About this episode
Food and weight quietly become the place where everything gets blamed—stress, loneliness, exhaustion, and disappointment. During the holidays especially, it can feel like if your body would just change, your life would finally feel lighter. The problem is, weight becomes the focus while happiness slowly disappears. Obsession creates a loop of stress, shame, and control that keeps food noise alive and well. Dieting from anxiety, resentment, or self-judgment only fuels cortisol, making weight loss feel harder the more you try. Even "healthy" habits can mask deep self-criticism, turning wellness into another way to prove you're not enough. Over time, the pursuit of control replaces the real desire—to feel alive, free, and at peace in your own body. This episode is a loving wake-up call to end food noise naturally by shifting the focus from weight to emotional and spiritual well-being. Leslie explains why happiness isn't the reward after weight loss—it's the requirement for it. Through personal stories, client experiences, and universal law perspectives, you'll see how acceptance, unconscious work, and repetition create lasting change. When you stop fighting yourself and start choosing joy, the noise fades, control loosens, and freedom becomes possible. "Weight loss is easy when you're happy. Weight loss is impossible when you're miserable. If you're depressed, if you're anxious, if you're angry, if you're resentful. If you have other stress going on. If you have other things in your life that aren't being handled, stop trying to make that what's going to happen, it doesn't happen from that energy. Got to get yourself happy first." - Leslie Thornton What you will learn from this episode: 01:26 - Emotional reflections on how everything is unconsciously blamed on weight, especially during the holidays 04:30 - Challenging the belief that weight is life's main problem and the impact of weight obsession 08:15 - Sharing personal experiences and client stories and making sense of the real cost of obsession 13:55 - The goal is to feel alive over control 22:56 - Stress, cortisol, the dieting loop, the shame and motivation myths 32:19 - Happiness and how it relates to weight loss 35:15 - Revealing how health-consciousness can mask underlying shame and self-judgment and the need for deeper questions 39:13 - Sharing of spiritual and universal law perspectives on acceptance, shame, and transformation 43:48 - Describes the fun and fulfillment that come after overcoming food and weight obsession 45:04 - Taking the leap of faith 46:16 - The importance of unconscious work and repetition, the true cost of obsession 48:38 - Spiritual awakening and the call for change 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!