1
00:00:10,160 --> 00:00:14,680
Speaker 1: Hello everybody, and welcome back to couch Talks. If you

2
00:00:14,680 --> 00:00:17,439
Speaker 1: are new, couch Talks is a special bonus Q and

3
00:00:17,480 --> 00:00:20,720
Speaker 1: a episode of You Need Therapy that comes out every Wednesday,

4
00:00:20,840 --> 00:00:23,720
Speaker 1: where I answer questions that you all email into me

5
00:00:24,040 --> 00:00:27,720
Speaker 1: at Catherine at You Need Therapy podcast dot com. As always,

6
00:00:27,720 --> 00:00:30,240
Speaker 1: I want to remind you guys that this is not therapy.

7
00:00:30,400 --> 00:00:33,920
Speaker 1: This is just a therapist talking about some therapy things

8
00:00:34,200 --> 00:00:35,760
Speaker 1: I like to put out there, just so we don't

9
00:00:35,760 --> 00:00:38,920
Speaker 1: get confused that this is not a replacement for therapy.

10
00:00:39,040 --> 00:00:41,200
Speaker 1: It's just a way to get some information and start

11
00:00:41,240 --> 00:00:45,240
Speaker 1: some conversations. Now, as you may have gathered this week,

12
00:00:45,360 --> 00:00:48,960
Speaker 1: we are honoring nit A week by dedicating Monday's episode

13
00:00:48,960 --> 00:00:52,960
Speaker 1: and this episode to eating disorders and talking about those. Today,

14
00:00:53,000 --> 00:00:55,800
Speaker 1: I'm going to be answering questions about eating disorders that

15
00:00:55,920 --> 00:00:58,480
Speaker 1: you all have sent into me. Now, if you don't

16
00:00:58,480 --> 00:01:01,200
Speaker 1: know what NITA Week is, it is National Eating Disorder

17
00:01:01,240 --> 00:01:03,840
Speaker 1: Awareness Week, and it is a week that is aimed

18
00:01:03,840 --> 00:01:06,880
Speaker 1: to help spread awareness of not just what eating disorders are,

19
00:01:07,319 --> 00:01:09,480
Speaker 1: but also how to get help and how to find hope.

20
00:01:09,680 --> 00:01:12,880
Speaker 1: This episode is not just for those struggling with eating disorders.

21
00:01:12,880 --> 00:01:15,720
Speaker 1: It's for everybody, and this week isn't just for those

22
00:01:15,720 --> 00:01:18,720
Speaker 1: struggling with eating disorders, it's for everybody that is kind

23
00:01:18,720 --> 00:01:21,560
Speaker 1: of the point of need a week. So eating disorders

24
00:01:21,600 --> 00:01:25,440
Speaker 1: aren't just known to the people that work with them directly,

25
00:01:25,600 --> 00:01:27,960
Speaker 1: but that people all around us are aware of them,

26
00:01:28,080 --> 00:01:30,680
Speaker 1: and you know that they're a thing because their their

27
00:01:30,680 --> 00:01:33,120
Speaker 1: a thing. I think a lot of you have probably

28
00:01:33,160 --> 00:01:35,959
Speaker 1: seen the stat it's the deadliest mental health disorder there

29
00:01:36,080 --> 00:01:38,840
Speaker 1: is right now, and they're pretty serious. They're not just

30
00:01:38,880 --> 00:01:41,600
Speaker 1: about body image. They have to do with body image,

31
00:01:41,640 --> 00:01:45,320
Speaker 1: but I think that's one of the common misconceptions about them. Anyway,

32
00:01:45,440 --> 00:01:48,080
Speaker 1: I have three questions that I chose to answer today.

