Connect with Allie

📲 Instagram: @Make_Life_Peachy

🖥 Website: makelifepeachy.com

Episode Transcript

Ryann

Hello, I am so excited because today I am welcoming Allie from Make Life Peachy and I’m just so excited to bring her on today to talk about all things food freedom. Allie is a non-diet dietitian dedicated to helping women become confident in their skin and feel amazing every single day. Allie believes that healthy eating doesn’t have to be complicated or restricted and she teaches women how to heal their relationship with food so that they can find food freedom and show up for life as their best self. She is so knowledgeable about all things nutrition, breaking the diet, and how to finally find that healthy relationship with food. So Allie, I am so excited to have you here today.

Allie

Thank you for coming on the Coffee Docs Therapy Podcast. I’m so excited to be here. Thank you for having me.

Ryann

Oh my gosh, no, it is absolutely my pleasure. So let’s start off today by sharing with everybody a little bit more about who you are. Who is the girl behind Make Life Peachy?

Allie

Yeah, so I am Allie Landry. I’m a registered dietitian. I own my own private practice. It’s called Make Life Peachy. And basically, I am living the dream. I get to help women, you know, learn what healthy eating means for them, stop stressing around food, feel free around food, and basically just feel amazing and confident in their skin.

Ryann

If you don’t follow her already, I highly recommend after listening to this episode, hopping on your Instagram and giving her a follow. And I will link all of her Instagram and website information in the show notes. But I’m just so excited to pick Allie’s brain of all things nutrition, all things food freedom. So before we do that, why don’t you tell everybody a little bit about what it is that you do and how you got into dietetics.

Allie

Yeah, so there’s so much I could dive into, but I’m going to go back to, like, let’s start with high school. So I was a big health nut. I was always into exercising, eating healthy. I tried all the new diets just because that was how I grew up. I was always going to the gym with my dad and trying new healthy recipes with my mom. And I actually didn’t know dietician was a job. I didn’t know it was an option until my sophomore year of college, because my mom was actually diagnosed with cancer the summer right before I started my sophomore year. And so I ended up spending a lot of time at MD Anderson in Texas.

And it was here that I met my first dietician and I fell in love with her. I just loved how knowledgeable she was about nutrition. And right away after I met her for the first meeting, I changed my major to nutrition and dietetics. And so this story is actually a really sad one because my mom passed away six weeks after she was diagnosed. So it was a really terrible traumatic time, but you know, these trials and tribulations are what built my strength and character.

So I know I am who I am today because of what I’ve been through and I feel like it’s helped me be more empathetic for others. So it’s a little scary to share my story, but I know every time I do, it just leads to a lot of human connection and others feeling like they can open up too and just helps people feel less alone. So that is kind of how I became a dietitian, but make life peachy.

So I knew my sophomore year, junior year of college that I wanted to start my private practice eventually and to work with women. And I knew this was something I would eventually do. And so I started to think of a name for my future blog or business. And I knew I wanted to name it in honor of my mom, because I wouldn’t be here, I wouldn’t be a dietitian without her. And so immediately make life peachy popped in my head because my mom was actually going to school to be a positive psychologist. So as you can imagine, she was well known for her positivity. She was like a huge light in everybody’s life. And Make Life Peachy just kind of combined my love for nutrition and my mom’s positivity.

And for me, you know, seeing Make Life Peachy is just a daily reminder of who my mom was, not to take life for granted and to be joyful in all circumstances. So this business means the world to me, not only because I’m chasing my dreams, but I’m doing it in honor of my mom.

Ryann

I love that. And I just so appreciate your approach, kind of coming at it and the idea that, yes, it’s about the food, but it’s so much more about life. Like let’s tackle the food so that you can get out of your head and into your life. And that’s what I’ve really been trying to kind of cultivate and what I really, really admire about you and what really draws me to you is that, yes, like you work on the food, but like the food is only getting you to get yourself to enjoy more life. And so I just really, really appreciate that you take that perspective of helping people, yes, ditch the diet and yes, find food freedom, but more than that, get back into their life.

Allie

Yes, exactly. I’m all about, you know, food is more than fuel. Food is those memories. Life is so much more important than, you know, tracking every bite you eat. You’re missing out on life when you’re absorbed in that diet culture and your body image. And so my goal is to help women get out of that so they can start living their life before it passes them by.

Ryann

I absolutely love that and I just love, you know, the point that you make about helping women get into their lives before it passes them by because the thing that happens is that we spend so much time focusing on our body and our weight to try and give us more life, however it gives us less life. And so that’s the the biggest paradox of it all. And with that said, I think that when people think about ditching the diet and trying to be more in their lives and embracing this idea of food freedom, it freaks them out because they think that if I allowed myself to eat whatever I wanted and I ditched the diet and let go, then I would totally let myself go and gain all this weight. And so I think that there is kind of this misconception about what food freedom really mean? So can you kind of talk about food freedom and what it actually means?

