Nourished & Free: The Podcast

You're probably not giving your kid an eating disorder. Take a deep breath.

I know that fear. I’ve lived in it, and I'm a dietitian for heaven's sakes! You read the books, follow the experts, and try to do everything right... but STILL end up replaying conversation in your head about food and wondering if you did it right.

This week I’m sitting down with Jennifer Anderson, registered dietitian, MPH, founder of Kids Eat in Color, and author of Feed Them Well, the best book I’ve read on feeding kids (I paid full price and my highlighter has never worked harder.)

We get into what the food restriction research really says when you look past social media, whether intuitive eating was ever meant for kids, and what happened when I gave my own kids unlimited Halloween candy lololol.

If you’ve ever wondered whether you’re allowed to tell your kid “lunch is in 20 minutes,” or "only 2 cookies today," this one’s for you.

JUMP TO:

[00:00] How it feels trying to teach kids about food
[05:03] Introduction to Jennifer
[06:58] “Is chocolate bad for you?” The conversation that got Jennifer canceled
[08:50] It’s a lot harder to ruin your kid than the internet says.
[11:40] When Jennifer asked herself, “What if I’m wrong?”
[20:51] The problem hiding in the food restriction research
[29:22] Where the division of responsibility (DOR) came from
[31:47] Can kids eat intuitively?
[37:41] Why “healthy” might be just as tricky a word as “unhealthy”
[42:13] Jennifer's hot take on cheering kids up with food
[45:14] Grazing, snack requests, and the power of an eating routine
[52:35] The one hard line we NEVER cross

Resources mentioned:

• Feed Them Well book
• How to talk to your kids about food bundle
• Jennifer's website
• Kids Eat in Color Instagram

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Create Harmony

This is a podcast about setting an intentional rhythm, savoring life’s blessings and...

Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify

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Wondering what actually happens inside Nourished & Free? Well.... you’re about to find out.

In this episode, I’m pulling back the curtain on my four-month group coaching program for women who are tired of food taking up so much space in their heads. You’ll hear about the three phases every client moves through. You’ll also hear real stories from women who went from constant food thoughts and secret binges to forgetting there’s a chocolate bunny in the cabinet.

If you know what to do with food but can’t stick to it, and you’re wondering whether this is even “a big enough deal” to get help for, this one’s for you.

In this episode:

• Why knowing what to eat hasn’t been enough, and where psychology comes in
• My own story with disordered eating, and what changed when I prioritized healing
• The data: What our graduates report
• Is food noise worth addressing, even when your labs look fine?
• Phase 1, Turn Down the Volume
• Phase 2, Take Away the Threat
• Phase 3, Trust Yourself on the Hard Days
• The fall calendar

Doors are OPEN for the fall group of Nourished & Free. Applications close at the end of the day on Monday, October 19.

✍️ Apply for Nourished & Free: https://yatesnutrition.com/application

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You just ate. You're not even hungry. And your brain is already on to the next meal.

Counting. Negotiating. Planning tomorrow's fresh start before today is even over.

Is that just how everyone thinks about food? Or is it something more?

In this episode, I'm digging into food noise, the term that took off in the GLP-1 era when people on Ozempic and Wegovy suddenly noticed the constant chatter about food went quiet. But for those of us who work in eating disorders, this isn't new at all.

I'm walking you through how researchers are actually defining food noise, then putting normal food thoughts and food noise side by side so you can hear the difference for yourself. And I'm tackling the question so many women ask before they work with us: "What if I'm just addicted to food?"

If you've ever wondered whether you think about food "too much," or whether your struggle is "bad enough" to deserve help, this episode is for you.

