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Connect with Shannon

📲 Instagram:  @bingeeatinghope

🖥 Website: www.bingeeatinghope.com

Episode Transcript

Ryann

Hello, everybody. Welcome back to the food freedom lab. I am thrilled today. I have Shannon here with us to share her story. And I connected with Shannon on Instagram a little while ago, and I’ve heard snippets of her story here and there. And from that, I’ve been like, okay, got to have her on to share her story, but I’m really excited to be able to provide the space for her to fully, fully share her recovery story. So Shannon, thank you so much for taking the time to be here today.

Shannon

Yeah, thank you so much for having me. It’s such an honor to be on. I’ve listened to your podcast for a long time and I’m just so appreciative of the work that you’re doing in this space. So it’s truly an honor to be on here and to share about my recovery story, my recovery from binge eating disorder. And it’s been a long journey and so I have a lot of stuff that I’m excited to share today.

Ryann

Yeah, all right, let’s just go ahead and dive right in. Will you take us through the beginning, like when things kind of started to shift for you, whether it was you viewing your body in a negative way, or when you started to kind of tamper with your food, the depths of it, when you realized you had a problem, and then what you did to kind of pull yourself out of it.

Shannon

Yeah, totally. It really started back for me in middle school, high school. I’d say probably around ninth or 10th grade, when naturally, you know, your body is changing as a young woman, and you’re not used to seeing your body in the way that it might look, you know, after six months of puberty. And so for me, I think that part of it was seeing my body changing so rapidly was kind of triggering for me in some ways. And then I think also I’ve lived in an area and in a place where image and particularly particularly thinness was valued upon pretty much anything else, especially for young women. I grew up in a pretty conservative area where women were expected to be fitting in with society. And so I felt like I needed to fit into that mold.

And I think there’s pockets of that everywhere. I don’t think it’s unique to where I grew up necessarily, but I think that it was definitely influential in my relationship with my body. And so for me, it started with, well, you know, I can make these little changes in my food because I saw my parents, I saw my family, especially my aunts and uncles doing these things. I saw friends doing these things. And you know, they were all consumed with the all-consuming diet culture, you know, and I don’t blame any one person for where I ended up and what, you know, started all of this for me, but I think that that was definitely influential as well.

Seeing people you care about, you know, for your whole life talking negatively about their body, especially women that you look up to, that really impacted the way that I saw my body. And so I found myself at this point where my body was changing. It didn’t look like it did before. And there was a quick solution, you know, cut out some foods here, um, go on this diet here. And it was encouraged in my household. And so from that, you know, I was pushed to die further. And so I did the extreme diets in high school. I was doing things that no high schooler, no person honestly should be doing, because it damaged my relationship with food so greatly that I felt like I didn’t really know how to feed myself anymore without following some sort of rigid plan. And so at that point, you know, I was graduating from high school and going out on my own.

No longer was I in a house where my food was bought for me. I had more decisions. I had more freedom in what I chose to eat. Granted, I was still in a college environment, and so I was on a meal plan, and so there was some limitations there. But things really opened up in a way where they hadn’t been before. And part of that too was this pressure of like, you know, school was really stressful for me. I was in a really hard major. I was studying computer science at the time. And so for me, it was a lot of late nights coding and a lot of skipping meals in the dining hall because it was easier to do that than miss the opportunity to meet with the tutor that I needed to meet with in order to get the assignments done I needed to do. And so for me, food had always been just this annoying thing that I had to handle.

And so then in college, it was like I would eat when I could, and I would eat a lot when I could, right? Because it was like, I would maybe only have two meals that day because I was super, super busy with school. And because I didn’t have food in my dorm room, I mean, I’d have snacks and stuff, which is a whole other thing we’ll dive into, but I didn’t have access to a lot of fresh foods, I didn’t have access to a kitchen, it was a lot more challenging to feed myself in a way also that felt safe. And I think that was a big trigger for me too. So college was really where things took a turn for the worse for me. You know, in high school, it was a lot of restrictive dieting. And then in college, it was a lot of yo-yo dieting.