Allie

Yeah, so you’re completely right. A lot of people hear food freedom and just think, oh my god, like there’s no way I could have food freedom. I would eat everything inside, I would eat all the junk food, whatever, like I wouldn’t have any control. But to me, food freedom is actually when you have full control over what you’re eating. So, you know, people think they just need more discipline, they need more self-control around food to be healthy. But the more we try to control what we eat, the more we actually will feel out of control around food.

So, you know, when you think about it, if I tell you, hey, don’t have chocolate for a week, you’re going to start thinking about chocolate more, you really want chocolate, you can’t wait for the week to be over because you just really want it. And then finally, when you can have chocolate, you’re more likely to overeat, binge, you just feel out of control around the chocolate. So this is where food freedom, by me saying, hey, you can have chocolate anytime you want. It’s a little bit more complicated than this, but let’s just say I say that.

Then you allow yourself the opportunity to ask yourself, okay, so I can have the chocolate, do I really want it right now? I can have it later if not, so do I want it or not? So that’s when you take the control back from the food. So in the previous scenario, the chocolate’s controlling you, right? Like you’re thinking about it, you really want it, but we labeled the chocolate as that, or I can’t have it, so you’re not allowed to eat it. The food’s in control. But when you have food freedom, the food has no control over what you’re doing. You are asking yourself, what do I want?

Ryann

That is so good. And I know that when I really struggled with binge eating, for me, what was a really big issue was when I did allow myself to have maybe these foods that I didn’t have all the time or that were kind of like off limits in my mind or quote unquote bad foods, which, you know, we don’t say anymore, but did back then, I really struggled with stopping eating when I was already full, but food tasted so good. And so what helped me kind of like what you said with the chocolate was allowing myself to have it all the time.

So when I was eating something that tasted really good, that I maybe didn’t allow myself to have as often, I would tell myself, okay, I can have this whenever I want. So I don’t need to eat it all now. And so when I would eat things and kind of test myself, you know, bringing in these new foods, breaking away those kind of food labels of this is bad, I can’t have this and eating all these new foods, and they would taste really good. And I’d be like, Oh my gosh, this tastes so good. I don’t want to stop eating this. But again, I was already full, reminding myself, I can have this whenever I want. I can have this tomorrow if I want. If I still want it in an hour, I can have it again.

If I still want it every single day for the rest of this week I can have it again. Just reminding myself that really helped to kind of take away this I need to have it right now. So I love that it’s about having all the foods and saying all foods fit but also kind of this idea that it’s not that you’re giving up control, you are actually taking your control back by saying hey I can have this whenever I want. Like, I don’t need to eat it all right now.

Allie

Yeah, and you know, food freedom, it also helps you just feel more at peace around food. And so a lot of times food just becomes less exciting. You know, it’s not like labeled good and bad foods anymore. It’s not like, oh, I can’t have this, I shouldn’t have it. So it makes it a little more exciting and desirable. When you have food freedom, you’re looking at the food and you’re like, well, I can have it or I don’t have to have it. And when you eat it, a lot of my clients realize, hey, it doesn’t taste as good as it used to. And I’m like, yeah, that’s pretty normal. It’s just because the food is less exciting. It’s just normal. And that’s a good thing, you know?

Ryann

Oh my gosh, totally. And it’s one of those things that you don’t really think about when you’ve been in this kind of like restrict binge phase for a long time. You know, getting to this point where, yeah, this, this food is amazing and I’m really enjoying it right now, but this isn’t the best part of my day.

Allie

Oh my gosh, yes. And I’ve heard, I’ve had clients say like, oh, when I got that treat, it was the best part of my day. And then, you know, through working to find food freedom, they come back and they’re like, hey, I realized that that wasn’t even, I didn’t even enjoy that food. Like I don’t even like cupcakes. It used to be the best day ever if I got one, and now I realize I don’t even like them and I can pick the treat that I actually want when I want it.

Ryann

Yes, oh my gosh. And that is such a freeing thing as well. I remember when I realized that I didn’t have to eat things that I didn’t love. And like, if I made something that didn’t taste as great, or let’s say I was having a lunch that didn’t taste as great. Like if I didn’t love it, like I didn’t need to eat it. Like not trying to waste food, right? But like being like, if this isn’t amazing, then I don’t have to have it. Yeah, by allowing yourself all food, you truly take back control, you know? Some people think they would be out of control, but food freedom is how you take back the control around food.

Ryann

Yeah, so I wanna talk about that exact point a little bit more and this idea that is kind of put into our minds that if we allow ourselves to eat whatever we want, then we’re just going to go crazy and gain all of this weight. So how do you approach that? And how do you help people kind of break down that thought process and understand that that isn’t exactly exactly what happened.

Allie

Yeah, so with food freedom and intuitive eating, like listening to your body, a couple things can happen. Well, really three things can happen. One, your weight could stay the same. Two, your weight could increase, which may be the case if you have been overly restrictive. Or three, your weight could decrease. So maybe if you’ve been struggling with binge eating, overeating, emotional eating, that would be the case. But ultimately what will happen with food freedom is you’re gonna find your happy weight. This is otherwise known as your set point weight.

