THE CONFIDENT BODY PODCAST - Brain-based strategies and self-compassion practices to unlock your full potential

May the LIGHT Be With You

If you've ever felt like every diet you've tried was the wrong tool for the job, this episode is for you. You knew deep down it was probably going to let you down again. But you tried it anyway. Because what else were you going to do?
This week's episode is unapologetically nerdy. It's May the 4th, which means it's Star Wars Day. And here's the wild part. The more I worked on this episode, the more I realized Star Wars actually holds the key to weight loss success. I'm not even kidding.
I walk you through six lessons from the saga that change the way you think about food, your body, and the version of you you've been waiting to become. By the end, you'll see why the help you've been searching for has been the wrong help, why your inner critic has been wearing your own face, and why the Force you used to wish was real has been inside you the whole time.
Whether you're a Star Wars superfan or you think Wookiees are a discontinued Girl Scout cookie (they're not, but honestly that would be cool), this episode is for you. The lightsabers are just the costume. The hero's journey is the story of every woman who has ever tried to lose weight.
What You'll Learn
Why the help you keep searching for from diets and gurus is asking the wrong question
The Yoda lesson that the entire first part of my book LIGHT is built on
Why "I'll try harder Monday" is the trap, not the solution, and what to do instead
How to recognize when you're fighting yourself instead of fighting your habits
The difference between the fear path and the love path in weight loss
A simple practice for trusting your body again, even when the cookies are right there at 9pm
Key Takeaway
The wisdom, the trust, the Force, the Light, all of it has been inside you the whole time. You don't need a better diet. You need a better relationship with yourself. The work isn't acquiring more rules. It's letting go of the ones that have never served you and remembering what was true when you were six years old and wanted to be a Jedi.
Listen If You've Ever Thought...
"I'll be good today."
"If I had a bad meal, the day is ruined."
"Maybe THIS diet is the one that finally works."
"I should already know better by now."
"Why can't I just stick to it?"
"Help me, xyz program. You're my only hope."
 
Enjoy This Episode?
Subscribe to The Confident Body Podcast so you never miss an episode. Every week I talk about the mental and emotional side of weight loss that diets never touch. Things like self-trust around food, breaking free from diet rules, emotional eating, and building a relationship with your body that actually lasts.
If this episode resonated with you, it would mean so much if you left a review. It helps other women find the show and feel a little less alone in this.
 
Check out my new Substack page! You’ll get bonus articles, inspiration, and wisdom. Plus some extra goodies I’ve got rolled up my sleeve.
Check it out at:
https://substack.com/@coachlizziemerritt
 
Get the book my new book LIGHT: The New Psychology of Weight Loss
Also, check out my first book:You Are A Miracle

Where Are You Holding Yourself Back?

Last week I told you my story. This week I want to talk about yours.
Because whether you have been losing weight and feel strangely anxious about it, or you have been stuck and doing things in secret you would never do in the daylight, I think the same belief is running in the background. And once you see it, so much of the struggle starts to make a different kind of sense.
This episode is for two women. The one hanging on by her fingernails as the weight comes off. And the one in the CVS parking lot who does not fully understand why she keeps ending up there. Both of them are dealing with the same thing underneath. And this episode names it.
 
What You'll Learn in This Episode
Why weight loss can feel dangerous even when it is working
How the belief "it's not safe to be fully me" shows up differently depending on where you are in your journey
Why secret eating is not a discipline problem and what it actually is
Why you cannot lose your way into feeling worthy, and what actually changes the verdict
The brain science behind why trying harder keeps backfiring
How to start building safety one small honest choice at a time
Key Takeaway
You are not doing it wrong. You are covered. And there is a very big difference between those two things. The woman underneath the hiding, the patterns, and the protection has been there the whole time. The sun has been shining. This episode is about starting to let her out.
 
Listen If You've Ever Thought...
"Why do I feel more anxious the more weight I lose?"
"I keep eating in secret and I don't fully understand why."
"I just want to feel normal around food."
"I'll finally feel okay about myself when I reach my goal weight."
"I know what I want to do. Why can't I just do it?"
 
