Internalized weight bias: What it is & how to heal from it
Diet culture can live inside your head. Learn how internalized weight bias impacts body image and health, and explore a weight-inclusive path forward.
Why weight loss isn’t the key to better health (and what is)
Does weight loss equal health? Learn why the weight-inclusive approach is a more effective, research-backed way to support your physical and mental well-being.
Self-care tips for stress: how to nourish yourself when life is hard
Self-care is extra important in times of uncertainty. I’m always an advocate of physical and emotional self-care, because if you don’t take care of yourself, who will? So here's some food for thought, as well as some self-care tips for creating or refining an overall self-care practice that’s right for you.
Reclaiming movement: how to exercise while fat
Exercising in a larger body can feel daunting in today's fitness culture. Discover how to exercise while fat without focusing on weight loss. Learn to ditch the "waiting room" mentality and reclaim joyful movement.
Interoception vs. Self-Objectification: How to Reclaim Your Body
Trapped in a cycle of self-objectification? Discover how shifting from self-objectification to interoception can help you heal from diet culture, reconnect with your body, and eat intuitively.
When your body doesn’t ‘look’ like your eating disorder
Think you need to be underweight to have an eating disorder? Learn the hidden signs of atypical anorexia, the dangers of weight bias, and how to find healing.
Why restricting sugar actually makes you crave it more
How do you break the cycle of urgent sugar cravings? It sounds counterintuitive, but the answer is unconditional permission to eat.
Freak out when you don’t eat perfectly ‘healthy’? Consider orthorexia
Does this sound like you? You value eating healthy, so you spend a lot of time
Muddling your way through the ‘messy middle’ of habit change
A key part of habit change is awareness. If we’re not aware of our habits, we can't change them. But there’s a problem with awareness...the messy middle.
Intuitive Eating 101: It’s More Than Just ‘Eating When Hungry’
If you feel like diet and weight loss medication talk is everywhere all the time and you’re sick of it, intuitive eating be an attractive, enticing option. Unfortunately, there’s a common misconception that intuitive eating is just the “hunger and fullness diet.”
What is a nutrition therapist? Maybe not what you think!
Nutrition therapy can feel similar to mental health therapy. That’s because what you eat isn’t just about the food. It’s also about why you eat, how you eat, where you eat, and so on.
This year, take a thoughtful, intuitive approach to holiday eating
Between holiday parties, cookie-baking coworkers, peppermint lattes and family members pushing second (or third) helpings at the holiday table, it’s easy to fall prey to one of two extremes: plunging into overindulgence or retreating into restriction.
“I won’t be happy until I have my 19-year-old body back”
If you’ve ever said, "I want my teenage body back,"you’re not alone. But there is no universe in which you will have that body back...not even close.
Will weight loss make you healthier? Good question.
If you’re trying to lose weight, is it for appearance, or is it for health? I encounter many people who on one hand, say they know that dieting isn’t good, but that’s OK because they want to lose weight to be healthier. But the intentional pursuit of weight loss is not a harmless escapade.
Are you really what you eat? Let’s take a look
This post is part of my “Know Better, Do Better” series, in which I revisit an old blog post that makes me cringe because my thinking has evolved substantially since I wrote it. I wrote the original post in 2012. Please enjoy my snarky current day comments, aimed at my past self (but with compassion).
Why try cultivating self-compassion? It’s one key to true health
Research shows that self-compassion is important for mental and emotional health and well-being as well as for physical health. Learn how to cultivate more self-compassion in your own life.
Are body concerns getting in the way of your life?
Our bodies carry us through this world — aren’t you glad you aren’t just a mass of free-floating consciousness? — but they can also hold us back. Often, that’s not because of our bodies, per se, but because of our mindset.
The damage of diet culture affects more than dieters
Why diet culture causes harm to everyone, even if you've never dieted. How? By impacting relationships, affecting how you view food and your body, and warping your view of what it means to be healthy.
Is it possible to feel physically comfortable at a higher weight?
Someone asked me recently if it’s possible to feel comfortable physically at a weight that is higher than you have ever been. As with so many questions, the short answer is, “Yes,” but the long answer is highly nuanced.
What makes intuitive eating easier, or harder, in post-menopausal women?
I’ve seen up close and personal how intuitive eating has helped many of my clients develop a peaceful, balanced relationship with food. I’ve also seen how the path to adopting intuitive eating can be quite different in young adult women than it is for women in midlife or older.
