The Eating Disorder Therapist

Pregnancy and Post-partum Tips When You Struggle with Eating Disorders and Body Image Issues

Are you pregnant or do you have a new born baby?

Are you struggling with body image and food?

This is a topic, I haven’t talked about before.

I don’t know why! I have three children myself with first-hand experience of going through two pregnancies and two post-partum periods.

My daughter came first and then twin boys second time.

Two years apart. It was VERY intense on many fronts!

Pregnancy can be hugely challenging – if you have body image struggles and food anxieties.

If you’ve previously used food or a focus on body as a means of coping – you can be placed in the driving seat of stress. Pregnancy and babies bring joy and wonderment but can also bring anxiety, change and life upheaval. You can feel out of control.

You might experience isolation or loneliness, a change in your body, a shift in your identity – now being a mother and also readjusting your previous relationship to work and who you are.

Having a baby is a huge life transition, it’s truly wonderful and it’s sometimes incredibly hard.

I share 12 tips to support you (based on my personal experience and client shares from the therapy room) including: -

Managing weight changes.

Feelings about fueling yourself.

Managing health appointments and expectations of weight monitoring.

How to focus your mind helpfully.

Managing negative body thoughts.

Clothing issues.

Your daily body image habits.

Self-care: sleep, hydration and prioritising yourself.

Nutrition.

The importance of relationships and support.

Maintaining a thread of purpose and identity for yourself.

Keeping the bigger picture of values and your own alignment in mind.

I hope that you find it helpful.

🌐 If you're looking for more support in your recovery journey, you can explore my work here: https://www.theeatingdisordertherapist.co.uk/

Share your thoughts in the comments below.

📱 Food Freedom App: https://studio.com/apps/harriet/freedomfood

🎙 Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-eating-disorder-therapist/id1499476074

 

🔔 Subscribe to YouTube for weekly eating disorder recovery support, therapy insights, and real conversations about food and healing: https://www.youtube.com/@theeatingdisordertherapist?sub_confirmation=1

Online Courses:

Fitness Lovers Guide to Food Freedom https://food-freedom-coach.teachable.com/p/radical-self-care-and-building-your-thriving-eating-disorder-therapy-practice

Breaking Free From Bulimia: https://food-freedom-coach.teachable.com/p/intuitive-eating-beginners-course4

 Professional Training:

 Eating Disorders Training: https://www.theeatingdisordertherapist.co.uk/eating-disorders-training-with-harriet-frew.html

Body Image Training: https://www.theeatingdisordertherapist.co.uk/body-image-training-with-harriet-frew.html

📲 Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theeatingdisordertherapist/ -

 

#HarrietFrew #TheEatingDisorderTherapist #pregnancy #eatingdisorderrecovery #eatingdisordertherapist #pregnancyjourney #pregnancytips #pregnancycare #bodyimage #disorderedeating #eatingdisorders #eatingdisordersupport

Today, I'm talking to Dr. Judith Swack who is a biochemist, immunologist, and originator of the Healing from the Body Level Up™ (HBLU™) methodology that helps people clear trauma rapidly by addressing the full system, including the body, nervous system, unconscious mind, and soul.

Her work bridges science and practical application, offering a structured approach to resolving anxiety, PTSD, chronic illness, and behavioral patterns that do not respond to traditional therapy alone. Dr. Swack has spent decades researching how trauma imprints across multiple levels of the human system and developing targeted protocols to clear those patterns. Her approach integrates elements of psychology, neuroscience, NLP, applied kinesiology, and energy psychology methods to produce measurable shifts in a short period of time.

She is the author of "Clear Trauma Now: The Powerful Solution for Getting Unstuck," and trains practitioners internationally, helping expand access to faster and more effective trauma resolution. Known for making complex concepts accessible, she helps audiences understand why trauma persists and what it takes to fully resolve it.

In this episode, Dr Judith talks about how incredible work and gives us valuable insights into trauma healing, sharing personal experience and practical examples. I hope that you enjoy it.

To find out more about Dr Judith's work or to book a consultation www.hblu.org

 

🌐 If you're looking for more support in your recovery journey, you can explore my work here: https://www.theeatingdisordertherapist.co.uk/

Share your thoughts in the comments below.

