What does it look like to leave diet culture behind — to truly walk away from it?

Lotta Dann did it with alcohol. Then, a few years into sobriety, she found herself deep in a diet hole — losing weight, receiving praise, feeling like she was "floating on a cloud of thin." Inevitably, it all fell apart.

In this conversation, Lotta and I talk about what happened next: how she found anti-diet content, what helped her see the lies diet culture has her believe, and what it actually took — emotionally, practically, and culturally — to leave.

This is a conversation I have wanted to have for a long time.

In this episode we cover

• How Lotta went from sobriety to a strict diet — and why the language of addiction made it seem like the answer
• What "floating on a cloud of thin" was so compelling, and what it cost
• The moment she stumbled across anti-diet content and why it clicked so fast
• The biggest lies diet culture tells us — and the one Lotta found most heartbreaking
• How leaving dieting compares to leaving alcohol — and where it is much harder
• Why weight gain is almost always part of the process, and how to navigate it
• The behaviours to stop immediately, and the practical steps that actually help

"Thinness is highly valued in our culture — you're deemed a success regardless of your mental health or how you're actually functioning day to day."

"I refuse to feel bad about my body size. I've built a fierce defence against it — and it took time, mantras, and a lot of practice to get there."

— Lotta Dann

Mentioned in this episode

• Mrs D is Not on a Diet — Lotta Dann's book on leaving diet culture
• Living Sober — Lotta's free online community for people quitting drinking
• @mrs_d_alcoholfree — Lotta on Instagram
• Midlife Body Image Guide — Emma's free guide for women ready to stop fighting their bodies

Emma's website · Follow on LinkedIn

If this episode resonated with you, please share it with a woman you love. The more we talk about leaving diet culture, the more women get to stop fighting themselves and start living the way they want to.