245. "Intentional Weight Loss Reduces Your Risk of Death by 15%": My Critique of This Claim

"Just because a food is categorized as an ultra-processed food does not make it bad or unhealthy."Ultra-processed foods are making headlines, being blasted as addictive and dangerous, but what does the evidence actually tell us? In this episode, I unpack what ultra-processed foods really are, how the NOVA classification system defines them, and why the research linking them to binge eating, “food addiction,” and eating disorders is more complex than it sounds. We also explore how diet culture, restriction, and personal food history shape our relationship with food, and why finding peace with food requires more compassion and less moralizing of food.What You’ll Learn:What ultra-processed foods actually are, how they’re defined in research, and why these definitions matterHow media messaging about ultra-processed foods can activate guilt and food anxietyWhat current research actually says about the links between ultra-processed foods, binge eating, and so-called “food addiction”The limitations of using “food addiction” scales and why your dieting history can shape your behaviors around these foodsThe power of habituation: how repeated, less-restricted exposure to ultra-processed foods can actually decrease bingesWhy context, including diet culture, weight stigma, socioeconomic status, and upbringing, matters more than the headlines ever mentionResources:Examining the Nova Food Classification System and the Healthfulness of Ultra-Processed FoodsGrab the Hunger & Fullness Scale Guide at DietCultureRebel.com/hungerfullnessscale and take your next step toward building trust with your body and food.Connect with me over on Instagram at @diet.culture.rebel.Struggling with food, but not sure where to start?You don’t have to feel 100% ready to get support. If you're tired of obsessing over food or feeling stuck in the diet cycle, my team of Registered Dietitians is here to help. We offer one-on-one nutrition counseling—and we accept insurance! Spots are limited, so head to https://dietculturerebel.com/insurance to see if we’re covered in your state and learn how to get started.

"Yoga is a place where I can let go of who I decided that I'm supposed to be and see myself from a different perspective."Do you ever feel like movement is just another box to check off instead of something that actually feels good? In this episode, I’m joined by yoga teacher, author, and entrepreneur Jessamyn Stanley to talk about how diet culture and anti-fat bias shape our relationship with exercise and why so many people experience movement as punishing or shameful. Jessamyn shares her journey from a less-than-inspiring first yoga class to developing a more compassionate relationship with her body by simply giving herself permission to try. Together, we unpack how to untangle movement from pressure to change your body, navigate fitness spaces that don’t always feel inclusive, and rebuild trust, presence, and self-respect through practices like yoga...even on days when body love feels out of reach.What You’ll Learn:How diet culture shapes our relationships with exercise, making movement feel forced, punishing, or like a choreWhy shame shows up so often in fitness spaces, and how to approach body image with compassion and respect instead of pressure to “love” your bodyPractical ways to rebuild trust with your body and make movement genuinely enjoyableThe ways yoga and intuitive eating both teach you to check in with your body’s cues and respond with care instead of controlHow to begin separating wellness practices (like yoga) from diet culture narratives and reclaim movement for yourselfThe power of advocacy, showing up shamelessly, and why seeing real, diverse bodies in movement spaces matters for everyoneConnect with Jessamyn:Instagram: @theunderbellyyogaInstagram: @mynameisjessamynWebsiteJoin The Underbelly for freeStruggling to know when to eat or when to stop isn’t a failure… it could be a byproduct of following diet rules instead of your body’s cues. The free Hunger & Fullness Scale Guide helps you ditch the noise and tune back into the cues your body is sending to build trust with your body and food. Get it at DietCultureRebel.com/hungerfullnessscale.Come back next week for another episode and connect with me over on Instagram at @diet.culture.rebel.Struggling with food, but not sure where to start?You don’t have to feel 100% ready to get support. If you're tired of obsessing over food or feeling stuck in the diet cycle, my team of Registered Dietitians is here to help. We offer one-on-one nutrition counseling—and we accept insurance! Spots are limited, so head to https://dietculturerebel.com/insurance to see if we’re covered in your state and learn how to get started.