Enjoy This Episode?
Subscribe to The Confident Body Podcast so you never miss an episode. Every week I talk about the mental and emotional side of weight loss that diets never touch. Things like self-trust around food, breaking free from diet rules, emotional eating, and building a relationship with your body that actually lasts.
If this one landed somewhere real for you, it would mean so much if you left a review. It helps other women find the show and feel a little less alone in this.
PS: Ever had that moment when you just WANT it? 
Your brain doesn’t care if you’re hungry. It just tastes SO good and you just want it. 
If that’s you, then download the guide I JUST WANT IT. IT TASTES SO GOOD at:
confidentbody.coach/wantit
 
Get the book my new book LIGHT: The New Psychology of Weight Loss
Also, check out my first book:You Are A Miracle

It's Not Safe To Be Seen

Have you ever felt like you've been holding back a part of yourself? Like there's a version of you that keeps almost showing up fully, and then something pulls you back.
You get a little smaller. A little more careful. A little more acceptable.
This episode is different from anything I've shared before. It's personal. It's honest. 
I'm taking you inside a trip to California that turned into something much bigger than a work event. Through a coaching session in front of twelve people, a three hour kitchen table conversation with a Jewish rabbi, and a string of signs that were impossible to ignore, I came home with a declaration I've been afraid to make.
I'm done hiding. And I want to know if you are too.
What You'll Learn in This Episode
What the "crime of outshining" is and why it might be running quietly in the background of your life
Why a moment at a childhood birthday party shaped decades of playing small
What a rabbi said about my book that stopped me in my tracks
Why the light you're looking for has been inside you all along
What it means to choose life, choose light, every single day
Key Takeaway
The safest thing you can possibly be is who God made you to be. Not the smaller, more acceptable, more careful version. The whole thing. This episode is me saying that out loud for the first time, and inviting you to consider where you might be doing the same thing I was.
Listen If You've Ever Thought...
"I feel like I've been holding something back but I don't know what."
"I'm afraid if I show up too fully, people will think I'm too much."
"Why does being seen feel so scary, even when things are going well?"
"I've been waiting for permission to just be myself."
"I know there's more in me. I just don't know how to let it out."
Part 2 is coming next week. And it gets very specific about how all of this shows up in your weight loss. You won't want to miss it.
 
PS: Ever had that moment when you just WANT it? 
Your brain doesn’t care if you’re hungry. It just tastes SO good and you just want it. 
If that’s you, then download the guide I JUST WANT IT. IT TASTES SO GOOD at:
confidentbody.coach/wantit
 
Get the book my new book LIGHT: The New Psychology of Weight Loss
Also, check out my first book:You Are A Miracle 
 

Why Do I Eat Differently When No One's Watching?

Somewhere between Friday night and Sunday afternoon, things went sideways. 
Your brain found a crack in the rules and said, “Now's my chance.”
And by Monday you were standing in the kitchen feeling defeated, wondering how you ended up right back where you started.
If that sounds familiar, this episode is for you.
The problem is that diet culture trained your brain to treat certain foods as forbidden. And forbidden things feel exciting the second no one's watching. 
This episode is about understanding why that happens, and what to do instead.
We dig into the 6 most common mistakes that cause weight loss to fall apart, and why fixing them has almost nothing to do with what's on your plate.
What You'll Learn in This Episode
Why your brain says "now's my chance" the second you're alone
How treating your plan like a rulebook sets you up to fail
Why all-or-nothing thinking turns one overeat into a whole day
The real reason waiting for the perfect time keeps you stuck
Why shame makes weight loss harder, not easier
How self compassion is actually a more effective strategy than self criticism
Why weight loss is more about how you think than what you eat
Key Takeaway
Food impacts your body exactly the same whether you're alone on a Saturday or sitting at a dinner table with your family. So if the rules feel different when no one's watching, the real work isn't about the food. It's about the story your brain is telling. And that story is worth getting curious about.
Listen If You've Ever Thought...
"I was doing so well and then I just blew it."
"Why do I eat things when I'm alone that I'd never eat otherwise?"
"I'll start fresh on Monday."
"I don't know why I keep doing this."
"I just need more discipline."
 
