You skip the snacks, say no to the bagel, eat clean all day. Then 8pm hits and you're in the pantry again. It feels automatic. Shame kicks in before the day even ends and you promise yourself tomorrow will be different. In this episode, I’m unpacking why this pattern is not about willpower, and why you are not broken. We’ll explore the powerful biological and emotional drivers behind nighttime eating, why restriction is a trap (even when it doesn’t look like one), and the first gentle steps you can take to break the cycle for good.

In this episode, you will hear:

• 04:49 – What ghrelin, neuropeptide Y, and dopamine have to do with your cravings
• 07:52 – The emotional undercurrent: fatigue, depletion, and pushing through all day
• 11:28 – What eating is doing for you emotionally (and how that’s not a flaw)
• 12:30 – The hidden restriction most of us don’t see: mental restriction
• 17:44 – My own story: late nights as a new mom and why food was my only moment of comfort
• 19:50 – 4 steps to break the cycle (that don’t involve more control or guilt)

I hope you leave this episode feeling more equipped to meet your needs (emotional and physical), understand your evening eating patterns, and take gentle steps toward a relationship with food that feels steady and safe, even after a long day.

If you found yourself nodding along with this episode, I’d love to hear from you. DM me on Instagram. And if you’re ready to break this cycle for good, take the  Eating Personality Quiz or join the Food Freedom in a Weekend mini course. You deserve peace with food and you don’t have to get there alone.

One Body to Love 10-Week Intuitive Eating Program
https://meredithmackenzie.ca/intuitive-eating-program

Website - www.meredithmackenzie.ca
Instagram - @Dr.MeredithMackenzie
Facebook - Meredith MacKenzie Coaching
Pinterest - pinterest.com/parallelwellness
Youtube - @Dr.MeredithMackenzie

If you're craving more structure around food, but terrified of slipping back into old patterns,  you're not alone. In this episode, I open up about my own story of navigating disordered eating, food freedom, and the confusing space in between. We’ll unpack what “gentle nutrition” actually is (and isn’t), the myths that keep so many women stuck, and the foundations you need in place before nutrition can feel safe again. If you’ve ever felt like you're doing intuitive eating wrong, this one is for you.

In this episode, you will hear:

• 01:08 – My story: how dieting began for me in university and how it spiraled into secretive, restrictive eating
• 03:56 – The moment I realized my relationship with food had become unmanageable
• 06:42 – 4 major myths about gentle nutrition
• 12:10 – Two key foundations to build before nutrition can feel supportive, and not triggering
• 17:44 – Real-life examples of what gentle nutrition might look like in everyday moments
• 23:04 – What trust with your body really looks like

If this episode resonated with you, I’d love to hear what part stood out - message me anytime on Instagram. And if you're ready to explore nutrition without spiraling back into restriction, Food Freedom in a Weekend  is here to support your next step. It's self-paced, accessible, and grounded in real-life tools to help you reconnect with food and trust your body. You’re not broken, you’re just ready for what comes next.

One Body to Love 10-Week Intuitive Eating Program
https://meredithmackenzie.ca/intuitive-eating-program

Website - www.meredithmackenzie.ca
Instagram - @Dr.MeredithMackenzie
Facebook - Meredith MacKenzie Coaching
Pinterest - pinterest.com/parallelwellness
Youtube - @Dr.MeredithMackenzie

If you’ve ever thought, “I know what intuitive eating is, so why does food still feel chaotic?” you’re not alone. In this episode, I’m unpacking the hidden barriers that make intuitive eating feel impossible, burnout, emotional disconnection, and body image struggles. You’ll hear real client stories, learn why capacity matters more than discipline, and discover how to reconnect with your body without turning it into another set of rules. If food freedom feels just out of reach, this conversation will help you see that the problem isn’t you, you might just need a softer, more compassionate start.

