276. Calorie Deficits, Hating Exercise, and the Health Benefits of Intuitive Eating (Q&A)

“It’s not that the food’s bringing me any emotions. It’s that I’m actually able to feel the emotions of the place that I’m at and the thing that I’m doing.” How many people in your life really know about your struggles with food? In this episode, I’m talking with Kelsey, a Diet Culture Rebel client, about the food guilt, restriction, and diet culture rules she spent years navigating behind the scenes. She shares what her journey with intuitive eating has looked like and how working with a dietitian has helped her find more flexibility, trust, and enjoyment around food. Her story is a reminder that healing your relationship with food doesn’t have to be perfect, and it starts with one small step at a time. ✅ What You'll Learn: How food guilt and restriction can become a cycle that feels difficult to break The ways diet culture can influence what we think “healthy eating” should look like Why intuitive eating can feel unfamiliar when you’ve spent years following food rules How working with a dietitian can support you in creating a different relationship with food What it can look like to move toward more neutrality and flexibility with eating Why healing your relationship with food doesn’t have to mean doing it perfectly

“Taking the first step is always intimidating, whether it’s to therapy, or whether it’s to finding a non-traditional fitness space for you to feel safe, heard, and acknowledged in.” You can love fitness, but hate the anti-fat bias and weight stigma that is baked into so much of it. Today I’m talking with Wendy Welsher, a USA Weightlifting Level Two coach, masters athlete, and founder of My Jam, about finding your way back to fitness and building a healthier relationship with movement. Wendy shares her experiences with weight stigma, anti-fat bias, diet culture, and eating disorder recovery, and how she created a safe fitness space for people who have felt excluded or harmed by traditional fitness environments. Wendy reminds us that there isn’t a single right way to move your body, and showing curiosity instead of judgment is the first step toward building strength. ✅ What You'll Learn: How anti-fat bias and weight stigma can affect your relationship with exercise and fitness spaces Why movement doesn't have to be punishment Using rest, recovery, fueling, and body awareness to better support your relationship with movement How strength training can help you feel strong, capable, and more connected to your body Why there is no single "right" way for movement to look, and how to experiment with what works for your body Practical ways to find fitness spaces and practitioners that align with your values and help you feel safe, supported, and welcome

“A nutrition facts label for one particular food cannot take the context of your meal or day of eating into account.” Nutrition labels can provide useful information, but they can also become a source of food rules, guilt, and shame when diet culture takes over. In this episode, I’m breaking down where the 2,000-calorie reference point came from, why serving sizes are not recommendations for how much you should eat, and how to use nutrition labels in a way that supports nourishment rather than restriction. We’ll also talk about when nutrition labels can be helpful, when they may be doing more harm than good, and how to let your body’s hunger, fullness, and energy cues have a say in how you eat. ✅ What You'll Learn: Why the 2,000-calorie reference point on nutrition labels does not represent the individual energy needs of most people Why a serving size is a reference amount, not a rule or recommendation for how much you should eat How to use nutrition labels to help you add nutrition, energy, fiber, or protein instead of focusing on what you should restrict How to recognize when nutrition labels are overriding your hunger and fullness cues or contributing to guilt, shame, and food rules Why the information on a nutrition label lacks the context of your individual needs, hunger, fullness, and overall meal or day of eating How food neutrality and body attunement can help you decide whether nutrition labels are actually supportive for you right now

“As human beings, we’re complex. There’s lots of nuance in all of this. Healing takes time, it’s not linear.” In this replay episode, I’m joined by Dr. Rachel Millner to talk about setting realistic expectations about what healing your relationship with food and your body can really look like. As a psychotherapist and fat activist helping others recover from chronic dieting, disordered eating, and eating disorders, she explains why healing often isn’t linear, and why letting go of food rules can feel so uncomfortable. She also shares what to look for when choosing a therapist, and the three things that were most helpful in her own recovery from food struggles. It’s a realistic but encouraging conversation that will help you see what’s possible when food no longer takes up so much mental space! ✅ What You'll Learn: Why healing your relationship with food is not a linear process How letting go of food rules can feel uncomfortable, even when it’s helping you heal What realistic expectations for healing your relationship with food and your body can look like What to look for when choosing a therapist or dietitian The three things that were most helpful in Dr. Rachel’s own recovery What becomes possible when food no longer takes up so much mental space

“The goal is not to never think about food. Food is a part of life, we have to think about food sometimes. The goal instead is for food thoughts to take up an appropriate amount of space in your brain, instead of feeling constant, urgent, critical, or all-consuming.” In this Q&A episode, I’m answering three questions that come up often when people are trying to break free from diet culture: Can you reduce food noise without medication? How do you let go of weighing, measuring, and tracking your food? And how can you navigate anxiety and overeating when you’re eating around other people? I’m breaking down how restriction and food rules can contribute to constant thoughts about food, why stepping away from tracking can feel so uncomfortable, and how to begin rebuilding trust in your hunger and fullness cues. I also share practical strategies for social situations, including how to get curious about what’s driving overeating and challenge the beliefs that keep you stuck in the cycle. ✅ What You'll Learn: Why food noise can be connected to restriction, inconsistent nourishment, and deeply ingrained food rules How to distinguish normal thoughts about food from food noise that feels constant, critical, or all-consuming Practical steps for gradually moving away from weighing, measuring, and tracking food while rebuilding trust with your body How hunger and fullness check-ins can help you develop the skills needed for more intuitive eating Why you might overeat or experience food anxiety in social situations, and how to identify what is driving it Mindset shifts and practical strategies for eating around other people with more confidence and less pressure to control your food