The Livy Method Podcast - Food Addiction and Weight Loss with Sandra Elia - Winter 2026

Episode Date: January 13, 2026

In this episode, Gina is joined by food addiction counsellor, author, and Obesity Matters Chair, Sandra Elia, for a heartfelt and eye-opening conversation about the emotional weight we carry into each new attempt at change. Together, they unpack the difference between food addiction and emotional eating, and why ultra-processed foods may be the real culprit, not your lack of willpower. Sandra explores the impact of guilt, shame, and diet trauma, offering insight into how our mental state influences our energy, our choices, and ultimately, our ability to move forward.You can find the full video hosted at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/livymethodwinter2026Sandra is the founder of The Food Addiction Recovery Program and the author of "Never Enough: Three Pillars of Food Addiction Recovery".Find Sandra Elia:Instagram: @sandraelia.cawww.sandraelia.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I'm Gina Livy and welcome to the Livy Method podcast. This is where you'll have access to all of the live streams for my 91 day weight loss program. With a combination of daily lives, guest expert interviews, and member stories, there is something new almost every day. Miss the morning live? Want to re-listen to one of our amazing guest experts? Well, this is the place.

This podcast is hosted on ACAST, but it's available on all podcast platforms, including the one you're listening to right now, Spotify, Apple, and Amazon music. We're focusing on sustainable habits, not quick-fixing. Is it an opportunity to get curious? We're here, help people get to their health goals. One piece of time. You build and build and build. This might be the conversation that you didn't know you needed.

Sandra Alia is joining me today. She's the founder of the Food Addiction Recovery Program. She is also the author of the book, Never Enough. of food addiction recovery. She has been a guest with us for a while. She knows her stuff. She knows what you are trying to do and the changes you are trying to make. And she knows how hard that can be. She obviously has had her own weight loss issues and struggles with her relationship with food. And she's exactly the person that we need to talk to today. Hello and welcome. Hello, everybody. Happy New Year. It's so good to be back. Should we start with that? The pressure

every new year to make changes and then the times we just feel like we failed over and over and over. And we're going to get into what is food addiction. But like, let's start with that because it's exciting. Everyone's excited to be here and make changes obviously with the living method, a healthy, sustainable way to do that. But it's not without this baggage, I think, that comes along with it. Yeah. I always invite people to start any journey that you're doing and let go of those heavy bags of guilt and shame and regret and remorse because that will slow you down. All of that is the past. And if you're trying to get somewhere and all you're doing is looking bad, but what did I do wrong and how did I get? You're never going to get to where you're going. What do they say when you're when you hit a patch of

ice? Look where you want to go. Don't look where you don't want to go. And it doesn't serve us. It's heavy. It drains us. I think one of, we have two amazing resources in our life. First is time. everybody wakes up with 24 hours. You can't escape that matter if you're rich, poor, educated, uneducated. It doesn't matter where you are in the world. We all get 24 hours. And then the other big resource is energy. Because even if I have five hours before me, but my energy is depleted by remorse and guilt and shame. I can't do anything with those five hours. So energy is everything. And managing your own state. So if I'm in a state where I can see possibility, where I've forgiven, where I see the good, where I think it's possible.

Imagine the energy that comes from that. So yeah, they're just heavy bags, put it down. This is a lifelong journey. There is no destination. I always say to my clients, when you're done, you're done. Life is over. So there's no rush. What are you rushing to get to? Yeah, that's a really heavy weight that a lot of people carry their history with dieting, the guilt, the shame. And you know, we talk about how your thoughts and feels that pop up throughout this process are like there's not beyond the fact that they are so valid. They can be really helpful in understanding the kinds of things that you need to work on or work through to really make sustainable change. Let's talk about food addiction. Yeah. Because how do we know it's just like not a

habit of snacking at night or we're using food to cope because we've had a stressful day or is that part of food addiction. Yes. And I think finally food addiction is getting its day and it's getting its recognition. And even movie stars and celebrities are coming forward and saying, yeah, I have food addiction. There's Shrek and Stone, Jelly Roll just came out and said that they struggle with food addiction. It is a thing. And I heard your great interview with Jason Fung. I'm a huge fan of Dr. Jason Fung. And he put it perfectly, nobody's addicted to real food. So when we talk about food addiction, we have to talk about ultra-processed foods. These are factory-made foods, nutrient-poor, disease-causing. They are not actually food. When you turn over the packaging,

