Let me guess: you haven’t been on a diet in a while, you’re trying to eat intuitively, but you still feel out of control around food. Like… it’s 9pm and suddenly you’re halfway through a bag of chips, wondering “What the heck is wrong with me?”

You swore you were done with diets — but now you’re doubting everything.
“Am I doing this right?”
“Maybe I really can’t be trusted with food.”
“Should I just try that ‘balanced healthy lifestyle’ thing instead?”

And boom — you’re back in the pantry, filled with shame and cracker crumbs. By morning you’re Googling “how to lose weight the healthy way” and tossing all the “bad” food into the trash and telling your family that you’re all going to stop eating “like crap”.

Let me stop you right there.
This doesn’t mean intuitive eating isn’t working.
It means you still don’t have peace with food — and my hunch is I know exactly why….and that’s what we’re going to dig into today.

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Before we dive into our main topic for today, you know what time it is…We’ve got some Wellness Woo to talk about. 

Wellness Woo is the stuff that diet and wellness culture tells us we should do in the name of health, but it’s really based on pseudoscience, exaggerated claims, or just nonsense. 

Today’s Wellness Woo is: Heart and Soil

Today’s Wellness Woo comes straight out of my DMs! I giggled when I saw this message because I immediately thought – this is perfect for the podcast! 

I want to start off by pointing out the less obvious part of this and then we’ll get into what Heart and Soil is and why it’s Woo. 

As a dietitian on social media, I was pitched this in my DMs as something that they would send to me for free, so that I would recommend their product to my clients. And I’m not sure if they have an influencer or affiliate program, but presumably they’d eventually pitch me to see if I would peddle their product. >> THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS ALL THE TIME and you need to be VERY careful with ANY health or wellness product that you buy off social media. The people who are recommending supplements are often getting an affiliate commission on it and have a financial incentive to convince you that you need it. I see this all over the place on social media and I want you to understand the back end of the business side of these deals.

The other thing I’ll say here is that this might lead you down that slippery slope of thinking that when doctors are recommending actual medications that they’re getting a kickback from “Big Pharma” and they’re not. I’m not saying big pharma isn’t gross in certain ways, but this idea that doctors are getting paid to prescribe you medications is inaccurate and it’s not the same thing as what I’m describing here in terms of commissions and affiliate deals on social media. 

Ok, all of that said…what the heck is this company Heart and Soil and what’s their deal? Allow me to read to you what they sent me:

We love your content and would love to send you some Heart & Soil Supplements, the most nutrient rich supplements on the planet!

If you aren’t familiar, Heart & Soil is an animal-based supplement brand that makes supplements from the most nutrient-rich foods on the planet – organ meats. We’d love for you to give them a try and share what you think with your community!

So I did a little digging into this Heart and Soil company and turns out it was founded by Dr. Paul Saladino – the carnivore doctor. I covered him back in episode 138 which is my macronutrient series episode about carbs. I’ll link to it for you in the show notes if you want to go back and listen. 

Saladino initially worked as a physician’s assistant in a cardiology clinic, and then went to med school and did his residency in integrative medicine (which tends to be full of a lot of pseudoscience and wellness woo). He makes claims that he used the carnivore diet to treat autoimmune diseases and depression in people who were told their illness was untreatable, so we’ve got a bit of a God complex going on here, and he’s making claims that aren’t backed by solid research. 

And then – plot twist – in 2024 Saladino publicly announced that he started eating carbs again, because the carnivore diet was disrupting his sleep, messing with his hormones, and he was suffering from joint and muscle pain.

Yet here he is peddaling supplements on the back of his carnivore diet legacy – WHICH EVEN HE DOESN’T PRACTICE ANYMORE!

On their website they have a section where you can sign up for a meeting with one of their health guides who will give you advice on which of their supplements you should buy (I’m willing ot bet you a million dollars that these health guides have zero health credentials and are essentially sales people who are going to absolutely tell you that you need multiple products that they sell, and they aren’t cheap.) What’s disturbing to me is that on the contact form when you inquire about meeting with a health guide, there are checkboxes for you to say what medical conditions you’re dealing with – everything from daily nutrient support and fat loss, to infertility and autoimmune diseases. Those conditions need REAL medical treatment, not beef organ capsules.

I clicked on the section of the website for autoimmune conditions, and what pops up is a monthly subscription for their beef colostrum (which I covered in episode 187), histamine and immune, and gut health supplements for $181 per month – and that’s with a 10% discount! If you wanted to try it just 1 time without the subscription it’s $202.  ALL of these are wellness woo. And they’re bundling it right up for you and it’s not cheap. 

It’s just so gross to me the way that this guy is grifting people and using his MD credential to make himself sound credible. 

