This is the #1 question I get when talking about #moderation365: “Jill, can I lose weight eating moderately?”

And I love this question because while of course it’s possible (the goal of moderation is satisfaction, and the feeling of satisfaction is calorie-independent), it opens up a much larger discussion about control, self-worth and self-trust.

The question requires context – what’s the intention of the person asking it?

I completely understand the mindset of always trying to lose weight. It was my #1 goal, ad infinitum. Always trying to lose, lose, lose. I felt uncomfortable in my body, I’d do whatever it took to just GET THE WEIGHT OFF LIKE YESTERDAY.

And for years and YEARS, I yo-yo dieted precisely because I was desperate and terrified of weight gain. I'd do anything—even things that were making me super miserable—to avoid gaining weight.

The problem is that I never asked myself what it would mean if I gained some weight.

I never asked WHY I was so terrified of it.

At a clinical level, gaining a couple pounds in the name of forever sanity and being able to maintain my physique forever and not be anxious about food every second seems like not a bad trade-off?

Could I still love myself 5-10 lbs heavier?

Would my friends and family still love and accept me?

Would my business still do well?

Could I go speak at a fitness conference and be taken seriously?

I asked myself all these questions and the resounding answer was (I found out) ... YES.

Yes, I am still good enough and worthy of respect and love and affirmation and acknowledgement. I am 100% FINE a few pounds heavier.

And for me, that's what happened when I started eating moderately--I gained a few pounds and learned to be fine with it because it was part of the larger process of quitting the deprive-then-binge cycle.

My body needed time to adjust. My metabolism needed time to heal and balance itself.

And it was ONLY after a year+ at the same weight (finally!) that my body started losing a little.

Not a ton, but every year since I started eating moderately (~7 years), I've lost a pound or two. Not because I was trying but because I was finally giving my body enough breathing room to actually respond, sustainably.

Losing weight is possible. But not without you giving yourself the permission to be okay no matter what.

Your motivation to quit the deprive-then-binge can't be to lose weight. It has to be that you are just freaking sick and tired of being obsessed with food.

ONLY THEN, will you be able to sustainable work toward your physique goals. And actually enjoy it.

But it takes time, patience and a boatload of self-compassion.

And my fav thing about approaching it this way, is that you’ve now created a solid foundation from which you can lose weight.

You enjoy how you do things. Your hunger and cravings are under control. Your mental energy is available to make small changes in order to lose weight.

So ask yourself, are you finally willing to take the long view?

Food Obsession Boot Camp LIVE is part tactical and part mindset. We gotta unlearn some of the old beliefs about self-worth, trust, compassion and more if we want to finally learn to eat healthy forever and stop stressing about the numbers every second.

And I’m pumped for this iteration of Food Obsession Boot Camp because I will be walking you through everything live. Meaning, I’ll be coaching on the calls, taking your questions and giving you customized feedback on your own food habits.

And if you are unsure if you can make the recordings live, rest assured that they are going to be recorded for you and sent out the next day so you don’t miss anything! You have the education forever, and can take your time consuming everything.

You can join us here.

Let me know if you have any additional questions and remember, registration closes THIS Monday April 2^nd and we start right away on Tuesday April 3^rd!

Xo,

Jill