November 27, 2023 • 19 mins
Ready to shatter the chains of diet culture and step into a world where body size doesn't dictate your worth? This is your invitation to join Jamie Magdic, a registered dietitian with a passion for breaking down harmful diet norms and fostering a healthier mindset around food and body image. Jamie's philosophy is simple: ditch the unhealthy obsession with weight loss, embrace our diverse body types, and focus on behaviors that lead to long-term well-being. Let's delve into the intricacies of this philosophy and learn why it's the healthier, sustainable path to a happier, more fulfilled you.
Our discussion takes a deep dive into the significance of holistic health, which involves more than just physical well-being. Jamie provides insights on the importance of psychological well-being and individualized approaches to eating. She shares her unique approach on shifting our focus from weight loss to cultivating beneficial lifelong habits. Jamie also introduces a program designed to help you foster a compassionate relationship with food and your body. This episode is a must-listen if you're ready to redefine your relationship with food and embrace a more positive body image. Join us in this revolutionary conversation and start your journey to a healthier, happier you today.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to another episode on Bites and Body Love.
I am your host, jamie Magdickshe her registered dietitian,
who specializes in disorderedeating and eating disorders, and
I am super excited to chat onthis today.
I want to talk more about myphilosophy and why I do not
focus on weight loss and diets,which is very different from a
(00:22):
lot of mainstream nutrition andnutritionist dietitians and just
you know people in the world indiet culture.
So I want to dive deeper intothis philosophy, to just explain
the reasoning behind why Ifocus on what I focus on, why
this is my philosophy, and tohelp you to understand why I
(00:42):
believe that focusing on weightloss and restrictive diets are
not the way to go when you aretrying to move toward a healthy
relationship with food and body,and why redirecting attention
to your behaviors, to yourholistic well-being, to your
relationship with food and bodyis the most constructive
(01:05):
approach that is going to bringyou the best results that are
sustainable.
So today we're going to talkabout the following items we're
going to talk about holisticwell-being, diverse body types
and sizes.
Behavioral focus for long-termsuccess.
Your psychological well-beingand why that's so important as
part of your relationship withfood.
(01:26):
Behavioral change as a positivegoal, addressing underlying
health factors and underlyinghealth issues, cultivating a
positive relationship with food,individualized approach,
lifelong habits over short-termsolutions, and promoting a
(01:50):
positive self-image and bodyimage All of which make up my
philosophy when it comes to food, body image, food nutrition and
body image.
So, without further ado, let'sdive into these different
aspects.
Holistic well-being this isactually where I started, when I
(02:11):
was forming my philosophy withfood and body.
When I started working withclients, I was really eager to
become a dietitian because I wasstarting to understand the
holistic nature of food andnutrition and health and I
wanted to help people withhealth and their overall
(02:31):
well-being to live just morejoyous lives and long, healthy
lives.
That was my original desire andreason for becoming a dietitian
.
What I started to understandthrough my own experience,
through others' experiences andresearch, was how holistic
(02:52):
health truly is.
I was under the impression thatwhat you put in your body just
makes or breaks your health Verymuch in that rigid mentality of
good foods, bad foods andfinding the right way of eating
(03:13):
this quote-unquote right way ofeating.
As I was just in that myself,in that mentality in myself and
seen others in that mentality,and started to research that
mentality, that rigid good food,bad food, finding this ideal
body and food mindset, I reallystarted to find that it's not
(03:36):
that simple, it's not that clearcut and that actually is really
harmful.
So I focus on a holisticpicture of health and holistic
well-being, and this philosophyemphasizes a shift from an
exclusive focus on weight lossand ideal body and good food,
bad food, to a broaderconsideration of what health is.
(04:01):
Health is complicated.
It is so naive, and it was sonaive of me to, and of course we
hear it all over, so I'm goingto give myself self-compassion,
but it is just the no, it's notthat simple.
So many things impact health.