PS: Ever had that moment when you just WANT it? 
Your brain doesn’t care if you’re hungry. It just tastes SO good and you just want it. 
If that’s you, then download the guide I JUST WANT IT. IT TASTES SO GOOD at:
confidentbody.coach/wantit
 
Get the book my new book LIGHT: The New Psychology of Weight Loss
Also, check out my first book:You Are A Miracle 
 

I'm So Close to Quitting

You're not being dramatic.
You're just tired.
Tired of trying, tired of tracking, tired of thinking about food all the time. And not seeing the results you expected.
And in the back of your mind, you find yourself asking, "What's the point if it's not working?"
That feeling is real.
But the problem isn't your consistency or your willpower.
The real problem is that you're still playing by diet rules you never actually agreed to.
 
This episode is for the woman who is so close to quitting and needs to hear why that quit was never real to begin with.
What You'll Learn in This Episode
Why the exhaustion you feel isn't really about food
What your brain is doing when it cycles through options and none of them feel right
The truth about GLP-1s and why using them isn't cheating
Why the scale going up doesn't mean it's not working
The one sentence that changed everything for a client and might change everything for you too
Key Takeaway
You can only quit something you're on. And if you're not on a diet, if you're just living your life and making choices, there's nothing to quit. There's just the next choice. That shift in thinking is where sustainable weight loss actually begins.
Listen If You've Ever Thought...
"I don't know how much longer I can do this."
"I'm doing everything right and the scale still isn't moving."
"Maybe I should just accept my body and stop trying."
"Why do I keep starting over?"
"I'm so tired of thinking about food."
 
PS: Ever had that moment when you just WANT it? 
Your brain doesn’t care if you’re hungry. It just tastes SO good and you just want it. 
If that’s you, then download the guide I JUST WANT IT. IT TASTES SO GOOD at:
confidentbody.coach/wantit
 
Get the book my new book LIGHT: The New Psychology of Weight Loss
Also, check out my first book:You Are A Miracle

I either beat myself up or let myself off the hook

Do you either beat yourself up… or let yourself off the hook when it comes to weight loss?
You step on the scale and the number is higher than you hoped.
Right away your brain starts replaying the week.
“You shouldn’t have had bread at the restaurant.” “You knew better.” “What is wrong with you?”
Or the voice goes the other way.
“It’s fine.” “It doesn’t count.” “It was a stressful day.”
Many women feel stuck between these two voices.
One voice beats you up. The other voice lets everything slide.
But neither one helps you lose weight.
In this episode of The Confident Body Podcast, we talks about the three voices that show up in your head around food and weight loss.
You will learn why shame shuts down the learning part of your brain and why ignoring mistakes doesn’t help either.
Most important, you will learn about a third voice.
This voice still holds you to a higher standard, but it also believes in you.
Instead of saying:
“What is wrong with me?”
It asks:
“What happened here?”
That small shift helps you learn from your choices and start building real self-trust with food.
In This Episode We Cover
Why beating yourself up about food does not lead to weight loss
The cycle between shame and “it doesn’t count” thinking
How negative self-talk shuts down the learning part of the brain
Why curiosity helps change habits faster than criticism
How to move past the all-or-nothing dieting mindset
A simple way to learn from mistakes instead of hiding from them
Key Takeaway
Most women think their choices are:
Beat yourself up or Pretend it didn’t matter
But real growth happens with a third voice:
The voice that says,
“I believe in you. Because I care about you, I care enough to help you learn from this.”
That voice creates learning, growth, and lasting change.
 
Subscribe to The Confident Body Podcast
If you enjoy this episode, make sure to subscribe so you never miss a conversation about:
sustainable weight loss• emotional eating• building self-trust• breaking free from diet rules
 
PS: Let’s spread this message!
There are women who need to hear that their purpose is not 20 pounds away.
If you host a podcast, or you know someone whose audience includes women stuck in the weight loss waiting room, I would love to bring this conversation to them.
You can reach me at:
lizzie@confidentbody.coach
Let’s get this message into the hands of the women who are ready to stop waiting.
 
