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Episode 68. Today I’m so excited to talk with Jessi Holden. I found her via Google search, and then learned she lives right by me! We had a really cool conversation about the ways you can support autonomy and desire for weight loss all at the same time!

What to Expect In This Episode

In this interview, we cover:

• Can a weight inclusive approach (e.g., Health at Every Size®, Intuitive Eating) and pursuing weight loss go together?
• How does this relate to weight loss in general, and weight loss (bariatric) surgery?
• Some of the ways Health at Every Size® and Intuitive Eating are aligned, and how they are different
• The way we have seen professionals accidentally take away autonomy from their clients and patients
• Why social media may not be the best place to have these nuanced conversations (and a little tangent about how my use of social media has drastically changed in the past 6 months and why)
• What we want people to know to truly make sure they are making autonomous and empowered choices in this space

Who is Jessi Holden, MS, RD?

Jessi Holden is a registered dietitian/nutritionist who is aligned with the Health at Every Size® Movement and considers the affects of weight loss surgery, and how the two concepts are interrelated. In her work, she integrates Intuitive Eating to promote health in her clients. Through Jessi’s blog, individuals are able to learn how to eat better to suit their body, how to exercise more in balanced ways, and how to focus on getting healthier.

“Everybody is deserving of finding health and what that really looks like for them.”

– Jessi Holden, MS, RDN

Want To Support Local Bookstores Near You?

Buy your books from Bookshop! Support local bookstores near you and this blog and podcast and help prevent Amazon from completely squashing the local book market.

Do you ever worry that you are wasting your life?

I definitely did. In fact, I wrote that in my journal many years ago when I was in the middle of the diet-binge roller coaster ride.

• I woke up every day thinking about food, my body, and what I would eat that day to “be healthy”
• The notebooks I had filled with calories and points could fill up a spare bedroom
• Social events and vacations immediately prompted the thought “they will notice I gained weight” or “I need to lose weight by then”
• Deep down I knew I wasn’t living life the way I wanted to, but I didn’t know how to pull myself out of it.

If this is you, I want you to imagine what it would feel like to feel empowered in your body and proud of your choices on a consistent basis. I promise you, it isn’t too late.

Dieting steals our motivation. It makes us ineffective. It keeps us spinning our wheels in a system that was never built to work.

If you are ready take the first step to motivating yourself with what matters to you, download my free Cultivate Powerful Motivation guide (which is quite beautifully designed if I do say so myself), and walk through the 3 simple steps to cultivate motivation that works for YOU in 15 minutes or less. You will get a simple formula to write ONE SENTENCE you can use to motivate yourself on a daily basis.

You can write it on your bathroom mirror, put on the background of your phone, or just read it and repeat it in your mind.

Look, I know how much it hurts to live a life worrying you are missing out, not stepping into the person you were truly meant to be, vibrant, passionate, curious, vulnerable, and brave.

You can listen to the podcast all day, but taking that first step, putting pen the paper (or typing on your phone) is required for true change. It’s time to start living my friend.

It’s 100% free, so what are you waiting for? Grab your free copy of the guide today at DrHondorp.com/Motivate 

Main Takeaways from this Episode!

1. HAES and the desire for weight loss (surgery or not) can go together. Healthcare professionals don’t need to shy away from this topic to be aligned with a weight-inclusive approach.
2. The Health at Every Size® movement doesn’t say you’re not allowed to lose weight. It’s about empowering and giving autonomy back to the patient to make informed decisions about their health.
3. Disregarding weight loss goals or shaming people for wanting to lose weight is not the answer.
4. When it comes to weight loss surgery, Jessi’s main goal is to present them with unbiased facts, ask questions to understand their “why,” and introduce HAES if they’re open to learning about it.
5. This is a reoccurring theme on this podcast, but social media isn’t the place to have nuanced conversations, as it can be a polarizing space.

Support Independent Bookstores Near You!

Did you know that that if nothing slows their momentum, Amazon will have almost 80% of the book market by the end of 2025?

Look, I love the convenience of Amazon, but I’ve got a super cool way that you can support local bookstores and my blog and podcast simply by buying books like you already do! You can choose any bookstore on the list in the US and Canada (they plan to expand to other counties in the future) OR you can just let the donation get split between all stores. As of this recording, they have raised 15 million dollars for local bookstores. On my bookshop, you will see my absolute favorite books related to health and wellness, courage and vulnerability, and even my favorite fiction and kids books!

My recent favorite related to improving the quality of our lives was Digital Minimalism. Our family actually has decided to do an optional screen free August to re-evaluate the role of screen time in our lives.

So if you believe in supporting local businesses, please consider buying your books through Bookshop from now on!

The Psychology of Wellness Bookshop Link.

Disclaimer: This blog and podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not a substitute for individual professional advice or treatment, including medical or mental health advice. It does not constitute a provider patient relationship.

Disclosure: Using the Bookshop.org links in this post means that I would get an affiliate fee if you purchase from the online bookshop (this supports my business, and local bookstores too!).

Credit: This blog post was written by Dr. Shawn Hondorp and edited by Julia Ledbetter.