The Full Plate Podcast with Abbie Attwood, MS

Perfectionism shows up in how we see our bodies, measure our health, and define our worth. This week, I’m bringing back a listener favorite—my conversation with Dr. Lisa Folden, who is a physical therapist, anti-diet coach, and weight-inclusive movement practitioner.
At its core, this episode is about how breaking free from perfectionism allows us to reclaim joy in our bodies, relationships, work, and yes—our lives.
We get into so much, including:
* Growing up as a “role model” and shedding that identity
* What research really says about weight, joint pain, diabetes, and intentional weight-loss
* Navigating disordered eating as a Black woman and why underdiagnosis is common
* Rebuilding a joyful, intuitive relationship with movement
* Letting go of the perfectionism trap and showing up authentically
* How health providers can approach shifting from weight-centric to weight-inclusive care
If you’ve ever felt your worth is tied to your body or achievements, this conversation is full of science, compassion, and practical tools to help you move with freedom and joy.
Find Lisa on IG: https://www.instagram.com/healthyphit/
Find the show on IG: @fullplate.podcast
Find Abbie on IG: @abbieattwoodwellness
Support the show: Enjoying this podcast? Please support the show on Substack for bonus episodes, community engagement, and access to "Ask Abbie" at abbieattwoodwellness.substack.com/subscribe
Apply for Abbie’s Group Membership:
Already been at this anti-diet culture thing for a while, but want community and continued learning? Apply for Abbie's monthly membership: https://www.abbieattwoodwellness.com/circle-monthly-group
Podcast Cover Photography by Anya McInroy
Podcast Editing by Brian Walters
This podcast is ad-free and support comes from your support on Substack. Subscribe HERE.


This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit abbieattwoodwellness.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit abbieattwoodwellness.substack.com

In this bonus episode, Abbie is joined by her husband Jeb (nearly a decade sober) to respond to a listener question: Is healing actually worth how hard it feels?
It's a listener favorite, vulnerable conversation about the messy middle of recovery — from dieting, disordered eating, addiction, and the coping mechanisms that once kept us afloat.
Some of the topics discussed:
Why recovery often feels harder before it feels better
The short-term relief vs. long-term cost of coping mechanisms
How dieting and addiction share similar roots (shame, fear, inadequacy, belonging)
Personal examples from Abbie and Jeb and pieces of their stories
Physical vs. emotional discomfort in recovery — and how to tell the difference
The power of community (and why healing in isolation is so much harder)
Small, quiet “wins” that signal real healing
Why “dabbling” in restriction tends to snowball
Privilege, barriers to recovery, and the realities of healing in this world

Here is the question that inspired this episode:
Hi Abbie,
I’ve been recovering from decades of dieting and disordered eating. I’m completely on board with doing this work for myself, for my kids. I recognize now - many thanks to you - how much of my life has been wasted on trying to control my body.
But I’m struggling, and many days I have these thoughts of: is this harder than just continuing to diet and restrict? I’m uncomfortable, I feel stressed and anxious, and it’s hard to cope with the body changes. I just feel defeated in many ways.
I know I don’t want to go back, but at the same time, healing is feeling so hard. I am hoping you’ll have some advice for where to go from here. Your podcast has meant so much to me and my daughter. Thank you.
Alex

Support the show: Enjoying this podcast? Please support the show on Substack for bonus episodes, community engagement, and access to "Ask Abbie" at abbieattwoodwellness.substack.com/subscribe
 
Apply for Abbie’s Group Membership:
Already been at this anti-diet culture thing for a while, but want community and continued learning? Apply for Abbie's monthly membership: https://www.abbieattwoodwellness.com/circle-monthly-group
 
Social media:
Find the show on Instagram: @fullplate.podcast
Find Abbie on Instagram: @abbieattwoodwellness
 
Podcast Cover Photography by Anya McInroy
Podcast Editing by Brian Walters
This podcast is ad-free and support comes from your support on Substack. Subscribe HERE.

