The Diet Diaries

You eat healthy. You try to be good. You hit your protein goals. Skip carbs at dinner. You avoid your “once I start I can’t stop foods.”

And you feel like you’re in control. Until someone brings home Halloween candy. Or you go out to dinner. Or stop at McDonald’s with your kids.

And now you feel completely OUT of control.

Because following a rigid set of rules and being in control around food are NOT the same thing.

In episode 299 of The Diet Diaries, I'm sharing a recent client conversation that completely reframed what control around food actually means.

We're talking about:

* Why rigid eating can create the very food noise, cravings and binges you're trying to avoid
* The difference between following rules and actually knowing how to make choices around food
* What happened when one client started eating foods she genuinely enjoyed
* Why flexibility, calmness and having skills to rely on are what create consistency over time

If you've ever felt completely in control of your eating until one unexpected food or situation throws everything off, this episode will change the way you think about what control truly means.

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If you've ever wondered why you can't seem to stick with a habit, even when you REALLY want to, this conversation might completely change how you think about follow through and consistency.

I'm joined by habits and identity coach Monica Packer, author of Sticky Habits, to talk about something that almost never gets discussed when we're told to just be more disciplined, try harder or stop making excuses: the fact that traditional habit formation self help completely ignores the lives and responsibilities of women.

I learned so much from Monica while recording this episode and you will walk away with an entirely new perspective on why you've always struggled to follow through.

Here's some of what we get into:

• The invisible demands on women that make consistency so much harder than we realize
• Why doing something every single day isn't actually what consistency mean
• How perfectionism keeps you stuck in the cycle of starting over
• What to do when your carefully planned habit falls apart in real life
• Why even the habits you desperately want to stop are trying to help you

Monica also shares her own experience recovering from eating disorders and how changing her relationship with habits transformed the way she thinks about food, her body and herself.

If you've spent most of your life believing you're just someone who can't follow through, this episode will give you a completely different way to look at what's actually going on.

Monica Packer is a longtime podcaster and founder of About Progress, a top-rated show with millions of downloads. She guides women to find sustainable growth by adopting progress over perfection. She has served thousands of women online as a certified habits and identity coach. Her book, Sticky Habits: A Woman’s Guide to Reclaim Happiness, Ditch Perfectionism, and Create Habits That Last, was traditionally published Fall of 2026. Monica is a mom of five, former middle school teacher, sourdough obsessor, and beginning gardener.

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I've been strength training consistently for three years after 10 years of starting and stopping. My body is pretty much the same size. I wear the same clothes. I still have a squishy stomach and a double chin.

And my body image is the best it's ever been in my entire life.

So what changed?

In episode 297 of The Diet Diaries, I'm talking about the connection between strength training and body image, and why getting stronger can change how you feel about your body even when it doesn't change how your body looks.

We're getting into:

- Why feeling better IN your body can change how you feel ABOUT your body
- The surprising way strength training can help turn down body noise
- Why seeing what your body can DO matters more than you might realize
- How movement can give you a completely different way to respond when you're feeling shitty about your appearance
- Why this isn't really about lifting weights at all

You don't have to love how your body looks to feel good about how YOU look. This is how you make it happen.

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Think about the things you heard your parents say about bodies when you were growing up.

"She doesn't have the body for that."
"I look so fat in these jeans."
"Wow, she looks amazing. Did she lose weight?"

Now think about what your own kids hear you say.

In this second episode of my special Diet Diaries series for moms about kids, food and body image, we're talking about the seemingly harmless comments that can shape how our kids see both their own and other people's bodies.

And this isn't just about daughters. If you're raising a son, this conversation is just as important.

We're getting into how the way you talk about your own body is already influencing your kids, why compliments about weight aren't always doing what you think they are, and how to start noticing the messages you're sending without even realizing it.

This isn't about policing every word that comes out of your mouth or adding one more thing to your mental load as a mom. It's about getting curious, asking better questions and making more intentional choices.

Because your kids are listening. Even when you don't think they are.

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When you feel shitty about your body, getting dressed is probably the LAST thing you want to put effort into.

You grab whatever fits. You hide under something oversized. You save the clothes you actually love for a day when you’re “feeling skinny” or have somewhere important to go.

And without realizing it, you’re making yourself feel even worse.

In episode 295 of The Diet Diaries, I’m talking about why getting dressed is actually more important when you’re unhappy with your body—and why your clothes are one of the most powerful levers you have to change how you feel about yourself without changing your body.

I get into:

• The shitty body image → shitty clothes → shittier body image cycle
• Why the days nobody sees you might be the most important days to get dressed
• The difference between how you feel about your naked body and how you feel about your appearance
• Why losing weight doesn't guarantee you'll finally like how you look
• How to use my LFC method everytime you go shopping or get dressed.

