In last week's episode, I interviewed client, Sarah Cheikh, on how she was able to transition from a food-obsessed chronic dieter to someone who feels completely in control in any dining scenario while effortlessly maintaining her weight through the power of habit. This week, I'm excited to share the interview of Unstuffed client, Tracey Martin, on her unique experience in my group coaching program. As you know, no two dieters are the same and we all have different challenges, backgrounds, habits, lifestyles, and emotional eating struggles. Tracey was kind enough to open up and share some of hers. Topics discussed:

• Why Tracey decided to join the program and how it turned out to be exactly what she needed to stop bouncing up and down the scale….and commit to unraveling her emotional ties to food.
• Tracey shares some of her biggest challenges in the program and how starting the program imperfectly was the breakthrough she didn't know she needed.
• At what point in the process she witnessed her relationship with food beginning to shift and how she's been able to overcome her self-limiting beliefs and history of self-sabotage.
• Tracey also discusses why this process "worked" when others never did.
• Her best piece of advice for those who fear gaining weight if they stop macro/calorie counting, and why confronting this fear is essential for long-term success.

Thanks again to Tracey for being a guest and sharing her valuable insights. Be sure to give this episode a listen and let us know what topics you'd like us to cover in the future.

Connect with Leslie:

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If you're struggling with emotional, binge, or compulsive eating and you're interested in personalized coaching, apply here. If you want to learn how to not-only lose weight, but lose the struggle along side it, get my free guide — Lose the Diet, Gain a Life. I'll show you how to drop unwanted pounds without ever having to diet again. Go to lesliehooper.com for the guide.

In this episode, I had the pleasure of interviewing two-time client, Sarah Cheik, from The Netherlands. In the summer of 2020, Sarah was frustrated and fed up with dieting. As someone who experienced a classic history of yo-yoing with no long-term results to speak of, she reached out with the intention of getting off the maddening merry-go-round once and for all. During first round working together, Sarah, was able to overcome a long-term cycle of restrict-then-bing and lose weight by mastering the eating habits outlined in the program. After working together for 6 months, Sarah felt she ready to set sail on her own. In this episode she shares the story behind her first experience in the program and why a year later, she came back for another round. But this time, ready to be vulnerable and go "all-in" by talking about things that she avoided the first time. In this week's episode, Sarah shares:

• The biggest challenges she throughout the program and how she's been able to execute the psychological tools she learned to remain consistent in her habits
• Sarah shares why she decided to try hunger directed eating and how the program helped her identify herself as a struggling perfectionist
• Why participating in the body image course in the program was the game-changer she didn't know she needed
• What holiday and social eating looks like for her now compared to years previous (hint: no more food anxiety or losing control)
• Sarah's BEST piece of advice for those who fear they'll gain weight if they stop calorie counting and focus on weight loss through behavior change

For more conversations on topics like binge eating, emotional eating, the all-or-nothing mindset, and your inner critic, you can check out previously recorded episodes. If there's a topic you'd like us to cover in an upcoming episode, let us know in the comments below.

This was an awesome client interview and I'm so excited to share it with you! I hope you dig in and find it helpful.

Connect with Leslie:

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If you're struggling with emotional, binge, or compulsive eating and you're interested in personalized coaching, apply here. If you want to learn how to not-only lose weight, but lose the struggle along side it, get my free guide — Lose the Diet, Gain a Life. I'll show you how to drop unwanted pounds without ever having to diet again. Go to lesliehooper.com for the guide.

Body image can really mess with our heads — in bed.

For women, the way they see their bodies can have a big impact on their feelings of sexual desire and their ability to become aroused.

Today, on the Fat Murder Podcast, join co-coach Steph Miramontes and me as we discuss the feelings of body self-consciousness and how it often interferes with our sexual lives.

In fact, according to research, next to financial differences, negative body image is one of the biggest obstacles of sexual enjoyment in women.

There are two kinds of body image issues that impact a woman sexually:

1. what she thinks of herself
2. what she believes her partner thinks of her body

Is this stone thing you've struggled with? If so, you're not alone. Don't miss today's episode on how body insecurity has affected your sex life and what to do about it.

Connect with Leslie:

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If you're struggling with emotional, binge, or compulsive eating and you're interested in personalized coaching, apply here. If you want to learn how to not-only lose weight, but lose the struggle along side it, get my free guide — Lose the Diet, Gain a Life. I'll show you how to drop unwanted pounds without ever having to diet again. Go to lesliehooper.com for the guide.

