Well, hello, and welcome to a VERY special series on the Rebuilding Trust With Your Body podcast. I am Katy Harvey, and this episode is part of a 3-part series that I am dropping all at once so that you can binge them back-to-back. I have never done anything like this on the podcast before, and I am so pumped to be bringing you this series of episodes that is going to give you so much clarity, courage and confidence to make peace with food, and to move forward with intuitive eating. 

I know that some of you listening to this aren’t quite convinced that intuitive eating is the way to go. Maybe you’ve committed to not going on another diet right now, however every time you go out to eat the second you get back home, you’re still hopping on the scale just to “check the damage.”

And you are creating a grocery list, allowing yourself to finally make macaroni and cheese for your family, but you don’t tell them that it is the lighter version.

You’re asking your partner to join you in your habit of daily walks, claiming it is for circulation or mental health, but in the back of your mind you are saying “I wouldn’t mind if my body got smaller.”

If so, I have a hard truth for you. (I say this lovingly, of course…)

You might say you aren’t on a diet, but diet culture is secretly controlling your every move. 

If you are nodding your head saying, “Katy that’s me!”

Don’t worry I get it. I see you, my clients have been there.

And in order to get to a place where you are healing your relationship with food, this uneasy season is a rite of passage to get there.

This Is exactly why I created this 3-part podcast series specifically designed for those of you who are considering starting your journey with IE, or you’re thinking about really giving it a shot (because you’ve been half in/half out),, but you still have doubts about giving up dieting.  

I’m not going to just tell you, but I am going to show you if IE isn’t working for you right now, chances are I know exactly why.

It’s because you need to get out of the grip, the chokehold diet culture has on you. It’s making your intuitive eating attempts fail time and time again so you give up and think it’s not working. 

Intuitive eating works, and I have no doubt that it can work for you. But first we need to get you out of the grip of diet culture, and that’s what we’re going to do in these 3 episodes together. 

So let’s dig in..

The Tight Grip Diet Culture Has on Us

• We were born into it
• Studies show kids as young as preschool are afraid of being fat, and about ½ of 10 year olds have already been on their first diet
• By the time we reach adulthood 91% of women have dieted, and 79% of Americans report not liking their bodies. 
• Then there’s the weight stigma all around us. People in larger bodies are shamed, bullied, called lazy, they’re discriminated against at work, and they get worse medical care from their doctors. 
• Society also has more subtle ways of shaming people in fat bodies (I say “fat” in a neutral way here) – chairs in waiting rooms and restaurants that don’t fit larger bodies, airplane seats, clothing stores – all these ways that society tells people that being fat is bad and being thin is good.
• Fear mongering about health
• We’re told that dieting is the solution – despite the clear data on how ineffective it is
• From a beauty/appearance standpoint, as well as health, we’re told that it’s bad to gain weight or be fat, and it’s good (and even virtuous) to lose weight.
• Think about how you feel when you’ve lost weight – the praise, accolades. And the shame when you’ve gained weight. 

How Diet Culture Morphs to Keep You Hooked

• People have started to catch on that dieting doesn’t work..so diet culture has morphed.
• Diet culture has evolved to feel more subtle and acceptable (e.g., wellness trends, “lifestyle” plans, Noom claiming not to be a diet, clean eating).
• Call out common internalized beliefs that keep people stuck:
  • “I’m not dieting; I’m just being healthy.”
  • “If I let go completely, my eating will spiral out of control.”
  • “I can’t keep chocolate in the house because I will eat it all in one sitting.” 
  • “I have to lose weight for my health.” 
  • (Challenge these beliefs with nuanced examples and logic grounded in intuitive eating principles.)

The Emotional Safety Net of Diet Culture

• Dive into why dieting feels so safe:
  • It offers a sense of control and predictability.
  • It provides social validation and approval.
  • It acts as a coping mechanism for deeper issues (stress, self-worth, fear of uncertainty).
• OF COURSE it is scary to let go of this safety net and sit with the fear and discomfort.
• Introduce the concept of building trust with your body as a better safety net over time.

