Understanding Disordered Eating: Eating Disorder Recovery and Body Image Healing

176. Body Image with Sydney Greene, MS, RDN

Ever feel like nothing in your closet feels good, no matter how many outfits you try on? Or maybe you’ve found yourself spiraling about what people will think when they see you at a reunion, a wedding, or even just in the office. In this episode of Understanding Disordered Eating, I’m joined by my good friend and colleague, Sydney Green, MS, RD, to unpack the truth about body image: what it really means, how it shows up in daily life, and why it’s so intertwined with our relationship to food.  Tweetable Quotes “If you're on outfit seven, nothing's feeling good… can we just go with comfort? Can we just go with, okay?” - Rachelle Heinemann “Body image is the last to go… which again, I don't even know what that means, although it's true, but it doesn't really mean much without unpacking it.” - Rachelle Heinemann “The successful woman is looking super chic, and she's really thin, and if I don't look like that, then I'm not successful. I'm not driven. I'm not motivated.” - Sydney Greene “A huge salad… our stomach is not meant to digest that. We're not rabbits. It just sits there. We get bloated. It doesn't feel good.” - Sydney Greene “Body image is not a symptom. It's like how we feel about ourselves… there’s so much more richness to how we feel about our body.” - Sydney Greene “There's an actual word for some of this in research, it's called fat talk… women get together and talk about, pick apart their body, kind of like that Mean Girls scene.” - Sydney Greene “When somebody is struggling with body image, maybe the point is not to immediately erase it. Maybe we have to see it and acknowledge it and say, you're not alone.” - Rachelle Heinemann Resources Connect with Sydney here: https://www.sydneygreenehealth.com/ Find her on Instagram!: @greenehealth Bergen Mental Health Group Inc. is hiring! If you think you’d be a great fit, check it out! Grab my Journal Prompts Here! Looking for a speaker for an upcoming event? Let’s chat! Now accepting new clients! Find out if we're a good fit!    LEAVE A REVIEW + help someone who may need this podcast by sharing this episode. Be sure to sign up for my weekly newsletter here! You can connect with me on Instagram @rachelleheinemann, through my website www.rachelleheinemann.com, or email me directly at rachelle@rachelleheinemann.com

175. Real Recovery and How to Get There with Carolyn Costin, MA, MEd., MFT, CEDS, FAED

What does it really mean to be fully recovered from an eating disorder? For decades, the conversation has been clouded by vague definitions, conflicting philosophies, and the fear that “recovery” might not even be possible. In this powerful conversation, I sit down with Carolyn Costin, a renowned therapist, author, and pioneer in the eating disorder field, to dig into what recovery actually looks like, why she believes full recovery is possible, and how to strengthen the “healthy self” rather than fight against the eating disorder voice. Carolyn Costin MA, MEd., MFT, CEDS, FAED, is a world renowned, highly sought-after eating disorder clinician, author, and international speaker. Recovered from anorexia in her twenties, as a young therapist Carolyn recognized her calling after successfully treating her first eating disorder client. Carolyn was first to publicly take the position that people with eating disorders can become fully recovered. Tweetable Quotes “When you are recovered, you will not compromise your health or betray your soul to look a certain way, wear a certain size, or reach a certain number on the scale.” - Carolyn Costin “We are not born with an eating disorder. We were born with this core healthy soul self in there.” - Carolyn Costin “Instead of getting rid of the eating disorder self, I help strengthen people’s healthy self.” - Carolyn Costin “When someone has had an eating disorder, I want to be cautious for a while, but I know so many people now being in this for so long who are recovered and shit’s happened in their life… and not slipped back.” - Carolyn Costin “I don’t weigh myself. It’s like a feminist statement.” - Carolyn Costin “We have to be careful… but my experience is people who are recovered actually navigate it better because we’ve already been through all that and it’s like we have a bit of a shield up for it.” - Carolyn Costin Resources Visit Carolyn’s website - www.CarolynCostinInstitute.com Bergen Mental Health Group Inc. is hiring! If you think you’d be a great fit, check it out! Grab my Journal Prompts Here! Looking for a speaker for an upcoming event? Let’s chat! Now accepting new clients! Find out if we're a good fit!    LEAVE A REVIEW + help someone who may need this podcast by sharing this episode. Be sure to sign up for my weekly newsletter here! You can connect with me on Instagram @rachelleheinemann, through my website www.rachelleheinemann.com, or email me directly at rachelle@rachelleheinemann.com

