Eat the Rules with Summer Innanen
We know diets don’t work, but what if you need to lose weight for health/mobility? What about conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, or sleep apnea? Vinny Welsby and I talk about that today in our last Death to Diets episode and also share the two reasons why you may choose to go on a diet or intentionally lose weight.
Show notes: summerinnanen.com/227
In this episode, we talk about:
- Some of the reasons people feel they need to lose weight,
- The importance of creating your own personal definition of health,
- That we don’t have as much control over our health as diet and wellness culture would like us to believe,
- How to look at health in terms of what you can add, instead of what you should take away,
- The huge problem in the medical industry that makes some people need to lose weight in order to receive care,
- The lies told to us about infertility, joint issues, diabetes, and many other medical concerns,
Plus so much more!
Get the shownotes:  summerinnanen.com/227
Direct download: 227_episode.mp3
Category:Health -- posted at: 6:00am EDT

The Biggest Loser, Friends, and Bridget Jones have a LOT to answer to when it comes to body image! In the fifth episode of Death to Diets, Vinny Welsby and I are talking about the tv shows and movies that did a number on our self-esteem. Have things gotten better recently or is it the same old BS, and were there ANY good shows from the ’00s that helped with body image?
Show notes: summerinnanen.com/226
In this episode, we talk about:
- How representations in pop culture fed into the belief that you have to be thin to be worthy,

- That these shows often included other problematic things, including transphobia and racism,
- How these shows fed into the idea that fat people need to be saved,
- The shows that have had a good impact on body image,
- That even on shows with better body diversity, they’re always still model-types,
- That the standards have continued to morph and now these shows and movies make things like lip fillers and Botox feel like the norm,
Plus so much more!
Get the shownotes:  summerinnanen.com/226
Direct download: 226_episode.mp3
Category:Health -- posted at: 6:00am EDT

We are exploring whether food is toxic and challenging the notion of food addiction in this rebroadcast of the Death To Diets mini-series. We also look at the new Jonathan Van Ness show called Getting Curious where they answered the question “Why Do I Love Snacks So Much?” Instead of a delightful foray into the wonderful world of snacks, this episode took a dark turn into debunked science from 1996, fatphobia, and food shaming. Fun! Vinny Welsby and I break down the BS around it and other “toxic” food myths.
Show notes: summerinnanen.com/225
In this episode, we talk about:
- How food shaming and fatphobia is disguised as health in popular culture,

- That chemicals in food does not mean it’s toxic or bad for you,
- That sugar and food addiction doesn’t exist and how restriction makes people think they are addicted,
- That there are no morally superior foods, but our culture’s obsession with losing weight makes us think there are,
- How altering the BMI was used to support fatphobic statistics,
- That there’s still a lot of fear and misinformation around food and eating,
Plus so much more!
Get the shownotes:  summerinnanen.com/225
Direct download: 225_episode.mp3
Category:Health -- posted at: 6:00am EDT

I am back with Vinny with episode 3 of Death to Diets and we are talking about before and after pictures. We talk about what we think about weight loss before and after pictures and our own experiences with them. And what about “body positive” before and afters, showing people who used to be thin and in diet hell and now heavier but at peace, are they good, bad, or something else? Join us for another incredible episode of Death to Diets!
Show notes: summerinnanen.com/224
In this episode, we talk about:
- Our past experiences and perspectives on before and after pictures and how our thinking has evolved,

- That an “after” picture is just a moment in someone’s life,
- The shame that comes with not being able to maintain the image of an “after” picture,
- Our thoughts on reverse before and after pictures,
- That you can show yourself having joy in your body without posting a comparison picture,
- The ways in which straight-sized bodies are often centered in the conversation about body positivity,
Plus so much more!
Get the shownotes:  summerinnanen.com/224
Direct download: 224_episode.mp3
Category:Health -- posted at: 6:00am EDT

I am back with Vinny with episode 2 of Death to Diets and we are talking all about extreme diets. Vinny and I have picked our most "favourite" new diets on the market and we talk about why they are fucked up and won't work and are just ridiculous to the max. One diet even says you MUST read a non-fiction book every day, no other genre...say what?! Join us as we ridicule how anyone can pull something out of their ass and call it a diet.
Show notes: summerinnanen.com/223
In this episode, we talk about:
- How many diets mimic eating disorders,

- That diabetes monitoring tools have been co-opted by diet culture, without evidence that it helps with weight loss,
- That there is not a single scientific study that proves dieting works,
- That the diet business doesn’t tackle the actual things that impact health,
- How diet companies manipulate their data to show success,
- Some of the ridiculous diets we’ve tried in the past,
Plus so much more!
Get the shownotes:  summerinnanen.com/223
Direct download: 223_episode.mp3
Category:Health -- posted at: 6:00am EDT

