This powerful episode dives deep into the challenges of living in a diet-obsessed culture and explores how to navigate conversations about weight, health, and body image. Dr. Castagnini and Karen Scheuner discuss the exhausting reality of being professionals in the eating disorder field while encountering diet culture messaging in everyday social situations. Karen is a nutrition therapist/dietitian, certified intuitive eating counselor, and body trust provider. She specialize in weight-inclusive care, intuitive eating, body image healing, mindfulness, self-compassion and healing from disordered eating, and eating disorders. Since 2005, she has helped hundreds of folks break free from the dieting cycle and create a sustainable and peaceful relationship with food and their bodies. Healing from food and body image issues takes time, patience and support. As someone who has recovered from chronic dieting myself, she gets it! She has an online 4-month Intuitive eating body trust transformation program as well as online group programs. She believes healing from food and body struggles are social justice issues and we must look at them from the lens of systemic oppression. Her work is trauma informed and weight inclusive. The foundation of the work is Health at Every Size, Intuitive and Mindful Eating, Body Trust and self compassion models of care.

Key Topics Discussed

Professional Challenges in Social Settings
  • The struggle of being "off duty" while encountering diet talk at social gatherings
  • Deciding when to engage in educational conversations vs. preserving personal energy
  • The "teachable, reachable, ready" framework by Dana Essin for choosing when to speak up
Weight Stigma in Healthcare
  • How weight bias affects medical treatment and patient care
  • The harmful cycle of people avoiding healthcare due to anticipated weight stigma
  • The difference between weight-focused vs. behavior-focused treatment approaches
Intuitive Eating Misconceptions
  • Common fears about trusting your body
  • The "one foot in, one foot out" phenomenon when transitioning away from diet culture
  • Why intuitive eating feels scary but is ultimately healing
Health at Every Size (HAES) Principles
  • Understanding that health exists at all body sizes
  • The nuance of individual health journeys and body autonomy
  • How smaller bodies can hide serious health issues while larger bodies face automatic assumptions
The Personal Cost of Diet Culture
  • Karen's personal story about losing her cousin to an eating disorder
  • The impact of childhood bullying and weight stigma on long-term mental health
  • Why professionals feel compelled to speak up despite personal exhaustion

IMPORTANT TIMECODES FROM THIS EPISODE:

  • 00:00 Introduction to Behind the Bite
  • 01:12 The Pressure to Change Your Body
  • 01:40 Introducing Karen Louis Scheuner
  • 03:37 Karen's Journey to Intuitive Eating
  • 07:49 Challenges of Being a Dietitian
  • 09:43 The Impact of Weight Stigma
  • 12:13 Navigating Conversations About Diet Culture
  • 23:55 Health at Every Size and Body Sovereignty
  • 26:36 Medical Field's Weight Bias
  • 27:30 Society's Misconceptions About Health and Weight
  • 28:13 Anti-Fat Bias in Healthcare
  • 29:30 The Impact of Diet Culture
  • 34:13 Behavioral Changes vs. Weight Loss
  • 36:20 Focusing on Sustainable Health Practices
  • 40:27 The Fight Against Weight Stigma
  • 43:43 Conclusion and Resources

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Part of the Los Angeles Tribune Podcast Network, produced by the Tweaky Tales.

**Disclaimer:**

This podcast is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information regarding the subject matter covered. It is given with the understanding that neither the host, the publisher, nor the guests are rendering legal, clinical, or other professional information. If you want or need a professional, you should find one to work with who can address your individual needs and situation.