The restrict-binge cycle isn't a willpower problem. It never was.

In this episode, I'm going somewhere personal. I talk about my wedding at 25 - the two years of restriction beforehand, the dress, the cultural normalisation of shedding for the wedding, and what happened in the months that followed. And why none of it was the failure I spent years believing it was.

I also share some of the other things I've done over the years in the name of getting it right. The grapefruit diet. The cupboards full of food I threw away before a cleanse. The fasting I celebrated. The twice-daily workouts that ended in months of not moving at all.

And then I explain the science that finally makes sense of all of it.

Why restriction creates the binge - biologically, predictably, every time. Why shame doesn't stop the eating but fuels it. Why the cycle itself has its own pull that has nothing to do with weakness or greed or lack of discipline.

This episode is for anyone who has ever felt completely out of control around food and wondered what was wrong with them. For anyone who has started over on a Monday more times than they can count. For anyone who has done everything right and still ended up back at the beginning.

Nothing is wrong with you. And this episode explains why.

Done With Mondays is part of Cook Myself Happy - a brand built around comfort food, real eating, and absolutely none of the guilt.

Find recipes, food freedom content and the honest reality of what this looks like day to day over on Instagram and TikTok at @cookmyselfhappy.

If you enjoyed this episode, please hit follow or subscribe wherever you're listening, it makes a real difference to whether new people can find the show.

New episodes every other week.

You might be more immersed in diet culture than you realise.

In this episode, I unpack what diet culture actually means - because it's so much bigger than just diets. It's in the language we use without thinking, the way we talk about food with friends, the wellness industry dressed up in clean packaging, and the automatic thoughts we have before we've even picked up a fork.

I share the story of a colleague who insisted diet culture wasn't something she experienced, right up until the moment their breakfast arrived.

This episode is also for the woman who's never been on a formal diet but still feels quietly broken around food. For the woman who describes foods as good or bad without thinking about it. For anyone who's ever scored their plate against someone else's before they've taken a single bite.

Because here's the thing. You didn't choose these beliefs. You inherited them. And once you start seeing diet culture for what it is, you really can't unsee it.

That's where everything begins.

Done With Mondays is part of Cook Myself Happy - a brand built around comfort food, real eating, and absolutely none of the guilt.

Find recipes, food freedom content and the honest reality of what this looks like day to day over on Instagram and TikTok at @cookmyselfhappy.

If you enjoyed this episode, please hit follow or subscribe wherever you're listening, it makes a real difference to whether new people can find the show.

New episodes every other week.