We’ve got something a little different for you this week…Death To Diets is a candid, honest chat led by professional body image coach Summer Innanen and world-leading expert on dismantling fatphobia and diet culture, Vinny Welsby. Together, they invite listeners to join them in conversation as they share their topical takes and empowering insights on body image. This week, they're sharing tips on setting boundaries and how to respond to diet talk during the holiday season.
Show notes: summerinnanen.com/222
In this episode, we talk about:
- An overview of our stance on diets and fatphobia,
- That we sometimes have to let go of the idea that we can change people’s minds,
- The importance of having empathy for your past self and people still caught up in diet culture,
- Vinny’s formula for dealing with fatphobia,
- The Fierce Fatty JABB technique for setting boundaries,
- How boundaries can be a gift to the other person,
Plus so much more!
Get the shownotes:  summerinnanen.com/222
Direct download: 222_episode.mp3
Category:Health -- posted at: 6:00am EDT

I’m joined by Amapoundcake, and we are announcing our Body Image Coach Certification Program. We talk about what body image coaching is, how we help people and practitioners, the issues with the current state of coaching, and what the BICC program entails.
Show notes: summerinnanen.com/221
In this episode, we talk about:
- Our vision for body image coaching,

- Who this certification program is for,
- That body image coaching is not therapy,
- That this is a cultural issue and it’s not the individual’s fault for having body image issues,
- Some of the topics covered in our program, including the history of Fatphobia, bias in coaching, and working with the client’s inner-critic,
- How self-care has been commodified and how to find what it really means for you,
Plus so much more!
Get the shownotes:  summerinnanen.com/221
Direct download: 221_episode.mp3
Category:Health -- posted at: 6:00am EDT

I’m joined by registered dieticians Glenys Oyston and Rebecca Scritchfield, talking all about diabetes and how to manage everything from pre-diabetes to diabetes from a health at every size perspective. We’re unpacking all the myths about diabetes, whether you need to be concerned if you are genetically predisposed, whether you need to cut carbs, and changes you can make to manage blood sugars without triggering the diet mentality.
Show notes: summerinnanen.com/219
In this episode, we talk about:
- What inspired them to create the Self Care for Diabetes Program,

- That diabetes has an unknown etiology,
- Advice for someone whose doctor has recommended weight loss because of a diabetes diagnosis,
- How dieting doesn’t make diabetes go away,
- How they encourage self-discovery and experimentation, instead of the typical limitations or restrictions,
- The importance of decreasing the shame of diagnosis,
Plus so much more!
Get the shownotes:  summerinnanen.com/219
Direct download: 219_episode.mp3
Category:Health -- posted at: 6:00am EDT

I’m interviewing Alexis Conason, clinical psychologist, eating disorder specialist, and author of The Diet-Free Revolution, unpacking everything that the research says about weight loss. Is it possible to lose weight in the long-term? What do you need to do to achieve that? Plus, how learning to eat more mindfully (in a non-diet way) can help you to become a more intuitive eater.
Show notes: summerinnanen.com/218
In this episode, we talk about:
- That long term weight loss and maintenance is extremely rare, and the industry knows it,
- How researchers have used examples of people with eating disorders as lessons for weight loss,
- That in the rare instances when people sustain weight loss long term, it’s often not in a healthy way,
- A study on contestants from The Biggest Loser, and why we never see a follow-up episode of this show,
- That health is not determined by weight and that most of what impacts health is out of our control,
- How mindfulness can shift the way we see ourselves and how we interact with the world,
Plus so much more!
Get the shownotes:  summerinnanen.com/218
Direct download: 218_episode.mp3
Category:Health -- posted at: 6:00am EDT

I’m revisiting a classic episode which is an epic guide to how diets work and fail us, what dieting does to our body, how to recognize the diet mentality and heal from it, and so much more.
Show notes: summerinnanen.com/217
In this episode, we talk about:
- What the diet cycle looks like and why it leads to binging, emotional eating, and "cheating,"
- How it contributes to worsening self-worth and body image,
- The side effects and negative ramifications of dieting,
- Myths about health and weight,
- How to end the restrict-binge cycle,
- The most important pieces of the puzzle that need to be addressed when learning to eat normally,
Plus so much more!
Get the shownotes:  summerinnanen.com/217
Direct download: 217_episode.mp3
Category:Health -- posted at: 6:00am EDT