Get the book my new book LIGHT: The New Psychology of Weight LossCLICK HERE to get it in ebook format.Or CLICK HERE to get in in hard cover or audiobook.
Also, check out my first book:You Are A Miracle 

I’m So Tired of Thinking About Food

Have you ever thought:
“I’m so tired of thinking about food all the time.”
Not just eating it.
Thinking about it.Planning it.Tracking it.Trying to decide what you should eat.
For many women trying to lose weight, food can start to feel like a full-time job. Every meal feels like a decision. Every snack feels like a test.
When that happens, it’s easy to think something is wrong with you.
But that’s usually not the problem.
In this episode of The Confident Body Podcast, we talk about why dieting can make food take up so much space in your brain.
You’ll learn why strict food rules often lead to feeling rebellious around food, and why weight loss can feel mentally exhausting.
We also talk about how learning to make your own choices around food can help you build real trust with yourself again.
If you have ever wondered why food feels so complicated, or why you feel worn out from thinking about it, this episode will help you understand what is really going on.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode
Why dieting can make you think about food all the time• Why feeling rebellious around food is actually very normal• How food rules can create pressure in your brain• Why food can feel like a constant decision during weight loss• How learning to make your own choices around food can bring more calm
Key Takeaway
Dieting teaches you how to follow rules.
But it often does not teach you how to make your own choices.
When food decisions come from your own choices instead of strict rules, the pressure around food can start to ease.
The goal is not perfect eating.
The goal is learning how to trust yourself with food again.
Listen If You’ve Ever Thought
“I’m tired of thinking about food.”• “Why does weight loss feel so exhausting?”• “Why do I keep rebelling against diets?”• “Will I ever feel normal around food?”
Subscribe to The Confident Body Podcast
If you enjoy this episode, make sure to subscribe so you never miss a conversation about:
sustainable weight loss• emotional eating• building self-trust• breaking free from diet rules
 
PS: Let’s spread this message!
There are women who need to hear that their purpose is not 20 pounds away.
If you host a podcast, or you know someone whose audience includes women stuck in the weight loss waiting room, I would love to bring this conversation to them.
You can reach me at:
lizzie@confidentbody.coach
Let’s get this message into the hands of the women who are ready to stop waiting.
 
Get the book my new book LIGHT: The New Psychology of Weight LossCLICK HERE to get it in ebook format.Or CLICK HERE to get in in hard cover or audiobook.
Also, check out my first book:You Are A Miracle 

I keep gaining and losing the same 5 pounds

Have you ever lost a few pounds…and then gained them right back when life got stressful?
Maybe you got sick. Work got busy. Your family needed more from you.
And before you knew it, the weight you just lost was back again.
Then the thoughts start.
“I just can’t stay consistent.” “Something must be wrong with me.” “Why does this keep happening?”
Many women think they regain weight because they lack discipline.
But that is usually not the real problem.
Stress changes how your brain and body respond to food.
When you are tired, overwhelmed, or running on empty, your brain looks for quick relief. Food is one of the fastest ways your brain knows how to feel better.
In this episode of The Confident Body Podcast, we talk about why weight loss often falls apart during stressful times and what actually needs to change if you want your results to last.
Because lasting weight loss does not require a calm life.
It requires learning how to respond to stress in a new way.
In This Episode We Cover
Why many women gain and lose the same 5 pounds again and again • How stress affects cravings and appetite • Why pushing through stress can lead to overeating • The hidden pattern that keeps many busy women worn out • Why weight loss often resets during hard weeks • How small changes in how you respond to stress can protect your progress
Key Insight From This Episode
Many women believe weight loss will work once life finally slows down.
But life rarely slows down for long.
The women who keep weight off long term do not have easier lives.
They simply learn to notice stress sooner and take care of themselves before they are completely worn out.
Listen If You’ve Ever Thought
“Why do I keep gaining and losing the same weight?” • “Why do I crave sugar when I’m stressed?” • “Why can’t I stay consistent with weight loss?” • “Why do I eat more when life feels overwhelming?”
If you have ever asked yourself these questions, this episode will help you understand what is really going on.
Subscribe to The Confident Body Podcast
If you are tired of dieting and starting over, this podcast will help you learn the mental and emotional skills that make weight loss last.
Each episode explores how your brain, habits, and stress patterns affect your ability to change your eating and trust yourself again.
 
PS: Let’s spread this message!
There are women who need to hear that their purpose is not 20 pounds away.
If you host a podcast, or you know someone whose audience includes women stuck in the weight loss waiting room, I would love to bring this conversation to them.
You can reach me at:
lizzie@confidentbody.coach
Let’s get this message into the hands of the women who are ready to stop waiting.
 
