The Diet Diaries

This has been on my list of topics for a long time and today is the day. Why we get stuck in the binge/restrict cycle and how to break it. 

I’m sharing a seemingly meaningless story about a recent lunch to illustrate the change that is possible when you commit to doing the work.

One of the key pieces is getting honest with yourself about whether you’re eating what you want or what you think you “should” eat. Labeling foods as good and bad. Being good all week and having a cheat day on weekends. 

This behavior constantly slingshots you back and forth between two extremes and reinforces your belief that you have no self control around food and can’t be trusted to eat what you want. It creates a sense of urgency and panic and the “its my chance” mindset which leaves no space to figure out what you actually want and need. 

So today I’m talking about how to interrupt that pattern. A very specific set of guidelines that you can practice  in order to learn how to incorporate any food into your life with ease, confidence and trust. Does it take time, practice and patience? You bet. Is it worth it to stop living in anticipation of the next binge for the rest of your life? Also, you bet.

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In today’s solo episode I’m talking about whether you are talking to yourself as your own enemy or your own ally. I shared an IG post about this recently that really resonated with all of you, so wanted to create another resource to learn more about this idea here. 

I’ve been spending a lot of time studying and learning more about self compassion as a practice to shift body image and the behaviors we have around food and this concept is at the core of that work.

Every time we judge and criticize ourselves we are functioning as our own enemy. And you may not even realize you’re doing it because it’s become so normalized and part of your inner dialogue we do it without any awareness.

And ultimately that will not bring you closer to the life and change you are after. It will only dig you deeper into the discomfort and unhappiness you’re trying to fight our way out of. 

Specifically, I talk about how this applies to focusing on a goal weight, using before and after photos as a measure of progress, why bingeing on food isn’t about a lack of self control, its about a lack of skills. 

In this episode I offer tools you can use immediately to begin to shift from being an enemy to becoming an ally. Including the question, if you wouldn’t say what you say to your best friend, why is it ok to say it to yourself? 

The truth is, it’s not. And its also not easy to stop. So tune in to get some actionable support around where to start.

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Today I’m talking with movement teacher and human body expert Dinneen Viggiano.

Dinneen is the founder of Retrain Back Pain, an approach to self care that teaches you how to self advocate, educate yourself around pain and learn to improve your quality of life even when nothing else has worked. 

Our discussion covers so many useful topics from how to deal with chronic back pain (spoiler alert, its not about strengthening your core), what it means to live with confidence, empowerment and knowledge and how to learn skills around eating, exercise and overall self care that last for life.

Dinneen has been working in the fitness industry for over 20 years and shares what its been like as a woman who never “looked the part” carve out her own path and help others to do the same. 

We talk so much about living from a place of integrity and making choices aligned with our values and how when we do that we will always be moving towards our most authentic life. 

Dinneen also shares her secret to life and I will tell you its genius and applies to everything we talk about on this podcast and to your life in general. 

I am so grateful to have met and learned from Dinneen….there are people with whom you cross paths in life that leave a forever impact and Dinneen is one of those for me. And I share exactly why in this episode. 

Connect with Dinneen
Website
Instagram
Free 10 minute workshop

Connect with Jordana
Find me on Instagram
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Listen to more episodes of The Diet Diaries

Today’s episode is a follow up from an IG story thread from last week-because what I was sharing  needs a more permanent place than an IG story that is long gone as a resource.

And what I’m talking about today is how you choose, in any given moment, what and how you want to eat. 

Not based on what we’ve been taught is “good” and “bad,” but based on what you have learned works for you. 

This is about choosing to eat with intention so that your actions line up with how you want to feel. And sometimes that means you’re going to be uncomfortable and inconvenienced. 

That is normal. That is part of change. 

I talk through the key skills that change the way you feel around food:

Pausing. Noticing your thoughts around certain foods and situations. Being willing to inconvenience yourself and take an action that requires more effort. Paying attention not just to what you want in that moment, but what is good for your future self. 

Telling yourself you can only have dessert on the weekend and that salad is “good” and pizza is “bad” is not a long term solution to what you’re dealing with.

What I’m sharing in today’s episode is.

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Today I’m talking with Toronto based Registered Dietician and coach for working moms Ahuva Hershkop.

Ahuva helps women make the transition from living a life by default to a life be design. I love this articulation and everything Ahuva shares in her approach to living a fulfilled life as woman, a mom, a friend, a daughter; all of the roles we manage everyday. 

We have such a great conversation around the expectations moms deal with, why being selfish is always a good thing, how to identify the values that matter to you (not someone else) and how we can give our kids more autonomy with their bodies through food. 

