I have a theory, one that I've had for a long time, that Freelee is STILL disordered. Except instead of anorexia/bulimia, she went over to orthorexia and still exhibits some binge/purge signs in how she thinks it's normal to eat like 3000-4000 (or preferably more) calories a day for a normal human, and she also spends a crazy amount of time each day working out - like an amount that is disproportionate to the average person trying to be fit. Not saying that eating a lot and working out a lot is inherently disordered; it's also her attitudes and how she addresses food in general. I think she thinks recovery is SO easy because she never actually recovered - her eating disorder just took another form. She's still very clearly OBSESSED with food and what she eats and all that stuff, and having your entire life consumed by your diet (I may be very wrong but I have yet to see other aspects of her personality) is very very unhealthy. Raw veganism is just her facade 'healthy' way of still having that intense control over food and being able to publicly have her entire life absorbed by diet, without being accused of it.
Bingo. I got out of her cult and I see this so clearly now. I just feel bad for the people that follow her. If they are anything like me, they are also extremely disordered in their thinking and behaviors.
I mean it's clear as day, I'm dumbfounded by how people don't realize it. She talks about her frugivore diet like a bulimic talks about purging, like she found a way to hack the calorie system and now with that "magic trick" she can eat whatever she wants and never gain a pound and everyone else who doesn't do it is simply stupid. She is very much struggling still with an eating disorder but she will unfortunately never realize it. Also she is still clearly obsessed with food and in most thumbnails and videos she's showing of her body, which is not necessarily a bad thing but judging by her ed past she could be bodyckecking.
That's ridiculous, Freelee eats a normal amount of calories for someone who is physically active and she doesn't even work out that much and never did. Plus, if she did work out that much, then she would need 3000-4000 calories and more wouldn't she? 🤦 You are still deep in the restriction mindset like most of us are.
💯! She is still disordered and obsessed with weight and being thin. Anyone who truly believed humans were meant to spend all day needing that much food and eating that much fruit is majorly disordered in their relationship to eating and food.
I have to point out that freelee is not just a vegan she is a raw vegan. She eats fruit all day and exercises for hours a day. I get kind of frustrated when people equate her with veganism. I'm actually convinced she's just masking her own disordered behavior by hiding behind a raw vegan label as many of her followers are too.
I don't hate her. I'm angry that she gives bad advice to vulnerable people, but I feel bad for her because she's obviously miserable and has resorted to crazy restrictive diets and excessive exercise to cope. It's sad really :/
sarah ahmed I personally know fully well on how freelee lives because I've watched the mass majority of all her videos and yes she does try to eat fully raw but she does her 'raw till 4' life style. Not only that but you claim that she doesn't over exercise but I don't think you realize just how much she pushes herself; freelee is a cyclist and if you don't know cycling is a really hard thing to do even just for the time frame of 1 hour, yet freelee has cycled through Australia completely. Now I don't know about you but I'm pretty sure that cycling a whole country is over exerting your body and can put your body in harms way. From what I know while I was vegan for a few years and was going based off of freelee she exercises quite a lot and has admitted to having the eating disorder known as orthorexia, she claims that it's mild but to see as how she lives it's not 'mild' orthorexia. I don't hate freelee I just wish that she would earn a degree before telling people what to do and make them believe in false hopes.
i seriously can't thank you enough for being such an outspoken, inspirational and intelligent spokesperson for everyone suffering with and recovering from an ed. you are AMAZING and i thank you with all my heart for your channel and your message. happy new year, keep it up!!
also to add: freelee is acting as though people get eating disorders from starving themselves which literally makes no sense. it starts in your brain first, no matter what your diet may be, and THEN manifests in a physical way. as well as suggesting dieting to people with eating disorders is so fucked up. that's just another way to control and be hyper aware of one's relationship to food
Jessica C veganism is actually a lifestyle :) I came to veganism with disordered eating, it helped me. It doesn't help others; and I think it's because it adds to people's stress.
it sounds totally naive to think there is people qualified because they are sanctioned. 2 diiferent things. they might be sanctioned precisely because they are going to be of no help or worse still. if the video creator is not qualified then she is not qualified to advise people who is and who isn't but feels comfortable doing so.
I think Freelee's ED is active. Orthorexia is how I found her and she thinks her 'healthy' diet is the key to everything just like I did. That IS disordered. I hope one day she realizes that and recovers because no one deserves that but I'll never forget when I stopped being vegan to focus in recovery years ago and she told me how selfish I was.
Tori Green Wow thats horrible. Sounds like she did not recover tbh. Could you explain orthorexia please ? So happy you chose for yourself, congrats with your recovery!
chaya s As Lauren Kane said. orthorexia is an ED where one is so obsessed with "eating healthy" and "eating right" that you can even end up with malnutrition because you become so extremely focused on what you believe and think you can and cannot eat.
chaya s Personally, I would describe my experience with orthorexia as an obsession with purity. I wanted to be as healthy as humanly possible. I would assume Freelee was just trying to capitalize on people like me but with her history I have to think she really thinks what she's eating will solve all sorts of health issues - physical and mental - I thought nutrition would solve everything too. It's especially insane when I realize in hindsight how many things I blamed on myself for not eating right. I have PTSD from things that happened to me and I kept blaming my diet and it not being good enough for how shitty I felt.
I don't know what tickles me more, another person calling Freelee on her shit or the fact that she trying bring people in her home as if she some doctor. Happy New Year 🎊 by the way.
Troll Busta The very dangerously emaciated Eugenia apparently did respond she declines her offer As well as Doxtor Phils offer .Freelee did a follow up video about that as well I didnt know Freelee before either tbh but besides from her ridiculous offers, anyone who eats (blends) 51 bananas in one day must be kind of nuts herself..
Icicle your comment is ignorant. ANYONE can complete a course in nutrition! There are two day nutrition courses you can take online and come out with a certificate for it! It is when you attend a legitimately recognised institute and study full time for a degree or similar qualification that counts. She says she studied nutrition at AIF but I emailed them and they said she has NEVER been a student there! They were quite appalped that she even said that! Liar much!
You bring up a great point. She is not a doctor. Her home is not a hospital. A doctor knows how EDs work. Psychiatric hospitals are equipped with the exact things that people need to recover and not die while doing it. If any of the people she was helping (tw) got ahold of the cleaning products, sharp objects, unlocked window, or anything remotely dangerous, they will fucking die. Hospitals are extremely strict and have certain products for a reason. That reason saves lives.
When I started seeing Freelee's videos I thought her advise was great, even though I hated the way she treated others. After watching several of her videos, I noticed I was having problems with food, even though I tried to hide it. I knew if I hadn't stopped watching her videos, I knew I might have developed an ed like orthorexia. I would never try and follow the way she considers being 'healthy' again.
I don't think her issue was with veganism, but the way Freelee talks about food, basically raw veggies and fruit is good and the rest is bad and unhealthy, and that is just not true and orthorexic behaviour.
Rose McEwan yes I agree and I know you didn’t say this but I really hope that you’re not blaming this on Veganism bc Veganism is about more than just food ok thanks :3
Thank you SO much for making this video! Freelee is ignorant, narcissistic, and EXTREMELY dangerous! And the action of you even saying you aren't qualified to treat someone is incredibly admirable and responsible, although I think you would be an amazing caregiver and encourage you to look into training and certification. Again, thank you for addressing the fact that eating disorders are multi-faceted and need to be treated physically, psychologically, medically, and emotionally.
Emily X im also scared of salt only because how awful it makes me feel physically lethargic low in mood irritable. The taste of it in my month on chips just makes me wanna gag. 🤢
But as soon as I cut it out my body changed, I was able to run 🏃 bike for ages, pee like clockwork. If something physically disagrees with your body then reduce it. That was one thing I did to help with binge eating and I also did the same to sugar as well.
When they show like her kitchen and stuff, and there is like cases upon cases of fruits and veggies I don't understand why, she mainly eats mangos and bananas. It looks like a lot of waste too.. I don't see how they can eat that much in a week or so.
Have you been to the Dr? My friends daughter suffered with P.O.T.S (not sure of what the acronym stands for..) They were on Mystery Diagnosis..LOOOOOOOOVE that show! The key is salt... My daughter should be taking salt pills all day long, then double when the weather gets this hot..
when I saw freelees reaction to simply nessa video, I knew something was wrong with it. her response & advice rubbed me the wrong way, but I didn't know how to exactly put it into words. but you eloquently & beautifully said exactly what I was feeling. your words are my thoughts exactly. very well said - well done. awesome video.
that woman is in denial, also wanted to say you are the most eloquent, intelligent and compassionate genuine person i have found on youtube and thankyou for being the warrior you are xx
Everyone recommended Freelee for my recovery and I was so conflicted. I felt as though my entire emotional struggle was pointless. I wasn't allowed to go vegan so I felt very guilty that I was in the wrong for eating dairy. Freelee, please understand it's a MENTAL illness that causes nutritional issues not a nutritional illness that causes mental issues
YES! I'm a vegan for a few years now and I've advised so many girls who had problems with weight to NOT go vegan because for people like that it's another way to restrict. They have all looked at me like I was an idiot like how can I NOT recommend veganism. Well, it's not for recoveries
Lilly C i know you posted this a month ago, but i just wanted to say that i really love your comment and appreciate what you said! i struggled with an eating disorder a few years ago and became a vegetarian after recovery. after reading many articles/watching videos that denounce vegetarianism and promote veganism as the only way to help animals and the planet, i felt guilty about my lifestyle and thought about going vegan. however, i've realised that if i did this, i would most likely begin to revert to old patterns of restriction, counting calories, etc. i think a lot of people don't realise that disordered mindsets and thoughts don't disappear after recovery, and a diet that cuts out so many things can be really difficult for people in or past recovery. even though i would love to be able to cut out all animal products in my diet, it's just not sustainable for me. i make sure to get my dairy and eggs as locally and ethically as possible, and my entire beauty/makeup array is cruelty free and mostly vegan, but i just can't transition to a vegan diet. sorry for the long ramble---i just really wanted to thank you for saying that, because it made me feel a lot better about my decision.
if there was a plane and it was going down it could either be lack of thrust or the nose is down. if the nose is down then you could lift the nose but if there is not enough thrust it will stall. it needs the thrust to lift and that thrust could be likened to eating healthy. to get out of a stall you actually put the nose down and apply thrust. that is like eating in a depressed state. you lift the nose once there is sufficient momentum.otherwise it will stall.
I suffer from depression and saying that recovering from an ed is easy is the same as when people tell me to "just try to be happy" or that so many people are "off way worse" .....
I have been vegan for over a year now(vegetarian for 2), and although I absolutely love it and would never go back to eating meat, changing my diet has not help me "cure" my eating disorder whatsoever. I still struggle with periods of restricting and binging and still fail to make it stop.
I don't have an eating disorder and never have, but I can see that what Freelee says is bunch of bullshit. I've been suffering from depression, anxiety and sleep disorder my whole life (i also have aspergers). Did I hear "just stop being miserable" and "get some excercise so you'll fall asleep easier"? A lot of times. Did I try? Of course I did. Did it help? Not at all. What helps me is psychotherapy and medicines. You can't fix somebody's brain by telling them what to eat.
Ezra true! I tried to recover by eating vegan but I ended up binging a lot, gaining weight, and becoming more mentally ill, so I ended up relapsing and now it's worse. I would sometimes even purge fruit and veggies because I felt too guilty
Ezra my best friend had a serious ED, then he found veganism and it really helped him recover. EDs are an obsession with food, vegans tend to be really obsessed with food also. You still have the ed obsession with food but it turns into something more positive. It can really help but a lot of people who have had veganism help them have also gotten professional help.
