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Summary
On episode 364 of 40+ Fitness, Coach Allan sits down with Erin Boardman Wathen, a holistic weight loss coach, one of the first international food addiction counselors, and author of Why Can’t I Stick to My Diet?
Erin argues the word “diet” itself is the problem. It used to just mean what you eat, but it has come to mean a temporary restriction you plan to abandon once you hit the wedding, the reunion, or the magic number on the scale. Her approach is a permanent food plan, not a Ferris wheel you eventually get off.
Much of the conversation traces her own sugar addiction (gummy bears stashed in the car, ice cream eaten mid argument, a 44 ounce Diet Coke habit) and turns practical with her four eating fundamentals, why moderation rarely works, and how to stop a single slip from snowballing into a lost week.
Key Takeaways
- Sugar addiction is a real chemical response, not a character flaw. Erin describes eating ice cream mid argument and hiding candy around her house and car. She came to see it as a genuine addiction, not evidence she was weak or a bad person.
- A “diet” should be a permanent food plan, not a temporary sentence. Going on a diet with the intent of going back to old eating later is why most diets fail. The fix is committing to how you eat from now on, not until a target date.
- Sugar hides in foods people don’t think of as sweet. Hamburger buns, juice, and salad dressing can all carry added sugar. Even after weeks off sugar, these hidden sources can retrigger cravings without a person realizing why.
- Erin’s four eating fundamentals: stick to the perimeter of the grocery store (and life, meaning skip the bread basket at restaurants); eat three meals a day without snacking; plan meals in advance instead of deciding what to eat in the moment; and include fat, protein, a low glycemic carb, and fiber at every meal.
- Moderation is “the unicorn,” rarely real for most people. Because sugar and flour trigger a strong dopamine response, a single bite of cake tends to open the door to the rest of the piece, or more, rather than satisfying the craving.
- A slip does not have to become a binge. Erin describes the “flat tire” trap: one bad choice can spiral into rationalizing an entire day or week of bad choices. The better response to a slip is to walk away, get water, and expect a few uncomfortable days as cravings settle, not to declare the day already blown.
- Euphoric recall makes relapse worse, not better. After time away from sugar, the body makes that first bite taste even more rewarding, which is why returning to a cheat after being clean off sugar is often harder to stop than the original habit.
- Blood sugar swings drive false hunger. A high sugar breakfast like orange juice and a bagel spikes blood sugar, which then crashes by mid morning and creates ravenous cravings. Eating enough fat and protein at each meal keeps blood sugar steady and prevents the four o’clock crash.
- Erin’s three strategies to get and stay well: always pair fat, protein, a low glycemic carb, and fiber at every meal to keep blood sugar steady; spend real time visualizing how you want to feel and look weeks or months from now instead of drifting into it; and get precise about portions at home with measuring cups and a food scale so you recognize oversized restaurant portions for what they are.
“Moderation, like I said, is like the unicorn. It doesn’t really exist.”
Erin Boardman Wathen