The Food Shrinks are back with a spicy, heartfelt conversation about one of the most polarizing tools in the recovery world right now—GLP-1 medications (like Ozempic and Wegovy). In this episode, they tackle the growing buzz (and backlash) around these drugs in eating disorder and food addiction spaces. Are GLP-1s a betrayal of “real” recovery, or can they be a supportive tool for healing?

The hosts spill some behind-the-scenes tea, share their personal and clinical experiences, and ask hard questions: Who gets to decide what recovery looks like? Why is there so much shame around using medication? And what if we stopped gatekeeping tools that might help?

If you're curious about how GLP-1s fit into a trauma-informed, shame-free approach to food addiction recovery, this episode is for you.

In This Episode:
• Why the GLP-1 debate is heating up in the recovery world
• The team’s take on healing vs. weight loss goals
• The difference between fear-based gatekeeping and client-centered care
• What should recovery support look like when trying a new tool
• The power of expanding your window of tolerance
• Why we need to make room for nuance, autonomy, and compassion

Key Quote:
"If a medication helps someone quiet the noise long enough to heal—why wouldn’t we support that?"

Resources & Support:
💻 Check out Sweet Sobriety to learn more about group programs and 1:1 coaching with Molly and Clarissa.
💻 Book a free Consultation with Molly Carmel
📧 Thinking about GLP-1s or bariatric surgery? Schedule a consultation with a coach who gets it.

If this episode resonated with you:
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📤 Share it with a friend who's curious about GLP-1s or exploring recovery options

The content of our show is educational only. It does not supplement or supersede your healthcare provider's professional relationship and direction. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified mental health providers with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition, substance use disorder, or mental health concern.

In this compelling episode, the Food Shrinks team tackles one of the most used—and deeply harmful—labels in recovery spaces: “chronic relapser.” With both fire and tenderness, the Shrinks dismantle this shame-based term and offer a new way to understand recurrence through the lens of chronic ambivalence, self-compassion, and trauma-informed care.

You’ll hear why language matters, how shame can block healing, and why we must stop reducing people to their most painful patterns. Instead, the team explores what it means to stay curious, build emotional safety, and make your recovery as big as your disease. Whether you’ve struggled with “starting over” or have judged yourself harshly for returning to food, this episode will offer relief, insight, and a powerful reframe.

🔑 Topics We Cover:

• Why “chronic relapser” is a harmful, moralizing label
• The power of reframing: from chronic relapse to chronic ambivalence
• Understanding recurrence as part of a chronic condition
• The trap of perfectionism and diet culture in recovery
• How confirmation bias reinforces addiction
• When you’ve “tried everything” but nothing sticks
• Recovery as practice—not performance
• Why your recovery must be as big as your disorder
• Meeting recurrence with curiosity, not shame

💬 Quotes Worth Sharing:

“Please don’t say that about my friend.”
“Chronic ambivalence is a sign of your complexity—not your failure.”
“Your addiction doesn’t get a seat at the table if you want to build traction in recovery.”
“One bad moment doesn’t define your recovery. It’s just a single patch in the quilt.”
“You haven’t failed. You’re still practicing. You’re still learning.”

🛎️ Call to Action:

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Your support helps us grow—and helps others find compassionate, shame-free recovery conversations.

📢 Follow Us:

📽 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FoodShrinks

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📧 Email: AskTheShrinks@foodshrinks.com

🌐 Website: foodshrinks.com

The content of our show is educational only. It does not supplement or supersede your healthcare provider's professional relationship and direction. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified mental health providers with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition, substance use disorder, or mental health concern.

In this deeply honest and layered conversation, The Food Shrinks—Clarissa Kennedy, Molly Carmel, and Molly Painschab— dive into one of the most misunderstood and rarely talked-about experiences in food addiction recovery: volume of whole foods in food addiction recovery. What begins as a casual check-in quickly becomes a masterclass on the biological, psychological, and emotional roots of overeating.

🔍 What you’ll learn:

🌸Volume addiction might be harder to heal from than sugar and flour because it’s not just about what you eat, but how much and why.
🌸For many, volume eating is a trauma response—a way to regulate a dysregulated nervous system, not just a habit or lack of willpower.
🌸Physiological shifts like stretch-blunted stomachs, serotonin imbalances, and leptin resistance play a massive role in satiety and fullness signals.
🌸There’s no one-size-fits-all solution: healing involves patience, interoceptive awareness, nervous system work, and sometimes nutritional supplementation.
🌸And above all? It's about slowing down, getting curious, and giving ourselves the grace to find our unique path to peace.

Whether you identify with volume struggles or you're just learning about this facet of food addiction, this episode offers deep validation, practical insights, and hope.

🔗 Mentioned:
🌸 Sweet Sobriety Foundations Program
https://sweetsobriety.newzenler.com/courses/sweet-sobriety-foundations
🌸 Breaking Up with Sugar
https://mollycarmel.com/buws/
🌸 Sacred Immersion Retreat (June 20–22 in Stamford, CT)
email molly@mollycarmel.com

📢 Follow Us:
📱 Instagram: @FoodShrinks
📧 Email: AskTheShrinks@foodshrinks.com
🌐 Website: foodshrinks.com

The content of our show is educational only. It does not supplement or supersede your healthcare provider's professional relationship and direction. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified mental health providers with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition, substance use disorder, or mental health concern.