JUMP TO:
[00:00] Are your food thoughts normal, or a sign of something more?
[00:58] Where "food noise" came from, and why it's not new
[02:07] The two defining words to tell if it's food noise or not
[04:00] Avoid the "it's not that bad" trap
[06:36] Normal vs. not normal: side-by-side comparisons
[09:50] Food addiction vs food noise
[13:12] Sugar, dopamine, rats, and my cat
[16:56] The hidden sources turning up the volume
[20:12] Where's the line between food noise and disordered eating?
[21:32] Your food noise exit plan

Ready to quiet the food noise for good? Nourished & Free is my group coaching program for women who want their brain back from food, so it can go to what really matters.

More Resources:
🎙️ FREE MASTERCLASS: The Food Noise Exit Plan
Thursday, October 8 at 6 PM CT / 4 PM PT / 7 PM ET
I'll walk you through where food noise really comes from, the mistakes that make it louder, and your next steps to get out of the cycle. Can't make it live? Register anyway and I'll send you the replay. Register here!

🎧 Mentioned in this episode: my full episode on food addiction

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🔥 Work with me in Nourished & Free®
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💻 Watch my FREE training, "Why Can't I Stop Thinking About Food?"

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You hold it together all day. Then the night falls, and it all comes undone.
The pantry. The drive-thru. The kitchen's secrets after everyone's in bed.
You swore today would be different. It wasn't.
And you can't explain why it keeps happening.

In this episode, I'm breaking down the two biggest culprits I see behind nighttime eating spirals (one of them has absolutely nothing to do with food). I'm painting the picture through the two women I see struggling with this most: the woman working full time who lives, and the stay-at-home mom. Their days look nothing alike, but happens at night looks exactly the same. Then I'm walking you through a typical day of eating that might feel a little TOO familiar, and sharing the thing I tell clients that has them breathing a huge sigh of relief because it's so simple to fix.

If you've ever wondered why you can be so disciplined all day and completely lose it at night, this one's for you.

JUMP TO:
[00:00] Why you hold it together all day and unravel at night
[01:30] The woman who's "on" from the moment she gets to work
[03:49] The mom who hasn't had a thought to herself since sunrise
[04:30] What these two very different days have in common
[05:13] If it's not a willpower problem, what is it?
[07:24] The cookie vs. the massage (and why the cookie always wins)
[08:26] Let me guess what your day of eating looks like
[09:55] The siren song in the break room
[11:55] How tonight's spiral is already setting up tomorrow's
[15:53] Your food noise exit plan

RESOURCES
🎟️ Register for my FREE workshop, Your Food Noise Exit Plan
🌿 Learn more about Nourished & Free

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🔥 Work with me in Nourished & Free®
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You step on the scale. You see the number. And just like that, the whole day is decided.

Maybe it's relief. Or? It's a spiral. Either way, that number has been running the show for years. Maybe decades.

You're so tired of it. 🫩

In this episode, I'm walking through the toxic relationship so many of us have with the scale. We talk about how it got this way, why your brain is actually doing exactly what it was built to do, and the six steps (plus a bonus seventh) I take clients through to get out of it.

If you've ever wondered why one number can ruin your morning, or whether you can care about your health without the scale signing off on it, this one's for you.

JUMP TO:
[00:00] The woman who's done being her own bully
[04:45] The moment my client almost gave up
[06:16] How we got here: three things stacking up over the years
[10:00] The report in your bathroom
[11:46] The data your brain has been ignoring
[12:59] Health without the permission slip to pursue it from the scale
[14:34] The thing you might want to skip doing from now on
[16:01] The bonus step
[18:25] Where to go from here

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Don't feel hungry until it's slapping you in the face? Fullness doesn't exist unless you're to the point of feeling sick? Did intuitive eating totally flop for you?

In this episode I'm diving into the science behind hunger and fullness, why it's so hard for some people to experience those signals, and how to get to a place of consistent, regular signals that are gentle + helpful rather than loud + obnoxious (or just nonexistent).

