Have you ever felt like the whole wellness conversation is just... off? Like, everyone's dancing around the real issues, throwing out terms like "clean eating" and "self-care" but never actually addressing the root causes of why you're tired, stressed, and uncomfortable in your own skin?
You’re not imagining it, the modern wellness space is so busy trying not to offend anyone that it’s lost its way. And I'm not holding back in this episode.
I'm asking the question that most coaches are too afraid to voice: Can we have an honest conversation about health and wellness without talking about fat loss, calories, and body composition? My answer? A resounding no. And I'm here to tell you exactly why.
I get it. Fat loss has become a term that’s overly sanitized in the wellness world, and just saying it out loud feels rebellious. But here’s the reality: over 70% of U.S. adults are overweight or obese. This isn't about aesthetics, it's about health. Most wellness advice is vague, politically correct fluff that doesn’t actually help busy women with real lives and real stress. And too often, women are being told to "stress less" or "just love your body" when they’re drowning in hormonal chaos, career pressure, and caregiving roles.
Here's what I cover:
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Why sanitized, feel-good wellness messages are doing more harm than good
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The connection between excess adiposity and hormonal, emotional, and physical well-being
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How toxic body positivity and fear of backlash are keeping women from real solutions
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What true wellness actually looks like for the woman juggling it all
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Why it’s okay to want to look hot and feel healthy—you don’t have to apologize for that
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The simple, science-backed strategies that actually move the needle for busy, high-achieving women
This isn’t about chasing a number on the scale. It’s about having the energy to show up for your family, your career, and yourself. It’s about feeling confident enough to speak in front of a room, go on vacation, or be intimate with your partner. And it’s about breaking up with the exhausting all-or-nothing perfectionism that keeps you stuck.
There is nothing wrong with wanting to look hot as f*ck. But if we’re not talking about body composition, we’re not talking about wellness. - Nathalia
If you’re done with fluffy advice and ready for honest and practical strategies that meet you where you are, this episode is for you. DM me on Instagram with your thoughts, I want to hear from you.
Because true wellness starts with honesty, and I'm here to lead the charge.
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Connect with Nathalia
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More about the Unfiltered Fit Life podcast
Ever wish you had a fit and straightforward BFF with over 15 years of experience to help you filter through all the information regarding fitness, nutrition, and life?
That’s exactly what you’ll get when you listen to the Unfiltered Fit Life Podcast.
Join Former Bikini Olympia Champion, mom of 2, and fitness coach Nathalia Melo each week as she shares fitness, nutrition, and life tips to help busy working moms simplify their fitness journey so they can learn easy and simple strategies on how to lose weight and feel sexy AF.
After helping over 5000 busy working moms, Nathalia has found the blueprint to fitness, nutrition, and life success, which she will be sharing in this podcast: actionable tips that will help busy working moms be more present at work and at home.
This show is for you if you realize that nothing good comes from your comfort zone and are ready to challenge yourself to achieve great things. Follow Unfiltered Fit Life wherever you are listening to join us each week for a splash of sass, humor, and a whole lotta truth.
The podcast transcript for this episode of the Unfiltered Fit Life podcast follows
Nathalia [00:00:05]:
Hello. Hello there, fam. Welcome to another episode of the Unfiltered Fit Life podcast. I'm Natalia Melo, your host, and I'm gonna start in, like, hot. I'm gonna go in hot...
Today’s Big Question: Can We Talk About Wellness Without Fat Loss?
Nathalia [00:00:54]:
So the question was, do you think that we can have a conversation or that we can talk about or speak about health and wellness and well-being without talking about fat loss? And for me, the answer is no...
Why This Conversation Matters: Real Women, Real Struggles
Nathalia [00:02:15]:
And I'm gonna tell you why. And but before I tell you why, I want to share with you what got me what got my wheels wheels spinning around, having this conversation...
Corporate Wellness Feedback: The Pushback Against Fat Loss
Nathalia [00:03:43]:
So one of the presentations that I have done... I got a feedback because always after the presentation, I like to send feedback form...