PREMIUM QUALITY NUTRITION FROM NATURE

Our organ supplements are 100% sourced from regeneratively raised, grass-fed & finished cattle, and free from hormones, pesticides and artificial ingredients.

They go on to talk about “the wisdom of our ancestors” who ate animal organs. Organs are the most nutrient-rich foods on the planet. You can get 100 times more nutrients from organs compared to muscle meats! They include everything your body needs to thrive: vitamins, minerals, peptides, proteins, and growth factors. That’s why our ancestors were strong, virile, and vital! That’s how they thrived generation after generation in the world’s harshest environments. And that’s why we’re making treasured organs easily accessible.

I would like to add here that there is risk with organ consumption for heavy metal poisoning, as well as overdose on vitamin A and iron which accumulate in organs. It’s safe to eat actual organ meats in moderation – but I wouldn’t recommend it on a frequent basis and I certainly wouldn’t recommend taking a supplement of this stuff. 

This is Wellness Woo at its finest.

If you have an example of Wellness Woo that you want to share, send it to me at rebuildingtrustwithyourbody@gmail.com. 

Ok, that’s enough of that. Moving on to today’s main topic…

Part 1: You’re Not on a Diet, But You’re Still Thinking Like a Dieter

So here’s where it gets tricky — and honestly, this messes with a lot of people:

You’re not on a diet. You’re not counting points. You deleted the tracking app. You’re not following a meal plan.
You’re technically doing “intuitive eating,” right?

But if you zoom out for a second — the way you’re thinking about food still has diet culture written all over it.

Let’s be real:

• You’re still labeling certain foods as “good” or “bad.”
  
• You feel guilty after eating something “too processed” or “too much.”
  
• You second-guess yourself constantly:
  “Did I eat too much?”
  “Was that hunger or just boredom?”
  “Should I skip dinner since I had a big lunch?”
  

You’re not following rules anymore — but you are still being ruled by them.

And that matters.
Because even if your behaviors look different on the outside, your thoughts still feel like a food police siren going off in your head.

And what do those thoughts do?
They trigger guilt. They fuel shame. They make you overthink every food decision.
And that is what drives the exact behavior you’re trying to avoid — feeling chaotic, reactive, disconnected from your body.

Because here’s the thing:
Your brain doesn’t care whether the restriction is physical or mental.
It just knows when food doesn’t feel safe — and it responds accordingly.

So if you’re wondering why you still feel out of control around food, it’s not because you’re failing at intuitive eating.
It’s because you haven’t fully unlearned the mindset that taught you control = safety.

And guess what? That’s normal. That’s part of the process. But we do need to name it.
Because as long as that diet voice is whispering in the background, you’ll keep second-guessing, restricting, and rebounding — even if you never touch another diet again.

Part 2: Why This Makes You Feel Out of Control

Let’s talk about why all of this — the guilt, the second-guessing, the thinking like a dieter — actually makes you feel out of control around food.

Because here’s the kicker:
You’re not bingeing because you’re “bad” or “undisciplined” or “failing at intuitive eating.”

You’re reacting to deprivation — even if that deprivation is only happening in your thoughts.

Your brain is smart. It’s wired to protect you.
So when it senses that food might be limited — either because you might restrict it later, or because you feel guilty for eating it now — it goes into survival mode.

Cue:

• That panicked urge to eat the whole bag, now
• That “I already messed up, might as well keep going” spiral
• That weird sense of urgency like, “I need to get this in before I take it away again”
  

It’s not willpower. It’s not sabotage.
It’s your nervous system doing its job in the presence of perceived scarcity.

And here’s where it gets even sneakier:
You can be eating the damn cookie, while still feeling bad about it.
And that guilt alone is enough to trigger the same survival response as if you’d actually restricted the cookie.

So even though you’re technically eating what you want, it’s not happening in a space of permission — it’s happening in a cloud of shame and hesitation.

Which is why you might eat past fullness, feel totally disconnected from the experience, and then beat yourself up after… all while thinking, “But I’m not even dieting anymore — why is this still happening?”

Because you haven’t re-trained your brain to believe that food is safe. That it’s allowed. That it doesn’t need to be earned or compensated for.

That’s the real root of why you still feel chaotic around food:
You’re physically free, but psychologically still on lockdown.

And until we address the mental and emotional residue of dieting — not just the food rules, but the storylines — that “out of control” feeling will keep coming back.

But here’s the good news:
You don’t need to “get better at self-control.”
You need to get better at self-permission.

Let’s talk about that permission…

Part 3: Performative Permission vs. Real Permission

Let’s talk about one of the biggest traps I see — especially for people who think they’re practicing intuitive eating but still feel like food has power over them:

👉 You’re giving yourself performative permission, not real permission.

