What Binge-Watching Weight Loss Commercials Taught Me About Diet Culture
I spent January cuddled on the couch mainlining television — and accidentally conducted the most revealing experiment in diet culture I’ve ever done. When you watch weight loss commercial after weight loss commercial with a critical eye, something becomes very clear. Here’s what I noticed.
Real Eating Disorder Recovery Means Complete Freedom — Not a Life in Management
I saw a meme that said “Yes, I have an eating disorder. No, I can’t just get over it.” And I called B.S. Not because eating disorders aren’t real and painful — I know firsthand that they are. But because that belief is exactly what keeps people stuck. Here’s what real recovery actually looks like.
The Three Biggest Myths Keeping You Stuck in Food Drama
Every holiday season the same tired advice appears everywhere — avoid the buffet, watch your portions, burn off your indulgences. But the real mistakes keeping women stuck have nothing to do with what they eat. Here are the three cultural myths that actually keep you famished, frustrated and stuck.
Why Food Freedom Is the Zen of Weight Loss
I finally went looking for Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance — and ended up with Alan Watts instead. What I found in his first lecture about the Tibetan Wheel of Life explained everything I’ve been trying to teach about getting off the diet and exercise teeter-totter. Here’s the connection.
You Will Never Get “A Body Like Hers” — And That’s Actually Good News
Meghan Trainor pulled her music video because her waist had been retouched without permission. Everyone’s fighting about Photoshop again. But here’s what we’re missing while that argument keeps us distracted — and the one sentence from Shape Magazine’s own editors that says everything.
Why Photoshop Isn’t Actually the Problem
My graphic designer Photoshopped one of my images — just barely. And honestly it looked great. As the Happy Calories Girl I asked him to change it back. But here’s the thing — Photoshop isn’t actually the problem. Here’s the more empowering perspective that changes everything about how we see media images.
Why Counting Points Is Just Counting Calories in Disguise
Oprah told us weight loss isn’t just about calories in and exercise out — it’s about the emotional and personal stuff too. And then she told us to count points and turn it into a game. Does anyone else see the contradiction? Here’s what Oprah and Weight Watchers are still missing.
Why Your Beliefs About Weight Loss Are Sabotaging Your Values
Year after year, losing weight tops both the New Year’s resolution list and the broken resolution list. Here’s a theory about why — and it has nothing to do with willpower. It’s about a hidden conflict between what you believe about weight loss and what you actually value in life.
What a Boxing Champion Taught Me About Your Relationship With Food and Exercise
I met the 2013 National Boxing Champion at an event where we were both honored as fitness influencers. She told me she got into boxing because she “didn’t feel expressed.” Those three words have stayed with me ever since — because they explain everything about why so many women suffer with food and exercise.
Why Your Fitness Tracker Can’t Replace Your Relationship With Your Body
Everyone seems to have a Fitbit. And I get it — the data feels useful. But what if I told you there’s a fictional gadget called a Lovebit that tracks how many times you’ve texted your spouse? Here’s why that analogy explains everything wrong with tracking your way to wellness.