It can be incredibly challenging to release the fantasy that you can permanently transform your body through weight loss.

But understanding that dieting doesn’t work—and recognizing how it has chipped away at your self-confidence, blunted your metabolism, and led to weight gain—are crucial first steps toward letting go of this illusion.

The next step is to begin releasing the dieting tools you’ve relied on to measure progress and keep yourself “on track” over the years.

These external tools—whether it’s counting calories, weighing portions, tracking workouts, or even collecting diet books and magazines—may have once provided a sense of control over your eating.

They might have dictated your choices about what, when, and how much to eat or exercise, giving you a false sense of power.
However, these tools have also had a profound impact on your self-confidence and hindered your ability to tune in, listen to, and trust your own body.

Even if you’ve sworn off dieting for good, holding on to these tools keeps you stuck in the ‘diet mentality’ and prevents you from truly embracing a healthier, more intuitive way of living.
Letting go of these tools isn’t about losing control—it’s about reclaiming your power, rebuilding trust in your body, and freeing yourself from the grips of diet culture.

It’s time to step into a new chapter where you listen to your body’s wisdom and nurture yourself in a way that feels truly nourishing.

The Tools of Dieting 

In this exercise you will begin to identify which tools of dieting you have been using over the years to help stay you on track and what small steps you can take to begin letting these tools of dieting go. 
Download a PDF version of the self reflection exercises here.

Clever thoughts: Less obvious forms of dieting 

If you’ve tried multiple diets in the past, that self-critical inner voice—the one that’s kept you “on track”—may have become so familiar that you barely notice it anymore.

Many former dieters have an uncanny ability to turn Intuitive Eating into another form of dieting, creating a new set of “shoulds” and “should nots” that feel like rules.

If you find this happening, it’s important to recognize (without judgment) that these thoughts and habits are part of the lingering "diet mentality."

Left unchecked, they can cleverly morph into another form of dieting, leading to restrictive eating behaviors that cause stress and guilt.
Remember, Intuitive Eating is meant to be flexible, not rigid. There are no rules—only practices to help you reconnect with your body’s natural signals and nourish yourself without pressure or judgment.
Download a PDF version of the self reflection exercises here.