Eating an actual normal healthy vegan diet worked for my recovery... but thinking I needed to eat 30 bananas a day would not have helped me! Freelee is an idiot and I wish she didn't try to speak for veganism
I do not have an eating disorder myself, but my mom has suffered from anorexia when she was younger and you can still see it in her behaviour sometimes. I am so proud of her for getting to this state and I think you can help a lot of women and men to get healthier. Thank you so much for being so honest and selfreflected! Keep up the good work for yourself and everyone needing it!
Thank you, Mia! I went vegan last year because of so many youtubers telling me that's the only way to recover. But eating vegan became a way for me to further restrict and not have to eat with friends or family, even though that's not what I wanted it to be about. Then when I would binge and eat something that wasn't vegan, it opened up the door to much more guilt and shame, because now I was a failure at being vegan too. So then being vegan became a test of willpower, and the cycle of eating vegan (trying my hardest not to restrict), binging on non-vegan or "bad" foods, making up for it with an ed behavior, and back to vegan. And I was so down on myself because I just wanted to be able to do what freelee was saying! And I thought I was a failure because I couldn't do something so "easy"!! And it's not just about your brain being undernourished! What about people with depression or another mental illness who eat sufficient calories/ carbs? Where is there illness coming from? If it's about only a lack of nutrition to your brain, then why do I have urges to use ed behaviors even after eating sufficient calories for a while and being weight restored?? Everything you said was spot on and I hate that other girls are listening to the advice I did a year ago. Thank you for spreading this message. :-)
Good for you for realizing this and youve already moved forward, because you were too smart for that:) don't feel guilty for eating foods your body and mind needs. You're human!
That's what being vegan did to me. I'm not vegan anymore. But when I was I restricted (you have to restrict A LOT on a vegan diet obviously) which made me miserable of course. I also gained about 15 unnecessary pounds, which only made me feel worse about my body because now I was actually overweight. As soon as I went back to a normal diet, I lost all of it within 2 months. I didn't lose the weight by restricting, I lost it by not restricting, I lost it by allowing myself to eat food I enjoyed occasionally and food that was good for me most of the time. I felt free and that made everything better.
Abby Stansell it's very important to be vegan correctly, but a diet is separate to an eating disorder I 100% agree. I am vegan and I feel fantastic by eating plenty of carbs, and I am by no way limited. I'm sorry that you felt that way on your journey, truly. But I think you weren't supplied with enough information to follow the diet which is why you felt restricted. I hope you're feeling better and maybe in the future when you are more informed you can take up this lifestyle for the animals and the planet and yourself. I don't agree with freelee; an eating disorder is completely separate so her information is very damaging. By going vegan My mental state isn't different, apart from satisfaction from helping animals. But I still feel down constantly, so please do whatever feels best for you. Sending love
4Ever Fabulousxo Completely agree. Veganism has helpes my ED tremendously. After going vegan I now have such a more positive relationship with food, and I am finally starting to recover, and I never feel like I'm restricting myself. I think many people are uninformed about veganism so when they try it they don't know what to eat and they feel restricted. Which is sad...but, as long as in the end their helping themselves and doing what they need to recover, that's all that matters. Just hope maybe one day they'll try it again and try to find more information.
Omg, freelee isn't even recovered! She doesn't know what recovery is like as she has never experienced it, she is now just obsessed with being vegan and overexercising. That is not a recovered individual.
Love this video! It is so good! Freelee's video actually offends me to be honest! Because it's about relationship with food not only the amount of food and physical deficiencies! IT IS SO HARD!! I am quite shocked that she can talk like that to be honest! x
I love love love this video!! Not only is it a message to freelee but a strong message to everyone and anyone out there who assumes recovery is easy, or anyone who judges or doesn't understand the psychological impact and eating disorder has on someone. I find your you tube channel incredibly helpful Mia! You deserve WAY more subscribers 💓
Thank you so much for having created this channel and sharing such important things on youtube, i would never have known that people like freelee exist (and tbh it's still hard to believe... i mean ???) but the more important thing is i would never have been able to really get over myself and start recovery; to really want to be mentally and physically healthy again!! You put everything in words so perfectly and give me the opportunity to look at eating disorders, recovery, relapses, society's expectations and everything inbetween from an entirely new perspective... Thank you so much for giving so many people the support they need so badly!
i'm studying nutrition and i'm pretty much done with it, and all the time we learned that the eatingdisorder is a symptom of a psychological problem, the food restriction or whatever is periphere to the main problem (trauma, depression, anxiety etc.). bye the way: freelee shows extreme characteristics of an eatingdisorder (restricted eating (hclf-vegan), exaggerated training etc.) herfself
Aubree Tanner she educates others (about veganism) in the process of making the video, I went vegan after seeing her video about Trisha Patas so it works
Hi 👋🏻 Vegan here. Also a vegan who hates Freelee. Also a Vegan who has struggled with eating disorders for over a decade. Also a nurse. Becoming vegan WILL NOT CURE YOU. Honestly the first time I went vegan, was the first time I slipped from bulimia into anorexia. Hope is possible. But it isn’t found with another diet. Freelee is horrendously offensive, but also down right dangerous.
I love your videos so much. I love how you're so straightforward and don't sugar coat anything and talk about what nobody wants to. Thank you for having the courage to go ahead and talk about these things. You've really helped me. Thank you.
The point with Freelee is that she shifts the control part. If you are vegan, you don't have to worry about weight or being healthy, which is a dream come true for people with an ed. But the illness doesn't go away, it's another way your eating disorder likes to go, because you have a good excuse. You just follow what your ed wants. And also, if you remove the means of where you express your problems in, your problem is not solved. Just like if you take all sharp things (if that's the way someone self-harms) from someone who self-harms'. The problem is still there
I've watched a few of freelee's videos throughout the years, but this one stunned me. So glad that you brought this up - her message here is truly dangerous and ignorant. Thank you for this video. I do not have an eating disorder my self, but that is not a reason to stay uneducated about it.
"eating disorder mentality" Clearly you don't understand EATING DISORDERS. And the fact that she thinks someone who is stuggling to have a standard "diet" can just jump into a raw vegan diet. That's ridiculous. Recovering is not easy, feeling your best isn't easy, eating disorders aren't easy.
Freelee has such an naive perspective on eating disorders that I struggle to believe she had one herself. It has nothing to do with nutrition. Of course nutrition plays a part and it can make things a lot worse, but that needs to be address second to the underlying mental conditions that an individual is going through. Freelee is ridiculous and if anything would cause individuals to worsen their conditions since they have an even more limiting diet when turning to raw veganism.
You're just brilliant honestly. im not in recovery yet for various reasons, but the things you share and discuss on your channel are really helpful... especially all the stuff about EDs being a mental illness. ive been pretty obsessed with my eating behaviors for the last 6 years, but ive never told anyone about it or anything really because ive never been underweight the entire time since it all started, i feel like if i actually go and ask for help my issues will be invalidated and i know that would do alot of harm too me mentally. I just wanted to tell you how important your content is for people, and yeah, i guess, keep doing what you're doing, because its a good thing :)
Great video Mia! What people don't understand is that just because a certain way of eating works for them it doesn't mean it'll work for everybody in the world! So they try to push their way of eating on other people because that's what works for them! Kind of selfish if you think about it!
Mia, you are SO articulate and I am so happy I came across your channel. I appreciate your videos so very much and the awareness you are raising. Your honesty and realism is so refreshing because like you said, recovery is far from easy and that's just being honest. Anyway, thank you for what you are doing and for doing it so logically and intelligently.
I personally went vegan last March because I didn't want to restrict anymore, and my eating disorder was dissolving my presence slowly. Vegan helped me recover, but that doesn't mean that it'll help everyone recover. Some people just simply like meat or other "animal products" too much and would feel like they're restricting their life, which shouldn't happen during recovery. Recovery also wasn't easy for me. I started my recovery on February 15th of 2016. Almost one year from now. I think my food anxiety and fast food fear went away in the end of June. It took a long time to finally get the wheels rolling. I'm finally fine now. Thank you for this video. I couldn't agree more. Freelee is great at spreading the vegan message, but, you can't just claim that veganism will help heal your eating disorder. It won't, unless you truly want to go ahead and try it. I love how Freelee tries to be sweet, but, it's just not her place to give eating disorder recovery advice. People told me to eat. But, it was up to me. I was also struggling with the mental aspect of an eating disorder which made me extremely scared of carbs, of added sugars, salts, oils, processed foods, anything with a long list of ingredients, most packaged foods as simple as chicken breast, eggs, romaine hearts in a bag, pre-cut watermelon/pineapple spears in a plastic container, canned beans, etc etc. I also didn't see how extremely sick I looked. I always thought I was big even when I looked like I was deteriorating from the inside-out. It isn't as simple as "just eat." And it will never be simple as "just eat."
She makes it seem like when you start to eat, you're cured... so wrong I went into recovery a year ago and even eating on a regular meal plan, I am still struggling with my eating disorder because it is a MENTAL Illness. You're body isn't always as sick as your mind. Stay strong and thank you❤️
Hi Mia, I did not know where to put this but I had to write you. I just want to thank yo for everything you are doing, talking about recovery, eating disorders, and putting it in relation with current topics, like veganism, or other videos on youtube. You've opened my eyes so many times, particularly with your video on "I will never be a vegan" (or something like that). Recently I have been meeting a couple of "unapologetic vegan" a bit randomly and their lack of tolerance for people with ED is just scary. And if they are in a group, they become particularly... mean. Anyway, I love your videos, thank you again for helping me to be more "critical" on the world around me, yet open to conversation.
You are so welcome Anna - thank you for watching and for this lovely comment. Regardless of what you encounter in the world, this will always be a supportive place. xo
Technically if Freelee is ill mentally still. She doesn't know better. Just like a ton of other "health gurus." The idea of health is such a vauge directed false idea frequently. Health is an aesthetic to these people.
THANKYOU & i hope anyone including nessa that saw freelee's video sees this video & allows it to override the bs coming from free lee because its so dangerous. Especially for vulnerable people like idk the mentally unwell
This video is so great, I especially love how you highlight that eating disorders are not physical conditions, which I feel is something vegan youtubers, or youtubers of this nature go against. The "just eat" cliche that these youtubers buy into seems so backwards, and seems to come from a place of complete misinformation. Thank you so much for bringing a light to these types of videos, which I see as a growing issue. Keep up the amazing work xx
I am so glad you addressed this terrible and dangerous message that's reaching way too many young and desperate people who just don't know she's full of herself. I don't believe she's ever had an ED! or even knows what is involved in the complex mental conditions involved here. I believe that we are forever in recovery once we begin to heal properly. There are always triggers that we can choose not to respond to like we once did. Always situations that are uncomfortable no matter how many years go by. That doesn't mean we slide down the tubes in to the old ED ways but we do notice these things. At least I do. Sort of like mosquitos. I will avoid being bitten by them as much as I can because it's not good for me. Other people don't even notice they've been attacked by them. That's the difference. A person who has lived through and been successful in their recovery isn't the same as a person who has never suffered from an ED. This is not the proper place to be waving that dang flag of hers. She could cause the death of someone!! It's just a pack of lies!
Im so glad you did this video.. I know you don't like to do "Reaction" vids. You speak clearly,dont use acronyms, and have a positive vibe.. Instant feeling of trust, and that means youve got our attention. Its really incredible what you are doing. I went through a ED Recovery. The facilities are incredible. NO steps.. So many awesome groups, info, coping skills.
