Diet-Free Living with Meridith Oram: Recent Episodes
Meridith Oram
Join Anti-Diet Nutritionist, Meridith Oram, as she shares how to heal from years of dieting so you can reclaim your self-trust and confidence through diet-free living. Each week we chat all things balanced wellness, intuitive eating, mental health, body image work, finding joy in nutrition & fitness, ...and so much more. Meridith is the owner of Love Yourself Towards Healthy (http://loveyourselftowardshealthy.com) , a private nutrition practice, where she helps chronic dieters heal their relationship with food, fitness, and body image through 1:1 and group coaching.
Sharing a life update today! As well as my top 6 tips for returning to the office after disordered eating recovery, eating disorder recovery or becoming an intuitive eater. The 4th tip is THE MOST critical!
This podcast episode will also be helpful if you've made positive changes to your healthy lifestyle over the past 1.5+ years of working from home, but now you're heading back to the office.
Thinking about returning to the office after disordered eating recovery during quarantine might be bringing up a lot of thoughts and feelings. Will I be able to maintain my food freedom in an office setting? Or will old habits creep back as I fall back into my old routine?
If you’re struggling with these intrusive thoughts, I want to assure you that it’s totally normal. Even those who didn’t recover from an eating disorder, disordered eating or chronic dieting during quarantine are feeling apprehensive about returning to the office.
Be sure to subscribe to this podcast to receive a notification when new episodes release on Tuesdays.
For more information, go to http://www.loveyourselftowardshealthy.com
Hypnotherapy?! That term freaked me out until I tried my first hypnotherapy session with Clinical Hypnotherapist, Julie Costa. I became so fascinated with this anxiety-reducing modality, that I interviewed Julie in this latest podcast episode of Diet-Free Living with Meridith Oram.
My only previous experience with hypnosis was in college, watching an entertainer hypnotize someone to quack like a duck. If that's your experience too, be sure to tune in! Hypnotherapy is SO much more. It can help you reduce anxiety, overcome fears, lose weight, and stop unhealthy behaviors like nail biting, smoking, etc.
Download your FREE hypnosis session with Julie:
https://www.juliemcosta.com/stress-release-hypno-track
Book a 90-120 hypnosis session(+ recording & 30 minute follow up) with Julie:
https://calendly.com/juliemcosta/customized-hypnotherapy-session?month=2021-09
Learn more about how to live diet-free:
http://www.loveyourselftowardshealthy.com
Whole30 is an extreme 30-day elimination diet "cleanse" that has been celebrated by diet culture. But it's also known to trigger disordered eating, poor(er) relationships with food, food anxiety and Orthorexia. Listen to today's episode to learn what Orthorexia is, and where the lines between Whole30 & Orthorexia blur. I also discuss the official Orthorexia Assessment Quiz by Dr. Stephen Bratman. And share my personal experience with Whole30, Paleo and Orthorexia.
*PLEASE NOTE Eliminating food(s) to "cleanse," "detox" or lose weight is completely different than someone who follows a customized elimination diet under the care of a trained healthcare professional. While those with a food allergy, food intolerance, or an autoimmune disease (e.g. Celiac Disease) aren't immune to Orthorexia, it is different to avoid certain foods for medically diagnosed reasons.*
"The Biology of Binge Eating" Mathes, Brownley, Mo, and Bulik
I reference this study to support that 30 days of any restriction inevitably leads to food cravings and binging:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2694569/
Official Orthorexia Assessment Quiz
Dr. Steven Bratman has granted permission to share his quiz for self-assessment. Answering “yes” to any of the following questions means you may have—or are developing—Orthorexia:
- I spend so much of my life thinking about, choosing and preparing healthy food that it interferes with other dimensions of my life, such as love, creativity, family, friendship, work and school.
- When I eat any food I regard to be unhealthy, I feel anxious, guilty, impure, unclean, and/or defiled; even to be near such foods disturbs me, and I feel judgmental of others who eat such foods.
- My personal sense of peace, happiness, joy, safety, and self-esteem is excessively dependent on the purity and righteousness of what I eat.
- Sometimes I would like to relax my self-imposed “good food” rules for a special occasion, such as a wedding or a meal with family and friends, but I find that I cannot. (Note: if you have a medical condition in which it is unsafe for you to make ANY exception to your diet, then this item does not apply).
- Over time, I have steadily eliminated more foods and expanded my list of food rules in an attempt to maintain or enhance health benefits; sometimes, I may take an existing food theory and add to it with beliefs of my own.
- Following my theory of healthy eating has caused me to lose more weight than most people would say is good for me or has caused other signs of malnutrition such as hair loss, loss of menstruation, or skin problems.