In this episode, you will hear:

• 01:44 – A client’s story of exhaustion, burnout, and turning to food for comfort
• 02:52 – What attunement really means and why it requires emotional and physical capacity
• 04:03 – How chronic stress dampens your ability to notice hunger and fullness cues
• 07:39 – The role of emotional literacy in healing your relationship with food
• 10:16 – Challenging deep-seated beliefs about weight, worth, and “health”
• 13:12 – My free “When You Can’t Tell If You’re Really Hungry” flow chart and how it helps you pause with compassion

If today’s episode resonated with you, I’d love to hear your thoughts. Send me a message on Instagram and share what stood out most. If you’re ready to heal your relationship with food and receive compassionate support every step of the way, my One Body to Love program is here to help you break free from chaotic eating patterns and finally feel at home in your body. And if you’re craving a reset, download my free guide When You Can’t Tell If You’re Really Hungry or check out my Food Freedom in a Weekend. mini-course to get started today.

Until next time, be gentle with yourself. You’re building trust in a world that has taught you to doubt yourself, and that is brave work.

One Body to Love 10-Week Intuitive Eating Program
https://meredithmackenzie.ca/intuitive-eating-program

Website - www.meredithmackenzie.ca
Instagram - @Dr.MeredithMackenzie
Facebook - Meredith MacKenzie Coaching
Pinterest - pinterest.com/parallelwellness
Youtube - @Dr.MeredithMackenzie

You don’t need 21 containers and a spreadsheet. In this episode of One Body to Love, I’m giving you a real peek inside Module 5 of my mini-course Food Freedom in a Weekend. This is not about rigid plans or tracking points. It’s about finding a soft place to land in your day-to-day life, especially when you’re busy, overwhelmed, or running on fumes. Together, we’ll explore how intuitive eating and gentle planning can coexist, and how to create the kind of meal structure that helps you feel fed, grounded, and supported.

Whether you're skipping meals, reaching for snacks as a last resort, or spiraling into that 4 p.m. crash, I’ll guide you toward a more compassionate, practical way to feed yourself without guilt, stress, or perfectionism.

In this episode, you will hear:

• 06:02 – Snack Mapping: the strategy that changed everything
• 07:29 – Step 1: Redefine what success with food really looks like
• 09:35 – Step 2: Identify your “anchor meals” and why they matter
• 11:57 – Step 3: Prep for possibilities, not perfection
• 13:20 – Practical examples for chaos-proofing your week
• 14:28 – Red flags that your plan might still be rooted in diet culture
• 17:09 – The ultimate reframe: planning from care, not control

If this episode gave you a new way to think about food planning, I’d love to hear from you. Come say hi on Instagram and tell me what resonated most. And if you’re ready to rebuild your food rhythm in a way that works for real life, I’d love to have you inside Food Freedom in a Weekend. Use the code PODCAST to save $10 at checkout.  Until next time, be gentle with yourself. You deserve a life of peace with food and your body. 

One Body to Love 10-Week Intuitive Eating Program
https://meredithmackenzie.ca/intuitive-eating-program

Website - www.meredithmackenzie.ca
Instagram - @Dr.MeredithMackenzie
Facebook - Meredith MacKenzie Coaching
Pinterest - pinterest.com/parallelwellness
Youtube - @Dr.MeredithMackenzie

Have you ever caught yourself asking, “Why am I always thinking about food?” Or wondering if that constant food noise in your head is just part of life now? In this episode of One Body to Love, I walk you through 7 gentle, but powerful red flags that your relationship with food might need a reset. These are the patterns I’ve seen in so many clients, and lived myself, that are often overlooked or even praised by diet culture.

If you’ve been stuck in the cycle of guilt, control, and overthinking every bite, this episode is a compassionate check-in. Let’s unpack these signs together and talk about how you can start to reclaim your mental space, rebuild trust with your body, and finally find freedom around food.

