Millennial Body Image Project

On today’s celebratory episode #100 (!!!!) we’re taking a look back at how far we’ve come – how the podcast has evolved over 100 episodes, my philosophy, mission, and a look back at the most popular episodes of the podcast according to you guys! I’ll also be discussing what direction I’m taking the podcast going forward.

Also wanted to give a HUGE THANK YOU to every single one of you from the bottom of my heart for ever listening to this podcast, sharing it with a friend, making it your instagram story, leaving a 5-star review on iTunes or wherever you listen to podcasts, THANK YOU. every single bit counts to spread the message and get it into the ears of more people.

Most popular episodes of the last 100…(in no particular order):

Macros vs. Intuitive Eating vs. Whole30 (PS – this is the one where I don’t agree with everything I said any more! Will update it soon.)

Abfluencers and Nutrition myth busting with Laura Ligos

Worthiness, people pleasing and perfectionism Amy Smith

The thyroid, leaky gut and adrenal fatigue with Dr. Becky Campbell

Anxiety and Nutrition, stress vs. general anxiety disorder with Kate Brock

A “thank you” to binge eating and giving up control for healing with Bree Shook 

Crossfit and eating disorders and overcoming adrenal fatigue (my story)

* I Quit Whole30

Whitney Catalano is a food freedom dietitian who offers online coaching to help people break free from the diet/binge cycle, heal their relations with food, make peace with their bodies, and take back their power from their inner bullies. With her vulnerability and honesty, Whitney inspires countless women to own their bodies and regain confidence. 

Sign up for the FREE 5-Day Diet Detox Holiday Challenge here!

In today’s episode we’re chatting about: 

* Whitney’s personal health journey, her relationship with her body and food growing up.

* Taking back the power from our inner bullies

* Feeling stuck and what to do about it

* What happens when you feel like you’re not doing anything, making progress, or moving towards your goals if you’re not restricting? 

* The things we’re doing to “fix” ourselves are distracting from actually growing and from the root cause of the problem

* Why is everyone so afraid of gaining weight? How can this be a roadblock for truly healing?

* What to do during the holidays to support yourself through the diet culture craziness

* How to stop obsessing over food and trust your body instead

Hang out with Whitney!

* Instagram: @trustyourbodyproject

* Facebook: Whitney Catalano, RDN

* Twitter: @whitneycatalano

* Website

* Work with Whitney

* Membership site: Club TYB

Ooo if the holiday food anxiety hasn’t kicked in yet, it’s definitely in turbo mode now. If you’re listening to this the day it comes out, it’s the day before Thanksgiving. Or maybe it’s Black Friday. The FOOD AND BODY IMAGE ANXIETY DEMONS ARE OUT and you might not be feeling that great. 

In case you missed the two previous bonus episodes, we discussed:

4 questions to ask yourself before the holidays get crazy

the #1 mistake keeping you in the holiday food anxiety cycle

In today’s episode, we’re talking about: what the heck do we do from here? How can we take what we’ve discussed in the first two episodes and turn those into actionable steps that you can put into place during the holidays to have less anxiety about food and your body, to not feel like you have to start over on January 1st because you feel like complete crap?

We’re giving you 2 major practical tips and action steps in today’s episode to get started right now.

PS – check out our NEW {totally free} 5-day Diet Detox Holiday Challenge here!

Also known as: The only detox you need to do this holiday season.

You’ll learn how to feel better, enjoy the holidays, AND avoid making the same diet-and-exercise and shame-fueled New Years’ resolutions this year.

SIGN UP HERE to join us for the FREE challenge on December 9th-13th!

In today’s Holiday BONUS episode we’re talking about the #1 biggest mistake keeping you in the holiday food anxiety cycle, and why there is an overwhelming feeling in the holidays that something needs to be resolved in the new year. In case you missed it, don’t forget to check out last week’s bonus episode: 4 Questions to Ask Yourself Before the Holidays get Crazy.

Of course we’re so conflicted about how to approach the holidays, because we’re being assaulted on all sides by either: “eat all the things! It’s the holidays and it doesn’t matter!” or “earn your calories! Only eat certain indulgences, and then work them off with exercise!”. And in both situations, it almost always ends up as “screw it, I’ll fix it in January.”

So where do we go from here? That’s exactly what we’re discussing in today’s episode on the holiday food anxiety cycle with Cristina Hoyt Alvarez!