"I truly worry about the impact that scary claims like this can make on people's relationships with food and their bodies."Bold headlines about weight loss and health risks seem to be everywhere these days. In this episode, I unpack a meta-analysis claiming intentional weight loss may be associated with a reduced risk of all-cause mortality by 15% and explain what the research actually says, what it leaves out, and why the headlines don’t tell the full story. I also share the emotional impact these messages can have, especially if you’re struggling with food and body image, and break down the limitations of the most-cited study.What You’ll Learn:How to critically analyze bold claims about weight loss and healthWhy headlines about weight and mortality are often more misleading than they seemWhat the Look AHEAD study really found (and why its impact on the meta-analysis matters)Why intentional weight loss rarely leads to the dramatic results diet culture promisesHow research often gets twisted or oversimplified to create anxiety around eating, body size, and healthSimple steps you can take to chip away at internalized anti-fat bias and widen your perspectiveResources:Meta-Analysis: Intentional weight loss and all-cause mortality: a meta-analysis of randomized clinical trialsLook AHEAD Study: Cardiovascular Effects of Intensive Lifestyle Intervention in Type 2 DiabetesGrab the Hunger & Fullness Scale Guide at DietCultureRebel.com/hungerfullnessscale and take your next step toward building trust with your body and food.Connect with me over on Instagram at @diet.culture.rebel.Struggling with food, but not sure where to start?You don’t have to feel 100% ready to get support. If you're tired of obsessing over food or feeling stuck in the diet cycle, my team of Registered Dietitians is here to help. We offer one-on-one nutrition counseling—and we accept insurance! Spots are limited, so head to https://dietculturerebel.com/insurance to see if we’re covered in your state and learn how to get started.

"If we are not clear on what our values are, they will be prescribed for us."Is living by someone else’s “shoulds” quietly running your life? In this conversation with psychotherapist and Momwell founder, Erica Djossa, we unpack how inherited expectations around productivity, motherhood, and diet culture can pull you away from your true values and impact your relationship with food and your body. You’ll leave with practical steps and reflective questions to identify what actually matters to you, build self-trust, and choose peace over burnout.What You’ll Learn:How our definition of health is shaped, and sometimes distorted, by family, society, and diet cultureWhy living a values-aligned life can anchor your food and body healing journeySimple ways to start untangling the “shoulds” from your true prioritiesHow to use your values as a compass when food rules and comparison creep inStrategies to sort out which values are genuinely yours, and which are inherited or anxiety-drivenHow self-compassion and curiosity can guide you through value discovery, even when it feels messy or emotionalConnect with Erica:Instagram: @momwell Momwell websiteErica's websiteFree Values SortStruggling to know when to eat or when to stop isn’t a failure… it could be a byproduct of following diet rules instead of your body’s cues. The free Hunger & Fullness Scale Guide helps you ditch the noise and tune back into the cues your body is sending to build trust with your body and food. Get it at DietCultureRebel.com/hungerfullnessscale.Come back next week for another episode and connect with me over on Instagram at @diet.culture.rebel.Struggling with food, but not sure where to start?You don’t have to feel 100% ready to get support. If you're tired of obsessing over food or feeling stuck in the diet cycle, my team of Registered Dietitians is here to help. We offer one-on-one nutrition counseling—and we accept insurance! Spots are limited, so head to https://dietculturerebel.com/insurance to see if we’re covered in your state and learn how to get started.

“When overeating is not treated like a moral failure, it loses its power.”Do you feel the pressure to finish every bite on your plate, even after you’re full, and wonder why it’s so hard to stop? You’re definitely not alone. In this episode, we unpack the roots of clean plate club struggles, from childhood dinner table rules and food scarcity to family beliefs and diet culture, and explore why it’s not simply a matter of discipline. I share my own story and help you reframe these habits with compassion instead of shame, recognizing how they may have once served you. You’ll walk away with practical tools to build mindful pauses into your meals, reconnect with your hunger and fullness cues, and eat in a way that truly feels good - without guilt or outdated rules attached.What You’ll Learn:Why stopping when you’re full isn’t about willpower or discipline, and what’s actually driving the struggleHow childhood experiences, praise, and family dynamics might have shaped your “clean plate club” habitsWhy compassion (not self-blame) is the key to loosening the grip of these patternsPowerful mindset shifts to start eating what and how much feels good to youHow to reconnect with your body’s hunger and fullness signalsPractical action steps to gently break free from automatic plate-cleaningResources:Grab the Hunger & Fullness Scale Guide at DietCultureRebel.com/hungerfullnessscale and take your next step toward building trust with your body and food.Episode 230, The Hunger and Fullness Scale: What It Is and How to Use ItConnect with me over on Instagram at @diet.culture.rebel.Struggling with food, but not sure where to start?You don’t have to feel 100% ready to get support. If you're tired of obsessing over food or feeling stuck in the diet cycle, my team of Registered Dietitians is here to help. We offer one-on-one nutrition counseling—and we accept insurance! Spots are limited, so head to https://dietculturerebel.com/insurance to see if we’re covered in your state and learn how to get started.