For more resources on healing from years of dieting and disordered eating, learn more at:
http://www.loveyourselftowardshealthy.com
Thank you for listening & subscribing! ~Meridith
Back to school! Did you know that September/Back to School is just as popular for new diets as January/New Year's Resolutions? There's something about summer turning into fall that makes people want to make positive changes in their life. But is starting a new diet really a positive change?
Tune in to this week's episode to learn 3 red flags you're ready to quit dieting and start healing. As well as what you can do instead that will prioritize your overall wellness & have you feeling your best.
Join the next 12-week group coaching of Diet-Free Academy:
http://www.loveyourselftowardshealthy.com/diet-free-academy
Are you stressed out after this year? I know I am! Why is it that people are still primarily talking about diet & exercise then? Instead of prioritizing your mental health? We're talking all about this & more in this week's episode.
Stress contributes more to illness and disease than weight. DIseases like Diabetes, high blood pressure, hypothyroidism and cardiovascular events like heart attack, stroke or heart disease can be triggered by chronic stress. Why does our society blame obesity on these diseases then? Especially when weight gain is often a side effect of stress! I explore this question throughout today's episode and discuss how the over-simplisticity of the BMI Scale comes back into play.
In the second half, I offer 21 tips for how you can start lowering your stress levels today.
During this episode, I reference the following links:
Hypnotherapy with Julie M Costa
http://www.juliemcosta.com
@loveyourself2healthy on Instagram
http://www.instagram.com/loveyourself2healthy
Diet-Free Academy open enrollment for Sept 7, 2021 group coaching:
http://www.loveyourselftowardshealthy.com/diet-free-academy
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline available 24/7:
1-800-273-8255
Thank you for subscribing to Diet-Free Living. Keep loving yourself towards healthy, friend! Meridith
I'm getting fired up in today's episode about the BMI Scale! I go into the history, why it's still in existence, and what the result of it is on our healthcare system. As well as how it causes more harm than good. I end this episode discussing what health questions doctors should be asking instead. Tune in now!
For more information go to:
loveyourselftowardshealthy.com
To learn more about the 9/7/21 group coaching session of Diet-Free Academy, go to:
loveyourselftowardshealthy.com/diet-free-academy/
Thank you for liking and subscribing to Diet-Free Living with Meridith Oram. I appreciate you, friend!
Today's episode is deep, you guys! But it's a must-hear conversation we need to have. I'm walking through 3 common phrases and beliefs in diet culture (ones I regrettably used to say and believe) and calling out how they're not related to better health. They're actually fatphobic and elitist. If it was really about health then weight loss would not be the focus.
"When you know better, you do better." ~Maya Angelou
If I missed the mark or you have any questions, my DMs are always a safe space on Instagram @loveyourself2healthy
Thank you for subscribing! I appreciate you.
In this week's episode, I'm sharing my own wins with improving my body image. How it now feels like reverse body dysmorphia. Plus how my health goals have nothing to do with losing weight or inches...and how that benefits my actual wellness so much more.
Listen through the end for action items you can take to start creating unique health goals that actually serve YOUR body.
If you're enjoying this podcast, would you take 2 minutes to leave a review and positive rating? It would mean so much to me! I appreciate you.
In this week's episode, I'm tackling the most common question I receive as an anti-diet nutritionist: Can I lose weight with Intuitive Eating?There are 4 factors that help determine the answer to this question:
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Your Dieting History
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Your Genetics
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Your Hormone Levels
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Your Natural Inclination Towards Movement
Join me as I explain how these 4 factors can help you anticipate how your body may react to intuitive eating. As well as how the benefits of IE far outweigh weight loss.
Get your free copy of my Diet-Free Living Guide: https://view.flodesk.com/pages/60748fb472a0c5cc9f7b6385
For more diet-free content, go to:
http://loveyourselftowardshealthy.com
We weren’t born thinking we weren’t good enough. In fact, most kids are so amazed and impressed by what their body is capable of. Which only means one thing: we were taught to hate our bodies. There usually isn’t one simple explanation for where that self-hate evolved from though. Rather, it’s a combination of several experiences and reinforced messaging that developed our body image issues.
In today's episode, I'm sharing what causes body image issues. Why weight loss doesn't help. And how you can start improving how you feel about your body today.
Read the original blog post on Love Yourself Towards Healthy:
https://loveyourselftowardshealthy.com/blog/body-image-issues/
Do you find this podcast valuable? If so, it would mean so much to me if you could take a moment to rate and leave a review. I appreciate you!
Body image is in your MIND; not your waistline.
In the 10th episode of Diet-Free Living, I'm sharing the real reason behind feeling fat during a recent shopping trip and how I was able to overcome self-critical thoughts.
Listen in to learn how you can cope when you feel uncomfortable in your body. Learn how to separate fact from emotions. And then what to do with those emotions.
Would you mind taking 1 minute to leave a star rating and review? It would mean so much to me!