In this episode, you will hear:

• 02:25 - Food noise: when thinking about food becomes constant and overwhelming
• 06:40 - Trying to fix or undo what you ate (and why that doesn’t work)
• 10:30 - The cheat day spiral and how it reinforces binge-restrict cycles
• 17:38 - Eating differently depending on who’s watching
• 22:08 - How restriction creates urgency and power struggles with food
• 29:30 – What “intuitive eating” really means 
• 31:25 – These patterns are learned and they can be unlearned

If  today’s episode sparked a quiet “maybe this is me”, that’s a powerful moment. These are not failures, they’re patterns you learned to survive in a culture obsessed with appearance. But they’re not the whole story. You can rewrite your relationship with food and it starts with awareness, compassion, and support. 

I’d love to hear what came up for you, send me a message on Instagram and share what stood out.
Ready to go deeper? Take the Eating Personality Quiz and check out my One Body to Love program to get personalized support to reset your relationship with food, starting today. Until next time, be gentle with yourself. You deserve a life of peace, freedom, and acceptance with food and your body!

Eating Personality Quiz: https://meredithmackenzie.ca/personality-quiz

One Body to Love 10-Week Intuitive Eating Program
https://meredithmackenzie.ca/intuitive-eating-program

Website - www.meredithmackenzie.ca
Instagram - @Dr.MeredithMackenzie
Facebook - Meredith MacKenzie Coaching
Pinterest - pinterest.com/parallelwellness
Youtube - @Dr.MeredithMackenzie

Sometimes a scroll through social media can spark more than just comparison, it can shake your sense of safety in recovery. In this episode on One Body to Love, I share a personal story about unfollowing a business account I genuinely admired, and why that boundary was necessary for my healing. If you’ve ever felt sucker-punched by weight loss content or questioned whether you were “overreacting,” this conversation will remind you: your peace is reason enough. We explore the fine line between celebration and harm, how social media subtly shapes body image, and what it truly means to “feel like yourself” again, at any size.

In this episode, you will hear:
03:04 -  Boundary setting isn’t judgment, it’s self-care
06:20 - Social media as a highlight reel, and silent comparison
08:37 - Ads, air quotes, and how diet culture disguises itself as wellness
10:51 - Why even “positive” content doesn’t always protect your peace
14:31 - What success looks like beyond the scale
17:27 - When weight loss silenced my voice and stole my presence

I want you to know, it's okay to feel what you feel. You don’t need to explain or justify your boundaries. Choosing what supports your healing is not selfish, it’s wise and it’s necessary. 

I'd love to hear what came up for you while listening. Send me a message on Instagram and share what resonated. And if you're ready to take the next step in your healing, Food Freedom in a Weekend is a gentle place to start. You'll learn how to tune out the noise and tune back into your own body, one step at a time. And if you’re looking for deeper support, the  One Body to Love program is here to guide you through lasting transformation, with weekly coaching, community, and a process that actually honors your lived experience.

Until next time, be kind to yourself. You don’t have to justify your boundaries, your needs, or your healing. You are allowed to feel like yourself. exactly as you are.

Food Freedom in a Weekend
https://meredith-mackenzie.mykajabi.com/food-freedom-weekend

Research article mentioned: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10363994/

One Body to Love 10-Week Intuitive Eating Program
https://meredithmackenzie.ca/intuitive-eating-program

Website - www.meredithmackenzie.ca
Instagram - @Dr.MeredithMackenzie
Facebook - Meredith MacKenzie Coaching
Pinterest - pinterest.com/parallelwellness
Youtube - @Dr.MeredithMackenzie

On One Body to Love, we make space for the gray area, the space where food, body image, and healing don’t always follow the rules. In Part Two of my conversation with Cathy Olson, we explore what it means to make a decision for your own peace, even when it doesn’t align with the narrative around you. (If you missed it, catch part 1 here!) Cathy opens up about the choice to begin a GLP-1 medication, the intense shame she felt around it, and the impact that decision had on her relationship with food, her business, and her sense of self. Cathy’s experience speaks to anyone who’s ever felt judged for wanting to change, and unseen when they tried.