So it’s determined by your genetics, metabolism, energy intake, how much energy you expend, and tons of other factors. But this set point weight is the weight where you feel your best physically and mentally, right? It’s like the weight that your body will naturally find and sit at when you’re eating to feel good and moving for enjoyment. Yes, and I think it’s important that you mention that because that is exactly what happened to me. I mean, when I stopped binge eating, I finally got to kind of that set point happy weight. And for me, that was significantly lower than what I was at.

And what is funny about that is that I have people all the time ask me, what did I do? Like, how did I lose so much weight? Because I mean, I lost a significant amount of weight and I always respond to them, you know, I listen to my body and I eat whatever I want and they’re always so taken back because that is not the answer that they expect. And I read this quote the other day and it’s actually on your page, that’s where I found it. And I just love it. It’s by Jennifer Rowland. And she says something along the lines of, you know, your set point weight or your happy weight is where you’re kind of living your best life. Tell me that quote, do you know it by heart?

Oh my gosh, I don’t know it by heart, but that is the best quote for finding your happy weight and your set point weight. It’s basically like the weight that you effortlessly set out when you can go have ice cream with your friends and not think about it, when you’re not tracking calories, when you can travel without anxiety around food. Is that the quote?

Ryann

Yes. Yes. Yes. I’ll put it in the show notes exactly what it is. Um, but it’s so good.

Allie

Yeah. It’s essentially just like this set weight. Like the whole goal is being able to, again, like experience life to be living, like not live for food, but like have food help us live more. And getting to that set point, weight, whatever that is for you, is going to be when you are living, wherever your body goes. Yes, yeah, exactly. And you know, I always encourage my clients, we don’t use the scale. So we let that go and we let those numbers go and just mourn the number you think you’re supposed to be because that’s like diet culture telling you what you should or shouldn’t be. And it’s so funny, I feel like all women want to lose five pounds at all times. I’m like, why do you want to lose five pounds? Like, what is that gonna really change for you? Like, what’s gonna actually change if you get your weight to a certain number? No one around you knows that number. No one around you cares about that number except you. It’s not like your weight is tattooed to your forehead. So the ultimate goal is just to take great care of your body. And so I always tell my clients, you know, we’re nourishing our body well, we’re moving for movement. What does that number matter at that point? Like the goal is to feel good.

Ryann

And I don’t know where that is taught, you know, kind of this idea that the number matters versus like how you actually look or how you feel. And I don’t know if that’s more of like a society thing or like you learn it from your mom or from who you grow up with but it is really amazing like how Your overall well-being just changes when you let go of that number and you really start to focus on you know How do I feel like how do I feel in my skin? How is this food making me feel like how do I feel in? My workouts, how do I feel when I wake up in the morning? Like, that is so much more important than, hey, I weigh X amount of pounds today.

Allie

A good analogy is plants. So if all plants have the same amount of water and the same amount of sunlight, they would all grow to be different sizes, look different. And I feel like, you know, that’s the same with humans. We could have, we could do the same amount of exercise, workouts, and eat the same amount of calories, but we would still look different. And I think that should be celebrated, you know, like our unique, beautiful features should be something that we celebrate.

Ryann

Oh my gosh, yes. Can you imagine like how boring the world would be if everybody looked the exact same? I mean, you’re totally right. Like that’s the beauty of it. The beauty that we all don’t look the same or have the same bodies. Like, that is what makes us us.

Allie

I know, exactly, exactly.

Ryann

So when you begin working with somebody new that’s very immersed in this kind of idea that the number matters, the food matters, like very immersed in this diet culture, how do you begin to kind of break down those food rules that they might have? Like, when people begin to kind of ditch the diet, what happens is we see like all these kind of hidden food rules that people have created either based on what they’ve learned from other people or things that they have created in their own mind that is something that they have to have as a rule. So what exactly is a food rule and how do you, like when you’re working with clients kind of break down those food rules.

Allie

Yes, so it’s a process and it is an uncomfortable process for a lot of people, but basically a food rule is external. It’s a decision that you’re making around food, whether it’s what to eat, when to eat, based on an outside influence, usually diet culture. Right? So for example, you can’t eat past 6 p.m. That’s a food rule. That’s not listening to your body. That’s an external food decision. Or you should have a salad for lunch because it’s healthy. That’s a food rule.

Ryann

Yes, totally. And I think that that eat past six food rule is something that is so common. And I don’t know who says that, who tells us that, like where we read it. Like I just remember I used to have that food rule too. So while we’re on this topic, let’s smash that food row right now. So like, why does it not really matter if you eat past six? Like, why can you eat past six and it is okay to do that?

Allie

Yeah, so your body doesn’t know what time it is. You know, your body doesn’t know if it’s six o’clock or 6.01 and eating at 5.59 or 6.01, it’s not gonna change what happens to that food and that energy that you’re eating. So we all have a metabolism. You’re going to eat the food and it is going to use the energy you need. It’s going to store the energy you need for later, whether it’s eaten at 6, 8, or 10 p.m. So it doesn’t necessarily matter what time you eat.

