Weight Loss Forensics: FBI Tactics to Investigate Cravings, Overeating, and Why Diets Suck

As a 20-year PMP nerd and systems girly, I can predict exactly when your diet is going to fail you. It’s when you have a bad day. In fact, the FIRST predictable failure point in your diet is that you do not have a plan for it to work when you aren't feeling it.

Because I'm guessing the diets you've been on have worked when you're motivated. 

But what happens when you're having a bad day? What happens on the days you don't wanna? What happens on the days when you slept like crap, work blew up, your kid needs something, and the absolute LAST thing you want to do is meal prep and go to the gym?

Are those the days you quit?

Your best days are easy. Today, you’re going to understand what needs to happen for your weight loss to survive your worst days.

Together, we will investigate:

• How you can determine if your diet has lasting power so you can not just lose weight, but actually keep it off.
• Why most weight loss plans are designed for ideal conditions instead of your actual life.
• Why “Stay Ahead of the Threat” applies just as much to sustainable weight loss as it did to Counterintelligence.
• The one single question to ask yourself that reveals whether your current weight loss plan will actually last.
• Why knowing WHAT to do to lose weight isn’t enough to actually make weight loss stick.

Connect with Holly:

▶️ BECOME A SUSTAINABLE WEIGHT LOSS MACHINE - https://academy.pinkfortitude.com/pl-machine-reg

▶️ FREE EMOTIONAL EATING PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILE - https://pinkfortitude.mykajabi.com/weight-quiz

▶️ JOIN THE BREAK EMOTIONAL EATING ACCELERATOR - 

https://academy.pinkfortitude.com/break-emotional-eating-accelerator

▶️ APPLY FOR ELITE-LEVEL PRIVATE COACHING WITH HOLLY - https://wkf.ms/3XtDIKV

▶️QUIT SUGAR IN 5 DAYS - https://academy.pinkfortitude.com/register-for-sugar

▶️ SUBSCRIBE TO SUBSTACK - https://substack.com/@hollybertone

▶️ FOLLOW HOLLY BERTONE ON INSTAGRAM - @holly.bertone 

If this is your vibe, be sure to hit the follow button where you are listening and also tap those 5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ and leave a great review.

I lost 40 pounds, got the body I always wanted, was single, and started getting attention from men for the first time in my life. And I absolutely hated it. It took me 20 years of dating, getting married, divorced, and gaining the weight back to understand why.

This is a story about dating after weight loss, but it really isn’t. It’s about the dragons that many women need to fight along the way. If you’re fighting some of those battles, too, keep listening. This episode is for you.

Together, we will investigate:

• Why losing weight and getting the body I always wanted actually made my self-esteem worse.
• The bizarre contradiction of wanting male attention, then resenting it when I got it
• The “pick-me” girl trap I couldn’t see until it was too late.

Connect with Holly:

▶️ BECOME A SUSTAINABLE WEIGHT LOSS MACHINE - https://academy.pinkfortitude.com/pl-machine-reg

▶️ FREE EMOTIONAL EATING PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILE - https://pinkfortitude.mykajabi.com/weight-quiz

▶️ JOIN THE BREAK EMOTIONAL EATING ACCELERATOR - 

https://academy.pinkfortitude.com/break-emotional-eating-accelerator

▶️ APPLY FOR ELITE-LEVEL PRIVATE COACHING WITH HOLLY - https://wkf.ms/3XtDIKV

▶️QUIT SUGAR IN 5 DAYS - https://academy.pinkfortitude.com/register-for-sugar

▶️ SUBSCRIBE TO SUBSTACK - https://substack.com/@hollybertone

▶️ FOLLOW HOLLY BERTONE ON INSTAGRAM - @holly.bertone 

If this is your vibe, be sure to hit the follow button where you are listening and also tap those 5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ and leave a great review.

I want to show you exactly how I used brain science and my training at the FBI to curb overeating and emotional eating and finally lose weight that actually stayed off. 

This was after eating my feelings my entire life. This was after losing and gaining the same 20 pounds over and over again. This was after 4 nutrition certifications completely failed me. And this is from someone who loooooves food. 

I want to show you what I did, because it didn’t just work on me. I’ve helped hundreds of women do the same.

Together, we will investigate:

• Why focusing on the wrong thing first may be the reason you keep losing weight and gaining it right back.
• The 5-part Weight Loss Forensics Framework that Holly Bertone created using brain science and her background with FBI Counterintelligence.
• How your automatic patterns around food can drive what you eat before you consciously make a decision.
• What really drives sustainable weight loss, and what needs to change in order for it to happen.