JUMP TO:
[00:00] Why hunger and fullness feel like a mystery for some people
[02:38] What your body wants you to know
[06:40] The many influences that make these hard to hear
[08:41] Meet: The hormones responsible
[15:28] Why your environment might be working against you
[23:20] How to rebuild trust with your body
[26:43] Where to go from here

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You've done the math a hundred times: log breakfast, log the snack, subtract lunch, figure out what's "left" for dinner. And somehow you still end up going over. Every. Single. Time.

The thing I've noticed over my 6+ years of working with women struggling with their relationship with food is that the more you try to control food with numbers, the more out of control you actually feel around it.

In this episode, I'm breaking down:
-What's happening psychologically when you turn eating into a math equation.
-Why you start wanting the foods you "can't" have.
-Why constant tracking stress messes with your ability to think clearly.
-Why it's always that "one more thing" on top of everything else that sends it all sideways.

I also get real about my own MyFitnessPal addiction (yes, the barcode-scanning, pre-portioning, know-it-before-I-eat-it kind), and I walk you through a simple body-awareness practice you can try right now—plus three questions to ask yourself the next time you open a tracking app out of habit instead of hunger.

Your calorie tracking app is NOT going to be happy you listened to this 🤣

JUMP TO:
[00:00] The calorie math spiral
[01:48] When food becomes a budget instead of just... food
[03:15] The stress-food connection
[06:22] Why "one more thing" is always what breaks the system
[12:59] A simple practice to reconnect with your body, starting today
[14:10] My MyFitnessPal confession
[15:12] The 3 questions to ask before you open that app again

Ready for support that actually gets you off the numbers for good? Nourished & Free, my group coaching program, is building our waitlist for the fall cohort now — and spots are already filling up. Details are linked below.

Send an anonymous love note, or suggest a future episode!

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🔥 Work with me in Nourished & Free®
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💻 Watch my FREE training, "Why Can't I Stop Thinking About Food?"

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You've lost the same 20 pounds more times than you can count. You get there, you feel the thrill... and then it's gone. And you're already onto the next thing you want to fix about yourself.

In this episode, I'm asking a question most of us never let ourselves sit with: why did you actually WANT to lose weight in the first place? Not the surface answer — the real one.

I'm sharing a story about a client whose secret binge eating had nothing to do with willpower, and everything to do with something she believed about herself that she'd never said out loud. And I'm making a case for why losing weight might not even be the right vehicle for what you're actually after.

If you've ever gotten to a smaller body and wondered why it didn't fix the thing you thought it would, this one's going to hit different.

JUMP TO:
(3:57) Rewind to the first time you ever lost weight
(7:32) What we conveniently forget once we're "successful"
(10:30) The client story that shows how binge eating has very little to do with the food
(12:13) A question that can start to peel back your deeper layers
(12:39) Evidence your brain needs to believe body peace is possible
(15:47) Where body acceptance actually starts

More resources:

Get on the Nourished & Free waitlist!

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🔥 Work with me in Nourished & Free®
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💻 Watch my FREE training, "Why Can't I Stop Thinking About Food?"

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The cookies call to you from the pantry every. freaking. day.

You told yourself you'd stick to one cookie. Then the whole day felt "ruined" anyway. So why not just keep going?

Sound familiar? That's the all-or-nothing loop... and we're going to talk about it.

In this episode, I'm breaking down why cookies (or chips, or cake, or whatever your "off-limits" food is) ends up feeling so much more powerful than it actually is. I'm walking through the three real reasons we hand certain foods that kind of power: fear-based diet messaging, emotional weight we've quietly attached to them, and a psychological need for autonomy that backfires the second we feel restricted.

If sweets have a way of taking over the second you let yourself have one, this episode is for you.

JUMP TO:
[00:00] The cake spiral
[04:34] Reason #1: What we were taught
[07:09] Reason #2: What food is doing for us
[08:50] Reason #3: The psychology of being told what you can't have
[12:46] The environment that built your food fears
[15:11] How to actually start changing the pattern

More resources:
Episode with Dan: Debunking insulin spikes leading to fat storage

Curious about the Mute Button, the AI tool I built to help you practice thinking differently around food? Check it out here

Get on the Nourished & Free waitlist!

