Alivia D’Andrea

[DietGossip]

Some thoughts on E2
-If she isn't working with Steve then she did no research into getting herself a personal trainer/nutritionist beyond googling 'pt la skinny celebrity' or watching those Buzzfeed/Gabbie Hanna videos (I forget which one is the qualified one in the US? Nutritionist or Dietitian?)

- I think she isn't going to break this gain/lose cycle any time soon and we should not be glorifying this. This is what women who do things like weight watchers, slimming world and other fad/crash diets do. It's unhealthy and it needs to stop.

- Some of the rules Steve gave her are super questionable. RICE IS GOOD IT IS A SOURCE OF CARBS YOU NEED FOR ENERGY AND EASY TO DIGEST. Stop the demonisation of carbs 2021

- "how I rewired my brain not to want sugar" ugh I just know that'll be bad when she releases that video - She just wants to be skinny, that's what all of this is about and all her fans are just enabling her in this desire to be small, but like I said she's just going to keep going round in circles

- I'm not quite educated enough, but a lot of what Steve is saying sounds like BS- things about eating certain things to get into the fat burning zone? - Steve is talking about abs: abs are only visible at low body fat, even if you train them 7 days a week if you carry fat on your stomach you will not see them. It is incredibly dangerous for the majority of women to get to a body fat low enough to have 24/7 visible abs

- "your body gets bored" no your body gets used to it. That's why progressive overload is important in your training. When gyms are open I squat/deadlift 3x a week at least, always to a certain percentage of my max lifts, increasing volume or weight dependent on what my coach tells me. You can get results doing the same thing, but you need to push yourself to improve.

- "what you're eating turns to fat" apparently you magically create body fat when you undereat- this is bullshit. Your body does not just "turn things" to fat. Fat cells exist in your body and grow and shrink based on calorie intake.

 

[moon08]

This girl annoys me so much. I had BED for 7 years, I found the first season of glow up diaries relatable but now that I am recovered I find her videos unwatchable. Seeing her binging and talking bad about herself makes me too uncomfortable so I don't watch her anymore but I saw this "how did I go from this to this" short on my front page so I clicked on it and I just snapped lmao. I wouldn't mind her content existing out there on the internet because showing your ED behaviors and recognizing them as unhealthy will help other people who struggle with the same thing not feel alone but my issue is that she doesn't do it. It's not the old footage that does harm but the present one. Thinking that you can push through BED using strong will or a specific diet and achieve your "body goals" is a damn lie that everyone who has BED believes in and that's exactly what she's selling! I do not wish her to relapse but her content will keep her viewers stuck in the binge-restrict cycle and it's sad to watch.
Now when it comes to this yt short, it made me so mad because her journey was so long and ugly yet she decided to post this little video "how did I go from this to this" like she didn't spend years binging and restricting. No mention of a mindset change, just pictures of her body. Because apparently, the goal of recovering from an unhealthy relationship with food is getting a new body and not a new mindset. I literally saw comments saying "ok but tell us how did you do it", obviously these people aren't going to watch hours of her crying and talking bad about herself on her channel, they will just think it was a flawless and linear weight loss journey and she's proud of it. Disgusting

 

[anjalism]

TW: ED, mental health
hello everyone! i didn't know alivia had her own thread
oh gosh, where do i start?
like some of you, i started watching her videos around 2018-2019ish, i think it was around the beginning of the first season of the glow up diaries that she had a couple of viral videos that apparently everyone got recommended by youtube itself, or at least that's how i met her videos

then she stopped posting more episodes, but during 2020 she filmed other different videos about how to boost your self esteem, healthy recipes and so on (which didn't went as good as the series but anyways)
now, looking at season 2 and looking at all that raw footage from last year, she was clearly not okay but still doing those motivational videos, i guess for monetary reasons (most of them were sponsored)

looking back at her instagram, she only posted a picture in 2020 (and it was about her breakfast that day), or maybe she removed every post from 2020, either way, it is very concerning, because the image she tries to sell on instagram, doesn't match the one she shows on youtube

on instagram you can see her being very thin, skinny, doing yoga poses, her in shanghai (that was ages ago right? why doesn't she acknowledge that or at least tag it as a throwback?).
in the first episode of season 2, she even posted about going to a ballet performance in which she couldn't stop thinking about food and dessert, while on instagram, she posted just the highlights, her next to the orchestra, looking good and fine (here: )

i must admit that i have never experienced an ED in my life, but still, i noticed that something was wrong about her series. after finishing the first episode of season 2, i read through her comments and man, people were concerned. everyone noticed she has clearly a mental illness and that she should go to therapy.