Connect with Holly:

▶️ BECOME A SUSTAINABLE WEIGHT LOSS MACHINE - https://academy.pinkfortitude.com/pl-machine-reg

▶️ FREE EMOTIONAL EATING PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILE - https://pinkfortitude.mykajabi.com/weight-quiz

▶️ JOIN THE BREAK EMOTIONAL EATING ACCELERATOR - 

https://academy.pinkfortitude.com/break-emotional-eating-accelerator

▶️ APPLY FOR ELITE-LEVEL PRIVATE COACHING WITH HOLLY - https://wkf.ms/3XtDIKV

▶️QUIT SUGAR IN 5 DAYS - https://academy.pinkfortitude.com/register-for-sugar

▶️ SUBSCRIBE TO SUBSTACK - https://substack.com/@hollybertone

▶️ FOLLOW HOLLY BERTONE ON INSTAGRAM - @holly.bertone 

If this is your vibe, be sure to hit the follow button where you are listening and also tap those 5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ and leave a great review.

What if the secret to losing weight and keeping it off has less to do with your diet, and more to do with thinking like the FBI?

After 4 nutrition certifications didn’t help me lose weight, I used the skills from my days as the FBI Chief of Staff for Counterintelligence to finally create sustainable weight loss for myself, and have helped hundreds of women do the same.  

Today, I’m taking you inside my former world at the FBI and giving you 3 unexpected tactics that you can steal for your own weight loss journey.

Together, we will investigate:

• The 3 unexpected weight loss tactics I borrowed from my FBI career.
• The question to ask instead of “How am I supposed to lose this weight?”
• The Counterintelligence mantra we repeated 10 times a day, and why it’s the key to sustainable weight loss.
• What FBI Agents and life-long dieters have in common, and what you can steal to lose weight and keep it off.

Connect with Holly:

▶️ BECOME A SUSTAINABLE WEIGHT LOSS MACHINE - https://academy.pinkfortitude.com/pl-machine-reg

▶️ FREE EMOTIONAL EATING PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILE - https://pinkfortitude.mykajabi.com/weight-quiz

▶️ JOIN THE BREAK EMOTIONAL EATING ACCELERATOR - 

https://academy.pinkfortitude.com/break-emotional-eating-accelerator

▶️ APPLY FOR ELITE-LEVEL PRIVATE COACHING WITH HOLLY - https://wkf.ms/3XtDIKV

▶️QUIT SUGAR IN 5 DAYS - https://academy.pinkfortitude.com/register-for-sugar

▶️ SUBSCRIBE TO SUBSTACK - https://substack.com/@hollybertone

▶️ FOLLOW HOLLY BERTONE ON INSTAGRAM - @holly.bertone 

If this is your vibe, be sure to hit the follow button where you are listening and also tap those 5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ and leave a great review.

I had 39 women pay me to participate in a weight loss program that I built from scratch. We built the plane together, as we were flying it. And, yes, you heard me right. They did not get in for free. They paid for three months of construction dust with this new weight loss program. 

Over those 90 days, I watched 39 life-long, professional dieters completely change the way they approach weight loss. 

Today, I’m sharing the 5 things that surprised them about their experience, and these 5 things surprised even me, too. 

Together, we will investigate:

• What happened when 39 women paid to test an unfinished weight loss program for 90 days.
• The unexpected thing these women did that created the most momentum. 
• The surprising non-scale victories that showed up before the weight started to drop (including one woman’s dramatic A1c drop). 
• Why hearing “it’s getting easier” over and over again became one of the biggest breakthroughs of the entire experiment.
• What it means when healthy choices start to feel like nothing, and why that may be the real secret to sustainability.

Connect with Holly:

▶️ BECOME A SUSTAINABLE WEIGHT LOSS MACHINE - https://academy.pinkfortitude.com/pl-machine-reg

▶️ FREE EMOTIONAL EATING PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILE - https://pinkfortitude.mykajabi.com/weight-quiz

▶️ JOIN THE BREAK EMOTIONAL EATING ACCELERATOR - 

https://academy.pinkfortitude.com/break-emotional-eating-accelerator

▶️ APPLY FOR ELITE-LEVEL PRIVATE COACHING WITH HOLLY - https://wkf.ms/3XtDIKV

▶️QUIT SUGAR IN 5 DAYS - https://academy.pinkfortitude.com/register-for-sugar

▶️ SUBSCRIBE TO SUBSTACK - https://substack.com/@hollybertone

▶️ FOLLOW HOLLY BERTONE ON INSTAGRAM - @holly.bertone 

If this is your vibe, be sure to hit the follow button where you are listening and also tap those 5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ and leave a great review.

