The fear of weight gain is one of the most paralysing and misunderstood parts of eating disorder recovery. And in this episode of Fly to Freedom, I’m not sugar-coating it. I’m answering the question I get asked more than any other: Can I actually stop being afraid of gaining weight?

The truth is, yes—you can. But not in the way your brain probably hopes. Recovery isn’t about waiting for the fear to go before you take action. It’s about taking action even while the fear is loud. In this episode, I unpack what’s really behind the fear of weight gain—beyond body image—and why so many people stay stuck even after their weight is restored.

We’ll explore:

• Why gaining weight doesn’t magically remove the fear

• The deep childhood beliefs and emotional wiring that feed body shame

• Why this fear is part of the eating disorder itself—not a neutral preference

• The real reason people still struggle after physical recovery

• How to meet the younger part of you who internalised the belief that thinness meant safety

• What it takes to move through fear with self-compassion instead of perfectionism

You’ll walk away with powerful insights and practical mindset shifts to help you stop letting fear make your decisions, and start choosing recovery with your whole heart—even when it’s hard.

💛 If this episode speaks to you, the Overcoming the Fear of Weight Gain course is now available as a standalone offering outside of The Eating Disorder Recovery Circle—for a limited time only. This is the course that’s helped so many people begin their freedom journey from this exact fear.

Go HERE to find out more.

And if you want a loving, supportive space to be held while you walk this path, come and join us inside The Eating Disorder Recovery Circle.

You don’t need to be fearless. You just need to stop letting fear decide your future.

Julia Trehane is a specialist anorexia recovery coach supporting people to rebuild their lives and bodies with compassion, honesty, and unshakeable belief in full recovery.

#edrecovery #eatingdisorderrecovery #anorexiarecovery #recoveryispossible #recoveryisworthit #mentalhealth #selflove #edawareness #bodyimage #endthestigma #anorexiarecovery #anorexia #bulimia

You’re Not Broken – The System Is: A Raw Conversation About Healing with Lucy Aphramor

This episode of Fly to Freedom is not just a conversation about recovery. It’s a deep reckoning with the systems that have shaped how we think about food, health, and bodies — and how we can begin to reclaim our truth.

Julia is joined by Lucy Aphramor (they/them), a radical dietitian, poet, and justice-centred educator whose Well Now approach reimagines nutrition through the lens of compassion, lived experience, and social change. Together, they unpack the myths of weight management, the fallacy of 'healthy eating' guidelines, and the oppressive roots of mainstream public health narratives.

Lucy shares powerful insights about:

• Why public health nutrition is an equity issue

• How traditional health education often reinforces oppression

• The myth of evidence-based weight loss

• Why eating disorder recovery is inseparable from social justice

• What it means to centre community, compassion, and care in healing

• How body shame is socially shaped, and why self-compassion is essential for unlearning

• A poetic lens on health, worth, and resistance

This episode is a must-listen if you've ever felt confused by health advice, struggled with body image, or questioned the deeper systems influencing eating disorders. Whether you’re in recovery or supporting someone who is, Lucy’s wisdom offers a radical shift in how we can approach healing — not just as individuals, but as a community.

📝 Mentioned in this episode:

• World Critical Dietetics: https://www.criticaldietetics.org

• Lucy’s courses and open-access work are available on their website (linked in the show notes)

✨ Don’t miss Lucy’s closing poem — a powerful reminder that “warmth and regard and community are nutrients too.”

Hosted by Julia Trehane, an anorexia recovery coach and founder of the Eating Disorder Recovery Circle, this podcast is dedicated to helping people find full freedom from eating disorders through compassion, connection, and truth.

Get Coached 1:1 by Julia

https://juliatrehane.com

🌀 Explore The Eating Disorder Recovery Circle: https://www.edrecoverycircle.com/join
💖 Try the Feelings Navigator: https://www.edrecoverycircle.com/how-are-you-feeling

• Mann, T., Tomiyama, A. J., Westling, E., Lew, A. M., Samuels, B., & Chatman, J. (2007). Medicare's Search for Effective Obesity Treatments: Diets Are Not the Answer. American Psychologist, 62(3), 220–233. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.62.3.220

• Howard, B. V., Manson, J. E., Stefanick, M. L., et al. (2006). Low-fat dietary pattern and weight change over 7 years: the Women's Health Initiative Dietary Modification Trial. JAMA, 295(1), 39–49. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.295.1.39

• Marmot, M. G. (2006). Status syndrome: a challenge to medicine. JAMA, 295(11), 1304–1307. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.295.11.1304

📚 References Cited by Lucy Aphramor:

In this tender and transformative episode of Fly to Freedom, specialist anorexia recovery coach Julia Trehane explores one of the most powerful – and often overlooked – elements of lasting healing in eating disorder recovery: the inner child.

Whether you’ve heard the term before or it’s completely new, this episode gently guides you through what it really means to connect with the inner child, why it matters so deeply in anorexia recovery, and how so many of the emotions and behaviours we struggle with are rooted in unmet needs from long ago.

This is what I share:

• How the inner child shows up in everyday patterns like shame after eating, body image struggles, and the fear of not being enough

• Why recognising old emotional wounds is essential to full recovery from anorexia and other eating disorders

• What it means to reparent yourself with love, steadiness, and compassion

• Practical examples of how to respond when old pain or fear arises

• Why reconnecting with joy and play is a vital part of healing

• A gentle, guided visualisation to help you meet your inner child safely

This episode is filled with loving truth, practical support, and powerful reframes that will help you soften the self-criticism and build a deeper sense of safety within.

Because full recovery isn’t just about food or weight — it’s about coming home to yourself.

Listen now and begin reconnecting with the part of you that has always deserved love, rest, and joy.

🩷 You are not too much. It’s not too late. And you don’t have to do this alone.