Eating disorders are underdiagnosed. Stereotypes play a big role.
It’s estimated that 9% of Americans* will develop an eating disorder in their lifetime, but a fraction of those will receive a diagnosis, and even fewer will receive effective treatment. Why is it so hard to diagnose an eating disorder? Eating disorder stereotypes are one obstacle.
Your doctor recommended a GLP-1 for weight loss. Now what?
You’re in the exam room at your doctor’s office. Maybe it’s for an annual check-up. Maybe you’re there for a specific concern. Then it happens. They recommend a GLP-1 for weight loss. What do you do next?
Self-esteem? It’s a downer. Self-compassion is the real winner
If self-esteem and self-compassion were horses, self-compassion would win every time. Why self-esteem can fail you, but self-compassion can help you quiet your critical voice.
Food noise driving you nuts? How to quiet it without meds
How to quiet food noise is a hot topic. But weight loss meds aren't the only way to stop those cookies from calling to you from the kitchen. Here are three very different strategies.
It’s the New Year. Watch out for diets in disguise
Not feeling great about your body or your eating or exercise habits? Instead of falling for diets in disguise, consider what wellness really means.
Dealing with food pushers? How to set (and respect) food boundaries
Dealing with food pushers can take some of the joy out of holiday meals. Here's how to set your food boundaries and enforce them with grace.
Can self-compassion help you heal from disordered eating?
Abundant research shows that if you are more self-critical, especially if you're also a perfectionist, you are likely to have less self-compassion and at higher risk of disordered eating or eating disorders.
Why you might need to find joy in life before you can find it in food or movement
Joy is a big part of Intuitive Eating and other non-diet approaches to health and
How do you get from negative to positive body image?
When you struggle with negative body image, the possibility of ever having positive body image may feel like an unreachable goal. But research has identified several common themes in successful body image journeys.
Let’s bust some myths about carbohydrates and health
Carbs have been getting a bad rap for quite a while. But carbohydrates come from plants, and many plant foods are rich in the vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals and fiber that are vital to good health. In spite of this, carb-phobia persists. Here are some of the myths about carbohydrates that are getting in the way.
Why we need to unpack internalized weight stigma
Anyone of any body size can internalize weight stigma, which can harm both physical and mental health. But when it comes to weight stigma, generally, all bodies are not in the same boat.
Is your attitude getting in the way of habit change?
We often approach habit change with the wrong attitude. We criticize ourselves. We strive for “perfect” instead of “good enough.” We try to make changes that someone else says we should make, without really taking the time to decide what WE want. All of that is a recipe for failure.
IBS causing distress? Why the low-FODMAP diet may help
If you have IBS and struggle with abdominal pain, gas, bloating, diarrhea or constipation, can a low-FODMAP diet help?
Love your food and let it love you back
This post is part of my “Know Better, Do Better” series, in which I revisit an old blog post that makes me cringe because my thinking has evolved substantially since I wrote it. Thank goodness.
Awareness is your superpower. No cape or spandex suit required.
Becoming more aware of your thoughts, feelings and emotions gives you more choice in the actions you take. This has two important benefits. One, it allows you to stop living on autopilot so you can begin to unhook from habitual, unhelpful patterns. Two, it makes it easier to respond rather than react to whatever's happening in you and around you.
Does Intuitive Eating mean eating whatever you want?
Does intuitive eating mean eating whatever you want, whenever you want, as much as you want? That's certainly what many people believe. The simple answer is, “No.” But I also want to give a disclaimer.
How to deal with a body image downward spiral
It happens to all of us. You see a photo of yourself and don’t like what you see. You’re getting dressed and hate how your clothes look on you. You’re in a body image spiral, and you’re in danger of circling the drain. Here's what to do.
It’s summer. Why are you still covering your body?
When you don't have fond feelings for your body, you might be hesitant to show more than a few inches of skin, even when the temperature rises. This can leave you physically uncomfortable for much of the summer..and interfere with participating in summer activities.
5 questions and comments new Intuitive Eaters get
As with many ideas that suddenly start to grow in popularity, the central tenants of intuitive eating can be easily misinterpreted. If you're starting to practice Intuitive Eating, you may get some interesting comments and questions from family, friends and co-workers.
