Alexis Conason, Psy.D.

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Alexis Conason, Psy.D.

Clinical psychologist, researcher, and founder of The Anti-Diet Plan. Radically changing the way we think about food, health, and our bodies. Post.

Alexis Conason, Psy.D. is a licensed psychologist in private practice in the Midtown East neighborhood of New York City. Her practice specializes in the treatment of overeating disorders, body image, sexual functioning, and psychological issues related to weight loss surgery. She is a Research Associate at The New York Obesity Nutrition Research Center (NYONRC) at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital in affiliation with Columbia University. She earned her doctorate degree in clinical psychology from Long Island University, C.W. Following completion of her doctorate, Dr. Conason completed post-doctoral training at The Karen Horney Clinic and the NYONRC. She also earned a certificate in Eating Disorders, Compulsions, and Addictions from the William Alanson White Institute and a certificate in Psychodynamic Psychotherapy from the American Institute for Psychoanalysis. Dr. Conason’s research has been published in peer-reviewed academic journals and she has presented at numerous scientific conferences. She is on the editorial board of Frontiers in Eating Behavior and has served as a peer reviewer for numerous scientific journals, including Surgery for Obesity and Related Diseases and Obesity Surgery. She serves on the Board of the International Association of Eating Disorder Professionals-NY Chapter as their Research Chair and serves as the Advocacy and Outreach subcommittee chair of the Bariatric Surgery Section of The Obesity Society. She is an adjunct clinical supervisor at the Ferkauf School of Graduate Psychology. She is the author of the “Eating Mindfully” blog hosted by Psychology Today http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/eating-mindfully. She has been featured in the popular press including The Wall Street Journal/ Market Watch, Men's Health, Ladies' Home Journal, USA Today, The Huffington Post, Weight Watchers, Reuters, ABC News, Prevention, WebMD, EveryDay Health, US News & World Report Health Day, and Fox News.For more information, please visit www.drconason.com

04/03/2026

I’m loving all the Artemis II content, especially learning about what the astronauts are eating up in space 🚀🌕
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On this 10-day mission, the crew has 189 unique menu items! That includes tortillas, quiche, mac and cheese, brisket, cake, cobbler, coffee, and so much more!
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Even in one of the most extreme, high risk, high performance environments imaginable, NASA prioritizes enjoyable food. Meals are planned with variety, cultural preferences, and comfort foods in mind, in addition to the logistics of eating in space—they even get dessert!
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But wouldn’t it be easier for the astronauts to just eat some perfectly nutritionally balanced grey goo? I’m sure it would be but even NASA knows that food isn’t just fuel. It’s about pleasure, stress relief, cultural connection, and community.
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If astronauts need satisfying, enjoyable food to function at their best in space…
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You do too here on earth too. 🌎💫
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04/02/2026

Passover can bring up a lot when your relationship with food feels complicated.
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If this time of year is hard for you, you’re not alone. There’s no one “right” way to navigate it.
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Not keeping dietary observances doesn’t make you any less Jewish or a “bad Jew.” If it’s your custom, consider speaking with a rabbi, ideally one informed about eating disorders. Remember that in Judaism, pikuach nefesh—protecting your health and life—always comes first.
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Chag sameach 💙

03/26/2026

Spring break check-in ✨
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Do you have a college student home and noticing some changes around their eating?
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Maybe you’re not sure if it’s just stress, a phase, or something more.
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These are some signs to look out for.
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None of these signs alone mean there’s an eating disorder.
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But trust your gut and pay attention to your concerns.
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Create space for an open conversation and be sure to focus on connection, curiosity, and care—not weight.
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And remember, you don’t need to do this alone. If you suspect that you and/or your child can use extra support, reach out to a licensed mental health professional specialized in eating disorders.
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Conason Psychological Services is currently accepting new clients and we would be happy to chat for a free consultation call to see if it could be a good fit. www.conasonpsychologicalservices.com