Send an anonymous love note, or suggest a future episode!

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🔥 Work with me in Nourished & Free®
👀 Stalk me on Instagram
💻 Watch my FREE training, "Why Can't I Stop Thinking About Food?"

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What if the meal plan is making things worse?

I get it… you ask yourself, “Why is eating an ice cream just... eating an ice cream for some people?” No spiral. No math. No mental war. For you, it’s a whole event. And that’s exhausting.

That’s why you feel like you NEED someone to tell you exactly what to eat, right? A meal plan. A calorie limit. A macro split. But do you?

This week I'm breaking down the real reason food feels so loud in your head, and how these “plans” actually make things 1,000x worse.

I'm digging into why every diet, every points system, every macro plan you've ever tried keeps pulling you back in, even when you know it's not working. Btw, your willpower and discipline have nothing to do with it.

If you've ever hidden a wrapper, weighed your worth by what the scale said that morning, or felt totally fine eating "on plan" in front of people but fallen apart the second you were alone, this episode is for you.

JUMP TO:
[00:00] The question you've probably never said out loud
[01:42] The Weight Watchers vacation problem (and why it never feels the same after)
[03:17] How every diet quietly erodes your trust in yourself
[05:00] The autonomy trap — why being told what to eat backfires
[06:15] Good day, bad day: how the scale becomes a pass/fail test
[07:45] Why you white-knuckle it in public and unravel alone
[08:38] The two types of people who'll teach you how to eat
[09:16] The 30-year litmus test for any plan you're considering
[09:59] The uncomfortable truth about why diets are built to keep you coming back
[11:48] What it actually looks like to coach yourself instead of needing a coach
[14:16] If this hit home, here's your next step with Nourished & Free

If you're ready to stop needing a plan to tell you what to eat and start trusting yourself again, Nourished & Free might be exactly what you're looking for. I'm building my fall waitlist right now. Click the link below to check it out and save your spot!

Join the waitlist to work with me!

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🔥 Work with me in Nourished & Free®
👀 Stalk me on Instagram
💻 Watch my FREE training, "Why Can't I Stop Thinking About Food?"

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🏷️ Show me you're listening by tagging me on socials! @yatesnutrition

You've seen the ads. Maybe a friend of yours already posted her before-and-after. Maybe you're wondering if this is the one that finally works.

I'm talking about FASTer Way to Fat Loss: the 21-day program built on intermittent fasting, carb cycling, macro tracking, and daily workouts, all wrapped in "clinically proven" marketing.

I'm pulling apart the research behind each piece, digging into who's actually coaching people through hormone and GLP-1 protocols, and asking the question that matters most to me: is this going to help your relationship with food, or wreck it?

If you've ever wondered whether the "science-backed" claims on a diet program actually hold up or you've done a program like this and ended up more exhausted and food-obsessed than when you started, this episode is for you.

JUMP TO:
[00:00] What is FASTer Way to Fat Loss?
[03:56] The truth about intermittent fasting and the "fat-burning mode" myth
[08:08] What the research actually says about carb cycling (spoiler: not much)
[12:08] The problem with macro tracking when nobody qualified is behind the numbers
[15:18] The workout split (and I'm not totally against it)
[17:12] The coaching certifications that raised every red flag for me
[21:07] Breaking down the "clinically proven" and "works with your hormones" claims
[25:26] Who this program could genuinely hurt
[34:14] What actually works instead of the flashy formula

If this episode brought up a lot of feelings about your own history with programs like this, Nourished & Free is where I help women build a relationship with food that doesn't depend on a fasting clock or a color-coded macro plan. The waitlist for the fall cohort is open now.

Join the waitlist to work with me!