[WEIGHT LOSS MACHINE] Become a Sustainable Weight Loss Machine
👉 https://academy.pinkfortitude.com/pl-machine-reg

THIS EPISODE IS FOR YOU IF: 
* You know exactly how to lose weight. You just can’t figure out how to stop gaining it back. 

* You’ve spent 10, 20, maybe even 30 years losing the same weight over and over again. Someone should give you a PhD in this.

* You can follow a diet perfectly when life is easy. But the minute life gets lifey, and people get peopley, it’s easier to give up.

* You don’t want to spend the rest of your life tracking every bite, counting calories and macros, or starving yourself with sad little salads out of tiny plastic boxes.

Connect with Holly:

▶️ BECOME A SUSTAINABLE WEIGHT LOSS MACHINE - https://academy.pinkfortitude.com/pl-machine-reg

▶️ FREE EMOTIONAL EATING PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILE - https://pinkfortitude.mykajabi.com/weight-quiz

▶️ JOIN THE BREAK EMOTIONAL EATING ACCELERATOR - 

https://academy.pinkfortitude.com/break-emotional-eating-accelerator

▶️ APPLY FOR ELITE-LEVEL PRIVATE COACHING WITH HOLLY - https://wkf.ms/3XtDIKV

▶️QUIT SUGAR IN 5 DAYS - https://academy.pinkfortitude.com/register-for-sugar

▶️ SUBSCRIBE TO SUBSTACK - https://substack.com/@hollybertone

▶️ FOLLOW HOLLY BERTONE ON INSTAGRAM - @holly.bertone 

If this is your vibe, be sure to hit the follow button where you are listening and also tap those 5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ and leave a great review.

I am going to say the unpopular thing, and I know a lot of weight loss coaches will disagree with me. The all-or-nothing mindset may actually work in your favor to help you lose weight, especially if you are a Type-A perfectionist.

And, your brain probably just got whiplash, because every therapist and weight loss coach has told you that all-or-nothing thinking is toxic. But if moderation and intuitive eating actually worked, you wouldn’t be listening to this episode right now. These approaches aren’t wrong for everyone. But they might be wrong for you. 

Together, we will investigate:

• Why "everything in moderation" is the exact reason why certain women can’t lose weight.
• The surprising personality type that often does better with an all-or-nothing approach.
• How your brain negotiates with you during your weight loss journey, and why it usually wins.
• The hidden downside of "just one bite" that nobody talks about.
• Why setting stricter rules can actually create more freedom around food.

Connect with Holly:

▶️ BECOME A SUSTAINABLE WEIGHT LOSS MACHINE - https://academy.pinkfortitude.com/pl-machine-reg

▶️ FREE EMOTIONAL EATING PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILE - https://pinkfortitude.mykajabi.com/weight-quiz

▶️ JOIN THE BREAK EMOTIONAL EATING ACCELERATOR - 

https://academy.pinkfortitude.com/break-emotional-eating-accelerator

▶️ APPLY FOR ELITE-LEVEL PRIVATE COACHING WITH HOLLY - https://wkf.ms/3XtDIKV

▶️QUIT SUGAR IN 5 DAYS - https://academy.pinkfortitude.com/register-for-sugar

▶️ SUBSCRIBE TO SUBSTACK - https://substack.com/@hollybertone

▶️ FOLLOW HOLLY BERTONE ON INSTAGRAM - @holly.bertone 

If this is your vibe, be sure to hit the follow button where you are listening and also tap those 5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ and leave a great review.

Last week we talked about the 5 predictable resistance patterns your brain uses to pull you back to your old habits. And I promised you that it’s possible for your brain to work for you instead of against you. 

But before your brain works for you, it’s going to take you to a place that no other weight loss coach is going to warn you about. This is the place where you will quit or win. It’s not for the faint of heart, but if you want to get past that stop-start dieting thing that you keep doing and finally lose weight in a sustainable and healthy way, going through this dark part is a necessary part of your weight loss journey. 

Because it’s the key ingredient that makes everything stick.

Today, you’re going to get a front-row seat into the darkest part of your weight loss journey, and how to come out on the other side victorious.