i was about to continue the series, watching the recently released episode 2, but before watching it i scrolled down to the comments and people were taken aback by the video..."this should be tagged as TW" "please, go to therapy" "you have switched your binge eating disorder to orthorexia"....etc. etc. apparently at some point in her video (and as some of you have noticed in her IG live) she's against therapy because she thinks that with good motivational quotes and some strength she can get over anything

i'm really concerned and worried now. she seems very reluctant to accept others' opinions, constructive criticisms and advices, but she needs help.

Her family’s reaction to her weight gain was so disgusting. And she wasn’t even fat!!! It wasn’t like she was obese. This was so hard to watch. She really needs some help with this issue because battling an ED with a bunch if pinterest quotes or books isn’t gonna help. If she doesn’t believe in therapy she should also not believe in posting publicly and influence young girls to watch this fabricated load of negative body image.

 

[Magallanes]

TW: ED, mental health
hello everyone! i didn't know alivia had her own thread
oh gosh, where do i start?
like some of you, i started watching her videos around 2018-2019ish, i think it was around the beginning of the first season of the glow up diaries that she had a couple of viral videos that apparently everyone got recommended by youtube itself, or at least that's how i met her videos

then she stopped posting more episodes, but during 2020 she filmed other different videos about how to boost your self esteem, healthy recipes and so on (which didn't went as good as the series but anyways)
now, looking at season 2 and looking at all that raw footage from last year, she was clearly not okay but still doing those motivational videos, i guess for monetary reasons (most of them were sponsored)

looking back at her instagram, she only posted a picture in 2020 (and it was about her breakfast that day), or maybe she removed every post from 2020, either way, it is very concerning, because the image she tries to sell on instagram, doesn't match the one she shows on youtube

on instagram you can see her being very thin, skinny, doing yoga poses, her in shanghai (that was ages ago right? why doesn't she acknowledge that or at least tag it as a throwback?).
in the first episode of season 2, she even posted about going to a ballet performance in which she couldn't stop thinking about food and dessert, while on instagram, she posted just the highlights, her next to the orchestra, looking good and fine (here: )

i must admit that i have never experienced an ED in my life, but still, i noticed that something was wrong about her series. after finishing the first episode of season 2, i read through her comments and man, people were concerned. everyone noticed she has clearly a mental illness and that she should go to therapy.

i was about to continue the series, watching the recently released episode 2, but before watching it i scrolled down to the comments and people were taken aback by the video..."this should be tagged as TW" "please, go to therapy" "you have switched your binge eating disorder to orthorexia"....etc. etc. apparently at some point in her video (and as some of you have noticed in her IG live) she's against therapy because she thinks that with good motivational quotes and some strength she can get over anything

i'm really concerned and worried now. she seems very reluctant to accept others' opinions, constructive criticisms and advices, but she needs help.

 

[Millie_moo52]

This girl is delusional! When she first started the glow up diaries I (could be wrong) thought it was because she wanted to lose a few pounds and regain a healthy balanced diet after breaking her leg and eating junk food while on bed rest.
This girls relationship with food is not normal and she's getting away with posting video after video of her unhealthy habits with exercise and food on YouTube. I personally feel like her videos need reporting as I imagine for those suffering with ED's, video's like this could be triggering, not to mention the impression it could give young people who might take these video's as gospel on losing weight. She acts like she knows what she is talking about but she hasn't got a clue. Theres no progress in her episodes, its one step forward and two back. She should be talking to a therapist instead of posting unhealthy, triggering content to the Internet

 

[babygoats]

Sigh. So she's "redoing" the newest "season" of "glow up diaries".

