1 hr 2 minEating More to Lose Weight After Years of Restriction
With Erin Washington
Guest on the show
Erin Washington
Erin Washington is a mom of two in Atlanta, host of the Squats and Margaritas podcast, author of From Pain to Purpose, a body positive advocate and founder of the Blue Butterfly Foundation for teen girls.
Episodes with Erin Washington
1 hr 2 minWhat Erin talks about
Ep. 79: Eating More to Lose Weight After Years of Restriction
Erin Washington, host of Squats and Margaritas and author of From Pain to Purpose, spent 20 years, from 16 to 36, struggling with body image and eating disorders. It started with soccer, when she equated thin with fit. It grew into anorexia, exercise bulimia and bulimia, and later into years of barely eating and doing cardio twice a day. She tells Nikkiey Stott how a trainer pointed out that she was overexercising and under-eating. Tracking her macros showed she was about 900 calories a day short, and eating more while lifting heavier finally moved her body. She has kept 20 pounds off for seven years.
The conversation covers why releasing shame matters, why Erin stopped using filters, and how she now honors her hunger and fullness cues. She explains why taking foods off the pedestal ended her binges, and why working out to cancel out food is a pattern worth looking at. Nikkiey adds her view that macros are a skill set for life, not something you track forever, and that one cookie is not blowing it.
Erin also shares the story behind the Blue Butterfly Foundation, her nonprofit that pairs teen girls with mentors who have been through the same struggles. Her advice to her younger self is simple: get off the scale, because you are so much more than a number.
- Erin learned through tracking her macros that she was under-eating by about 900 calories a day, and when she roughly doubled her food she lost five pounds in about a month.
- If you are sticking to 5- or 10-pound weights so you don't bulk up, Erin says you won't get muscle tone until you lift heavier.
- If there is something you hold shame about, write it down or tell someone, because Erin found that once it is out it loses its power.
- When everything is allowed, food is less enticing: order the meal the way you actually want it, then check in on whether you are satisfied before eating more.
- Having one cookie or a piece of cake is not blowing it; adjust at your next meal, and Nikkiey suggests simply adding more protein for the rest of the day.
In Erin's words
Questions Erin helps answer
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Metabolism, Eating More & Reverse Dieting
Can you lose weight by eating more?
Yes, according to The WarriorBabe Show. Nikkiey says almost every WarriorBabe success story involves eating more food, and members like Amy, Debbie, Lisa and Erin lost weight after raising their calories from chronic lows. The key, she explains, is eating enough to fuel strength training and build muscle, which is active tissue that burns calories even at rest.
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Food Noise, Cravings & Overeating
How do I stop overeating treats?
Stop treating sweets as forbidden, then build the discipline to stop when you've had enough. Nikkiey and her guests say that when a food is allowed every day, the urge to overeat it mostly fades. Decide how much is enough, savor it, give your body time to register fullness, and put the rest away.
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Common questions
Can eating more actually help you lose weight?
In Erin's experience, yes. A trainer told her she was overexercising and under-eating, and macro tracking showed she was about 900 calories a day short. When she roughly doubled her food, she lost five pounds in about a month and has kept 20 pounds off for seven years.
What is exercise bulimia?
Erin describes it as writing down the calories of everything you eat and then burning off the same amount on a cardio machine. She says that if you are working out to undo food, that is something you need to look at.
Will lifting heavy weights make women bulky?
Erin says no. In her view your body naturally tones when you lift, she had no tone until she lifted heavier, and muscle is the most metabolically active tissue in your body.
Do you need to track macros forever?
Nikkiey says no. She sees macros as a skill set for life, important for fat loss and specific aesthetic goals, but in maintenance she doesn't expect you to weigh food at dinner with friends, just to pay attention to portion sizes.
How do you stop one cookie from turning into a binge?
Erin says that when nothing is off limits there is no reason to binge, and one cookie isn't blowing it, you just adjust at the next meal. Nikkiey adds that she tells people to have more protein for the rest of the day, because it's not over.
What is the Blue Butterfly Foundation?
It is Erin's nonprofit for teen girls aged 12 to 20 who are struggling with body image or self-worth. It plans retreats where women share their stories and offers one-on-one mentorship with someone who has been through the same thing, and Erin says it is not meant to replace therapy.