Ep 45 - Weight Loss Is a Contact Sport | What We Get Wrong About Body Image with Dr. Gabrielle Fundaro

Episode Summary

In this deeply insightful conversation, Dr. Jeremy Bettle sits down with Dr. Gabrielle Fundaro, an exercise scientist and coach who specializes in weight-neutral approaches to health and body image. Dr. Fundaro shares her personal journey from chronic dieting and physique competition to recovering from disordered eating while coaching others through similar struggles. They explore why weight loss is like a contact sport with inherent risks, the difference between body image and appearance, and what it means to pursue health without making the scale the centerpiece. This conversation tackles informed consent in coaching weight loss, the psychological factors that increase risk during weight loss attempts, and why liking how you look doesn't necessarily mean you have positive body image. It's an essential episode for coaches, health professionals, and anyone struggling with the relationship between their body, food, and fitness.

Guest Bio

Dr. Gabrielle Fundaro is a nutrition scientist, wellness coach, and mentor who helps individuals and health professionals build sustainable, values-aligned wellbeing free from diet culture. As the founder of Trust & Nourish, she teaches an evidence-based approach to eating and behavior change that centers self-trust, satisfaction, and long-term wellbeing. She also mentors coaches in ethical, client-centered practice through CEU-approved education on responsible weight loss coaching, weight neutral approaches, and navigating body goals with nuance and care.

 

With a background as an Exercise Science professor and years of experience translating research into practical guidance, she’s known for bringing clarity, compassion, and meaningful perspective to complex conversations about health.

Links

• Instagram: @trust_and_nourish

• Website: trustandnourish.com/start

• Upcoming Webinar (mid-November): Coaching Weight Loss Responsibly

Three Actionable Takeaways

1. Remember that liking the way you look does not mean you have a positive body image. Fortunately, you can focus on training a positive body image, which is about having a flexible perspective toward your appearance and being respectful and trustful of yourself regardless of how you look.
   
   

2. An appearance-based weight loss goal isn't necessarily harmful, unethical, or wrong, but it is riskier than other goals. You need to be aware of the risks and realities and get honest with yourself about what you're hoping weight loss will bring you, because nothing is guaranteed except for a smaller body.
   
   

3. Establishing a healthy relationship with yourself is a long process, but it's foundational for building a healthy relationship with fitness and food. This relationship needs to come from a place of appreciation and self-care rather than dissatisfaction and striving for unrealistic perfection.
   
   

10 Takeaways

• Weight-neutral approaches decentralize weight loss as the primary outcome and instead focus on modifiable health-promoting behaviors, measuring improvements in blood pressure, strength, psychological markers, and relationship with food rather than the scale

• Intentional weight loss carries inherent psychological risks that increase based on historical factors like chronic dieting, personality traits like perfectionism, and external pressures from family or coaches

• The goal people state outwardly often isn't their real goal. Someone saying they want to get healthier may really mean they want to lose weight but know that's not as socially acceptable to say anymore

• Body image refers to the thoughts and feelings you have about your body internally, while appearance is your external physical form that others can see

• Positive body image isn't about liking your appearance but about having flexibility toward it and not being preoccupied with controlling how you look

• When someone expresses beliefs that weight loss will dramatically improve their life quality, relationships, or happiness, that's a sign they've internalized weight stigma and hold unrealistic expectations

• Tracking macros can create a restrict-binge cycle where people eat perfectly during tracking periods but then overeat significantly during untracked times

• The psychology of why someone came to you as a coach is inseparable from the work. If you're not addressing emotions and thoughts about body and weight in an informed way, you may be causing harm

• Even coaches and health professionals with extensive knowledge struggle with behavior change when life circumstances change, proving it's never just about information

• Taking weeks off from the gym due to life demands doesn't mean you've lost everything. Flexibility and self-compassion across different life seasons is key to long-term consistency