WHY It’s Essential to Break Free From Diet Culture

• If dieting worked, we wouldn’t be having this conversation
• This isn’t a YOU problem – it’s dieting that doesn’t work
• You could easily spend the rest of your life on and off diets…
• Or you can step off the dieting rollercoaster, break free from the chokehold dieting has had on you, and make peace with food and your body. It’s not an easy thing to do, and it takes time (I would never lie to you about that), but I can tell you with so much certainty and conviction – IT’S WORTH IT.
• Imagine what it would be like to…
  • Go you your friend’s birthday party and grab a slice of cake, savor it, and then fully immerse yourself in the laughter, conversations, and connection without food guilt. (One of my clients recently ate birthday cake with her grandson for the first time ever, and when she told me I almost started crying.)
  • Instead of packing “safe” snacks for a vacation and feel stressed about what you’ll eat at restaurants, worried about “ruining your progress.” – you feel excited about trying the local cuisine, thrilled to take a break from cooking and enjoy restaurants, and you trust that your body will tell you when to eat, what to eat, and how much to eat without you overthinking it.
  • Modeling a healthy relationship with food for your kids by letting them listen to their bodies, teaching them that all foods can fit without attaching moral judgment (instead of having an internal panic attack when they ask for a 2nd helping of dessert and worrying they are eating “too much sugar.”)
  • Walking down the freezer section of the grocery store and unapologetically putting a pint of Ben & Jerry’s in your cart, instead of your usual Halo Top or lite ice cream, and trusting that you can have some without going overboard.
  • ^^THIS is the type of freedom that you get to create in your life when you break free from diet culture.
• I want to assure you that you ABSOLUTELY can honor your health while doing this. 

How to Loosen the Grip of Diet Culture

• Redefine Control:
  1. There’s a difference between control over your body vs. collaboration with your body.
  2. Dieting and restricting your food might feel like you’re in control, but it’s actually diet culture or disordered eating that’s controlling YOU. 
  3. You get to take back your power and autonomy by returning home to your body and the wisdom it contains. 
• Exploring Your Root Beliefs:
  1. Use reflective journaling or coaching to uncover what diet culture “promises” you (e.g., love, success, health).
  2. Write about what you’re afraid will happen if you let go of dieting and your food rules
  3. Make a list of possible benefits in your life of not dieting and having peace with food
• Shifting Your Identity
  1. Stop identifying as someone who “needs to fix” their body and start seeing themselves as someone worthy of respect and care as you are.
  2. Stop labeling yourself as “overweight” or “obese.” 
  3. Notice if part of your identity is wrapped up in being a “healthy eater” or a “fit person.” Be curious about what you’re afraid of if that was no longer your identify, and reflect on parts of your identity outside of this – who are you besides the way that you eat and exercise.
• Build Resilience for When the Doubts Creep In
  1. How to sit with moments of fear (e.g., “What if this doesn’t work?”) and reframe them as part of the process – a rite of passage to wrestle with this
  2. Do a social media audit and curate your feed
  3. Come back to your WHY – write it on a sticky note and put it somewhere that you’ll see it
  4. Find community and connection to support you

What’s on the Other Side?

• Paint a vivid picture of life without diet culture’s grip:
  • Freedom to focus on relationships, passions, and experiences.
  • Genuine health improvements from listening to your body, not fighting it.
  • A sustainable, guilt-free relationship with food.
• I encourage you to take some time to daydream and envision what you could do with the energy you’re currently spending on food and weight worries – what else could you devote that energy to? LIFE GETS BIGGER WHEN YOU STOP TRYING TO MAKE YOUR BODY SMALLER.

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Conclusion and Next Steps

Next episode – all about strengthening your intuition and focusing on HOW to rebuild TRUST with your body step by step.

Recap the key idea: Diet culture keeps its grip by feeding off fear, control, and unexamined beliefs. Breaking free requires digging deep and building trust with yourself.

Take one action this week: journal, try a food you’ve been avoiding, or reflect on a core belief about your body.

Invite them to share their experiences in the Facebook group (Intuitive Eating Made Easy) or DM you on Instagram.