This episode of the Fat Murder Podcast with co-coach, Eileen Trujillo, is for the woman who feels like she has tried everything to heal her relationship with food, mind and body. This is for the woman who feels like she is a failure and lacks willpower because of falling off a diet. This is for the woman who is ready to come out of isolation and into freedom. This is for the woman who lacks trust in her ability to follow through and reach her goals. If this is you, we hope that this episode inspires, encourages and empowers you to pursue your healing journey. No matter how many times it feels like you have "failed," we want to help you muster up the courage to try again. You are worthy of having a peaceful relationship with food and experience confidence in your own skin.

Connect with Leslie:

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If you're struggling with emotional, binge, or compulsive eating and you're interested in personalized coaching, apply here. If you want to learn how to not-only lose weight, but lose the struggle along side it, get my free guide — Lose the Diet, Gain a Life. I'll show you how to drop unwanted pounds without ever having to diet again. Go to lesliehooper.com for the guide.

This week on the Fat Murder Podcast, co-coach, Steph Miramontes discuss emotions and what, exactly, to do with them. Once you've come to grips with being an emotional eater, it's important to have a process to begin working through them in a healthy way that doesn't involve stuffing them down with food. In 17 years of coaching, I've never had a client tell me they're comfortable sitting with their emotions when they surface — their coping mechanism is almost always a distraction; a way to numb or mentally check out through exercise, watching TV, eating, etc. Because they are unfamiliar with the way the body communicates its needs through emotions, they can feel scary, but they're not. It's the fear of the unknown that makes them uncomfortable. When we learn to invite emotions into our lives without judgment, we also learn how to make ourselves feel safe and secure. Emotions are our friends. They aren't always accurate truth tellers, and often don't match the situation that made us feel the way we feel. This is why observing them without attaching a story or narrative is a life-changing exercise. Check out this week's episode to learn the 4 steps necessary to help you stop eating your feelings today.

Connect with Leslie:

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If you're struggling with emotional, binge, or compulsive eating and you're interested in personalized coaching, apply here. If you want to learn how to not-only lose weight, but lose the struggle along side it, get my free guide — Lose the Diet, Gain a Life. I'll show you how to drop unwanted pounds without ever having to diet again. Go to lesliehooper.com for the guide.

We silly earthlings tend to be final-hour creatures: we tend to wait until we hit rock bottom to initiate a change for the better, all while at the same time wanting the results to appear overnight. While this might work flawlessly in the movies, real life operates by a different set of rules. Join co-coach, Steph Miramontes and me as we dive deep into why your expectations are killing your progress softly. Topics discussed:

• Why it's important to understand the power of the two words: "should" and "is"
• How to embrace slow progress and see it as the super strength that it is -- slow weight loss is permanent weight loss
• The benefit of slowing down and how it allows you to be present in your life, and as a result, less interested in food
• The value of reframing your "struggles" and how to recognize them as an integral part of your success
• Why you can't diet your way into a healthy relationship with food

What's an area of your life where you've benefited from slowing down and removing the pressure of racing against a timeline? I'd love to hear your experience.

Connect with Leslie:

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If you're struggling with emotional, binge, or compulsive eating and you're interested in personalized coaching, apply here. If you want to learn how to not-only lose weight, but lose the struggle along side it, get my free guide — Lose the Diet, Gain a Life. I'll show you how to drop unwanted pounds without ever having to diet again. Go to lesliehooper.com for the guide.

In this week's episode of the Fat Murder Podcast, I invited our Unstuffed Team Leader, Miriam Blyth, on for a chat about three pillars for long-term, sustainable weight loss.

Can you guess what they are? In my 17 years of coaching, I've never seen a client achieve permanent results without addressing these three core issues.

If one of these pillars isn't in place, the whole thing comes tumbling down.

Give this episode a listen and let me know how you're doing with each pillar.

Connect with Leslie:

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If you're struggling with emotional, binge, or compulsive eating and you're interested in personalized coaching, apply here. If you want to learn how to not-only lose weight, but lose the struggle along side it, get my free guide — Lose the Diet, Gain a Life. I'll show you how to drop unwanted pounds without ever having to diet again. Go to lesliehooper.com for the guide.

Research shows that "normal eaters" think about food 10-15% of the time throughout the day, but dieters often think about food for up to 70% of their day. That's a lot of wasted time. Constantly thinking about food, dieting, and body image can make it feel like you have an addiction. However, it's normal to think about food when feeling deprived. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, right? One of the most unfortunate truths of dieting is how it robs you of being in the present. Food is no longer a pleasurable experience, but rather an anxiety-inducing situation riddled with guilt and shame. And that is exactly why I created my online group coaching program, Unstuffed — to help you break-free from the shackles of restrictive dieting and develop the psychological tools to lose weight while enjoying all of your favorite foods — without the drama. In this week's Fat Murder Podcast episode with co-coach, Eileen Trujillo, we're going to help you get started.