33
00:01:48,160 --> 00:01:50,960
Speaker 1: I kind of combined some themes of questions that I

34
00:01:51,000 --> 00:01:53,360
Speaker 1: got from you guys, and so I'm going to answer

35
00:01:53,480 --> 00:01:55,880
Speaker 1: two of them, and then I caught upon my friend

36
00:01:55,960 --> 00:01:58,480
Speaker 1: Crystal to answer one, so I thought we would go

37
00:01:58,480 --> 00:02:01,440
Speaker 1: with that one first. The question was how long does

38
00:02:01,480 --> 00:02:04,120
Speaker 1: it take in recovery for your body to get to

39
00:02:04,160 --> 00:02:06,000
Speaker 1: its set point? And this is the one that I

40
00:02:06,040 --> 00:02:09,400
Speaker 1: leaned over to my lovely dietitian friend Crystal from Horizon

41
00:02:09,520 --> 00:02:12,799
Speaker 1: Nutrition Counseling, Because even if I can answer a question

42
00:02:12,840 --> 00:02:14,960
Speaker 1: like this. I like to practice what it's like to

43
00:02:15,000 --> 00:02:17,560
Speaker 1: stay in your lane. So if there ever is a

44
00:02:17,600 --> 00:02:21,519
Speaker 1: dietitian ee esque question, I'm always going to go there first,

45
00:02:21,560 --> 00:02:24,200
Speaker 1: just so you guys get the most accurate information from

46
00:02:24,240 --> 00:02:27,560
Speaker 1: somebody who actually was trained to answer this question. Specifically.

47
00:02:27,720 --> 00:02:29,880
Speaker 1: This is what Crystal said my answer would be in

48
00:02:29,960 --> 00:02:32,680
Speaker 1: its own time. You don't know what your set point

49
00:02:32,720 --> 00:02:37,000
Speaker 1: really is because it's a range and everyone's body is different.

50
00:02:37,120 --> 00:02:40,520
Speaker 1: If someone is an interrexic, chronic dieter, or belimic, it

51
00:02:40,560 --> 00:02:43,000
Speaker 1: depends on what it's going through, how long it's been

52
00:02:43,000 --> 00:02:46,200
Speaker 1: going through it, and how genetics interact. Your set point

53
00:02:46,240 --> 00:02:48,040
Speaker 1: now may not be the set point it was ten

54
00:02:48,120 --> 00:02:50,560
Speaker 1: years ago, so you can't expect the same result. If

55
00:02:50,560 --> 00:02:53,680
Speaker 1: someone says my set point is around one pounds, but

56
00:02:53,720 --> 00:02:56,400
Speaker 1: they're referring to a pre pregnancy body fifteen years ago,

57
00:02:56,520 --> 00:02:59,600
Speaker 1: it's not the same. So that's the information Crystal gave

58
00:02:59,639 --> 00:03:01,440
Speaker 1: us I because it's shortened to the point, and what

59
00:03:01,520 --> 00:03:05,360
Speaker 1: I'm just gonna repeat to you guys is that we

60
00:03:05,520 --> 00:03:07,919
Speaker 1: there is no like six months. It takes a year.

61
00:03:07,960 --> 00:03:10,200
Speaker 1: It could take six months to a year, could take longer.

62
00:03:10,440 --> 00:03:12,919
Speaker 1: Especially you have to think about the back and forth

63
00:03:13,000 --> 00:03:15,440
Speaker 1: that we play in the beginnings of recovery. So I

64
00:03:15,480 --> 00:03:18,600
Speaker 1: hope that was helpful. All right. Second question, is it

65
00:03:18,639 --> 00:03:21,520
Speaker 1: possible to not think about food constantly all day? And

66
00:03:21,520 --> 00:03:23,920
Speaker 1: how healthy it will be? I love this question so,

67
00:03:24,480 --> 00:03:27,160
Speaker 1: oh my gosh, Yes, it is so, so, so so possible.

68
00:03:27,280 --> 00:03:29,760
Speaker 1: I promise. The problem here is that most people run

69
00:03:29,800 --> 00:03:32,440
Speaker 1: into is that it takes longer to get there than

70
00:03:32,520 --> 00:03:35,200
Speaker 1: when people want to experience. So we do this back

71
00:03:35,240 --> 00:03:37,440
Speaker 1: and forth thing, and it can make the whole experience

72
00:03:37,480 --> 00:03:39,720
Speaker 1: like a million times longer than it really needs to

73
00:03:39,760 --> 00:03:42,400
Speaker 1: be or has to be. Now that being said, I

74
00:03:42,440 --> 00:03:44,720
Speaker 1: think we will all always have moments when we think