Today's episode will blow your mind! This simple mindset shift will completely change your perspective. How you speak to yourself and the questions you ask yourself, makes a HUGE difference in how you feel.
Learn how your mind is a giant search engine and how your "search terms" make an incredible difference. Whichever questions you ask, your mind will deliver an answer. Whether it's valid or not. Are you putting in negative search terms? Or positive ones?
Negative questions are so common when you have the diet mentality ("why did I eat that?!" "Why can't I lose weight?!" "Why am I the worst?!") And it can leak out to other aspects of your life too.
Follow this 3 step method to start asking better questions and shift your mindset beginning TODAY.
As mentioned in this episode, I learned this concept from motivational speaker and High Performance Coach, Brad Bizjack. Learn more about Appreciation Academy at bradbizjack.com
Did you try shifting your mindset with this method?! Let me know how it's going by sending me a DM on Instagram @loveyourself2healthy
Is intuitive eating not working for you? Or you think intuitive eating doesn’t work in general? In today's episode, I explain the 3 most common reasons why intuitive eating isn’t working for you…yet!There are some important nuances that often go missed when people try to eat intuitively on their own. So they give up and go back to dieting. Citing that intuitive eating doesn’t work. But it does! Tune in to learn what changes you can make today to get intuitive eating to work for you.
For more information, go to:
http://www.loveyourselftowardshealthy.com
Would you be so kind as to leave me a rating and review? I appreciate you!
I used to think dieting was something I did for myself. But once I got married and had kids, I learned the hard way that dieting negatively impacts the whole family.
In this episode I share how my dieting hurt my family. And how 2 heartbreaking events in particular caused me to become an intuitive eater who prioritizes my mental health.
For more information about Diet-Free Academy go to: loveyourselftowardshealthy.com/diet-free-academy
Prioritizing your mental health is the most important thing you can do for yourself. Yes, I start this episode off with that bold of a sentence!
Your mental health is everything. It’s your thoughts, feelings and behaviors. Which, if you really think about it, is essentially YOU.
And less than a minute later, I drop yet another bold truth. No diet or lifestyle program on the market supports your mental health. In fact, anytime you are following food rules, restricting calories and/or food types, you are worsening your mental health. Which then causes you to question your judgement, highly criticize yourself, increase your anxiety around food, and have lower self-esteem.
Tune in to hear my 4 best tips to start prioritizing your mental health. Tips you can implement TODAY.
At the end, I invite you to join my next 12-week group coaching program, Diet-Free Academy. Join today and receive immediate access to the entire curriculum. With our weekly coaching calls and community beginning on June 28, 2021. Click here to learn more: https://loveyourselftowardshealthy.com/diet-free-academy/
In the past 24 hours, two clients and one friend have asked me how to deal with weight loss-obsessed friends. Two of them were anxiously anticipating conversations about dieting and weight loss to come up prior to an event. And one was less than thrilled with her say-nothing responses to a friend who constantly shares extreme diets and self-criticisms.
I know firsthand how difficult it can be to find yourself trapped in an exchange that’s dripping in diet culture. Especially, if like me, you’re previously known to have been the “good, healthy” friend who willingly engaged in this type of conversation! It is intimidating and uncomfortable to do a complete 180 and now shun diet culture when you used to champion it. But there are ways you can prepare and protect yourself from the non-stop “I need to lose weight” chatter.
In today's episode I share what to do in these situations, including:
- How to shift your mindset & energy beforehand
- Exact responses you can give when diet talk comes up
- How you can learn & grow from the experience
- The importance of protecting your recovery & prioritizing your mental health
I appreciate you for leaving a review! For more information go to http://www.loveyourselftowardshealthy.com
Keep loving yourself towards healthy, friend! Meridith
Bathing suit shopping can be a dreaded experience, but it doesn’t have to be. Today I’m dropping 3 of my best tips for how to shop for your next bikini, tankini or one-piece without spiraling into self-hate or triggering a crash diet. You're going to want to listen through to the end, because my third tip is the method I personally used to completely transform my inner dialogue and heal my body image issues.
In this 4th episode of Diet-Free Living, I talk about:
- The importance of creating a comfortable environment to try bathing suits on
- How to prepare your mindset & give yourself the ultimate pep talk
- My 4-step method to stop yourself from self-criticism
I'm applying these 3 powerful tips specifically to bathing suit shopping, but putting these into consistent practice will make a significant impact in all other areas of your life!
Here are the links I reference in today's episode:
Ziva Meditation with Emily Fletcher:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynzHRz2hciQ
Love Yourself Towards Healthy:
http://www.loveyourselftowardshealthy.com
I appreciate you for tuning in! If you could leave a rating and review, it would mean so much to me!
BIGGEST TAKEAWAY:
Wanting to lose weight is a response to something else going on in your life.