Why I’ve traded body positivity for body liberation
The current state of "body positivity" means the term has almost no meaning any more. That's why body liberation is the more empowered path.
Can you ditch dieting and still care about nutrition?
There’s this myth that adopting an anti-diet approach is also anti-nutrition. The truth is that you can absolutely eat a nutritious, balanced diet with lots of variety without being restrictive or rigid about it.
Understanding Health at Every Size® + the new HAES® Principles
The key to understanding what Health at Every Size really is in their newly revised principles, which focus on bias-free healthcare access.
Why is the Washington Post attacking anti-diet dietitians?
The Washington Post just published a hit piece on anti-diet dietitians. It shows how very little they understand about what they're attacking.
What does ‘non-diet’ mean now?
I’m often asked what “non-diet” actually means, both in general terms, and specifically when a
Why self-compassion isn’t a zero-sum game
Self-compassion (and compassion) are infinite resources. You don’t need to fight for your slice of the compassion pie AND you don’t need to deny yourself compassion because someone “deserves it more.”
How Intuitive Eating helps you find authentic health
What's authentic health? Authentic health happens when you weigh any external health advice against your own experience before deciding whether to incorporate it. This supports health while helping you break away from diet culture.
How to NOT celebrate weight loss for health
If you’re not celebrating intentional weight loss for any other reason, and you know that weight doesn’t equal health, should you congratulate someone for losing weight for "health reasons"? In a word, no. And here are more words explaining why.
Identify your values to build better habits
Do you find it challenging to form habits that last? It may be because you haven't identified your values. And if you haven't, then you're not using values to guide your daily actions.
How to start shedding diet culture thoughts and words
When you’re charting a path away from diet culture, it helps to be mindful of your thoughts and words. Are they still reflecting diet culture?
The futility and peril of food and body shame
Food and body shame is futile, because it's not motivating, and perilous, because it does real harm. What to know if you're struggling.
Your 5-Point Plan for mindful holiday eating
Do food-centered holiday social events make you feel a bit anxious? Here are some mindful holiday eating tips that might help you enjoy that next holiday party or buffet more.
How intuitive eating can help make the holidays brighter
Once upon a time, holiday foods stood out as highlights in a year of relatively simpler fare. But in today’s food environment, with its year-round access to delicious and even indulgent foods, it’s as if the holiday season has upped the ante, making the holidays feel like a minefield.
Anxious about holiday eating? How to reduce the stress
If you already tend to have anxieties about food, holiday eating can make you especially anxious. Here’s some food for thought about how to approach holiday eating that brings you joy and leaves you feeling good, too.
How to get more pleasure in your life (and why)
Why is it important to get more pleasure in your life? One, because you deserve it, and two, it can help your relationship with food.
What do you have to do before starting intuitive eating?
If you’re intrigued by intuitive eating, or at least heard of it, you might wonder what you need to consider, or perhaps do, before giving it a go. Here are three factors that I think are important.
Why weight stigma awareness? Because it’s not a personal problem
You know what bothers me? The idea that anyone needs to change their body to meet someone else's ideals. That "someone" could be a spouse/partner, a friend, a stranger, or society at large.
How can self-compassion help ease body dissatisfaction?
When you’re moving away from a history of dieting and body dissatisfaction toward a future of intuitive eating and body respect, appreciation, or liberation, self-compassion can be a powerful tool.
What if trying to lose weight feels easier than body acceptance?
Why can it sometimes feel easier to just keep trying to lose weight than it is to accept your body as it is? Here are some reasons why you can be exploring, even practicing, intuitive eating and body acceptance, but still want to lose weight.
How to tell if your diet is really disordered eating
Dieting to lose weight (even under the guise of “lifestyle changes”) is so normalized in our culture that it indeed feels normal. And if it’s “normal” it must be OK…right? Let me break this to you gently — not only can dieting lead to disordered eating, but in many cases, dieting IS disordered eating.
Can you practice intuitive eating with a chronic disease?
There are a lot of myths about intuitive eating. One is that you can’t learn or practice intuitive eating if you have a chronic disease. You absolutely can, because it can help you both enjoy your food while you're caring for your health.
How to start habituating to food
Habituating to forbidden foods can feel challenging. While making peace with food involves some mental aspects, to take it all the way and habituate means actually practicing eating those foods.