1)That's what you get for pretentiously calling your vlogs episodes and seasons. TV shows have seasons and episodes, because they are all scripted, structured and pre-made before release. She's just making it up as she goes.
2)She'll do anything not to include content warnings and reassess her toxic and outdated attitutes towards mental health. And her weird little fans will attack anyone who dares say something critical.

 

[mewzy]

This girl is delusional! When she first started the glow up diaries I (could be wrong) thought it was because she wanted to lose a few pounds and regain a healthy balanced diet after breaking her leg and eating junk food while on bed rest.
This girls relationship with food is not normal and she's getting away with posting video after video of her unhealthy habits with exercise and food on YouTube. I personally feel like her videos need reporting as I imagine for those suffering with ED's, video's like this could be triggering, not to mention the impression it could give young people who might take these video's as gospel on losing weight. She acts like she knows what she is talking about but she hasn't got a clue. Theres no progress in her episodes, its one step forward and two back. She should be talking to a therapist instead of posting unhealthy, triggering content to the Internet

I agree with this so much! As someone who has issues with binge eating I can say that what she is doing is just getting rid of the effects of the illness and not actually getting help. Also, she is posting the videos for money, people love to watch train wrecks and I think she is abusing that....
I remember her posting a video in autumn last year with healthy habits to lose weight and from her now I'm gathering that she was at her worst at that time....So you gave advice that you yourself weren't using?

 

[Dillydally]

I've caught up on the first three episodes of the new and improved glow up diaries. Some thoughts:
- the overall editing and flow of this series is way better this time around. Alivia is a very talented lady, that is for sure.
- in episode one, I got really excited because I thought she was going to say "every time you see this sign, take a moment to check in with yourself because these topics can be triggering". Instead it was a check in to "hydrate" and an advert for a water bottle she will be selling.
- on that note, it really does feel much more commercial than the first version. There's a lot of glow up merch. Episode 3 was literally one third intro, one third Skillshare ad, and one third new content. Not mad at Alivia for running her business, but it does leave me feeling a bit strange...
- Alivia added a trigger warning at the beginning of episode 2, yay!...
- ...but she then gave a quick shout-out to why therapy wasn't her path and why it doesn't work. I want to touch on this for a sec because this is my biggest problem with Alivia's content: she is dishing out advice everywhere and posing as something of an expert through experience - she is paid a lot of money by sponsors to influence people because she is highly influential - so she is not merely "sharing her journey". Slating therapy is a bad move, especially as it's not something she has ever actually done to any significant degree. Therapy can work, but it a) takes time, and b) can sometimes be difficult to find the right therapist and the right treatment. There are a tonne of different therapies and therapists out there! The way Alivia talks about therapy reminds me of when addicts refuse to go to treatment programmes because "they just don't work for me".
- I think the ED talk is a lot less, but I don't have an ED and am not an expert, so the content may actually be a lot more triggering than I realise. I will say that whilst the notes to hydrate seem harmless, I'm wondering if there's an ED-esque narrative underlying them because one of her tips is to "always drink water when eating a dessert". You don't need to satiate your appetite with zero calorie liquid every time you eat something on your "naughty food" list.
- Alivia says that experiencing pain when cutting a pineapple demonstrates her low pain threshold. Not sure if this is building to her Goggins makeover later on, but there are scientific studies indicating that people with high anxiety levels have lower pain thresholds, which could well apply to Alivia.
- overall, I appreciate that Alivia does seem to have taken much of people's feedback on board.

Would love to know what other people feel about the series thus far.