75
00:03:44,760 --> 00:03:47,960
Speaker 1: about food and our body image. We all have bad

76
00:03:47,960 --> 00:03:51,360
Speaker 1: body image days. But the thought in the quote days

77
00:03:51,480 --> 00:03:53,760
Speaker 1: don't dictate the majority of our lives and all of

78
00:03:53,800 --> 00:03:55,960
Speaker 1: our behaviors. One of the problems we end up having

79
00:03:56,200 --> 00:03:59,320
Speaker 1: when we engage in eating sort of behaviors in diet

80
00:03:59,360 --> 00:04:03,480
Speaker 1: culture things is that we take the habituation process away

81
00:04:03,480 --> 00:04:06,440
Speaker 1: from food. So imagine that you ran into your garage

82
00:04:06,440 --> 00:04:08,680
Speaker 1: with your car and put a dent in it. Now

83
00:04:08,960 --> 00:04:11,280
Speaker 1: you will be driving home every day to see that dent,

84
00:04:11,400 --> 00:04:13,080
Speaker 1: and at some point it will just become part of

85
00:04:13,120 --> 00:04:15,160
Speaker 1: the garage. You'll stop seeing it. I mean that in

86
00:04:15,200 --> 00:04:17,080
Speaker 1: the sense that it won't be as noticeable to you.

87
00:04:17,080 --> 00:04:19,440
Speaker 1: You will be habituated to it. Now, say you invite

88
00:04:19,440 --> 00:04:21,279
Speaker 1: a friend over and they haven't been to your house

89
00:04:21,279 --> 00:04:24,040
Speaker 1: since you ran into your garage. That friend has never

90
00:04:24,080 --> 00:04:26,320
Speaker 1: seen the dent in your garage, so I'm sure one

91
00:04:26,360 --> 00:04:28,799
Speaker 1: of the first things that they will say is hello,

92
00:04:29,080 --> 00:04:31,520
Speaker 1: what happened to your garage. You'll probably be like, oh,

93
00:04:31,520 --> 00:04:33,960
Speaker 1: my gosh, I forgot I did that. Habituation can be

94
00:04:34,000 --> 00:04:36,520
Speaker 1: good and it can be bad, but we actually want

95
00:04:36,560 --> 00:04:39,279
Speaker 1: that process to happen when it comes to food, because

96
00:04:39,480 --> 00:04:42,600
Speaker 1: without it, food becomes like magic. It becomes like something

97
00:04:42,680 --> 00:04:47,120
Speaker 1: special or forbidden that you only get to experience on

98
00:04:47,240 --> 00:04:50,400
Speaker 1: very rare occasions. If ever, so when you do, you

99
00:04:50,440 --> 00:04:52,839
Speaker 1: won't really get to enjoy it because you're so focused

100
00:04:52,880 --> 00:04:55,239
Speaker 1: on getting all of it because you'll never get it again,

101
00:04:55,800 --> 00:04:57,680
Speaker 1: or you're thinking about how much of a horrible thing

102
00:04:57,720 --> 00:05:00,160
Speaker 1: you are doing, when in reality, if all food were

103
00:05:00,200 --> 00:05:02,440
Speaker 1: available all of the time and you were in a

104
00:05:02,480 --> 00:05:06,279
Speaker 1: healthy place emotionally, you won't want to eat all of

105
00:05:06,400 --> 00:05:09,880
Speaker 1: something or none of something. Every time you see something

106
00:05:09,920 --> 00:05:11,359
Speaker 1: that you like, you will be able to eat it

107
00:05:11,400 --> 00:05:13,080
Speaker 1: when you want it, and you will be able to

108
00:05:13,120 --> 00:05:15,240
Speaker 1: let it be when you don't want it. So I'm

109
00:05:15,279 --> 00:05:17,080
Speaker 1: trying to stay here is Yes, it's possible to not

110
00:05:17,120 --> 00:05:20,080
Speaker 1: think about food all the time, but it takes consistency

111
00:05:20,360 --> 00:05:23,400
Speaker 1: and in time to get there. So I would encourage

112
00:05:23,400 --> 00:05:25,840
Speaker 1: you to gather some resources and some support to help