It's really multi-dimensionaland encompasses your physical,
(04:22):
mental, spiritual, emotional,all these aspects of health.
And by fixating solely onweight, solely on what you're
putting in your body, it's goingto neglect other crucial
elements that are contributingto your relationship with food,
to your relationship with yourbody and to your overall
well-being.
(04:43):
The next aspect that makes up myphilosophy is diverse body
types and sizes.
The next aspect that influencesand creates and shapes my
philosophy is celebratingdiverse body types and sizes.
I do follow a health at everysize informed approach.
(05:05):
I do celebrate body positivityand I celebrate everyone's
unique body and I truly believethat everyone is supposed to be
different bodies, that everyoneis supposed to be different
shapes and sizes, and by tryingto go against that, we're
creating a lot of emotional,mental and physical, physical
(05:27):
stress, distress and unhealthybehaviors and just hurting our
health when we do that.
Each individual is so different, their body is different, their
health is different and it'sall complex.
Well being is not synonymouswith this ideal body, with this
thin body that we see idealized.
(05:49):
It is not this picture perfectDiet, and with this ideal body
and with this ideal Diet beingpromoted, it is really, really
hurting us.
I've seen it time and timeagain Acknowledging and
respecting diverse body types isintegral, is Absolutely,
(06:10):
literally integral for me to beable to help folks and for folks
to be able to get to a positiverelationship with food, body
and health.
And the third aspect that makesup my philosophy is behavioral
focus.
For long-term success, we focuson behaviors, we do not focus
(06:31):
on weight, we do not focus onthe number on the scale, we do
not focus on weight loss.
And why?
Why?
Because if we were to focus onthat, maybe we can achieve
weight loss, maybe we canachieve lowering the number on
the scale, which is what a lotof people want.
But that is all we're going tobe able to achieve, and I can't
(06:55):
even promise that.
But if we're focusing on weightloss and dieting and Decreasing
that number on the scale, weare neglecting all Of the the
things that are necessary for anactual, sustainable, healthy
relationship with food and body.
Because if I am focusing onweight loss, if I'm focusing on
(07:15):
decreasing the number on thescale, that means we are
focusing on some type ofrestrictions, some type of rules
, and so, following those, wemight get to that weight loss.
But then what happens?
We are now in disorder, eating.
We cannot trust our body.
We cannot.
You know it's not gonna besustainable.
Our body is gonna catch up andwant to get us back to a place
(07:38):
that feels good for us.
We're just not gonna be able tomaintain it.
And so how is that helpingsomeone?
How is that gonna help if Ihand that to you, or try and
hand that to you, but in the end, you can't sustain it and you
have all this Extra baggage ofhaving a less trusting
relationship with food and body?
Now, that's just if, byfocusing on that, I can't focus
(08:00):
on, focus on all of the otherthings I want to focus on to
help bring people to a healthierrelationship with food and body
, and by helping people to bringthem to a trusting, confident
relationship with food and body.
We need to focus on Behaviors.
We need a behavioral focus.
For long-term success, we needto shift the focus to these
(08:24):
behaviors that emphasizesustainable changes and that
focuses on our Relationship withfood and body and all the roots
and all those things that makeup how we show up in our body
and how we show Up in ourchoices with food and our
relationship with food, ratherthan these short-term fixes,
because then you're just gonnabe on this hamster reel of
(08:44):
short-term fixes weight loss,waking, weight loss, waking
weight loss, weight gain, newdiet, new diet, new diet,
whatever it might be you aregonna continue on that.
If you're focusing onshort-term Weight loss, we need
to be focusing on behaviors toactually dive into your
relationship with food, yourrelationship with body, all that
(09:06):
makes that up, so you can learnto Eat in a way that feels good
, so you can tune into your cuesthat your body is giving you,
so you can start to learn moreabout your unique body.
So you can learn more aboutwhat makes up your body image,
what causes this negativeself-talk, what causes you to
(09:28):
feel like you need to jump onthe scale, what causes the
binging, what causes you to notbe able to keep ice cream in the
house right?