📱 Food Freedom App: https://studio.com/apps/harriet/freedomfood

🎙 Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-eating-disorder-therapist/id1499476074

 

🔔 Subscribe to YouTube for weekly eating disorder recovery support, therapy insights, and real conversations about food and healing: https://www.youtube.com/@theeatingdisordertherapist?sub_confirmation=1

Online Courses:

Fitness Lovers Guide to Food Freedom https://food-freedom-coach.teachable.com/p/radical-self-care-and-building-your-thriving-eating-disorder-therapy-practice

Breaking Free From Bulimia: https://food-freedom-coach.teachable.com/p/intuitive-eating-beginners-course4

 Professional Training:

 Eating Disorders Training: https://www.theeatingdisordertherapist.co.uk/eating-disorders-training-with-harriet-frew.html

Body Image Training: https://www.theeatingdisordertherapist.co.uk/body-image-training-with-harriet-frew.html

📲 Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theeatingdisordertherapist/ -

 

#HarrietFrew #TheEatingDisorderTherapist #DrJudithSwack #trauma #traumahealing #traumarecovery #hblu #foodfreedom #eatingdisorderrecovery #mentalhealthawareness

In this episode, I do a deep dive into atypical anorexia nervosa. I hope that you find it helpful. Atypical anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder and a severe one at that.

You will experience all the symptoms of anorexia nervosa, 

But your weight will appear ‘normal and healthy’ by the cultural ideal. This means that your BMI (Body Mass Index) will not be alarmingly low, as seen in anorexia nervosa. It is a confusing condition, as your friends and family will praise you for achieving a svelte-physique and will ask you for your weight loss tips and tricks.

However, you will be extremely ill. In fact, you will be starving. Your body will be suffering. Because this is not a healthy weight for you. Your natural setpoint weight is genetically higher due to being tall, larger boned or more muscular than the ‘average’. This is not a crime. This is diversity of body shapes. But you will probably feel that there is something wrong with your body, as the world will have reflected this back to you from childhood. Have you experienced atypical anorexia nervosa? Do share in the comments. Thank you.

 

 

🌐 If you're looking for more support in your recovery journey, you can explore my work here: https://www.theeatingdisordertherapist.co.uk/

Share your thoughts in the comments below.

📱 Food Freedom App: https://studio.com/apps/harriet/freedomfood

🎙 Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-eating-disorder-therapist/id1499476074

 

🔔 Subscribe to YouTube for weekly eating disorder recovery support, therapy insights, and real conversations about food and healing: https://www.youtube.com/@theeatingdisordertherapist?sub_confirmation=1

Online Courses:

Fitness Lovers Guide to Food Freedom https://food-freedom-coach.teachable.com/p/radical-self-care-and-building-your-thriving-eating-disorder-therapy-practice

Breaking Free From Bulimia: https://food-freedom-coach.teachable.com/p/intuitive-eating-beginners-course4

 Professional Training:

 Eating Disorders Training: https://www.theeatingdisordertherapist.co.uk/eating-disorders-training-with-harriet-frew.html

Body Image Training: https://www.theeatingdisordertherapist.co.uk/body-image-training-with-harriet-frew.html

📲 Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theeatingdisordertherapist/ -

 

#HarrietFrew #TheEatingDisorderTherapist #EatingDisorderRecovery #atypicalanorexianervosa #atypicalanorexia #DisorderedEating #osfed #FoodFreedomJourney #BingeEatingRecovery #MentalHealthSupport #FoodObsessions #BodyImageHealing #RecoveryIsPossible #EmotionalEating #InnerHealing #TherapyInsights

Chewing and spitting is something many people struggle with, but very few talk about openly. If this is something you’re dealing with, you’re not alone and there is a way forward.

 

➡️ In this episode, I explore what chewing and spitting actually is, why it often develops alongside restriction and food rules, and why it can feel like a “solution” at first. For many, it starts as a way to enjoy food without the fear of weight gain, but over time it can become a compulsive and isolating behaviour that’s hard to stop. I also talk about the real impact this has on your mental and physical health, from digestive issues and dental problems to increased food obsession, shame, and feeling stuck in a cycle that takes over your day.

 

Most importantly, I share practical steps to help you begin breaking free from chewing and spitting, including reducing restriction, rebuilding regular eating, allowing feared foods, and developing a more compassionate relationship with yourself and your body. If you’ve been stuck in this behaviour, even for a long time, change is possible and it starts with understanding what’s really going on beneath the surface.

Time slots: -

2:22 Digestion.

2:47 Teeth.

3:18 Weight gain.

3:47 Addictive.

4:08 Isolation and shame.

4:36 Motivation.

5:19 Restrictive eating.

5: 54 Mindfulness.

6:12 Emotions.

6:36 Perfectionism.

