Love Yourself Thin Podcast

Latest Episodes:

251. A Historical Look at Why Weight Loss Feels So Hard May 07, 2026

Show notes

What if your struggle with weight isn't about discipline—but about centuries of conditioning?

In this thought-provoking episode, Dara Tomasson begins a powerful 4-part series exploring the historical roots of diet culture and why so many women feel stuck in cycles of food obsession, guilt, and frustration. By tracing patterns from early human survival to religious influence and societal expectations, Dara reveals how control and shame became deeply intertwined with food.

If you're a woman over 50 who has achieved success in many areas of life—but still feels stuck when it comes to your weight—this episode will help you finally start connecting the dots.

What You'll Learn in This Episode

Why your brain is wired for survival, not restriction
How early humans viewed body fat as protection—not a problem
The original meaning of "diet" and how it's been distorted over time
How religion introduced morality and shame into eating habits
The role of control and power in shaping body expectations
Why emotional eating, perfectionism, and people-pleasing are not random
How understanding your patterns is the key to lasting weight loss

Key Insight Your relationship with food didn't start with you. The guilt, the rules, the "starting over on Monday"—they're part of a much larger story. When you understand that, you can begin to change it in a sustainable, compassionate way.

Questions to Reflect On

What is my unique story with food?
What beliefs have I been carrying about my body and eating?
Where might control be showing up in my habits?
What if nothing has gone wrong—and this is something I can understand and change?

Free Coaching Invitation If you're ready to uncover what's really driving your eating patterns and finally feel in control around food, Dara is offering a limited number of free 30-minute coaching sessions.

These calls are designed to help you gain clarity, identify what's been keeping you stuck, and explore your next steps toward lasting change.

Book you call here

About Dara's Love Yourself Thin Program Dara's group coaching program is designed specifically for women 50+ who are ready to create permanent weight loss from the inside out.

Inside, you'll experience:

Weekly live coaching calls for ongoing support and guidance
A clear path to weight loss freedom in 90 days
A supportive community of women committed to lasting change
Tools to overcome emotional eating, perfectionism, and self-sabotage

This is not another diet—it's a new way of thinking, living, and relating to yourself.

Learn more HERE

What's Coming Next In the next episode, Dara continues the historical deep dive—exploring the first diet trends, extreme weight loss methods, and how diet culture evolved into what we experience today.

Connect & Continue the Journey If this episode resonated with you:

Subscribe to the podcast so you don't miss the rest of this powerful series
Follow Dara on Instagram: @dara_tomasson

Share this episode with a friend who's ready to stop dieting and start understanding.

250. What You Need to Quit to Finally Feel Free Apr 30, 2026

Show notes

Episode 250 is more than a milestone—it's a reflection of what becomes possible when you stop fighting yourself and start coming home to who you already are.

In this deeply personal episode, Dara shares a powerful shift: success doesn't come from doing more—it comes from quitting what's draining you.

Through a moving poem and real client story, you'll discover why willpower, self-criticism, and "proving yourself" have never worked… and what actually creates lasting change instead.

This episode will help you:

Understand why self-criticism keeps you stuck (and what to replace it with)
Learn what it really means to "quit" in a way that creates growth
See how your thoughts directly impact your energy, habits, and results
Shift from chasing worth to living from it
Create goals from desire—not pressure, punishment, or proof

Dara also walks you through a simple but powerful 3-step process:

Your Quit List – releasing beliefs that drain your energy
Your Desire List – reconnecting with what you actually want
Your Plan Without Proving – taking action from wholeness, not lack

If you've ever felt stuck in cycles of starting over, this episode will show you a completely different way forward.

✨ You are not behind. ✨ You are not broken. ✨ You don't need to prove anything to be worthy of what you want.

If you're ready to go deeper, Dara invites you to explore this work inside her membership, where real transformation happens through changing your relationship with yourself. Book a call to learn more!

249. Be Kind and Rewind – How Your Past is Driving Your Eating Habits Apr 23, 2026

Show notes

Have you ever wondered why you keep doing the same things with food—even when you know what to do?

In this episode, Dara Tomasson takes you inside the real work that leads to lasting change. You'll hear what actually happens inside her program and why weight loss isn't about willpower, discipline, or another plan—it's about understanding the patterns you've been practicing for decades.

Dara shares real client examples to show how childhood experiences, family dynamics, and old beliefs are still influencing your eating habits today. From late-night overeating to guilt around food, these patterns aren't random—they're learned.

In this episode, you'll discover:

Why your struggle with food isn't a lack of discipline
How childhood experiences shape your current habits
What "be kind and rewind" really means—and how it helps you change
The "domino buffering" pattern that keeps you stuck in cycles
Why awareness is the first step—but not the full solution

This episode will help you see yourself with more compassion and clarity—and understand why nothing has worked long-term.

