Before Dieting...

Before Dieting… | Uncovering Eating Patterns and Weight Cycles - is the podcast that explores the eight types of eating and the hidden food stories behind persistent weight cycles and diet frustration. Hosted by Bronwyn Fletcher, a systems thinker, this show reveals the eating patterns that keep you stuck and uncovers the real causes behind your weight struggles. If you’re tired of dieting without success, discover a new perspective that goes beyond calories and willpower to help you break free from the endless cycle of weight loss and regain.

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Latest episodes

09 June 2026

The Four Layers Behind Weight Regain

Why is it that some parts of eating seem easy to change while others feel impossible to shift? In this episode, Bronwyn Fletcher introduces the Four Layers Behind Eating Behaviour; Food Rules, Food Stories, Eating Blueprints and Eating Systems. Drawing on conversations with more than a thousand women who have experienced weight regain, she explains why eating is far more complex than calories, discipline and willpower suggest. You'll discover why some behaviours respond to conscious effort, why others operate on autopilot, and how understanding the layer underneath a behaviour can completely change the explanation and the solution. Because when eating behaviour starts making sense, different possibilities for change begin to emerge.

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12:15

02 June 2026

Definitions and Boundaries to solve recurring weight gain

Most explanations for weight regain begin with calories and end with willpower. But what if the boundary around the problem is too small? In this episode Bronwyn explores one of the foundational ideas behind systems thinking: boundaries. She explains how expanding the investigation beyond food revealed patterns, experiences and influences that traditional weight-loss approaches ignore. If you've ever wondered why diets fail to explain recurring weight regain, this episode offers a different way of looking at the problem.

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08:49

26 May 2026

The Hidden Logic of Relief Eating

Relief eating is often treated as a willpower problem, but what if it’s actually part of a larger eating system? In this episode, Bronwyn Fletcher explores the hidden logic beneath relief eating and why diets fail to create lasting change when the underlying system remains untouched. Through the story of Meri, this episode examines weight regain, food rules, secrecy around eating and the role food can play in helping women manage overload, tension and emotional discomfort. This episode introduces the three stages of relief eating and explains why understanding the eating system changes the conversation from blame to diagnostic clarity.

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12:20

19 May 2026

When Weight Regain Is Really About the Life You’re Living

Why do diets keep failing even when women know exactly what they ‘should’ be eating? In this episode, Bronwyn explores the story of Soraya, a successful woman trapped in a long cycle of weight regain, dieting and overeating. What initially looked like a food problem slowly revealed itself to be something much deeper: the emotional strain of living a life built around duty instead of personal choice. This episode explores: • why diets fail in complex systems • how calorie restriction creates catch-up eating • the difference between food problems and life problems • why understanding your eating system changes everything

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10:33

12 May 2026

Midlife weight gain: The Role of Trust in Weight Regain

Why do diets fail, even when you follow them properly? In this episode, Bronwyn explores Maggie’s experience of weight regain through the lens of her eating system. What looks like a willpower problem is something else entirely; a system built around not trusting herself with food. You’ll hear how relief eating develops, how early family conditions shape long-term patterns, and why controlling food intake doesn’t resolve the underlying structure. This is not about better habits. It’s about understanding why you eat. If you’ve experienced weight regain, this episode will change how you see it.

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11:15

05 May 2026

Weight regain isn’t solved with better eating habits

Why do diets work, then stop? In this episode, we explore how your eating system drives weight regain, and why fast dieting creates backlash. Learn why diets fail, how relief eating is triggered, and why a low and slow approach is the only way to change your weight without rebound.

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09:24