We need to get to those roots.
So by focusing on healthybehaviors and by really
understanding that we can youknow clients get to this very
wonderful place where they'reable to have all foods, where
(09:51):
they're able to listen to theirbody and take care of it and
they feel good and they havemovement that feels good, that
they can keep up with theyhaving adequate sleep.
Their relationship with theirbody has shifted, where they're
no longer hiding their body andthey're confident in their body,
and it just contributes to longterm well being.
(10:11):
Now it's not going to be aquick fix.
It's going to take some time.
It takes a lot of unlearningand doing things differently,
but this is what leads to longterm success is behaviors.
Because I want long termsuccess, I want someone to no
longer need me and need myresources.
I want them to move on and befree.
(10:33):
All right.
The next aspect that I focus onis psychological well being.
By focusing on psychologicalwell being, which is part of
holistic health.
Really, by prioritizing,understand what's going on in
the mind and taking care of ourmental health, we're able to
recognize that this is asignificant part of health.
We're also able to recognizehow restriction and dieting and
(10:56):
a focus on weight loss iscontributing to our health in a
very negative way, causingstress, anxiety, shame and
negative self perception.
Now, creating a safe space forourselves where we have good
self talk, where we are our owncheerleaders, where we are
(11:19):
taking care of our mental health, where we are reducing and
getting rid of shame, thisfosters a healthy relationship
with ourselves and this promotesmental, emotional and physical
well being and, of course,they're going to impact our
behaviors and our choices.
Another aspect of my philosophyis, of course, looking at health
and addressing underlyinghealth factors, health behaviors
(11:41):
, health issues.
Now, I got into this because,of course, I am passionate about
people's well being, and partof people's well being is going
to be their health, and holistichealth at that.
But let's talk about thephysical health here for a
second.
When we're focusing onbehaviors, it allows for a more
comprehensive examination ofunderlying health factors and
(12:03):
all that makes up health,instead of assuming that weight
loss is the indicator ofimproved health paying attention
to behaviors and the wholeperson and all aspects of health
, including mental and emotionalhealth.
Attention can be directedtoward actually helping the
(12:24):
person, actually looking atmaybe some chronic conditions
and symptoms people might beexperiencing, actually improving
heart health and bone health.
And all of that because whenwe're dieting, that impacts our
bone health and our heart health.
If we're constantly like weightcycling and decreasing weight
and increasing weight anddecreasing weight and increasing
(12:45):
weight and restricting ourbodies, that is disrespectful,
that is hurting our overallhealth and it is hurting these
chronic conditions that we maybe experiencing.
When we take our focus off ofweight loss, we actually are
able to address our health andto improve our health.
There's a ton of research onintuitive eating and it shows
(13:07):
that regardless of weight loss,those health markers improve.
So those health markers improvewhen we become intuitive eaters
.
We learn to listen to our body,we treat our body with respect,
we stop dieting.
Those health markers becomebetter, become healthier,
despite not having any weightloss or despite what happens
(13:27):
with weight.
When we focus on behaviors andactually focus on health and do
not assume a certain weightequals health.
The next aspect that is reallyimportant to my philosophy is
cultivating a positiverelationship with food.
A positive relationship withfood.
Thinking about foods as good orbad, that's really, really a
(13:51):
negative way of thinking.
That's going to keep you stuck,it's going to keep you obsessed
, it's going to keep you fearful, it's going to keep you
distrusting and it's just waytoo simplified.
We cannot break up food intothose categories and believe
that if we eat a certain way,we're going to have this ideal
(14:13):
life or never experience healthconcerns.
Absolutely not, and by focusingon that, we're actually putting
ourselves in a position wherewe are going to be more likely
to be unhealthy, to have anunhealthy relationship with
these things, because we're sorigid, we're so fearful, it's so
based on shame, we don't knowwhat to do, so we're constantly
(14:35):
trying these different diets anddistrusting ourselves and
ignoring our body anddisrespecting our body and not
giving it what it needs to behealthy.