Is body positivity achievable? Is there something better?
“Body positivity” is a buzzy catchphrase that has deep origins. But is body positivity achievable, even in today's watered-down version?
Excerpts from the new edition of my book!
The second edition of my book, “Healthy For Your Life” is now available on Amazon. This new edition is revised and updated as well as expanded, with 80 more pages, new recipes, and selected citations. It also has a new subtitle: “A non-diet approach to optimal well-being.” Here’s are some excerpts.
Why eating for pleasure is both important and good for you
How does pleasure work with intuitive eating? If you are honoring the intention behind intuitive eating, then you are eating for pleasure.
Self-care tips for when life feels especially stressful
Self-care is extra important in times of uncertainty. I’m always an advocate of physical and emotional self-care, because if you don’t take care of yourself, who will? So here's some food for thought, as well as some self-care tips for creating or refining an overall self-care practice that’s right for you.
From ‘health is wealth’ to cultural capital: why performing ‘health’ can be harmful
It used to be 'health is wealth.' Now, health is a modern form of 'cultural capital.' For many people, this means performing 'health,' which can become harmful.
Ditching the O-words: How to talk about fat bodies
There are many words we can use to refer to bodies, including body size. When deciding how to talk about fat bodies, two words I've stopped using are "ob*sity" and "ov*rweight." And when I have to use the O-words, I use them carefully.
Selling weight loss by stealing from fat activism
There's a dangerous narrative that's been unfolding, and it's getting worse. Stealing the words and work of fat activists to sell weight loss.
Why (and how) mindfulness makes habit change easier
Mindfulness supports habit change by helping us view "failure" non-judgmentally, with kindness and curiosity, making it easer start again. Mindfulness meditation offers a wonderful metaphor for this.
Four myths about intuitive eating
Today, there are more than 150 published research studies on intuitive eating. In spite of that, there are many misconceptions and myths about intuitive eating.
Want to be healthier in 2023? Fire your inner drill sergeant
Can self-compassion improve your health? Yes. Numerous research studies have shown that self-compassion is important for mental and emotional health and well-being. While that’s not super surprising, this may be: newer research is also finding that self-compassion is important for physical health.
What do ‘non-diet,’ ‘anti-diet’ and Health at Every Size® mean?
Non-diet, anti-diet, Health at Every Size (HAES) — these terms are showing up more and more in books, magazines, blogs and social media. I hear a lot of questions about what these terms even mean, along with, “Everyone eats some type of diet, so how can anyone be ‘anti-diet’?”
The intersections of diet culture, ableism, healthism and anti-fatness
Diet culture is just one of many social systems in which people are treated inequitably. It often overlaps not just with ableism, sizeism and healthism, but also with racism, sexism, ageism and classism.
Hunger scales…what are they good for? Maybe a lot.
If you’ve explored intuitive or mindful eating, you’ve probably crossed paths with hunger scales. Maybe you tried using such a scale, and found it tedious, or even hard. Maybe you wondered, “Is this even helpful?”
Does mindful eating work? Depends on your definition
“Does mindful eating work?” If you mean, "Does it work for weight loss?" then settle in...we have some unpacking to do.
Meal planning as a way of connecting with food
Meal planning can feel like just one more “to-do,” or it can trigger anxiety from past dieting attempts. On the positive side, meal planning can help you meaningfully connect with your food.
Being a dietitian doesn’t make me the food police
It’s a refrain I hear a little too often: “I just need someone to tell me what to eat.” In today’s age of rampant nutrition confusion, I sort of get it—but I'm not your boss, I'm not your mother, and I'm definitely not the food police! As adults, we need to develop the skills necessary to make decisions about the things that are important to our health and happiness.
Is there a place for nutrition in Intuitive Eating? Absolutely!
Gentle nutrition honors your health and your taste buds while making you feel well. It’s an approach to nutrition that is nurturing, not punishing.
Is your eating peaceful, or more like a battlefield?
The Intuitive Eating principle Make Peace With Food is about unconditional permission to eat, and it's a place where new Intuitive Eaters can get stuck.
What does it mean to reject the diet mentality?
The first Intuitive Eating principle is “Reject the Diet Mentality,” and while this principle is fundamental, it looks different depending on your dieting history.
Your body deserves to move. Here are some resources
Exercise is good for every body, so it's exciting that there are more and more size inclusive fitness resources. Here are my top picks.