Sorry, this is REALLY long. This is crazy... 1. FreeLee has no ZERO education. I wanna smack her.I don't believe for ONE second she had an ED. 2. This is not her first BS response. She also spoke to a 9 YEAR OLD, and advised this CHILD to CALL THE AUTHORITIES if her parents wouldn't listen to the CHILD, who wanted to be Vegan. 3. She also bashes Drs, because they don't know how to treat ED.s. 4. Completely ignores the underlying issues, that we use our ED to "self harm". I was blessed enough to find a treatment facility that is NOT a 12 step recovery. We had Drs, PAs, Nutritionists.. My psychiatrist admitted me when I walked into his office in tears, and the fastest way to get me into treatment was for him to list it as a medical issue (i.e. damage to organs.) My insurance didn't even check. I spent 2 months in a home with 15 other women with EDs.. in their 20s. The Drs told me I was likely one of the oldest patients in treatment for EDs. I was the only patient who did not have a Dual Diagnosis. IE substance abuse. I was originally diagnosed when I was 16. I had "successfully" hidden it for a year. I am 5'9", and at the time of my DX, I hadn't had solid foods for a year. I weighed 117 lbs. (I would cry EVERY time I got on the scale - something I did about 5 times a day.) I had been living on a yogurt a day.. or Dr. Pepper. I don't really want to get Into the other ways I did it, as I would NEVER want to seemingly ENCOURAGE it. Throughout my life, I was told; At first, "Thunder thighs" "You can afford to miss a meal... or 12."" fat ass" one girl in particular in high school literally bullied me daily because I was "fat", she would literally follow me around campus singing the Twinkie Song.. cuz she said, "you remind me of Twinkies!" I actually looked up "thinsperations" (Pro Ana thing) and got into in ernest. But, as I lost weight, I was bullied some more..."you're ugly, too skinny, someone needs to give you hamburger". (side note.. why is it always a hamburger?) I was at a luncheon with my Mother in Law. As the meeting wrapped up, they informed us of the buffet opening in a few minutes. I went to look at what was being offered. I saw this huge tray of cut up veggies. I grabbed a slice of a cucumber, and was going to come back and get more food. There was a young man setting the buffet up. He saw me grab the cucumber, and said, "Let me guess... thats your lunch." One hand, I was pretty angry that he had the gall to say something like that.. but my ED took over my brain, and I walked away feeling accomplished. When people say "get a cheeseburger" "I can see your bones!" etc, it was a compliment. Positive feed back for bad behavior. I was 32 at the time. I had gone back and forth starving/binging/restricting pretty much my entire life. The underlying issue.. severe PTSD, my Dr pointed out that the severity of my PTSD was rated the same as a combat war vet. With very serious dissociative disorders. Im happy to say, since leaving the treatment facility, I have not gone a day with out a meal. Some days, I cant eat more than a protein bar (the treatment center bought them for us, to snack on) I got caught (at 45 years old!) using them as meal replacement. They hauled me into the Psychiatrist, who like the others in my life. "You have 3 days to get with the program. You're here to get healthy. Thats not healthy." Also threatened me with a 5150, and a feeding tube. The other MAJOR concern that my behavior highlighted, the other girls started doing it. My roommate came up to me one day, looked at my dinner plate, just about to wash it.. She said, "so, you get that you're not fooling anyone.. right?" She was 24. And just called me out. I am maintaining the weight I gained in treatment.(almost a year to the day.). which of course as far as Im concerned, its fat! I ended up with quite a list of disorders, diseases, syndromes. Metabolism shot. Now I am paying the high price. Kidney disease, Pseudo Parkinsons or Parkinsonism, EPS, skeletal damage, permanent liver, heart, and lungs damage. Not including the mental diagnosis's.
can't believe it! i'm just looking for the original vídeos cause is so fucking insane!! I need to watch it to convince myself that such people exist... as always, much love to you and I really hope that this year all your dreams came true :)
I've never had an ED, but I have learned so much and corrected so many harmful ideas after watching your channel. Thank you for making these videos. Keep up the good work.
The lack of nutrition is a result of an eating disorder, not the cause. You fix that nutrition issue, that eating disorder is still there because the body image issues are still there, the brain chemicals are still imbalanced, there's still a lot of unresolved issues and that eating disorder is going to come back regardless of nutrition because those other issues aren't resolved.
I've just found your channel wow I love your videos! It is so nice to see such rational, educated responses to issues with food and eating disorders... freelee is an absolute nut.
It wouldn't be out of place to suggest you try and educate freelee but we all how virtually impossible it is to get through her egocentric projections. It appals me to see how she can have such a huge fan following. You are absolutely right in saying that people are willing to gobble up the 'advice' of famous public figures to that of qualified professionals. It is frightening. Have you shared this video with freelee?
@lavidaloca, freelee aka leanne radcliffe will just attack her and convince youtube to eliminate her channel. Leanne has done it to fellow vegans en masse some years ago. No wonder vegans and the like hate freelee/leanne so much.
Thank you for addressing this subject. Mental illness doesn't have an instant cure, people need to understand that and take care with what they say to someone struggling.
At last, really glad you have made this point. Any diet or food group can be dangerous if it's abused, when your mentally unwell it could be so dangerous to take on new rules and restrictions. Really measured and professional, it's a channel which feels safe and non jugmental for people struggling. I've been recovered for 7 years now not sure how I found you but it feels very affirming and empowering to watch. Most you tubers make me feel guilty or stupid that I was unwell in the first place. Keep up the good work 👍
Dear Mia, I sincerely want to thank you for your distinguished and clever words on that issue. I agree on everything you say so far. You are a great counterweight to modern society's misperception of food intake and nutrition. It is amazing how you address your thoughts and experiences to the proper audience here on TH-cam. Simultaneously, you explicitly tell them that you are functioning as a buddy not as some sort of miracle healer. That is amazing and I really appreciate your effort. Furthermore, you have a great rhetoric. You criticize without hurting or insulting anyone. Even though you are fighting against a giant on that matter I am hopeful that you keep the strength and diplomacy you currently have and that you keep using your dynamic for the greater good. I wish you all the best in your life.
Awesome video! It is unbelievable what freelee is saying. I remember seeing some of her videos years ago when I was still suffering from an ED and I remember finding them very triggering. Which was weird to me at the time when they were supposed to "help" against ED.
Such a spot-on video. You put so many of my thoughts and feelings into clear and strong words. Thank you for being an example and a role model and for challenging this harmful message.
I am beyond grateful to have come across this video and your channel. I ran around the freelee merrygoround for 2 years and my binge eating became absolutely out of control. I think I gained about 30 lbs + just trying to heal my hormones. I thought it was what I needed but it made me so much worse. She gave me the false hope that I could overeat at every meal and not exercise and lose weight.
I do not, and have never had, an eating disorder but I am horrified at the ignorance in that video! You cannot possibly be seriously stating that recovery from something as serious as this could be easy. I saw the incredulous (borderline angry) look on Mia's face through this was mirroring my own! I'm so glad you have recorded this response to that bs, that's such a positive approach to helping those who are needing some support.
I currently struggle with bulimia for 6 years, and back in 2015-2016 I started eating Vegan watching Freelee’s videos. I was STILL binging/purging with eating fruits and plant-based foods. You are right in this video, EATING DISORDER recovery ISNT EVEN THAT SIMPLE. Freelee’s accusations is so demeaning
I have only watched a handful of your videos but I have already learned SO much. Your videos should be broadcast across every TV and radio station in the world! I know you're not a professional but your insight is so brilliant and mature and helpful. New sub ❤️
I suffered with anorexia for over 10 years. My entire adolescent and adult life until January. Freelee is absolutely immoral. I lost my relationship, pushed friends away. I lost years of my life. recovery is the toughest thing I've ever done. How dare she can undermine the suffering and work we have to do to address the psychological aspects of ed recovery is completely beyond me. Glad you made this video. Very important x
The gut brain connection and the mounds of research coming out about this does in fact suggest that our mental state and our nutrition are linked. I don't mean to argue with you, that's not my intention. But I think its useful to share so perhaps you can look into this research and learn a different perspective. It's my Personal opinion (and a lot of science would agree) that our psychological state and our physical state are certainly very connected and not separate entities so it makes sense that what we consume feeds both. I have experienced it personally as I've suffered from heavy bouts of depression and a lifestyle change which mainly including diet overhaul (not to say it has to be vegan, mine wasn't) helped me personally more than SSRI's. I am not saying that it's the answer for everyone, and everyone needs to find treatment specific to their own needs and i recognize that it can't JUST be diet alone, there has to be other work done in other capacities but I will always advocate for a blood test and a comprehensive look at diet to help treat anxiety and depression. I can't weigh in on the eating disorder but I can say very truthfully that diet worked wonders for my depression. I would highly recommend researching the gut brain connection. Dr. Rhonda Patrick has done fantastic research on this as has Dr. Robyn Chutkan.
And just to be clear. When I say nutrition is a vital factor I don't mean "more carbs" I am talking much more in depth and in regards to specific nutrients as opposed to macronutrients. Creating a healthy environment for the bacteria in our gut which is where majority of the serotonin production happens in our bodies. Just wanted to clear that up so you don't think I agree with freelee by any means. I don't think Anyone with an eating disorder or psychological health struggles just need to simply "carb the fuck up". Mia, I admire your openness and bravery hugely. It's brought me a ton of comfort in lonely dark moments I've had of my own to be able to know someone out there understands mental health struggles.
Brittany A I don't think she is saying that the brain and body are separate. I think she's mainly tying to demonstrate that ignoring the underlying psychological underpinnings of eating disorders is disastrous. Freely completely ignores treating the mental cause of the eating disorder. For example, force feeding individuals with eating disorders does not solve the problem because you need to simultaneously teach coping mechanisms/psychological skills and the slew of physical symptoms.
Brittany A just because the brain and digestive tract and health are connected doesn't mean diet change is a cure. like any other method of helping mental illnesses and disorders it is not a cure all just like meds it varies with person to person . I changed my diet and still have ocd and depression and always will because its a genetic defect. no diet is going to create a part of the brain but yes it helps way better than meds and is a great start.
thank you for saying the truth! recovery is very hard.. but there is a lot of people who show that its worth it. there will be a time were i´m one of them. until them i fight for my recovery... and i´m glad i´m not alone. keep up your good work!! Thank you!
I know this video was posted a while ago, but I think that you are so amazingly well spoken, and very educated. Good to see that one and a while as a teen.❤️
A lot of people say Freelee made them go vegan. Her videos definitely helped me become MORE DISORDERED. Not thankful to her. I´m still vegan DESPITE her, would not have been surprised to abandon veganism when I stopped following her advice. Veganism is not a "diet", but she surely makes it one. Ugh! She also often says that everybody is naturally very thin and has a thigh gap. Fucked me up.
So much of this blows my mind. Plenty of people who do not under-eat suffer from anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts. That is a very damaging message to send. The lack of food doesn’t cause the mental disorder, the mental disorder can sometimes display in restricting, over eating, reclusive behaviors and so many more ways.
"...because then we fall into a black hole of YT and then we may all possibly die" LOL! And so true. Really happy I found your channel today. The first video that caught my attention was the one with the photo that everyone with an ED should see. I just feel so grateful that just as I'm beginning to discern that I have an ED, I'm already finding a supportive community everywhere I turn. I am being so blessed because brave people like you share your story, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU ♡ And now, to continue watching :)
Just the case of Julia Boer in this vegan subcommunity. She was healthy and fit and lean; did the raw 'til 4 - got fat, bad blood sugar and etc etc etc The annoying fact of our time is that people are lazy and want the right now solution. A speaker on youtube is there right now, a doctor usually costs money (youtube is basically free) and takes time (mweeks, months) youtube is available right now ! People are lazy .... and used to the now, fast, instant gratifification .....