So I believe in cultivating apositive relationship with food
because that is sustainable andthat helps us to create these
behavior choices that are goodfor us.
It helps us to be more mindful,to be more intuitive, to
(14:59):
nourish our body, souls with allfoods, and this approach
absolutely contributes to ahealthier attitude towards food,
reducing the likelihood ofdisordered eating patterns,
reducing binging, reducingrestriction, and helps people to
have all foods in their diet,including vegetables.
Sometimes people feel like,well, if I allow all foods in,
(15:22):
am I never gonna want avegetable again?
No, absolutely not.
What happens is when youactually explore, dive into and
heal your relationship with foodand body, you see that you want
all types of foods and youreally start to listen to your
body and what feels best for it,which sometimes is an ice cream
and sometimes is a big bowl ofvegetables and your body will be
(15:44):
able to tell you that.
And the next aspect isindividualized approach.
Health is highly individualized, so individualized.
Everyone is different andeveryone deserves personalized
strategies.
Everyone deserves support wheretheir support person is
encouraging them to listen totheir own experiences, their own
(16:06):
body, and encouraging them thatthey know their body best and
that they have those answers andcan find those answers when
they do the work.
Someone who says they know yourbody better than you do.
You should run.
You can become your own bestnutritionist.
I absolutely believe that.
(16:27):
So it's highly individualizedand my approach is highly
individualized, so what worksfor one person may not be what
the other person needs to payattention to right.
Everyone's journey is different.
Everyone's going to need tofocus on different things.
Everyone's gonna need adifferent amount of time to work
through these things.
Everyone's gonna need adifferent level of support.
(16:47):
So really, support needs to betailored to your individual
preferences, lifestyles,experiences and needs and it
ensures a more sustainable andenjoyable path to overall
wellbeing and food and bodyimage.
Freedom and lastly but certainlynot least, is promoting
positive self-image and positivebody image.
(17:09):
By having a self-compassionaterelationship with our self and a
self-compassionate relationshipwith our body, we are setting
our self-ups for verysustainable progress.
We are because when we arebeing self-compassionate, it
feels good and we're moregrounded and we're better able
to make decisions and to knowwhat we need and to know what we
(17:32):
want and to be able to trustourselves.
And this is so sustainablebecause when we're living in
this realm of self-compassionand we have this positive
relationship with ourself, orwhen we have a trusting
relationship with self and bodyand food, you're going to be
able to just feel thisunwavering trust.
(17:53):
You're gonna be able toappreciate your body.
You're gonna appreciate itsstrength, its functionality, its
resilience, its diversity, itsuniqueness.
You're gonna be able to trustits ability to handle all foods.
You're gonna trust your abilityto understand what's going to
make you feel best when it comesto food.
This approach I have reallyaligns with body positivity,
(18:14):
self-acceptance, fostering ahealthy and more compassionate
relationship with yourself, withfood and with body, One that's
super sustainable and that'swhat I want for folks.
I want to be sustainable.
I want you to leave me and saythank you so much and I am gone
off to bigger and better thingsnow, things that I was too
(18:34):
scared or holding off oravoiding pursuing because of my
relationship with food and body.
So breaking those chains.
So hopefully that was helpfulto understand my philosophy, why
it is the way it is, and, ofcourse, I have a diverse amount
of different experiences that Ihave gone through and have
(18:55):
helped clients with that havereally helped to shape my
philosophy and to come to aplace where I have, where I
believe and see that throughthis philosophy, people can get
to this wonderful place.
And, of course, I want to getpeople to this wonderful place
to live the lives of theirdreams, to live the lives that
they deserve, and this is why Ichose this, because this is what
(19:18):
helps people get there.
So, with that, if you align withthis amazing, you would be a
very good fit for my program Ifyou are serious about fully
healing your relationship withfood and body and getting to a
place of unwavering trust andself-compassion.