What really matters is that you’re listening to your body’s cues and honoring your body’s hunger and cravings and stopping when you’re satisfied or full.

Ryann

Ooh, so you just brought up a good point. How does someone figure out or differentiate between hunger and craving?

Allie

Yes, so hunger, there’s different types of hunger, right? It could be stomach hunger, where you’re physically hungry, like you need energy, maybe it’s a mental hunger, which may be more like a craving, right? It’s more in your head, or it could be like a mouth hunger. So you’re just craving a type of texture, or, you know, ice cream or something.

So I think that both are, well, of course, always honor your hunger, but I’m also a big fan of always honoring your cravings because we don’t want that restriction to creep up. Whenever we place any sort of restriction, it’s going to increase that desire or craving. You’re going to want it more and you’re more likely to overeat or binge or just feel out of control around that food, then maybe you feel guilty and it goes all the way back to, well, now I need to restrict, increases cravings, more likely to binge and so on. And so it is important that we honor both our hunger and our cravings.

Ryann

Yeah, yeah, because I don’t know about you, but let’s say I’m craving something sweet in the afternoon and I grab an apple or a carrot instead when I really wanted a cookie. I mean, I’m gonna think about that cookie until I end up actually eating the cookie and I’m not just gonna eat one cookie, just like you said, like I’m going to eat probably three, four, five, maybe even more because I’ve been thinking about it for hours versus if I would have just eaten the cookie and it took me so freaking long. If I just eat it, right? Just like you said, like that obsession, that craziness.

So I think I totally agree. Like I, I think that there’s a difference between hunger and craving. And I think that it’s important for us to kind of be mindful of, okay, what’s going on right now. And if it is a craving, what is that craving kind of stemming from and just being mindful about it with kind of giving into it.

Allie

So that’s why the satisfaction factor of eating is so important, right? If you are craving chocolate and you decide to have an apple instead, you’re still thinking about that chocolate. Like you said, you’re still wanting something else. So you might be physically full, but mentally you’re still thinking about food. You’re still obsessing over it. So then maybe you’re like, okay, I’m going to have like a peanut butter sandwich, or I’m going to have carrots and hummus. And eventually you’re going to cave for the chocolate because you’re still thinking about it. But like you said, you’re going to eat, you know, five pieces instead of just, if you went back, you were craving chocolate and you honored that and had chocolate, you could enjoy it, savor it, and you’re more likely to just move on without thinking about food.

Ryann

And I think that goes right back to that food freedom piece of, you know, I’m craving something, so I’m going to have it. I’m going to have just one because I can have this again whenever I want. And I think that is huge to recognize.

So I kind of want to shift gears for a second because we’ve gone full circle now. And I want to talk about like the difference between what a food rule is and what food preference is like, how is somebody able to differentiate between I’m choosing to not have bread with my breakfast because I’m afraid that that’s going to make me gain weight or I’m choosing not to have bread with my breakfast because I don’t feel like bread with my breakfast today, you know, like this idea between am I deciding not to have something or I’m deciding to have something because of this rule that I’ve created in my head or a preference and I think it’s so hard to kind of figure out which is which. So can you kind of talk about that?

Allie

Yes, so a food rule, like I said, is external, right? It’s an outside influence. It’s influencing your decision around food. A food preference is internal. It is based on your own knowledge of what feels good, what sounds good, and what your body needs. It’s coming from you. So it’s what’s most satisfying to you and what’s gonna make you feel your best in that moment.

And it’s not based on those outside influences or food rules, diet culture. So it’s not what you think is the right answer or what you should do, it’s what feels good to you. So for example, having that salad for lunch because you think you have to, or it’s the right thing to do because it’s healthy, or are you having the salad because it sounds good, it energizes you, and that’s what you’re craving? So it all comes down to why are you eating that food?

Understanding why you’re eating that food is really important. You should think, is it based on what you think you should do, or are you basing it on what feels and sounds good to you? So you may not be sure if you’re following a food rule or if you’re truly honoring a food preference. So what I would suggest to do is just test it out. So for example, let’s say you don’t know if you’re having a burger with a lettuce wrap because it’s what you should do or because you enjoy it.

So have a burger one night with a bun and then have it another night with a lettuce wrap and think about what should you enjoy more, what made you feel your best, you can recognize how both options made you feel. So the next time you have a burger, you can think about how do I feel in this moment, which option sounds best now. Maybe you want extra fries and you know if you have that fun, it’s going to make you feel a little bit gross. So you go with a lettuce wrap. That’s more of a food preference. Does that make sense?

Ryann

100%. And I love this kind of like trial and error piece that you add into it because we don’t know, right? Unless we test it out and that is truly listening to your body and I think that there is no like formula to what always feels best in your body. And so I really like that you bring attention to that with this idea of, yeah, sometimes I want fries and sometimes I want a salad. Sometimes I want the buns, sometimes I want a lettuce wrap.

