When Eating Less Backfires: What Your Body’s Really Doing to Protect You

Episode Summary

What if your body isn’t betraying you when you restrict food — but protecting you?

In this powerful conversation, Jess sits down with Dr. Jennifer Gaudiani, world-renowned internal medicine physician and author of Sick Enough: A Guide to the Medical Complications of Eating Disorders, to explore the misunderstood physiology of undernutrition.

Dr. Gaudiani (“Dr. G”) breaks down what really happens in the brain and body when we don’t eat enough — from slowed metabolism to changes in heart rate, hormones, digestion, and mood. Together, Jess and Dr. G unpack the survival adaptations that often get mislabeled as “failures,” and why compassion and nourishment (not more control) are the key to healing.

Whether you’re a clinician, athlete, or someone on your own recovery journey, this episode will deepen your understanding of the body’s wisdom — and remind you that your body is not the problem; it’s the protector. 💛

In This Episode:

• What “undernutrition” really means (and how it shows up beyond weight)

• The body’s built-in survival mechanisms — and why they’re signs of protection, not weakness

• How restriction impacts the brain, hormones, and mood

• Why “Sick Enough” still matters — and what’s new in the second edition

• What compassionate, evidence-based care looks like for those healing from eating disorders

📚 Resources Mentioned

• Book: Sick Enough: A Guide to the Medical Complications of Eating Disorders, Second Edition

• Dr. Gaudiani’s Clinic: Gaudiani Clinic

Cheering you on! 💛 Jess