So if you're interested, youcan apply by DMing me at jmerd
underscore and I will get youthe details there.
(19:40):
I'm so excited for you.
We'll get you the details there.
Either way, I'm so excitedyou're here listening to my
podcast and I'm so proud of youfor being here listening to
maybe an alternative way ofthinking that is going to put
you on a path or help you tomaintain the path to food and
body image freedom.
(20:00):
Until next time, I'm so proudof you and we will chat soon.
Welcome to another episode on Bites and Body Love.
I am your host, jamie Magdickshe her registered dietitian,
who specializes in disorderedeating and eating disorders, and
I am super excited to chat onthis today.
I want to talk more about myphilosophy and why I do not
focus on weight loss and diets,which is very different from a
(00:22):
lot of mainstream nutrition andnutritionist dietitians and just
you know people in the world indiet culture.
So I want to dive deeper intothis philosophy, to just explain
the reasoning behind why Ifocus on what I focus on, why
this is my philosophy, and tohelp you to understand why I
(00:42):
believe that focusing on weightloss and restrictive diets are
not the way to go when you aretrying to move toward a healthy
relationship with food and body,and why redirecting attention
to your behaviors, to yourholistic well-being, to your
relationship with food and bodyis the most constructive
(01:05):
approach that is going to bringyou the best results that are
sustainable.
So today we're going to talkabout the following items we're
going to talk about holisticwell-being, diverse body types
and sizes.
Behavioral focus for long-termsuccess.
Your psychological well-beingand why that's so important as
part of your relationship withfood.
(01:26):
Behavioral change as a positivegoal, addressing underlying
health factors and underlyinghealth issues, cultivating a
positive relationship with food,individualized approach,
lifelong habits over short-termsolutions, and promoting a
(01:50):
positive self-image and bodyimage All of which make up my
philosophy when it comes to food, body image, food nutrition and
body image.
So, without further ado, let'sdive into these different
aspects.
Holistic well-being this isactually where I started, when I
(02:11):
was forming my philosophy withfood and body.
When I started working withclients, I was really eager to
become a dietitian because I wasstarting to understand the
holistic nature of food andnutrition and health and I
wanted to help people withhealth and their overall
(02:31):
well-being to live just morejoyous lives and long, healthy
lives.
That was my original desire andreason for becoming a dietitian
.
What I started to understandthrough my own experience,
through others' experiences andresearch, was how holistic
(02:52):
health truly is.
I was under the impression thatwhat you put in your body just
makes or breaks your health Verymuch in that rigid mentality of
good foods, bad foods andfinding the right way of eating
(03:13):
this quote-unquote right way ofeating.
As I was just in that myself,in that mentality in myself and
seen others in that mentality,and started to research that
mentality, that rigid good food,bad food, finding this ideal
body and food mindset, I reallystarted to find that it's not
(03:36):
that simple, it's not that clearcut and that actually is really
harmful.
So I focus on a holisticpicture of health and holistic
well-being, and this philosophyemphasizes a shift from an
exclusive focus on weight lossand ideal body and good food,
bad food, to a broaderconsideration of what health is.
(04:01):
Health is complicated.
It is so naive, and it was sonaive of me to, and of course we
hear it all over, so I'm goingto give myself self-compassion,
but it is just the no, it's notthat simple.
So many things impact health.
It's really multi-dimensionaland encompasses your physical,
(04:22):
mental, spiritual, emotional,all these aspects of health.
And by fixating solely onweight, solely on what you're
putting in your body, it's goingto neglect other crucial
elements that are contributingto your relationship with food,
to your relationship with yourbody and to your overall
well-being.
(04:43):
The next aspect that makes up myphilosophy is diverse body
types and sizes.
The next aspect that influencesand creates and shapes my
philosophy is celebratingdiverse body types and sizes.
I do follow a health at everysize informed approach.
