Break Free From Food Addiction & Regain A Positive Body Image! School of Rock Bottom 11

[TW//Food Addiction, Bullying] At least 5% of the world's population are addicted to foods full of fat and sugar which can supercharge the brain’s reward system similarly to the way addictive drugs do leading to a multitude of health problems, including: Obesity, type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, sleep apnea, depression, osteoarthritis, cancer, reproductive problems and gallstones. By age 12, former actress and theatre maker Jenny McDonald was a size 16. She picked up unhelpful messages about food being good and bad, which led to 'secret eating' and shame and guilt around food. Jenny went on to Birmingham Theatre School and worked for many years in touring theatre. Jenny went on to set up several Youth Theatres and, in 2004, landed what she thought was her dream job in her local theatre. It was this job and other circumstances that led to her rock bottom and triggered some huge life changes. In 2004, she was a size 24 with a BMI of 43 and battling an uncontrollable food addiction leaving her depressed and feeling hopeless. Jenny started to repair her relationship with food and lost over 40kg. Elated at her transformation, Jenny left her career in theatre to work in the dieting industry. Fast forward to 2023! Jenny is now called The Food Freedom Fairy! She empowers serial dieters and emotional eaters to break free from the dieting cycle and find peace with food and most importantly with themselves. Like many, Jenny struggled with food and weight from an early age. In 2020, Jenny released The Power Over Food Podcast and founded The Becoming You Academy®. The Academy teaches women how to nourish their minds, body and soul and enjoy cake without guilt. Most importantly, how to love yourself and be unapologetically you! Jenny is a certified and accredited Health and Life Coach trained in CBT and energy healing modalities, The Helix Method® and Theta Healing®. I can't wait for you to hear Jenny's incredible journey! Topics - 0:00 Intro 03:43 Jenny's rock bottom 08:45 Must you 'clear your plate'? 11:19 Childhood experiences 13:34 The family culture around food 18:06 Food as a reward turning into an addiction 22:43 Jenny's 6 months abstinence from food 23:48 Can food have a similar power to drugs? 27:43 Teenage bullying 30:17 Using performing as a way to cope with negative body image 32:23 The catalyst for change and embracing a weight loss journey 39:48 Weight loss counselling - exploring your relationship to food 43:50 How do you maintain your healthy relationship to food? 47:30 Body positivity vs being healthy 52:18 Advice for parents If you've been affected by any of the issues discussed on today's episode Jenny welcomes contacting her via social media! The book "Body Happy Kids" that Jenny refers to can be found here - https://www.bodyhappyorg.com/shop/body-happy-kids-book Follow Jenny Podcast - https://bit.ly/42RC70X Website - https://foodfreedomfairy.com/ Instagram - https://bit.ly/3NHog92 Facebook - https://bit.ly/46hdjmc YouTube - https://bit.ly/46cWIjk This Podcast is not for profit but my goal is to break even. To help me make more please donate here. Thank you! https://bit.ly/3kSucAs Follow Oliver Instagram - https://bit.ly/3IemHLY Twitter - http://bit.ly/3GQYj2l Facebook - http://bit.ly/3w8S1Gx LinkedIn - http://bit.ly/3kp4ymC TikTok - https://bit.ly/3YGLsYm Listen or watch on: YouTube - https://bit.ly/3XhoiI4 Spotify - https://bit.ly/3PnuyfE Apple - https://apple.co/41IrJt4 or search 'School of Rock Bottom' where you listen to your podcasts.