So it was, you know, restriction at first. And that’s when the binging really started to happen because I was in this environment where I wasn’t fully, again, there wasn’t a lot of oversight, right? I’m living on my own for the first time again in dorms, but you’re not in your parents’ house. I was, you know, I didn’t have the opportunity to have those foods on hand that felt nourishing to me and safe, which now, you know, I don’t have these sort of safe foods that I did then. But when I was in a disordered mindset, for me, it was like, if I don’t have access to these foods that I know are going to make me, you know, aren’t too high in the things that I don’t want to have. I felt like that was hard to come by because in the dining hall, the quick, easy options were like cookies and cereal and things that were triggering for me at that time were like, I can’t eat those things.

You know, would be eating really inconsistently, not nourishing myself consistently, not eating satisfying meals, eating dining hall food, which I didn’t have the best dining hall food. I was really grateful for what I had, but it wasn’t like amazing food. And a lot of like the vegetables were like, you know, cold and not seasoned. And so it was like, you gravitated towards the things that were going to bring you quick energy and Not necessarily the things that supported your body best. And so I found myself going from you know gaining a lot of weight in college and that was again really triggering for me because I Felt like I had really worked in high school to get to this body size that I felt comfortable and happy with and spoiler alert, I never actually felt happy or comfortable with it.

You know, when you look back, you’re like, yeah, no, that we think that losing weight is the solution, but it never really is, right? You have to really look deep and within and that’s really what you need to heal. So in college was when the binge eating started and I kind of remember the first sort of episode that I had and I was in my dorm room and I just could not stop eating this bag of candy and I found myself feeling so confused because I was like what is happening like I don’t even want this but I can’t stop eating it. And it was so frustrating. And it was so like, I felt so much shame, right? And I was like, what am I going to do with these wrappers? What is my roommate going to think? Like, I just bought this bag of candy.

So I remember I stuffed them down the side of my bed and I tried to hide them. So I was like, well, if I just put like one in the trash for day, she won’t really notice, you know, and clear sign of binge eating, right? Like hiding food, trying to, you know, feeling shame about the episode, feeling out of control, and I didn’t know, I didn’t know what that was at that point. And so I would go through these periods of binging for a couple weeks off and on, and then feeling like, okay, you know what? I’m getting back in control. I’m gonna do another diet. I’m gonna do the thing. I’m going to cut out this food group. Oh my gosh, the number of times I cut out sugar, I really thought that was helping. I really thought that’s what I was supposed to do because I thought that I was addicted to food. That’s really the root of it. I thought that has to be the problem. I’m addicted to food. That’s what’s happening to me.

But finally, you know, after probably a year and a half, two years of this terrible off and on binge eating relationship, and a lot of it, you know, I did live alone without a roommate. And that’s when I found it really got worse because I felt like when I was alone, you know, I was one of those experiences. I was living in a new city. I was doing an internship. I didn’t know anyone. I was living alone in a hotel for a summer, which is a weird experience. And that was one of the summers where I felt like things really escalated and got worse because I was alone and it was a coping mechanism for me. You know, at that point, like, it made me feel good momentarily, and then it didn’t afterwards. There was the shame, the guilt, and then the restriction because, Oh, I’m not hungry or I need to make up for the binge.

And then, you know, again, the binge happening. And so in college, again, that’s when things really escalated. I think it got worse. And I thought I had a food addiction and I was like, the diet is the answer. And I found, thank goodness, I found a YouTube video somehow. I don’t know how I came across it. And I don’t even remember, sadly, the YouTube video I found, and I wish I did because that video changed my life. Maybe I can go back in my YouTube history and find it or something. I’d have to scroll way back years and years. But, you know, I found this video and she was talking about her experience and she was talking about so many parallels to the experience I was having. It was like mind blown.

