Undieting with Lisa Kilgour -

When you hear the title “Holistic Nutritionist,” it’s easy to imagine someone who has always lived a healthy, balanced life. But for Lisa Kilgore, becoming a nutritionist was a personal journey of healing. Lisa shares her story in this podcast episode, recounting how her early struggles with health and nutrition led her to where she is today—a passionate advocate for undieting and intuitive eating.

A Journey Born from Illness

Lisa’s health issues began in high school and continued into her early twenties. As a performance music student, she was under extreme stress, and by age 25, she was battling multiple health problems, including nerve damage, tendonitis, asthma, and constant brain fog. Despite visiting countless doctors, no one could figure out what was wrong with her. The missing piece? Nutrition.

Lisa reveals that her diet at the time was centered around sugar—she ate sugary cereals and sweetened peanut butter sandwiches, which led to severe nutritional deficiencies. These deficiencies eventually caused her body to break down, both physically and mentally.

However, Lisa’s turning point came when she started working at a whole food supplement company. After mustering up the courage to try a super green powder supplement, her brain “switched back on” within two weeks. This experience ignited her passion for nutrition and inspired her to become a registered holistic nutritionist.

The Power of Small Changes

For the past 15 years, Lisa has been working full-time as a holistic nutritionist, helping others who feel stuck and unsure about how to improve their health. She emphasizes that big changes don’t have to be hard. In fact, Lisa advocates for small, sustainable changes that align with your body’s needs.

Instead of dieting, Lisa teaches her clients to listen to their bodies. She helps people find balance, where indulgent foods like chocolate cake and cookies can coexist with nutrient-dense meals. By understanding cravings and responding to the body’s signals, she helps clients move away from the cycle of eating well for a time, falling off the wagon, and then starting again.

Healing Disordered Eating

Lisa’s relationship with food wasn’t always healthy. Like many teenagers, she struggled with disordered eating, using food as a form of control when life felt chaotic. She ate primarily sugary foods and rejected the wholesome meals her family made. This poor diet contributed to the health problems she later experienced.

What Lisa loves most about nutrition is how resilient the human body is. The moment she started nourishing her body with the nutrients it needed, her health began to improve. Now, 20 years later, her body craves green vegetables and nutrient-rich foods and has led her to the concept of undieting.

Undieting: A Sustainable Approach

Lisa’s approach to nutrition centers around “undieting.” She believes that traditional diets set people up for failure by encouraging them to ignore their body’s needs and desires. Diets wage war on the body, convincing people to resist cravings and restrict certain foods. But Lisa knows firsthand that the body always wins.

Cravings aren’t something to be feared or resisted—they are messages from the body about what it needs. Lisa often helps her clients interpret their cravings to figure out what their bodies are really asking for. For instance, craving chocolate may indicate a magnesium deficiency, while carb cravings, especially at night, may be a sign that you haven’t eaten enough during the day.

By listening to your body’s cravings and understanding what they mean, you can give your body the nutrients it needs in a way that feels natural and sustainable. This undieting approach leads to long-term health and well-being, without the stress and failure associated with traditional dieting.

Early Warning Signs of Adrenal Fatigue

If you’re feeling more tired than usual, or just “off,” it’s important to pay attention to some early warning signs that could indicate you’re on the road to adrenal fatigue. Here are a few common indicators:

Extended Morning Grogginess: It’s normal to feel a little sluggish after waking up, but if you find yourself struggling to wake up fully — feeling groggy for hours or even the entire morning — this could be a red flag. Your body might be struggling to produce enough cortisol to get you moving in the morning.
Increased Salt Cravings: One of the lesser-known signs of adrenal fatigue is an increased craving for salt. Salt is a natural support for the adrenals, and your body may crave it to compensate for their exhaustion. If you’re finding yourself reaching for salty snacks more than usual, it could be time to evaluate your adrenal health.
Feeling Exhausted All Day, Energized at Night: This is a major warning sign. If you’re dragging through your day, only to suddenly feel a burst of energy around 9 or 10 PM, it’s a clear indicator that your circadian rhythm and adrenal function are out of balance. This pattern, if ignored, can lead to more serious exhaustion, potentially leaving you bedridden.

