145: Overcoming Eating Disorders As A Dietitian + Athlete

In this episode of the Female Athlete Nutrition podcast, I talk with Heidi Strickler, a fellow Registered Sports Dietitian specializing in female athletes, eating disorders, REDS and amenorrhea. As well as being an athlete herself, Heidi has overcome her own nutrition and mindset challenges, and uses these experiences to benefit her work today. Here, Heidi vulnerably shares her personal 12-year battle with an eating disorder during high school, college, and her early career as a dietitian. Beginning with an obsession with healthy eating and restriction, Heidi’s struggles morphed into binging and purging, alongside a disordered relationship with movement competing as a top collegiate athlete. Heidi talks about reaching rock bottom and how treatment helped her climb her way out, gaining newfound mental freedom and inner peace. We discuss eating disorder recovery, its nonlinear trajectory and the danger of unrealistic expectations. For Heidi, and many of our clients, recovery is a practice of actively questioning your motives for your food and movement choices, identifying disordered thoughts, and maintaining healthy habits, like always fueling before workouts. A lifelong athlete, competing in a variety of sports from cycling and trail running, to snowshoeing and climbing, Heidi talks about how her relationship with movement has evolved. We explore what a healthy exercise relationship looks like, one motivated by joy and curiosity rather than punishment and a desire to change your body. We contrast the consequences of under-fueling, like injuries and menstrual changes, with how good running in a well-fueled body feels! Heidi shares her business, Heidi Strickler Nutrition, before we finish off with our usual end of the podcast questions. Check out Heidi’s website (coming this Fall): www.heidistricklernutrition.com  Follow Heidi on Instagram @hkstrickler_sportsrd and me, your host Lindsey Cortes, on Instagram @female.athlete.nutrition  If you find value in this podcast and would like to support the show, join our patreon community! Become part of our Fiercely Fit and Fueled community today, and receive bonus episodes, merch, monthly recipes, access to an exclusive community message board, and have the chance to ask Lindsey your questions and get a podcast shoutout, and more! Head to patreon today patreon.com/femaleathletenutrition Your support means a lot! Need help with your fueling? Want to get in touch with Lindsey? Interested in the Female Athlete System of Transformation?  Head to www.RiseUpNutritionRUN.com to learn more & book a call! THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS: Previnex: https://www.previnex.com/ use code RISEUP for 15% off at checkout InsideTracker: www.insidetracker.com/riseup for 20% off the entire store for a limited time only! THIS PODCAST IS ALSO SUPPORTED BY: Orgain, head to www.orgain.com and use the code RISEUP30 for 30% off your first order. Repeat customers can use the code OA2203 for 25% off future orders. Practice Better Click the link below to view plans and get a 14-day free trial. Then use the code RISEUP20 for 20% off your first 4 months: https://practicebetter.grsm.io/runp  Jen & Keri: https://jenandkeri.com/ use code RISEUP10 for $10 off your order In this episode we talk about: 5:00 5:00 Heidi’s personal nutrition struggles; the impact of studying to become a dietitian 10:50 12 years of eating disorders: from restriction to binging and purging  16:30 Reaching rock bottom and eating disorder treatment  18:30 Being a dietitian with an eating disorder 25:00 Recovery is worth it! The realities of recovery: body acceptance and disordered thoughts 29:40 Being an athlete vs looking like one; injuries and underfuelling  32:45 Redefining your relationship with movement; running in a well fuelled body 39:00 Recovery expectations: performance, physical health, mindset, and body image  41:30 Identifying disordered food and exercise thoughts and behaviors; being curious and learning to trust your body  46:50 Why ED recovery is so hard: eating and exercising can be both healthy and unhealthy! 53:45 Heidi’s practice helping athletes fuel better: Heidi Strickler Nutrition  56:30 End of the podcast questions