You know, when you have that moment of like, whoa, I’m not alone in this. There’s someone else experiencing this. There’s a word for what this is, you know, binge eating disorder. I was like, it felt weird to say it because I never thought I would have an eating disorder ever. You know, I, to me, eating disorders looked a very certain way because I grew up with that very specific view of what an eating disorder was and I wasn’t educated in it, as many people aren’t, and so the more research I did though, I was like, wow, this really fits what I’m experiencing. Like, hands down, this is, this is what it is. So at that point, I didn’t really have a lot of resources because I was a college student. I didn’t have money to go get therapy, but I did have a school therapist, which was free as a college student at my school, which was amazing. And that could go really one or two ways, you know.

You could either find a therapist who is really wonderful and knows how to support you and is like, you know, aligned with what you need. And you could find someone who is the complete opposite of that and could further trigger you or make you feel worse, especially when it comes to eating disorders. And anytime someone has, you know, a really specialized concern, I think it’s hard to find someone who fits and aligns. And also personality is a huge thing too. But fortunately, I got matched with a wonderful therapist who really helped me over the course of six months get to a point where I felt comfortable enough where I knew what to do next. Like I wasn’t recovered by any means, but I felt like I at least had some foundational tools. And at the same time, she had me meet with our school dietitian, which again, was, you know, I’m so privileged to have that resource.

I was really grateful for that because although I couldn’t go and find my own, at least I had someone, you know, and she too had never worked with anyone with binge eating, but she thankfully knew about intuitive eating and knew about how to work with folks with eating disorders. And so she really helped me. We had, I don’t know, a couple, maybe five or six sessions over the course of those six months that were really impactful. And then at that point I graduated. So it was like, I couldn’t access those resources anymore, but thankfully I had a job that had health insurance. And so through that health insurance, I found a therapist and I continued doing that until a point where I felt like, hey, I feel pretty good. I don’t need help anymore. I’m doing great. But I never really felt like I had fully gotten over my internalized fat phobia and my desire to lose weight.

And that for me was really underlying so much of this. So the food part, I felt like, okay, like I know how to nourish myself. I know how to feed myself so that I’m not binge eating. So that’s great. You know, I love that I’m not binge eating, but I still want to lose weight, and I’m not happy in my body. And I knew that losing weight wasn’t the solution, right? I knew that that was not the solution, logically. But for me, I just, I was not, I had not healed my body image enough to really get to that point of full recovery that I felt like. And not that you have to feel 100% in your body to feel fully recovered. Like we all have our days where we’re going to feel negatively about things, but it’s how we overcome and it’s how we, you know, react to those scenarios.

And it’s the self-talk, like how are we able to cope with those thoughts? That’s the difference, right? And I didn’t feel like I knew how to do that still. So things were going okay, you know, for about a year and I was fine. But then, you know, work stress picked up. I was in my first college job after graduation. And I didn’t really feel like – I didn’t feel happy. I didn’t feel fulfilled. I felt really lonely. I felt all the things I think a lot of people feel post-graduation. But then I felt this guilt because I was like, I have a great job and I have a great partner and I have a great apartment and I have a great life. Like why am I not happy? You know? And I think a lot of that underlying was just feeling like dissatisfaction in my body and feeling like never fully comfortable and always feeling on high alert of how my body was being perceived and that just totally like impacted everything for me. And there were probably other things too, you know, but that for me was one of the big things.

So at some point things kind of took a turn for the worse for me and I think it was when my fiance had gone away for a couple months because he was studying for this big exam and so he was going to go home for that. And so again, being alone, like it was my first time kind of alone for a long time. And that for me has always been a trigger. And so I was already not feeling great, you know, feeling down, not feeling good about my body, I’d gained some weight. And I was still pretty, you know, consistently weighing myself, which is not something I do anymore. And that was a trigger for me. And so it just wasn’t in the, I wasn’t in a solid recovery place. I wasn’t fully binge eating, but I wasn’t also intuitive eating at that point. And then I like fully relapsed and it was like hard and fast and really honestly terrible.