Sometimes, you know, I want the dessert, sometimes I’m okay. And like, that is really the difference between that food rule and that food preference. Just like you said, it’s really tapping into that why. Like, why am I choosing to do this? Why am I choosing to eat this? Why am I making this choice? Is it because of an external measure or an internal measure. And again, like I think that test idea is like such a great way to kind of figure out and play around with that.

Allie

Yeah, and it’s really understanding why are you making that food decision? Is it based on what feels and sounds good to you? Or are you listening to those outside influences? And you may not know if you’re honoring your food preference or following the food rules. So it’s really learning to listen to yourself and just test it out, you know?

Ryann

Yeah. So would you recommend like the most helpful thing for someone who is trying to figure out, like, is this a rule or is this a preference is to kind of just question it and like really ask why? Like, do you feel like that is the most helpful kind of tactic to kind of differentiate again between this food rule and food preference?

Allie

Yes. I am all about digging deep and really pausing before you eat and asking yourself questions. So, why am I eating? What sounds good to me right now? Why does that sound good? So, really getting to know why am I eating? What am I craving? And honoring that.

Ryann

I absolutely love that you say that because it is just so much more than the food, right? And I always come back to that because it is. And I think that we get so wrapped up in the food and we blame the food and think that food is the problem when really it goes so much deeper than that.

And you did a post a little while ago that I just I just loved it really stuck with me and kind of made me think about kind of this journey that I’ve had in general and just the way that I’ve thought about food and your post said it was this infographic and it said, if diets didn’t exist, intuitive eating would just be eating. And I, that is, it’s just so simple, but so freaking true. So tell me more about that.

Allie

Oh my gosh, how nice would it be if diets didn’t exist? I mean, it’s just incredible. So we’re all born as intuitive eaters, right? Like your two year old knows what they need, when they’re full, what they want, when to stop eating. And then as you grow up, your mom will start dieting or your coworker or whoever in high school, you start having issues with body image and it’s all because of those external influences. And so if diet didn’t exist, we would have no other choice but to listen to our body to tell us what and when to eat. And that is intuitive eating. So intuitive eating is basically just eating, you know?

Ryann

Totally. I was trying to explain intuitive eating to someone I was chatting with the other day who had never heard about intuitive eating before, and this was a very normal eater, so of course, you know, they haven’t heard about intuitive eating before, but I was explaining it and I was like you know you eat when you’re hungry and you stop when you’re full and you don’t restrict any foods and you really listen to your body and as I was saying it and as the words were coming out of my mouth I was like I feel like I’m explaining it wrong because I feel like I’m just explaining normal eating.

And they looked at me like what do you mean you know and and when I was in the thick of my binge eating and my dieting and all that kind of stuff, I mean eating when I was hungry, stopping when I was full, like letting all foods fit, like this idea of food freedom was just something that was unimaginable for me to grasp. And so explaining that to someone who hasn’t ever struggled with food, it is, it’s like this like normal eating that would not exist if that diet culture wasn’t so freaking loud.

Allie

Yes, when you’re in the thick of it, when you’re in the thick of diet culture, the diet cycle or eating disorder, disordered eating, it sounds impossible to just eat when you’re hungry, stop when you’re full, honor your cravings. It sounds impossible because that restriction that you’re placing on yourself makes you feel out of control around food. So you’re like, I literally cannot imagine just eating whatever I want.

That’s what they think because it’s the restriction making them feel out of control. But as you work through it and you let go of those restrictions, you will start to feel more free around food. And so you can honor your hunger, fullness cues, cravings. And again, you learn how to intuitively eat how you did when you were a kid. But you’re right, to people who have never had an issue with eating, it’s like, well, that’s what I do. That’s normal, you know?

Ryann

Yes, 100%. So you work with a lot of clients that are really coming to you, struggling with this diet mentality, very, very immersed in the food rules and the diet culture and all that kind of stuff. So how do you help somebody who hasn’t been in touch with their hunger and fullness in, let’s say, years, get back in touch with that? I know that there’s a lot of kind of mixed feelings about the hunger scale right now. I personally think that it’s a phenomenal tool. Is the hunger scale something that you use, something that you promote? How do you help your clients get back in touch with their true hunger and fullness?

Allie

Oh my gosh, yeah. So the hunger and fullness scale is such a great tool that I use with my clients. It’s basically a scale one to 10. And so a one is like, I am starving, I’m gonna faint, I’m so hungry. A 10 is like Thanksgiving full. So the goal is to be in the middle, right? Like a three to four to like about a six to seven. You really want to start to eat when you feel those initial hunger cues and then stop when you’re satisfied. Now, this is a process to learn. A lot of people feel like they can’t feel their hunger fullness cues, but through working with it, talking it out, really starting to listen to your body, it gets easier.

Ryann

I completely agree with that easier piece. I mean, for me, when I was able to kind of lay it out in this scale method, where I could physically connect a feeling to a number, it helped me kind of understand what exactly I was feeling in the sense that like, okay, like now I know this feeling I can connect this to a seven or this feeling I can connect it to a three.

