Weight Loss (Surgical or Not) & Health at Every Size® – Can They Actually Go Together? With Jessi Holden, MS, RD

Episode 68. Today I’m so excited to talk with Jessi Holden. I found her via Google search, and then learned she lives right by me! We had a really cool conversation about the ways you can support autonomy and desire for weight loss all at the same time! What to Expect In This Episode In this interview, we cover: Can a weight inclusive approach (e.g., Health at Every Size®, Intuitive Eating) and pursuing weight loss go together?How does this relate to weight loss in general, and weight loss (bariatric) surgery?Some of the ways Health at Every Size® and Intuitive Eating are aligned, and how they are differentThe way we have seen professionals accidentally take away autonomy from their clients and patientsWhy social media may not be the best place to have these nuanced conversations (and a little tangent about how my use of social media has drastically changed in the past 6 months and why)What we want people to know to truly make sure they are making autonomous and empowered choices in this space Who is Jessi Holden, MS, RD? Jessi Holden is a registered dietitian/nutritionist who is aligned with the Health at Every Size® Movement and considers the affects of weight loss surgery, and how the two concepts are interrelated. In her work, she integrates Intuitive Eating to promote health in her clients. Through Jessi's blog, individuals are able to learn how to eat better to suit their body, how to exercise more in balanced ways, and how to focus on getting healthier. "Everybody is deserving of finding health and what that really looks like for them."- Jessi Holden, MS, RDN Want To Support Local Bookstores Near You? Buy your books from Bookshop! Support local bookstores near you and this blog and podcast and help prevent Amazon from completely squashing the local book market. Do you ever worry that you are wasting your life? I definitely did. In fact, I wrote that in my journal many years ago when I was in the middle of the diet-binge roller coaster ride. I woke up every day thinking about food, my body, and what I would eat that day to “be healthy”The notebooks I had filled with calories and points could fill up a spare bedroomSocial events and vacations immediately prompted the thought “they will notice I gained weight” or “I need to lose weight by then”Deep down I knew I wasn’t living life the way I wanted to, but I didn’t know how to pull myself out of it. If this is you, I want you to imagine what it would feel like to feel empowered in your body and proud of your choices on a consistent basis. I promise you, it isn’t too late. Dieting steals our motivation. It makes us ineffective. It keeps us spinning our wheels in a system that was never built to work. If you are ready take the first step to motivating yourself with what matters to you, download my free Cultivate Powerful Motivation guide (which is quite beautifully designed if I do say so myself), and walk through the 3 simple steps to cultivate motivation that works for YOU in 15 minutes or less. You will get a simple formula to write ONE SENTENCE you can use to motivate yourself on a daily basis. You can write it on your bathroom mirror, put on the background of your phone, or just read it and repeat it in your mind. Look, I know how much it hurts to live a life worrying you are missing out, not stepping into the person you were truly meant to be, vibrant, passionate, curious, vulnerable, and brave. You can listen to the podcast all day, but taking that first step, putting pen the paper (or typing on your phone) is required for true change. It’s time to start living my friend. It’s 100% free, so what are you waiting for? Grab your free copy of the guide today at DrHondorp.com/Motivate  Main Takeaways from this Episode! HAES and the desire for weight loss (surgery or not) can go together. Healthcare professionals don't need to shy away from this topic to be aligned with a weight-inclusive approach.