I get personal about:

My own experiences with autoimmune flares and how they made wellness “solutions” tempting.

Pain, uncertainty, and hyper-awareness of the body.

Navigating food choices with chronic illness.

Nutrition misinformation about “inflammation” and health conditions.

Weight stigma, ableism, and moralizing health.

How disordered eating can become a coping mechanism—and ways to step out of that cycle.

If you’ve ever felt pulled into restriction, protocols, or wellness promises while living in a sick body, this episode is for you.

Support the show: Enjoying this podcast? Please support the show on Substack for bonus episodes, community engagement, and access to "Ask Abbie" at abbieattwoodwellness.substack.com/subscribe

Apply for Abbie’s Group Membership:

Already been at this anti-diet culture thing for a while, but want community and continued learning? Apply for Abbie's monthly membership: https://www.abbieattwoodwellness.com/circle-monthly-group

Social media:

Find the show on Instagram: @fullplate.podcast

Find Abbie on Instagram: @abbieattwoodwellness

Podcast Cover Photography by Anya McInroy

Podcast Editing by Brian Walters

This podcast is ad-free and support comes from your support on Substack. Subscribe HERE.

Shana Spence, a registered dietitian (who you might know as @thenutritiontea on social media), joins the pod to bust myths about processed foods and to discuss how family, culture, privilege, and societal influences shape our relationship with food.

This is a rerun – we recorded this conversation over a year ago, and misinformation about food and ingredients has only intensified. This episode feels important to share again right now, especially in light of recent reductions in food assistance programs.

Shana shares how her initial career path and disordered eating fueled her decision to become a dietitian, and reflects on how dietetics education perpetuates diet culture, focusing on BMI and stereotypes. She talks about her perspective shift over time, the process of moving toward an anti-diet and weight-inclusive approach, and why the social determinants of health matter more than individual food choices.

Tune in to hear more about…

The pressure of food restriction as a badge of honor

Privilege affecting food choices

The misleading fears about processed foods

The oversimplification of food into good vs. bad categories. 

How family and cultural background impact dieting

External societal pressures on our relationship with food

Diet culture and healthism

Dietitian education's role in perpetuating diet culture

Stereotyping in healthcare

Shana’s perspective shift on nutrition and dieting

Restriction as a form of validation

Black-and-white thinking in nutrition

Why we don't need to "fix" people's eating habits

Shana Spence is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist based in New York, who considers herself an “eat anything” dietitian, and counsels on a HAES (Healthy At Every Size) and an Intuitive Eating approach. She is also the author of Live Nourished - Make Peace with Food, Banish Body Shame, and Reclaim Joy. Find her website here https://www.thenutritiontea.com/  and find her on instagram at @thenutritiontea.

Support the show: Enjoying this podcast? Please support the show on Substack for bonus episodes, community engagement, and access to "Ask Abbie" at abbieattwoodwellness.substack.com/subscribe

Apply for Abbie’s Group Membership:

Already been at this anti-diet culture thing for a while, but want community and continued learning? Apply for Abbie's monthly membership: https://www.abbieattwoodwellness.com/circle-monthly-group

Social media:

Find the show on Instagram: @fullplate.podcast

Find Abbie on Instagram: @abbieattwoodwellness

Podcast Cover Photography by Anya McInroy

Podcast Editing by Brian Walters

This podcast is ad-free and support comes from your support on Substack. Subscribe HERE.

I'm joined by Dr. Regina Lazarovich, a clinical psychologist, Health at Every Size (HAES)–aligned provider, and someone with lived experience of binge eating and perfectionism. Together, we unpack the lesser-discussed connection between high achievement, perfectionism, and binge eating, and how shame and restriction can keep us stuck in painful cycles with food.

Tune in as a paid subscriber for more on:

*The connection between perfectionism and binge eating — and why it’s rarely talked about.

*Why restriction (mental, emotional, and physical) often drives binge eating, not “lack of willpower.”

*Regina’s story of developing binge eating disorder amid academic and cultural pressures.

*The shame cycle: how guilt after binge eating fuels renewed restriction and perfectionistic resolve.

*Why binge eating is a protective response from the body — not a personal failure.

*The impact of immigrant identity, family expectations, and internalized achievement pressure on self-worth and body image.

*The moral hierarchy of eating disorders — and how fatphobia shapes which struggles get compassion.

*Tangible ways to interrupt the binge–restrict cycle and begin to bring compassion to our relationship with food.

*Approaching binge eating through a body-trusting, HAES-aligned lens.

This is a bonus episode for paid Substack subscribers. Paid members receive:

*Extra full-length conversations like this one

*Bonus in-depth essays on body image, food, and movement

*Access to the entire archive of paywalled episodes and newsletters

*Deeper, more personal reflections and behind-the-scenes insights

Support the show: Enjoying this podcast? Please support the show on Substack for bonus episodes, community engagement, and access to "Ask Abbie" at abbieattwoodwellness.substack.com/subscribe

Apply for Abbie’s Group Membership:

Already been at this anti-diet culture thing for a while, but want community and continued learning? Apply for Abbie's monthly membership: https://www.abbieattwoodwellness.com/circle-monthly-group

Social media:

Find the show on Instagram: @fullplate.podcast

Find Abbie on Instagram: @abbieattwoodwellness

Podcast Cover Photography by Anya McInroy

Podcast Editing by Brian Walters

This podcast is ad-free and support comes from your support on Substack. Subscribe HERE.

