TW: Eating Disorders, Weight Loss
Liz shares her story of living with disordered eating. From where it all began, to restricting her caloric intake, abusing laxatives, and intense exercise, Liz’s account is honest and intimate. We include discussions around raising children in a society that celebrates thinness, getting help, and supporting loved ones that are struggling. While Liz is healthy now, she has learned not to say that it couldn’t happen again.
Topics Discussed:
(0:00) Introductions
(3:49) How it all began: We start by talking about the way that thinness is celebrated in our society. Liz shares the story of the first time that she felt her body was different, and that her weight carried value.
(7:51) Disordered Eating: Liz began actively engaging in disordered eating as a freshman in highschool. Liz shares how her feelings of not fitting in, being uncomfortable in her own skin, led to her feeling like she was not good enough. Liz shares some of the behaviours that she engaged in, how her parents handled this once it was discovered, some of the symptoms she began to experience as a result of anorexia.
(16:25) College: When she began college, Liz felt that she was in a better place, but still considered her body an enemy. Once there she met others that alos engaged in disordered eating, and she began abusing diet pills and laxatives, restricting food, and doing aerobics for 2 hours each day as an Aerobics instructor.
(21:00) Putting it all Behind her : Liz joined a monthly support group for women with eating disorders, She then spent 15 years, having what she describes as the most normal relationship she's ever had with food. She was open with others about her struggles, and thought it was all behind her.
(24:00) Relapse: Liz had a relapse in her 40s, spurred on after seeing photos of herself at a wedding. She began losing weight through dieting, using an unrealistic benchmark of daily intake of calories. Liz takes us through some of her behaviours, the mental toll that it was taking on her, and how people rewarded her for her weight loss. Able to see the impact that it was having on her and her family, Liz decided to get help.
(32:43) Getting help: Liz met with a clinician, and was told that she should take a leave of absence from work, and go to a partial in-hospital program. That terrified her, but she refused. Knowing that she needed to take back control, she instead began to meet with a therapist and a nutritionist weekly. Liz began setting and achieving small attainable goals with her nutritionist.
(39:43) Raising children: We discuss learning to talk about food in a positive way with our children. Not good food or bad food, just food. We talk about kids teasing one another, and dealing with sugar-obsessed kids, and raising children in a world that celebrates thin.
(44:58) Where She is Now: Liz talks about how humbling it was to experience anorexia again in her 40s, learning to notice how much better she feels when she is healthy, and those competing voices in her head. Liz also reveals whether or not she will ever share her experience with disordered eating with her children.
(1:00:11) Liz’s advice: Liz shares her advice for supporting those you think may be struggling with an eating disorder.
Resources:
Multi-tasking in Heels Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/40mMujdAPeDNFsZJaLWSVj
Scary Mommy article: https://www.scarymommy.com/anorexia-only-affects-teenage-girls-myths/
Physical (Tv show): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11828492/
Eating by the light of the moon: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/0936077360?ref=exp_jen_hoffmeister__dp_vv_mw
MEDA: https://www.medainc.org/
About Liz:
Liz is a marketing exec, wife, and mom of 3 spirited (e.g., crazy) children. She loves yoga, true crime, and the Wu Tang Clan and is committed to a journey of self-improvement.
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