But awareness alone isn't what creates transformation.

Inside Dara's Lifetime Membership, this is the work you actually do. You don't just learn concepts—you get coached through your specific patterns, in real time, so you can finally break the cycle with food.

If you're ready to stop fighting yourself and start creating lasting results, this is where that change happens.

Book a call with Dara to find out how she can help you!

Don't forget to subscribe, leave a review and share this episode!

248. Quilting Basics for Permanent Weight Loss Apr 16, 2026

Show notes

Do you remember your first quilt—and how far you've come since then? In this episode, Dara Tomasson uses the familiar fundamentals of quilting to show why lasting weight loss has nothing to do with more dieting—and everything to do with mastering the basics.

If you've ever felt overwhelmed by conflicting weight loss advice or frustrated that what "should" work doesn't stick, this conversation will help you simplify everything. Dara breaks down how your brain, body, and habits are designed to work together—and why restrictive dieting actually makes things harder over time.

You'll learn how foundational concepts like consistency, maintenance, and proper tools (just like in quilting) apply directly to your health. From understanding your body's natural feedback systems to recognizing how processed foods and stress disrupt them, this episode will help you see weight loss in a completely new way.

Most importantly, Dara reminds you that this isn't about fixing yourself—it's about supporting yourself so you can feel strong, capable, and at home in your body.

In This Episode, You'll Learn:

Why weight loss isn't a knowledge problem—but a thinking problem
How quilting basics mirror the fundamentals of sustainable health
What's really happening in your body with metabolism, hunger, and energy
Why restrictive dieting leads to long-term setbacks
How stress, sleep, and people pleasing impact your results
A simpler, more sustainable approach to feeling your best

Resources & Links:

Follow Dara on Instagram for more "common sense" weight loss insights - @dara_tomasson
Learn more about Dara's work and coaching
Check out Dr. Andrew Jenkinson's Books

Upcoming: Dara will be teaching on perfectionism, people pleasing, and procrastination inside the Quilter's Life Summit—helping you understand the deeper patterns that keep you stuck and how to move forward with more ease and confidence. The summit runs from April 21-23, 2026 so register today!

247. Sleep Support for Weight Loss, Health, and Productivity Apr 09, 2026

Show notes

If you've tried all the sleep tips and still struggle to get a good night's rest, this episode will help you understand what's really going on.

Dara shares why sleep isn't just about routines or habits—it's about your thinking patterns, unprocessed worries, and how your brain is trying to keep you safe.

Through a powerful client example, you'll learn how to calm a busy mind, reduce nighttime overthinking, and create the conditions your body needs for real rest.

In this episode, you'll learn:

Why sleep struggles are often a thinking problem, not a habit problem
How to separate what you can control vs. what you can't
A simple "worry list" tool to quiet your mind
How to stop fighting sleeplessness and reduce resistance
Why better sleep supports weight loss, health, and productivity

If your brain won't "turn off" at night, this episode will give you a new way to approach sleep—with more calm, clarity, and control.

Want to continue this conversation? Book a call with Dara to find out how she can help you dive deeper into what's really going on so you can create the life you want! Book a call HERE.

Catch Dara at the Quilter's Life Summit April 21-23, 2026 where she will dive deeper into perfectionism, people pleasing and procrastination. Plus you can hear from 20+ other quilting experts as they share quilting tips and tricks. Sign up for free HERE.

246. How to Say No Without Feeling Guilty Apr 02, 2026

Show notes

Do you struggle to say no… and then find yourself drained, overwhelmed, or stuck doing things you don't actually want to do?

In this episode, Dara walks you through why saying no feels so uncomfortable—and how your childhood wiring, people-pleasing patterns, and fear of judgment keep you stuck over-explaining and overcommitting.

Through a powerful client story, you'll see how even small moments (like staying too long in a conversation) can quietly drain your energy and keep you disconnected from yourself.

You'll learn:

Why your brain resists saying no
How people-pleasing is tied to old thought patterns
What guilt really is (and why it's optional)
How to stop over-explaining and start honoring your needs
Simple, practical ways to say no—without guilt

This episode will help you reclaim your time, protect your energy, and start showing up as the version of you that you actually want to be.

Key Takeaway: "No" is a complete sentence—and learning to use it is one of the most powerful ways to change your life.

Next Steps: Ready to stop people-pleasing, procrastinating, and overthinking? Join Dara's Masterclass at the end of April! Details are HERE.

Join Dara at the Quilter's Life Summit to hear more from her about perfectionism (and other quilting topics!) Registration opens April 7.

Book a call with Dara to continue the conversation!

https://dara-tomasson-coaching.mykajabi.com/contact

245. How Procrastination is Holding You Back from Losing Weight Mar 26, 2026

Show notes

Have you ever wondered why you keep putting things off—even when you know better?