Link to episode where I discuss 21 day fix

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Grandma's chicken soup might do more for your electrolytes than that powder packet. A lot of us are drinking a "fix" our bodies never actually needed just because everyone else seemed to be doing it too.

In this episode, I break down the electrolyte drink and powder craze that's taken over grocery store shelves and Instagram feeds. I cover what electrolytes actually do in the body, who genuinely benefits from products like LMNT, Liquid IV, Nuun, and Pique, and why most people reaching for these drinks don't actually need them. I walk through the science of hydration, the specific medical and athletic scenarios where electrolyte supplementation makes sense, and how to evaluate whether a product fits your actual needs instead of just its marketing.

If you've ever wondered whether you should be adding electrolyte packets to your water bottle "just in case," or felt confused about which brand is right for your lifestyle, this episode will help you cut through the noise.

JUMP TO:
00:00 – Why everyone's chugging electrolytes
02:40 – The science: what electrolytes actually do in your body
6:58 – Who actually needs these drinks (and who's just along for the marketing ride)
12:24 – The sneaky sugar, sodium, and vitamin overload hiding in your bottle
14:44 – When electrolytes go from marketing gimmick to genuine lifeline
28:10 – Signs your body might actually be asking for more electrolytes
28:53 – My brand-by-brand breakdown: LMNT, Liquid IV, Nuun, Gatorade, Peak, and Ultima
31:01 – The bottom line on side effects, water, and choosing what's right for you

Want the full brand-by-brand comparison, DIY electrolyte recipes, and all the sources behind this episode? Check out the blog post below! And if this episode helped clear things up, come find more myth-busting, food-guilt-free conversations over at Nourished & Free.

RESOURCES MENTIONED:
Full blog post

Pique: Calming Electrolyte blend (affiliate link saves + supports!)

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You keep going back to the food. Not because it's convenient, but because it works.

It quiets and soothes... until the guilt kicks in.

But what if the thing you're actually craving isn't food at all?

In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Ben Rein, award-winning neuroscientist, Stanford lecturer, and author of Why Brains Need Friends.

We talk about:

• Why social connection is a hardwired need just like food and sleep,
• Why our brains have gotten so bad at predicting how good interaction will feel
• Why isolation is wrecking your body and mind.
• The neuroscience of dopamine
• Why texting will never satisfy you the way in-person connection does
• Why the thing you're chasing when you reach for food might actually be social connection in disguise.

If you've ever wondered why comfort food feels like the only thing that works OR why socializing sounds exhausting even though you know it'll help, this episode will help you understand what your brain is actually asking for.

JUMP TO:

00:00 Meet Dr. Ben Rein and why social connection is a basic human need
02:47 The case for why we crave human interaction
05:59 How COVID rewired our predictions about socializing
09:43 The study showing we're wrong about rejection
12:44 What isolation does to your cortisol, inflammation, and mortality risk
15:56 Building a "social diet" (yes, just like a food diet)
18:26 Why dopamine is a learning chemical, not a feel-good one
21:13 Oxytocin, serotonin, and dopamine: the connection trifecta
26:03 The staircase of interaction: text vs. call vs. video vs. in person
29:22 Why it's easier to be cruel online (the virtual disengagement hypothesis)
34:33 How screen time may be shaping an entire generation
40:22 Why married couples survive cancer better than some chemo patients
44:03 Conflict, connection, and why avoiding hard conversations costs you
47:39 Ben on fatherhood and the perspective shift he didn't expect

RESOURCES MENTIONED:
Ben's website

Why Brains Need Friends book

Follow Ben Rein, Ph.D. on Instagram

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You did the thing that was supposed to fix it.

The surgery, the weight watchers, the fresh starts.

And for a while, it worked... Until it didn't.

The food noise came back. The urges crept in. The sense of being out of control around food returned… and with it, confusion and shame.

