71: When It’s Time To Stop Food Planning & What to Do Instead

Love Life And Lose Weight

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If you’ve ever felt trapped by food planning or overwhelmed by the pressure to stick to your meal plans, this episode is for you. Today, we’re diving into why food planning might not be the best strategy for your long-term success and how to replace it with a more intuitive, sustainable approach. By the end of this episode, you’ll feel empowered to make confident food choices in the moment, build trust with your body, and find freedom in your eating habits.

We’ll start by exploring the signs that food planning is no longer serving you. Are you eating just because it’s “on the plan,” even when you’re not hungry? Or maybe the thought of planning leaves you anxious or guilty because you’re tired of trying to follow rigid rules. When food planning becomes restrictive, it disconnects you from your body’s natural cues and prevents you from learning how your eating habits affect your energy, hunger, and results. I’ll guide you through the transition to food logging, a flexible tool that builds awareness without the rigidity of planning.

You’ll learn practical strategies like using a two-column food log—one for what you expect to eat and one for what you actually ate—or letting go of expectations altogether and simply observing your habits. We’ll talk about planning for types of food rather than specific meals, how to set intentional “overeats” in advance, and why reflecting on your weekly patterns is the key to making lasting changes. By the end of the episode, you’ll understand how to use food awareness tools to create sustainable weight loss, not as a compliance tool that forces you into perfection.

Coach Homework:

Reflect on your current relationship with food planning—does it empower you or restrict you?
If it feels restrictive, commit to food logging for the next week instead. Decide which days you’ll try it and track your experiences.
Mark your calendar for a review session at the end of the week to see how food logging works for you.

It’s time to step away from rigid plans and into a new way of eating that feels aligned, flexible, and supportive of your goals. Listen now and start creating the freedom and trust you deserve in your relationship with food!

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Audio engineering by Young Cub Audio.

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#Fitness #Heather Beardsley #Weight #Midlife #Intuitive Eating #Self-identity #Habits #Alternative Health #Mental Health #Coaching