You don't have to love your stomach, your thighs or what you see naked in the mirror to put on an outfit and think, damn, I look good.

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You're trying really hard not to pass your own food and body image issues on to your kids.

But what if some of the things you're doing because you think they're helpful are actually creating the exact problems you're trying to prevent?

Welcome to the first episode in a brand-new series for moms about how to talk to your kids about food and bodies without passing along all the shit you've spent years trying to undo yourself.

We're talking about everything from your 12-year-old wanting to wear a string bikini to your teenager announcing they want to lose 10 pounds, the sweets you keep (or don't keep) in the house, and what your son is learning from the way you talk about other women's bodies.

Whether your kid is 2 months, 2 years or 20, it is NOT too late to shift the conversation.

I’m super excited about this series and as part of it would love to help you navigate your real life situations, so send them my way and I’ll work it through in an episode!

Also, taking all name suggestions!

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You can ask ChatGPT to create a perimenopause fat loss meal plan, calculate your daily protein target and build a fat burning workout routine.

But should you?

And how do you know when it's actually helping you versus sending you into another spiral of overthinking, overcommitting and starting over on Monday?

In episode 293 of The Diet Diaries, I'm joined by health coach and AI expert Kate Solovieva for a conversation about what AI can (and can't) do when it comes to your health, nutrition and changing your behavior.

We get into:

* Why having access to more information isn't necessarily going to change how you eat
* A simple filter to figure out when it makes sense to use AI and when it doesn’t
* What human coaching provides that even the most personalized AI plan can't replicate
* The question to ask yourself when you're wondering whether you actually need more support

If you've ever asked ChatGPT ANYTHING related to your health, nutrition, exercise, stress or sleep, listen up, because this conversation will have you rethinking when, why and how to use AI so that it actually does what you want it to do.

Kate Solovieva is a health coach with over ten years of experience, having worked with 1,000+ clients and having mentored 200+ coaches. Her academic background includes undergraduate and graduate psychology degrees, focusing on health and stress management, as well as post-graduate degrees in trauma and cognitive behavioral therapy.

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When you’re trying to figure out why your cravings are through the roof and you never seem to feel full, you immediately jump to protein. Or that you ate too many carbs. Or that you must have a cortisol imbalance.

What if it was WAY simpler than that?

Because there’s one HUGE part of eating that almost no one talks about.

And once you start paying attention to it, you’re going to notice it everywhere.

In this episode, I’m talking about one of the most overlooked reasons food sometimes hits the spot—and sometimes leaves you blowing through a box of stale cookies an hour later.

It has nothing to do with calories, macros or whether a food is “healthy.”

But it can have a surprisingly big impact on satisfaction, cravings, food noise and even how easy or hard it feels to stop eating.

And the best part? You can start experimenting with what you learn at your very next meal.

Listen up, friends. This is a fun one.

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Is it just me, or is feeling hungry somehow become something we’re afraid of?

I’ve heard this from SO many clients over the last year and now with GLP1s feeling like they are everywhere, I think this has become a THING.

Friends, hunger has a PR problem.

And I get it. What you do when you’re too hungry has historically made you feel pretty shitty, both mentally and physically.

But hunger itself isn’t a problem.

Hunger is a normal biological signal.

It’s that a lot of us have lost the ability to deal with it without freaking out.

In episode 291 of The Diet Diaries I’m talking about:

* Why hunger can feel scary
* How GLP-1s are changing our relationship with hunger
* The difference between regulating hunger and suppressing it
* Why eating every 2–3 hours can make it harder to recognize actual hunger
* Two skills to help you easily and quickly deal with hunger

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You know that thing where you keep saying you’ll deal with it Monday?

Or next month. Or after the holidays. Or January 1st when you’ll magically become a completely different human?

Yeah. We’re talking about that.

In this episode, I’m joined by my friend and ADHD/executive function coach Debbie White to talk about why waiting for the “right time” keeps you doing the same shit over and over—and what actually helps you make changes that work in your real life.

We also talk about the mini retreat Debbie and I are hosting this October, 2026 Course Correct, and exactly what we’ll be working on together and why you should join us!

We talk about:

* Why your brain loves a fresh start—but how that can actually keep you stuck
* Why copying someone else’s food, exercise or productivity plan usually backfires
* How your personal values can show you exactly why your current plan isn’t working for you
* How to stop trying to “get back on track” and figure out what to do next instead
* What we’re doing at the 2026 Course Correct mini retreat and what you’ll walk out with

If you’ve been telling yourself you’ll deal with your eating, your exercise, your career or whatever else isn’t working once life calms down, this episode (and this retreat!) is for you.