 

[mewzy]

Is anyone keeping up with Season 2 of the Glowup Diaries? She announced she would post episode 2 on Sunday, then postponed for tomorrow(aka Monday) and now it is Tuesday and she still hasn't posted it. So you will post it on Wednesday like it was scheduled originally? Just don't say anything if you know you're still irresponsible....Also she made a post on her community tab on YouTube that she doesn't have Binge Eating Disorder or any other disorder because she is STRONG and doesn't want to "identify with the disorder"........Girl you do realise you probably have it and also BED is caused by emotional/mental factors, you can't just get through it by "being strong" and forcing yourself not to binge...She is only glowing up in the sense that she is losing weight, not in the emotional and mental sphere......

 

[missmina]

I only watched a bits of her videos cause they're fucking long but gosh what a trainwreck. At this point I have no idea what is going on anymore. She definitely needs help but help of a professional instead of that weirdo guy.
Also she's an example that these deep videos with wanna be inspirational voice overs are a total bullshit cause there is a total trainwreck behind them. I still wish her well tho just hoping it won't trigger anyone who sees her videos by mistake.

 

[babygoats]

She uploaded a redo of her "season 2" intro, shortly deleted it, now it's up, but the comments are turned off. Girl... If you don't want to take people's opinions, sure, but just stick to what you do then, don't be like this.

 

[Lolhaha]

I forgot that I subscribed to her and decided to have a look at her content again: It's literally a pro ED account.
Every video is about weight, food or something that relates to them. And it will not change with this *newly edited* season 2.

She needs help, but I don't think she will get any - her mentality isn't the same as Eugenias, but her content is the same if not worse. She is being manipulative to her young audience.

It's hard seeing so many young girls and guys be manipulated into thinking this type of relationship with food and weight and her obsession with eating disorders is normal. I want to stop this content, but I don't know what we can do.

 

[candlelightparty]

I only watched the first episode but that was enough. The video was nearly 40 minutes long and all I can remember is her talking about how she wants to be STRONG and not weak! It‘s not the end of the world to admit that you‘re having a hard time. It doesn‘t make you weak. It makes you human. Honestly, watching the video made me feel weird and I don‘t struggle with an ED. Constantly listening to her made me feel bad about myself a tiny bit. The way her family talked to her is truly awful. „You have so much potential but you cover it up with glasses and greasy hair.“ something along those lines was said by her sister. That‘s just awful. It‘s also really odd to me that she gets extremely defensive in her community postings. I get it, you‘re young and hearing a hundred times over that people don‘t agree with you and think you have an issue is hard. But Alivia isn‘t accomplishing anything with her responses!

 

[babygoats]

The way she arranges her supposed life experience in "seasons" seemed interesting to me in the beginning, but now it is clear she has no idea what she is doing with it.
Her whole outlook on life and weight is so twisted, and she always responds really defensively and negatively to comments expressing opposing views. Like, ok, she wants to push the whole "get yourself together, idiot" tough love narrative and always says that that's what worked for her. But she has never once fully shown how her life has actually improved. All the footage is seemingly at least a year old and shows gruelling work and no enjoyment of life whatsoever.

 

[babygoats]

Lol at how defensive she gets in I don't know which youtube "community post" in a row since the last video. She's saying that people basically don't have the right to voice their opposing opinions because it is her life and her story. It might be her story (which she has completely messed up with the division in "seasons" that makes no sense anymore), but it is in no way her "real" life.

She films and edits the things that she chooses. She chooses to film herself working out to exhaustion and she chooses to film herself eating. She chooses the camera angles and stops whatever she is doing to at least check if the camera is still on and so on.

How could she possibly stop "binge eating" if she needs the footage? Or, alternatively, if she truly wants to stop and feels compelled to eat even with the filming and planning her "glowup", that's like an actual mental disorder short of needing hospitalization.

 

[Dillydally]

I watched Alivia's new intro to season 2, and I am concerned and confused. For a moment I was hopeful when she said that the being harsh on herself wasn't sustainable, which is great messaging for anyone suffering with debilitating mental health problems. I mean, if we could all will ourselves into great health we wouldn't need doctors and there would be no disease in the world! There certainly wouldn't be a need for dieticians, recovery groups, therapists, etc.

