Food Freedom Files Ep. 3 | Why the Cycle Keeps Going (Even When You Really Want to Stop)

Food Freedom Files Ep. 3 | Why the Cycle Keeps Going (Even When You Really Want to Stop)

You've tried everything. You keep trying. And the cycle is still running. In this episode, Dr. Meredith MacKenzie goes into the biology and psychology of why — and why "trying harder" was never going to be the answer. Drawing on the foundational work of Tribole and Resch, this episode explains what restriction actually does to the body at a hormonal and neurological level, names the three phases of the restrict-binge cycle in specific, recognisable terms, and addresses the woman who says "I don't diet" — because mental restriction is enough to keep the cycle going. Key takeaways: * The three phases of the restrict-binge cycle: restriction, binge, aftermath — named and normalised * The biology of restriction: what your body is doing and why it's not a character flaw * The breathing analogy: why the binge is a predictable outcome, not a personal failure * Mental restriction: the quiet, internal version of dieting that keeps the cycle running without a formal plan * Why both biology and emotion drive the cycle — and why both need to be addressed This week's reflection prompt: Where in the cycle do you tend to find yourself most often? What does your version of restriction look like — formal or informal? Use code SUMMER10 at meredithmackenzie.ca/summer for $10 off Food Freedom in a Weekend. Ready to go deeper? Food Freedom in a Weekend is Dr. Meredith MacKenzie's self-paced mini-course — two hours of video, a workbook, and a personalised food freedom plan built around your patterns. Use code SUMMER10 at www.meredithmackenzie.ca/summer [http://www.meredithmackenzie.ca/summer]for $10 off. Available for the full six weeks of this series. One Body to Love 10-Week Intuitive Eating Program [https://meredithmackenzie.ca/intuitive-eating-program] 💻 Book a Connection Call [https://calendly.com/hello-meredithmackenzie/connection-call] Website [https://meredithmackenzie.ca/#hero] - www.meredithmackenzie.ca [http://www.meredithmackenzie.ca] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/dr.meredithmackenzie/] - @Dr.MeredithMackenzie [https://www.instagram.com/dr.meredithmackenzie/] Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/meredithmackenziecoaching/] - Meredith MacKenzie Coaching [https://www.facebook.com/meredithmackenziecoaching/] Pinterest [https://ca.pinterest.com/parallelwellness/] - pinterest.com/drmeredithmackenzie [http://pinterest.com/drmeredithmackenzie] Youtube - @Dr.MeredithMackenzie [https://www.youtube.com/@dr.meredithmackenzie]

Food Freedom Files Ep. 2 | The Voices in Your Head Aren't Yours

You understand the cycle. You've done the reading. You might even agree, in theory, with intuitive eating. And you're still stuck. In this episode, Dr. Meredith MacKenzie names the three internal voices that keep the restrict-binge cycle running — even in women who know better. The Food Police, the Nutrition Informant, and the Diet Rebel aren't random thoughts. They're patterns, installed over years of living inside diet culture. And naming them as distinct from your own voice is one of the most disarming things you can do. Key takeaways: * Why the "knowing-doing gap" isn't a willpower problem — something is operating underneath * The Food Police: what it is, where it came from, and why it gets louder with every diet * The Nutrition Informant: the sneakier voice that sounds like wellness but functions like restriction * The Diet Rebel: why she exists, why she's not the problem, and what she's responding to * The Intuitive Eater: the voice that was there before all of it — and how to start hearing her again Ready to go deeper? Food Freedom in a Weekend is Dr. Meredith MacKenzie's self-paced mini-course — two hours of video, a workbook, and a personalised food freedom plan built around your patterns. Use code SUMMER10 at www.meredithmackenzie.ca/summer [http://www.meredithmackenzie.ca/summer]for $10 off. Available for the full six weeks of this series. One Body to Love 10-Week Intuitive Eating Program [https://meredithmackenzie.ca/intuitive-eating-program] 💻 Book a Connection Call [https://calendly.com/hello-meredithmackenzie/connection-call] Website [https://meredithmackenzie.ca/#hero] - www.meredithmackenzie.ca [http://www.meredithmackenzie.ca] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/dr.meredithmackenzie/] - @Dr.MeredithMackenzie [https://www.instagram.com/dr.meredithmackenzie/] Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/meredithmackenziecoaching/] - Meredith MacKenzie Coaching [https://www.facebook.com/meredithmackenziecoaching/] Pinterest [https://ca.pinterest.com/parallelwellness/] - pinterest.com/drmeredithmackenzie [http://pinterest.com/drmeredithmackenzie] Youtube - @Dr.MeredithMackenzie [https://www.youtube.com/@dr.meredithmackenzie]