when we look at the ingredients, it's chemicals with the sprinkling of food. Now, some of us have a susceptibility to become addicted to these foods, just like some of us have a susceptibility become addicted to alcohol. And what food addiction looks like different than, let's say, a habit or snacking is you have a compulsive drive to have it. You get a craving that is overwhelming. You get cravings that you don't know what to do with. You stand on the precipice of should I? Shouldn't I? Maybe I will. Maybe I won't. Maybe if I just have a bite, I stop, but I never do. And then the only thing that quiets that mental tug of words, I just got to eat it. And then as soon as I eat it, boom. I have ignited cravings. I've ignited compulsion. I feel horrible. I start to spike. I start to spike. I'm

viral out of control. That doesn't look any different than somebody with alcoholism, right? They do the should. I shouldn't. Maybe one. I have a glass and now I'm having the whole bottle and I'm, I wake up with a food hangover the very next day. And food addiction affects every facet of your life.

Is it affecting your health? Is it affecting your mental health? Your relationships, your career. Are you hiding food, sneaking food? Do you need more and more of the same amount to get a desired feeling? So I, personally, believe you either are eating food or using food. When you use food, you're trying to alter your state. You're trying to escape. You're trying to numb. You're trying to feel better.

And I'm starting to understand the longer I do this work, our relationship with food is often our reflection of our relationship with life. Yes. If you're in a toxic marriage, then you might be using food to cope. If you're in a job that you know you shouldn't be in and your soul is screaming, leave, leave, but your head's like, I need the pension, I need to time off. And you might use food to cope with that. Right. And so I often counsel people, what areas of your life are broken is functional that you don't want to look at? So you have to use food to cope. Well, this is where, you know, in bringing it back to the program and people are like, why do we have to eat so much, so often, all routine? Again, it's all good nutrient-rich foods. This is why

you want to make sure you're giving your body what it needs, right, to address one, why it's feeling you need to store fat. And for you to just like, for your body to function the most optimal level, you know, bringing it back to the ultra-process foods that Sandra was talking about here, these foods are created to be addictive. And that's where you're like, you think it's willpower that you can't just have one chip. When in reality, that food product is designed for you to not be able to eat one chip. And I think that's no one's overeating their broccoli. No one's overeating and binging on steak. Like very rarely are people, you know, utilizing their lunch or their dinner in ways to cope unless they are ordering processed foods for lunch or dinner.

So this is why the routine of the food plan is so important to make sure that you are covering the basis in terms of what you actually need to eat. And then when you get into that routine, it allows all of that mental, stuff to surface, the issues, the associations tied into food, right? Your belief system, feeling worthy, and even past traumas for some people. Let's talk about nighttime because, you know, we had a lot of questions about this segment. People, how do I stop eating at night? Yeah. Yeah. Oh my God. Such a tough one. And I think stop eating at night starts when you first wake up in the morning. And just as you said, having the proper breakfast, the new.

nutrient dense foods, eating on a regular basis. Because ultimately, what your meal plan does is you're establishing a healthy relationship with food. Imagine a relationship, a relationship, a relationship, a relationship, that's totally broken and dysfunctional. And it's been that way for years. But you go back to that person and say, hey, I want to build a healthy relationship with you. What does that take?

Consistency, showing up, doing the right thing, even when you don't feel like it because you're trying to repair this relationship. So I invite people to think about that, that your food and is a relationship and how do you rebuild trust. So if you don't want to eat, overeat at night, the first thing you do in the morning and what you do all day will dictate that. So there is no way to overcome nighttime eating if you've restricted, if you've not had enough protein, if you've not had enough fact, if you haven't eaten enough, there's no

chance. There's no way. Like I even use cognitive behavioral therapy techniques. to help with nighttime eating, compulsive eating. But if you don't have enough calories, it doesn't work. Yeah. Then, yeah. Sorry, I didn't want to interrupt.