113
00:05:25,880 --> 00:05:28,480
Speaker 1: guide you along the way. I also want to just

114
00:05:28,839 --> 00:05:32,800
Speaker 1: know that you might have times when you overeat or

115
00:05:32,880 --> 00:05:35,359
Speaker 1: under eat through this process. It takes a while to

116
00:05:35,440 --> 00:05:37,840
Speaker 1: get there, like I said, So it's not a snap

117
00:05:37,839 --> 00:05:39,720
Speaker 1: of the fingers and then all of a sudden you're

118
00:05:39,720 --> 00:05:42,200
Speaker 1: habituated to food just because it's available. You have to

119
00:05:42,200 --> 00:05:44,080
Speaker 1: get used to that again, just like you would get

120
00:05:44,240 --> 00:05:46,599
Speaker 1: used to seeing the dent in your garage, and the

121
00:05:46,640 --> 00:05:49,159
Speaker 1: beginning of that happening, you would notice it. It would

122
00:05:49,200 --> 00:05:51,000
Speaker 1: take a couple of weeks or a month or so.

123
00:05:51,360 --> 00:05:53,080
Speaker 1: I don't know how long it would take me to

124
00:05:53,120 --> 00:05:55,240
Speaker 1: not notice a dent in my garage. I don't have

125
00:05:55,279 --> 00:05:57,839
Speaker 1: a garage. But like that's different for everybody. When it

126
00:05:57,839 --> 00:06:00,279
Speaker 1: comes to food, it's there's not like a time period,

127
00:06:00,360 --> 00:06:03,520
Speaker 1: but it does take time. So it is possible I promise.

128
00:06:04,120 --> 00:06:05,359
Speaker 1: What I want to say to a lot of this

129
00:06:05,440 --> 00:06:08,400
Speaker 1: stuff is these are things that I have seen um

130
00:06:08,440 --> 00:06:11,440
Speaker 1: and many clients and in myself, and I would never

131
00:06:11,480 --> 00:06:14,320
Speaker 1: ever talk about and encourage people to do things that

132
00:06:14,400 --> 00:06:16,800
Speaker 1: I didn't believe and I didn't think we're real, because

133
00:06:16,920 --> 00:06:19,000
Speaker 1: why would I do that. I have a good heart,

134
00:06:19,040 --> 00:06:21,000
Speaker 1: and I do really want to help people get out

135
00:06:21,040 --> 00:06:23,919
Speaker 1: of these ikey parts of their lives, and so I

136
00:06:23,960 --> 00:06:25,600
Speaker 1: say that to gain a little bit of trust in

137
00:06:25,640 --> 00:06:28,400
Speaker 1: the sense that I'm not making this stuff up. I'm

138
00:06:28,440 --> 00:06:30,320
Speaker 1: telling you what I know to be true from my

139
00:06:30,400 --> 00:06:33,960
Speaker 1: experience as a professional and as somebody who's gone through it. Now.

140
00:06:34,279 --> 00:06:38,440
Speaker 1: Third question, how do you differentiate between working out to

141
00:06:38,560 --> 00:06:42,440
Speaker 1: feel good and working out to burn calories and get

142
00:06:42,440 --> 00:06:44,479
Speaker 1: a body that you want? And you know this question

143
00:06:44,560 --> 00:06:46,120
Speaker 1: is right at my alley. I could talk about this

144
00:06:46,200 --> 00:06:49,720
Speaker 1: for like twenty minutes. Probably we're not going to do that.

145
00:06:50,360 --> 00:06:52,480
Speaker 1: It's also is tough, So this is a tough It's

146
00:06:52,480 --> 00:06:54,880
Speaker 1: a tough thing to do. So I'm glad somebody asked this,

147
00:06:55,000 --> 00:06:56,760
Speaker 1: and actually a couple of people ask this question. I

148
00:06:56,839 --> 00:06:58,839
Speaker 1: think that this is a muscle we actually have to build,

149
00:06:59,320 --> 00:07:02,440
Speaker 1: right And one what I would ask is, does your

150
00:07:02,480 --> 00:07:06,040
Speaker 1: anxiety skyrocket when you're not able to engage in whatever

