Episode 117Sep 14, 2026· 8:11
You Don't Need a Diet to Lose Weight (Here's What Actually Works)
▸ Show notes from the creator
Yes, you need a calorie deficit to lose weight. But if diets have left you bingeing, guilty, and hungrier than when you started, this episode is your permission slip to try something else. Ashley Grant gets real about why restriction backfired on her, how movement became the thing that actually worked, and why treating food as pure fuel instead of something to enjoy can wreck your relationship with eating. She talks through her own struggles with disordered eating, the moment a stranger told her food was "keeping her fat," and why moving your body first changes everything else naturally, from portion sizes to cravings. This isn't a diet pitch. It's a movement pitch. If you're tired of being told to restrict, count, and suffer your way to a smaller body, tune in and join the Movers and Shakers who are doing this differently.
⚠️This podcast is for entertainment purposes only and is not medical advice. Please consult a healthcare professional before starting any diet or exercise program.⚠️
Get more content: https://famousashleygrant.com/fitness/
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About this episode
Yes, you need a calorie deficit to lose weight. But if diets have left you bingeing, guilty, and hungrier than when you started, this episode is your permission slip to try something else. Ashley Grant gets real about why restriction backfired on her, how movement became the thing that actually worked, and why treating food as pure fuel instead of something to enjoy can wreck your relationship with eating. She talks…
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Full transcript
00:00
I've never actually said you don't need to be in a calorie deficit to lose weight. What's up my movers and shakers? Famous Ashley Grant here. Welcome to More Movement Please, the podcast where I hope to inspire you to move your body more. So today I want to address something that has been sent to me a couple of times and just make it clear what this podcast is and what it isn't. One of the things that was sent to me was, you're forever talking about how you don't need to go on a diet in order to lose weight.
00:30
That's still accurate for me. I still feel like, no, you shouldn't have to go on a diet just to lose weight. I understand fully that in order to lose weight, if that is your goal, you have to be at a calorie deficit. What I am not willing to do, however, is restrict myself. to the point where I actually do more harm than good. And the reason I say that is because I'm coming at this from a place of, I tried the diets. I tried shots. I tried pills. I've tried so many things.
01:05
And out of everything I've done in my life to try to lose weight, the only thing that has actually worked for me is movement. And the reason for that... And I've said this in several episodes, but because of the messages I've gotten, it feels like it's necessary to bring it up again. When I started moving more, I naturally gravitated towards more water. When I started moving more, I naturally gravitated towards smaller portions of my meals. When I started moving more, I naturally stopped reaching for all the unhealthy stuff.
01:39
With the exception of when I've had some hormonal issues or... you know, just, I really wanted a sweet treat. It naturally happened for me. I understand that's not the case for everybody though. And so maybe that's where this person was coming from with the, you gotta lose weight by doing diets, blah, blah, blah. So, I mean, that could be where this person was coming from is a place of, you have to lose weight by going on a diet. I just can't subscribe to that. And part of the big reason for that is because of the disordered eating. What it does to me. personally, is it messes with me, y 'all. If I tell myself I can't have cupcakes, all I want is a cupcake.
02:23
If I tell myself I'm not allowed to eat certain foods, I'm not allowed to drink certain drinks, I'm not allowed, I'm not allowed, I'm not allowed, it's all I crave. And I think it's part of the whole don't push the red button thing is when you're told not to push the red button, all you can think about is that damn red button. So No, I've never said just eat whatever you want and you'll lose weight. Never said that, never will.
02:50
But I am definitely one of those people that truly believes if you're trying to lose weight, the key is that you need to move your body more. That is like step one. Because when you actually are moving your body, that's when things actually change. And so that's why I went so hard whenever I got serious. started you know working out as much as I was and yeah I've admitted it in the past that sure I started working out too much I paid for it I'm dealing with it and now I'm trying to kind of find that balance of exactly what I need to keep seeing results without hurting myself but you won't ever convince me that the only way to lose weight is to go on a diet I used to believe it and I used to be one of those girls that would count the calories and pay such close attention to every single thing I consumed that it was just, I mean, it's so defeating.
03:48
It's so depressing. And like I said, just for me, it just, it led to such disordered eating because I would worry about how many calories I was consuming. I would consume the allotted amount and then I'd still be hungry. And I know that some people would immediately say, well, it's because you're reading the wrong things. Yeah, I got that. I get it. But for me, it's like just because I wanted to lose weight, being told, well, you have to stop once you get to 1600 calories or you're just going to be a fatty forever. Well, then that starts the guilt eating.
04:29
That starts the binge eating. You know, I'll figure out a way to burn this up faster. And for me, that just doesn't help. It made things worse. It made me so depressed about food. And, you know, I had this one guy that came up to me one time whenever I was first trying to lose weight. And I was eating something that I thought was relatively healthy. And he was like, what you're eating is going to keep you fat. And I was like, well, that's kind of a messed up thing to say. You know, you barely know me. And he's like, you need to reach for something else that doesn't taste good. And I was like, well, why?
05:06
And he said that if I kept treating food as something enjoyable, I would never lose weight. That I should only look at food as fuel. And I just ended a recording session with Rhonda. We did a master class for the group. And we were talking about the fact that the problem. with people who only believe food is fuel and don't use it as an enjoyable thing it's just it's not a fun way to live it's like when when certain things are your only joy in life or that that bring you joy in life are taken away from you it's damn depressing y 'all and so I will take the cake and then go work out yeah I might not eat as much of the cake as I would have Because I'm naturally not wanting as much. Because I'm naturally, you know, feeling like, okay, I only need a couple bites and then I'm done. I'll just get the craving satisfied. But yeah, y 'all never convince me again that the only way for me to lose weight
06:13
is to completely deplete myself of everything that I desire. So that's my rant. Just wanted to share. Don't know if it would help y 'all. But yeah, that's how I'm feeling. I'm a little fired up, obviously. And, uh, yeah, just wanted to share that with y 'all because it's, it's my soapbox, I guess. Um, yeah, I, I hope this helps someone. I, I, I personally just am of the opinion of, you know, if you, if you start telling people that they need to restrict the good things in life, you're asking them to be sad and depressed. And I just, I, I can't. When food is necessary to live, I just can't understand telling people you can't have anything good to eat. Yeah, I'm just I'm not a fan of that line of thinking. So if you are like me and you are not a diet culture girly and you actually just want people to inspire you to move your body.
07:16
and you want to hold yourself accountable to whether or not you moved today, I would love for you to join us in the group, famousashleygrant.com backslash group. Every single day, all we talk about is movement. We don't subscribe to diet culture. We don't subscribe to quick fixes and pills and shots and all the crap that I've tried in the past. So I'd love to have you all in the group, famousashleygrant .com backslash group. Onwards and upwards, my friends. Have you worked out today?