Nourished & Free: The Podcast

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 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

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! 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

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! 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

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! 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 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! 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

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 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

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!) 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

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 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

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! 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

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! 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

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 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 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! 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

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 - 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?" 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

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 article on 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

What does the Bible really say about health, food, and body image? You asked, I'm delivering! Due to popular demand, here's another episode on the topic of faith & food freedom or being a Christian woman while navigating a healthy relationship with food. I've boiled my thoughts down to 4 biblical truths I think every Christian woman (or man, really) needs to hear about honoring God with her body.... without making health an idol. Learn how faith and science work together, why “your body is a temple” is often misunderstood, and how to find peace in biblical stewardship, not obsession. TOPICS COVERED 00:00 — What happens when you mix theology with health advice? 00:59 — Can faith and health coexist? 02:21 — Made in the image of God… Not the image of Instagram 07:03 — When “healthy” becomes an idol 12:42 — Who’s really in control of your body? 15:00 — Stewardship without obsession 17:10 — Science: The part of God’s plan we keep ignoring 17:47 — Control, trust, and letting God be God 21:47 — How the appeal to nature fallacy confuses Christians 26:04 — Living nourished, not obsessed RESOURCES MENTIONED Systematic review on body fat % and all cause mortality 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

You can crush it in your career, manage a family, and hit every goal on your vision board… But your secret stash of food says otherwise 👀 In this episode, I’m breaking down why perfectionists (the high-functioning, Type A, “I’ve got this” women) are the ones MOST likely to binge in secret. We’ll talk control, shame, biology, and the sneaky psychological loops that keep even the most “together” woman stuck in food chaos. TL;DR Bingeing isn’t a failure. It’s your body and brain begging for a break WHAT WE'LL COVER: 00:00 — The Hidden Link Between Perfectionism and Binge Eating: Why the women who “have it all together” are often the ones secretly struggling with food. 02:39 — Inside the Type A Mind: When Discipline Turns Into Food Control: How high achievers use structure as safety—and why it backfires. 05:02 — The Restrict–Binge Cycle No One Talks About: What really happens when “being good” with food flips into “I blew it.” 07:11 — The Psychology of Losing Control Around Food: How stress, shame, and emotional suppression feed the binge-perfectionism loop. 10:07 — Is It Willpower or Biology? The Hunger Signals You’re Ignoring: Why your body isn’t betraying you—it’s trying to protect you. 12:44 — The Secret Shame That Keeps Binge Eating Hidden: Why Type A women binge in private and how secrecy fuels the cycle. 17:14 — Mindset Shifts to Break Free From Perfectionism and Food Guilt: How to move from “all-or-nothing” to self-compassion and progress. 20:17 — Practical Strategies to Stop the Perfection-Binge Loop: Real-life tools to create structure without obsession. 23:00 — Redefining What ‘Healthy’ Looks Like for a Perfectionist: Letting go of the rules and creating your version of balance. 24:50 — When to Get Support (and What Real Recovery Looks Like): How to know when it’s time to reach out and what help actually helps. RESOURCES MENTIONED: Browse my ebooks 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

You read Brain Over Binge . You tried to “just stop binging.” You waited for your “animal brain” to quiet down… but somehow you still ended up knee-deep in granola at 11 p.m. You’re not broken. The book just left out a few key chapters. 🤣 In this episode, I'll review Brain Over Binge through the lens of an evidence-based dietitian who works with women struggling with binge eating. I'm breaking down what’s actually helpful, what’s missing, and why you can’t "animal brain" your way out of every binge urge. If you’ve ever felt like you “failed” the book everyone swears by, this episode will help make sense of why + give you a better roadmap forward. JUMP TO: 00:00 Brain Over Binge: The Book Everyone’s Talking About (But Few Understand) 01:45 Meet the Woman Who Says She Beat Binge Eating Cold Turkey 03:54 When Lived Experience is Helpful vs Harmful 06:22 What Brain Over Binge Does Get Right 08:25 Where Things Start to Get Sketchy 15:37 Helpful, Harmful… Maybe Both? 16:59 What's Missing Pieces: What Brain Over Binge Leaves Out RESOURCES MENTIONED: Peek inside our method (for free) Read the article 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

Is Overeaters Anonymous (OA) a lifeline for food struggles, orrrrrr another "just don't eat it" diet in disguise? In this tell-all episode, I tap into the origins of OA, its 12-step model, and the red flags I’ve seen firsthand working with clients who turned to OA for help with binge eating and emotional eating. 🚩 You’ll hear the history, the philosophy, and the claims behind OA, plus the reasons why it might actually fuel food noise and binge-restrict cycles rather than solve them. I’ll also share better alternatives that are backed by research, compassion, and long-term sustainability. If you’ve ever wondered, “Does OA actually work?” or “Could Overeaters Anonymous help me?” ... this episode is for you. And if you find the show helpful, don’t forget to leave a rating and review — it helps this podcast reach more women who need freedom from food guilt and binge eating. 😁😁😁 RESOURCES MENTIONED: Get a behind the scenes look at our process that reduces binge eating by an average of 92% [for free] in The Binge Free Blueprint TOPICS COVERED The surprising origins of Overeaters Anonymous (OA) Why comparing food to alcohol doesn’t hold up The 12 steps of OA, and what they mean in practice How OA turns food into a moral issue (and why that’s a huge mistake) The risks of abstinence-based “trigger food” rules What ex-members say about meetings, sponsors, and food plans Why OA may do more harm than good for binge eating and/or binge eating disorder Evidence-based alternatives that actually support healing How to quiet food noise without shame or abstinence JUMP TO: 00:00 OA Under the Microscope: Why I’m Talking About This 07:41 The 12 Steps of OA — Helpful or Harmful? 16:45 Food, Faith, and Shame: The Higher Power Debate 21:02 Red Flags: Where OA Misses the Mark 31:00 Better Options: What Works Instead of OA 37:55 Final Verdict: My Honest Review of OA 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

Scrolling through social media for health tips can feel like navigating a minefield. One minute you’re told carbs make you gain weight, the next you hear metabolism tanks as you age — but what’s actually true? In this episode, I’m sitting down with Dan Feldman, a registered dietitian and personal trainer who’s uniquely positioned to decode the wellness chaos online. We dive into: Why certain health trends blow up, even when they’re not backed by science The biggest nutrition myths you’ve probably heard (carbs, insulin, metabolism, creatine, abs are made in the kitchen — we’re tackling them all) How to tell helpful advice from harmful hype in the wellness world The challenges of balancing evidence-based info with the need to capture attention online Practical tips for health pros struggling to find their voice amid the noise If you want to stop spinning your wheels on confusing health advice and finally get clarity on what really matters, this episode is a must-listen. Hit play and learn how to scroll smarter, not harder. 👀 CONTACT/FOLLOW/WORK WITH DAN Dan's Instagram Dan's website Dan's Dietitian Mentor Instagram Nutrition for powerlifters course SOURCES/GRAPHICS MENTIONED Dan's insulin graphic Dan's metabolism graphic Metabolism study on Pubmed Creatine meta analysis on Pubmed 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