In this episode, I sit down with Kim, a client who underwent weight loss surgery and later found herself struggling with binge eating again. We talk honestly about why this can happen, what surgery changes (and what it doesn’t), and why binge eating is never just about the size of your stomach.

If you’ve ever wondered, “Why didn’t this fix it?” OR "Is that my last resort?", this episode will help you understand what’s really going on and what’s actually required to create lasting peace with food without going under the knife.

JUMP TO:

00:00 Why weight loss surgery didn’t fix the binge eating
03:12 Successful on the outside, secretly struggling with binge eating
07:20 The decision to have bariatric surgery
10:47 When binge eating and food noise came back
16:39 The shame and comfort cycle behind binge eating
21:31 Why bariatric surgery can’t heal your relationship with food
26:43 How Kim stopped binge eating after surgery
29:29 What to know if you’re considering Nourished & Free

Send an anonymous love note, or suggest a future episode!

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🔥 Work with me in Nourished & Free®
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💻 Watch my FREE training, "Why Can't I Stop Thinking About Food?"

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You’re successful in every area of life… except food.

You’ve tried the diets. The plans. The rules. The white-knuckling. And now you’re tired.

Part of you wants to stop binge eating. Part of you is terrified of failing again.

In this episode of Nourished & Free, I explains why what you’ve been calling “failure” is actually the most teachable moment in the entire process, and how to make failure your secret weapon.

I'm breaking down:

• Why mistakes are necessary for learning
• How binge episodes provide powerful insight
• Why perfection isn’t the goal (and never was)
• How having support during setbacks changes everything
• What actually makes clients successful long-term

Good news, fam: You are not broken. Your brain is adaptable. Your patterns are retrainable.
And, your setbacks can become stepping stones... if you let them.

If you’re ready to stop spiraling and start recalibrating, this episode is for you.

TOPICS COVERED 👇🏼

00:00 “What if I’m just broken?” (the spiral you don’t say out loud)
02:36 The “I knew this would Happen” spiral
09:26 Why one slip turns into “I’ll start over Monday”
17:17 Learning from a binge instead of letting it define you

Send an anonymous love note, or suggest a future episode!

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🔥 Work with me in Nourished & Free®
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If you’ve lost weight before, but it came back... this episode is for you.

Let's break down why weight loss often becomes the common denominator behind dieting burnout, binge–restrict cycles, and feeling out of control around food. Not because weight loss is bad, but because making it the main focus quietly changes how your brain and body respond to food.

I'll talk through how obsessing over the outcome (the scale) clouds judgment, increases pressure, and actually makes consistency harder. You’ll learn why the scale is delayed, ambiguous feedback, and why using it as a daily pass/fail test often backfires and has the opposite effect you're wanting.

This episode walks you through what changes when weight loss stops being the driver, how food decisions get quieter, and why rebuilding trust and safety with food leads to more ease, self-control, and long-term change (with or without weight loss).

If you hate that you say, "It worked, I got the weight off... but then it came back", then this episode offers a mindset shift that could change everything.

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

Nourished & Free® Group Coaching Program - learn more/apply here

JUMP TO:

• 00:00 Why weight loss keeps turning into a losing–regaining cycle
• 01:39 How the scale quietly starts running your life
• 04:01 The pressure that makes food feel loud and exhausting
• 06:24 The credit score analogy that explains why this feels so hard
• 09:25 Why the scale is terrible daily feedback (and messes with your head)
• 10:40 When weight starts feeling like a measure of your worth
• 13:38 What changes when weight loss isn’t the main focus anymore
• 15:37 “But i still want to lose weight…” let’s talk about that
• 17:05 The foundation that actually quiets food noise
• 19:16 What it feels like when food stops being the main character
• 20:54 The question that changes how you move forward

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🔥 Work with me in Nourished & Free®
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💻 Watch my FREE training, "Why Can't I Stop Thinking About Food?"