Get the book my new book LIGHT: The New Psychology of Weight LossCLICK HERE to get it in ebook format.Or CLICK HERE to get in in hard cover or audiobook.
Also, check out my first book:You Are A Miracle 

Change Happens At the Speed of Safety

If you’ve ever thought, “I know what to do to lose weight, so why can’t I just do it?” this episode is for you.
In this special podcast swap episode, I sit down with Lia Pinelli, founder of The Fempire and host of The Life You Crave podcast, for a powerful conversation about sustainable weight loss, nervous system safety, and why diets keep failing smart, capable women.
Together, we unpack why willpower feels strong in the morning but disappears at night, how diet culture has shaped your identity, and what it actually takes to stop yo-yo dieting for good.
If you’re tired of starting over, battling emotional eating, and feeling like the problem is you, this episode will give you a completely different lens.
Because the truth is: you don’t lack discipline. You lack safety.
What We Cover in This Episode
Why you can know what to do to lose weight and still not do it
How your nervous system impacts emotional eating and cravings
The hidden reason discipline creates more overeating
The difference between a “dieter” and a “normal eater”
How to redefine “normal” after an overeat
Why sustainable weight loss requires curiosity, not shame
The mental real estate cost of food noise and body obsession
How to stop the identity cycle of “I always start over”
Key Takeaway
Long-term weight loss isn’t about tightening control. It’s about building safety in your nervous system so your brain no longer feels threatened by change.
When you shift from punishment to curiosity, from fear to experimentation, and from identity-based shame to data-based learning, weight loss becomes sustainable.
You change at the speed of safety.
About Lia Penelli
Lia Pinelli is the founder of The Fempire, a coaching community that helps women stop overeating and reclaim their mental real estate so they can live the lives they crave.
Her work focuses on helping women access their power through food by addressing both emotional eating and the biochemical drivers of overhunger and overdesire.
You can connect with Lia here:
Website: https://www.liapinelli.comPodcast: The Life You CraveThe Fempire Community: https://www.liapinelli.com
If You Loved This Episode
If you’re ready to stop yo-yo dieting, quiet food noise, and build weight loss that lasts without relying on willpower, make sure you:
Subscribe to The Confident Body Podcast
Leave a review so more women can find sustainable weight loss support
Share this episode with a friend who’s tired of starting over
 
PS: Let’s spread this message
There are women who need to hear that their purpose is not 20 pounds away.
If you host a podcast, or you know someone whose audience includes women stuck in the weight loss waiting room, I would love to bring this conversation to them.
You can reach me at:
lizzie@confidentbody.coach
Let’s get this message into the hands of the women who are ready to stop waiting.
 
Get the book my new book LIGHT: The New Psychology of Weight LossCLICK HERE to get it in ebook format.Or CLICK HERE to get in in hard cover or audiobook.
Also, check out my first book:You Are A Miracle 

What If I Regain the Weight?

If you’ve lost weight before, regained it, and now find yourself terrified of repeating the past, this episode is for you.
In today’s conversation, we’re breaking down what’s really happening when weight loss slows down, and why that fear you feel is often just an old memory firing, not a present-day warning.
You’ll learn:
Why sustainable weight loss naturally slows as you get closer to your goal
The science behind metabolic adaptation and decreasing calorie needs
Why the scale fluctuates daily (even when you’re doing everything right)
How to stop treating the scale like a countdown clock
Why urgency around weight loss creates more stress, not faster results
How to trust yourself instead of the number
If you’re tired of starting over, tired of obsessing over the scale, and ready for weight loss that lasts, this episode is for you. 
 
PS: Let’s spread this message
There are women who need to hear that their purpose is not 20 pounds away.
If you host a podcast, or you know someone whose audience includes women stuck in the weight loss waiting room, I would love to bring this conversation to them.
You can reach me at:
lizzie@confidentbody.coach
Let’s get this message into the hands of the women who are ready to stop waiting.
 
Get the book my new book LIGHT: The New Psychology of Weight LossCLICK HERE to get it in ebook format.Or CLICK HERE to get in in hard cover or audiobook.
Also, check out my first book:You Are A Miracle