Long term food fights and body dissatisfaction cause friction, anger, and longing. The letter writer describes her start with body hate and dieting as a child only leading to disordered eating and weight gain. Is her experience rare? Nope. Millions experience the same. This episode debunks calories in calories out especially as it relates to certain health conditions. Knowing this, pursuing health without focusing on weight loss is just about the coolest thing since sliced bread. *Rejoicing with the food pun!*

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Key Points:

• Anger and rage is uncomfortable yet can project us toward change. Stay with it!
• Your f*ed up relationship with food is not your fault. Not. Your. Fault.
• No matter your size and no matter how your body got to be the size is today--you deserve respect and equality. Many years of self hate, diets, and cultural weight/size oppression may have promoted your body to be larger than what your DNA was originally programed to be.
• Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) is a genetic/environmental hormonal dysregulation leading to infertility, high insulin levels, mood disorders, eating disorders and negative body image. Most PCOS research uses weight focused therapies which sucks; women told to "just lose weight" when diagnosed. High insulin levels make this impossible long term. Julie recommends healing the hormones with medical interventions then work on healthy behaviors to promote health and avoid eating disorders. Cutting calories too low causes more problematic inflammation and cravings to binge when affected by PCOS.
• Health at every size (HAES®) is not:
  • encouraging bingeing yet does not demonize food choices
  • glorifying obesity yet does honor every body and think every body deserves equal rights
  • healthy at every size *the extra Y is huge!* Experience health today not once at a certain weight.
  • All sizes deserve equal health care and respect.
• HAES® includes attuned eating, pleasurable movement (check out Episode 4 on the Love, Food podcast for more on this), social justice for all sizes.
• Everyone deserves to experience health in their body today. You too! Let's rage against the machine together.

Show Notes:

• My Big Fat Fabulous Life with Whitney Thore (Julie was Whitney's dietitian in Season 2)
• Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome
  • Overview
  • Women with PCOS: Don't touch diets with a 10 foot pole ←why don't work with PCOS
  • PCOS and Eating Disorders
  • Weight cycling hurts PCOS
  • How to eating with PCOS without dieting
  • Food Peace with PCOS
  • Weight stigma and PCOS
• HAES® approach overview
• Healthcare providing like a fat babe does ← reading this will turn your anger into a slingshot and project your self respect and body image onto a bed of the softest pillows welcoming you home.
• Eating Disorder Dietitians
• Julie Dillon RD blog

Do you have a complicated relationship with food? I want to help! Send your Dear Food letter to LoveFoodPodcast@gmail.com. 

Thank you for listening to the Love, Food series. Give me feedback via Twitter @EatingPermitRD or leave me a review in iTunes and subscribe. This type of kindness helps the show continue!