In this episode, you will hear:

•  01:50 - Cathy reflects on orthorexia, “biohacking,” and staying grounded in health, not obsession
• 06:49 - What it was like to be in the public eye while struggling with body image
• 13:11 - Why GLP-1 stigma is rooted in shame and societal punishment
• 16:44 -  The pressure to stay in a larger body, for relatability, for activism, and for “values”
• 19:26 - How GLP-1 changed her mental relationship with food, not just her appetite
• 23:46 - The future of GLP-1s: evolving tools, reduced side effects, and increasing accessibility
• 28:40 - Reconnecting with intuitive eating and learning to nourish without rules

If you’re walking your own complicated path with food and body image, I hope this episode reminds you that there is no one “right” way to heal. If today’s conversation challenged your perspective or opened your heart, I’d love to hear from you. Send me a message on Instagram and if you’re ready to move beyond food rules and find peace in your body, the One Body to Love program offers compassionate support every step of the way. You deserve a relationship with food that feels free and a body you feel at home in. Until next time, be kind to yourself.

Cathy’s Links
https://www.instagram.com/funnelgorgeous
https://www.instagram.com/loveinspired
https://www.instagram.com/glpcheatcode

One Body to Love 10-Week Intuitive Eating Program
https://meredithmackenzie.ca/intuitive-eating-program

Website - www.meredithmackenzie.ca
Instagram - @Dr.MeredithMackenzie
Facebook - Meredith MacKenzie Coaching
Pinterest - pinterest.com/parallelwellness
Youtube - @Dr.MeredithMackenzie

Content TW: eating disorders, disordered eating, body shame, body transformation

Welcome back to One Body to Love! On today's episode I'm sitting down with Cathy Olson, who is sharing her experience using GLP-1 medication, not just the physical changes, but everything it brought up around food, identity, parenting, and self-trust. Cathy opens up about what it’s been like to live with disordered eating for most of her life, to try every possible fix, to feel unsupported even by well-meaning loved ones, and to wrestle with the guilt of wanting change in a culture that constantly tells women to either shrink or be body positive, with no room for anything in between. Together we engage in a real conversation about what it means to feel trapped in your body and to finally find some relief in a place you didn’t expect.

In this episode, you will hear:

•  07:18 - Navigating how to raise body-aware daughters when you’re still healing your own
•  11:54 - Dressing to hide vs. dressing to express and the identity crisis that followed
• 14:14 - A look back at college years: disordered eating, secret behaviors, and diet obsession
• 23:41 - Why she chose GLP-1s, what held her back, and how desperation shaped her decision
• 34:33 - The early days of the medication: side effects, doubts, and slow progress
• 39:00 - Understanding food noise, hunger cues, and the emotional load of eating
• 43:20 - Reclaiming health in a new way: labs, longevity, and learning how to thrive

If today’s episode touched something deep in you, I’d love to hear about it. Send me a message on Instagram and let me know what stood out, whether it was Cathy’s honesty, something that mirrored your own experience, or a new way of thinking about your relationship with food and your body. These stories are tender and complex, and I’m so grateful you showed up to witness this one. 

If you're ready to take the next step in your own healing, the One Body to Love program is here for you. It’s a space for support, self-discovery, and sustainable change. And if nighttime cravings or emotional eating are where you struggle most, download my free guide: Five Steps to End Binge Eating at Night, it’s a gentle, practical place to start. Until next time, be kind to yourself.

Cathy’s Links:
https://www.instagram.com/funnelgorgeous
https://www.instagram.com/loveinspired
https://www.instagram.com/glpcheatcode

One Body to Love 10-Week Intuitive Eating Program
https://meredithmackenzie.ca/intuitive-eating-program

Website - www.meredithmackenzie.ca
Instagram - @Dr.MeredithMackenzie
Facebook - Meredith MacKenzie Coaching
Pinterest - pinterest.com/parallelwellness
Youtube - @Dr.MeredithMackenzie

This week on One Body to Love, I’m diving into one of the most loaded and personal conversations I’ve had on this podcast yet. Everywhere we turn, GLP-1 medications like Ozempic and Wegovy are being framed as the latest fix for weight loss. I’m not here to tell you what’s right or wrong. I’m here to bring the full story, the science, the lived experiences from my private practice, and the emotional realities we’re not talking about. This isn’t just about medications, it’s about the quiet ways disordered eating is becoming medicalized, normalized, and even celebrated. If you’ve felt confused, hopeful, ashamed, or curious about GLP-1 medications, this episode might be just what you need to hear. Let’s hold space for all the nuances together.