I, you know, no one wants to experience that because you feel like, no, I didn’t, I’ve been here before. Why are we here again? You know, and it’s, it’s sad. It sucks. Like it sucks and it’s okay to feel that way. Like if you’re there at that point right now and you’re listening to this, I know where you’ve been. I know that you can relate and, um, it’s, yeah, it’s hard, but I think that that was exactly what needed to happen for me to find like my full recovery. And so I’m really glad that happened at the same time because better sooner rather than later when I had access to good health insurance and access to good resources. And so I was like, you know, let’s go big or go home. At this point, like I’ve already done the therapy thing. I’ve done the dietician thing, like it’s helped and it helped. And I probably could have done that, but I was like, I just want to get this done with, which is so like looking back, I’m like, that’s not how recovery works, sweetheart.

But I was like, you know, I’m all in. And so I found a wonderful treatment center that was in my area that took my insurance, thankfully, which is hard to find. Treatment centers are incredibly expensive and inaccessible in a lot of ways, but fortunately this one also was really, really accommodating. Like there was a couple of days that my insurance ended up denying and they had the ability to help me like cover like a good portion of those costs, which was really nice because I wasn’t expecting that. And it’s like thousands and thousands of dollars a day for treatment some places. So, you know, this place was wonderful in that sense. And in that treatment center, I did intensive outpatient treatment program. So I would go a couple hours every day, Monday through Friday, and have group therapy. We’d have individual therapy.

We’d meet with our dietician. We would do different activities. We’d go grocery shopping and learn how to cook different meals. We would cook together. We’d have meals together. We’d have our dinner together, and then we would kind of go home. So we’d just do different activities and stuff and then it was like four or five hours a day. And I did that for a couple weeks, which was hard because I still was working my full-time job, but then I thankfully was able to get accommodation to leave that early and go do my treatment and then go back to work. And that really was huge for me. That was super impactful. I’m so grateful that I had the resources to be able to do that. And I had insurance to be able to do that because I know how inaccessible that can be for a lot of people. And even just having somewhere like that close by, I was really, really fortunate that was down the road for me because that doesn’t happen for a lot of people.

And that they had openings and they knew how to work with people with binge eating. And, you know, all of the stars aligned for me. And it was really in that experience that I found a desire to recover too. Like I was like, yes, this is what I want. Like I don’t want to be dealing with hating my body for the rest of my life. I don’t want to feel like I need to be on a diet for the rest of my life. And I just, I felt like that experience was really impactful for me. Now, I know some people have opposite experiences in treatment. So like, I don’t want anyone hearing this to feel like, you know, oh, I can just go to like somewhere like this and everything will magically get better. I think that it helps that I had also already worked with a therapist and a dietitian for months and months and months. So I kind of, you know, had a head start in that way too. But, you know, I think that anyone who has the opportunity to do something like that and they feel like that could help them, I would fully suggest it. I think that it was really helpful for me and I’m really glad I did it.

After I finished that, I continued to meet with a therapist for a long time. I still regularly see a psychiatrist and I have for a long time for anxiety, which is like kind of unrelated, but probably is also definitely impacted in a lot of ways. And it’s been now, oh my goodness, let me think. So four years, three years, since that experience. And now I really do feel fully recovered and have for a long time, years now. And I just am so grateful now, like looking back, it’s been a long time and it’s been many, many years of ups and downs, but I feel so good as to where I’m at now. And I’m really happy about that.

Ryann

Thank you so much for sharing that. We have so many parallels. Like when you were talking about college stuff, like I remember for me, like when I was binging in high school with my parents, like it was always sneaking in the middle of the night and it was always so tough because I was like, I have to pick like only a little bit of this snack and like only a little bit of this snack, so nobody knows and like nobody hears me because I’m in my parents’ house. And then when I went away to college and I had a roommate that went home every single weekend, so I had the dorm room to myself every single weekend. It was like freaking go time. Like I have a car, I have a space, like I relate to that so much. And I too went to a therapist and a dietician that was free on campus, which was so helpful, but I wasn’t ready. So nothing changed.

