Welcome back to Rebuilding Trust With Your Body, it’s Katy here, and this is really exciting because today marks the 200th episode of this podcast! 

I cannot believe that we’re at episode 200, and it’s thanks to you who listen that I have kept it going, because real talk here – it’s a labor of love, and it costs a lot to produce each episode of this free resource for you. And I do it because I hear over and over again how it’s helping you to feel more accepting of yourself, and trusting of yourself with food, and compassionate towards your body, and that’s what keeps me going – knowing that it’s making a difference. (And side note, if there’s someone in your life that you think would benefit, text them a link to the show. That’s how we continue to spread this message and create that ripple effect so that diet culture doesn’t have as much power and doesn’t get to run the show anymore. YOU can make a difference by sharing and spreading the word with people in your life. It matters, it really does.)

I asked inside my FB group (which if you’re not inside you 10/10 should be – it’s linked in the show notes) – what this podcast has done for you, and here were some of the responses:

Alex – Honestly- it’s helped with so much food and body stuff but the biggest thing has been when I’m struggling it is a safe, gentle and loving voice that I need to hear. I listen just when I need company and someone who is not in my head.

Carrie – With feeling less anxious, and the food noise in my mind isn’t as loud anymore.

Denise – Where to begin… Finding this podcast and Katy has been truly life-changing. I often replay episodes when I’m having an “off day” and need a change in perspective. My greatest Takeaway has been that healing is not Linear and recovery is a journey as unique as the person taking it. One day, I hope to identify as a true intuitive eater. “Rebuilding trust with my body has helped me find hope for true freedom”

This is so amazing, and like I said, this show hasn’t lived on this long without YOU – So to celebrate the 200th episode, we’re going to do something fun. 

I am doing a Listener Appreciation Giveaway!!
Here’s how you enter: Leave a review on Apple/Spotify and screenshot it and send it to me, or you can share a favorite episode on Instagram or FB and tag you in your stories. Each entry = a chance to win one of the following prizes:

• A free 1:1 Intensive with me (normally $197)
• A bundle of my digital resources (Unconventional Meal Plan, Body Image Bundle, Permission to Eat)
• Amazon gift card for $100

Winners will be selected and announced Monday 9/8!

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: Gerson Therapy

Gerson therapy was named after Dr. Max B. Gerson (1881-1959), who first used it to treat his migraine headaches. In the 1930’s, Dr. Gerson’s therapy became known to the public as a treatment for a type of tuberculosis (TB).

• Drinking 13 glasses of juice a day. The juice must be freshly made from organic fruits and vegetables and be taken once every hour.
• Eating vegetarian meals of organically grown fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
• Taking a TON supplements,
• Coffee or chamomile enemas regularly to remove toxins from the body.
• Preparing food without salt, spices, or oils, and without using aluminum cookware or utensils.
• Used to also include raw calf liver extract; but that part was discontinued in the 1980s after patients were hospitalized for bacterial infections.

Does Gerson Therapy work? 

According to Cancer.gov:

Most of the published information on the use of the Gerson therapy reports on retrospective studies (reviews of past cases). Dr. Gerson himself published case histories of 50 of his patients. The reports include Dr. Gerson’s notes, with some X-rays of the patients over time. The follow-up was contact with patients by mail or phone and included anecdotal reports (incomplete descriptions of the medical and treatment histories of one or more patients).

In 1947 and 1959, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) reviewed the cases of a total of 60 patients treated by Dr. Gerson. The NCI found that the available information did not prove the regimen had benefit.

Reports of three deaths that may be related to coffee enemas have been published. Taking too many enemas of any kind can cause changes in normal blood chemistry, chemicals that occur naturally in the body and keep the muscles, heart, and other organs working properly. 

In 1953, Gerson’s malpractice insurance was discontinued and, in 1958, his medical license in New York was suspended for two years.

More recently, Jessica Ainscough, an influencer known as “The Wellness Warrior”, was a major proponent of the Gerson diet after her diagnosis with cancer. She rejected medical treatment and followed the diet strictly, documenting her progress in a popular blog. She died from her untreated cancer in February 2015, aged 29

The Gerson therapy has not been approved by the FDA for use as a treatment for cancer or any other disease.

https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/cam/patient/gerson-pdq?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email

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…The cost of intuitive eating. 

When you think about choosing intuitive eating, it comes at a cost. There are things you give up when you let go of dieting, restricting, tracking, and trying to control your food. There are things you give up when you stop chasing a lower number on the scale. 

This part often feels taboo to talk about, because there’s so much hype about how incredible IE is, but I think it’s important that we talk about the hard parts, the grief, the things you’re giving up, and the cost of choosing food freedom and peace with your body over the false promises of diet culture. 

• Giving up compliments and validation (“Wow, you look amazing, have you lost weight?”)
• Giving up feeling admired, respected, or envied for losing weight
• Giving up being considered “disciplined” or “healthy”
• Giving up the dream of finally what arriving at your goal weight would do for you
• You might legitimately be giving up fitting easily into airplane seats, booths, or theater chairs
• It might feel like you’re giving up dating opportunities or attention from potential partners (although I would challenge that I have had TONS of clients date, find partners, and even get married and have kids while they were in their larger body after they quit dieting)….and that’s what’s tricky about some of these things that you think you’re giving up – that might not actually be true. There are so many assumptions we’ve been taught to make by diet culture, and in my world we get to challenge those assumptions to help you live your life according to your values. 
• You might be giving up being able to shop anywhere for clothes. This one’s true. AND there are a lot of online clothing brands that are more size inclusive, so this one is very figuroutable. You deserve to have clothing that fits your body at the size it’s meant to be – and it’s not your job to shrink your body in order to fit into certain clothing sizes. 
• Giving up being treated better in medical settings (less stigma, more praise)
• Giving up social status and social currency that comes with thinness
• Giving up the fantasy of effortless confidence when you lose weight
• Giving up being seen as “successful” because you managed to shrink their body
• Giving up liking how you look in photos
• Giving up feeling in control of food and life
• Giving up the security blanket of a plan/rules
• Giving up comfort in certain movements (crossing legs, walking, doing yoga, sitting in certain types of chairs, running faster, etc.)
• Giving up the idea that weight loss = health
• Giving up the sense of belonging that came with dieting groups, weight loss buddies, etc.
• Giving up the belief that “someday when I’m thinner, I’ll finally…” (wear the swimsuit, take the trip, go after the promotion) – and the dreams of what you hoped would be possible for you.
• Essentially ,it might feel like you’re giving up not just dieting behaviors but dreams, identities, social perks, and illusions of safety.

Here’s the thing though…

Many of these “costs” of intuitive eating aren’t costs at all. 

• You don’t have to give up your dreams…Your dreams of landing your dream job, finding a partner, having kids, going on that beach vacation, moving to a new city, auditioning for that role. You can pursue your dreams in your body that you have as an intuitive eater. (In fact, I’d argue that you’re MORE able to do so because you’re no longer spending all your mental energy, time, money and creativity on dieting. You can show up more as the authentic version of yourself. THAT’S the person you want to be when you’re building your life. You’ll be more present with your loved ones, more “you” in what you do, and you be so distracted by the constant thoughts about food.)
• You don’t have to give up feeling good about yourself or “looking good.” What we need to do is rewire the stories you’re telling yourself about your body, the things that your self-esteem is hinging upon, and how you are defining “looking good.” These ideas about what’s desirable, attractive, or what it looks like to be healthy or fit are very much the things that have been burned into our brains over and over again by diet culture – the magazines, social media, movies, TV, advertisements – places where we are told that thin is good and morally superior, and fat is bad and represents failure and laziness. You don’t have to subscribe to this false belief system anymore. You don’t have to let these narratives that were handed to you by companies that are profiting off your body hatred and insecurities – you don’t have to let these narratives run your life anymore.
• You don’t have to give up on relationships with friends, or dating, or your partner. You might even foster some incredible new relationships through this process.
• You don’t have to give up your health (in fact, one of the biggest lies of dieting is that it will improve your health when the research shows quite the opposite)
• You don’t have to give up on planning your meals, having structure with food, or being intentional with your nutrition.
• You don’t have to give up on being able to physically do things, or on your mobility. 

Intuitive eating might feel like it costs a lot – but you’re gaining so much more. And that tension that you feel between what you are letting go of, and the fears about your health, and your weight, and how you so desperately want to have peace with food, but you also still desperately want to be smaller – THAT’S the balancing act here. Figuring out how to navigate intuitive eating and healing your relationship with food when part of you still wants to diet, part of you still wants to track your food, part of you still wants to cut out carbs, part of you still wants to be able to post pictures of your weight loss journey, and for people to ask you what you’ve been doing to lose weight, and telling you how great you look. It’s hard to stand in this messy middle and to feel like you’re choosing sides. 

And this is EXACTLY what I’m going to be covering in my upcoming FREE masterclass called Navigating the Balancing Act Between Food Freedom and Your Health.

You GET that dieting doesn’t work as a long-lasting solution. But you’re still not totally sure that intuitive eating is going to work for you, and part of you wonders if you need to cut out sugar or start watching your calories again. You get heart palpitations when you have to get on the scale at the doctor’s office. You want to be healthy. You want to feel good. You want to have food freedom. You want intuitive eating to work for you. And it can…it WILL…but you’re going to have to learn how to navigate this balancing act of knowing dieting isn’t the answer, but worrying that intuitive eating isn’t going to get you to where you want to be either. 

In this masterclass we’re going to lay it allll out on the table. I’m not holding back. We’re going to talk about the things that are REALLY going through your mind. The things you might have been afraid to say out loud. The things that continue to trip you up, keep you stuck, and that are holding you back from going all-in with intuitive eating without looking back. 

I’m going to be running this masterclass LIVE on 3 different days and times, so when you register you just pick the one that works best for you. If none of them work, just choose the first one and I’ll send you the replay. 

Let’s just say you’re going to want to be there live though, because not only am I doing live Q&A, I’ll also be giving away some juicy prizes to live attendees, including an Amazon gift card, and who doesn’t love an amazon gift card so you can treat yourself to something you’ve had your eye on? 

All you have to do is click the link in the show notes or head over to nondietacademy.com/masterclass to save your seat for free! 

And I’ll leave you with this: The things you gain from making peace with food, healing your relationship with your body, and figuring out how to honor your health in sustainable ways without the rigidity and extremes – these things that you gain BY FAR outweigh what you give up by letting go of dieting and restricting. Wherever you are at on this journey, don’t give up. Keep going. There will be twists and turns, there will be road blocks, there will be times that you feel discouraged – don’t give up. The future version of yourself who is a full-fledged intuitive eater who doesn’t worry about food anymore will thank you. 

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.