03/22/2026

If you want the quick, swipeable breakdown of the new BMJ review on GLP-1 medications, here it is (or scroll back for my reel on the same study).
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A systematic review published in The BMJ analyzed 37 peer-reviewed studies including 9,341 adults using weight-loss medications.
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The data suggest:
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• After stopping medication, most people regained weight; on average about 0.4 kg (0.9 lbs) per month.
• Within 1.5–2 years, many returned to their pre-medication weight.
• Weight regain occurred faster for people using weight loss medications than after behavioral weight management.
• Improvements in blood sugar, cholesterol, and blood pressure often returned to baseline after stopping.
• Long-term data beyond ~2 years is limited.
• Mental health outcomes were not examined.
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If weight returns after stopping a GLP-1, that is not a personal failure. It is the expected physiological outcome.
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GLP-1s may be helpful tools for some people. But they are not short-term fixes.
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Informed consent is about in-depth conversations and making sure patients understand the full picture. It seems like even many doctors don’t have a good understanding of what they are prescribing, as I’ve heard of people being prescribed to “kick start” weight loss or just to be on them for a short time (not surprising when many prescribers are jumping on the GLP-1 bandwagon with minimal training in this specialty area).
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Reference: West S, et al. Weight regain after cessation of medication for weight management: systematic review and meta-analysis. The BMJ. 2026;392.
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03/20/2026

Have you noticed a loved one has gained weight?
Are you wondering how to bring it up?
Thinking about sharing your own weight loss journey as “inspiration”?
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Here’s a tip: don’t.
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Other people’s bodies are not our business.
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If you’re truly worried, pause and ask yourself why.
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Is it solely because of their size?
Or have you noticed changes in their mood, energy, social withdrawal, or overall well-being?
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If it’s the latter, talk about that.
Ask how they’re doing.
Let them know you care.
Keep their weight out of it.
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And if they seem happy and your concern is only about the number on the scale?
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That might be a moment to gently examine your own fatphobia.
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03/19/2026

I’ve been thinking more about my health lately, including how hard it can be to access basic preventative care.

I tried to find a new primary care doctor, and it was nearly impossible to find anyone in-network accepting new patients. When I finally did, the next appointment was 8 months away. So when I was offered the chance to try comprehensive blood testing with , I was curious.

My biggest hesitation was how it would align with my anti-diet, weight-inclusive approach.

I was pleasantly surprised—it was more weight-neutral than I expected. Most recommendations focused on additive nutrition and supplements rather than restriction or weight loss. There is a BMI section with weight-centric language, but you can skip it, and weight didn’t really bleed into the rest of the analysis, which is more than I can say for many doctor’s visits.

They do a good job highlighting the most important results and providing an overview of your health. But if you want to dig deeper, there’s a lot of data, which can feel overwhelming. The insights come from a functional/longevity lens that emphasizes “optimization,” so take that as you will. They did distinguish between results that were out of range by medical standards vs “suboptimal” which I appreciated.

Superpower isn’t meant to replace a primary care doctor. But if you’re struggling to access preventative care, it could be a helpful stopgap.

If you’re in eating disorder recovery, be sure to discuss with your treatment team. The focus on data and optimization can be triggering and it’s not ED-informed or weight-inclusive.

Would you try something like this? Tell me 👇🏻

Full review is on my blog (https://drconason.com/blog/), and I shared a code there to save 10% if you’re curious about trying it.

PS: shoutout to my phlebotomist Yamil from who skillfully got all those vials of blood from my often hard to access veins! 🩸

*I was gifted the basic superpower panel but purchased several additional panels myself.

03/16/2026

I recently heard about a “wellness” app made “for Gen Z, by Gen Z” (FYI that’s kids ages 13–18) that lets you snap a photo of your food, get nutrition scores, track calories, earn streaks, and even “feed” a virtual mascot as you log your meals.
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It’s marketed as playful, supportive, empowering, and of course “not a diet.”
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The “it’s not a diet” marketing of diet apps is deceptive and can be harmful, especially for teens who are especially vulnerable to developing an eating disorder.
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The gamification of dieting apps with avatars, virtual pets, and streaks is designed to capture kids attention and reel them in at an age where they may not fully realize the potential lifelong harms of restriction. I’ve heard so many stories of eating disorders that were triggered by food tracking or wanting to be healthier that evolves into a dangerous cycle.
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When teens are taught to photograph their meals, monitor their intake, and earn rewards for “watching what they eat,” we’re not teaching health. We are teaching them that food is something to control. That their instincts on how to feed themselves can’t be trusted.
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Instead of turning to these apps, what if parents modeled intuitive mindful eating, encouraged kids to listen to their bodies, and built body confidence in our children? I think that would be so powerful 🩷
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Have you seen apps like this? What do you think about gamifying calorie tracking for teens? 👇🏼
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03/13/2026

“It’s okay to be fat… as long as I’m healthy.”