The desire behind wanting to lose weight is triggered by something else going on in your life. Often feelings of discontent, shame, sadness, anger, unworthiness, and anxiety. Or feeling out of control in our lives or circumstances.
The rules and black-and-white thinking behind dieting gives us the perception that we’re in control. Counting calories, balancing macros and restricting food feels empowering for a moment. But it backfires.
We are actually in less control when we diet.
In these moments of wanting to lose weight, we should instead be focusing on our mental, emotional and environmental health. Not trying to lose weight.
4 Ways to Cope When You Want to Lose Weight
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Ask yourself: What else in my life is affecting me? What’s making me feel out of control?
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Identify triggers that are in your control and then get rid of them.
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Identify triggers that are not in your control or are difficult to change. Develop coping tools to deal with them in a healthy way (e.g. setting boundaries.) Have the difficult conversation with yourself on what big life changes you may need to make in order to protect your mental health.
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Prioritize your wellness by establishing healthy behaviors that make you and your body feel its best.
For more information go to loveyourselftowardshealthy.com
You may think diet-free living means simply not being on a diet, but it’s so much more than that! In today's episode, I'm explaining why diet-free living is a proactive approach to your overall wellness. And why dieting leads to negative mindset.
For more information on how you can live your best life diet-free, check out my website at loveyourselftowardshealthy.com
This is the first official episode of the Diet-Free Living with Meridith Oram Podcast. A quick introduction to my goals & purpose of this podcast, as well as my backstory of how I went from an eating disorder to an Anti-Diet Nutritionist.
Please provide a review and leave a comment. Thanks for listening!
For more information go to loveyourselftowardshealthy.com
Find me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/loveyourself2healthy/
If you’re exhausted from dieting, doubting yourself & never feeling good enough, this is for you! This is the audio from my recent masterclass, How to Reclaim Self-Trust & Confidence with Diet-Free Living.
How to Reclaim Your Self-Trust & Confidence through Diet-Free LIving 1. Preparation Phase: Refresh your mindset. I love the word “refresh” because it allows us to validate the experiences of our past (even the hurts) and reframe it so it can serve us in our healthier future 2. Take Action Phase: Discover your intuition so you can unlearn the diet mentality and begin to trust yourself. 3. Put it into practice with Diet-Free Living and what you can do to feel your best so you can give your best. With confidence.
5 Activities:
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Identify the truth of dieting. First exercise for us to do together. Bring awareness to the reality of dieting. I mentioned before how I could start FASTer Way this second and know exactly what to do. So write down all the rules of your go-to diet and NUMBER THEM. How easy were they to follow? Why did you stop? If it was so sustainable, so healthy, so easy, why are you investigate diet-free living? Use this exercise to empower yourself with TRUTH. This is my go-to whenever I have a lapsed moment of like “ugh maybe I should lose weight.” This snaps me back to the reality of dieting in like .02 seconds. My clients use this for the same. So this a tool for you to use when you feel the lure.
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Give your pain a purpose.
Do you blame or push away the pain with diets? That’s heavy. I know. But dieting is the #1 coping mechanism for many people because it gives a false sense of control when life feels out of control. Right? It feels proactive, but it’s actually very REACTIVE. And it makes things worse. Can you assign your pain a positive purpose that brought you to this moment today?
- Ask better questions.
Take note of your inner dialogue. Instead of being self-critical and posing self-accusatory questions. Find APPRECIATION for what you ALREADY have and ask positive questions.
- Discover your intuition.
I want you to think of your biggest stressor and hurt around your body.
Close your eyes and place your hands over your heart. Breathe in and out. Breathe in. Breathe out. Keep breathing intentionally. The technique doesn’t matter. Just focus in on your breath. In and out. Now I want you to think about one memory related to your stressor. Breathe that memory into your heart. Sit with it for a moment. Breathing it in and breathing it out. Now think of a second memory related to your stressor. Breathe that memory into your heart. Sit with it for a moment. Breathing it in and breathing it out. Now I want you to whisper to yourself the following sentence and pausing to allow your intuition to fill in the blank. Everything I need to know about
- Rate your wellness.
On a scale of 1-5 (5 being solid/all good; 1 being need help asap) rate:
Mental, Emotional, Social, Environmental, Spiritual, Physical Health.
Diet-Free Academy is my 12-week group coaching program that will support you through the Prepare and Take Action phases so that you can go on to practice Diet-Free Living. This includes everything you need to heal your relationship with food, fitness and body image. It is an online video course (with 12 modules and 64 short videos) for you to learn. We have weekly live group coaching calls to heal. And daily chat support in our community to grow. Each week, we will focus on one of twelve modules. Independently, you will complete all the video lessons within that module on your own. Together, we will support one another daily in our private chat group, and collectively meet once a week on Zoom for live group coaching.
http://www.loveyourselftowardshealthy.com/diet-free-academy to learn more.