LU 040: Kelsey Miller – The author of "Big Girl" talks about overcoming dieting and getting a life.

Life. Unrestricted.

Download Episode! Hey there, distinguished radicals - it's podcast time! In this week’s episode of the "Life. Unrestricted." podcast, you’ll hear me talk to Kelsey Miller from Brooklyn, New York. Kelsey graduated from Boston University with a Bachelor's degree in Film & Television. She began her career in the film production industry before transitioning to full-time writing. Soon after joining the staff of the online magazine Refinery29, she created The Anti-Diet Project, one of the website's most popular franchises. She is currently a Senior Features Writer and of course she is the author of the wonderful memoir "Big Girl". Kelsey shares her story with us, and you’ll hear: – How old she was when she became convinced that there was something "wrong" with her body – How her mother related to her body and weight – How early she started restricting food and trying to become skinnier – How easy kids pick up even indirect comments about food and weight and internalize them – How her dream of becoming an actor was being put under the condition that she loses weight, and how that kicked off years of her trying to starve herself into some arbitrary ideal – Why, for so many people, the first diet-success (the high of getting compliments and being applauded for the effort) becomes the carrot they end up chasing for decades – Why people innocently end up sacrificing their self-esteem, their values, the full experience of life and their peace of mind – How she ended up with a black or white, on/off mindset regarding food and exercise – Why re-learning to relate to movement without obsessing/counting/tracking is equally important as developing a normal relationship to food – Why it often takes hearing or reading about someone else’s struggles to wake us up out of our own trance – Why dieting and over-exercising are often ways of distracting ourselves from self-exploration – When and how she finally realized what her being stuck in dieting actually cost her – What happened when she decided to let go of this body-loathing way of escaping her own life – How, at first, she was at a complete loss of how to proceed, since all she knew was dieting – How she realized that "Intuitive Eating” would be her life-saver – Why "true permission to eat" turned out to be the key to healing – How re-learning to trust our body’s signal is an ongoing process – What the issues were that came up after she stopped escaping from them by her dieting behaviors – Why denial plays a huge part in someone's obsession with weight, food and exercise – How her hard work on her deeper issues really paid out for her – How her relationship developed through her process with giving up her weight-obsession – Why accepting love when you don’t love YOURSELF first is extremely difficult and uncomfortable – Why becoming vulnerable and honest towards a partner is so crucial in a relationship – Why it is so important to start challenging our own internal thoughts and beliefs – Why representation of "real" bodies matters so much and what she does to make this more of a reality – When to address someone else’s bias and when to let the ball drop – How family and friends reacted when her book came out – What she has to say to you if you are on the fence of writing about your journey... ...And so much more! Check out Kelsey's website: www.kelseymiller.com Here's the link to Refinery29: www.refinery29.com Here’s the link to her memoir "Big Girl”: https://www.amazon.com/Big-Girl-Gave-Dieting-Life/dp/1455532630/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1492549935&sr=1-1&keywords=big+girl Please consider supporting the podcast with a donation on "Patreon"; so that I can keep producing it. Thank you! Here's the link: https://www.patreon.com/lifeunrestricted Like the podcast? Great! Do subscribe on iTunes (Apple): https://itunes.apple.com/ch/podcast/life.-unrestricted.-podcast/id1130713233?mt=2 or on Stitcher (Android): http://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=93987&refid ********* Don't forget!********* Make sure to join my tribe and meet some of the most supportive, loving and kind people of all shapes and sizes, including great coaches and leaders! We’re right over here at: http://www.lifeunrestricted.org/join/