It’s time to start reframing what meal planning is “supposed to look like”. There is nothing wrong with incorporating accessible foods, frozen meals or, utilizing meal prep services. While you may have a goal of regularly cooking, you have permission to depend on things that are processed. Things that may support meal planning include discussions around grocery shopping, food science, and cooking methods. There is no “right” way to meal plan. I hope to support you in finding a sustainable approach to being able to incorporate nourishing foods that make you feel good. We can even use a session to cook together virtually!

To become an intuitive eater, hunger and fullness cues must be reliable. If you are struggling with inadequate/infrequent cues, we can work towards supporting the development of these skills through the practice of mechanical eating. This can be done through a structured meal plan or through a visual approach to meal planning. Although this may not sound intuitive, this will allow the body to build trust in knowing that it will regularly get the fuel that it needs. It’s important to acknowledge and make space for neurodivergence in the realm of intuitive eating. We will discuss the role of interoception and executive functioning. To support whatever version of intuitive eating resonates with you, mindfulness based/embodiment practices will be incorporated to support listening to and responding to your body’s needs.

Although achieving the ideal body seems like the cure all, the negative core beliefs often continue to linger. This is because improving body image truly requires hands on work. I am happy to support you in whatever body framework resonates with you (body positivity, fat liberation, body neutrality, body acceptance). If you are experiencing gender dysphoria, some of these frameworks may not feel like a good fit. Discussions around what promotes gender euphoria may be more supportive. Although there is no “right time” to start incorporating body image work, it’s important that you feel stable enough in your recovery to begin this.

It can not be expressed enough how important it is that you feel safe in your body. Without realizing it, you may be attempting to regulate through disordered behaviors and food rules. While this may have served you in the past, you might be ready to explore other ways that are more sustainable. We will take a deep dive into Polyvagal Theory and how we can work towards staying within our window of tolerance. Our bodies provide us with such valuable feedback. By listening to them, we will find that we can start working with them, instead of against them.

Despite living in a world that rewards privilege, eating disorders don’t discriminate. Discussing the influence of gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, race and trauma can provide further support for behavioral exploration.

It’s important to discuss what current challenges you are facing that may be interfering with long term recovery. Do you have realistic expectations? Are you feeling burnt out or unmotivated? The purpose of this is to not fault you, but to better understand how to overcome these barriers.

Taking the steps to promote recovery requires a lot of courage and hard work. It’s important we discuss the sustainability of current recovery efforts to prevent a lapse/relapse in disordered behaviors. We can do so by creating a relapse prevention plan to better understand what are future triggers to be on the lookout for. However, it’s important to know that lapses/relapses are often a part of the recovery experience. Recovery is not linear.