 

🌐 If you're looking for more support in your recovery journey, you can explore my work here: https://www.theeatingdisordertherapist.co.uk/

Share your thoughts in the comments below.

📱 Food Freedom App: https://studio.com/apps/harriet/freedomfood

🎙 Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-eating-disorder-therapist/id1499476074

 

🔔 Subscribe to YouTube for weekly eating disorder recovery support, therapy insights, and real conversations about food and healing: https://www.youtube.com/@theeatingdisordertherapist?sub_confirmation=1

Online Courses:

Fitness Lovers Guide to Food Freedom https://food-freedom-coach.teachable.com/p/radical-self-care-and-building-your-thriving-eating-disorder-therapy-practice

Breaking Free From Bulimia: https://food-freedom-coach.teachable.com/p/intuitive-eating-beginners-course4

 Professional Training:

 Eating Disorders Training: https://www.theeatingdisordertherapist.co.uk/eating-disorders-training-with-harriet-frew.html

Body Image Training: https://www.theeatingdisordertherapist.co.uk/body-image-training-with-harriet-frew.html

📲 Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theeatingdisordertherapist/ -

 

#HarrietFrew #TheEatingDisorderTherapist #EatingDisorderRecovery #ChewingAndSpitting #DisorderedEating #FoodFreedomJourney #BingeEatingRecovery #MentalHealthSupport #FoodObsessions #BodyImageHealing #RecoveryIsPossible #EmotionalEating #InnerHealing #TherapyInsights

Today, I have a guest on the show and I'm talking to Paula D Atkinson (all the way from Palm Springs, California) who works as a psychotherapist, professor of Body Justice, author, and supporter of people navigating eating disorders, food obsession, and internalised body stigma.

Her practice is anti-diet, Health At Every Size, and body-liberation focused, and she loves infusing humor and creativity into tough conversations. Paula recently appeared on Jubilee Media’s Surrounded series (with Jillian Michaels) to challenge conventional health narratives. Paula co-hosts her own podcast, What If Nothing’s Wrong With You?, where she unpacks how traditional therapy sometimes reinforces the very systems that create suffering.

In today's episode, Paula shares about her own recovery, her academic background in fat studies, her experience speaking to Gen X women, LGBTQIA+ focus and more. There's lots to talk about. Stay tuned for an inspiring conversation. I hope that you find it helpful.

 

To find out more about Paula's work: -

Website: www.pauladatkinson.com

https://linktr.ee/pauladatkinson

Link for individual sessions: https://doxy.me/pauladatkinson

Instagram: @pauladatkinson

 

🌐 If you're looking for more support in your recovery journey, you can explore my work here: https://www.theeatingdisordertherapist.co.uk/

Share your thoughts in the comments below.

📱 Food Freedom App: https://studio.com/apps/harriet/freedomfood

🎙 Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-eating-disorder-therapist/id1499476074

 

🔔 Subscribe to YouTube for weekly eating disorder recovery support, therapy insights, and real conversations about food and healing: https://www.youtube.com/@theeatingdisordertherapist?sub_confirmation=1

Online Courses:

Fitness Lovers Guide to Food Freedom https://food-freedom-coach.teachable.com/p/radical-self-care-and-building-your-thriving-eating-disorder-therapy-practice

Breaking Free From Bulimia: https://food-freedom-coach.teachable.com/p/intuitive-eating-beginners-course4

 Professional Training:

 Eating Disorders Training: https://www.theeatingdisordertherapist.co.uk/eating-disorders-training-with-harriet-frew.html

Body Image Training: https://www.theeatingdisordertherapist.co.uk/body-image-training-with-harriet-frew.html

📲 Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theeatingdisordertherapist/ -

 

#HarrietFrew #TheEatingDisorderTherapist #bodyjustice #pauladatkinson #HarrietFrew #TheEatingDisorderTherapist #bingeeatinghelp #bingeeatingrecovery #eatingdisorderrecovery #eatingdisorders #foodfreedom #HarrietFrew #TheEatingDisorderTherapist #EatingDisorderRecovery #Undereating #FoodFreedomJourney #BingeEatingRecovery #MentalHealthSupport #BodyImageHealing #RecoveryIsPossible #FoodObsessions #EmotionalEating #IntuitiveEating #HealingJourney #TherapyInsights #RecoveryJourney #RecoveryisPossible #forbiddenfood #intuitiveeating #healingjourney #howtoheal #HarrietFrew #TheEatingDisorderTherapist #fatpositive #bodyliberation #weightstigma #lgbtq