Why you promise yourself you'll start tomorrow… and tomorrow keeps moving?

In this episode of Love Yourself Thin, Dara Tomasson explores the deeper reason behind procrastination and the repeating patterns that show up in our lives—especially around food, productivity, and weight loss.

If you've ever thought, "Why do I keep doing this?" or "Why can't I just follow through?" this conversation will help you understand what's really happening in your brain.

The truth is, procrastination isn't laziness. It's a pattern your brain learned a long time ago.

Many of the habits we struggle with today—emotional eating, perfectionism, people pleasing, procrastinating—were originally coping strategies we developed in childhood. They helped us deal with stress, pressure, or emotions when we didn't yet have the tools to process them.

The problem is that those same patterns can continue running our adult lives automatically.

Your brain isn't trying to improve your life—it's trying to keep things predictable.

That's why traditional weight loss strategies often fail. They focus on controlling behavior instead of understanding the underlying patterns driving it.

The good news? Your brain is capable of change at any age.

Modern neuroscience shows that the brain constantly forms new neural pathways through repetition and awareness. This means the same process that created your old patterns can also help you create new ones.

When you bring awareness to these patterns, the automatic cycle starts to break.

This is why willpower alone rarely works. You can't out-discipline a pattern you don't understand.

Instead of blaming yourself or trying harder, the real work is learning to look at the "wiring" behind your behaviors.

When you start noticing your patterns with curiosity instead of shame, real change becomes possible.

And that's where lasting weight loss begins—not with stricter rules, but with deeper awareness.

If you've ever felt stuck in cycles of procrastination, emotional eating, or perfectionism, this episode will help you understand why—and show you that it's never too late to change.

In This Episode, You'll Learn:

Why procrastination is often a learned coping strategy from childhood
How your brain prioritizes familiarity over improvement
The neuroscience behind habit patterns and emotional eating
Why willpower alone rarely solves behavior patterns
How awareness can help break automatic cycles
Why you are never too old to rewire your brain

Mentioned in This Episode

Dara also shares details about the upcoming Quilter's Life Summit, where she will be teaching mindset tools to help quilters finish projects, reduce procrastination, and honor their time. There also will be 20 other presenters teaching on quilting topics that are sure to pique your interest! Register for free starting April 7, 2026!

Subscribe & Review

If this episode resonated with you, be sure to subscribe to Love Yourself, Thin so you never miss an episode. And if you enjoyed the show, leaving a review helps more women discover these tools for lasting change.

Watch this episode (and more!) on YouTube - https://youtu.be/yITyRn1ExXM

If you're ready to make lasting change, book a call with Dara to find out if her program is right for you -

https://dara-tomasson-coaching.mykajabi.com/contact

244. How to Avoid All or Nothing Thinking as You Enter a New Season Mar 19, 2026

Show notes

As the seasons change, many of us feel a surge of energy, motivation, and excitement. But that same "spring fever" can also bring restlessness, impulsive decisions, and frustration—especially when it comes to our bodies, our habits, and our weight loss goals.

In this episode of Love Yourself Thin, Dara explores how the natural shift from winter to spring affects our mindset, our energy, and our relationship with food. Instead of falling into the familiar cycle of all-or-nothing thinking, Dara shares how you can use this seasonal transition to create real, sustainable change—without dieting, overthinking, or criticizing yourself.

You'll learn why simply trying harder doesn't solve emotional eating, how childhood patterns still influence your behavior today, and how to build self-trust so you can finally feel peaceful around food.

Spring is a season of new growth—and it can be an invitation for your own personal growth too.

In This Episode, You'll Learn:

What "spring fever" really is and how it affects motivation and eating habits
Why trying harder isn't the solution to emotional eating
The problem with all-or-nothing thinking when it comes to weight loss
How to recognize "buffering" behaviors like distraction, scrolling, or unnecessary tasks
Why your childhood experiences shape your habits as an adult
How learning to feel your emotions instead of avoiding them reduces overeating
A simple 3-step process to break unhelpful patterns and create lasting change

Featured Event: Quilter's Life Summit

Dara also shares details about the upcoming Quilter's Life Summit, a free 3-day event happening April 21–23.

You'll learn how to:

Finish more creative projects
Stop procrastinating
Let go of perfectionism
Enjoy the creative process without pressure

The summit includes incredible instructors and opportunities to connect with other creatives in a supportive environment. Registrations open April 7!

Connect With Dara

If this episode resonated with you, make sure to subscribe so you never miss a new episode of Love Yourself Thin, where Dara teaches women how to transform their relationship with food, weight, and themselves.