Food Freedom Files Ep. 1 | The Relationship You Never Meant to Have with Food

You've started over more times than you can count. Not because you lack discipline — but because every fresh start has been aimed at the surface of the problem, not the root of it. In this episode, Dr. Meredith MacKenzie opens The Food Freedom Files — a six-episode summer series on what's really going on underneath your relationship with food. Episode 1 introduces the iceberg: the history, the emotional patterns, and the deeply personal chapters that shaped the way you eat today. Because understanding where you came from is the only place any of this actually begins. Key takeaways: * Why the restrict-binge cycle isn't a willpower problem — and what it actually is * The iceberg concept: what's above the surface vs. what's really driving the pattern * The "I don't have an eating disorder, but..." moment and why it matters * The food journey map: how tracing your food history creates the compassion the cycle has been blocking * Why "of course you're here" is the reframe that changes everything This week's reflection prompt: What is the most challenging part of your relationship with food right now? And if things could magically be different — what would be different? Ready to go deeper? Food Freedom in a Weekend is Dr. Meredith MacKenzie's self-paced mini-course — two hours of video, a workbook, and a personalised food freedom plan built around your patterns. Use code SUMMER10 at www.meredithmackenzie.ca/summer [http://www.meredithmackenzie.ca/summer]for $10 off. Available for the full six weeks of this series. One Body to Love 10-Week Intuitive Eating Program [https://meredithmackenzie.ca/intuitive-eating-program] 💻 Book a Connection Call [https://calendly.com/hello-meredithmackenzie/connection-call] Website [https://meredithmackenzie.ca/#hero] - www.meredithmackenzie.ca [http://www.meredithmackenzie.ca] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/dr.meredithmackenzie/] - @Dr.MeredithMackenzie [https://www.instagram.com/dr.meredithmackenzie/] Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/meredithmackenziecoaching/] - Meredith MacKenzie Coaching [https://www.facebook.com/meredithmackenziecoaching/] Pinterest [https://ca.pinterest.com/parallelwellness/] - pinterest.com/drmeredithmackenzie [http://pinterest.com/drmeredithmackenzie] Youtube - @Dr.MeredithMackenzie [https://www.youtube.com/@dr.meredithmackenzie]