And then once I was able to kind of connect those feelings to numbers, I was able to say, okay, like I know what happens when I take this feeling even further. So let’s say, you know, now I know what I feel like when I’m at a three, like now I know what happens when I start to drop down to that two. Or like now I know what I feel like when I’m like happily satisfied, and I know what then happens when I go past that happily satisfied point, and not saying that that never happens, right? We’re human and we’re not looking for perfection, but just knowing like, hey, this is where I feel my best and where I feel comfortable and not uncomfortably full and just happy.

And I think too, like the hunger scale can be so helpful when you’re in a situation where you’re presented with food that you aren’t normally presented with. So like, for example, let’s say you’re going out to dinner and you’re having apps and you’re having a salad and then you’re having the main course and then you’re having dessert. And maybe you eat like that all the time at home, but I know for me, it’s usually just dinner and dessert.

And so sometimes when I’m out and about and all these other food choices are presented or it’s a more course out meal, I struggle with not getting overly full because first of all, everything tastes so good. And second of all, it’s really hard to kind of figure out how much can I eat or how much should I eat for me not to hit that super full point so early. And so for me, I use the hunger scale when I’m out and about like when I’m having these course out meals and it really helps kind of just moderate that so I can go out and eat and enjoy all the food and not leave feeling so uncomfortably full every single time. So I think it’s just the most incredible tool. I highly recommend it.

Allie

Yes, it’s so helpful to just be mindful about eating. And you’re right, when you get towards that one to two, closer to starving, you’re way more likely to end up at like a nine to 10 where you’re stuffing your face because you’re starving. So once you get to those lower numbers, you’re just reaching for food, right? Your blood sugar is low, your body’s craving sugar. You almost like can’t help it. You’re just really hungry. Your eyes are bigger than your stomach

So that’s why it’s smart to be mindful and learn your hunger cues learn What’s the initial hunger cue that hey, I’m starting to get hungry and that’s when you should go ahead and start thinking about okay What’s my next meal? What’s my next snack and go ahead and eat something before you get to those? Starving numbers and a lot of people think that hunger is bad and they try to put it off and then they end up overeating and they feel like something’s wrong with them. And it’s just the way your body’s wired, right? We’re not supposed to be starving. We’re made with hunger and bonus cues to listen to.

Ryann

I think the hardest part about getting comfortable with the hunger scale is getting away from this kind of like clock eating. I feel like that’s the hardest thing because it’s something that we grow up doing.

Like from preschool, we have a lunchtime. All elementary school, we have a lunch time. You know, we come home, we have a dinner time. And there is, in our culture, this kind of like time where you eat lunch and dinner, and breakfast is kind of intermixed. And so I feel like one of the best ways to kind of break away from this clock eating and really trust your hunger and fullness is by using this scale rather than the clock to kind of justify when it’s time to eat.

Allie

Yeah, just let go of those food rules and focus more on listening to your body, listening to your own food preferences. You’re the expert of your own body and your needs are changing daily. So it’s really important that you can listen to your body and trust it.

Ryann

Ooh, you just brought up such a good point about our needs changing daily. I think this too kind of goes into the hardness of switching over from diet culture to intuitive eating. It’s like, okay, I’m trusting my body and I’m trying to listen to it, but why is it that I’m so much hungrier today than I was yesterday? Or why do I feel like I need to eat more today than yesterday? And like, that is really, really hard to trust when you’ve been kind of restricting yourself to maybe the same portion sizes or the same food groups or the same eating every single day.

So when you’re working with clients that are trying to switch over to intuitive eating and they experience this feeling of their needs changing daily, how do you help them kind of navigate this?

Allie

Yeah, so just explaining it and letting them know that it’s normal, it’s really helpful. So, if you’re on your period, you probably need more energy. If you had a really hard workout today or days before or even a week ago, you might need more energy today. Just like if you ate a really big dinner, you might wake up not as hungry. That’s your body controlling how much energy you need, right? It’s your hunger and fullness cues. So it’s learning how to listen to those and honor those and to know, hey, maybe I’m just really hungry today and that’s okay, that’s normal. Your needs are gonna change based on what’s going on.

Ryann

I really like how you use the word energy because that’s exactly what it is, right? We eat food for energy and it’s not always because of energy but for the most part it is for energy. And some days we need a little bit more energy than others based on, yeah, if we’re on our period, or if we had a hard workout, or maybe we’re stressed, or didn’t sleep well, right? Like, it’s all about our body trying to get us to fuel it so that it can provide us with the energy to keep moving on with our day.

And I think it’s important to recognize too like how minuscule each day of eating really is. Like it really comes down to the bigger picture of your eating and that’s why I love intuitive eating so much is because when your body isn’t getting what it needs or let’s say it gets more than what it needs, it regulates itself on its own.

So like, for example, I know that on days where I’m really, really busy and maybe didn’t get a chance to eat as much as I would have liked to, the next day I’m always hungrier because my body didn’t get enough energy as it needed yesterday. So it’s trying to get that extra energy today. ate a little bit more yesterday because I did, I might not be as hungry today because my body is A-okay on energy. And so when we trust our bodies and with this intuitive eating it, it really works in the way that it balances itself out. And that is the beauty of our bodies.