Ahuva shares some stories from her own life that I think will resonate deeply with the day to day challenges we all face making choices around food, how to navigate our kids needs and emotions around food and the way diet culture influences everything around us. 

Connect with Ahuva
Instagram
Free Facebook group

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First, I’m talking about how important it is to take action for causes you believe in. Specifically, for gun reform. In the wake of last week’s horrifying tragedy in Uvalde, TX I encourage you to call your political representatives-US Senators and Congress person and let them know how important it is for them to support stricter gun laws. 

But today’s episode is really about joy. What we rely on for joy, our ability to choose joy and why joy can coexist with so many other feelings. 

We recently put on the 75th edition of the Washington School show, which is the largest fundraiser for Ben’s elementary school. This show is one of the purest sources and experiences of joy for me-and it feels very different from joy that comes from my work or from Ben. The dancing, the community, the friendships-they are about me. And that matters. 

We spend so much time relying on our bodies to bring us joy never realizing that its a pretty futile pursuit. Because joy is not contingent. Some external thing outside of our control-like the size of our body, someone else’s response to us or someone else’s choices/actions are NOT what decides or controls our joy-unless we allow it to.

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Listen to more episodes of The Diet Diaries

Just because we have a thought doesn’t mean we have to do something about it.

This isn’t about ignoring the thoughts, wishing them away or pretending they aren’t there.

Quite the opposite. Its about noticing. Acknowledging. And then making a conscious, intentional choice about how we want to respond. 

We make a lot of choices and decisions on autopilot, especially around food and our bodies. Whether its reacting to a craving or the urge to go on a diet because we over ate last weekend. 

Taking thoughtful, intentional action as a result of our thoughts is the ONLY way real change actually happens. It's not another diet. It's not a new workout program. 

In this episode I talk through specific techniques you can use to notice your thoughts and then choose how to respond so that you can make progress towards your goals and values. 

Make sure you are subscribed to The Movement Diaries so new episodes show up in your feed automatically every Monday morning. 

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Why do we know what we need to do or want to do and yet can’t seem to do it? Classic self sabotage.

I’m talking through the answer to this on today’s episode. 

Spoiler alert-its not because you didn’t have enough will power or motivation. 

Its because doing new or different things, even when we know they are better choices for us, creates a lot of discomfort for our brains. Its actually a normal response from our nervous system.

This is about how we get comfortable being uncomfortable-that is the key to change. 

I’m breaking down some specific tactics you can use to overcome self sabotage:

✅Taking away the urgency behind your goals

✅Doing the smallest change possible to prove to yourself what you’re capable of

✅Practice, practice, practice

✅Building confidence by taking action even when it feels scary

This episode will totally change the way you think about why you can’t seem to make the changes you want to make.

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I randomly put on an episode of The Home Edit last weekend and it ended up inspiring today’s episode. 

Here’s the crux of it.

We are misusing and misunderstanding the word health. 

Being healthy is not about eating nutritious foods.

You can eat tons of “healthy” food and be an unhealthy person.

You can eat “unhealthy” food and be a healthy person. 

Health is about SO MUCH MORE than what you eat. It is about HOW you eat. How you take care of not just your physical health, but your mental and emotional health as well. This is a highly nuanced, complex topic and diet culture has taken a very reductionist view that I am here to debate. 

Let’s stop confusing nutritious and healthy because its doing a lot of damage to how we approach food and our wellness in general. 

In this episode I talk through the difference between short term fixes and long term solutions and how to know what to pay attention to when you’re being bombarded all day everyday with a new diet or “fix” to your unhappiness.

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Sign up for my Monday newsletter with lots of nutrition, exercise and mindset tips
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Find me on Instagram
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Schedule a free discovery call to talk more about working together
Listen to more episodes of The Diet Diaries

Today I’m talking about the language we use around food and why it matters. 

Words like clean, treats and junk.

Because language like this implies good and bad. On and off track. And without us even realizing it, these words perpetuate the all or nothing mindset so many of us struggle with. 

We set ourselves up to feel crappy when we use words like this around food because of the guilt and shame attached to it. 

Words matter because they are how we make sense of what we’re feeling. And because they have meaning and that meaning can then have an impact on how we feel and on our actions. 

My goal for this episode is to get you noticing and thinking about how you talk about food. What is the implication of those words? How do they make you feel? What’s below the surface of the words that we so causally use everyday?


Connect with Jordana
Find me on Instagram
Sign up for my Monday newsletter with lots of nutrition, exercise and mindset tips
Learn more about 1:1 coaching on my website

Connect with Jordana
Find me on Instagram
Sign up for my weekly letter with personal stories and nutrition, body image and mindset tips
Schedule a free discovery call to talk more about working together
Listen to more episodes of The Diet Diaries