From the Scorecard to the Mat: Sky Corbett-Methot on Healing Through Movement

In this episode, Dr. Meredith MacKenzie sits down with Sky Corbett-Methot, a yoga teacher, holistic nutritionist, and community creator whose prenatal, baby and me, and mama-centric classes have shaped Dr. MacKenzie's own relationship with movement. Sky shares her history as a high-performance gymnast and competitive diver, the abuse and injury that ended her athletic career, and how motherhood became the catalyst for building movement spaces rooted in community rather than competition. This is a conversation about what happens when movement stops being something done to the body and becomes something done with it. Key takeaways * Sky's years as a high-performance gymnast involved 35+ hours of training a week, coaching abuse, and a culture where pain and bodily signals were routinely overridden — patterns she has spent years unlearning * A devastating injury, paired with the loss of her closest teammates, marked the breaking point that ended her gymnastics career at fifteen * The phrase "do what feels good" is an intentional invitation, not a vague platitude — it's permission to check in with the body rather than push through it * Sky describes her classes as "circular communities," spaces where women move through prenatal, baby and me, and mama-centric seasons together, supported the whole way Movement can be both healing and energizing, but the same movement pushed past its limit can become depleting — the difference lies in whether it's goal-oriented or attuned to the body Guest bio Sky Corbett-Methot is a yoga teacher, holistic nutritionist, and community creator based in the Vancouver area. She holds a 500-hour Tantric Hatha Yoga and Meditation certification and additional training in prenatal, baby and me, mobility, and children's yoga. Her academic background spans anthropology and psychology. Sky will be joining the One Body to Love Day Retreat as a panellist this year. www.skyyogawellness.ca / www.instagram.com/skyyogawellness Ready to go deeper? Food Freedom in a Weekend is Dr. Meredith MacKenzie's self-paced mini-course — two hours of video, a workbook, and a personalised food freedom plan built around your patterns. Use code SUMMER10 at www.meredithmackenzie.ca/summer [http://www.meredithmackenzie.ca/summer]for $10 off. Available for the full six weeks of this series. One Body to Love 10-Week Intuitive Eating Program [https://meredithmackenzie.ca/intuitive-eating-program] 💻 Book a Connection Call [https://calendly.com/hello-meredithmackenzie/connection-call] Website [https://meredithmackenzie.ca/#hero] - www.meredithmackenzie.ca [http://www.meredithmackenzie.ca] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/dr.meredithmackenzie/] - @Dr.MeredithMackenzie [https://www.instagram.com/dr.meredithmackenzie/] Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/meredithmackenziecoaching/] - Meredith MacKenzie Coaching [https://www.facebook.com/meredithmackenziecoaching/] Pinterest [https://ca.pinterest.com/parallelwellness/] - pinterest.com/drmeredithmackenzie [http://pinterest.com/drmeredithmackenzie] Youtube - @Dr.MeredithMackenzie [https://www.youtube.com/@dr.meredithmackenzie]

What I've Learned From Watching Women Heal Together

In this episode, Dr. Meredith MacKenzie reflects on what 14 years of working with women in group settings and her first One Body to Love Day Retreat has taught her about how healing actually happens. This episode is for any woman who has tried to work through her relationship with food in private, and wondered why it felt so hard to get it to stick. * 00:00 — Why Meredith no longer sees herself as the magic ingredient to her clients' change * 02:16 — How early career group work shaped her understanding of relational healing * 03:30 — Recapping the first One Body to Love Day Retreat and what surprised her most * 06:59 — The clinical case for healing in community: attachment, trauma, and the nervous system * 09:17 — What attendees said, and what Meredith wants every woman to carry out of the room * 11:37 — About the upcoming June 21 retreat and who it's for Ready to go deeper? Food Freedom in a Weekend is Dr. Meredith MacKenzie's self-paced mini-course — two hours of video, a workbook, and a personalised food freedom plan built around your patterns. Use code SUMMER10 at www.meredithmackenzie.ca/summer [http://www.meredithmackenzie.ca/summer]for $10 off. Available for the full six weeks of this series. One Body to Love 10-Week Intuitive Eating Program [https://meredithmackenzie.ca/intuitive-eating-program] 💻 Book a Connection Call [https://calendly.com/hello-meredithmackenzie/connection-call] Website [https://meredithmackenzie.ca/#hero] - www.meredithmackenzie.ca [http://www.meredithmackenzie.ca] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/dr.meredithmackenzie/] - @Dr.MeredithMackenzie [https://www.instagram.com/dr.meredithmackenzie/] Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/meredithmackenziecoaching/] - Meredith MacKenzie Coaching [https://www.facebook.com/meredithmackenziecoaching/] Pinterest [https://ca.pinterest.com/parallelwellness/] - pinterest.com/drmeredithmackenzie [http://pinterest.com/drmeredithmackenzie] Youtube - @Dr.MeredithMackenzie [https://www.youtube.com/@dr.meredithmackenzie]