“I think I had to give myself internal permission to say, ‘You don’t have to change your body to do this thing. You can just do the thing. You can do the hike, you can do the climb, and you don’t have to lose weight or gain a certain ability to be able to do it.’”
We’ve been taught to believe that movement has to be about changing our bodies and pushing ourselves to the limit. But what happens when you strip away body blame and punishment from exercise and finally build a relationship with movement that honors, respects, and truly connects you to your body? In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Megan Banker, who shares her deeply personal journey of unlearning diet culture’s conditioning and reframing what fitness means in a plus size body. You’ll hear how her upbringing shaped her beliefs about movement, how she healed from her parents’ well-meaning but harmful choices, and the pivotal hike that changed the way she spoke to herself.
Our conversation reveals the emotional side of movement that so few talk about: the tears, the frustration, and the layers you have to peel away to rediscover what feels good. Megan walks us through how being seen as “capable” in a bigger body challenged both her own internal and external narratives, and the practical ways she has shifted toward body attunement, curiosity, and exercise rooted in self-care rather than self-criticism. There are real, human reasons movement feels hard – postpartum, aging, lack of sleep or chronic dieting – and it’s time to let go of the assumption that your body size is to blame.
I know firsthand how moments like being the slowest friend on a hike can send us spiraling into shame or self-judgment. But it doesn’t have to be that way. This episode will help you make sense of confusing, emotional experiences with exercise and offer you a more compassionate lens and actionable tools for reconnecting with movement and your body.
What You’ll Learn:
- Why movement can feel so emotional and how to process those feelings without blaming your body
- Practical ways to approach exercise that support your strength and mobility
- How to reframe negative self-talk and start speaking to yourself with kindness and respect
- Why it’s possible (and powerful) to do hard, meaningful things in the body you have right now
- The impact of family and societal conditioning on our relationship with movement, and how to heal from it
- Steps to build a deeper trust in your ability to take care of yourself with movement and nutrition
Connect with Megan:
Struggling to know when to eat or when to stop isn’t a failure… it could be a byproduct of following diet rules instead of your body’s cues. The free Hunger & Fullness Scale Guide helps you ditch the noise and tune back into the cues your body is sending to build trust with your body and food. Get it at DietCultureRebel.com/hungerfullnessscale.
Come back next week for another episode and connect with me over on Instagram at @diet.culture.rebel.
Struggling with food, but not sure where to start?
You don’t have to feel 100% ready to get support. If you’re tired of obsessing over food or feeling stuck in the diet cycle, my team of Registered Dietitians is here to help. We offer one-on-one nutrition counseling—and we accept insurance! Spots are limited, so head to https://dietculturerebel.com/insurance to see if we’re covered in your state and learn how to get started.
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