About Regina: Dr. Regina Lazarovich, PhD, is a clinical psychologist, trained teacher of Mindful Self-Compassion, and the founder of the private practice Compass CBT, serving clients across California, New York, and Florida. Dr. Lazarovich has dedicated her fifteen-year career to helping individuals break free from anxiety, panic attacks, OCD, disordered eating, binge eating disorder, body image struggles, people-pleasing, and perfectionism.With a wealth of expertise in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC), Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), Inference-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (I-CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Dr. Lazarovich approaches each client's mental health journey with kindness and understanding. As a Health at Every Size (HAES®) aligned therapist, she wholeheartedly believes that every body deserves care, compassion, and respect.

Oona Hanson, educator and parent coach who supports families navigating diet culture and eating disorders, joins the pod to talk about midlife body challenges as well as the pressures teens are facing around food and weight. Specifically, we get into what it's like to be navigating perimenopause while your kids are hitting puberty.

Tune in for more on:* The overlap between perimenopause and puberty, and what it means for family dynamics

* How diet culture sneaks into every corner of parenting and self-worth

* Practical ways to support teens and college students around food and body image

* Reparenting ourselves so we can show up with more patience, compassion, and curiosity

* How even small attempts to restrict or control food can become slippery slopes toward disordered eating

* Why creating a home that feels like a safe haven from diet culture is one of the most powerful gifts you can give your kids.

Oona Hanson is a nationally recognized writer, educator, and parent coach who supports families navigating diet culture and eating disorders. In addition to her private practice as a parent coach, Oona has also worked as a Family Mentor at Equip Health, where she was part of multidisciplinary care teams treating children with eating disorders.

Find Oona on Substack: https://oonahanson.substack.com/

Support the show:

Enjoying this podcast? Please consider supporting the show on Substack as a paid subscriber for bonus episodes, community engagement, and access to "Ask Abbie" at abbieattwoodwellness.substack.com/subscribe

Abbie’s Group Membership:

If you've been at this anti-diet culture thing for a while, but want community and continued learning, you can apply for Abbie's membership: https://www.abbieattwoodwellness.com/circle-monthly-group

Social media:

Find the show on Instagram: @fullplate.podcast

Find Abbie on Instagram: @abbieattwoodwellness

 Podcast Cover Photography by Anya McInroy

Podcast Editing by Brian Walters

This podcast is ad-free and support comes from your support on Substack. Subscribe HERE.

Ragen Chastain is back to continue our conversation about weight, health, and diet culture — this time answering listener questions about the GLP-1s you’ve been hearing so much about: Wegovy, Ozempic, and other weight-loss drugs.

Following up on last week’s episode, Ragen helps us separate hype from reality. We dive into how these drugs actually work — and don’t — their risks and side effects, and the broader context around the pharmaceutical industry and public discourse on weight.

In this episode, we cover:

What GLP-1s actually are and how they function in the body

The side effects and potential health risks of these drugs

How effective they really are for long-term weight management

What happens when weight loss plateaus while taking them

The impact of pharma companies, marketing, and the weight-loss industry

The shortages affecting diabetics who rely on GLP-1s for medical reasons

Tune in to get a clear, evidence-based perspective on the weight-loss drug craze, and to continue unpacking the bigger conversation about weight, health, and stigma.

Support the show: Enjoying this podcast? Please support the show on Substack for bonus episodes, community engagement, and access to "Ask Abbie" at abbieattwoodwellness.substack.com/subscribe

Apply for Abbie’s Group Membership:

Already been at this anti-diet culture thing for a while, but want community and continued learning? Apply for Abbie's monthly membership: https://www.abbieattwoodwellness.com/circle-monthly-group

Social media:

Find the show on Instagram: @fullplate.podcast

Find Abbie on Instagram: @abbieattwoodwellness

Podcast Cover Photography by Anya McInroy

Podcast Editing by Brian Walters

This podcast is ad-free and support comes from your support on Substack. Subscribe HERE.

We’ve all heard it: fatness automatically equals poor health. It’s treated like an unquestionable fact, reinforced by headlines, medical guidelines, and cultural narratives. But is it really true? And what does the research actually say about weight and health outcomes?

In this episode, I’m joined by the incredible Ragen Chastain — researcher, writer, speaker, and thought leader in weight science and weight stigma. Together, we unpack one of the biggest myths upholding diet culture and anti-fat bias: “Isn’t being fat bad for your health?”

We explore the origins of the so-called “obesity epidemic,” the flaws in research connecting weight and health, and how stigma, medical education, and the weight-loss industry continue to shape public perception. Along the way, Ragen shares her personal story, her experience in dance and sports culture, and how she navigates a world obsessed with size and shape.

About Ragen Chastain:

Ragen Chastain is a speaker, writer, researcher, Board Certified Patient Advocate, multi-certified health and fitness professional, and thought leader in weight science, weight stigma, and health. She is the author of Fat: The Owner’s Manual, editor of The Politics of Size, the author of the Weight and Healthcare newsletter, and co-author of the HAES Health Sheets. She’s also a national dance champion, triathlete, marathoner, and Guinness World Record holder for Heaviest Woman to Complete a Marathon.

Ragen's Substack: https://weightandhealthcare.substack.com/

Support the show: Enjoying this podcast? Please support the show on Substack for bonus episodes, community engagement, and access to "Ask Abbie" at abbieattwoodwellness.substack.com/subscribe

Apply for Abbie’s Group Membership:

Already been at this anti-diet culture thing for a while, but want community and continued learning? Apply for Abbie's monthly membership: https://www.abbieattwoodwellness.com/circle-monthly-group

Social media:

Find the show on Instagram: @fullplate.podcast

Find Abbie on Instagram: @abbieattwoodwellness

Podcast Cover Photography by Anya McInroy

Podcast Editing by Brian Walters

This podcast is ad-free and support comes from your support on Substack. Subscribe HERE.