"What we call healthy on the outside does not always reflect what is happening on the inside."A missing menstrual cycle is often one of the body’s earliest warning signs that something is off beneath the surface. In this episode, I’m joined by Dr. Nicola Sykes, a leading expert on hypothalamic amenorrhea (HA), to talk about what it really means when your period goes missing, why HA can affect bodies of any size, and how normalized “healthy” behaviors and weight stigma often delay real support. This conversation goes beyond fertility to explore how to listen to your body, understand the signals it’s sending, and support your health in a sustainable way.✅ What You’ll Learn:Why habits like carb-cutting, intermittent fasting, and intense exercise can disrupt your menstrual cycleHow under-fueling, stress, and exercise multiply to trigger hypothalamic amenorrheaWhy anyone, regardless of body size, can experience HA, and what makes weight-based assumptions so harmfulWhat a disrupted cycle looks like and why tracking ovulation mattersHow to start reconnecting with your body, tune into real hunger and fullness cues, and ditch shame in favor of curiosityActionable first steps for period recovery, including why eating breakfast is a big deal!🔗 Connect with Dr. Nicola:Instagram: @noperiodnowwhatWebsitePeriod recovery support groupBlog post mentioned: Diagnosing Hypothalamic AmenorrheaThe Missed Menstrual Periods Study at Mayo Clinic Florida✨ Struggling to know when to eat or when to stop isn’t a failure… it could be a byproduct of following diet rules instead of your body’s cues. The free Hunger & Fullness Scale Guide helps you ditch the noise and tune back into the cues your body is sending to build trust with your body and food. Get it at DietCultureRebel.com/hungerfullnessscale.Come back next week for another episode and connect with me over on Instagram at @diet.culture.rebel. 💕Struggling with food, but not sure where to start?You don’t have to feel 100% ready to get support. If you're tired of obsessing over food or feeling stuck in the diet cycle, my team of Registered Dietitians is here to help. We offer one-on-one nutrition counseling—and we accept insurance! Spots are limited, so head to https://dietculturerebel.com/insurance to see if we’re covered in your state and learn how to get started.

"I love reframing cravings as a way that your body is trying to communicate with you, because to me that seems so much kinder than labeling them as something bad or wrong."Diet culture has a sneaky way of showing up in our everyday lives, whether it’s feeling out of control around sugar, getting weighed at the doctor’s office, or worrying about how society’s obsession with thinness is impacting our kids. In this Q&A episode, I answer common Instagram questions with no blame or fear. We talk about what really drives cravings, how to advocate for yourself in medical settings, and how to support kids in building a healthy relationship with food and their bodies.✅ What You’ll Learn:How to understand intense sugar and chocolate cravings without shame or self-blameWhy eating enough and breaking food restrictions matters for intuitive eatingWays to practice habituation and make peace with food you fearTools and scripts for advocating for yourself with weight-focused doctorsTips for fostering a healthy relationship with food and body in your children, even amid diet culture pressuresWhy compassion and small steps are the key to moving forward...no all-or-nothing thinking required🔗 Resources:Grab the Hunger & Fullness Scale Guide at DietCultureRebel.com/hungerfullnessscale and take your next step toward building trust with your body and food.Connect with me over on Instagram at @diet.culture.rebel.Ragen Chastain's Substack: Weight and HealthcareNo Weigh MovementHAES Health SheetsStruggling with food, but not sure where to start?You don’t have to feel 100% ready to get support. If you're tired of obsessing over food or feeling stuck in the diet cycle, my team of Registered Dietitians is here to help. We offer one-on-one nutrition counseling—and we accept insurance! Spots are limited, so head to https://dietculturerebel.com/insurance to see if we’re covered in your state and learn how to get started.

"Diet culture and wellness culture are incredibly convincing. Every new trend is marketed as the most important thing you need to do for your health."Electrolyte supplements and hydration drinks are everywhere right now, being advertised by everyone from TikTok wellness influencers to major podcast sponsors. But how much of this is actually helpful, and how much is just hype? In this episode, I break down the real science behind electrolytes, explain what sodium and potassium actually do in your body, and cut through the fear-based wellness messaging that keeps people confused and stressed. We’ll cover recommendations, controversies, and who might actually benefit from electrolyte supplements. You’ll get the context you need to understand the numbers without obsessing over them.✅ What You’ll Learn:What sodium and potassium actually do in your body, and why they’re so essentialWho might benefit from electrolyte supplements, and who probably doesn’t need themWhy the latest wellness trends are so convincing...and often misleadingHow your body naturally regulates electrolytes (and when it needs support)The truth about sodium recommendations, chronic disease, and where potassium fits into the pictureWhy it’s possible to prioritize hydration and health without falling for diet culture’s fear-mongering✨ Struggling to know when to eat or when to stop isn’t a failure… it could be a byproduct of following diet rules instead of your body’s cues. The free Hunger & Fullness Scale Guide helps you ditch the noise and tune back into the cues your body is sending to build trust with your body and food. Get it at DietCultureRebel.com/hungerfullnessscale.💕 Come back next week for another episode and connect with me over on Instagram at @diet.culture.rebel.Struggling with food, but not sure where to start?You don’t have to feel 100% ready to get support. If you're tired of obsessing over food or feeling stuck in the diet cycle, my team of Registered Dietitians is here to help. We offer one-on-one nutrition counseling—and we accept insurance! Spots are limited, so head to https://dietculturerebel.com/insurance to see if we’re covered in your state and learn how to get started.