You'll learn:

• I can't stop eating sweets once I've started
• I'll just have a couple of bites of this and do more cardio tomorrow (it's never just a couple of bites, is it?)
• I'll start over again on Monday
• How many calories will that cookie put me over my daily limit?

...and so much more! I can't wait to hear what you've learned. Your thoughts, feedback, and topic ideas are always welcome!

Connect with Leslie:

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If you're struggling with emotional, binge, or compulsive eating and you're interested in personalized coaching, apply here. If you want to learn how to not-only lose weight, but lose the struggle along side it, get my free guide — Lose the Diet, Gain a Life. I'll show you how to drop unwanted pounds without ever having to diet again. Go to lesliehooper.com for the guide.

People who are overwhelmed love to talk about how they're overwhelmed.

Unsurprisingly, most people who claim they're overwhelmed have never seriously sat down for even 10 minutes and developed a plan to stop feeling that way.

In many ways, they become addicted to the feeling of overwhelm, especially since it elicits so much sympathy from others.

When I call clients out on this, you can see how this makes them uncomfortable.

Their natural reaction is to unconsciously revert back to running their automatic mental scripts of how overwhelmed they are and deflect by asking questions or trying to change the subject.

But, in the eloquent words of Homey D. Clown, "Homey don't play that."

I always turn it back on them and ask for their plan. I encourage them to find ONE THING they can do, today, to bring them one step closer to their goal.

Join co-coach, Eileen Trujillo, and I in this week's episode of the Fat Murder Podcast while we talk about how everyone is busy. You're busy. I'm busy. That's why we create plans and make appointments.

Honestly, I've had this conversation literally thousands of times with clients and these are some of my key observations:

• "Overwhelm" is contagious. These people have also surrounded themselves with other "overwhelmed" people like them who support their beliefs. This is a perfect example of the dark side of "You are the average of the 5 people you surround yourself with."
• "Out of control" = no plan. People whose lives are out of control love to talk about how their lives are out of control. They love to talk about how tired and busy they are. The one thing they don't love talking about is a plan to change things.
• Accountability matters. Finding one person who calls you on your shit is one of the rarest opportunities in life. If you find this person, treasure them.

Excuses are the nails used to build a house of failure. They're the only thing preventing you from living the life you truly want.

When you're good at making excuses, it's hard to excel at anything else.

Give today's episode a listen and share a key takeaway you can begin implementing right now. I can't wait to hear what it is!

Connect with Leslie:

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If you're struggling with emotional, binge, or compulsive eating and you're interested in personalized coaching, apply here. If you want to learn how to not-only lose weight, but lose the struggle along side it, get my free guide — Lose the Diet, Gain a Life. I'll show you how to drop unwanted pounds without ever having to diet again. Go to lesliehooper.com for the guide.

One of the first hurdles our clients struggle to overcome is answering the basic question: what should I eat?

When you've come from an extensive background in dieting, you've been told what to eat in what quantities, and at what time for YEARS. When you make the decision to drop dieting, it starts with dropping the food rules, too.

This can be overwhelming, if not altogether scary. Dieters want to lose weight, and they want a step-by-step plan telling them exactly what to eat to get to their goal weight.

Without a plan, they think they'll be out of control and never stop eating, but that's not how it works.

So in today's episode of the Fat Murder Podcast, Coach, Steph Miramontes, and I visit the subject of what to eat.

A few topics discussed:

• Why you look at food as good or bad and where that perspective came from
• Why 'good' and 'bad' food labeling can actually make weight loss harder
• When you see certain foods as forbidden, what happens when you do eat one of these foods?
• And if you manage to stay away from forbidden foods, why do you feel so deprived?
• How can you look at different types of food without the good vs. bad division?

I want you to learn how to trust yourself and work WITH your body. There is no exact prescription of what and how much to eat.

When you learn to speak the fluent language of your body, you will always know what to eat and how much to eat.

Give it a listen and share your favorite takeaway.

Connect with Leslie:

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If you're struggling with emotional, binge, or compulsive eating and you're interested in personalized coaching, apply here. If you want to learn how to not-only lose weight, but lose the struggle along side it, get my free guide — Lose the Diet, Gain a Life. I'll show you how to drop unwanted pounds without ever having to diet again. Go to lesliehooper.com for the guide.