Former Goop executive says Gwyneth Paltrow's brand's cleanses 'distorted' her body image

Gwyneth Paltrow's former Goop executive — Elise Loehnen, who was Chief Content Officer and Paltrow's second-in-command until October 2020 — says she had to work to redefine her relationship with her body since stepping down from her role at the wellness brand.

The 42-year-old left Goop to start her podcast, Pulling the Thread, as well as write a book, and during her time at the company, she participated in many cleanses.

The 49-year-old Sliding Doors star is renowned for her love of cleanses, and at the start of each year, Goop hosts a cleanse for their readers — but since leaving, Loehnen says she has "decided to foreswear any cleansing."

READ MORE: Keith Redmon sues Anonymous Content over ouster, denies sexual misconduct claims

In an Instagram video, Loehnen says cleansing had become "synonymous with dieting and restriction." Watch above.

"I felt like I was not in a healthy relationship with my body, where I was always trying to punish it [and] bring it under control," Loehnen said.

Since leaving, Loehnen says she has been "eating like a teenager for two years and enjoying it," something she says has been "definitely healthy in terms of letting go of ideas of what my body should look like as a 42-year-old who has had two kids."

"I needed to break a tendency to be critical and punishing. To chastise myself. All of it. I stopped weighing myself completely," she said.

READ MORE: Alec Baldwin expected in Rome this week, resuming acting work after 'Rust'

Loehnen did also say, however, that she has realised after two years of eating freely, that can be problematic too.

"When I talked with my friend @ellenvoramd on Pulling the Thread recently, we explored diet and she reminded me that wellness culture can be toxic AND that eating an abundance of overly processed foods can also be toxic," Loehnen said.

"And I realised in that moment that I've kind of deserted how my body actually feels — as much as I've enjoyed two years of eating whatever my young kids want. And that I'm clearly being called back to a place somewhere in the middle because my stomach often hurts."

So, Loehnen did try cleansing again, but with a different perspective — moving away from liquid-only cleanses or cleanses that require tracking her weight, and doing one that was broth-, juice- and latte-focused, but allowed her to consume vegetables, protein and extra snacks.

READ MORE: Miley Cyrus' plane forced to make emergency landing after being struck by lightning

"I thought I would hate the whole thing but I decided to do it differently. I didn't weigh myself, before, during, after, and I chose the version that lets you eat extra veggies and proteins as you want," she said of her new approach.

"It didn't feel restrictive, at all, I wasn't hungry, and I felt much better after. What's more exciting is that I didn't retaliate by eating badly immediately. It just released me into a new, slightly healthier lane."

Ultimately, Loehnen feels like she's learned balance when it comes to cleansing without restriction.

"I refuse to punish myself with food, or hold myself under the weight my body seems to want to be anymore," she said.

"I don't have the energy or the interest, thankfully. (And more importantly, I've come to realise that I really like my body and am grateful it is mine.) Hopefully I've broken that cycle for good."