I just found your channel and I love how sincere you are, the way in which you comunicate what you want to say. You are so clear and honest. Here you have a new follower all the way from Argentina 🙋🏻♀️
I think in her heart, Freelee has good intentions, and just wants to help others and the planet, but that being said, she needs to stop. She always says things like 'veganism cures depression'. As in, no, veganism will not cure my bipolar disorder, and it's really insensitive and ignorant to say it will.
I am writing and trying to encourage a woman who suffers severely with anorexia. She is currently incarcerated for stabbing her mom, killing her. She was a gymnast and a cheerleader. She was always so well-liked and fun to be around. Not one you would consider a murderer. I just imagined not having enough nutrition to her brain played a role. I realize there are obviously other underlying struggles and personal pain. Am I way off about the nutrition to the brain? My thoughts weren't so different as the woman being critiqued. I am trying to learn and understand what she has gone and is going through with her eating disorder. Mia has helped a ton. Thank you, Mia.
Leanne AKA "Freelee" is using anything she can to sell her books and gain more followers. She doesn't care about anyone's suffering, it's evident just by looking at her channel content. She capitalizes on anyone's medical or social issues, using them as click bait for her own noteriety. it's shameful.
I have severe anxiety and obsessive compulsive tendencies that are caused by defective genetics. Freelee's advice is like all the people that told me "it's all in your head, just stop thinking that way and you'll be all better!" Easy, right! Yeah. Thank you Mia for making this video! You are a very strong and refreshingly honest person! I've never had an eating disorder, but I do understand not being in control of yourself or your thoughts. Maybe that's why I enjoy watching videos about other mental health issues. I think Freelee is in a denial of her own! Sugar is actually really bad for me - so her advice, if I followed it, would make me worse, not better. It's like my friend that thought smoking pot is really bad and you should just have a drink to take the edge off because that's better. Yeah, he became an alcoholic who thinks he's better than potheads.
I love you and your channel so much and THANK YOU so much for saying exactly what I’ve been getting frustrated over for so long myself - I am SO OVER these channels trying to make grand statements that they have the answer and influencing extremely impressionable young people with their complete misinformation:/ thank you so much for your amazing content, you are so wise and professional - why aren’t you working on 4 corners on the ABC or for SBS channels where they say the truth? You would be incredible x
THANK YOU! It is so hard to recover when people give us the answer in food. It takes hard work and determination to work through the mental aspects. To dare say that another diet or a juice cleanse would work is ridiculous.
Oh my god the part where she basically said ”just eat and it will be easy” almost made me cry. I’ve been in recovery for years, been eating enough for years, and I’m not close to a healthy mindset, nor close to being free of my ed.
thank you! I am a recovering anorexic- I may always be, and it is so refreshing to hear someone else speak reality on this matter. my anorexia began when I was 12 and lasted til I was 16, but at 24 I am *still* recovering because of how easy it is to relapse, even with the strongest support systems. Freelee is the most infuriating person on this platform! she thinks her ideals are God's gift to the world
Expanding on the idea where people are more willing to listen to online personality's and lowering their standards of what qualifies as medical advice; I am still a teenager and years ago when I was very impressionable and had stomach pains, depression and began to think it was healthier to not eat than experience pain, I had very minimal health insurance and was not able to see doctors in a timely manner. This greatly soured my relationship with the medical industry. I couldn't fathom getting better, I just couldn't. My family couldn't afford the medical care and tried to convince me that everything I had just didn't exist. That's when I fell into freelee. She gave free advice and ideas, and you know what? it did help. I binge watched her videos, it was much healthier than what I had been doing. and then I learned how to get better and get to where I am today. I have a much healthier relationship with food and now I understand the importance of fruits and vegetables. She's just a symptom of the underlying problems people have with their food and the help that is available for them.
freelee has always been someone that just baffles me with every word that she says. also there is something that just completely stumps me which is the people who also had cancer and looked up to that girl and were getting serious medical treatment for their disease with medicine that may or may not have been working and probably costed them loads of money saw her videos and said “i want to try that” and just stopped their medication. it probably didn’t go like that but what doctor, a qualified professional, in their right mind would agree to treating cancer with a whole food diet? i just can’t grasp the thought of that.
you should like a news reporter at times :') also, i really like how you responded to all of the nonsense freelee was saying, it was an excellent video. i'm definitely a new subscriber (:
I'm only 12 and last year when I was 11 I got so caught up in Freelees advise that I only ate fruit till I was down 10lbs (And I was already underweight before starting the diet) 😣🥺
it made me so angry... I don't really have an eating disorder but I have depression, anxiety, OCD and couple other things, so I spend some time in a mental hospital and met some people with eating disorders, mainly anorexia. Funny how one of the people I meet in hospital with anorexia used to be obsessed with healthy eating an exercise. She used to count the calories, measured nutrition, did regular blood check ups. She was REALLY healthy girls. So according to Freelee how did SHE get the eating disorder? She had all the nutrition for her brain to work, and then she started going downwards into being too obsessed with her body and fall into depression. According to what she told me, she slowly couldn't look at food. Made her healthy meal and couldn't eat it. Another one was overall very happy and amazing person, with plans for future, good grades etc. She never was into healt and fitness much, she loved watching tv programs where they made cakes since she used to love them so much before. She just had mental disorder. She couldn't force herself eat. So just looking at those two, and how different they are - How in anyone giving out advice to ALL people with eating disorder? Same for depression, anxiety, OCD, insomnia etc. People have so many different reasons, they go through it differently. There is no one magical cure. Even something as simple as cough may have different reasons and need different remedies.
Love love love your videos. I came across your channel when doing research into bulimia for a job and found you so inspiring. I really appreciate people like you putting yourselves up for scrutiny on a difficult platform because you want to help people and make the world a little better. Please keep fighting the good fight!
I do believe that Freelee is correct in saying that she needs a proper diet (by diet I do mean way of eating not society's take on the word). She is coming at it from a dietitian only standpoint. I do definitely agree that eating disorders are not just physical and require treatment from both angles. Sadly, I know that vegans are very quick to be judgmental about the way a person chooses to eat and they will wave that flag and almost beat you with it, if you don't do it the way they want you to, instead of encouraging you to eat in the manner that you feel you should to find healing.Given the current state of insurance and medical care in the US, it can sometimes be very difficult to get diagnosed and to find a treatment team that will actually work with the client. As a secondary option, I have always suggested setting up a personal meal plan and using a journal, along with the support of as much family and friends as a person can gain. Yes, believe it or not some people in the United States still don't have medical coverage. Some medical coverage will not cover a dietitian or treatment facility. As I say that is a secondary measure if they don't have some way of utilizing the medical and psychological community.I will go so far as to say I'm not sure that many therapists in the psychological community have a decent amount of understanding about eating disorders. I believe that many dietitians also lack the understanding someone with an eating disorder needs in order to recover as they should. It can be very difficult to find just the right fit for the client and the team needed to treat eating disorders. Each person with an eating disorder is so very unique and so their recovery has to be very personalized or it will not service them down the road as it should.
Neither are many of the people out there advising others to go vegan. I didn't say she was a qualified dietitian all I said was that she was correct in saying she needed a proper diet. I'm not a proper dietitian but I was able to formulate a meal plan that got me eating 3 meals a day on a regular basis. I did my own research and while there are times where I may lack certain nutrients, at least try. A lot of the times people cannot really afford to go see a dietitian and so they have to depend on knowledge that is out there. I never said that she was a very good source of information just that I am not going to tear her down because she believes the person should have a proper diet.
People with eating disorder don't need a "dietitian"! They need treatment because it is MENTAL illness. They die from not eating and gettin as skinny as a stick and still even knowing they are dying they refuse to eat food. You need to understand the seriousness of the disorder. Mothers begging their child to eat fearing it can die everyday and even that is not enough to make them change their lifestyle. Do you actually believe is that "easy" JUST to go live with a stranger and eat a proper diet ??
I beg to differ. People with eating disorders need a dietitian, they also need therapy. They do not always need to be put in a facility. I will also tell you that I came out of my eating disorder without any therapy or dietitian or anything from a professional. My doctor is aware of my eating disorder and has diagnosed it but I was the one that started the meal planning, I was the one that started using my journal and I was blessed with support from my family and an online support group. I will also tell you that not everyone with an eating disorder is skinny, some of them are obese and have difficulty losing weight and so they turned to disordered behaviours. And when did I say that anybody should go live with Freelee? All I said was I agree that people with eating disorders do need a proper and balanced diet every day, I was agreeing with that much of what Freelee said. That was it and please don't put words in my mouth. As far as it being easy, I can tell you how "easy" I had it and how much hell I went through. If you don't think I understand what it's like to have an eating disorder you are severely mistaken.
Ani - I have an ED. And actually.. Yes, dietician are crucial members of an eating disordered patient treatment team. My experience with recovery confirmed for me, that treatment for EDs must be a multi specialty approach. My recovery house program consists of a Psychiatrist, a dietician/nutritionist (licensed), a medical dr, and a addictions/interventionist and support groups focused on EDs. Its been a year, and while I am not as healthy as I could be, and a lot of my eating choices are still disordered, I can at least recognize when Im not making healthy choices.. Im also glad that at least I have eaten SOMETHING everyday.
I have a theory, one that I've had for a long time, that Freelee is STILL disordered. Except instead of anorexia/bulimia, she went over to orthorexia and still exhibits some binge/purge signs in how she thinks it's normal to eat like 3000-4000 (or preferably more) calories a day for a normal human, and she also spends a crazy amount of time each day working out - like an amount that is disproportionate to the average person trying to be fit.
Not saying that eating a lot and working out a lot is inherently disordered; it's also her attitudes and how she addresses food in general.
I think she thinks recovery is SO easy because she never actually recovered - her eating disorder just took another form. She's still very clearly OBSESSED with food and what she eats and all that stuff, and having your entire life consumed by your diet (I may be very wrong but I have yet to see other aspects of her personality) is very very unhealthy. Raw veganism is just her facade 'healthy' way of still having that intense control over food and being able to publicly have her entire life absorbed by diet, without being accused of it.
Thank you for this comment! My thoughts exactly ♥️
Bingo. I got out of her cult and I see this so clearly now. I just feel bad for the people that follow her. If they are anything like me, they are also extremely disordered in their thinking and behaviors.
I mean it's clear as day, I'm dumbfounded by how people don't realize it. She talks about her frugivore diet like a bulimic talks about purging, like she found a way to hack the calorie system and now with that "magic trick" she can eat whatever she wants and never gain a pound and everyone else who doesn't do it is simply stupid. She is very much struggling still with an eating disorder but she will unfortunately never realize it. Also she is still clearly obsessed with food and in most thumbnails and videos she's showing of her body, which is not necessarily a bad thing but judging by her ed past she could be bodyckecking.
That's ridiculous, Freelee eats a normal amount of calories for someone who is physically active and she doesn't even work out that much and never did.
Plus, if she did work out that much, then she would need 3000-4000 calories and more wouldn't she? 🤦
You are still deep in the restriction mindset like most of us are.
💯! She is still disordered and obsessed with weight and being thin. Anyone who truly believed humans were meant to spend all day needing that much food and eating that much fruit is majorly disordered in their relationship to eating and food.