151
00:07:06,160 --> 00:07:09,000
Speaker 1: movement you tend to choose without being able to sue

152
00:07:09,120 --> 00:07:11,800
Speaker 1: it in any other way outside of exercise. That would

153
00:07:11,800 --> 00:07:14,520
Speaker 1: be your first red flag. So movement is not the

154
00:07:14,560 --> 00:07:17,560
Speaker 1: only way to help our bodies feel good. And also

155
00:07:17,720 --> 00:07:20,800
Speaker 1: intense movement is not the only way to feel good

156
00:07:20,840 --> 00:07:24,400
Speaker 1: through exercise. So I would really look at, like, when

157
00:07:24,520 --> 00:07:27,200
Speaker 1: you want to feel good in your body, when you

158
00:07:27,240 --> 00:07:29,400
Speaker 1: want to be kind and carrying towards your body, and

159
00:07:29,440 --> 00:07:32,440
Speaker 1: you can't exercise, does your anxiety skyrocket and you're not

160
00:07:32,480 --> 00:07:34,960
Speaker 1: able to kind of regulate that and feel good. That

161
00:07:35,000 --> 00:07:37,440
Speaker 1: would be one area where we would we would know

162
00:07:37,680 --> 00:07:39,960
Speaker 1: why you're doing something. The other part that I would

163
00:07:39,960 --> 00:07:42,040
Speaker 1: look at if you are someone who has struggled with

164
00:07:42,080 --> 00:07:45,320
Speaker 1: exercise compulsions and addiction, I would encourage you to look

165
00:07:45,400 --> 00:07:48,600
Speaker 1: at the type of exercise you have historically chosen. I

166
00:07:48,640 --> 00:07:50,400
Speaker 1: know for me, I would choose the thing that I

167
00:07:50,440 --> 00:07:53,080
Speaker 1: could see that burned the most calories in the least

168
00:07:53,080 --> 00:07:55,920
Speaker 1: amount of time, and I would track everything. Those are

169
00:07:56,120 --> 00:07:59,960
Speaker 1: two other red flags. I did a lot of cardio,

170
00:07:59,800 --> 00:08:02,280
Speaker 1: and back then it wasn't because I loved it. It

171
00:08:02,400 --> 00:08:04,840
Speaker 1: was just because I could see the results on like

172
00:08:04,880 --> 00:08:07,880
Speaker 1: a screen. The fastest I would specifically do a lot

173
00:08:07,880 --> 00:08:11,440
Speaker 1: of running and the elliptical, which I cannot stand the

174
00:08:11,480 --> 00:08:14,480
Speaker 1: elliptical now. I also would encourage you guys to look

175
00:08:14,480 --> 00:08:17,440
Speaker 1: at what happens when I take my like Apple watch

176
00:08:17,560 --> 00:08:20,200
Speaker 1: or whatever like fit bit thing off when I'm not

177
00:08:20,280 --> 00:08:24,160
Speaker 1: tracking my calorie burn? Do I still think the exercise counts?

178
00:08:24,200 --> 00:08:26,760
Speaker 1: Does it change how I feel? And really does like

179
00:08:26,960 --> 00:08:29,440
Speaker 1: when I track how many calories I burn? Does that

180
00:08:29,480 --> 00:08:33,000
Speaker 1: take away from the experience for me? And I know

181
00:08:33,120 --> 00:08:35,040
Speaker 1: that I test that out every once in a while.

182
00:08:35,120 --> 00:08:37,120
Speaker 1: I really like to know my heart rate because I've

183
00:08:37,120 --> 00:08:40,040
Speaker 1: had some issues with that getting high at times, and

184
00:08:40,440 --> 00:08:43,240
Speaker 1: that's one of the reasons I wear my watch at times.