Shannon

Yeah, oh my gosh. Well, thanks for sharing that. It’s so great to talk to people about their stories because we all have so many parallels in different ways. And I think it just, like you said earlier, makes people feel less alone in what they’re going through, which is huge in all of this.

Ryann

Totally, totally. So like, with that being said, because I feel like you and I are very similar age, which means that we are probably going through this at the same time. Like I know for me, because binge eating wasn’t put into the DSM or like wasn’t really even talked about until 2013. So like in the beginning of this, I would Google and nothing would come up and I felt insane. So like when did you first start to recognize, okay, maybe what I’m doing with food is, you know, a problem, like something that’s like, I need help with.

Shannon

I think it was really when I found that binge eating was a thing. When I heard that person on that video talking about her experience and that she had had that diagnosis, that’s when I was like, oh, this is not something that I can probably do on my own. I mean, I was like, maybe I could, but I was like, this definitely is something that I need to actually like work on. You know, this is a serious thing and it’s something that other people are going through too, which means that hopefully there’s some sort of guidance out there. Hopefully that was my, that was my hope.

Ryann

Yeah. Oh my gosh. For sure. And I think when we hear that, not only is it like, Oh my God, like maybe I’m not crazy because for me, like for so long, I was like, I’m crazy. Like if I told anybody what I’m doing with food right now, like I can’t even look at myself in the mirror and say it out loud. I feel uncomfortable journaling it. I wouldn’t even journal it because I was so ashamed. I was like, who does this? What is wrong with me? I think that just being able to be like, yeah, I heard that somebody else too does this thing with food and maybe it’s not just me and maybe it’s not because I don’t have willpower. Maybe it’s something else.

Shannon

Yes, the willpower for me was a huge thing because I would see other friends and my boyfriend, now husband, like, you know, eat normally, quote unquote, and like, you know, they would be able to have a couple of the pieces of candy and then be content. And I would be thinking about it for the rest of the night and obsessing about it, which I didn’t want to do, but I was like, why am I always thinking about food? I don’t have willpower. And that for me was the, the, such a shameful thing. And then to find out like, God, this is not about willpower. This is about so many different things beyond my control. And a couple of things in my control, meaning there are things that I can do, there are steps that I can take to work on recovery, but that doesn’t mean I need to cut out food groups, that doesn’t mean that I need to restrict food, in fact, that’s not going to help me.

Ryann

I’m really curious to know, because I know that, you know, recovery from binge eating is not cookie cutter and different things help different people. What do you feel like with the therapist and the dietician and the treatment program that you went to, like if you were gonna think about like the things that really stuck with you, like really like switch things or really help the most, what would you say?

Shannon

Yeah, that’s a really good question. I think the biggest thing was understanding how wonderful food can be and that’s actually one of the reasons I love your account. I mean, among many, but you really celebrate food in a lot of ways and I think I, what I mean by that is breakfast doesn’t need to be a piece of whole wheat toast with a quarter teaspoon of peanut butter and you know a half a banana. Like if you want it to be that and that’s nourishing and satisfying for you, amazing. But you can have all of these foods fully instead of trying to figure out, you know, what can I swap for this to be, you know, quote, healthier or less calories or all those things that maybe diet culture tells us we need to do about food that leaves us feeling, you know, unsatisfied and doesn’t nourish our bodies fully. So I think that was a huge piece of it for me.

And then I think another really big part of it for me was feeling like I understood how my thoughts were working. And I think a lot of this comes down to, we have these negative thoughts or the term cognitive distortions, right? That are these negative and inaccurate thoughts that tell us lies about ourselves or about our reality or about our world or about what’s going on in our life. And so, you know, an example of this is like, I should be doing things the way that she’s doing things, you know, scrolling on social media, like, oh man, she worked, wakes up and goes on a run every morning. I should be doing that. You know, even as simple as like a should statement, that’s a cognitive distortion. I know you know this, but I’m just explaining.

Ryann

No, I appreciate it.