(05:05):
I do celebrate body positivityand I celebrate everyone's
unique body and I truly believethat everyone is supposed to be
different bodies, that everyoneis supposed to be different
shapes and sizes, and by tryingto go against that, we're
creating a lot of emotional,mental and physical, physical
(05:27):
stress, distress and unhealthybehaviors and just hurting our
health when we do that.
Each individual is so different, their body is different, their
health is different and it'sall complex.
Well being is not synonymouswith this ideal body, with this
thin body that we see idealized.
(05:49):
It is not this picture perfectDiet, and with this ideal body
and with this ideal Diet beingpromoted, it is really, really
hurting us.
I've seen it time and timeagain Acknowledging and
respecting diverse body types isintegral, is Absolutely,
(06:10):
literally integral for me to beable to help folks and for folks
to be able to get to a positiverelationship with food, body
and health.
And the third aspect that makesup my philosophy is behavioral
focus.
For long-term success, we focuson behaviors, we do not focus
(06:31):
on weight, we do not focus onthe number on the scale, we do
not focus on weight loss.
And why?
Why?
Because if we were to focus onthat, maybe we can achieve
weight loss, maybe we canachieve lowering the number on
the scale, which is what a lotof people want.
But that is all we're going tobe able to achieve, and I can't
(06:55):
even promise that.
But if we're focusing on weightloss and dieting and Decreasing
that number on the scale, weare neglecting all Of the the
things that are necessary for anactual, sustainable, healthy
relationship with food and body.
Because if I am focusing onweight loss, if I'm focusing on
(07:15):
decreasing the number on thescale, that means we are
focusing on some type ofrestrictions, some type of rules
, and so, following those, wemight get to that weight loss.
But then what happens?
We are now in disorder, eating.
We cannot trust our body.
We cannot.
You know it's not gonna besustainable.
Our body is gonna catch up andwant to get us back to a place
(07:38):
that feels good for us.
We're just not gonna be able tomaintain it.
And so how is that helpingsomeone?
How is that gonna help if Ihand that to you, or try and
hand that to you, but in the end, you can't sustain it and you
have all this Extra baggage ofhaving a less trusting
relationship with food and body?
Now, that's just if, byfocusing on that, I can't focus
(08:00):
on, focus on all of the otherthings I want to focus on to
help bring people to a healthierrelationship with food and body
, and by helping people to bringthem to a trusting, confident
relationship with food and body.
We need to focus on Behaviors.
We need a behavioral focus.
For long-term success, we needto shift the focus to these
(08:24):
behaviors that emphasizesustainable changes and that
focuses on our Relationship withfood and body and all the roots
and all those things that makeup how we show up in our body
and how we show Up in ourchoices with food and our
relationship with food, ratherthan these short-term fixes,
because then you're just gonnabe on this hamster reel of
(08:44):
short-term fixes weight loss,waking, weight loss, waking
weight loss, weight gain, newdiet, new diet, new diet,
whatever it might be you aregonna continue on that.
If you're focusing onshort-term Weight loss, we need
to be focusing on behaviors toactually dive into your
relationship with food, yourrelationship with body, all that
(09:06):
makes that up, so you can learnto Eat in a way that feels good
, so you can tune into your cuesthat your body is giving you,
so you can start to learn moreabout your unique body.
So you can learn more aboutwhat makes up your body image,
what causes this negativeself-talk, what causes you to
(09:28):
feel like you need to jump onthe scale, what causes the
binging, what causes you to notbe able to keep ice cream in the
house right?
We need to get to those roots.
So by focusing on healthybehaviors and by really
understanding that we can youknow clients get to this very
wonderful place where they'reable to have all foods, where
(09:51):
they're able to listen to theirbody and take care of it and
they feel good and they havemovement that feels good, that
they can keep up with theyhaving adequate sleep.
Their relationship with theirbody has shifted, where they're
no longer hiding their body andthey're confident in their body,
and it just contributes to longterm well being.