185
00:08:43,280 --> 00:08:46,719
Speaker 1: But I also practice taking it off like every other

186
00:08:46,760 --> 00:08:48,559
Speaker 1: time that I work out, and sometimes I don't even

187
00:08:48,559 --> 00:08:50,360
Speaker 1: wear it for weeks. I forget that I have it,

188
00:08:50,480 --> 00:08:52,240
Speaker 1: or if I use it, I'll put it where it

189
00:08:52,280 --> 00:08:54,719
Speaker 1: doesn't like show up or light up. If I'm going

190
00:08:54,760 --> 00:08:56,640
Speaker 1: on a run and just need to like map out

191
00:08:56,720 --> 00:08:58,640
Speaker 1: like mileage so I know how far I've been running,

192
00:08:58,679 --> 00:09:00,520
Speaker 1: but I'm not looking at every five seconds like I

193
00:09:00,600 --> 00:09:02,800
Speaker 1: used to make sure my paces on on track and

194
00:09:02,840 --> 00:09:05,000
Speaker 1: how many calories are burned in the last mile and

195
00:09:05,040 --> 00:09:07,959
Speaker 1: all that. So what I would do is encourage one

196
00:09:08,000 --> 00:09:11,480
Speaker 1: everybody to take a break from tracking through watches and

197
00:09:11,520 --> 00:09:14,160
Speaker 1: all that stuff. But also I would encourage anyone to

198
00:09:14,200 --> 00:09:17,360
Speaker 1: take a break from their typical routine. So maybe choose

199
00:09:17,360 --> 00:09:19,920
Speaker 1: a different kind of movement that gives your body a

200
00:09:19,960 --> 00:09:22,080
Speaker 1: break to see if you even really like it. I

201
00:09:22,120 --> 00:09:24,679
Speaker 1: took a really long break from running and the elliptical.

202
00:09:24,760 --> 00:09:28,000
Speaker 1: I did not return to the elliptical. I did eventually

203
00:09:28,080 --> 00:09:30,880
Speaker 1: learn how to run again for fun. But I really

204
00:09:30,880 --> 00:09:33,880
Speaker 1: got to evaluate. Am I doing this because I've been

205
00:09:33,880 --> 00:09:36,040
Speaker 1: told that this is like the good exercise that I

206
00:09:36,040 --> 00:09:38,880
Speaker 1: should be doing. Am I doing this because I enjoy

207
00:09:38,880 --> 00:09:42,080
Speaker 1: it and it feels good? And I don't know. Yeah,

208
00:09:42,120 --> 00:09:43,680
Speaker 1: I sweat when I would do the elliptical, but it

209
00:09:43,800 --> 00:09:46,880
Speaker 1: just is dreadful. So there are some thoughts on that.

210
00:09:47,240 --> 00:09:49,000
Speaker 1: If you have any more questions around that, I would

211
00:09:49,000 --> 00:09:50,840
Speaker 1: love to hear them. But I would really encourage you

212
00:09:50,880 --> 00:09:53,240
Speaker 1: to think about those three things. One, when I can't

213
00:09:53,280 --> 00:09:56,760
Speaker 1: do it, what happens to what happens when I take

214
00:09:56,880 --> 00:10:00,640
Speaker 1: my tracker or whatever kind of device I'm wearing off.

215
00:10:00,840 --> 00:10:02,800
Speaker 1: Does it still count? Do I feel differently about what

216
00:10:02,840 --> 00:10:05,480
Speaker 1: I'm doing? In three? What happens when I change up

217
00:10:05,480 --> 00:10:08,280
Speaker 1: my routine? And you can take from there. That wraps

218
00:10:08,360 --> 00:10:11,360
Speaker 1: up our special Couch Talks episode today. Thank you guys

219
00:10:11,400 --> 00:10:14,800
Speaker 1: for sending those questions, and I love the curiosity that

220
00:10:14,880 --> 00:10:17,760
Speaker 1: you guys have around some of this stuff. Whether it's

221
00:10:17,800 --> 00:10:20,319
Speaker 1: for you, or to help a friend or family member

222
00:10:20,320 --> 00:10:23,480
Speaker 1: that you see struggling, or you know an acquaintance, You

223
00:10:23,520 --> 00:10:26,400
Speaker 1: can help anybody. So I will be back on Monday

224
00:10:26,440 --> 00:10:28,880
Speaker 1: with the full episode of You Need Therapy. Make sure

225
00:10:28,880 --> 00:10:32,040
Speaker 1: to follow us at You Need Therapy Podcast on Instagram

226
00:10:32,080 --> 00:10:34,240
Speaker 1: and me at at cat dot dotata