“More Than A Body” is the body peace guidebook you need
Looking for body peace? My review of "More Than A Body" by Lindsay and Lexie Kite gives an overview of this phenomenal book, and the pathway it offers to body image resilience.
Why you’re worthy in the body you have today
You know what bothers me? The idea that anyone needs to change their body to meet someone else's ideals. That "someone" could be a spouse/partner, a friend, a stranger, or society at large.
Is there life after dieting? Yes, and it’s beautiful
If not dieting, then what? That question tends to loom heavy in your mind when you've decided it's time to get off the diet rollercoaster, but aren't sure what life after dieting would look like. And there are many reasons for saying goodbye to dieting, a.k.a. the intentional pursuit of weight loss.
As we reopen, watch out for diets in disguise
Not feeling great about your body or your eating or exercise habits? Instead of falling for diets in disguise, consider what wellness really means.
Look inside (not in a mirror) with intuitive exercise
I have a mantra when I exercise: “Exercise to be strong, not smaller.” It’s what gets me through on those days when body image is not exactly in peak form, as I dare say is the case for everyone, at least from time to time. It’s also a way of continuing to deprogram myself from decades of believing that the primary benefit of exercise was weight loss.
3 Intuitive Eating mistakes you want to avoid
There’s a lot of interest in Intuitive Eating, and while learning to become an intuitive eater again can be hard work, it’s unnecessarily hard, not to mention frustrating, when would-be intuitive eaters fall into one of these three common traps.
Why a growth mindset can make you happier and healthier
Do you have a fixed mindset or a growth mindset. Having a growth mindset can help you be healthier and happier, in part because it's tied to self-compassion, not self-esteem
What does it mean to nourish yourself?
Eating for health and well-being is about more than just the food you put in your shopping cart, on your plate and into your mouth. You could eat the most meticulously planned, nutrient-rich diet in the world and not experience true nourishment from it if you’re ignoring two other aspects of eating and nourishment.
Is food guilt ever a good thing?
Grappling with food guilt? it's likely that you feel that you've eaten something you shouldn't, that you’ve had a willpower “fail" by bumping into one of your food rules.
Get your body and (rational) mind on board
A client once said to me, "I need to get my body on board with my brain." It was a succinct, well-articulated expression of what's really a multi-faceted issue, rooted (not surprisingly) in diet culture.
What does “relationship with food” mean?
What does it mean to have a 'healthy' relationship with food? An 'unhealthy' relationship? I explain, so you can explore your own food relationship.
Can you eat intuitively when life is…bananas?
Can you practice intuitive eating during a pandemic? Yes...and in some reasons, intuitive eating is more relevant than ever right now.
How diet culture harms all of us (yes, even non-dieters)
Why diet culture causes harm to everyone, even if you've never dieted. How? By impacting relationships, affecting how you view food and your body, and warping your view of what it means to be healthy.
What is diet culture, and why is it ‘in the water’?
'Diet culture' isn't just about dieting. Even if you have never diet culture affect you. I explain what it is, and where it hides.
How food guilt gets in the way of mindful eating
Do you experience guilt about eating? When we feel guilty about what we're eating, we can easily slip into mindlessness. Both the guilt and the mindlessness ironically detract from whatever pleasure and satisfaction we might feel, contributing to overeating.
It’s time to call out the “really, it’s not a diet” gaslighting
(Includes some important 2022 updates!) Diets in disguise...they’re everywhere. But increasingly, diet promoters have turned to gaslighting by verbally jumping on the “non-diet” trend, then promoting what is in fact a diet while telling you it’s not. Well, if it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it’s probably a duck.
Honoring your hunger means never saying ‘I’m sorry’
Do questions like "How can you possibly be hungry already? I’m still full from breakfast/lunch" bother the bejeezus out of you? Why you don't have to justify your hunger to anyone.
A weight stigma reading list
It's Weight Stigma Awareness Week, and in honor of that, I've put together a round-up of articles and blog posts I've written (and one podcast I've appeared on) about this important topic.
Why are we suppressing joy and creating barriers to health?
Want to know what simultaneously breaks my heart and makes me want to punch something? When I hear the stories of stigma, shame and self-doubt my clients experience simply because they have the audacity to walk this earth in a body that is deemed larger than what’s appropriate.