Here’s what I mean:

Performative permission sounds like:

• “I’ll let myself eat this cookie… but I better stop at one.”
• “I’m not restricting… but I should definitely eat cleaner tomorrow.”
• “I’m allowed to eat anything… but this still feels like cheating.”

It’s like you’re trying to trick yourself into food freedom — but your body is way too smart for that.

Real permission, on the other hand, sounds like:

• “I can eat this cookie now. I can eat another one later. I can also not eat it. It’s my choice.”
• “Food is food. I don’t have to justify it, earn it, or explain it away.”
• “This isn’t a test. I don’t need to pass or fail. I just need to listen.”

See the difference?

Performative permission says you’re allowed to eat — but it’s still wrapped in fear, conditions, and an invisible leash.

And that leash is exactly why food still feels like it’s pulling you around.

Because here’s the truth no one told us:
👉 You can’t heal your relationship with food while still judging yourself for what you eat.
👉 You can’t build trust with your body while still making food decisions out of guilt and fear.
👉 And you sure as hell can’t stop obsessing over food if you’re still mentally micromanaging every bite.

Real permission takes guts.
It’s messy. It’s uncomfortable. It doesn’t come with guarantees.
But it’s the only path to actual peace.

Because the moment you truly believe you can have the cookie anytime — no rules, no “earning,” no pressure — is the moment the cookie stops screaming your name.

You don’t have to prove anything.
You don’t have to get it perfect.
But you DO have to start approaching this differently…let’s talk about how…

Part 4: What To Do Instead (a.k.a. The Path to Real Food Freedom)

Okay, so now that we’ve called out the sneaky diet thoughts, the performative permission, and the shame-fueled chaos — let’s talk about what to actually do instead.

Because this isn’t just about awareness.
It’s about unlearning and retraining your brain so it stops treating food like a threat and starts treating it like… food.

Here are three things you can do right now to start shifting out of “I feel out of control” mode and into real food freedom:

✅ Step 1: Spot the Rules (Even the Sneaky Ones)

Grab a pen or open a notes app and brain-dump every lingering food rule you’re still carrying around.
Not just the obvious ones — like “no eating after 8pm” — but the sneaky little voices too:

• “I shouldn’t eat carbs without protein.”
• “I already had dessert once today, I can’t have it again.”
• “If I skip breakfast, maybe I’ll be hungrier for dinner.”
• “I should be eating more vegetables.”
  

These aren’t facts. They’re rules you didn’t consent to — and they’re stealing your peace.

✅ Step 2: Choose One “Trigger” Food to Practice Real Permission With

Pick one food you feel chaotic or guilty around — and intentionally give yourself permission to eat it without strings attached.

That means:

• No compensation later.
• No “only if I worked out today.”
• No “but this is the last time.”
  

Just eat it like it’s normal. Like it belongs. Like you’re allowed.

Because guess what?
You are allowed.

This is how you start showing your body, over and over again, that there is no food emergency.
And once it believes you, it will stop acting like there is.

✅ Step 3: Ask Yourself This Coaching Question:

“What do I think ‘control’ with food will give me — and what am I afraid will happen if I let it go?”

This question is one of the most powerful questions you’ll ask yourself. I 10/10 recommend you write it down so you don’t forget – and actually USE IT.

Because so often, our obsession with control is really about trying to feel safe, lovable, in charge, or accepted.

But food control isn’t giving you those things.
It’s keeping you stuck in a cycle of fear, shame, and exhaustion.

Real peace comes from permission — not perfection.

Wrapping Up

So if you’re thinking, “Okay, this makes sense… but I still don’t trust myself to actually do it without spiraling,” — that’s exactly why I created my $7 audio mini-course, Permission to Eat.

You’ll get:

• 7 audio lessons that walk you through the exact mindset shifts and strategies you need
• A bonus Day 8 episode that ties it all together (it might even contain a breakdown of what my own therapist once told me in a therapy session that was a game changer for me personally)

It’s the bridge between knowing you want food freedom… and actually experiencing it.

Each day over 7 days you get a powerful lesson that’s about 8-10 minutes long and packs a punch and it walks you through how to go from feeling scared to let yourself eat, feeling distrusting of your body, or that performative permission thing where you’re technically letting yourself eat the foods like cookies, but you’re still feeling guilty about it. We’re going to dig into all of that to create REAL permission and freedom for you with food and we’ll tackle the things holding you back. 

If you’re done tiptoeing around food and ready to stop feeling like a walking craving machine — this is your next step.

👉 Grab it for $7 at the link in the show notes.
You’ve got permission. For real this time.

In case nobody has told you today – you are worthy just as you are. We’ll talk again soon.

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“I love Katy and Rebuilding Trust With Your Body.” <– If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me support more people — just like you — who are ready to finally discover peace with their bodies. Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode! Also, make sure to follow the podcast if you haven’t already done so. Follow now.