Allie

Yes, I tell my clients that like, that meal is like a drop in the ocean, you know, like you’re where you are today and your health is, has built up over the past years. Just like one salad isn’t going to magically make you healthy, one meal, one snack, whatever, it’s not going to impact you as much as you think it might, you know, and so I tell my clients, every, every meal, every snack is a new chance to eat.

Ryann

I love that. That ever meal is a new beginning, a new start, a new, well, I don’t want to say new start, but you know what I mean. Anyways, I just really love kind of the perspective that you take with your clients and the method that you take with your clients. And you have this four-step method that I think is so helpful and that I wish was something that I would have had when I was really struggling. So can you talk a little bit more about what your four-step method is and how you kind of use it with clients?

Allie

Yeah, so my four-step method basically breaks down how do I get to food freedom and this body confidence that you’re talking about. So I break it down into simple four steps. It’s a little bit more complicated. It’s gonna look different for everybody, but the first step is going to be putting in the work to ditch diets.

So number one, we let go of those dieting, we have to let go of those restrictions. I provide a lot of education and support around why restriction and diets don’t work long term, how they can potentially harm us, and how to let go of that restrictive mindset. So that’s step number one, is just ditch those diets.

Step number two is food freedom. So this is when we start working on allowing ourselves unconditional permission to eat foods, learning how to eat mindfully, how to listen to our body, those preferences, hunger bonus cues, and really take the power back from food. So once you have this clean slate, then we’ll go into step number three, which is gentle nutrition. So you’ve let go of those food rules, you know you can have all foods. And now let’s start implementing some healthful behaviors in a way that’s flexible, personalized to you that you really enjoy, right?

Learning how to balance your plate is also really important in something like binge eating because you’re actually eating foods that are nourishing, that are gonna fill you up and feel good and you’re thinking about food less. So I teach them how to balance their plate, how to feel good and energized all day. And this is where they really start to understand what healthy eating looks like and feels like for them. And then my fourth step is body love. So this is actually implemented throughout the entire time I work with my clients, but basically body love is saying that everything you’re doing, these changes we’re making, the education, the support you’re getting, it’s all coming from a place of body love, not body hate. So, you know, I want to take care of my body. I want to treat it right versus, oh, like, I hate my body and I have to change it.

The other part of body love is working on body image. So as you probably know, I’m really passionate about body image. So throughout working with them, I provide them with body image assignments, body positive, actionable steps they can take to improve their body image throughout their time with me.

Ryann

I so appreciate that you bring in the body aspect of it because it goes so much deeper than the food. And when I know when I looked at it, the food was but a symptom of how I really felt about my body. And so yes, I had to deal with the food, but I also had to deal with the body stuff as well. And there is so many reasons why we feel the way that we do about our bodies. And I think one of the biggest ones is having this inconsistency in female clothing sizes. And you just did a TikTok video recently that went kind of viral. So tell us what that video was.

Allie

Oh my gosh, that did go viral out of nowhere. So I made a TikTok video kind of just showing my closet saying, hey look, these pants are a size 10. Oh, these pants are a size 27. These are a size 29. And then my shirt is like, oh, this is a small, this is a large, this is a size 11, this is a size 4. And so it was basically just showing people that look at the sizes in my closet and how they range because I have had so many clients break down over the sizes of their clothes and I’m like, guys, we were not made to fit clothes.

Clothes is made to fit us. Every brand has different sizes that are you could literally measure a size large shirt in one brand and compare it to large in another and it’s completely different. So a lot of clients will freak out when they feel like, oh my God, I’m buying, you know, bikini bottoms or shorts that are a size large and I’ve always been a medium. Like that, that’s just the silliest thing because again, just like your weight, nobody knows your clothing size. When you’re walking down the street, it’s not taped on the outside of your clothes. The goal is to feel good and confident and comfortable in your clothes, no matter what size that is.

Ryann

You are so right. And it took me so long to think about it that way and to realize that, that nobody knows my size except for me. I mean, they can assume based on my body type, what size I might be, but whether my pants are a size medium or a large, like nobody knows that. And so I think that’s such a good point. And so at the end of the day, it really comes from within. It really comes from us accepting ourselves, us accepting our bodies.

And if we are basing this acceptance on a number on a scale or our clothing size or what we fit into or what we don’t fit into, then we’re never gonna be happy. Like we have to have the body acceptance if we ever want to go forward.

Allie

Oh man, body acceptance is something I am huge on, because you’re right, body love, a lot of people feel like, oh I can’t love my body. Well you don’t have to love your body to accept your body and to take care of it. And what’s really cool is it’s like a domino effect. Once you start feeling really good because you’re taking such great care of your body, it’s harder to feel bad about a body that you’re taking great care of, you know?

Ryann

I totally agree. I mean, for me, it wasn’t until I kind of switched my mindset into this idea of I’m choosing to take care of my body, to give it what it asks for, to listen to it because I am accepting it today instead of rejecting it. Because when we reject something, we do not think about its best interest, right? Like it’s not of importance to us. So just by changing this rejection to acceptance, you’re already starting to turn your mind into thinking about how can I care for my body today? Like what is the kindest thing that I can do for my body today? And I just think that that goes such a long way.

