When Eating Disorder Providers Are Steeped in Diet Culture

When Eating Disorder Providers are Steeped in Diet Culture [Image description: photo of an ice cream cone with 3 different flavors of ice cream] Portrays a possible snack for a person in eating disorder recovery in Los Angeles, California

Providers With Weight Stigma “People are concerned about the fact that I’m a therapist and have an eating disorder, and I’m like, ‘You’re concerned about me? I’m concerned about our entire fucking field.’” — Shira Rose, FoodPsych with Christy Harrison This quote has generated a lot of reactions. In this podcast, Shira—who lives in a …

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When You Have Adapted a Health At Every Size Approach and Your Family is Still Stuck in Diet Culture

When You Have Adapted a Health At Every Size Approach and Your Family is Still Stuck in Diet Culture [Image description: photo of a crack] Represents a potential chasm between a patient in California receiving HAES eating disorder therapy and their family still stuck in diet culture

For many of my patients who have firmly joined the anti-diet camp and embraced a Health at Every Size® (HAES) approach to health, dealing with family members entrenched in diet culture can be a minefield that is tough to navigate. Let me say that I get it! I also have friends and family members who …

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Seven Reasons You Should Eat When You’re Not Hungry

Joyful Eating in Los Angeles, California [Image description: drawing of 2 females joyfully eating ice cream] Represents potential eating disorder counseling clients in Los Angeles, California challenging diet rules and eating even when not hungry

In my work with clients with eating disorders and disordered eating, I often find that the fear of eating when not hungry is one of the most difficult bits of dogma to overcome. One of the cardinal rules of dieting is “Eat only when you’re hungry.” People with eating disorders and good dieters everywhere have …

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Nana’s Poundcake, Food, and Cultural Connection

Nana's Poundcake, Food and Cultural Connection [Image description: photo of Nana's poundcake on a white plate] Eating Disorder Therapy LA

Cultural Connection–Through Food Cultural Connection happens through food. Food for us comes from our relatives, whether they have wings or fins or roots. That is how we consider food. Food has a culture. It has a history. It has a story. It has relationships. –– Winona Laduke Food is about more than sustenance. It is …

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Eating Disorder Recovery When Grieving

Grief and Eating Disorder Recovery

by Carolyn Comas, LCSW, CEDS-S, Clinical Supervisor at EDTLA On May 8th, 2017 my mother died due to complications from cancer. It was an unexpected death. I still cannot believe she died. My mom was diagnosed in January and passed away in May. She had gone to the hospital for trouble breathing and never left. …

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Fat Positive Photography

Fat Positive Photography in Eating Disorder Recovery in Los Angeles, California [Image description: photo of a larger bodied woman in a swim suit doing a yoga pose on the beach] Represents diverse images for people in eating disorder recovery

I’ve recently returned from the Association for Size Diversity and Health (ASDAH) Conference and I’m reflecting on all I’ve learned. I’ve wanted to share and further explore Substantia Jones’ keynote, “Fat Visibility Through Photography: the Who, the How, and the Hell Yeah.” Jones is a photographer, a “Fat Acceptance Photo-Activist,” and the proprietor of the …

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On Buying Bigger Clothes: The Tale of Nana and Her New Shoes

buying bigger clothes in eating disorder recovery [Image description: photo of the author's 103 year old grandmother walking with her walker

Nana’s New Shoes–And the Metaphor of Buying Bigger Clothes Recently, I went to visit my grandmother, who is almost 103 years old.  She was complaining of leg pain. She asked me to help her put on her shoes.  I tried really hard.  But in her sweltering apartment (she can’t stand any temperature below 80), I …

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On Living 100 years in Diet Culture

Living 100 years in Diet Culture

I recently went to visit my 102-year-old grandmother. In 1921, at the age of six, Nana emigrated from Russia to Kansas City. She entertains her living facility with her piano playing and loves to talk all day. She continues to leave sassy messages on my phone. She sends thoughtful gifts to her great grandkids. With …

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Don’t Diet! 10 Alternative New Year’s Resolutions

Alternative New Years Resolutions to dieting in 2024 from Eating Disorder Therapy LA in California [Image descripton: gold leaf background with the #2024 in gold]

I am skeptical of New Year’s Resolutions in general because I think they promote all-or-nothing thinking (I also don’t like to categorize entire years as being bad or good for this reason). I don’t feel that one needs to wait for the year to reset to make changes in one’s life. As an anti-diet eating …

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A most misguided device

To the long list of desperate and dangerous weight loss products, we can now add the AspireAssist, sadly approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) this week. The device is marketed as a “minimally invasive” and “reversible” weight loss “solution” for “people with obesity.” Essentially, an aspiration tube is inserted into the patient’s …

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