In this episode, I explain my all-in recovery process and how it helped me stop binge eating after decades of battling food noise. I break down what "all in" actually means in practice, why unconditional permission to eat means (and doesn't mean), and how body image work played a central role in becoming binge-free for over six and a half years. I'm sharing my personal all-in recovery process—the shift that helped me become binge-free for over 6.5 years—and what I learned about unconditional permission to eat, food scarcity mindset, body image, and body neutrality along the way.

This isn't a quick fix or a one-size-fits-all method. But if you've tried "moderation" a hundred different ways and it keeps turning into a failure, this episode will give you a different framework to consider.

Work With Stef

In this episode, I cover:

• What "all-in recovery" means (and why it doesn't have a formal clinical definition)

• Why unconditional permission to eat was the turning point for my binge eating recovery

• How restriction fuels binge eating through scarcity (not lack of "willpower")

• How intermittent fasting pushed my binge eating further (and what that taught me)

• The role of body image, culture, and conditioning (capitalism, feminism, racism) in food + self-trust

• What changed over time as my appetite regulated and food stopped feeling urgent

My backstory (quick version)

My relationship with food was chaotic from my teens until I turned 40—years of negotiating, compensating, and trying to outthink my body. Eventually it became clear that the "careful" approaches weren't working for me. I needed a more radical reset.

A huge catalyst was reading "The F**k It Diet" by Caroline Dooner, because it named what I had been living: the bingeing wasn't some character flaw—it was an understandable response to deprivation and fear.

Why unconditional permission matters

The core of the all-in process (for me) was stopping the constant bargaining. When eating is no longer treated like a limited resource, binge urges lose their job. That's the part people miss: binge eating is often a scarcity response, not "lack of control."

Body image isn't a side quest

Working with body image coach Jessi Kneeland expanded the whole conversation for me. It helped me see that body hatred doesn't exist in a vacuum—there's a system that benefits when we stay preoccupied with shrinking ourselves. Body neutrality became a steadier foundation than chasing body "confidence."

Want more context?

If you haven't listened to my episode about losing control with food (episode , start there—it'll give you helpful background for this conversation.

Work with me

If you want support applying these ideas to your actual life (not just your notes app), I offer 1:1 coaching for binge eating recovery, intuitive eating, and body image healing. Apply here!

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