ABOUT THIS EPISODE
You track your macros. You prioritize protein. You work out consistently. You eat “healthy.”
So why are you still bloated, inflamed, thinking about food all day, struggling to lose stubborn body fat, or terrified to stop tracking?
In this episode of the Not So Deep Podcast, Lauren and Dilan break down the three levels of your health and fitness journey and explain why so many women get stuck at Level 2: macros, discipline, dieting, and surface-level control.
We share our own experiences with bodybuilding, obsessive macro tracking, extreme discipline, food anxiety, overtraining, hormone issues, poor digestion, and trying to control our bodies harder when what we actually needed was a completely different approach.
You’ll learn:
• The difference between Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3 nutrition
• 5 signs you’re stuck in Level 2
• Why eating clean doesn’t automatically fix bloating or inflammation
• How excessive fiber, diet foods, artificial sweeteners, and volume eating can impact digestion
• Why constantly cutting calories can make your situation worse
• When your body may need restoration, maintenance, or recomp before fat loss
• How overtraining and under-fueling can impact recovery and hormone health
• Why hitting your macros doesn’t necessarily mean you have a healthy relationship with food
• How to transition from tracking everything to actually trusting your body
• Why true food freedom still includes nutritional awareness and standards
• How to stay lean without letting food, calories, and your physique control your life
Level 3 is where calories, food quality, digestion, hormones, training, recovery, and your relationship with food finally work together.
If you feel like you’re doing everything “right” but your body still doesn’t match your effort, this episode will help you understand the missing piece.
The goal isn’t to lose all structure. It’s to build enough knowledge, health, and self-awareness that you can maintain a body you love without needing perfection to feel in control.
Our Instagrams:
