Have you ever thought, I know what to do… so why can’t I just do it?
You know the foods you want to eat. You know movement matters. You may have started the diet, made the plan, promised yourself that this time would be different and still found yourself back in the same cycle.
What if the problem isn’t that you need more discipline?
In this episode of Rewiring Health, I’m joined by certified life coach and bestselling author Lizzie Merritt for a conversation that goes far beyond weight loss.
Lizzie shares her own experience of knowing all the “right” things to do while still turning to food to cope and how learning about behavior change, self-compassion, and nervous system safety completely changed the way she understood the struggle.
We explore why shame can actually reinforce the behaviors you’re trying to change, why food may be serving an important emotional function, and how weight can become deeply intertwined with identity, worth, belonging, and the belief that you’re somehow not enough.
We also talk about:
- Why taking away emotional eating without replacing what it provides can backfire
- How to work with your body, emotions, and thoughts from the bottom up
- The connection between people-pleasing, stress, and reaching for food
- Why you are not responsible for managing everyone else’s emotions
- How perfectionism and pushing harder can keep you stuck
- Why rest may be one of the most overlooked pieces of lasting change
- How to separate your worth from your weight
- Simple tools for creating safety when emotions feel overwhelming
Lizzie also shares a powerful reminder: weight loss doesn’t have to be the destination. It can become a doorway into understanding yourself more deeply and creating the life you actually want to live.
Lizzie Merritt is a certified life coach and bestselling author of LIGHT: The New Psychology of Weight Loss and You Are A Miracle. A former middle school science teacher, she brings together brain science, behavior change, humor, and self-compassion to help women over 40 create a different relationship with food, their bodies, and themselves.
If you’ve spent years believing you just need to try harder, this conversation may help you ask a very different question:
What if I don’t need more willpower? What if I need to understand what this behavior has been doing for me?
Connect with Lizzie:
LIGHT: The New Psychology of Weight Loss: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0G94BRJQ4
The Confident Body Podcast: https://0176ede8.streak-link.com/C1GFX99Rkf-g3l5RAgTOI_YO/https%3A%2F%2Fpodcasts.apple.com%2Fus%2Fpodcast%2Fthe-confident-body-podcast-weight-loss-coaching-for-moms-psychology-brain-hacking%2Fid1660747704
Connect with Kelly:
If this episode resonated, start with my free Self-Abandonment Audit: a powerful first step to uncover where you may be putting everyone else first, overriding your needs, or talking yourself out of what you know is right for you.
Get the audit here:
https://drkellykessler.com/selfaudit
The Self-Respect Reset is my 4-week self-paced course designed for women who know what they need but struggle to follow through. You'll learn how to navigate guilt, build self-trust, create healthier boundaries, and stop abandoning yourself in the moments that matter most.Learn more here:
https://drkellykessler.com/selfrespectreset
Looking for personalized support?
The Self-Loyalty Mentorship is for the woman who is ready to stop second-guessing herself, stay true to what she knows, and build the capacity to hold her boundaries and decisions with confidence even when it's uncomfortable.
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https://drkellykessler.com/selfloyaltymentorship
Website:https://drkellykessler.com/
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