Feeling trapped in a painful cycle of restriction, control, and weight regain—only to wonder why nothing ever truly sticks? In this episode, Leslie reveals why even the most disciplined approaches to food often backfire, leading to shame, food noise, and dramatic rebound weight gain. She shares her own experience of extreme restriction, long-term "success," and the devastating kickback that followed.

Leslie explains why strategies like strict dieting, food addiction labels, or external controls can feel logical—but often deepen distrust with food and yourself. She breaks down why 95% of people regain weight after restriction and why willpower, perfection, and cutting foods out are not the missing pieces. Instead, she points to what's really driving overeating beneath the surface.

The breakthrough comes from understanding and healing the three internal food drivers that actually run the show: the mind spiral, emotional coping, and self-abandonment. By shifting the focus inward—calming food noise, learning emotional regulation, and stopping self-betrayal—you can finally create a peaceful, sustainable relationship with food and your body without tracking, restriction, or fear.

"This is not a food problem or a self-control problem. It's an internal problem—and when you start there, everything on the outside begins to shift." — Leslie Thornton

01:48 – Why 95% of people regain weight after restriction and exercise
02:10 – The three internal food drivers that keep you stuck
07:28 – Why extreme food rules and perfection create massive rebound weight gain
10:42 – How restriction trains your brain not to trust you
11:02 – The "beach ball" effect: why pushing harder always leads to kickback
16:11 – Internal Driver #1: The mind spiral (food noise & all-or-nothing thinking)
17:49 – How hypnosis helps calm overthinking and obsessive food thoughts
18:11 – Internal Driver #2: Emotional eating as a stress-release valve
19:22 – Why high performers struggle most with emotional regulation
21:40 – How unresolved emotions fuel compulsive eating
23:07 – Internal Driver #3: Self-abandonment and people-pleasing
24:08 – Why feeling unseen, depleted, or resentful leads to overeating
26:14 – Why external solutions (even surgery) can't fix internal patterns

Connect With Leslie Thornton:

• Book A Clarity Call
• Website
• Facebook
• LinkedIn
• Email: Leslie@hpwl.co

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Feeling exhausted from constantly tracking your food, starting over every Monday, and still wondering why nothing sticks long-term? In this episode, Leslie breaks down why food tracking often becomes a false sense of control rather than a path to freedom. She explains how tracking can temporarily soothe anxiety around food while quietly reinforcing distrust, perfectionism, and the all-or-nothing cycle that keeps so many women stuck.

Leslie challenges the belief that more discipline, more data, or tighter control will finally fix food struggles. She shares her own story of extreme dieting, weight regain, and the emotional toll of trying to be "perfect," revealing why information and willpower alone never lead to permanent change. Instead, she highlights how tracking often acts as a band-aid masking deeper nervous system and emotional patterns that drive overeating.

The real solution, Leslie explains, is learning to regulate your internal world rather than micromanaging food. By shifting focus from control to self-trust, and from external rules to internal alignment, you can quiet food noise, feel calm around eating, and finally experience consistency without restriction. This episode offers clarity, relief, and a new way forward for anyone ready to stop managing food forever and start living freely.

"Tracking can feel like control, but when it's coming from panic or fear, it's actually teaching your body not to trust you. Real freedom comes when you no longer need to manage food to feel safe." — Leslie Thornton

01:01 – Why tracking food creates a dopamine-driven illusion of control
04:32 – How tracking becomes a security blanket instead of a long-term solution
05:16 – The real reason tracking fails: lack of trust with food and yourself
06:20 – How all-or-nothing eating patterns keep food drama alive
06:52 – What "normal eaters" do differently around food
07:28 – Leslie's personal journey through restriction, perfection, and rebound weight gain
09:25 – Why doing everything "right" still leads to weight regain
10:45 – The internal drivers that actually cause overeating
11:14 – What permanent weight loss looks like without tracking or dieting
12:46 – How focusing on internal regulation quiets food noise
14:21 – Staying calm, confident, and consistent around food even during stress

Connect With Leslie Thornton:

• Book A Clarity Call
• Website
• Facebook
• LinkedIn
• Email: Leslie@hpwl.co

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Feeling frustrated that no matter how strictly you follow your diet, the weight just isn't coming off? You eat the right foods, follow the rules, and even stick to strategies that worked in the past, but still, the scale doesn't budge. It's not your diet, your body, or your willpower that's holding you back; it's your energy.

When your energetic state is low, restriction and discipline alone won't work. Most of us were never taught how to master our daily energy, and without that, no plan sticks. This episode dives into why mastering your energetic state is the missing key to effortless weight loss, consistent healthy habits, and long-term transformation.

By shifting your focus to your state first, then your story, and finally your strategy, you can finally experience food freedom and sustainable results without obsession, restriction, or stress.

"All you have to do is identify whether you've ever learned how to master your energetic state, change your story, and have the tools to sustain it. Once you do that, the strategy becomes automatic." – Leslie M Thornton

What you will learn from this episode:

00:00 – The bold truth: It's not your diet, it's your energy problem
01:15 – Why low energy prevents sustainable weight loss
03:07 – How mastering your energetic state changes everything
05:05 – Tony Robbins' "Three S's" approach: Strategy, Story, and State
07:18 – Why starting with strategy alone doesn't work
09:49 – How your story and beliefs influence your results
11:00 – The connection between positive state and empowerment
13:23 – Client success story: Angela's 10-pound weight loss and clearing years of trauma
15:00 – How mastering your state makes food and exercise natural and effortless
16:05 – What happens on a Food Freedom call: Assessing state, story, and strategy
17:57 – The simple sequence for lasting weight loss: State → Story → Strategy

Valuable Resources:

• Join my next LIVE masterclass
• Join the 8-week Fastrack to Food Freedom Program -Guaranteed mental and emotional freedom from food

Connect With Leslie Thornton:

• Book A Clarity Call
• Website
• Facebook
• LinkedIn
• Email: Leslie@hpwl.co

If you enjoy the podcast, Would you please consider leaving a quick review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes in under 60 seconds? It brightens our day and helps us bring you incredible guests for top-notch content. Plus, I cherish reading every review! Click here to make a difference!