Here are all the details for the mini retreat, Sunday October 4, 3-5pm in Fanwood, NJ.

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If you’re “good” all week and then find yourself standing in the pantry on Sunday eating stale cookies, random handfuls of snacks and whatever else you can find, listen up.

Because the answer probably isn’t cleaning out the pantry or doing another detox.

It might actually be the exact opposite.

In this episode, I’m breaking down a real scenario from one of my recent hot seat coaching sessions: a woman who eats very rigidly during the week and then, a couple times a month, feels completely out of control around food.

We get into:
* Why restriction and “fuck it” eating are so closely connected
* What your body is actually trying to tell you when you feel like you cannot stop eating
* Why enjoying your food isn't optional—and how constantly eating the “healthy” choice can eventually catch up with you
* Why going from rigid dieting straight into “just eat whatever you want” can feel absolutely terrifying
* The step by step approach I use with clients to make previously off-limits foods feel less scary

There’s a whole life between eating no cake and eating all the cake.

So if you’ve ever thought, I know this isn’t working but if I stop doing it I’m going to completely lose control, this episode will show you why that fear makes so much sense and exactly what to start doing differently.

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Your body might be perfectly happy where it is.

Your brain? Not so much.

In this episode, I’m talking about what happens when you’re eating well, moving your body, sleeping, feeling full and satisfied...and the scale still won’t move.

Because sometimes there isn’t another “healthy habit” you need to fix.

Sometimes losing those 5, 10 or 15 pounds is going to require a tradeoff—and nobody talks enough about what that tradeoff actually costs you.

We get into:
* The question to ask when you feel like you’re “doing everything right”
* Why your body and your brain can want two completely different things
* How to use my NSF framework (nutrition, satisfaction and fullness) to figure out whether there’s actually something to change with your food
* Why quality of life needs to be part of the weight loss conversation
* What to do on when your eating is actually in a really good place but you still don’t like your body

If you’ve ever thought, I’m doing all the things. Why the fuck am I not losing weight? this episode is for you.

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What happens when someone loses a noticeable amount of weight on a GLP-1…and doesn’t tell you they’re taking one?

Do they owe you that information? Absolutely not.

But is it really that simple? I don’t think it is.

Because when someone tells you they lost weight by eating more protein, walking more or cutting out sugar, you might walk away thinking:

Fuck. I’m doing those things. Why isn’t it working for me? What am I doing wrong?

And suddenly you’re right back in the cycle of trying harder, restricting more and blaming yourself.In this episode, I’m getting into the VERY messy conversation around GLP-1s, weight loss, privacy, stigma and what happens when the whole story isn’t visible.

We’re talking about:

• Whether you should disclose that you’re taking a GLP-1
• Why there’s still so much shame and judgment around these medications
• The unintended impact of letting people believe weight loss came from “just eating better and exercising”

I don’t have a neat answer for this one. And that’s kind of the point.

Two things can be true: Nobody owes anyone their private medical information. AND the way we talk—or don’t talk—about GLP-1s has consequences.

This one is about getting curious, sitting in the discomfort and having a conversation we desperately need to be having.

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I finished recording this episode with body liberation psychotherapist Paula D. Atkinson and immediately knew:This is one of my favorite conversations I've ever had on the podcast.

Not because we agreed on everything (although we agreed on a lot), but because Paula made me think in entirely new ways.

About body image.
About dieting.
About permission.
About rage.
About why so many of us have spent decades believing our bodies are the problem.

This conversation challenged me, validated me, made me laugh, and honestly blew my mind more than once.

If you've ever wondered why you think the way you do about food or your body, this episode is going to give you the answers.

We cover:

• why diet culture functions more like a cult than a wellness practice
• the connection between women's rights and beauty ideals
• The role and impact of GLP-1s
• The mindset shift that is non negotiable
• Why the goal isn't fixing your body...it's questioning the beliefs that convinced you it needed fixing in the first place.

Paula D. Atkinson is a queer, woo-woo desert witch and a liberation-focused psychotherapist. She has been working for over 15 years with those who suffer from disordered eating, food obsession, exercise addiction, and body hatred. Paula created and taught a course on the history of fat phobia and our culture's thin worship as a professor of Weight & Society at George Washington University. She trains professionals, clinics, and organizations in doing less harm in a thin-obsessed world. She has been interviewed for various articles, podcasts and broadcasts, including on NPR, and co-hosts a podcast that explores how psychotherapy conspires with the many systems that cause mental suffering. She is a second-generation yoga teacher, a psychic witch, an artist, and an aspiring DJ! Paula grew up in the Bay Area, lived in DC and NYC for over 20 years, and recently relocated to Palm Springs CA where she is grateful every day for the dry heat, big sky and the desert vibrations.