(10:11):
Now it's not going to be aquick fix.
It's going to take some time.
It takes a lot of unlearningand doing things differently,
but this is what leads to longterm success is behaviors.
Because I want long termsuccess, I want someone to no
longer need me and need myresources.
I want them to move on and befree.
(10:33):
All right.
The next aspect that I focus onis psychological well being.
By focusing on psychologicalwell being, which is part of
holistic health.
Really, by prioritizing,understand what's going on in
the mind and taking care of ourmental health, we're able to
recognize that this is asignificant part of health.
We're also able to recognizehow restriction and dieting and
(10:56):
a focus on weight loss iscontributing to our health in a
very negative way, causingstress, anxiety, shame and
negative self perception.
Now, creating a safe space forourselves where we have good
self talk, where we are our owncheerleaders, where we are
(11:19):
taking care of our mental health, where we are reducing and
getting rid of shame, thisfosters a healthy relationship
with ourselves and this promotesmental, emotional and physical
well being and, of course,they're going to impact our
behaviors and our choices.
Another aspect of my philosophyis, of course, looking at health
and addressing underlyinghealth factors, health behaviors
(11:41):
, health issues.
Now, I got into this because,of course, I am passionate about
people's well being, and partof people's well being is going
to be their health, and holistichealth at that.
But let's talk about thephysical health here for a
second.
When we're focusing onbehaviors, it allows for a more
comprehensive examination ofunderlying health factors and
(12:03):
all that makes up health,instead of assuming that weight
loss is the indicator ofimproved health paying attention
to behaviors and the wholeperson and all aspects of health
, including mental and emotionalhealth.
Attention can be directedtoward actually helping the
(12:24):
person, actually looking atmaybe some chronic conditions
and symptoms people might beexperiencing, actually improving
heart health and bone health.
And all of that because whenwe're dieting, that impacts our
bone health and our heart health.
If we're constantly like weightcycling and decreasing weight
and increasing weight anddecreasing weight and increasing
(12:45):
weight and restricting ourbodies, that is disrespectful,
that is hurting our overallhealth and it is hurting these
chronic conditions that we maybe experiencing.
When we take our focus off ofweight loss, we actually are
able to address our health andto improve our health.
There's a ton of research onintuitive eating and it shows
(13:07):
that regardless of weight loss,those health markers improve.
So those health markers improvewhen we become intuitive eaters
.
We learn to listen to our body,we treat our body with respect,
we stop dieting.
Those health markers becomebetter, become healthier,
despite not having any weightloss or despite what happens
(13:27):
with weight.
When we focus on behaviors andactually focus on health and do
not assume a certain weightequals health.
The next aspect that is reallyimportant to my philosophy is
cultivating a positiverelationship with food.
A positive relationship withfood.
Thinking about foods as good orbad, that's really, really a
(13:51):
negative way of thinking.
That's going to keep you stuck,it's going to keep you obsessed
, it's going to keep you fearful, it's going to keep you
distrusting and it's just waytoo simplified.
We cannot break up food intothose categories and believe
that if we eat a certain way,we're going to have this ideal
(14:13):
life or never experience healthconcerns.
Absolutely not, and by focusingon that, we're actually putting
ourselves in a position wherewe are going to be more likely
to be unhealthy, to have anunhealthy relationship with
these things, because we're sorigid, we're so fearful, it's so
based on shame, we don't knowwhat to do, so we're constantly
(14:35):
trying these different diets anddistrusting ourselves and
ignoring our body anddisrespecting our body and not
giving it what it needs to behealthy.
So I believe in cultivating apositive relationship with food
because that is sustainable andthat helps us to create these
behavior choices that are goodfor us.
It helps us to be more mindful,to be more intuitive, to
(14:59):
nourish our body, souls with allfoods, and this approach
absolutely contributes to ahealthier attitude towards food,
reducing the likelihood ofdisordered eating patterns,
reducing binging, reducingrestriction, and helps people to
have all foods in their diet,including vegetables.