What if being “good” was never meant to protect us?
In this powerful conversation, I’m joined by the incredible Savala Nolan (back for the second time) to talk about her new book Good Woman: A Reckoning, which is a lyrical, unflinching exploration of the expectations placed on women’s bodies, voices, marriages, appetites, and lives.
We explore what happens when the bargain of goodness stops “working” and what becomes possible when we refuse it.
Tune in for more on:
* The myth that being “good” (thin, quiet, agreeable) will keep women safe
* Midlife as rupture: dieting, divorce, and the unraveling of social conditioning
* Body liberation as a daily practice — especially in the age of GLP-1s
* What it means to become “illegible” to misogynistic culture
* Raising daughters who are fluent in their bodies, not afraid of them
This is a conversation about wilderness, refusal, and the kind of freedom that feels both exciting and terrifying because of its importance and truth.
Find Savala on IG: https://www.instagram.com/savalanolan/
Order "Good Woman" here: https://savalanolan.com/
Savala's Substack: https://savala.substack.com/
Support the show: Enjoying this podcast? Please support the show on Substack for bonus episodes, community engagement, and access to "Ask Abbie" at abbieattwoodwellness.substack.com/subscribe
 
Apply for Abbie’s Group Membership:
Already been at this anti-diet culture thing for a while, but want community and continued learning? Apply for Abbie's monthly membership: https://www.abbieattwoodwellness.com/circle-monthly-group
 
Social media:
Find the show on Instagram: @fullplate.podcast
Find Abbie on Instagram: @abbieattwoodwellness
 
Podcast Cover Photography by Anya McInroy
Podcast Editing by Brian Walters
This podcast is ad-free and support comes from your support on Substack. Subscribe HERE.


This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit abbieattwoodwellness.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit abbieattwoodwellness.substack.com

Fiber is having a moment — and like most wellness trends, the story is more layered than the headlines suggest. In this episode, we're slowing down the “fibermaxxing” conversation and coming at it through the lens of science, context, and a compassionate relationship with food.
In this episode, we discuss:
* What the fibermaxxing trend is, what the research actually says about fiber’s benefits, and where those benefits level off
* How diet culture turns neutral nutrition advice (remember protein?) into extremes and appetite-control strategies
* The difference between supporting fullness and suppressing hunger — especially in today’s GLP-1 and “nature’s Ozempic” era
* Why this messaging can be particularly tricky for those healing from disordered eating or volume-eating patterns
* How to approach fiber in a way that supports health without sacrificing nourishment, satisfaction, or trust in your body
Support the show: Enjoying this podcast? Please support the show on Substack for bonus episodes, community engagement, and access to "Ask Abbie" at abbieattwoodwellness.substack.com/subscribe
 
Apply for Abbie’s Group Membership:
Already been at this anti-diet culture thing for a while, but want community and continued learning? Apply for Abbie's monthly membership: https://www.abbieattwoodwellness.com/circle-monthly-group
 
Social media:
Find the show on Instagram: @fullplate.podcast
Find Abbie on Instagram: @abbieattwoodwellness
 
Podcast Cover Photography by Anya McInroy
Podcast Editing by Brian Walters
This podcast is ad-free and support comes from your support on Substack. Subscribe HERE.

How do kids learn about bodies and food before anyone even talks about it? Zoë Bisbing, psychotherapist and eating disorder specialist, joins me to unpack the invisible lessons our kids absorb—and how parents can respond to “hard body moments” without shame or overcorrection.
We talk about:
* Zoë’s journey from inpatient eating disorder treatment to prevention work—and how becoming a parent reshaped her lens.
* What kids are really learning about bodies, food, and morality.
* How to respond when a child expresses body distress.
* Why tolerating “body grief” builds resilience and reduces eating disorder risk.
* Why shutting down “I feel fat” with reassurance can accidentally close the door to connection.
* What to actually say when your child brings you a hard body moment.
* How “fix-it” energy can communicate fear—and what it looks like to tolerate discomfort instead.
* Why prevention isn’t about perfection, but about creating an emotional climate where kids aren’t alone in their pain.
* The surprisingly joyful role of simple pleasures—like toaster strudels—in fostering flexible eating.
This episode isn't just for parents. We were all children once, impacted by diet culture in our family and beyond. So this is for anyone who wants to create a home where bodies and food are safe, not shameful.
Support the show: Enjoying this podcast? Please support the show on Substack for bonus episodes, community engagement, and access to "Ask Abbie" at abbieattwoodwellness.substack.com/subscribe
 
Apply for Abbie’s Group Membership:
Already been at this anti-diet culture thing for a while, but want community and continued learning? Apply for Abbie's monthly membership: https://www.abbieattwoodwellness.com/circle-monthly-group
Find the show on Instagram: @fullplate.podcast
Find Abbie on Instagram: @abbieattwoodwellness
For more from Zoë:
https://www.instagram.com/mybodypositivehome/
https://www.bodypositivehome.com/about
https://bodypositivehome.substack.com/

Podcast Cover Photography by Anya McInroy
Podcast Editing by Brian Walters
This podcast is ad-free and support comes from your support on Substack. Subscribe HERE.


This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit abbieattwoodwellness.substack.com/subscribe