However, Alivia then spoke about how the issue is that we didn't see how she was "too soft" on herself at the beginning. She seems completely unaware that she was likely having brutally harsh thoughts behind these "soft" ones: you cannot speak of treating yourself like garbage, and then claim that you were being kind to yourself. People don't have low self-esteem because they're "too nice" and "too soft" on themselves. Yet the solution for Alivia, according to this intro, was to simply integrate being "a flower" and "steel", and thus becoming a "flower with steel on the inside." I'm intrigued as to what this means but also concerned that it could well be the original ED-esque messaging tied up in a new bow that could be very triggering; self-parenting and self-love don't really go well with terms like "being made of steel". Also, Alivia chose to emphasise Goggins and that PT's strict diet regime in her first version, so I don't see how she can change that truth (as an aside, that PT makes me cringe every time I see him on YT - Obesetobeast did a great breakdown of why he's not necessarily great).

This is all purely speculative, of course, and I have no idea what Alivia's thoughts are. I am not a therapist. I say all this because I have long-term recovery from mental health issues, and part of staying well for me is trying my best to see and breakdown these sorts of messages so I don't become unconsciously triggered. I don't have an ED but, like most women, find that diet industry messaging triggers unhelpful thought patterns.

I was wondering if it was wrong of me to comment about Alivia on this forum as she seems quite fragile in a lot of ways, and I don't want to post things that could harm her. However, I know that she is attracting a lot of followers with EDs who might need to look for safe spaces that are highlighting some of the disordered, triggering messages in her content. Looking at this forum, it's clear that this the case. I also forget that Alivia is older than she looks - she sometimes looks like a teenager - and I think that's why there aren't many active forums or discussions about her content. Holding an adult content creator accountable is very different to holding a minor accountable. I really hope that as season 2 unfolds, members on here can have helpful discussions that can provide some support .

 

[Dillydally]

Is it just me, or does Alivia's new video not have any of the concerned comments? It's the same on her Instagram. Is she deleting them now?

What did everyone think of episode 3? I didn't think it was as bad as the first two episodes, but there were still moments I can imagine being incredibly triggering for those with EDs.

I am also not the biggest fan of David Goggins. Aspects of his mindset can be used positively, but I am not convinced it leads to a loving, compassionate and caring mindset towards the self or others.

 

[Marie_10]

looks like she's now making a part two of her Glow Up diaries. I just find it weird that these videos are filmed a whole year prior... Makes it seem like this is all planned and scripted, not her real struggles? Idk. I just feel like she's milking her ED problems for views and money?

 

[GlendaMacintosh]

Anyone see Alivia's latest stories?

The need for external validation is something I totally sympathise with and understand. There's something about Alivia outright requesting it - particularly in conjunction with the artwork - that breaks my heart. When you do creative work, you have to accept a lot of people aren't going to like what you do or agree with your messaging. Sometimes it's a difference of opinion that you can't do much about, other times it's useful feedback you can actually use and should act on. E.g. even if she doesn't want to change her perspective, Alivia could incorporate trigger warnings into her videos.

I really do think influencing is a very unhealthy career path if you don't have appropriate mental health support. Aside from the trauma of receiving genuine hate messages and death threats, the amount of feedback on social media is incredibly overwhelming, and I think this is why so many influencers end up regarding even constructive feedback as "hate" or "negativity". I get a lot of feedback on my work, but I don't get it from thousands of people through instant comments and messages on multiple platforms. Configuring healthy filtering systems is not an easy task for anyone, but it's essential if influencers are to be simultaneously socially responsible and not overwhelmed.

I also imagine Alivia receives a lot of creepy messages from men, especially after announcing the concept for a dating series. I really, really hope she drops the idea for the sake of her mental and physical safety.

She didn’t change, she didn’t fix the root of the problem, she just lost weight. *sigh*

 

[DietGossip]

Obesetobeast posted a video about Alivia. Haven‘t watched it yet because it‘s 40 minutes long. Based off of the title I assume he will heavily critique her

It's not that he's criticising her as a person, he criticises the misinformation and triggering content. He even gave a trigger warning before he properly began, which she is still refusing to do.