Sometimes people feel like,well, if I allow all foods in,
(15:22):
am I never gonna want avegetable again?
No, absolutely not.
What happens is when youactually explore, dive into and
heal your relationship with foodand body, you see that you want
all types of foods and youreally start to listen to your
body and what feels best for it,which sometimes is an ice cream
and sometimes is a big bowl ofvegetables and your body will be
(15:44):
able to tell you that.
And the next aspect isindividualized approach.
Health is highly individualized, so individualized.
Everyone is different andeveryone deserves personalized
strategies.
Everyone deserves support wheretheir support person is
encouraging them to listen totheir own experiences, their own
(16:06):
body, and encouraging them thatthey know their body best and
that they have those answers andcan find those answers when
they do the work.
Someone who says they know yourbody better than you do.
You should run.
You can become your own bestnutritionist.
I absolutely believe that.
(16:27):
So it's highly individualizedand my approach is highly
individualized, so what worksfor one person may not be what
the other person needs to payattention to right.
Everyone's journey is different.
Everyone's going to need tofocus on different things.
Everyone's gonna need adifferent amount of time to work
through these things.
Everyone's gonna need adifferent level of support.
(16:47):
So really, support needs to betailored to your individual
preferences, lifestyles,experiences and needs and it
ensures a more sustainable andenjoyable path to overall
wellbeing and food and bodyimage.
Freedom and lastly but certainlynot least, is promoting
positive self-image and positivebody image.
(17:09):
By having a self-compassionaterelationship with our self and a
self-compassionate relationshipwith our body, we are setting
our self-ups for verysustainable progress.
We are because when we arebeing self-compassionate, it
feels good and we're moregrounded and we're better able
to make decisions and to knowwhat we need and to know what we
(17:32):
want and to be able to trustourselves.
And this is so sustainablebecause when we're living in
this realm of self-compassionand we have this positive
relationship with ourself, orwhen we have a trusting
relationship with self and bodyand food, you're going to be
able to just feel thisunwavering trust.
(17:53):
You're gonna be able toappreciate your body.
You're gonna appreciate itsstrength, its functionality, its
resilience, its diversity, itsuniqueness.
You're gonna be able to trustits ability to handle all foods.
You're gonna trust your abilityto understand what's going to
make you feel best when it comesto food.
This approach I have reallyaligns with body positivity,
(18:14):
self-acceptance, fostering ahealthy and more compassionate
relationship with yourself, withfood and with body, One that's
super sustainable and that'swhat I want for folks.
I want to be sustainable.
I want you to leave me and saythank you so much and I am gone
off to bigger and better thingsnow, things that I was too
(18:34):
scared or holding off oravoiding pursuing because of my
relationship with food and body.
So breaking those chains.
So hopefully that was helpfulto understand my philosophy, why
it is the way it is, and, ofcourse, I have a diverse amount
of different experiences that Ihave gone through and have
(18:55):
helped clients with that havereally helped to shape my
philosophy and to come to aplace where I have, where I
believe and see that throughthis philosophy, people can get
to this wonderful place.
And, of course, I want to getpeople to this wonderful place
to live the lives of theirdreams, to live the lives that
they deserve, and this is why Ichose this, because this is what
(19:18):
helps people get there.
So, with that, if you align withthis amazing, you would be a
very good fit for my program Ifyou are serious about fully
healing your relationship withfood and body and getting to a
place of unwavering trust andself-compassion.
So if you're interested, youcan apply by DMing me at jmerd
underscore and I will get youthe details there.
(19:40):
I'm so excited for you.
We'll get you the details there.
Either way, I'm so excitedyou're here listening to my
podcast and I'm so proud of youfor being here listening to
maybe an alternative way ofthinking that is going to put
you on a path or help you tomaintain the path to food and
body image freedom.
(20:00):
Until next time, I'm so proudof you and we will chat soon.
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