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What happens after you stop a GLP-1? If you're like Heather, you might see 30 of the 45lbs you lost come back, food noise return, and ask yourself repeatedly "Why can't I just eat like a NORMAL person?"

This episode is for anyone who:

• Lost weight on a GLP-1
• Came off it hoping to “maintain naturally”
• And then watched the food noise, binge urges, and weight creep back in

Heather joins me to share her story of:

• Life before GLP-1s
• How she felt on the medication
• And the emotional whiplash that happened when she stopped
• Plus... what she did to stop food noise without going back on the GLP-1.

We talk about the part no one prepares you for:

👉 GLP-1s can change appetite, but they don’t teach you how to eat, trust yourself, or break all-or-nothing patterns.

BECOME MY NEXT SUCCESS STORY: Nourished & Free®

TOPICS COVERED:

• Heather’s relationship with food before GLP-1s
• What it felt like when food noise disappeared on the medication
• Why the weight and urges came back after stopping
• The emotional toll of regain (and the shame no one talks about)
• Perfectionism, all-or-nothing thinking, and binge cycles
• Why “just eat normally” isn’t actually helpful advice
• How alcohol quietly fueled binge eating
• What finally helped Heather feel calm around food again
• The difference between willpower and effortless self-control
• Why this work isn’t about another plan, diet, or rule set

JUMP TO:

00:00 She stopped a GLP-1… and the food noise came back
02:50 How dieting, work, and motherhood shaped her relationship with food
05:40 What GLP-1s fixed and what they didn’t
08:29 Off the medication: “why can’t I just eat normally?”
11:45 The moment she realized another diet wouldn’t help
13:55 The real issue wasn’t food
16:00 Weight regain, shame, and the emotional fallout
17:12 Perfectionism, all-or-nothing thinking, and binge cycles
18:30 Facing holidays and trigger foods without spiraling
22:48 Uncovering the beliefs driving food noise
23:19 Alcohol and late-night binges
29:05 What eating like a “normal person” looks like now
30:12 What she’d say to anyone coming off a GLP-1 for fixing food noise naturally and learning how to eat normally

Send an anonymous love note, or suggest a future episode!

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🔥 Work with me in Nourished & Free®
👀 Stalk me on Instagram
💻 Watch my FREE training, "Why Can't I Stop Thinking About Food?"

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⭐️ Loved this episode? Leave a rating on Apple podcasts or Spotify (thank you!)
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SHE'S BACK!!! Cory Ruth (aka The Women’s Dietitian) is here to talk about her brand new book, PCOS Is My Power, and why she’s determined to make PCOS feel less like a life sentence and more like a gift.

You’ll also hear a very real conversation about how restrictive PCOS advice (hello, “just do keto”) can backfire, especially if you already struggle with food noise, binge eating, or an all-or-nothing mindset.

Bottom line: PCOS can be managed, your body isn’t broken, and you don’t have to eliminate your favorite foods to start feeling better (yes, you can eat pasta with PCOS… and dessert… and cheese).

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

• PCOS Is My Power - Order Now
• Follow Cory on Instagram - @thewomensdietitian
• Cory's website - https://www.thewomensdietitian.com/
• Cory's 1st visit to the Nourished & Free® podcast - "Help, I have PCOS!"

TOPICS COVERED:

• What PCOS is (and what it isn’t) in plain English
• The 3 diagnostic criteria and how diagnosis actually works (need 2 out of 3)
• Common symptoms: irregular cycles, acne, hair changes, weight gain, and more
• Why “no carbs/no dairy/no gluten” advice can fuel food obsession + binge cycles
• The “your body is your barometer” reframe: symptoms as feedback, not failure
• How managing PCOS supports long-term health (blood sugar, heart health, diabetes risk)
• What Cory hopes readers gain from the book

JUMP TO:

00:00 PCOS can be managed (and might be your superpower)
01:38 Meet Cory Ruth + PCOS Is My Power
10:54 PCOS explained: symptoms, diagnosis, and what’s actually going on
16:14 Why restrictive PCOS diet advice backfires
23:51 Your body is your barometer (listening to symptoms)
29:24 What Cory hopes every reader takes away

Send an anonymous love note, or suggest a future episode!