No, yeah. Like, if you're hungry, this is why I say to people, like, if you're consistently hungry in the evening, make sure you are having breakfast. And in the afternoon, you might be like, well, I'm not hungry. Have your snacks anyway. Or mentally, if you're not hungry, still have a token amount. So you're not second guessing. Am I actually hungry?

Do I need to eat so that you know you've eaten all this. good nutrient rich food throughout the day so that you're not hungry at night. Your body starts pumping melatonin. It's getting you ready for sleep. Your body doesn't want you to eat. It wants to sleep, repair, rebuild, regenerate, rejuvenate, detox. But if you're going to bed with a belly full of food, it can't do that. So you choosing to eat, if it's not true an actual hunger, then what is it?

But you will never trust that it's not true in actual hunger if you're not giving your body what it needs throughout the day. That's really key. Yeah. And then we have to, if nighttime eating is a problem for you, and it's been a problem for many years, so it's going to take effort to create a new nighttime routine because what has happened is that is your nighttime routine. And your brain, whenever you have ultra-processed foods, dopamine is released in your brain and your brain goes, whoa, that feels amazing. And dopamine is not only the neurochemical pleasure, it's the neurochemical of learning. So your brain goes, whoa, whoa, what's happening? What? It's 8 o'clock. It's dark out. I'm sitting on the couch.

The TV screens on. I eat something yummy. Whether you want to or not, whether you're full or not, your brain's going to go, hello. We eat something yummy every night at eight. I don't get. Go get it because this is what we've learned. So we actually have to create an evening ritual. So there's a couple of things that happen in night.

People experience loneliness, and that's an epidemic. And people, the frontal lobe that makes really, good decisions. It's tired. It's tapped out. It's actually gone to sleep and your cave woman brain is taken over. Cave woman brain always looking for food. That's why we're sitting here today because our ancestors were good hunters and gatherers. That part of your brain still exists even though we have an iPhone that can bring you food 24 hours a day. So what is your nighttime ritual? And I think connection above everything else. So planning your connection in the morning, I can Connection is everything for me.

And I'm having the January blues because it's just gray, gray, gray, gray. So what do I do on Sundays? I plan out all my connection, all my dinners, all my walks. I have to be with friends, neighbors, family, FaceTime, something, something. And you, and I get it. Some people live far from everyone. They might live in a rural place. And that's where you use the Facebook page.

Like, get on the Gina Living page and just start putting out love. like read all the comments, comment to this person, coming to that person. That's one of my favorite things after the podcast. If you comment on this podcast, I'm going to respond because it fills me up. It's a beautiful community. This is so great because everyone's so stuck on meal prep on a Sunday. Right? There are kind of meals on a Sunday.

And not to say that meal prep isn't great. I love being prepared. I think it makes life a lot easier for you. But planning your. connection. Woo! That, like that. I love that.

Right. And don't be afraid. Like sometimes my clients will say to me, but I'm always the one reaching out, but I'm always the one. So what? You're going to get the serotonin. You're going to get the good field.

And you know what? You don't know what's going on in other people's lives. You could be the lifeline that is doing the planning. As long as people are receptive, who cares if you're the one planning it all the time? I mean, I'm, my family calls me the glue. I'm the glue. I think my nieces have taken over, but I was the glue

that brought everyone together. We have all these family vacations and I did all the planning. So what if it wasn't fair. Do you know I have the memories. It's awareness. It's knowing your role and what you're really good at and what you need. And okay, I want to talk about, it's like you need to, if you were struggling with nighttime eating and binge eating and obviously, you know, some people need to reach out for that extra support. And we're going to talk about, of course, that Sandra's going to be offering. But if you're struggling with nighttime eating, plan for it. Let's make a plan for this.

Let's start working on revamping your nighttime routine. So you're not being triggered or, you know, eating out a habit. Or let's make a plan for when I get stressed, I am going to call a friend, go for a walk, have a bath. They have a list of go-toes beyond just all of a sudden I'm stressed on a Thursday. And now I'm, you know, eating the, eating the things because that's my only coping mechanism. Like make a plan. Oh, make a plan. So let me tell everybody right now, I've got to stop is not a plan.

That is just not a plan. And that's what we all do in January. I got to stop night time meeting. I got to start going to the gym. I got to stop this. I got to stop is not a plan. if you're night time eating, you're doing it for a reason. So have compassion and curiosity.

Ask yourself, why am I doing this? Have so much compassion. What do I need instead? How can I make myself successful? And maybe success is I compulsively eat one night less this week. And then next week it's two nights. It's like you've got to start believing you're a winner. So if you've struggled with your weight or eating for years or decades like me,

it chips a weight your self-esteem. And you start to believe you're the failure. So I need you to start believing you're a winner. And I call it being a success detective. I need you to look over your day and say, where did you do well? What did you accomplish? How are you changing? Even if it's minuscule, because all of those little changes will lead to a big change in the end.

And that's neuroscience. When you start training your brain to see where you are improving, you start to feel like a winner. And what happens when you feel like a winner? You keep winning. Yeah. And this is where, you know, we suggest people set intentions in the morning, check midday, and reflect in the evening. A lot of people use that reflection time to berate themselves on the things that they did wrong all day, rather than looking at what did I do really well today and take time and be proud. And then how can I best support myself to work on the things that maybe I didn't do so well today and make a plan?

You mentioned earlier that it takes time. I think that's really important. Last weekend was the first weekend of the program. Some people showed up on a Monday feeling like a rock star. And then so many other people feel like they've already failed at this diet that we haven't even really had an opportunity to really dig our heels into yet. Can you just talk about the time that it takes to make the kind of changes that we're talking about? Yeah. And I don't even see it as changes or that you're trying to get somewhere, but how you want to live your life.

So I ran a half marathon. Now, there are books that say couch potato to a full marathon in 30 days. But I'm going to tell you, in my 20s, I carried an extra 100 pounds. And all I could do was walk for 15 minutes. And I was embarrassed of that. I was like, I, that, like people in our 20s, they're doing Iron Men and I can walk for 15 minutes. I'm not going to do it. It's humiliating.

And then one day I flipped the switch and said, I get to walk for 15 minutes. And right now, across the globe, somebody my age, many people my age woke up and don't have legs and have cancer and cannot walk. And that 15 minute walk turned into a 30 minute walk, which turned into a power walk. Then one day I was walking down Youngstrom, like, I think I could jog. I don't know. It feels like I can, but I started jogging and I did a 5K and a 10K and then a half marathon. That took seven years.

But guess what? Nobody's buying the book, Couch Potato, To Half Marathon in seven years. because who's going to buy that book? That's not inspiring. But that's what it actually looks like. That's the truth. But those people don't get interviewed on talk shows because that's too slow. But that in which in the end makes us all feel bad, right? We're all comparing ourselves. I loved somebody said, you know, we compare ourselves to supermodels who have been airbrushed. They don't look like that either. Yeah. Nobody looks like that. So this is your story.

And if you don't enjoy the journey, then it's going to be painful. And we've only got this one life to live. I do not. I made the decision. I don't want to wake up on, you know, one morning. I'm 90 years old, hopefully. And I look back on my life and I'm like, how many years did I hate my body? How many years did I lament?

How many years was I trying to count calories and point? Like, how many years did I waste that? I didn't wear the bikini. I didn't do the trip. And now it's all gone. It's all gone. I lost a. a decade to food addiction. I lost my 20s. Most people are having the time of their life on their

20s. Mine is gone. So I don't have any more days to waste. I've accepted. I'm never going to run a, you know, go on a runway. I'm never going to be a Victoria Secreys model. So what? So I don't get to be fun and sexy and have exciting adventures and do all the things I want to do. I can. And I will. And when you start living the life that you're waiting for, food takes its rightful place. But when you're waiting to start the life, then food is the consolation price. You know, and it's not a great consolation prize. We remember how it tastes, I mean, brings us that dopamine hit in the moment. But we forget that that choice leads to regret and shame and guilt and berating and this cycle of then

punishing ourselves afterwards. I want to ask you and I don't know that I've ever asked you this before. Let's just talk about the fact that you can absolutely love yourself right now today and want to make change. And that is okay. You are allowed to change. You're supposed to change and evolve. And if your body felt the need to store fat or you have gained weight for whatever reason,

you're allowed to want to help your body. release that fat. I think the body positivity movement really messed with people when it came to weight loss and you're allowed to make change. Exactly. So you're allowed to love yourself today. I always do the equation. Let's say you play the piano beautifully and you love the way you play the piano, but you've decided to take lessons to go up a level. Are we telling them they don't love themselves? Why don't you love the way you play piano today? What's wrong? Wow, you got a coach. You're going to up level, wow, you're really abandoning yourself. And that's what I feel sometimes. That's the messaging that if I love my body, then I shouldn't want to change it. And I don't think that's fair to

anybody. I'll just tell you a quick story. After I lost 100 pounds, I got divorced, I lost 100 pounds, I started dating a guy. And it was so exciting. First relationship after my marriage. And after like two or three months, he asked me to go to the Cayman Islands. And I was pissed. I'm like, why are you going to ruin this? You want to take me to the Cayman? Does anybody know why I didn't want to go to the Cayman Islands? Because he was going to see me in a bikini in broad daylight. I mean, the rest of the time it was in a dark back room lying down.

I was fine with that, but I'm not putting on a bikini in something. He's going to dump me. And I was going to say no. And luckily, I was working with a mentor. And she's like, no, no, no, no. You're going to go buy yourself the best bikinis that you can afford. And she goes, then you're going to get on that. that beach and you're going to strut, you know, put your shoulders back, you're going to walk.

And it's so interesting. When I got to the Caymans, I did that. And people looked at me so confused because I was like, I'm on a runway. And people were like, does she know she has cellulite? Does she know her skin is stuck? Yes, honey, I know. I know. You are so confused.

And then when I got to that Cayman Island beach, guess what? They were young, they were old. They were slender. There were heavy. There were this. There were that. Like, nobody cared about my body. nobody, nobody. And I ended up dumping him. I thought he was going to dump me. And I was like,

no, you're not good for me. So you make your own reality. You make your own fun and make it okay for other women. And that's where my mentor got me. She's like, if you put on a bikini with cellulite and saggy skin, you're going to inspire another woman to do that. And I was like, yeah, yeah, I can do that. I want to. I love the beach. I love the beach because no one judges people. Well, if you judge people on a beach, you're an asshole. But, you know, people all shapes and sizes and just, you know, letting it all hang out. And on the beach, it's just, it's totally acceptable on the beach. And I wish it was like that everywhere.

It's because like it's the minute we step off the beach. It's no longer okay. But I digress. I want to, I want to read a comment here from Anna. I do have a hang up about how long it takes. It stops me from starting a while. Yesterday on my social media, I had someone say, like, do you ever have people? who don't lose weight while doing the program. And I was like, it's such a loaded question because,

yes, we have like a live session that we run three times a year. But for some people, you know, everything aligns. And it's so easy for them. And for other people, it's just like they're getting smacked in the face by life. They can have the best of intentions. And yet something happens in their life that they're dealing with where just maintaining your weight is a win. Just learning something. something new about yourself is a win. And I think that's the road to weight loss is so measured by the scale at the end of it. And it stops so many people from starting and stop so many people from following through. Yeah. So for people like that, what if a weight loss wasn't your goal, right? If this scale, so for me, the scale has the power to change how I feel about myself.

I am not neutral about the scale. Other people are and it's a data point and it inspires them, go. don't ever stop weighing yourself. If you're the kind of person that if the scale doesn't go down, it derails you, it demotivates you, then you turn to food for comfort, you may not have a neutral relationship with food. And especially if it changes your sense of self-worth. So my weight is none of my business. My business is to eat whole fresh foods, move my body in fun ways. And wherever my weight ends up and ends up and I enjoy my body.

And that's very peaceful for me. So I equated to this. People who chase money, you've met these people, right? They're like, I'm only doing this if I make money. They don't make money. And then the people who are like, I'm not chasing money. I'm going to do what I love and be passionate about it. And then money finds them.