I have to point out that freelee is not just a vegan she is a raw vegan. She eats fruit all day and exercises for hours a day. I get kind of frustrated when people equate her with veganism. I'm actually convinced she's just masking her own disordered behavior by hiding behind a raw vegan label as many of her followers are too.
She hasn't been raw vegan for a while. She used to be, but she eats cooked food as well, in the afternoon. She calls it raw 'till 4.
exactly! She´s just replacing one eating disorder with another! Fuck Freelee. I hate her
I don't hate her. I'm angry that she gives bad advice to vulnerable people, but I feel bad for her because she's obviously miserable and has resorted to crazy restrictive diets and excessive exercise to cope. It's sad really :/
Georgia I'm no freelee fan . But freelee doesn't eat fully raw ,nor does she advocate excessive exercise . Ultimately you've no idea how she lives
sarah ahmed I personally know fully well on how freelee lives because I've watched the mass majority of all her videos and yes she does try to eat fully raw but she does her 'raw till 4' life style. Not only that but you claim that she doesn't over exercise but I don't think you realize just how much she pushes herself; freelee is a cyclist and if you don't know cycling is a really hard thing to do even just for the time frame of 1 hour, yet freelee has cycled through Australia completely. Now I don't know about you but I'm pretty sure that cycling a whole country is over exerting your body and can put your body in harms way. From what I know while I was vegan for a few years and was going based off of freelee she exercises quite a lot and has admitted to having the eating disorder known as orthorexia, she claims that it's mild but to see as how she lives it's not 'mild' orthorexia. I don't hate freelee I just wish that she would earn a degree before telling people what to do and make them believe in false hopes.
i seriously can't thank you enough for being such an outspoken, inspirational and intelligent spokesperson for everyone suffering with and recovering from an ed. you are AMAZING and i thank you with all my heart for your channel and your message. happy new year, keep it up!!
also to add: freelee is acting as though people get eating disorders from starving themselves which literally makes no sense. it starts in your brain first, no matter what your diet may be, and THEN manifests in a physical way.
as well as suggesting dieting to people with eating disorders is so fucked up. that's just another way to control and be hyper aware of one's relationship to food
Jessica C veganism is actually a lifestyle :) I came to veganism with disordered eating, it helped me. It doesn't help others; and I think it's because it adds to people's stress.
it sounds totally naive to think there is people qualified because they are sanctioned. 2 diiferent things. they might be sanctioned precisely because they are going to be of no help or worse still. if the video creator is not qualified then she is not qualified to advise people who is and who isn't but feels comfortable doing so.
I think Freelee's ED is active. Orthorexia is how I found her and she thinks her 'healthy' diet is the key to everything just like I did. That IS disordered. I hope one day she realizes that and recovers because no one deserves that but I'll never forget when I stopped being vegan to focus in recovery years ago and she told me how selfish I was.
Tori Green Wow thats horrible. Sounds like she did not recover tbh.
Could you explain orthorexia please ?
So happy you chose for yourself, congrats with your recovery!
chaya s orthorexia is the obsessive behaviour in pursuit of a healthy diet .
chaya s As Lauren Kane said. orthorexia is an ED where one is so obsessed with "eating healthy" and "eating right" that you can even end up with malnutrition because you become so extremely focused on what you believe and think you can and cannot eat.
chaya s Personally, I would describe my experience with orthorexia as an obsession with purity. I wanted to be as healthy as humanly possible. I would assume Freelee was just trying to capitalize on people like me but with her history I have to think she really thinks what she's eating will solve all sorts of health issues - physical and mental - I thought nutrition would solve everything too.
It's especially insane when I realize in hindsight how many things I blamed on myself for not eating right. I have PTSD from things that happened to me and I kept blaming my diet and it not being good enough for how shitty I felt.
Ragnhild MD You're so right on the beliefs too. For me, it was 100% positive thinking or I was failing. It's such a perfectionistic extreme.
I don't know what tickles me more, another person calling Freelee on her shit or the fact that she trying bring people in her home as if she some doctor. Happy New Year 🎊 by the way.
Troll Busta The very dangerously emaciated Eugenia apparently did respond she declines her offer As well as Doxtor Phils offer
.Freelee did a follow up video about that as well
I didnt know Freelee before either tbh but besides from her ridiculous offers, anyone who eats (blends) 51 bananas in one day must be kind of nuts herself..
Nicolette Davis - she has completed a course in nutrition.
Icicle your comment is ignorant. ANYONE can complete a course in nutrition! There are two day nutrition courses you can take online and come out with a certificate for it! It is when you attend a legitimately recognised institute and study full time for a degree or similar qualification that counts. She says she studied nutrition at AIF but I emailed them and they said she has NEVER been a student there! They were quite appalped that she even said that! Liar much!
@Icicle, but she doesn´t use it as she says it is supported by the meat and dairy industry.
You bring up a great point. She is not a doctor. Her home is not a hospital. A doctor knows how EDs work. Psychiatric hospitals are equipped with the exact things that people need to recover and not die while doing it. If any of the people she was helping (tw) got ahold of the cleaning products, sharp objects, unlocked window, or anything remotely dangerous, they will fucking die. Hospitals are extremely strict and have certain products for a reason. That reason saves lives.
When I started seeing Freelee's videos I thought her advise was great, even though I hated the way she treated others. After watching several of her videos, I noticed I was having problems with food, even though I tried to hide it. I knew if I hadn't stopped watching her videos, I knew I might have developed an ed like orthorexia. I would never try and follow the way she considers being 'healthy' again.
I don't think her issue was with veganism, but the way Freelee talks about food, basically raw veggies and fruit is good and the rest is bad and unhealthy, and that is just not true and orthorexic behaviour.
Rose McEwan yes I agree and I know you didn’t say this but I really hope that you’re not blaming this on Veganism bc Veganism is about more than just food ok thanks :3
I love your icon!!!!! Miranda is the food queen
Same here
Thank you SO much for making this video! Freelee is ignorant, narcissistic, and EXTREMELY dangerous! And the action of you even saying you aren't qualified to treat someone is incredibly admirable and responsible, although I think you would be an amazing caregiver and encourage you to look into training and certification. Again, thank you for addressing the fact that eating disorders are multi-faceted and need to be treated physically, psychologically, medically, and emotionally.
thanks for addressing this. i've been aware of freelee for some time and i cannot understand her perspective that EDs are a dietary issue.
Troll Busta But hey she ate 51 bananas in one day 😂
Emily X im also scared of salt only because how awful it makes me feel physically lethargic low in mood irritable. The taste of it in my month on chips just makes me wanna gag. 🤢
But as soon as I cut it out my body changed, I was able to run 🏃 bike for ages, pee like clockwork. If something physically disagrees with your body then reduce it. That was one thing I did to help with binge eating and I also did the same to sugar as well.
When they show like her kitchen and stuff, and there is like cases upon cases of fruits and veggies I don't understand why, she mainly eats mangos and bananas. It looks like a lot of waste too.. I don't see how they can eat that much in a week or so.
Have you been to the Dr? My friends daughter suffered with P.O.T.S (not sure of what the acronym stands for..) They were on Mystery Diagnosis..LOOOOOOOOVE that show! The key is salt... My daughter should be taking salt pills all day long, then double when the weather gets this hot..
Yeah... it's all food. Not. Freelee should be sued because of all the harassment (also basically defamation) as well as false promises.
Kady Girl I agree I reported that video when I saw it.
when I saw freelees reaction to simply nessa video, I knew something was wrong with it. her response & advice rubbed me the wrong way, but I didn't know how to exactly put it into words. but you eloquently & beautifully said exactly what I was feeling. your words are my thoughts exactly. very well said - well done. awesome video.
I love how intelligent your response was. I hope Freelee sees this video because it was excellently executed.
that woman is in denial, also wanted to say you are the most eloquent, intelligent and compassionate genuine person i have found on youtube and thankyou for being the warrior you are xx
Everyone recommended Freelee for my recovery and I was so conflicted. I felt as though my entire emotional struggle was pointless. I wasn't allowed to go vegan so I felt very guilty that I was in the wrong for eating dairy. Freelee, please understand it's a MENTAL illness that causes nutritional issues not a nutritional illness that causes mental issues
YES! I'm a vegan for a few years now and I've advised so many girls who had problems with weight to NOT go vegan because for people like that it's another way to restrict. They have all looked at me like I was an idiot like how can I NOT recommend veganism. Well, it's not for recoveries
Lilly C i know you posted this a month ago, but i just wanted to say that i really love your comment and appreciate what you said! i struggled with an eating disorder a few years ago and became a vegetarian after recovery. after reading many articles/watching videos that denounce vegetarianism and promote veganism as the only way to help animals and the planet, i felt guilty about my lifestyle and thought about going vegan. however, i've realised that if i did this, i would most likely begin to revert to old patterns of restriction, counting calories, etc. i think a lot of people don't realise that disordered mindsets and thoughts don't disappear after recovery, and a diet that cuts out so many things can be really difficult for people in or past recovery. even though i would love to be able to cut out all animal products in my diet, it's just not sustainable for me. i make sure to get my dairy and eggs as locally and ethically as possible, and my entire beauty/makeup array is cruelty free and mostly vegan, but i just can't transition to a vegan diet. sorry for the long ramble---i just really wanted to thank you for saying that, because it made me feel a lot better about my decision.
if there was a plane and it was going down it could either be lack of thrust or the nose is down. if the nose is down then you could lift the nose but if there is not enough thrust it will stall. it needs the thrust to lift and that thrust could be likened to eating healthy. to get out of a stall you actually put the nose down and apply thrust. that is like eating in a depressed state. you lift the nose once there is sufficient momentum.otherwise it will stall.
I suffer from depression and saying that recovering from an ed is easy is the same as when people tell me to "just try to be happy" or that so many people are "off way worse" .....
I have been vegan for over a year now(vegetarian for 2), and although I absolutely love it and would never go back to eating meat, changing my diet has not help me "cure" my eating disorder whatsoever. I still struggle with periods of restricting and binging and still fail to make it stop.
I don't have an eating disorder and never have, but I can see that what Freelee says is bunch of bullshit. I've been suffering from depression, anxiety and sleep disorder my whole life (i also have aspergers). Did I hear "just stop being miserable" and "get some excercise so you'll fall asleep easier"? A lot of times. Did I try? Of course I did. Did it help? Not at all. What helps me is psychotherapy and medicines. You can't fix somebody's brain by telling them what to eat.
Veganism is good but it's not a cure to an ED by any means and it's crazy to think that it is. Thank you for making this video! 💕
Ezra true! I tried to recover by eating vegan but I ended up binging a lot, gaining weight, and becoming more mentally ill, so I ended up relapsing and now it's worse. I would sometimes even purge fruit and veggies because I felt too guilty
Ezra my best friend had a serious ED, then he found veganism and it really helped him recover. EDs are an obsession with food, vegans tend to be really obsessed with food also. You still have the ed obsession with food but it turns into something more positive. It can really help but a lot of people who have had veganism help them have also gotten professional help.
Eating an actual normal healthy vegan diet worked for my recovery... but thinking I needed to eat 30 bananas a day would not have helped me! Freelee is an idiot and I wish she didn't try to speak for veganism
It’s just another ed
Me Me no
I do not have an eating disorder myself, but my mom has suffered from anorexia when she was younger and you can still see it in her behaviour sometimes. I am so proud of her for getting to this state and I think you can help a lot of women and men to get healthier. Thank you so much for being so honest and selfreflected! Keep up the good work for yourself and everyone needing it!
