231. Let Go of Toxic Striving & Start Living Your Life with Dr. Paula Freedman-Diamond

“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

“If someone believes that the body they have today, at this very moment, is a good body that deserves kindness and respect and care, then they’re more likely to make choices nutritionally that help their body feel good or engage in movement to feel good in their body without punishment.” What if some of the things you’ve been taught about weight loss, movement, and health aren’t quite as straightforward as they seem? In this episode, I’m answering three juicy intuitive eating and anti-diet questions from my Rebel listeners, covering calorie deficits and the risks of restriction, finding movement you actually enjoy, and whether intuitive eating and body positivity can support physical health. My answers might surprise you, but my goal is always to give you the information and tools to feel more empowered in the choices you make around food, movement, and your body. ✅ What You'll Learn: Why a calorie deficit isn’t as simple or risk-free as diet culture makes it seem How restriction can affect hunger, food thoughts, energy, and disordered eating behaviors What might be underneath a negative relationship with movement How to shift exercise away from punishment, guilt, shame, and body control How intuitive eating and a more neutral relationship with your body can support physical health Why it’s important to release the expectation that there’s one “right” way to eat, move, or care for your body

“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