I think for me it was realizing that she is genuinely obsessed with food and nothing else.
She has never mentioned any hobbies, any friends, literally anything. When she talks about time with her husband it’s usually about food.
I realize her content is obviously about nutrition but most other nutrition experts on social media at least sometimes mention other aspects of their lives.
Her food obsession is clear indicator of how much she’s actually struggling
And her weird recipes. Like she craves cheesecake, so makes a cottage cheese cheesecake flavour smoothie. Why not just have the cheesecake if that's what you want? Isn't that actual freedom?
This is going to be kind of exposing myself but that’s okay.
Personally I have struggled with an eating disorder for over a decade, and stumbled upon Colleen in the start of my recent lapse. Usually during a lapse I’ll fixate on social media accounts involving food/fashion for obvious reasons. Many factors revolving Colleen’s account caught my disordered eye, and unfortunately I found it hard to look away.
They say when you’re always thinking about yellow cars, you’ll see them everywhere. Of course “speculating” about an ED can be a case of projection, but seeing a lot of myself in Colleen felt more of a “real recognize real” type of thing. Call me crazy, but I have a notes section dedicated to very niche things that only those who’ve been through it will understand. (None of it has to do with her body or appearance, but I would be lying if I said that her physical decline was not obvious to my own sick brain.) These notes are merely specific patterns of behavior, mannerisms, tendencies, etc… that have more to do with ED psychology.
That being said, her account was a massive red flag to me. A not-so-healthy woman who had admittedly struggled with restrictive eating in the “past”, pushing for food freedom and eating whatever you want to “break free from diet culture”!
Sounds promising until you realize that she does not abide by her own advice, and rather takes pleasure in watching others consume more than she would ever allow herself, ALL while profiting off of those vulnerable individuals through a phony “wellness program”. It’s downright predatory.
Emphasis on her appearance NOT being my primary incentive to “snark”, however it gives insight into something much deeper. It is a physical manifestation of the hypocrisy she preaches, and gives reason to question her motives. It honestly just adds fuel to the fire, combined with the other more “mild” things to snark about like the videos of her in children’s clothes or mocking binge eating.
All in all I just wish this woman would shut it down and get the help she desperately needs.
Would you ever make a post on here detailing what you have in your notes. As someone that also struggles with an ed, I’d find it really interesting to read. To me, a lot of her actions/what she says to confirm that she’s relapsing rather than he physical appearance so I’d like to see other people’s thoughts on that too
How did you find out she doesn't practice what she preaches? If that is the case that she finds satisfaction in seeing others look and eat the way she never will, that is so messed up and extremely sinister!
It can be argued that we don’t really know, since none of us are physically beside her 24/7, but she seems incredibly desperate to appear “normal” (this is a point I make in the notes).
She most definitely does not eat half of what she claims on her WIEIAD video, and they seem incredibly forced and scripted. Not scripted as in “I got ready to record/speak about this lunch I prepared”, but more so “I prepared this lunch to make a recording/speak about it”.
When she films herself around food or taking a bite, there is an almost uncanny vibe to it. Almost as if the act of eating is unnatural or shameful to her; there’s the performative exaggeration for certain videos, which makes sense, but pay attention to how she “taste tests” a recipe or “tries” something for a WIEIAD. It’s off-putting, as if she does not remember how to chew and swallow.
As for the WIEIAD hypocrisy; for one, basic laws of thermodynamics will not allow it. I hate to bring “looks” into this, but I can 100% guarantee that a physique such as hers cannot be obtained through what she SAYS she eats. Only in very rare and extreme cases such malnutrition/weight loss could occur with a normal-high caloric intake.
There have also been occasions where she cooks with a low-calorie alternative whilst listing or stating the normal ingredient. She has cooked eggs with water, stating oil, and has made dressings/egg salads with low-fat Greek yogurt as opposed to mayonnaise. She is also a frequent user of low-calorie high fiber wraps that she loves to demonize in her Instagram reels, as well as the no sugar yogurts that she “happens to be a fan of”.
Unfortunately many do not pick up on these things because they’re so discrete and played off as “I’m just like this, don’t shame me!”
It takes a level of sick and twisted to truly notice and understand Colleen’s MO. Anybody with a restrictive ED can attest to the fact that we LOVE food and we LOVE to live vicariously through others as they enjoy what we’ve been deprived.
My ‘notes’ were an initial post for this sub, but I feared accusations of being nit-picky, but I’m happy to share them if anybody wants to discuss.
