21 - Why Diets Don't Work

In this powerful episode of the Nourished Living Podcast, Courtney Podany unpacks why traditional diets fail—and why it's not your fault. If you've been stuck in the cycle of calorie counting, food guilt, and all-or-nothing thinking, you're not alone.

Courtney shares practical, compassionate strategies to nourish your body without obsession, stabilize blood sugar, reduce cravings, and build lasting energy. This episode is for every woman who wants to ditch the diet drama and finally feel good in her body.

What You'll Learn:

• Diets are built to fail; you are not failing—you're being failed by the system.
• Your body needs fuel, not restriction. Eating too little can damage your metabolism and hormones.
• Prioritize more: more nutrients, color, satisfaction, and real food.
• Tuning into your body's natural cues is more powerful than any meal plan.
• Mindset matters: guilt doesn’t serve you, and one meal never “ruins” anything.

If this episode resonated with you, share it with a friend who’s ready to ditch the diet cycle. Be sure to subscribe to the Nourished Living Podcast, leave a review, and follow Courtney on Instagram for more practical tools and encouragement.

Connect with Courtney:

- Instagram

- Ready to take this a step further and really ditch the Diets for good? Check out Courtney's ebook, A Beginner's Guide to Holistic Living

Transcript

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Welcome to the Nourished Living Podcast, where I'll be diving deep into nutrition, holistic wellness, and practical tips to help you live your healthiest, most vibrant life. I am Courtney Podany, a nutritional therapist, certified personal trainer, type one diabetic and mom. And I'm here to help you take charge of your health with ease and confidence. Together we'll explore how to nourish your body, mind, and soul in a way that feels good and sustainable. So grab your favorite beverage. Take a deep breath, and let's get into the episode. I. Welcome back to the Nourished Living Podcast. I'm your host Courtney Podany, and thank you for being here with me today. In this episode, we are going to chat about why diets don't work and how you can find a more sustainable path to good health. Maybe you've tried every diet under the sun only to feel more frustrated, more confused, and more out of sync with your body than when you started. Maybe you're juggling work, kids, family, and trying to take care of yourself. But your needs always seem to come last. Don't worry. I totally understand. You're not alone in this. If you've spent years tracking calories, bouncing from plan to plan and still don't know what to eat, when to eat, or how to eat in a way that actually feels good, this episode is for you. If you've ever gone all in on a diet, hyper-focused for a few weeks or months only to crash and burn and feel like you failed, this episode is for you. And if you're tired of obsessing over every bite and just wanna feel good in your body without the stress, guilt, or restriction, you are absolutely in the right place. So here's what we're covering in today's episode, why diets don't work, and why it's not your fault. How to actually nourish your body based on your unique needs. Simple strategies to balance blood sugar, reduce cravings, and feel more energized and mindset shifts to help you trust your body and ditch the guilt around food. So let's start with the truth. Diets do not work. When we diet, we restrict and when we restrict, we create stress on the body that can actually lead to the opposite of what we want. Weight gain, low energy, hormone imbalances, and increased cravings. We've been taught that if we just had more willpower or more discipline, it would work. But the truth is it's not you. Diets are designed to fail. Most people gain the weight back and then some because they were never taught how to actually nourish their body. So is the point to just follow the diet for the rest of your life. That would be extremely challenging. And if you are not giving yourself the proper nutrients that will wreak havoc on every system in your body. Frighteningly, most diets suggest 800 to 1300 calories a day. That is barely enough for a child, let alone an active adult woman. Our bodies need fuel. At minimum, women need 1600 calories just to function, and that is a recommendation for a very petite woman who is sedentary and not expending any energy. 1600 is just enough to have her lying down all day, sitting all day, and that will keep you functioning. The goals are closer to 2020 400 or above if you are active or under stress. Okay. Recommendations for a 5-year-old girl are 1200 to 1800 calories per day. So why are we telling adult women who are much larger than five year olds that they should only eat 800 calories a day? It makes no sense. Of course, you're going to see dramatic weight loss because you're not consuming anything. You are not nourishing yourself. You will become malnourished if you are only eating 800 calories a day, and that will lead to worse problems down the road. So instead of focusing on less, let's think about more. If there's one thing you take away from this episode, I want it to be the word more, more nourishment, more satisfaction, more color, more flavor, more nutrients, more nutrition. Focus on foods that you find around the perimeter of the grocery store. Your veggies, your fruits, your meat, your fish, eggs, yogurt, nuts, seeds, or head up. Your local farmer's market. The produce is vibrant, tasty, and packed with nutrients. Think less packaging and more whole foods, less nutrition labels with ingredients you can't pronounce, and more foods that nourish your cells. Support your energy and satisfy your cravings in a real lasting way. And here's the tip I love, eat the rainbow. Each color of fruits and vegetables provide different nutrients. Aim for at least three colors a day. It could be one color at each meal or altogether in a beautiful salad, but variety is key. And what is so amazing and powerful about nutrient-dense foods is that these fill you up quicker. So in the long run, you will probably be eating less food anyway, but you are getting more bang for your buck, you are getting more nutrients, and it's actually going to keep you full for a longer period of time. If you are eating a well-balanced nutrient-dense meal, you should feel full for about four to five hours afterwards, which is great, right? Because that just kind of sets us up to consume three meals throughout the day. Of course if you get hungry, please eat. I am not telling you to only eat three meals a day, but if you do fuel well, you will be able to get a couple of hours under your belt before you need food again. And since you fill up quicker and you're actually getting things that our body needs and requires, you don't need to limit or restrict. And real talk. You are not lazy. You are probably undernourished. Imagine this, you are sitting on the couch watching a show and you crush a whole bag of chips. Don't worry, I've totally been there. I am a salty snack person too, but what your body was really saying was, I'm hungry. And