Thank you, Mia! I went vegan last year because of so many youtubers telling me that's the only way to recover. But eating vegan became a way for me to further restrict and not have to eat with friends or family, even though that's not what I wanted it to be about. Then when I would binge and eat something that wasn't vegan, it opened up the door to much more guilt and shame, because now I was a failure at being vegan too. So then being vegan became a test of willpower, and the cycle of eating vegan (trying my hardest not to restrict), binging on non-vegan or "bad" foods, making up for it with an ed behavior, and back to vegan. And I was so down on myself because I just wanted to be able to do what freelee was saying! And I thought I was a failure because I couldn't do something so "easy"!! And it's not just about your brain being undernourished! What about people with depression or another mental illness who eat sufficient calories/ carbs? Where is there illness coming from? If it's about only a lack of nutrition to your brain, then why do I have urges to use ed behaviors even after eating sufficient calories for a while and being weight restored?? Everything you said was spot on and I hate that other girls are listening to the advice I did a year ago. Thank you for spreading this message. :-)
Good for you for realizing this and youve already moved forward, because you were too smart for that:) don't feel guilty for eating foods your body and mind needs. You're human!
Abby Stansell you didn't go vegan for the right reasons. Veganism is not about healing eating disorders (although it may help) it is about ethics.
That's what being vegan did to me. I'm not vegan anymore. But when I was I restricted (you have to restrict A LOT on a vegan diet obviously) which made me miserable of course. I also gained about 15 unnecessary pounds, which only made me feel worse about my body because now I was actually overweight. As soon as I went back to a normal diet, I lost all of it within 2 months. I didn't lose the weight by restricting, I lost it by not restricting, I lost it by allowing myself to eat food I enjoyed occasionally and food that was good for me most of the time. I felt free and that made everything better.
Abby Stansell it's very important to be vegan correctly, but a diet is separate to an eating disorder I 100% agree. I am vegan and I feel fantastic by eating plenty of carbs, and I am by no way limited. I'm sorry that you felt that way on your journey, truly. But I think you weren't supplied with enough information to follow the diet which is why you felt restricted. I hope you're feeling better and maybe in the future when you are more informed you can take up this lifestyle for the animals and the planet and yourself. I don't agree with freelee; an eating disorder is completely separate so her information is very damaging. By going vegan My mental state isn't different, apart from satisfaction from helping animals. But I still feel down constantly, so please do whatever feels best for you. Sending love
4Ever Fabulousxo Completely agree. Veganism has helpes my ED tremendously. After going vegan I now have such a more positive relationship with food, and I am finally starting to recover, and I never feel like I'm restricting myself. I think many people are uninformed about veganism so when they try it they don't know what to eat and they feel restricted. Which is sad...but, as long as in the end their helping themselves and doing what they need to recover, that's all that matters. Just hope maybe one day they'll try it again and try to find more information.
Omg, freelee isn't even recovered! She doesn't know what recovery is like as she has never experienced it, she is now just obsessed with being vegan and overexercising. That is not a recovered individual.
Love this video! It is so good! Freelee's video actually offends me to be honest! Because it's about relationship with food not only the amount of food and physical deficiencies! IT IS SO HARD!! I am quite shocked that she can talk like that to be honest! x
I love love love this video!! Not only is it a message to freelee but a strong message to everyone and anyone out there who assumes recovery is easy, or anyone who judges or doesn't understand the psychological impact and eating disorder has on someone. I find your you tube channel incredibly helpful Mia! You deserve WAY more subscribers 💓
Emily Taylor Losing weight is the same way o.x
Thank you so much for having created this channel and sharing such important things on youtube, i would never have known that people like freelee exist (and tbh it's still hard to believe... i mean ???) but the more important thing is i would never have been able to really get over myself and start recovery; to really want to be mentally and physically healthy again!! You put everything in words so perfectly and give me the opportunity to look at eating disorders, recovery, relapses, society's expectations and everything inbetween from an entirely new perspective...
Thank you so much for giving so many people the support they need so badly!
i'm studying nutrition and i'm pretty much done with it, and all the time we learned that the eatingdisorder is a symptom of a psychological problem, the food restriction or whatever is periphere to the main problem (trauma, depression, anxiety etc.). bye the way: freelee shows extreme characteristics of an eatingdisorder (restricted eating (hclf-vegan), exaggerated training etc.) herfself
I totally agree! Freelee has never recovered from her eating disorder- it just took a new form.
Why couldn't she have just contacted her directly? That was so intrusive of her.
Aubree Tanner she educates others (about veganism) in the process of making the video, I went vegan after seeing her video about Trisha Patas so it works
Gotta get that $$$
This.
love following your channel. keep going fighting stigma and bringing light to the complexities of eating disorders. sending you much encouragement
Hi 👋🏻 Vegan here. Also a vegan who hates Freelee. Also a Vegan who has struggled with eating disorders for over a decade. Also a nurse. Becoming vegan WILL NOT CURE YOU. Honestly the first time I went vegan, was the first time I slipped from bulimia into anorexia. Hope is possible. But it isn’t found with another diet. Freelee is horrendously offensive, but also down right dangerous.
I love your videos so much. I love how you're so straightforward and don't sugar coat anything and talk about what nobody wants to. Thank you for having the courage to go ahead and talk about these things. You've really helped me. Thank you.
The point with Freelee is that she shifts the control part. If you are vegan, you don't have to worry about weight or being healthy, which is a dream come true for people with an ed. But the illness doesn't go away, it's another way your eating disorder likes to go, because you have a good excuse. You just follow what your ed wants. And also, if you remove the means of where you express your problems in, your problem is not solved. Just like if you take all sharp things (if that's the way someone self-harms) from someone who self-harms'. The problem is still there
You had me clapping my hands by the end of this, thank you so much for your strong, public stance on this
I've watched a few of freelee's videos throughout the years, but this one stunned me.
So glad that you brought this up - her message here is truly dangerous and ignorant.
Thank you for this video. I do not have an eating disorder my self, but that is not a reason to stay uneducated about it.
"eating disorder mentality" Clearly you don't understand EATING DISORDERS. And the fact that she thinks someone who is stuggling to have a standard "diet" can just jump into a raw vegan diet. That's ridiculous. Recovering is not easy, feeling your best isn't easy, eating disorders aren't easy.
I love the clarity in your video. You're fantastic.
Freelee has such an naive perspective on eating disorders that I struggle to believe she had one herself. It has nothing to do with nutrition. Of course nutrition plays a part and it can make things a lot worse, but that needs to be address second to the underlying mental conditions that an individual is going through. Freelee is ridiculous and if anything would cause individuals to worsen their conditions since they have an even more limiting diet when turning to raw veganism.
freelee was just profiting from it.
I think she said she had BED, I think she never recovered but is now binging with a lot of fruit. She needs help, she is not healthy.
@@wolfie1234100 I bet she has orthorexia
You're just brilliant honestly. im not in recovery yet for various reasons, but the things you share and discuss on your channel are really helpful... especially all the stuff about EDs being a mental illness. ive been pretty obsessed with my eating behaviors for the last 6 years, but ive never told anyone about it or anything really because ive never been underweight the entire time since it all started, i feel like if i actually go and ask for help my issues will be invalidated and i know that would do alot of harm too me mentally. I just wanted to tell you how important your content is for people, and yeah, i guess, keep doing what you're doing, because its a good thing :)
Great video Mia! What people don't understand is that just because a certain way of eating works for them it doesn't mean it'll work for everybody in the world! So they try to push their way of eating on other people because that's what works for them! Kind of selfish if you think about it!
Mia, you are SO articulate and I am so happy I came across your channel. I appreciate your videos so very much and the awareness you are raising. Your honesty and realism is so refreshing because like you said, recovery is far from easy and that's just being honest. Anyway, thank you for what you are doing and for doing it so logically and intelligently.
I personally went vegan last March because I didn't want to restrict anymore, and my eating disorder was dissolving my presence slowly.
Vegan helped me recover, but that doesn't mean that it'll help everyone recover. Some people just simply like meat or other "animal products" too much and would feel like they're restricting their life, which shouldn't happen during recovery.
Recovery also wasn't easy for me. I started my recovery on February 15th of 2016. Almost one year from now. I think my food anxiety and fast food fear went away in the end of June. It took a long time to finally get the wheels rolling. I'm finally fine now.
Thank you for this video. I couldn't agree more. Freelee is great at spreading the vegan message, but, you can't just claim that veganism will help heal your eating disorder. It won't, unless you truly want to go ahead and try it. I love how Freelee tries to be sweet, but, it's just not her place to give eating disorder recovery advice.
People told me to eat. But, it was up to me. I was also struggling with the mental aspect of an eating disorder which made me extremely scared of carbs, of added sugars, salts, oils, processed foods, anything with a long list of ingredients, most packaged foods as simple as chicken breast, eggs, romaine hearts in a bag, pre-cut watermelon/pineapple spears in a plastic container, canned beans, etc etc. I also didn't see how extremely sick I looked. I always thought I was big even when I looked like I was deteriorating from the inside-out.
It isn't as simple as "just eat." And it will never be simple as "just eat."
She makes it seem like when you start to eat, you're cured... so wrong
I went into recovery a year ago and even eating on a regular meal plan, I am still struggling with my eating disorder because it is a MENTAL Illness. You're body isn't always as sick as your mind.
Stay strong and thank you❤️
Hi Mia, I did not know where to put this but I had to write you. I just want to thank yo for everything you are doing, talking about recovery, eating disorders, and putting it in relation with current topics, like veganism, or other videos on youtube. You've opened my eyes so many times, particularly with your video on "I will never be a vegan" (or something like that). Recently I have been meeting a couple of "unapologetic vegan" a bit randomly and their lack of tolerance for people with ED is just scary. And if they are in a group, they become particularly... mean. Anyway, I love your videos, thank you again for helping me to be more "critical" on the world around me, yet open to conversation.
You are so welcome Anna - thank you for watching and for this lovely comment. Regardless of what you encounter in the world, this will always be a supportive place. xo
Technically if Freelee is ill mentally still. She doesn't know better. Just like a ton of other "health gurus." The idea of health is such a vauge directed false idea frequently. Health is an aesthetic to these people.
THANKYOU & i hope anyone including nessa that saw freelee's video sees this video & allows it to override the bs coming from free lee because its so dangerous. Especially for vulnerable people like idk the mentally unwell
This video is so great, I especially love how you highlight that eating disorders are not physical conditions, which I feel is something vegan youtubers, or youtubers of this nature go against. The "just eat" cliche that these youtubers buy into seems so backwards, and seems to come from a place of complete misinformation. Thank you so much for bringing a light to these types of videos, which I see as a growing issue. Keep up the amazing work xx
I am so glad you addressed this terrible and dangerous message that's reaching way too many young and desperate people who just don't know she's full of herself. I don't believe she's ever had an ED! or even knows what is involved in the complex mental conditions involved here. I believe that we are forever in recovery once we begin to heal properly. There are always triggers that we can choose not to respond to like we once did. Always situations that are uncomfortable no matter how many years go by. That doesn't mean we slide down the tubes in to the old ED ways but we do notice these things. At least I do. Sort of like mosquitos. I will avoid being bitten by them as much as I can because it's not good for me. Other people don't even notice they've been attacked by them. That's the difference. A person who has lived through and been successful in their recovery isn't the same as a person who has never suffered from an ED. This is not the proper place to be waving that dang flag of hers. She could cause the death of someone!! It's just a pack of lies!
Im so glad you did this video.. I know you don't like to do "Reaction" vids. You speak clearly,dont use acronyms, and have a positive vibe.. Instant feeling of trust, and that means youve got our attention. Its really incredible what you are doing. I went through a ED Recovery. The facilities are incredible. NO steps.. So many awesome groups, info, coping skills.