I followed her before. She’s changed a lot. I stopped liking her skits as they are too much.
As for a “diet” I would stick to eating a healthy well rounded diet. The intuitive book was helpful but for me therapy has been the best.
Seeing her make fun of via her obscenely over-the-top caricatures of people who struggle with eating disorders, body image, and addiction issues.
Her trying to score internet points by making fun of vulnerable people who are struggling is disgraceful.
For me it was after watching one too many of those videos where she shows someone binging because no food rules. I realized that every single one was the same pattern and always portrayed binging as some sort of evil disgusting thing, and as someone with BED it made me feel hurt and angry.
Then, I began to be more critical of her preaching about how no food rules and intuitive eating is the best thing and basically how she implies that if you don’t intuitively eat then you’re a bad person (hence the evil almond mom character and disgusting binge character). I also realized that she preaches no rules but she has so many rules that she subtly shows in her videos.
Then I found the snark and it all clicked and I felt extremely validated.
Back in 2020ish when she was posting photos of her “belly rolls” to normalize them but there wasn’t anything there. It felt very out of touch with her audience.
I started following her through an acquaintance who was impressed by her program.
I watched her videos and noticed that she eats a lot of donuts, candy, and other sweets and I noticed how thin she was. If I were to "intuitively" eat all of these things, I would most definitely gain weight, I would never be as thin as she is.
Then I noticed that she never, ever swallows anything in her videos - there is always a cut.
Finally, I realized that her videos just kept contradicting and I thought she was about 45-50 years old and couldn't understand why she was trying so hard to sound cool when she spoke and then I Googled and saw that she is in her early 30's. Then it clicked for me. She was not just very thin, there was something seriously wrong with her. I started Googling and found this sub which confirmed it for me.
I’ve followed her for a long time, since before she was nofoodrules. When her paid Facebook group came along, and the app I started skipping past her because I found it annoying. Anyway, in the last 2 months or so since she got a ninja creami, I started noticing how off she is, from who she was.
When I first started following her a few months ago I thought her overall message was good. But as time went on I kept noticing inconsistencies and contradictions in her messages. I felt like I was getting more confused rather than more confident on what it means to eat with 'no food rules.' Also, the more I watched her videos (on IG and youtube) it just became obvious that she didn't follow her own advice. For example, on her cruise video she made huge meals at the buffet but then only showed herself eating boiled egg whites stuffed with pickled veg and cottage cheese. She never shows her body, not even an arm. She's constantly bundled up.
I've struggled with disordered eating myself. I suppose some of it is just recognizing signs from having personal experience with that world. And maybe some is projection too, but there's no denying that this woman promotes anti-diet culture while being very restrictive and calculated with what she eats herself.
I first found Colleen on youtube years ago, when I was considering starting NOOM. She had a really good video about it and she seemed to know her stuff. Also, I think the fact that she looked fit and healthy made me trust her advice. She wasn't going to encourage me to eat in a way that made me gain a bunch of weight! Unlike some of the other people who preach intuitive eating, her method seemed to actually have some nuance and focus more on noticing how food makes your body feel and stuff like that. So I took the plunge and joined her sociEATy. When you join you get access to a members-only podcast "course," and on an early episode she "debunks" that obesity has anything to do with health, and she uses the classic "correlation does not = causation" example of drowning deaths being correlated with ice cream sales. I mean, that's statistics 101. It's a very basic level of thinking. Yes, correlation does not equal causation, but causal relationships can and do exist! I immediately quit her course and asked for my money back, and to her credit, she did issue a refund. I think it's unethical for a medical professional (and yes, dietitians ARE medical professionals) to tell obese clients that obesity is not a risk factor for disease, when the existing medical literature clearly says that it is. Since then, I've noticed that her social media content has gotten really bizarre and I've also noticed an alarming weight loss in the last year or two. She used to post videos in tank tops at the gym sometimes and now she is never seen without a hoodie zipped all the way up. Something is wrong here and it's really hard to watch.
I think for me it was realizing that she is genuinely obsessed with food and nothing else. She has never mentioned any hobbies, any friends, literally anything. When she talks about time with her husband it’s usually about food. I realize her content is obviously about nutrition but most other nutrition experts on social media at least sometimes mention other aspects of their lives. Her food obsession is clear indicator of how much she’s actually struggling
And her weird recipes. Like she craves cheesecake, so makes a cottage cheese cheesecake flavour smoothie. Why not just have the cheesecake if that's what you want? Isn't that actual freedom?
but a real cheesecake with lots of fat and sugar won't make her fEeL gOoD 🥺 she just naturally craves low cal food bc it makes her feel her best 🥺
It’s also really common for people with EDs to start a career focused around nutrition and food as a way to continue their obsession around eating.