In this episode, you will hear:

•  07:18 - How these medications work in the body and what they were actually designed to do
• 14:49 - What we’re not being told: the psychological, hormonal, and digestive impact of GLP-1s
• 17:42 - The rise of targeted marketing: how ads exploit women’s insecurities, focusing on age, gender, and motherhood
• 23:54 – Influencer culture, thinness worship, and the return of disordered ideals
• 33:27 - How GLP-1s might inadvertently promote disordered behaviors by legitimizing things like skipping meals or suppressing hunger
• 36:20 - Grieving the cultural shift towards uniform body ideals and the implications it has on body acceptance and diversity
• 41:39 - Why people feel compelled to take these medications, especially for emotional relief from body shame

If today’s episode spoke to you, I’d love to hear your reflections. Come find me on Instagram, share what resonated with you or just say hi! Whether you're navigating the complexities of body image, considering GLP-1 medications, or simply trying to find your way back to peace with food, remember: your body doesn’t need to fit anyone else’s idea of perfection. If you’re ready to break free from the cycle of body shame and reclaim peace with food, my One Body to Love program is here to support you every step of the way. Until next time, be gentle with yourself. You deserve a life of peace, freedom, and acceptance with food and your body!

One Body to Love 10-Week Intuitive Eating Program
https://meredithmackenzie.ca/intuitive-eating-program

Website - www.meredithmackenzie.ca
Instagram - @Dr.MeredithMackenzie
Facebook - Meredith MacKenzie Coaching
Pinterest - pinterest.com/parallelwellness
Youtube - @Dr.MeredithMackenzie

What if style wasn’t about what you wear, but how you reclaim your voice? In this powerful conversation  on One Body to Love, I sit down with visibility strategist and cultural consultant Michaeala Letiz to explore the deeper meaning of style, representation, and self-worth. Michaela opens up about her journey through body exclusion, reclaiming confidence, and helping brands move beyond tokenism into true inclusivity. If you’ve ever held back from showing up because of your size, or waited to live fully until your body changed, this conversation will challenge, affirm, and empower you.

In this episode, you will hear:

• 02:34 – How Michaela’s early years in fashion were shaped by toxic body ideals
• 10:10 - Why most fashion isn’t truly made for diverse bodies and how industry gaps perpetuate harm
• 14:03 -Posting outfits online and finding community in vulnerability
• 24:00 - Living your energetic signature: reconnecting to who you were before the world told you to shrink
• 30:54 - Michaela’s approach to helping women rediscover their confidence through clothing
• 45:12 - Busting the myth that plus-size people don’t invest in themselves
• 48:21 - Curating your social media to support your self-worth

If today’s episode resonated with you, I’d love to hear your reflections. Send me a message on Instagram and let me know what stood out most. If you're feeling ready to step out of hiding and into your fullest self, style and soul, my One Body to Love program is here to walk alongside you.

And a heartfelt thank you to Michaela Leitz for sharing her powerful story, expertise, and unapologetic energy with us. Her work continues to challenge the status quo and create more space for all bodies to be seen, valued, and celebrated. You can find Michaela on Instagram or visit her website to learn more.

Until next time, be gentle with yourself. You deserve a life of peace, visibility, and joy, just as you are!

One Body to Love 10-Week Intuitive Eating Program
https://meredithmackenzie.ca/intuitive-eating-program

Michaela’s Links
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aboutmichaela
Website: https://confidence-style.com.
LinkedIn

Website - www.meredithmackenzie.ca
Instagram - @Dr.MeredithMackenzie
Facebook - Meredith MacKenzie Coaching
Pinterest - pinterest.com/parallelwellness
Youtube - @Dr.MeredithMackenzie