Fluffy Wellness Advice: Why It Isn’t Helping Anyone
Nathalia [00:04:58]:
This got me thinking... this reaction is exactly why so many wellness programs and talks are fluffy, vague, ineffective, and they are hard to apply...
Who This Episode is For
Nathalia [00:07:20]:
So this episode today is for women who are tired of surface level advice... they still don't feel at home in their bodies...
Looking at the Data: Why Fat Loss is a Health Conversation
Nathalia [00:08:19]:
Let's look quickly at the data, and you're going to start to understand why it is so difficult, if not impossible, to talk about health and wellness without talking about body composition, fat loss, and calories...
Life & Hormones: The Midlife Woman’s Reality
Nathalia [00:09:51]:
For women 35, we have the hormonal disruptions that come with, you know, early perimenopause and then menopause and postmenopause...
The Mental Health & Body Image Connection
Nathalia [00:11:57]:
Now let's talk about mental health and body image. Because studies have shown that women who don't feel confident in their bodies are more likely to experience social withdrawal, low energy, and workplace burnout...
Ignoring the Real Problem Just Makes it Worse
Nathalia [00:13:13]:
So we can see here and talk and pretend that the feeling of living in a body that doesn't feel like it belongs to you...
The Wellness Industry: All Trends, No Solutions
Nathalia [00:15:08]:
And here's the the the interesting thing is that, like, the wellness the global wellness market right now is worth over $4.4.0.4 $500,000,000...
The Missing Piece: Objective, Simple Information
Nathalia [00:16:36]:
And in my opinion, the bottom of it is a lack of objective information on what actually works and what doesn't...
Why Most Wellness Messaging Fails
Nathalia [00:18:36]:
That is true wellness. That is peace of mind...
Why Wellness Programs Stay Vague
Nathalia [00:19:30]:
And I am not entirely sure why most wellness programs avoid the conversation, allow calories, fat loss, and and giving practical structure...
The Dangers of Obsessive, “Clean” Wellness Culture
Nathalia [00:20:50]:
Because everything is being perceived as so overwhelming and that you need all these fancy ingredients and then you need to think about the anti inflammatory food and then toxic food and avoid seed oils...
Why Wellness Advice is Out of Touch for Real Women
Nathalia [00:23:08]:
Your markers might be great right now, but we have plenty of data to support that being severely overweight overweight or obese is not healthy...
Surface-Level Marketing & Lack of Real Expertise
Nathalia [00:26:38]:
Self care, clean girl routines, the vague buzzwords, like like glow, diet culture wellness. They all sound nice, and I'm pretty sure that there is something good behind it...
What Actually Works — And What’s Actually Toxic
Nathalia [00:29:57]:
So here's what actually works because what is actually, before we talk about what actually actually works, we need to talk about what is actually toxic...
It’s About More Than Aesthetics: Real Quality of Life
Nathalia [00:31:51]:
So we need to make also very clear that this isn't about, like, aesthetics. This has nothing to do with aesthetics. It's about function...
This Is Backed By Real Stories and Real Data
Nathalia [00:36:11]:
Think about that. And here's the thing, I have worked like, this is not conversations that I'm driving just from my personal experience. This is data from thousands of women that I have worked with...
What Women Actually Need: Simple, Supportive Solutions
Nathalia [00:40:08]:
What women right now actually need are simple strategies. They're rooted in science and not few good terminologies...
Stop Apologizing for Fat Loss Goals
Nathalia [00:44:16]:
So I want you listening today to, one, stop apologizing for having, you know, like, fat loss goals. Because if you have fat loss goals and you're not feeling your best, chances are that it is having a trickle down effect...
Fat Loss as the Foundation—But Not the Only Thing
Nathalia [00:45:54]:
And I'm not saying that fat loss at all costs is gonna be the solution to our problems, but doing so in a way that doesn't become consume like that doesn't consume your life is going to be the first step...
A Call To Honest Fitness Conversations
Nathalia [00:46:54]:
So do I think that we can, that we can talk about wellness without, talking about fat loss? Absolutely not. Absolutely not...
Connect With Nathalia
Nathalia [00:47:20]:
Alright, ladies. Thank you so much for listening. I would love to hear your feedback on this podcast...