It's kind of the same way sometimes for people with weight loss. Like I'm going to forget about the scale. Whether I lose weight or not, doesn't really matter. I'm just going to focus on my health and eating and moving and loving life. And then the weight drops, right? That's the why. Your why has to resonate with you. And if a photo of you in your bikini when your 20 is doing that great,

if an upcoming trip is that great. But for most people, you have to have a more resonating why. You have to break it down. You have to break it down. Ask yourself why. Oh, to fit in the bikini. But why? Why?

Why then? What is that going to mean to you? How is that going to be? Love and acceptance. Right? That's the bigger question. This conversation today, like many of our early conversations with our guests is just an awareness conversation, right? This is like to to help

you understand that your thoughts and your fields are valid. This is, this is for so many the conversation. Before you go today, what are some like tangible takeaways or things that people can do as they start this journey or continue their journey of their returning member to help them understand their issues around food or to help them be able to make choices they feel better about or maybe feel better about the choices that they are making that they don't feel good about. Any tangible tips or takeaways for us? Yes. I want everybody to know that it's very hard to change constructively when motivated by shame, guilt, or self-hate. It's near impossible. So if that's your starting point, it's going to be very hard to change

your behavior long term. So you do need to start from a place of self-acceptance and self-love, wherever you are. I had to start that at over 100 pounds heavier than I am today. Total self-acceptance. Why? Because love is energizing and how much energy do you need for this? So there's that. Next is look at food as another relationship in your life. This is actually one of the most important besides yourself. So how do you want to repair this relationship? How do you want to build consistency? How do you just want to make it normal? insane no more like right like so many I work with women who have been on a diet for 50 years like one crazy restrictive like eating in ways for 50 years they don't even they have guilt every time they put a piece of food in their

mouth they have guilt because now is it high fat low fat is it counting points macros carbs they don't know anymore um so how do you just rebuild the same relationship with food and then third start living the life you want today No more waiting. No more waiting for anything. Even like dating, bikinis, vacations. What are you waiting for? Yeah. Show up and do it and do it imperfectly. There's no such thing as perfection or waiting to be ready or you're never, it's never going to be perfect and you're never going to be ready. You dropped a massive truth bond there on us. Like what is your, if I was to ask everyone listening right now today, what is your relationship with food? I think a lot of people would say it's a love, hate relationship. It may be a toxic relationship. Maybe they've, you know, glorified it in their mind, but if they really go deep on this, like truly, if you were to explain your relationship with food in one way, what would it be? And then I would challenge you to explore your relationship

with yourself. Yeah. What's in a reflection? Yeah. What is your relationship with yourself? And then from there, you go on is how is that affecting how you show up in life. Right? Oh my goodness. So many good tidbits and takeaways. So Sandra is going to be back as we all progress and move forward throughout the program. She's going to be talking on a variety of different topics. However, as many of you are, you know, sharing today, they just, you know, they get so much out of these conversations. They feel like you are a very safe place and space. Sandra is offering her food addiction. online program. It's an eight-week program. You can go to Sandra Aaliyah. That's Sandra E-L-A-A-a-com to find out more information. And as she always does, she's offering an amazing code. Livy Love, and I love that name,

Livy Love for 75% off. And you may be like, why 75%? Because she already knows you are doing so much of the work by following the program. So to go check out her program, to find out more about her, go to her website. If you also want to follow her on Instagram, where she's always sharing the most beautiful tips, you can follow her over there as well at Sandraaliyah.com. Thank you so much. Thank you.

Final takeaway words of wisdom for our members as they go off today and continue on with one of the program. Yeah, connection over food. Always think about that. Connection over food. Are you connecting with people? Are you talking from your heart to their heart? how can you bring more to the table at all your relationships?

I love that. And I adore you. I'm so grateful for you. Thank you so much. Thanks for everyone joining us live or listening after the fact. And of course, Sandra, thank you so much. Already looking forward to our next conversation. Her program starts February 8th, I believe. So if you want to get signed, February 2nd? Yes. February 2nd. So if you want to sign up, make sure you head over to her website and check out all of her offerings over there. Thanks, everyone. Have a great rest of your day. Thanks, Sandra. Bye.