If you’re experiencing any of these signs, it’s crucial to seek help before it progresses further. Consulting with a naturopath or integrative medicine doctor can provide a clearer diagnosis and help you create a plan to support your adrenals.

What Can You Do to Support Your Adrenals?

If you suspect you’re dealing with adrenal fatigue, there are several approaches to help reverse the effects and restore balance.

Frequent Eating: One of the worst things you can do if you’re experiencing adrenal fatigue is intermittent fasting. While fasting can be beneficial for some, it can strain your adrenals if you’re already fatigued. Instead, focus on eating small, frequent meals throughout the day to maintain stable blood sugar levels.
Incorporate Herbal Supplements: There are various herbal supplements that can help support adrenal health, such as ashwagandha, licorice root, and rhodiola. These herbs can help your body cope with stress more effectively.
Prioritize Sleep: Adrenal fatigue often disrupts sleep, so it’s crucial to prioritize rest. Try winding down earlier in the evening, avoid screens, and create a bedtime routine to help signal to your body that it’s time to relax.
Limit High-Intensity Workouts: Intense exercise can exacerbate adrenal fatigue. Instead, focus on gentle movement like walking, yoga, or swimming to reduce stress on your body.

Why You Shouldn’t Ignore the Signs

Adrenal fatigue doesn’t just go away on its own — it requires attention and support. The good news is, with early intervention, you can restore balance and energy. Listen to your body, and don’t hesitate to seek help if you’re feeling drained. We don’t have to run on empty; there are steps we can take to get back on track.

Why Breakfast Matters

The key to breakfast is making sure it keeps you satisfied for three to five hours and provides steady energy. It doesn’t need to be a huge meal, but it should be something that makes you feel good and fuels you for the day ahead. When you get breakfast right, the rest of your day often falls into place.

I’ve worked with former dieters who were shocked that the only thing I wanted them to focus on for the first few weeks was making breakfast work for them. They returned saying, “I didn’t believe you at first, but I’m amazed at how much better I feel!” When you start the day with the right meal, it lays the foundation for better energy, focus, and mood. Without it, other problems—like low energy or cravings—can pop up later in the day.

What’s the Right Breakfast for You?

There’s no one-size-fits-all answer. For some, a smoothie packed with protein, healthy fats, and fiber might be the perfect solution. For others, something like oatmeal with a banana hits the spot. What matters is that it works for you—keeping you energized, satisfied, and ready to tackle the day. And this isn’t just for you; it works for kids too. Starting their day with a nutritious meal can improve their concentration and energy throughout the day.

Intermittent Fasting and Breakfast: Should You Do It?

You’ve probably heard a lot about intermittent fasting lately. It’s a trend that works well for some people, but it’s important to be cautious—especially if you’re a woman. Most of the research on intermittent fasting has been done on men, and women’s bodies respond differently. For many women, intermittent fasting can negatively affect hormone balance, causing more harm than good.

If intermittent fasting feels easy and natural for you—like skipping breakfast and waiting until lunch feels effortless—then it might be a good fit. However, if you find yourself counting down the minutes to lunch or relying on caffeine to push through the morning, that’s a sign your body is stressed. Pushing through hunger by drinking coffee or ignoring your body’s signals can lead to elevated cortisol levels, which can cause long-term issues like adrenal fatigue.

Listening to Your Body

What I’ve seen with intermittent fasting is that it causes a stress response in both men and women, but it’s often more harmful to women. If you’re fasting and constantly battling hunger or needing caffeine to cope, it’s time to rethink the approach. Women typically do better with a more gentle 12- to 14-hour overnight fast, which is as simple as finishing dinner and eating breakfast at a reasonable time the next day.

It’s also important to consider where you are in your cycle. Some parts of your menstrual cycle are better suited for fasting, while others are not. The key takeaway? Don’t force it. If intermittent fasting or skipping breakfast feels bad, your body is telling you something. Listen to it.

Final Thoughts

Lisa Kilgore’s story is a testament to the power of nutrition in healing the body. Her journey from illness to health inspired her to become a holistic nutritionist, and she now helps others find their path to wellness by listening to their bodies and embracing an undieting approach. Instead of fighting against cravings or following strict diets, Lisa encourages her clients to make small, meaningful changes that lead to lasting health. If you’re tired of dieting and ready to find balance, Lisa’s approach may be the answer you’ve been searching for.