174. Is This An Eating Disorder or Disordered Eating?

Have you ever wondered where the line really is between disordered eating and a true eating disorder? It’s not always as clear as we’d like to think. In fact, so much of what we consider “normal” in diet culture—tracking every bite, stressing over body image, or skipping meals in the name of health—can feel harmless at first… until it slowly starts taking over more and more of your life. If you’ve ever asked yourself, “Is this just disordered eating, or is it something more?”, this conversation is for you. Tweetable Quotes “You don’t have to have a diagnosable or a life-threatening eating disorder in order to qualify to get help.” - Rachelle Heinemann “Think of it like an iceberg. Disordered eating is the part you can see… but an eating disorder is the entire iceberg—this massive, dangerous thing that’s hidden.” - Rachelle Heinemann “With disordered eating, the rules are upsetting if you can’t follow them. With an eating disorder, the rules feel like commands, and breaking them feels like a moral failure.” - Rachelle Heinemann “To me, one of the most important pieces to keep an eye out for is how your relationship with food is impacting your life—your work, your friendships, even your ability to leave the house.” - Rachelle Heinemann “No matter if you have a full-blown eating disorder or you struggle with yo-yo dieting, there is help out of it. You don’t have to wait.” - Rachelle Heinemann Resources Bergen Mental Health Group Inc. is hiring! If you think you’d be a great fit, check it out! Grab my Journal Prompts Here! Looking for a speaker for an upcoming event? Let’s chat! Now accepting new clients! Find out if we're a good fit!    LEAVE A REVIEW + help someone who may need this podcast by sharing this episode. Be sure to sign up for my weekly newsletter here! You can connect with me on Instagram @rachelleheinemann, through my website www.rachelleheinemann.com, or email me directly at rachelle@rachelleheinemann.com

From the Vault: The Neurobiology of Eating Disorders With Dr. Jeffrey DeSarbo, DO [Episode 23]

While we’re on summer break, we’re bringing back some of the most impactful episodes that deserve a second listen—and this one is just too good to pass up. This is our last re-release for the summer. We will be back with new episodes on September 9th, so be sure to tune back in. In this episode, we’re going deep into the neurobiology of eating disorders with Dr. Jeffrey DeSarbo, a renowned psychiatrist and medical director of ED-180, one of the largest private eating disorder treatment centers in the U.S. If you’ve ever wondered why eating disorder recovery can feel so hard, or what’s really going on in the brain beneath the behaviors, this episode will open your eyes and deepen your understanding. Dr. DeSarbo explains the science in a way that’s relatable, clear, and deeply compassionate. From the neurological impacts of restriction, binging, and purging to the effects of compulsive exercise and body image distress, we’re unpacking it all. This conversation is a must-listen for clinicians, individuals in recovery, and anyone curious about the “why” behind the “what.” In this episode, we’re talking about: Dr. Jeffrey De Sarbo’s unique path from finance to psychiatry, and how he became a leading expert in eating disorder neurobiology. Why eating disorders are “half medical, half psychiatric”—and how this complexity makes them uniquely challenging and important to understand. What neurobiology really means, and how our brains function through electrochemical energy. The role of genetics and epigenetics in eating disorders, and why some people are more biologically predisposed than others. How brain scans show measurable differences in individuals with eating disorders, especially in how different regions of the brain communicate. Why “just eat” or “just stop” is a myth, and how deeply biological factors resist simplistic solutions. How behaviors like binging can physically change the brain, creating patterns that mimic addiction and drive compulsion. What restriction does to the brain, including loss of gray and white matter and cognitive impairment, even when someone appears high-functioning. The dangerous effects of purging, from electrolyte imbalances to cardiac issues, and why “feeling fine” doesn’t mean you’re medically safe. The neurobiology of compulsive exercise, and how stress hormones and overtraining harm the brain’s ability to function and recover. Why body image distress is not just emotional but neurological, with altered blood flow patterns and measurable differences in perception. How neurobiology informs the recovery process, and why rewiring the brain is both essential and entirely possible—with time, persistence, and support. Tweetable Quotes "Eating disorders are not a choice. It’s something that happens." - Dr. DeSarbo "Oftentimes, when we work with our eating disorder patients, they have 10,000 plus hours of eating disorder thought processes—so they become experts." - Dr. DeSarbo "Restriction with anorexia nervosa is giving you a compromised brain." - Dr. DeSarbo "You're invincible until you are not—and then it is too late." - Rachelle Heinemann "What percentage of your free thoughts, when you're not busy actively doing something, do you spend thinking about or worrying about food, weight, body image, calories, exercise?" - Dr. DeSarbo Resources ED180  The Brain and Neurobiology of Eating Disorders Translating ED Nora Volkaw Grab my Journal Prompts Here! Looking for a speaker for an upcoming event? Let’s chat! Accepting new clients in July - Find out if we're a good fit!   LEAVE A REVIEW + help someone who may need this podcast by sharing this episode. Be sure to sign up for my weekly newsletter here! You can connect with me on Instagram @rachelleheinemann, through my website www.rachelleheinemann.com, or email me directly at rachelle@rachelleheinemann.com