LEARN MORE
🔥 Work with me in Nourished & Free®
👀 Stalk me on Instagram
💻 Watch my FREE training, "Why Can't I Stop Thinking About Food?"

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⭐️ Loved this episode? Leave a rating on Apple podcasts or Spotify (thank you!)
🏷️ Show me you're listening by tagging me on socials! @yatesnutrition

If food feels like the background noise of your entire life, this episode is for you.

GLP-1 meds like Ozempic and Wegovy can quiet food noise dramatically. Unfortunately, this only lasts while you're actively taking the medication. For many, they can't stay on them forever or don't want to start them at all. Even still, there are some currently on a GLP-1 but the food noise has come back. What then?

If you need a plan to reduce food noise more with or without being on a GLP-1, this episode is for you.

TOPICS COVERED:

• 00:00 What “food noise” really means
• 01:11 Understanding Food Noise: Definition and Experience
• 06:24 The Biological Basis of Food Noise
• 09:34 Why GLP-1s seem to “turn off” food thoughts
• 16:08 How to quiet food noise without medication (this can also help if you ARE on a GLP-1 but the food noise has come back)
• 25:31 Next steps

The one truth most people miss?

You’re not supposed to eliminate food thoughts entirely.
The goal isn’t silence.
The goal is peace.
Food should take up 5% of your brain, not 95%.

Start listening to learn how to make that happen.

SUPPORTING LITERATURE:

My blog articleon this topic

Related research articles can be found at PMID: 38004203, 32846152, 19336238, 35482137, 40507553

Send an anonymous love note, or suggest a future episode!

LEARN MORE
🔥 Work with me in Nourished & Free®
👀 Stalk me on Instagram
💻 Watch my FREE training, "Why Can't I Stop Thinking About Food?"

SHOW SOME LOVE
⭐️ Loved this episode? Leave a rating on Apple podcasts or Spotify (thank you!)
🏷️ Show me you're listening by tagging me on socials! @yatesnutrition

What happens when you’ve spent your whole life thinking about food and your weight from the moment you wake up to the moment you go to bed… and suddenly your mind feels calm for the first time ever?

In today’s Client Confessional, Heidi (now in her mid-60s) opens up about a lifetime of struggling with her weight, binge eating, food noise, and the constant mental chatter that dictated her every day. From Weight Watchers at 14, to lap-band surgery, to Overeaters Anonymous, to GLP-1 medications… she tried everything hoping something would finally “fix” her.

But nothing touched the emotional and psychological roots keeping her stuck.

And after decades of failures, she genuinely believed she was “too far gone” to change.

Inside this episode, Heidi shares:

• What it’s like to live a double life with food for over half a century
• The moment she realized weight loss strategies weren’t the issue—the emotional patterns were
• Why she joined Nourished & Free even though she was convinced it wouldn’t work
• The mindset shift that finally stopped her daily convenience-store binges
• How a GLP-1 helped her, and where it fell short.
• What healing looks like in your 60s, and why it’s never too late to rewrite your story

If your life revolves around food, if you feel stuck in cycles you can’t break, or if you’re scared that you’ve “tried everything,” this episode is the reminder you need: peace is possible at any age, you might just need to dig into your head a little more.

Send an anonymous love note, or suggest a future episode!

LEARN MORE
🔥 Work with me in Nourished & Free®
👀 Stalk me on Instagram
💻 Watch my FREE training, "Why Can't I Stop Thinking About Food?"

SHOW SOME LOVE
⭐️ Loved this episode? Leave a rating on Apple podcasts or Spotify (thank you!)
🏷️ Show me you're listening by tagging me on socials! @yatesnutrition