Beautifully said, I'm so glad someone has stepped forward to say this. Thank you so much.
I like your rational attitude and commentary. Really refreshing to hear someone who seems objective about serious subjects.
So she claimed that she easily recovered from her ED? Yeah right Freelee orthorexia is still a thing!
Sorry, this is REALLY long.
This is crazy... 1. FreeLee has no ZERO education. I wanna smack her.I don't believe for ONE second she had an ED. 2. This is not her first BS response. She also spoke to a 9 YEAR OLD, and advised this CHILD to CALL THE AUTHORITIES if her parents wouldn't listen to the CHILD, who wanted to be Vegan. 3. She also bashes Drs, because they don't know how to treat ED.s. 4. Completely ignores the underlying issues, that we use our ED to "self harm".
I was blessed enough to find a treatment facility that is NOT a 12 step recovery. We had Drs, PAs, Nutritionists.. My psychiatrist admitted me when I walked into his office in tears, and the fastest way to get me into treatment was for him to list it as a medical issue (i.e. damage to organs.) My insurance didn't even check. I spent 2 months in a home with 15 other women with EDs.. in their 20s. The Drs told me I was likely one of the oldest patients in treatment for EDs. I was the only patient who did not have a Dual Diagnosis. IE substance abuse. I was originally diagnosed when I was 16. I had "successfully" hidden it for a year. I am 5'9", and at the time of my DX, I hadn't had solid foods for a year. I weighed 117 lbs. (I would cry EVERY time I got on the scale - something I did about 5 times a day.) I had been living on a yogurt a day.. or Dr. Pepper. I don't really want to get Into the other ways I did it, as I would NEVER want to seemingly ENCOURAGE it.
Throughout my life, I was told; At first, "Thunder thighs" "You can afford to miss a meal... or 12."" fat ass" one girl in particular in high school literally bullied me daily because I was "fat", she would literally follow me around campus singing the Twinkie Song.. cuz she said, "you remind me of Twinkies!" I actually looked up "thinsperations" (Pro Ana thing) and got into in ernest. But, as I lost weight, I was bullied some more..."you're ugly, too skinny, someone needs to give you hamburger". (side note.. why is it always a hamburger?) I was at a luncheon with my Mother in Law. As the meeting wrapped up, they informed us of the buffet opening in a few minutes. I went to look at what was being offered. I saw this huge tray of cut up veggies. I grabbed a slice of a cucumber, and was going to come back and get more food. There was a young man setting the buffet up. He saw me grab the cucumber, and said, "Let me guess... thats your lunch." One hand, I was pretty angry that he had the gall to say something like that.. but my ED took over my brain, and I walked away feeling accomplished. When people say "get a cheeseburger" "I can see your bones!" etc, it was a compliment. Positive feed back for bad behavior. I was 32 at the time.
I had gone back and forth starving/binging/restricting pretty much my entire life. The underlying issue.. severe PTSD, my Dr pointed out that the severity of my PTSD was rated the same as a combat war vet. With very serious dissociative disorders. Im happy to say, since leaving the treatment facility, I have not gone a day with out a meal. Some days, I cant eat more than a protein bar (the treatment center bought them for us, to snack on) I got caught (at 45 years old!) using them as meal replacement. They hauled me into the Psychiatrist, who like the others in my life. "You have 3 days to get with the program. You're here to get healthy. Thats not healthy." Also threatened me with a 5150, and a feeding tube. The other MAJOR concern that my behavior highlighted, the other girls started doing it. My roommate came up to me one day, looked at my dinner plate, just about to wash it.. She said, "so, you get that you're not fooling anyone.. right?" She was 24. And just called me out. I am maintaining the weight I gained in treatment.(almost a year to the day.). which of course as far as Im concerned, its fat! I ended up with quite a list of disorders, diseases, syndromes. Metabolism shot. Now I am paying the high price. Kidney disease, Pseudo Parkinsons or Parkinsonism, EPS, skeletal damage, permanent liver, heart, and lungs damage. Not including the mental diagnosis's.
I hope you are better now and pray you recover soon. Nothing but good wishes for you 💕
can't believe it! i'm just looking for the original vídeos cause is so fucking insane!! I need to watch it to convince myself that such people exist... as always, much love to you and I really hope that this year all your dreams came true :)
Beita Saavedra I know right!! x
I've never had an ED, but I have learned so much and corrected so many harmful ideas after watching your channel. Thank you for making these videos. Keep up the good work.
I love how you talk of the importance of qualification vs social media influence, one experience just can’t equal years of studying and researching.
The lack of nutrition is a result of an eating disorder, not the cause. You fix that nutrition issue, that eating disorder is still there because the body image issues are still there, the brain chemicals are still imbalanced, there's still a lot of unresolved issues and that eating disorder is going to come back regardless of nutrition because those other issues aren't resolved.
I've just found your channel wow I love your videos! It is so nice to see such rational, educated responses to issues with food and eating disorders... freelee is an absolute nut.
girl i love how calm you are, your voice soothes me ♡ and you are so wise and smart thank you for speaking.
It wouldn't be out of place to suggest you try and educate freelee but we all how virtually impossible it is to get through her egocentric projections. It appals me to see how she can have such a huge fan following. You are absolutely right in saying that people are willing to gobble up the 'advice' of famous public figures to that of qualified professionals. It is frightening. Have you shared this video with freelee?
lavidaloca Its interesting from a psychological perspection. But unfortunately not new, think Hitler.
Another youtuber asked freelee questions and she blocked them.
@lavidaloca, freelee aka leanne radcliffe will just attack her and convince youtube to eliminate her channel. Leanne has done it to fellow vegans en masse some years ago. No wonder vegans and the like hate freelee/leanne so much.
Well spoken, excellent advice, and you're a natural communicator. Pleased to have found you on the tubes today!
Thank you for addressing this subject. Mental illness doesn't have an instant cure, people need to understand that and take care with what they say to someone struggling.
At last, really glad you have made this point. Any diet or food group can be dangerous if it's abused, when your mentally unwell it could be so dangerous to take on new rules and restrictions. Really measured and professional, it's a channel which feels safe and non jugmental for people struggling. I've been recovered for 7 years now not sure how I found you but it feels very affirming and empowering to watch. Most you tubers make me feel guilty or stupid that I was unwell in the first place. Keep up the good work 👍
Dear Mia,
I sincerely want to thank you for your distinguished and clever words on that issue. I agree on everything you say so far. You are a great counterweight to modern society's misperception of food intake and nutrition. It is amazing how you address your thoughts and experiences to the proper audience here on TH-cam. Simultaneously, you explicitly tell them that you are functioning as a buddy not as some sort of miracle healer. That is amazing and I really appreciate your effort. Furthermore, you have a great rhetoric. You criticize without hurting or insulting anyone. Even though you are fighting against a giant on that matter I am hopeful that you keep the strength and diplomacy you currently have and that you keep using your dynamic for the greater good.
I wish you all the best in your life.
Awesome video! It is unbelievable what freelee is saying. I remember seeing some of her videos years ago when I was still suffering from an ED and I remember finding them very triggering. Which was weird to me at the time when they were supposed to "help" against ED.
Also totally subscribed! Thank you for the motivating videos
Such a spot-on video. You put so many of my thoughts and feelings into clear and strong words. Thank you for being an example and a role model and for challenging this harmful message.
I am beyond grateful to have come across this video and your channel. I ran around the freelee merrygoround for 2 years and my binge eating became absolutely out of control. I think I gained about 30 lbs + just trying to heal my hormones. I thought it was what I needed but it made me so much worse. She gave me the false hope that I could overeat at every meal and not exercise and lose weight.
I love you so much! The world needs more people like you to help others see what recovery is really like and how hard it is❤ Thank you Mia
Megan Clare I agree! x
I do not, and have never had, an eating disorder but I am horrified at the ignorance in that video! You cannot possibly be seriously stating that recovery from something as serious as this could be easy. I saw the incredulous (borderline angry) look on Mia's face through this was mirroring my own! I'm so glad you have recorded this response to that bs, that's such a positive approach to helping those who are needing some support.
Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, ... I wish I could spread that video everywhere!!!! You’re a true hero!!
I currently struggle with bulimia for 6 years, and back in 2015-2016 I started eating Vegan watching Freelee’s videos. I was STILL binging/purging with eating fruits and plant-based foods. You are right in this video, EATING DISORDER recovery ISNT EVEN THAT SIMPLE. Freelee’s accusations is so demeaning
I have only watched a handful of your videos but I have already learned SO much. Your videos should be broadcast across every TV and radio station in the world! I know you're not a professional but your insight is so brilliant and mature and helpful. New sub ❤️
I suffered with anorexia for over 10 years. My entire adolescent and adult life until January. Freelee is absolutely immoral. I lost my relationship, pushed friends away. I lost years of my life. recovery is the toughest thing I've ever done. How dare she can undermine the suffering and work we have to do to address the psychological aspects of ed recovery is completely beyond me. Glad you made this video. Very important x
Love this! Keep spreading the importance of professional help mia x
The gut brain connection and the mounds of research coming out about this does in fact suggest that our mental state and our nutrition are linked. I don't mean to argue with you, that's not my intention. But I think its useful to share so perhaps you can look into this research and learn a different perspective. It's my
Personal opinion (and a lot of science would agree) that our psychological state and our physical state are certainly very connected and not separate entities so it makes sense that what we consume feeds both. I have experienced it personally as I've suffered from heavy bouts of depression and a lifestyle change which mainly including diet overhaul (not to say it has to be vegan, mine wasn't) helped me personally more than SSRI's. I am not saying that it's the answer for everyone, and everyone needs to find treatment specific to their own needs and i recognize that it can't JUST be diet alone, there has to be other work done in other capacities but I will always advocate for a blood test and a comprehensive look at diet to help treat anxiety and depression. I can't weigh in on the eating disorder but I can say very truthfully that diet worked wonders for my depression. I would highly recommend researching the gut brain connection. Dr. Rhonda Patrick has done fantastic research on this as has Dr. Robyn Chutkan.
And just to be clear. When I say nutrition is a vital factor I don't mean "more carbs" I am talking much more in depth and in regards to specific nutrients as opposed to macronutrients. Creating a healthy environment for the bacteria in our gut which is where majority of the serotonin production happens in our bodies. Just wanted to clear that up so you don't think I agree with freelee by any means. I don't think Anyone with an eating disorder or psychological health struggles just need to simply "carb the fuck up". Mia, I admire your openness and bravery hugely. It's brought me a ton of comfort in lonely dark moments I've had of my own to be able to know someone out there understands mental health struggles.
Brittany A
I don't think she is saying that the brain and body are separate. I think she's mainly tying to demonstrate that ignoring the underlying psychological underpinnings of eating disorders is disastrous. Freely completely ignores treating the mental cause of the eating disorder.
For example, force feeding individuals with eating disorders does not solve the problem because you need to simultaneously teach coping mechanisms/psychological skills and the slew of physical symptoms.
Brittany A just because the brain and digestive tract and health are connected doesn't mean diet change is a cure. like any other method of helping mental illnesses and disorders it is not a cure all just like meds it varies with person to person . I changed my diet and still have ocd and depression and always will because its a genetic defect. no diet is going to create a part of the brain but yes it helps way better than meds and is a great start.
thank you for saying the truth! recovery is very hard.. but there is a lot of people who show that its worth it. there will be a time were i´m one of them. until them i fight for my recovery... and i´m glad i´m not alone. keep up your good work!! Thank you!