Is that something you’ve heard or believed?
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It’s so common for body acceptance to feel conditional. Even in anti-diet spaces, fat acceptance can come with fine print.
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But what happens when you’re not healthy?
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Is your body suddenly not acceptable?
Is it less worthy?
Less deserving of care?
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What happens when your body needs more rest than you’d like?
What about if you need to take medication or use mobility aids, accommodations, or support?
What i it doesn’t perform in the ways our culture demands? Is your body no longer acceptable?
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If our acceptance of fatness is conditional on “health”, then is it truly acceptance or is it yet another demand?
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Body acceptance is about accepting (different from liking!), caring for, nurturing, and respecting your body wherever you happen to be at the moment.
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Health is not a moral achievement.
Ability is not a virtue.
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Your worth does not hinge on lab results, stamina, strength, or productivity.
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It hinges on your humanity.
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Full stop.

03/10/2026

For years, we were sold the sensational headline that sugar is “as addictive as cocaine.”
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That narrative didn’t just create fear around food.
It further pathologized fat bodies, painting fat people as out-of-control and powerless, while fueling mass hysteria around sugar.
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But the science was always more nuanced than the headlines.
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A recent brain imaging study adds to that nuance. Researchers found that ultra-processed foods did not behave like drugs of abuse in the brain. Dopamine responses were highly variable and, on average, small. They were not related to body size or adiposity.
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What was associated with a stronger reward response?
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Hunger.
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Which makes biological sense.
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When the body is underfed—whether from chronic dieting, sugar restriction, or deprivation — food becomes louder, more urgent, and more compelling.
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That’s not addiction. It’s survival.
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Our brains increase the reward value of food when we’re hungry so we eat and stay alive.
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When we restrict, we intensify the very experience we later label as “out of control.”
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Pleasure isn’t a diagnosis.
Enjoying sugar or “processed foods” isn’t a moral failure.
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And if you feel most “out of control” around food when you’ve been restricting?
That’s not proof you’re addicted.
It’s proof your biology is working.
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I know this can be a hot button topic! What do you think? Share 👇🏻

03/09/2026

Pleasure is essential for our mental health.
And yet so many of us were taught that pleasure is something to fear, to fight against, to only have in tiny increments ie “moderation,” or to feel ashamed of.
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But our brains are wired for it.
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Pleasure supports mood, motivation, connection, and stress relief. Food is a wonderful source of pleasure (along with so many others). There’s even research suggesting that when we’re relaxed and enjoying what we eat, our bodies digest and absorb nutrients more effectively.
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So eat something you genuinely enjoy today.
Notice the taste. The texture. The satisfaction.
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There’s no virtue in deprivation.
And there’s no shame in pleasure. 💜
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03/05/2026

GLP-1 medications are not designed to be short-term treatments.

A new systematic review published in The BMJ looked at what happens when people stop taking weight-loss medications, including GLP-1s and the findings reinforce what many experts have been saying from the start.

When the medications are stopped, most people regain weight, often at a rate of about one pound per month, and many return to their pre-medication weight within 1.5–2 years. Improvements in blood sugar, cholesterol, and blood pressure also tend to move back toward baseline.

Importantly, people who lost weight on medication regained weight faster than those who lost weight through behavioral interventions.

This is not a moral issue.
It’s not a discipline issue.
It’s physiology.

The study didn’t examine mental health outcomes, but we know from long-term bariatric surgery research that weight regain can be associated with distress and shame, even when it’s biologically expected.

If you’re considering a GLP-1 for weight loss, informed consent matters. These medications are generally intended for long-term, often lifelong, use.

We’re living in a moment where GLP-1s are marketed as miracle cures. The real story is more nuanced.

You deserve the full picture.

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http://www.drconason.com/, http://www.theantidietplan.com/

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