“Beauty is pain.”
These words date back to France in the 1800s—Il faut souffrir pour être belle—which means “One must suffer to be beautiful.”
For generations, we tolerated it. This phrase justified painful beauty standards like corsets, elaborate hairstyles, tight shoes, and (more recently) diets that starve our bodies.
But were the French right? After 200 years, should we still follow this advice? Or can we find better ways to look and feel beautiful in our own skin?
Let’s look at four core steps we take in LEAN, measure them against pain and deprivation, and see the results.
Then, you decide for yourself whether suffering is necessary on your weight loss journey.
🌱 Think of Yourself Like a Plant, Not a Project
Every plant has different needs. Some thrive in full sun. Others prefer shade. Some need daily watering. Others do best in dry, sandy soil.
We’re no different.
Our bodies are complex and unique. Genetics, environment, age, hormones, stress, and season of life all influence what our body needs on any given day.
When you peel your gaze off the scale and stop treating your body like a project to be “fixed,” something shifts. You begin to see yourself as a living organism—one that needs nourishment, care, and consistency. This shift will help you thrive (not just drop a pant size).
And here’s where the magic happens:
When you focus on your health—on taking steps that help you thrive from the inside out—weight loss often becomes a byproduct. Your body naturally moves closer to the weight that’s right for you.
Here’s what this can look like:
- Eating enough food instead of pushing through hunger
- Choosing workouts that build strength and energy, not punishment
- Prioritizing sleep, stress reduction, and recovery
- Letting go of daily scale fluctuations and tracking progress through energy, mood, digestion, strength, and consistency
You’ll look and feel far more beautiful with the glow of real health—even if you’re five pounds heavier than your old “goal weight.” And more importantly, that glow is sustainable.
👉 Your Quick Check-In: Instead of asking, “How can I shrink my body?” ask, “What does my body need to feel supported today?”
🌱 Eat More to Lose More (Reverse Your Diet)
If you’ve ever lost weight only to hit a wall—where the scale stops moving no matter how little you eat—you’re not broken. Your metabolism simply adapted.
This is where reverse dieting comes in.
During prolonged dieting, calories and macros are continually reduced to chase weight loss. Over time, your metabolism learns to survive on less. Energy drops, hunger skyrockets, and eventually weight loss stalls. That dreaded plateau isn’t failure. It’s biology.
Reverse dieting flips the script.
Instead of cutting further, you strategically increase calories (typically 100-1500 at a time) using whole, nutrient-dense foods. As your body adapts, metabolism re-optimizes. Energy improves. Hormones stabilize. And your body becomes responsive to fat loss again, without starvation.
This approach is especially powerful if:
- You’ve hit a weight loss plateau
- You’re eating near the calorie minimum (around 1200)
- You want to maintain weight loss without constant restriction
Reverse dieting isn’t about overeating—it’s about rebuilding trust with your body so fat loss doesn’t require misery. In LEAN, we teach you how to increase calories without gaining fat, so weight loss becomes sustainable instead of a constant fight.
👉 Your Quick Check-In: Ask yourself, “Am I full and satiated after each meal?” If not, you might be ready to reverse your diet.
🌱 Crack the Code of Your Cravings
You know the afternoon slump.
You’re not hungry—but somehow you’re standing in the pantry, cookie in hand, Thirty minutes later, you feel foggy, tired, and frustrated.
That’s not a willpower problem. That’s your body communicating.
Cravings are signals—not character flaws. When you learn how to interpret them, food stops feeling like the enemy and starts becoming information.
Here’s the pattern we see again and again:
- Sweet cravings often trace back to blood sugar crashes, especially from carb-heavy or sweet breakfasts. A savory, protein-rich breakfast stabilizes energy and dramatically reduces cravings all day long.
- Salty or crunchy cravings are frequently linked to chronic stress and mineral depletion. Your body is asking for support—electrolytes, rest, and nervous system regulation.
- Carb cravings are often a sign of undereating or unbalanced meals. When your body doesn’t get enough fuel, it will demand quick energy.
- Constant snacking usually means your meals aren’t satisfying enough. Solid, balanced meals calm cravings far better than grazing.
The solution isn’t to silence cravings—it’s to satisfy them correctly. When blood sugar is balanced, stress is supported, and meals are nourishing, cravings lose their intensity. Food freedom replaces food obsession.
Before your next meal, close your eyes and imagine what foods sound the most amazing to you right then. Then, look up what nutrients (macro and micro) those foods contain.
If what you pictured on your plate was a less healthy food (processed, fried, or full of sugar), replace it with a food that offers the same nutrients in a better vehicle. For example, if you’re craving chocolate (which is full of magnesium), you can whip up a smoothie with magnesium-rich ingredients, like bananas, figs, cacao, spinach, and almond milk.
👉 Your Quick Check-In: Pause and quickly research your next craving—see if you can sub it out for something satiating.
🌱 Take a Tech Shortcut
Weight loss tools are everywhere—macro trackers, calorie-counting apps, food logs that require you to record every bite before you even enjoy it.
They can be helpful…until they become exhausting.
If you’ve ever felt like weight loss requires constant mental energy (planning, tracking, calculating, second-guessing) this tech tool will be your answer.
One of the most powerful shortcuts we use in our No Track LEAN Program is CGM technology (continuous glucose monitoring).
Instead of guessing how food affects your body, a CGM shows you—objectively and in real time—how your blood sugar responds to what you eat, how you sleep, how you exercise, and how you manage stress.
This matters because blood sugar plays a huge role in:
- Fat storage and fat loss
- Energy levels
- Hunger and cravings
- Mood and brain fog
- Metabolic health
A CGM removes the need to micromanage food. You don’t have to log every meal or obsess over perfect macros. The data does the work for you.
Many women I’ve worked with started off feeling like they were doing “everything right” and still struggling. After using a CGM, they were shocked to discover that the “healthy” foods they’re eating spiked their blood sugar. Then they found that small tweaks dramatically improved their energy and fat loss.
And perhaps best of all—CGMs give you diet freedom.
You get to live your life without your nose in an app, while still learning exactly what your body needs to thrive.
When awareness replaces obsession, progress becomes easier and far less painful.
👉 Your Quick Check-In: Instead of asking, “Am I tracking this perfectly?” ask, “Do I understand how my body responds to what I’m eating?”
Ditch Deprivation
For centuries, we’ve been told that suffering is the price of beauty.
But what if the opposite is true?
What if tending to yourself—eating enough, honoring cravings, supporting your metabolism, and working with your body instead of against it—is what actually leads to sustainable weight loss and confidence?
That’s the philosophy behind LEAN.
If you’re ready to:
- Lost weight without deprivation
- Stop fighting your body
- Eat more food with less stress
- Feel strong, energized, and confident in your skin
Join LEAN today. We’ll teach you how to nourish your body, reverse plateaus, balance cravings, and create results that last—without pain, punishment, or obsession.
Because beauty doesn’t require suffering. It requires support.
