301. Lauren Rojas on Weight Loss Surgery, Food Addiction, Emotional Eating & Finding Peace with Your Body

"For years I believed happiness lived in a smaller body. What I finally learned was that healing my relationship with myself was the real transformation." -Lauren Rojas   What if the hardest part of weight loss isn't the food—it's the emotional story you've been carrying your entire life? In this powerful episode of Turmeric & Tequila, Kristen Olson sits down with wellness coach Lauren Rojas to discuss her 30+ year journey through diet culture, emotional eating, weight loss surgery, food addiction recovery, and ultimately finding peace with her body. Lauren shares what it was like growing up overweight, beginning diets at just 10 years old, and spending decades chasing the belief that happiness lived in a smaller body. From Weight Watchers and fad diets to food addiction programs, CrossFit, and bariatric surgery, Lauren reveals the lessons she learned along the way and how she now helps women transform their relationship with food, body image, and self-worth. Together, Kristen and Lauren explore the impact of reality television, The Biggest Loser, social pressure, emotional eating, body acceptance, self-awareness, and the importance of reconnecting mind, body, and spirit. This conversation is for anyone who has ever struggled with food, body image, perfectionism, shame, or the belief that they are somehow "not enough." In This Episode: • Lauren's lifelong battle with weight and dieting • Growing up in the height of diet culture • Why attaching worth to weight can be so damaging • Weight Watchers, fad diets, and food addiction recovery • The Biggest Loser and the impact of reality TV on body image • Emotional eating and the shame cycle • Weight loss surgery as a tool—not a solution • Intuitive eating and self-awareness practices • Breaking free from guilt around food • Building a healthier relationship with yourself   TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Welcome & Sponsor Shoutouts 01:18 Meet Lauren Rojas 02:35 Growing Up Overweight & Starting Diets at Age 10 05:20 Attaching Self-Worth to Weight Loss 08:00 Weight Watchers, Diet Culture & Childhood Experiences 11:00 Fad Diets, Food Rules & Extreme Weight Loss Attempts 15:00 The Moment Lauren Realized Dieting Wasn't the Answer 17:40 Food Addiction Recovery & Losing 100 Pounds 21:00 Gaining the Weight Back & Emotional Struggles 24:00 Weight Loss Surgery as a Tool for Change 27:30 Turning Pain into Purpose Through Coaching 30:00 The Biggest Loser, Reality TV & Body Image Expectations 34:00 Public Attention, Anxiety & Emotional Eating 37:00 Mindset, Awareness & Healing the Relationship with Food 41:00 Food Addiction vs. Food Freedom 45:00 Self-Love, Awareness & Sustainable Wellness 48:00 Lauren's Coaching Approach & Final Takeaways Lauren Rojas is a wellness coach for women who have used the tool of weight loss surgery or a GLP-1 to lose the weight, but know the real work is emotional and mental. Having lived the cycle herself for over 30 years, she understands this struggle from the inside out. Through reconnecting mind, body, and spirit, Lauren helps women break free from emotional eating and find lasting peace with food and their body. https://www.uplift-journey.com https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61588158020330 https://www.instagram.com/lauren.uplift.journey/   Connect with T&T: IG: @TurmericTequila Facebook: @TurmericAndTequila Website: www.TurmericAndTequila.com Host: Kristen Olson IG: @Madonnashero Tik Tok: @Madonnashero Website: www.KOAlliance.com WATCH HERE MORE LIKE THIS: https://youtu.be/ZCFQSpFoAgI?si=Erg8_2eH8uyEgYZF   https://youtu.be/piCU9JboWuY?si=qLdhFKCGdBzuAeuI https://youtu.be/9Vs2JDzJJXk?si=dpjV31GDqTroUKWH