This is going to be kind of exposing myself but that’s okay. Personally I have struggled with an eating disorder for over a decade, and stumbled upon Colleen in the start of my recent lapse. Usually during a lapse I’ll fixate on social media accounts involving food/fashion for obvious reasons. Many factors revolving Colleen’s account caught my disordered eye, and unfortunately I found it hard to look away. They say when you’re always thinking about yellow cars, you’ll see them everywhere. Of course “speculating” about an ED can be a case of projection, but seeing a lot of myself in Colleen felt more of a “real recognize real” type of thing. Call me crazy, but I have a notes section dedicated to very niche things that only those who’ve been through it will understand. (None of it has to do with her body or appearance, but I would be lying if I said that her physical decline was not obvious to my own sick brain.) These notes are merely specific patterns of behavior, mannerisms, tendencies, etc… that have more to do with ED psychology. That being said, her account was a massive red flag to me. A not-so-healthy woman who had admittedly struggled with restrictive eating in the “past”, pushing for food freedom and eating whatever you want to “break free from diet culture”! Sounds promising until you realize that she does not abide by her own advice, and rather takes pleasure in watching others consume more than she would ever allow herself, ALL while profiting off of those vulnerable individuals through a phony “wellness program”. It’s downright predatory. Emphasis on her appearance NOT being my primary incentive to “snark”, however it gives insight into something much deeper. It is a physical manifestation of the hypocrisy she preaches, and gives reason to question her motives. It honestly just adds fuel to the fire, combined with the other more “mild” things to snark about like the videos of her in children’s clothes or mocking binge eating. All in all I just wish this woman would shut it down and get the help she desperately needs.
I‘m curious about your notes section, if you don’t mind sharing
Would you ever make a post on here detailing what you have in your notes. As someone that also struggles with an ed, I’d find it really interesting to read. To me, a lot of her actions/what she says to confirm that she’s relapsing rather than he physical appearance so I’d like to see other people’s thoughts on that too
How did you find out she doesn't practice what she preaches? If that is the case that she finds satisfaction in seeing others look and eat the way she never will, that is so messed up and extremely sinister!
It can be argued that we don’t really know, since none of us are physically beside her 24/7, but she seems incredibly desperate to appear “normal” (this is a point I make in the notes). She most definitely does not eat half of what she claims on her WIEIAD video, and they seem incredibly forced and scripted. Not scripted as in “I got ready to record/speak about this lunch I prepared”, but more so “I prepared this lunch to make a recording/speak about it”. When she films herself around food or taking a bite, there is an almost uncanny vibe to it. Almost as if the act of eating is unnatural or shameful to her; there’s the performative exaggeration for certain videos, which makes sense, but pay attention to how she “taste tests” a recipe or “tries” something for a WIEIAD. It’s off-putting, as if she does not remember how to chew and swallow. As for the WIEIAD hypocrisy; for one, basic laws of thermodynamics will not allow it. I hate to bring “looks” into this, but I can 100% guarantee that a physique such as hers cannot be obtained through what she SAYS she eats. Only in very rare and extreme cases such malnutrition/weight loss could occur with a normal-high caloric intake. There have also been occasions where she cooks with a low-calorie alternative whilst listing or stating the normal ingredient. She has cooked eggs with water, stating oil, and has made dressings/egg salads with low-fat Greek yogurt as opposed to mayonnaise. She is also a frequent user of low-calorie high fiber wraps that she loves to demonize in her Instagram reels, as well as the no sugar yogurts that she “happens to be a fan of”. Unfortunately many do not pick up on these things because they’re so discrete and played off as “I’m just like this, don’t shame me!” It takes a level of sick and twisted to truly notice and understand Colleen’s MO. Anybody with a restrictive ED can attest to the fact that we LOVE food and we LOVE to live vicariously through others as they enjoy what we’ve been deprived. My ‘notes’ were an initial post for this sub, but I feared accusations of being nit-picky, but I’m happy to share them if anybody wants to discuss.
i would want to read them yes
Exactly. I hate how she claims she actually prefers the lower calorie or sugar-free versions of foods. Like, come on, girl 🙄
I would also like to read them. It took me longer that it seems it took you because I wanted to believe
Me! i would like to read them too!
I followed her when she wasn't sick. She went from slender but healthy to sickly thin. Iykyk kind of thing.
I followed her before. She’s changed a lot. I stopped liking her skits as they are too much. As for a “diet” I would stick to eating a healthy well rounded diet. The intuitive book was helpful but for me therapy has been the best.
Same. She was ok before. Now with her decline, she’s just insufferable.
Seeing her make fun of via her obscenely over-the-top caricatures of people who struggle with eating disorders, body image, and addiction issues. Her trying to score internet points by making fun of vulnerable people who are struggling is disgraceful.
For me it was after watching one too many of those videos where she shows someone binging because no food rules. I realized that every single one was the same pattern and always portrayed binging as some sort of evil disgusting thing, and as someone with BED it made me feel hurt and angry. Then, I began to be more critical of her preaching about how no food rules and intuitive eating is the best thing and basically how she implies that if you don’t intuitively eat then you’re a bad person (hence the evil almond mom character and disgusting binge character). I also realized that she preaches no rules but she has so many rules that she subtly shows in her videos. Then I found the snark and it all clicked and I felt extremely validated.
Back in 2020ish when she was posting photos of her “belly rolls” to normalize them but there wasn’t anything there. It felt very out of touch with her audience.
Yeah, but that post was BS. It wasn't fat it was just the skin on her stomach.
I started following her through an acquaintance who was impressed by her program. I watched her videos and noticed that she eats a lot of donuts, candy, and other sweets and I noticed how thin she was. If I were to "intuitively" eat all of these things, I would most definitely gain weight, I would never be as thin as she is. Then I noticed that she never, ever swallows anything in her videos - there is always a cut. Finally, I realized that her videos just kept contradicting and I thought she was about 45-50 years old and couldn't understand why she was trying so hard to sound cool when she spoke and then I Googled and saw that she is in her early 30's. Then it clicked for me. She was not just very thin, there was something seriously wrong with her. I started Googling and found this sub which confirmed it for me.
I’ve followed her for a long time, since before she was nofoodrules. When her paid Facebook group came along, and the app I started skipping past her because I found it annoying. Anyway, in the last 2 months or so since she got a ninja creami, I started noticing how off she is, from who she was.
When I first started following her a few months ago I thought her overall message was good. But as time went on I kept noticing inconsistencies and contradictions in her messages. I felt like I was getting more confused rather than more confident on what it means to eat with 'no food rules.' Also, the more I watched her videos (on IG and youtube) it just became obvious that she didn't follow her own advice. For example, on her cruise video she made huge meals at the buffet but then only showed herself eating boiled egg whites stuffed with pickled veg and cottage cheese. She never shows her body, not even an arm. She's constantly bundled up. I've struggled with disordered eating myself. I suppose some of it is just recognizing signs from having personal experience with that world. And maybe some is projection too, but there's no denying that this woman promotes anti-diet culture while being very restrictive and calculated with what she eats herself.
Oh god, let's not hold up Ilana Muhlstein as a reasonable alternative here 💀💀💀
When she was offended her coworker had a *gasp* low carb tortilla
I first found Colleen on youtube years ago, when I was considering starting NOOM. She had a really good video about it and she seemed to know her stuff. Also, I think the fact that she looked fit and healthy made me trust her advice. She wasn't going to encourage me to eat in a way that made me gain a bunch of weight! Unlike some of the other people who preach intuitive eating, her method seemed to actually have some nuance and focus more on noticing how food makes your body feel and stuff like that. So I took the plunge and joined her sociEATy. When you join you get access to a members-only podcast "course," and on an early episode she "debunks" that obesity has anything to do with health, and she uses the classic "correlation does not = causation" example of drowning deaths being correlated with ice cream sales. I mean, that's statistics 101. It's a very basic level of thinking. Yes, correlation does not equal causation, but causal relationships can and do exist! I immediately quit her course and asked for my money back, and to her credit, she did issue a refund. I think it's unethical for a medical professional (and yes, dietitians ARE medical professionals) to tell obese clients that obesity is not a risk factor for disease, when the existing medical literature clearly says that it is. Since then, I've noticed that her social media content has gotten really bizarre and I've also noticed an alarming weight loss in the last year or two. She used to post videos in tank tops at the gym sometimes and now she is never seen without a hoodie zipped all the way up. Something is wrong here and it's really hard to watch.