If you're ready to quit the yo-yo diets and find a weight loss protocol that works, book a call with Dara to find out if her program is right for you -

https://dara-tomasson-coaching.mykajabi.com/contact

Follow Dara on Instagram for more weight loss tips and tricks! @dara_tomasson

243. Distractions That Keep You From Losing Weight Mar 12, 2026

Show notes

What if the things you're most proud of… are actually keeping you stuck?

In this episode of Love Yourself Thin, Dara explores the concept of acceptable buffering—the socially praised habits we use to avoid uncomfortable emotions. While many people think buffering only looks like scrolling social media or overeating, it can also show up as being the perfect wife, devoted mother, high achiever, or tireless homemaker.

These behaviors may look admirable on the outside, but they can quietly drain your energy and distract you from the deeper emotional work that leads to permanent weight loss.

Dara shares a powerful coaching story from inside her program that reveals how childhood patterns of seeking approval can shape the way we show up as adults. When we spend our lives trying to prove our worth through productivity, success, or caretaking, we often ignore the emotions underneath—and turn to food or other distractions to cope.

Instead of another diet or stricter willpower, Dara invites you to look inward and ask a deeper question: What emotions am I avoiding, and how am I buffering them?

When you begin to notice these patterns with compassion and curiosity, real transformation becomes possible.

In This Episode, You'll Learn:

What buffering really means and why it's more than just emotional eating
How "acceptable" behaviors like overworking or people-pleasing can hide deeper struggles
Why traditional diets fail to address the emotional roots of weight challenges
How childhood approval patterns can influence your relationship with food and self-worth
A simple daily exercise to help you identify where your time, energy, and mental focus are going

Key Takeaway

Permanent weight loss doesn't come from stricter rules around food—it comes from understanding your thoughts, emotions, and patterns. When you stop buffering and start processing your feelings with compassion, you gain the clarity and freedom needed to change your habits for good.

A Simple Practice to Try

For one day, take a daily inventory of your thoughts and energy:

What are you spending your time thinking about?
Where is your mental energy going?
Are you trying to prove your worth, or are you caring for yourself?

This awareness can reveal the hidden habits that are quietly influencing your health and your relationship with food.

If this episode resonated with you, consider exploring deeper support and tools through Dara's coaching programs, where you'll learn how to build healthier emotional patterns and create lasting change.

Learn more about Dara's program HERE.

Book a call with Dara to learn more about if she is a right fit for you HERE.

Get Dara's free self-assessment to help you figure out what thoughts are holding you back from losing weight HERE

242. How Guilt and Regret Hold You Back from Weight Loss Mar 05, 2026

Show notes

If you regret certain choices you've made around food and you're not sure what to do about it, this episode is for you.

In this powerful conversation, Dara Tomasson explores the connection between regret and weight loss, and how unprocessed emotions can quietly shape your patterns with food for years. So many women believe weight struggles are a private failure — something shameful that should be handled alone. But when we begin talking openly about our experiences, something shifts. We relax. We feel hopeful. And real change becomes possible.

The Hidden Role of Perfectionism

Dara also explores how perfectionism acts as a protective shield. If we look perfect, perform perfectly, or take care of everyone else, maybe we won't be judged or rejected.

But perfectionism, procrastination, and people-pleasing are survival strategies — especially for women who learned early that acceptance meant safety. When perfectionism runs the show, weight loss becomes another arena to "prove" worthiness. And when perfectionism inevitably cracks, regret rushes in. Instead of seeing weight regain as data, we interpret it as failure.

Emotional Regulation Is the Missing Skill

At the heart of this episode is a powerful truth: many of us were never taught emotional regulation. We weren't shown how to feel disappointment. How to process bitterness. How to sit with regret without turning it into self-punishment. So we buffered. Food became an acceptable coping strategy — one that dampened noise, distracted from discomfort, and helped us survive.

But if we don't learn how to feel our feelings directly, no diet strategy will create lasting weight loss. The old coping mechanisms will return. Until we slow down and identify the survival patterns underneath — perfectionism, procrastination, people-pleasing — the system remains broken.

This episode is a compassionate reminder:

You are not bad.

You are not weak.

You are not incapable of change.

You simply didn't get the full picture.

When you begin to see how regret, perfectionism, and emotional avoidance have shaped your behaviors, you gain power. You move from shame to awareness. From autopilot to intentional growth. When you learn to process regret instead of reliving it, and practice emotional regulation instead of buffering, everything changes.

Listen in and start turning regret into growth.

Watch the YouTube video with Dr Benjamin Bikman - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NyFSkGMWP5Q

Connect with Dara:

Book a consult call to find out if her program is right for you - https://dara-tomasson-coaching.mykajabi.com/contact

Follow Dara on Instagram - @dara_tomasson

Check out Dara's upcoming live trainings - https://dara-tomasson-coaching.mykajabi.com/upcoming-classes-and-events