So for anybody who is really, really struggling kind of with dieting, with finding food freedom, with body stuff, like all the above, just struggling, what advice would you have for them?

Allie

I would say just start. Like my one piece of advice for anybody doing something that they’re scared of, or there’s some fear around, is just start. Just take the first step. Know that it’s never gonna feel like the right time. Right time is such a lie. There’s never a right time for anything. It’s always gonna be scary. So just start, just take that first step.

And whether it’s healing your relationship with your food or your body, maybe it’s unfollowing someone on social media that you compare yourself to, or ditching the scale. Yes. Throw it away. Like just taking that first step, you know, it’s not about fear, right? You’re the fear is going to be there. Just do it anyway.

Ryann

Totally. And I love how you talk about the idea that there’s never this perfect time to start. I mean, I gave all the excuses in the book when I was trying to start that I was going to wait until I graduated or I was going to wait until I had more time or I was going to wait until I had more money or This and that and this and that and at the end of the day like there’s never a perfect Time and the longer that you wait The longer you’re just postponing this like beautiful happy life that you could be living right now and so I totally agree with that and for anyone who is listening that is kind of like debating or maybe putting their happiness on hold to kind of wait for this perfect moment to take care of themselves and to figure out this food freedom stuff, like this is the sign to just start.

Allie

Yes, knowing what’s waiting for you on the other side of that fear is so important, it’s so life changing, just do it anyways. Take that next step because life is too short to live it. Hating your body or constantly counting every calorie that you eat, just start. That’s my one piece of advice. Do it today. It could be following me, it could be unfollowing someone else, following a bunch of body positive accounts on social media. Just take the first step.

Ryann

I love it. Okay, so to wrap up this episode today, we’re gonna go into a little speed round so everybody can get to know you a little bit better. Are you ready?

Allie

Okay. Ready.

Ryann

Are you a morning or evening person?

Allie

Morning.

Ryann

What’s your go-to dessert?

Allie

Chocolate. Anything chocolate.

Ryann

Me too. Who’s your celebrity crush?

Allie

Oh, God, wait. I need to think. Oh, I can’t think of his name, but I can picture him. Chris Hemsworth.

Ryann

Yes. What’s your favorite season?

Allie

My favorite season, fall.

Ryann

How long does it take you to get ready in the morning?

Allie

Oh, like 10 minutes.

Ryann

Dang, okay. You need to share your morning routine next time. What is the first thing you notice about a person?

Allie

Probably their eyes. I look at people’s eyes.

Ryann

Yeah, me too. What fashion trend did you just not get?

Allie

Do I just not get — Oh girl I’m not even in the fashion trend. Maybe the one that’s like wearing. What are they called when straps like you know when you’re strapping something down to the back of a truck when you’re moving like wearing straps and belts.

Ryann

I know. Yeah, I’ve kind of been dabbling in both lately. Okay, so don’t think about this one too hard. First thing that comes to your mind, how do you define happiness?

Allie

Following… it sounds so cliche and so silly, but the immediate thing that popped in my mind was following your heart, trusting your gut, doing what’s right for you, and that’s happiness. Not comparing yourself.

Ryann

Yes, sometimes the cliche ones are the best. And last but not least, if you were a coffee drink, what would you be?

Allie

Oh, that’s a hard one, because I feel like I’m a lot of different coffee drinks. Like I like to think of myself as, you know, just plain like Texas pecan coffee, really like sweet, but you know, simple, smooth, easygoing. But then I know that’s like my weekend. That’s what coffee I’m on on the weekend. But most days I’m probably more like espresso, like really high energy. I love being productive, efficient to get things done. I work really hard, I’m straightforward, and yeah, I’m a workaholic. So most of the time espresso, but sometimes just like a nice cup of Texas pecan coffee.

Ryann

I mean, we all need to spice things up here and there, right? So where can everybody find you?

Allie

So follow me on Instagram. It’s at Make Life Peachy and there’s underscores between the words. I post daily. I post tons of tips and encouragement. I talk on my story. So definitely come hang out with me there. If you want more information on nutrition coaching, I do one-on-one group programs at Nutrition Bootcamp, so more information can be found on that at makelifepg.com.

Ryann

And I’ll make sure all of those are linked in the show notes. So with Jennifer Rollins’ quote, with Allie’s viral video, with everything that we talked about today, kind of that food freedom, food preference, food rule definition, all of those are going to be linked in the show notes, which you can get at www.coffeetalkstherapy.com or just click in the description.

But Allie, thank you so much for coming on today and sharing all of that knowledge. I just think that it is so important to recognize and so important to kind of differentiate the difference between what many people think food freedom is and what it actually is. And you just have such a great perspective and you’re just such a ray of sunshine. And I’ve been very blessed in finding you and I just appreciate you so much. So thank you again.

Allie

Thanks for having me. I’m so excited about being here. So thanks for having me. I loved it.

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