"It really isn't about food. It is about control...I wish I would have understood that a little bit earlier."With thinness back “in” and diet culture louder than ever, I sat down with Ginger Zee, ABC News chief meteorologist and climate correspondent, for an honest conversation about food, body image, mental health, and the healing that reshaped her life and career. Ginger has spent decades in the public eye and a male-dominated industry. She opens up about her journey from childhood struggles with anorexia to thriving as a leader, parent, and public figure. This episode is about resilience, hope, and what becomes possible when food and body thoughts stop running the show.What You’ll Learn:How diet culture is louder than ever and what it means for us nowThe impact of family, society, and trauma on our relationship with food and bodyWhy healing your relationship with food gives you more room to live meaningfullyThe lessons Ginger learned about control, body image, and resilience through different stages of her lifeHow sharing personal stories breaks shame and reminds us that we are not aloneHow taking up space and being vulnerable as women is a powerful act of rebellion against diet cultureConnect with Ginger:X: @ginger_ZeeInstagram: @Ginger_ZeeFacebook Fan PageWebsiteGood Morning AmericaStruggling to know when to eat or when to stop isn’t a failure… it could be a byproduct of following diet rules instead of your body’s cues. The free Hunger & Fullness Scale Guide helps you ditch the noise and tune back into the cues your body is sending to build trust with your body and food. Get it at DietCultureRebel.com/hungerfullnessscale.Come back next week for another episode and connect with me over on Instagram at @diet.culture.rebel.Struggling with food, but not sure where to start?You don’t have to feel 100% ready to get support. If you're tired of obsessing over food or feeling stuck in the diet cycle, my team of Registered Dietitians is here to help. We offer one-on-one nutrition counseling—and we accept insurance! Spots are limited, so head to https://dietculturerebel.com/insurance to see if we’re covered in your state and learn how to get started.

“Yo-yo dieting, restrictive diets, and cutting out whole food groups is worsening insulin resistance more than carbs ever could.”Carbs have been painted as the villain for far too long, and diet culture has convinced many of us that avoiding them is the key to health and happiness. But what really happens to your body and blood sugar when you restrict carbs may surprise you.In this episode, I’m joined by Kristie Messerli, registered dietitian and certified diabetes care and education specialist. We unpack the fear around carbs, diabetes, insulin resistance, and CGMs, and explain why restriction creates more stress, guilt, and metabolic harm. We also share science-backed ways to support both your health and your relationship with food.What You’ll Learn:How restriction and yo-yo dieting actually make insulin resistance worse, and how lifelong dieting can backfire metabolicallyWhy eating sugar does not cause diabetes, and what actually contributes to diabetes developmentThe pros and cons of using continuous glucose monitors (CGMs), and when they’re helpful versus harmfulWhy blood sugar spikes are often misunderstood, and how hormones, stress, and sleep play a roleHow to add to your plate (not take away!) for better blood sugar regulation and more satisfying mealsPractical ways to rethink carbs and food neutrality to promote both your health and your relationship with eating🔗 Connect with Kristie:Instagram: type2diabetes.nutritionistFree Masterclass: 7 Mistakes That Are Wrecking Your Blood Sugar (and what to do instead)✨ Struggling to know when to eat or when to stop isn’t a failure… it could be a byproduct of following diet rules instead of your body’s cues. The free Hunger & Fullness Scale Guide helps you ditch the noise and tune back into the cues your body is sending to build trust with your body and food. Get it at DietCultureRebel.com/hungerfullnessscaleCome back next week for another episode and connect with me over on Instagram at @diet.culture.rebel.Struggling with food, but not sure where to start?You don’t have to feel 100% ready to get support. If you're tired of obsessing over food or feeling stuck in the diet cycle, my team of Registered Dietitians is here to help. We offer one-on-one nutrition counseling—and we accept insurance! Spots are limited, so head to https://dietculturerebel.com/insurance to see if we’re covered in your state and learn how to get started.