From the Vault: Eating Disorders and the Mind/Body Disconnect with Danielle Novack, Ph.D [Episode 27]

We’re diving into the archives this summer to bring you some of our most memorable and impactful conversations — and today’s episode is just too good to pass up. While we take a short summer break, we’re re-sharing these standout episodes. So stay tuned all summer long for these gems! This week, we’re bringing back Episode 27 with Dr. Danielle Novak — a deep and moving conversation that fuses psychoanalytic insight with the complexities of eating disorders. Dr. Novak, a clinical psychologist with over 20 years of experience and currently in psychoanalytic training at NYU, joins us to unpack one of the most elusive and critical aspects of disordered eating: the role of dissociation. This isn’t just theory — it’s a raw, compassionate exploration of how symptoms aren’t random, but deeply protective mechanisms developed from unspoken, often unconscious emotional pain. If you’ve ever felt disconnected from your body, confused by your reactions, or wondered why food has such a powerful grip in moments of distress, this conversation will resonate deeply.  In this episode, we’re talking about: How eating disorders develop and are maintained as protective responses, not simply destructive habits. What dissociation really means and how it can show up subtly or severely in our everyday lives. How trauma — both big "T" and small "t" — plays a central role in dissociation and the onset of eating disorders. The ways emotions get stored in the body and expressed through symptoms when they can’t be spoken. How restriction, binge-purge cycles, and overexercise act as coping mechanisms for overwhelming feelings. Why symptoms may provide temporary relief, but ultimately prevent us from connecting with our emotions and others. How building awareness and creating a “pause” between urge and action can begin to reconnect dissociated parts of the mind. The vital role of the therapeutic relationship in healing dissociation and restoring emotional expression. Why treatment often begins with symptom stabilization but must eventually move into deeper emotional territory to be truly transformative. Tweetable Quotes "I tend to believe that eating disorder behaviors are often sort of stand-ins for feelings that cannot be felt as feelings or expressed through words or through other means." - Dr. Danielle Novack "People don’t learn how to regulate emotions. Emotions are just put away in a box and not looked at and not dealt with, and become separated from what’s conscious." - Dr. Danielle Novack "Often people describe restriction as giving them a sense of like numbness and detachment that often feels preferable and safer than actually feeling their feelings." - Dr. Danielle Novack “Without knowing what’s going on in our body, we can’t possibly create important connections.” -Rachelle Heinemann Resources Dr. Danielle’s Website It Takes A Village By Dr. Danielle Novack Grab my Journal Prompts Here  Looking for a speaker for an upcoming event? Let’s chat! Accepting new clients in July - Find out if we're a good fit!   LEAVE A REVIEW + help someone who may need this podcast by sharing this episode. Be sure to sign up for my weekly newsletter here! You can connect with me on Instagram @rachelleheinemann, through my website www.rachelleheinemann.com, or email me directly at rachelle@rachelleheinemann.com