How I Stopped Focusing on Weight Loss and Started to Heal My Relationship with Food (written by Anonymous past client of Rhonda Krick, RD)

For years, I believed that happiness, confidence, and health were only possible if I lost weight. I thought that once I reached a certain number on the scale, everything would fall into place. So, like many others, I jumped from one diet to another, chasing an ideal that always seemed just out of reach.

But instead of feeling in control, I felt stuck. The cycle of restriction, guilt, and overeating left me exhausted and disconnected from my own body. It wasn’t until I shifted my focus away from weight loss and decided to heal my relationship with food that I finally found the peace I had been searching for.

The Exhausting Cycle of Dieting

For most of my life, I looked at food through a lens of rules—what I was allowed to eat, what I should avoid, how much I should consume. If I followed the rules, I felt successful. But the moment I “messed up,” the guilt would set in, and I’d feel like I had failed.

I was stuck in the restrict-binge-guilt cycle:
🚫 Restricting food made me constantly think about food.
🍩 Eventually, I’d give in and eat the “forbidden” foods.
😞 The guilt and shame would kick in, making me want to restrict again.

I didn’t realize it at the time, but dieting wasn’t helping me—it was damaging my trust in my body. The more I tried to control my food intake, the less control I actually felt.

Why Letting Go of Weight Loss Was So Hard

The idea of not focusing on weight loss was terrifying. If I wasn’t trying to lose weight, wouldn’t I just eat everything in sight? Wouldn’t my health suffer?

These fears are common, and they make perfect sense. Diet culture teaches us that controlling our food is the key to health and happiness. We’re led to believe that without strict rules, we’ll lose control. But the truth is, dieting was what was making me feel out of control in the first place.

When I finally made the decision to heal my relationship with food, I had to face my fears head-on. I had to challenge the belief that my worth was tied to my body size. And I had to trust that my body knew what it needed—even if I had spent years ignoring its signals.

How I Started to Heal My Relationship with Food

The transition from dieting to intuitive eating didn’t happen overnight. But little by little, I started making changes that helped me rebuild trust with my body:

💛 I gave myself unconditional permission to eat. Instead of labeling foods as “good” or “bad,” I allowed myself to eat all foods without guilt. This helped me stop feeling out of control around the foods I once restricted.

💛 I tuned into my hunger and fullness cues. I started listening to my body rather than following external rules about when or how much to eat.

💛 I focused on satisfaction. Instead of choosing foods based on what I “should” eat, I prioritized what actually made me feel good—physically and emotionally.

💛 I let go of the scale. I stopped weighing myself and measuring my success by a number. Instead, I focused on how I felt in my body.

💛 I practiced self-compassion. There were (and still are) moments of doubt, but I reminded myself that healing is a journey, not a destination.

What I Gained When I Stopped Dieting

Once I let go of weight loss as my goal, something amazing happened—I actually felt healthier, freer, and more in tune with my body than ever before.

✔️ Food stopped taking up all my mental energy.
✔️ I no longer felt the urge to binge on “forbidden” foods.
✔️ My body naturally settled at a weight that felt right for me.
✔️ I felt more confident, not because of my body size, but because I trusted myself again.

How You Can Heal Your Relationship with Food

If you’re feeling stuck in the dieting cycle, I want you to know that it is possible to break free. Here’s how you can start:

✨ Question diet culture. Recognize that the messages you’ve been told about food and body size may not be serving you.

✨ Listen to your body. Pay attention to hunger, fullness, and satisfaction rather than external diet rules.

✨ Let go of food guilt. There are no “good” or “bad” foods—just food. Give yourself permission to enjoy eating again.

✨ Find support. Healing your relationship with food can feel overwhelming, but you don’t have to do it alone.

Ready to Break Free from Dieting?

If you’re tired of obsessing over food and want to finally heal your relationship with food, I’d love to support you! My Online Intuitive Eating Group Coaching Program is designed to help you break free from diet culture, rebuild trust with your body, and find a sustainable, joyful way of eating.

👉 Click here to learn more and join!

OR click here to schedule a discovery call to learn about 1:1 support!