Why Diets Fail: Stories, Identity, History

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You are doing everything right. You are eating well, you are exercising, you are optimizing. And somehow, you still aren't feeling as well as you hoped. That was me at 21, before my body finally found a way to make me listen.

This week on Live Well Be Well, I want to talk to you about something I've been sitting with for the last ten years, something I've seen quietly transform the lives of my clients, something that changed the entire direction of my own life, and something I've spent the last year pouring into my new book, Healthy Shouldn't Be This Hard.This episode is a deeply personal one. I trace the thread from my own health collapse at 21 all the way to the $8.5 trillion wellness industry that, despite its size, is leaving most of us feeling worse, not better. We talk about the try-slip-shame-restart cycle so many of us are trapped in, and why we keep mistaking self-criticism for self-improvement. I also dig into two landmark studies that stopped me in my tracks while writing this book: Ellen Langer's hotel maid experiment, which showed that perception alone changed women's weight and blood pressure without a single lifestyle change, and Alia Crum's milkshake study, which revealed that our thoughts directly alter our hunger hormones.The science is clear. Our bodies are listening to everything we think about ourselves.

Love,

Sarah Ann 💛

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The Great British Veg Out

How to support your gut, energy, and hormones by eating more — not less.

👉 https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/p/the-great-british-veg-out

Reset Your Health

If your body feels off after stress, travel, or burnout — this is where to start.

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👉 Practical beats perfect.

Here’s a free 5-recipe PDF I use to support energy and stress during busy weeks.

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If You Enjoyed This Episode, You Might Also Like:

Ellen Langer: The Mind Can Slow Down an Aging Bodyhttps://youtu.be/VGpNMy1VxsY

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Highlights

00:00:00 Intro

00:00:25 Sarah's Health Collapse at 21

00:00:53 The $8.5 Trillion Wellness Industry Problem

00:01:17 Comparison Culture and the Shame Spiral

00:02:22 The Try, Slip, Shame, Restart Cycle

00:03:07 The Pizza Moment and Self-Compassion

00:04:39 Self-Criticism Lives in Your Body

00:08:22 Ellen Langer's Hotel Maid Study Explained

00:10:48 How Your Thoughts Change Hunger Hormones

00:12:22 What Self-Compassion Does to Your Body

00:14:31 The Selfie Test: Your Self-Compassion Score

00:18:34 The Mirror Practice and Leaning In

00:19:24 MAP: Mindfulness, Appreciation, Presence Before Meals

00:21:00 The Self-Compassionate Intention Before Eating

00:23:27 Why Wellness Solutions Aren't Making Us Healthier

00:24:41 The History of Dieting Since 1863

00:26:20 The Story You Tell Yourself