I need nutrition. Unfortunately, chips, were not giving you the nutrients your body was looking for, so in turn, it kept providing you with hunger cues, so you were right to eat, but the chips weren't the nutrition your body needed. So it continued with the hunger cues, even after the whole bag was eaten. Now imagine that same scenario, but instead you reach for a snack like cashews, cheese, and olives. You are full quicker. You are more satisfied, and you don't have to worry about food 20 minutes later because you're still hungry. That is the power of nutrient dense food. Also, if you balance your blood sugar, you will feel better all day. Blood sugar is directly tied to your energy, mood, and cravings. Ever feel that 2:00 PM crash where you're foggy, tired, irritable, or even shaky? That's a blood sugar low. The fix for this is to balance your meals and snacks with protein, fat, and carbs every single time you eat. It could look like salmon, rice, and broccoli, or eggs, avocado, and a slice of sourdough for snacks. Think Turkey with hummus and veggies, or apple slices with nut butter of your choice. Avoid eating carbs on their own like a muffin by itself. Pair them with protein and fat to slow digestion. Avoid the spike and keep energy steady. Many diets out there ask you to eliminate an entire macronutrient, but the reality is that we only have three protein, fats and carbs, and each one plays a crucial role in your overall health and wellbeing. When you're too low in protein, it can show up as dry skin and hair swelling in your extremities or skin issues like rashes, too little fat, and you may experience hormone imbalances, irregular menstrual cycles, brain fog, and fat soluble vitamin deficiencies. So the fat soluble vitamins are vitamin A, D, E, and K. Cutting carbs too drastically can lead to low energy, muscle cramping, constipation, and weakness. So no, these macronutrients are not optional. They are essential. Maybe if we had like 10 to work with, we could afford to ditch one or two, but with only three removing. Even one can absolutely throw your body out of balance. When you include protein, fats, and carbs, and every meal and snack, you're not only giving your body the nutrients it needs to thrive, you're also supporting balanced blood, blood sugar, steady energy, fewer cravings and better mood throughout the day. That is the real foundation of sustainable health. Another issue with diets is that they pretend one way of eating works for everyone, but we are bio individual. What works for your friend might not work for you, but that's okay. We all have different metabolisms, lifestyles, hormone needs, and histories with food. Instead of following someone else's rules, we need to figure out what works with your unique physiology, body, and goals to have you feeling your best. That's why learning how to listen to your body is such a blessing and one of the most powerful tools you can develop on your health journey. One of the most powerful tools you can develop on your health journey is the ability to tune in to your body's natural hunger cues instead of following external rules or schedules. Start by asking yourself. Is my stomach growling? Do I feel foggy or am I having trouble focusing? Am I feeling irritable, anxious, or moody? Do I have a headache or feel snappy and impatient? These are all signs. Your body probably needs nourishment. On the flip side, sometimes we feel the urge to eat, not because we're hungry, but because of external triggers. These could include seeing a commercial for food on tv, walking past a box of donuts at work, or simply feeling bored, sad, overwhelmed, or stressed. When you notice yourself reaching for food on autopilot, pause and check in. Is my body asking for nutrients or am I responding to an emotional or environmental cue? The more you practice tuning in, the better you'll become at recognizing your body's true needs over time. This awareness helps you eat when you are genuinely hungry, and stop when you're satisfied. Bringing more clarity, balance, and intention to your relationship with food and mindset matters more than we think. We are with our thoughts all day long, no matter how much we like it. So they need to support us, not sabotage us. It is exhausting to constantly count calories, track macros, or analyze every bit of food we eat. What starts as a healthy habit can easily become an obsessive pattern that pulls you further away from your goals and actually feeling good in your body instead of creating freedom, it keeps your mind stuck on food all day, what you ate, what you didn't eat, what you should eat next. That kind of mental load is so draining and unsustainable. What would you be able to accomplish if food wasn't taking up so much of your mental space? Could you finally start that project you've been putting off? Pick up a new hobby. Read more books. Be more present with your kids or partner. Pour that energy into habits that actually support your body and your health. When we begin to shift that focus and free up that mental energy, the possibilities become limitless. This is exactly why learning to trust your body and nourish it without obsession is so powerful. It gives you your time, your energy and your life back. Here are a few mindset shifts. I want you to try. Cravings are not bad. If you are craving something, eat it. Truly eat the burger or the brownie, enjoy it, and then move on without guilt. Guilt does not support us in any capacity. Next, let go of the all or nothing. Didn't have time for an hour workout. A 10 minute stretch counts only have 10 minutes to eat. We'll sit down and eat slowly anyway, every small step matters. And finally, one meal doesn't ruin anything. Had a big lunch. That's okay. It doesn't mean you blew it. Or you have to eat junk for dinner and start again Monday. Just pick back up where you left off and keep moving forward. So I hope this has empowered you to stop restricting and stop obsessing. Life is too short to live like this. We are humans and our bodies need food. They don't need us to limit it. Start nourishing listening and trusting your health is not defined by how perfectly you follow a plan. It's defined by the daily decisions you make to care for your body with love and tension and grace. Let's ditch the diet culture noise and nourish to thrive, not just survive. All righty. Thank you so much for tuning in with me today. If this episode resonated with you, don't forget to hit that subscribe button and leave a review. I'd love to hear what you are taking away from these episodes or how I could help you more. Until next time. Take care of yourself. You are worth it. Thanks for hanging out with me today and tuning into the Nourished Living Podcast. I hope you enjoyed today's episode and found something you can start implementing right away to kickstart your nourished transformation. If you loved this episode, don't forget to subscribe, leave a review, or share it with someone who could benefit from these insights. You can also connect with me over on Instagram at Nourished Living for more resources and support. Until next time, stay nourished.