I know this video was posted a while ago, but I think that you are so amazingly well spoken, and very educated. Good to see that one and a while as a teen.❤️
A lot of people say Freelee made them go vegan. Her videos definitely helped me become MORE DISORDERED. Not thankful to her. I´m still vegan DESPITE her, would not have been surprised to abandon veganism when I stopped following her advice. Veganism is not a "diet", but she surely makes it one. Ugh! She also often says that everybody is naturally very thin and has a thigh gap. Fucked me up.
So much of this blows my mind. Plenty of people who do not under-eat suffer from anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts. That is a very damaging message to send. The lack of food doesn’t cause the mental disorder, the mental disorder can sometimes display in restricting, over eating, reclusive behaviors and so many more ways.
"...because then we fall into a black hole of YT and then we may all possibly die" LOL! And so true. Really happy I found your channel today. The first video that caught my attention was the one with the photo that everyone with an ED should see. I just feel so grateful that just as I'm beginning to discern that I have an ED, I'm already finding a supportive community everywhere I turn. I am being so blessed because brave people like you share your story, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU ♡
And now, to continue watching :)
And thumbs up for an intelligent and classy denouncement.
Just the case of Julia Boer in this vegan subcommunity. She was healthy and fit and lean; did the raw 'til 4 - got fat, bad blood sugar and etc etc etc
The annoying fact of our time is that people are lazy and want the right now solution. A speaker on youtube is there right now, a doctor usually costs money (youtube is basically free) and takes time (mweeks, months) youtube is available right now ! People are lazy .... and used to the now, fast, instant gratifification .....
Durianrider is also a preauably recovered anorexic
a raw vegan diet has been shown by doctors to be unhealthy, lol
I just found your channel and I love how sincere you are, the way in which you comunicate what you want to say. You are so clear and honest. Here you have a new follower all the way from Argentina 🙋🏻♀️
I think in her heart, Freelee has good intentions, and just wants to help others and the planet, but that being said, she needs to stop. She always says things like 'veganism cures depression'. As in, no, veganism will not cure my bipolar disorder, and it's really insensitive and ignorant to say it will.
J a e No its about Money Money Money ! Teal Swan she is not !
I am writing and trying to encourage a woman who suffers severely with anorexia. She is currently incarcerated for stabbing her mom, killing her. She was a gymnast and a cheerleader. She was always so well-liked and fun to be around. Not one you would consider a murderer. I just imagined not having enough nutrition to her brain played a role. I realize there are obviously other underlying struggles and personal pain. Am I way off about the nutrition to the brain? My thoughts weren't so different as the woman being critiqued. I am trying to learn and understand what she has gone and is going through with her eating disorder. Mia has helped a ton. Thank you, Mia.
Obviously, though this lady has terrible advice with the "just eat" mentality. Thanks, Mia.
Leanne AKA "Freelee" is using anything she can to sell her books and gain more followers. She doesn't care about anyone's suffering, it's evident just by looking at her channel content. She capitalizes on anyone's medical or social issues, using them as click bait for her own noteriety. it's shameful.
I have severe anxiety and obsessive compulsive tendencies that are caused by defective genetics. Freelee's advice is like all the people that told me "it's all in your head, just stop thinking that way and you'll be all better!" Easy, right! Yeah. Thank you Mia for making this video! You are a very strong and refreshingly honest person! I've never had an eating disorder, but I do understand not being in control of yourself or your thoughts. Maybe that's why I enjoy watching videos about other mental health issues. I think Freelee is in a denial of her own! Sugar is actually really bad for me - so her advice, if I followed it, would make me worse, not better. It's like my friend that thought smoking pot is really bad and you should just have a drink to take the edge off because that's better. Yeah, he became an alcoholic who thinks he's better than potheads.
I love you and your channel so much and THANK YOU so much for saying exactly what I’ve been getting frustrated over for so long myself - I am SO OVER these channels trying to make grand statements that they have the answer and influencing extremely impressionable young people with their complete misinformation:/ thank you so much for your amazing content, you are so wise and professional - why aren’t you working on 4 corners on the ABC or for SBS channels where they say the truth? You would be incredible x
THANK YOU! It is so hard to recover when people give us the answer in food. It takes hard work and determination to work through the mental aspects. To dare say that another diet or a juice cleanse would work is ridiculous.
Oh my god the part where she basically said ”just eat and it will be easy” almost made me cry. I’ve been in recovery for years, been eating enough for years, and I’m not close to a healthy mindset, nor close to being free of my ed.
only found your channel just now... thank god it exists!!! You're so right x
thank you!
I am a recovering anorexic- I may always be, and it is so refreshing to hear someone else speak reality on this matter. my anorexia began when I was 12 and lasted til I was 16, but at 24 I am *still* recovering because of how easy it is to relapse, even with the strongest support systems. Freelee is the most infuriating person on this platform! she thinks her ideals are God's gift to the world
Expanding on the idea where people are more willing to listen to online personality's and lowering their standards of what qualifies as medical advice;
I am still a teenager and years ago when I was very impressionable and had stomach pains, depression and began to think it was healthier to not eat than experience pain, I had very minimal health insurance and was not able to see doctors in a timely manner. This greatly soured my relationship with the medical industry. I couldn't fathom getting better, I just couldn't. My family couldn't afford the medical care and tried to convince me that everything I had just didn't exist.
That's when I fell into freelee. She gave free advice and ideas, and you know what? it did help. I binge watched her videos, it was much healthier than what I had been doing. and then I learned how to get better and get to where I am today. I have a much healthier relationship with food and now I understand the importance of fruits and vegetables.
She's just a symptom of the underlying problems people have with their food and the help that is available for them.
freelee has always been someone that just baffles me with every word that she says. also there is something that just completely stumps me which is the people who also had cancer and looked up to that girl and were getting serious medical treatment for their disease with medicine that may or may not have been working and probably costed them loads of money saw her videos and said “i want to try that” and just stopped their medication. it probably didn’t go like that but what doctor, a qualified professional, in their right mind would agree to treating cancer with a whole food diet? i just can’t grasp the thought of that.
you should like a news reporter at times :')
also, i really like how you responded to all of the nonsense freelee was saying, it was an excellent video.
i'm definitely a new subscriber (:
I'm only 12 and last year when I was 11 I got so caught up in Freelees advise that I only ate fruit till I was down 10lbs (And I was already underweight before starting the diet) 😣🥺
i love the faces you were making when freelee was talking bullshit, also i'm glad you're being respectful to eugenia and not mentioning her.
it made me so angry... I don't really have an eating disorder but I have depression, anxiety, OCD and couple other things, so I spend some time in a mental hospital and met some people with eating disorders, mainly anorexia.
Funny how one of the people I meet in hospital with anorexia used to be obsessed with healthy eating an exercise. She used to count the calories, measured nutrition, did regular blood check ups. She was REALLY healthy girls. So according to Freelee how did SHE get the eating disorder? She had all the nutrition for her brain to work, and then she started going downwards into being too obsessed with her body and fall into depression. According to what she told me, she slowly couldn't look at food. Made her healthy meal and couldn't eat it.
Another one was overall very happy and amazing person, with plans for future, good grades etc. She never was into healt and fitness much, she loved watching tv programs where they made cakes since she used to love them so much before. She just had mental disorder. She couldn't force herself eat.
So just looking at those two, and how different they are - How in anyone giving out advice to ALL people with eating disorder? Same for depression, anxiety, OCD, insomnia etc. People have so many different reasons, they go through it differently. There is no one magical cure. Even something as simple as cough may have different reasons and need different remedies.
amen! finally someone says this that way! thank you!
Love love love your videos. I came across your channel when doing research into bulimia for a job and found you so inspiring. I really appreciate people like you putting yourselves up for scrutiny on a difficult platform because you want to help people and make the world a little better. Please keep fighting the good fight!
OMG THANK YOU FOR THIS MIAA!
Freelee doesn't seem to have any idea how the human body and mind works. Awesome video very well done 👍🏼
I am just stumbling across this video, but Gaaaah I am so appreciative of you. Thank you!
I do believe that Freelee is correct in saying that she needs a proper diet (by diet I do mean way of eating not society's take on the word). She is coming at it from a dietitian only standpoint. I do definitely agree that eating disorders are not just physical and require treatment from both angles. Sadly, I know that vegans are very quick to be judgmental about the way a person chooses to eat and they will wave that flag and almost beat you with it, if you don't do it the way they want you to, instead of encouraging you to eat in the manner that you feel you should to find healing.Given the current state of insurance and medical care in the US, it can sometimes be very difficult to get diagnosed and to find a treatment team that will actually work with the client. As a secondary option, I have always suggested setting up a personal meal plan and using a journal, along with the support of as much family and friends as a person can gain. Yes, believe it or not some people in the United States still don't have medical coverage. Some medical coverage will not cover a dietitian or treatment facility. As I say that is a secondary measure if they don't have some way of utilizing the medical and psychological community.I will go so far as to say I'm not sure that many therapists in the psychological community have a decent amount of understanding about eating disorders. I believe that many dietitians also lack the understanding someone with an eating disorder needs in order to recover as they should. It can be very difficult to find just the right fit for the client and the team needed to treat eating disorders. Each person with an eating disorder is so very unique and so their recovery has to be very personalized or it will not service them down the road as it should.
Nicole Hall The thing is though, she is not a qualified dietician
Neither are many of the people out there advising others to go vegan. I didn't say she was a qualified dietitian all I said was that she was correct in saying she needed a proper diet. I'm not a proper dietitian but I was able to formulate a meal plan that got me eating 3 meals a day on a regular basis. I did my own research and while there are times where I may lack certain nutrients, at least try. A lot of the times people cannot really afford to go see a dietitian and so they have to depend on knowledge that is out there. I never said that she was a very good source of information just that I am not going to tear her down because she believes the person should have a proper diet.
People with eating disorder don't need a "dietitian"! They need treatment because it is MENTAL illness.
They die from not eating and gettin as skinny as a stick and still even knowing they are dying they refuse to eat food. You need to understand the seriousness of the disorder.
Mothers begging their child to eat fearing it can die everyday and even that is not enough to make them change their lifestyle. Do you actually believe is that "easy" JUST to go live with a stranger and eat a proper diet ??
I beg to differ. People with eating disorders need a dietitian, they also need therapy. They do not always need to be put in a facility. I will also tell you that I came out of my eating disorder without any therapy or dietitian or anything from a professional. My doctor is aware of my eating disorder and has diagnosed it but I was the one that started the meal planning, I was the one that started using my journal and I was blessed with support from my family and an online support group. I will also tell you that not everyone with an eating disorder is skinny, some of them are obese and have difficulty losing weight and so they turned to disordered behaviours.
And when did I say that anybody should go live with Freelee? All I said was I agree that people with eating disorders do need a proper and balanced diet every day, I was agreeing with that much of what Freelee said. That was it and please don't put words in my mouth. As far as it being easy, I can tell you how "easy" I had it and how much hell I went through. If you don't think I understand what it's like to have an eating disorder you are severely mistaken.
Ani - I have an ED. And actually.. Yes, dietician are crucial members of an eating disordered patient treatment team. My experience with recovery confirmed for me, that treatment for EDs must be a multi specialty approach. My recovery house program consists of a Psychiatrist, a dietician/nutritionist (licensed), a medical dr, and a addictions/interventionist and support groups focused on EDs. Its been a year, and while I am not as healthy as I could be, and a lot of my eating choices are still disordered, I can at least recognize when Im not making healthy choices.. Im also glad that at least I have eaten SOMETHING everyday.