Together, we will investigate:

• The darkest phase, where most women quit their weight loss journey, and why it’s completely normal.
• Why your brain fights you trying to eat healthier and change your habits with food.
• The identity shift that has to happen before weight loss becomes effortless.
• What the “liminal space” is during the weight loss journey, and why no one prepares you for it. 

Connect with Holly:

▶️ BECOME A SUSTAINABLE WEIGHT LOSS MACHINE - https://academy.pinkfortitude.com/pl-machine-reg

▶️ FREE EMOTIONAL EATING PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILE - https://pinkfortitude.mykajabi.com/weight-quiz

▶️ JOIN THE BREAK EMOTIONAL EATING ACCELERATOR - 

https://academy.pinkfortitude.com/break-emotional-eating-accelerator

▶️ APPLY FOR ELITE-LEVEL PRIVATE COACHING WITH HOLLY - https://wkf.ms/3XtDIKV

▶️QUIT SUGAR IN 5 DAYS - https://academy.pinkfortitude.com/register-for-sugar

▶️ SUBSCRIBE TO SUBSTACK - https://substack.com/@hollybertone

▶️ FOLLOW HOLLY BERTONE ON INSTAGRAM - @holly.bertone 

If this is your vibe, be sure to hit the follow button where you are listening and also tap those 5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ and leave a great review.

You were doing so well in the first few weeks of your weight loss journey. But then, you just quit. You think it happened because the diet was hard to maintain. But it was actually your brain fighting 5 predictable resistance patterns you will face as you try to lose weight and eat healthier.  

Today, you’re going to find out exactly what this rebellion looks like, and what you can do to stop the sabotage before it happens.

Together, we will investigate:

• Why most women quit right before they start losing weight.
• The 5 predictable resistance patterns your brain uses to pull you back to old habits.
• How your brain convinces you that quitting was your idea (and why you believe it).
• Why your spouse, friends, and coworkers may unintentionally make your weight loss harder.

Connect with Holly:

▶️ BECOME A SUSTAINABLE WEIGHT LOSS MACHINE - https://academy.pinkfortitude.com/pl-machine-reg

▶️ FREE EMOTIONAL EATING PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILE - https://pinkfortitude.mykajabi.com/weight-quiz

▶️ JOIN THE BREAK EMOTIONAL EATING ACCELERATOR - 

https://academy.pinkfortitude.com/break-emotional-eating-accelerator

▶️ APPLY FOR ELITE-LEVEL PRIVATE COACHING WITH HOLLY - https://wkf.ms/3XtDIKV

▶️QUIT SUGAR IN 5 DAYS - https://academy.pinkfortitude.com/register-for-sugar

▶️ SUBSCRIBE TO SUBSTACK - https://substack.com/@hollybertone

▶️ FOLLOW HOLLY BERTONE ON INSTAGRAM - @holly.bertone 

If this is your vibe, be sure to hit the follow button where you are listening and also tap those 5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ and leave a great review.

If you have ever wanted to throw your scale against the wall, this episode is for you. Because here’s the thing. Why are we told to focus on how many pounds we’ve lost and what the scale says when, in fact, weight loss is the last thing to happen?

Today, you’re going to get 15 non-scale weight loss wins to prove that the scale has been lying to you the entire time. 

Together, we will investigate:

• She lost zero pounds in week one. But these 4 results took her back 10 years.
• The scale is a lagging indicator. Here's what the leading indicators actually look like.
• 14 things that happen before the weight starts to consistently come off. Most women miss all of them.
• The single most disorienting part of your weight loss journey that nobody warns you about.

Connect with Holly:

▶️ BECOME A SUSTAINABLE WEIGHT LOSS MACHINE - https://academy.pinkfortitude.com/pl-machine-reg

▶️ FREE EMOTIONAL EATING PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILE - https://pinkfortitude.mykajabi.com/weight-quiz

▶️ JOIN THE BREAK EMOTIONAL EATING ACCELERATOR - 

https://academy.pinkfortitude.com/break-emotional-eating-accelerator

▶️ APPLY FOR ELITE-LEVEL PRIVATE COACHING WITH HOLLY - https://wkf.ms/3XtDIKV

▶️QUIT SUGAR IN 5 DAYS - https://academy.pinkfortitude.com/register-for-sugar

▶️ SUBSCRIBE TO SUBSTACK - https://substack.com/@hollybertone

▶️ FOLLOW HOLLY BERTONE ON INSTAGRAM - @holly.bertone 

If this is your vibe, be sure to hit the follow button where you are listening and also tap those 5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ and leave a great review.