Insta: @pauladatkinson

Website: https://www.pauladatkinson.com/

FB: https://www.facebook.com/pauladatkinson/

TikTok: @pauladatkinson5

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@WINWWY

Episode of Surrounded: https://youtu.be/M7K87rGoGps?si=KPjMLmxc4KPfp0nJ

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For years, every time I started running it was for one reason: to lose weight.

Which is exactly why I never stayed with it.

Now, for the first time in my life, I've been running consistently.

In this episode, I'm sharing what changed, why it matters, and how this same shift could completely change your relationship with exercise (and honestly, food too).

You'll hear:

• Why trying to lose weight can actually make it harder to stay consistent with exercise.
• The surprising reason I've been running consistently for almost a year (for the first time in my life).
• How chasing outcomes you can't control sets you up to quit—even when you're doing "everything right."
• The mindset shift that makes healthy habits feel easier to stick with.
• Why "enough" exercise might be a lot less than you think.

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Eating on vacation used to mean one of two things: trying desperately to stay "on track" or saying fuck it and promising to start over when I got home.

Either way, it made vacation super stressful.

In this episode, I'm taking you inside what, why and how I ate during four days in Colorado—from Chick-fil-A and Crumbl cookies to burgers, fries, ice cream and dinners I wasn't even hungry for.

I'm talking about:

• Why I ate two bites of one dessert and every last bite of another
• What happened when I was starving after eating 45 grams of protein
• Why I sometimes ate when I wasn't hungry
• How travel, family, hunger and really fucking good food impacted the choices I made
• What all of this can teach you about paying attention to what, why and how you eat

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If stepping on the scale can make or break your entire day (or if you avoid it entirely because you’re afraid of what it will say), this episode is for you.

Today I'm breaking down what the scale is actually measuring, why your weight naturally fluctuates, and how a lifetime of diet culture has taught us to treat one number like the ultimate measure of success or failure.

More importantly, I'm giving you specific, practical ways to respond differently so the scale stops controlling what you eat, what you wear and how you feel.

If you've ever felt amazing one morning because the number went down—or like a complete failure because it went up overnight—this conversation will change the way you think about the scale forever.

In This Episode

• Why the scale is just a piece of data—not a verdict
• What the scale is actually measuring (and what it isn't)
• Why weighing yourself once a week vs every day require completely different ways of interpreting the data
• The real problem isn't the scale—it's how you respond to it
• Why you need progress markers that have nothing to do with your weight

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Today's episode is a little different.

I'm taking you inside an actual coaching session with a woman who came to me convinced if she could just find the “right” thing to eat, it would solve her perimenopause weight gain.

She asked me if she should focus on protein or fiber or water—which one was it?!?!?!

But after asking just a handful of strategic questions, it became clear none of those were her problem.

In this episode, I walk you through exactly how we uncovered what was really driving her weight gain, the simple experiment we created together, and why lasting fat loss has so much more to do with how and why you eat than simply what you eat.

If you've ever felt like you're doing "all the right things" but your body isn't responding the way it used to, this conversation is for you.

What you'll learn

• Why asking "Should I eat more protein?" is often the wrong question
• The hidden eating pattern that was sabotaging this woman's progress
• Why healthy foods can still make weight loss hard
• The behavior change strategy that made it easy for her to follow through

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A lot of conversations about GLP-1s focus on food noise, appetite, and weight loss.

But there's another side of this that almost nobody is talking about.

What happens when these medications suddenly give you the freedom to eat foods you've been afraid of your entire life?

For women who have spent decades dieting, restricting, and trying to control their eating, that freedom can feel incredible. But it can also create some unintended consequences.

In this episode, I'm talking about:

* Why some women start relying on the medication's "guardrails" more than their own skills
* Why medication can lower food noise but can't make food choices for you
* The disordered eating patterns that can quietly creep back in

Whether you're on a GLP-1, considering one, or simply curious about all the buzz around these medications, this episode will give you a different lens to think about food, weight loss, and what sustainable change really requires.

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You’re working out. You’re getting your steps. Maybe you’re strength training. And yet… the scale isn’t moving.

And you’re brain is going WTF??!??!

In this episode, I’m breaking down one of the biggest misconceptions about exercise and weight loss and why doing “all the right things” can still leave you feeling stuck.

I get into:

* Why making weight loss your only reason for exercising is setting you up to quit
* The difference between exercise and moving your body throughout the day (and why both matter)
* How your body adapts to the workouts and walking routines you’ve been doing for months or years
* The two questions I want you asking if you feel like nothing is working anymore
* The surprising change that made my own clothes start fitting differently in just a few weeks

If you’ve ever thought, I’m exercising… why am I not losing weight? this episode will help you connect some really important dots and walk away with some clear next steps.

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