Optimal Health Daily - Fitness and Nutrition 3234: Can I Pursue Weight Loss Too by Stefanie Bonastia with Jessi Kneeland on Mindful Fitness Choices
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Dec 24, 2025 Explore the intricate relationship between dieting, body image, and well-being. Learn how societal pressures and extreme dieting can trigger hunger and lead to rebound eating. Discover why cultivating a peaceful relationship with food conflicts with strict weight loss goals. Redefine health by focusing on fitness, sleep, and joyful movement, rather than just weight. Embrace personal choice in pursuing weight loss while prioritizing food peace for a sustainable journey.
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Personal Weight Loss Struggle
- The questioner describes lifelong struggles with food and weight, losing weight at 25 then regaining it over six months.
- She asks if she can heal her relationship with food while trying to lose weight in a healthier way.
Culture Versus Biology
- Stefanie explains dieting is driven by cultural ideals that equate thinness with health and confidence.
- She emphasizes biology has no value for thinness and is focused solely on survival.
Diets Trigger Survival Responses
- Extreme diets trigger an alarm state where increased hunger signals overpower willpower.
- This response is biological, not a moral failing.