Ep 66- Stop Dieting Without Gaining Weight
May 15, 2025
If you’ve ever thought you had to pick between becoming an intuitive eater or losing weight, this episode is going to blow your mind.
I’m breaking down a coaching session I had this week with a client who was terrified to give up dieting out of fear of gaining weight.
Spoiler alert: You don't have to choose between food freedom and a healthy body. They’re actually the same path!
Tune in to hear:
Why dieting doesn’t work for weight loss
How natural eating can still lead to weight loss (without obsession)
The real reason “listening to your body” failed before
Why you CAN trust your hunger and fullness signals (yes, even with chips and cookies!)
How I lost 30 pounds eating dessert every day 🍪🍰
The Truth About Intuitive Eating and Weight Loss
If you are thinking you have to choose between being a natural eater or losing weight, that is a thought error. You are actually on the same path whether you want to stop dieting or lose weight.
When someone comes to me saying they want to lose weight or someone else wants to stop overeating and eat more intuitively, I give them the exact same coaching.
To lose weight, you have to stop overeating. You have to listen to your hunger and fullness. You have to eat mostly whole foods, enjoy fun foods in amounts that feel good, and move your body in a way that feels fun.
These are the same steps either way. Food freedom and weight loss are not two separate things. They are the same journey.
If You Are Binge Eating, You Are Not at Your Natural Weight
I get it. You are scared. You might think if you start listening to your body, you are just going to keep gaining weight. Or you are stuck at this weight forever.
But if you are binge eating, you are not at your natural weight. That is not the weight your body wants to stay at. Your set point weight comes after months of listening to your hunger and fullness around 90 percent of the time.
You are not a failure because dieting has not worked. Dieting is what got you here. If it worked, you would already be happy and healthy and done with this.
If you tried intuitive eating and felt like it did not work, it is likely because you did not have the right support or mindset. You were trying to action your way through it without doing the internal mindset work.
You Can Eat Chips and Cookies and Still Lose Weight
One of the things my client said today was she felt like she would never lose weight if she kept eating foods like chips and cookies.
And I have totally been there. I used to think the only way to lose weight was to be good all the time. That it would mean chicken and broccoli forever.
But here is the truth. You can lose weight and still eat the foods you love. People lose weight all the time eating dessert. Some people count calories and still have donuts and cookies and lose weight.
You do not need to count calories to know this because your body already has a built in natural calorie counter. Your hunger and fullness cues are real. They are part of your DNA.
Yes, chips did not exist a thousand years ago, but your body still knows how to handle them. If you eat a whole bag and feel gross afterward, that is your body giving you information. It is communicating with you.
I Lost 30 Pounds Eating Dessert Every Day
I used to believe dessert was poison. That it would make me gain weight. So every time I had it, I went all in. I binged. I would eat thousands of calories and feel awful.
Once I stopped labeling food as good or bad and learned to have dessert in moderation, everything changed. That is what I teach inside the Confident Eater Program. You learn to include fun foods in a slow, controlled way using your own body as your guide. You learn how to dismiss urges and trust yourself again.
I did it. My clients have done it. You can do it too.
Try a New Way Instead of Another Diet
If your diet brain is still active, I want you to put those thoughts in a box and put it away for now. Try my method for six months. Give it everything you’ve got.
If at the end of six months you truly feel it is not working, you can go back to dieting. You are allowed to do that. But if you have been dieting for years and it has not worked, maybe now is the time to try something new.
Try trusting your body. Try focusing on your habits instead of a number on a scale.
Imagine Feeling Free Around Food
Imagine waking up and not feeling heavy or guilty from the night before. Imagine going out to eat and not stressing over what is on the menu.
The other night I went out to Mexican food with my family. I had three chips. Just three. Because I genuinely did not want more. That would never have been the case before. But I was excited for the meal, and I wanted to feel good eating it.
That is what freedom feels like. It is not about restriction. It is about connection with your body.
Final Thoughts
You do not need to pick between intuitive eating and weight loss. You can have both.
Focus on building natural eating habits. Learn to trust your hunger and fullness. That is the path to permanent, lasting food freedom.
If you want support, join the Confident Eater Program. I can help you do this.
I am off to enjoy my weekend and go skiing. And guess what? I do not have to stress about food. And that is possible for you too.
I 100 percent promise you.