Shannon

Yeah. So understanding that these things in my brain, these, you know, other cognitive distortions and examples, all or nothing thinking, you know, I, if I don’t go to the gym or if I don’t eat, you know, these things this way every single day, or, you know, having these rigid rules, whatnot, then this bad thing is going to happen, understanding these cognitive distortions and doing some cognitive behavioral therapy was really helpful for me too. So I think it was a mix of the brain stuff, the food stuff, and a really big part of it for me too was feeling less alone. You know, feeling community, feeling like I wasn’t doing recovery alone, I think was really helpful too. And part of that was the treatment center and then part of that was starting my Instagram account. And that’s really where I started been doing hope was to connect with other people going through recovery and it’s grown into something, you know, still aligned with that, but more so even more so now. And that was that was really helpful for me was just feeling like there’s other people out there going through this too.

Ryann

Oh, for sure, for sure. And that’s why I love group work so much. And I would love to know from you because I too went to an outpatient treatment center and I loved it. Like it was the best thing that I ever did. And I know that in the beginning, obviously when I wasn’t ready, if someone was like, okay, let’s go to treatment, I would have been like, hell no. When I was ready, I was ready. I was like, bring it on, let’s go, I’m excited. What was your experience like in treatment? Because I know that it can be really scary, and usually those that have a less than average experience in treatment tend to vocalize it more, so that’s what we hear more. But for me, it was great. So I would love to know from you what it was like for you, especially because it is outpatient as well.

Shannon

Yeah, I loved it. I thought it was a wonderful experience. I thought that the best part of it for me was going to this place to have focused time to do the work that I needed to do because when I was home, you know, alone a lot of the time, it was harder for me to focus on the things that were recovery aligned. And part of it too was just having somewhere to go and have a meal with people that was really nice, you know, talking about food in a positive way and seeing how other people were navigating their eating disorders too. I was not in a group specifically for binge eating disorders so there were people with other eating disorders and hearing about their experience really made me realize that so many of these things are the same. So many eating disorders in a lot of ways, like the underlying root of a lot of this is what I mean. It just presents itself in different ways for different people.

And of course, different people have different triggers and there’s different reasons people are going through eating disorders, but a lot of it comes down to restriction. Restriction of food, restriction of joy, restriction of things in their life, like self-care. That’s for me was like a huge realization was that, you know, we all are going through something similar. It looks very different for different people, but we have similar experiences. And a lot of the people that I saw go through it too, were kind of at the tail end, but had been going through it for a long time. And I think that was also helpful for me to see was that, you know, recovery is a process and that it takes a long time, but that it is possible too. And I think that was encouraging. So that was a piece of it.

And then I think the other part of what I really liked about the treatment center too, was just feeling really welcomed and feeling like heard and validated because I didn’t think I was sick enough to go to an eating disorder treatment center. And that’s something that I know a lot of people say and I really truly believed that. And I even vocalized that in my intake. You know, I just was like, I don’t know if I’m wasting your time being here because I don’t know if I like qualify to be here and without missing a beat, the intake coordinator was like, you can be here no matter what, you know, this space is welcome to you. There’s no need to justify why you’re here to me and to any of us. And I thought that was really nice because she knew that obviously I was there because I needed to be. And she knew that I was trying to lie to myself and also try to justify, is this worth my time? Am I actually supposed to be here? Was really a thought that kept going through my head and hearing that validation was helpful. So I think, again, if you’re considering treatment center and you find one that, you know, it works for you, I think that it can be super impactful in a positive way. And I’m really glad I did it.

