Ep. 62: Opting Out of Diet Culture's Pre- and Postpartum Pressures with Shreen El Masry

Anna Mackay and Elizabeth Davenport have a conversation with Shreen El Masry, a body inclusive Personal Trainer and Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor, about the enormous pressure mothers often feel to shrink their bodies after giving birth in order to conform to unrealistic and harmful standards. Shreen is also the author of a recently published book called Be You Be Free: Your 12-Step Body Positivity Plan.

They discuss:

How struggling with an eating disorder in her 20’s inspired Shreen to change careers and become a personal trainer and Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor.
The unique brand of diet culture that targets expecting mothers, and parents in general.
Strategies to deal with weight stigma in the doctor’s office during pregnancy and postpartum health checks (hint: you do not need to be weighed!).
How excessive exercise and dietary restriction is normalized, and even celebrated in our culture, and the ways in which this is problematic.
Strategies for parents, particularly new mothers who are going through the postpartum period, can push back against the onslaught of diet advice and messages like “getting your pre-baby body back”.
Advice for parents about modeling healthy behaviors as their kids grow up.

Links:

Shreen El Masry is a Body Inclusive Personal Trainer and Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor. Shreen is the founder of the Be You Be Free community where she helps people all around the world break free from dieting and make peace with food, exercise, and their bodies so they can start living the joyous, purposeful, and fulfilled lives that they deserve.