Ryann

I so appreciate you sharing the piece of I didn’t feel like I was sick enough, because I feel like that is such a common narrative with binge eating, because it’s like, what do you mean I need to go to treatment for quote, eating a lot of food? Like I’m not throwing up, like I’m not, you know, underweight, I’m not whatever, like, I just need to not buy it, I just need more control, I just need more willpower, like therapy, what? And I think that it’s so important to validate like, no, like this is a legitimate eating disorder, it’s a form of disordered eating, it’s in the DSM, it’s legitimate and it’s real. And you are worth every ounce of treatment and recovery despite how bad it is in quotes or what your body size is. Absolutely, couldn’t have said it better myself. Shannon, for anyone who is currently at this middle ground of like, I am really struggling with binge eating, but I don’t know what to do and I don’t have the financial means for help. What would you offer them or what would you say to them at this moment?

Shannon

Just know you’re not alone. There are a lot of people out there that are going through what you’re going through and there are a lot of people out there that don’t have access to the resources that honestly everyone should have access to. We should live in a world where anyone who’s struggling with this should have access to resources that can help them. Fortunately, there are some online free resources available. You can visit my page at Binge Eating Hope. We have a lot of free resources. Our website is bingeeatinghope.com. We have a lot of free articles. We have free courses. There’s also a number of amazing binge eating coaches as we’re here talking to one today, or you’re interviewing me.

So take advantage of the free resources that this community offers, because that can help in a big way, at least giving you the foundational ideas that you can bounce off of. From there, look and see what resources are available in your community. If you’re connected to a school or maybe your company has some funds available for you. It is hard if you don’t have health insurance in the United States. Again, unfortunately that is not a reality that I wish people had. I do wish that it was more accessible, but take advantage of the free resources that you can find online. And there’s also a number of amazing, amazing books. I I cannot recommend more. This book-

Ryann

Yeah, give us your faves.

Shannon

This is my favorite workbook.

Ryann

I have that too.

Shannon

Yes, I love this workbook. It’s newer, like I think in the last year or two. Tell us what it is for those that are listening. Oh yeah, okay, so the Binge Eating Prevention Workbook. It’s an eight-week individualized program to overcome compulsive eating and make peace with food by Gia Marcin and Danielle Keenan-Miller. And you can find it on Amazon. It’s wonderful. I recommend this to all my clients and anyone that I know who’s struggling with binge eating. The other workbook slash just book I recommend is Intuitive Eating. I think that sometimes it can be really helpful for people. I know that sometimes it’s not always helpful for people who are really in the thick of binge eating because sometimes they need kind of some additional support before they’re ready for intuitive eating. That’s where I was at. I was ready to jump into intuitive eating right away.

But I do think that at least understanding some of the principles of intuitive eating can be really helpful. And then I think for unpacking, you know, internalized weight stigma and really looking at the way that our society treats human beings, which is a huge part, I think, of this work, is what we don’t talk about when we talk about fat by Aubrey Gordon. This is a fantastic book. She also has a podcast called Maintenance Days, which is a little bit more accessible because you don’t have to buy the book, but this book is great.

Ryann

Oh, I’ll have those linked below.

Shannon

Yeah, I love, love, love this book. So yeah, those are the ones I have on hand. I mean, I literally have so many of these books in the anti-diet realm because I’m super passionate about it. But I think that’s a really good place to start. If you’re feeling like, you know, I don’t have the resources to jump into therapy, treatment, but I need something, find what free resources are available and run with those to start.

Ryann

Oh, amazing. Thank you so much. And in honor of the Food Freedom Lab, what does food freedom mean to you?

Shannon

Oh, to me, food freedom means getting to enjoy food without any barriers and using food to celebrate the beauty of life and love and connection.

Ryann

Oh, I love it. So beautiful. Shannon, I know you mentioned it before, but if anybody wants to connect with you, find you, where all this space is.

Shannon

Yes, I am at BingeEatingHope on Instagram and www.bingeEatingHope.com. Those are the places you can find me and connect with me.

Ryann

Yay, thank you so much again for all of that, for sharing your story. I appreciate you so much.

Shannon

Thank you so much. I really appreciate you and thank you so much for having me on.

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Disclaimer: If you have or suspect that you have an eating disorder, please contact a qualified health care professional immediately. If you are located in the United States and are experiencing a medical or health emergency, please call 911 or call for appropriate emergency medical help.