You can also read more about this topic in this blog post: The #1 Mistake Keeping you in the Holiday Health Anxiety Cycle.

PS – we have something really exciting coming up. Check out a preview here.

PPS – if you’re looking for that delish recipe I mentioned in the intro to the show, here it is: Brazi Bruschetta Bites with Prosciutto and Apples, which is a perfect holiday appetizer! 

Dr. Sarah Hill is a research psychologist and professor specializing in health, relationships, and other forms of social behavior from the lens of evolutionary science. She’s also the author of This is Your Brain on Birth Control, which is the topic of today’s discussion! We’re talking about how birth control not only changes how your hormones work in your whole body, buy how it changes who you are as a person, your brain, and your stress response in major ways. One of my major takeaways from today’s interview was that women on the pill are missing a key feature of their stress response – we’re discussing how this impacts things like adrenal fatigue, learning and memory, anxiety and depression. Interestingly enough, this is NOT a scare tactic book to freak you out over taking any kind of hormonal birth control. Instead, it’s a book that is designed to empower you with the tools to understand how this medication actually works, what it can do to your body, how to understand those changes, and then how to make a decision on the best path of action for you depending on your unique health history, genetics, and current life stage. 

Discussed on today’s episode:

Women on the pill are missing a key feature of their stress response. How does this impact things like adrenal fatigue, learning and memory, anxiety and depression 

Hormones 101 and why they’re so important to your whole body health and functioning

How the pill changes who you are completely. 

The pill and mental health 

Many people who take the pill, take it for a targeted effect (acne, to not have babies, etc.) but as discussed in the book: “targeted effects aren’t possible when taking a hormone…you’ll get the desired effect, but the effects are not targeted.” 

Birth control is not one size fits all. One pill or method of birth control can affect people in many different ways. 

The pill and mental health, and how the pill influences anxiety and depression

Hang out with Dr. Sarah!

* Website: www.sarahehill.com 

* Book: This is Your Brain on Birth Control: The Surprising Science of Women, Hormones, and the Law of Unintended Consequences

* Instagram: @drsarahehillphd

PS – I have something really exciting coming up to help you survive the craziness of the holidays without feeling crazy around food and your body. Check out a preview here.

You’ll love these episodes too:

31 | Hormone Disruptors in Your Makeup, Toxic Sunscreen, and why you should care

41 | Natural Remedies for Hormone Balance with Magdalena Wzselaki

60 | Amenorrhea, re-balancing hormones and your relationship with your body with Jessica Christin

61 | Birth Control, the IUD and hormonal imbalances with Dr. Kelly Culwell

Cristina Hoyt Alvarez, MS is back this week to in a special BONUS, workshop-style episode to talk all about the holidays! We’re chatting about why the holidays are so stress and anxiety-inducing (aren’t they supposed to be the most time of the year?!), the biggest things you guys struggle with over the holidays (according to the survey that went out last week!), and what we can do about it.

We’re discussing four questions you can ask yourself before the holidays kick into high gear:

What would you like to do differently this year to survive the holidays? 

Is this plan actually enjoyable or are you forcing it? 

What have you tried in the past that hasn’t worked for you?

Do you have a plan on how you’re going to handle your Aunt’s comments about your weight, diet, body, size, etc.?

This is the first of a three-part BONUS series all about the holidays – so stay tuned next week for more!

PS- check out Cristina’s blog post that accompanies this episode on her website!

Cristina Curp from the Castaway Kitchen is back this week and we’re doing things a little differently (when do we not when it’s us together, honestly?) She was previously on episode 25 of the podcast (my god, has it really been that long?) and this time Cristina is interviewing ME. Well, she started off by introducing me and then we had a conversation about compassionate nutrition, intuitive eating, diet culture, and therapeutic elimination protocols (and where they can go wrong, but where they might be necessary for some people). We’re talking about that all-elusive middle ground that is so hard to find when you’re trying to find this freedom and neutrality around food and your body, yet you  have a complicating condition like an autoimmune disease or different physical symptoms (or even flares!) that result when you eat certain foods. 

Today we’re chatting about…

Healing protocols as a way to keep controlling your food

Why I quit the Whole30 and how I changed my nutrition coaching business from there

Why it’s so important to work with a practitioner if you’re doing any kind of elimination protocol

How therapeutic diets can create fear foods

The stress around certain foods can cause you have a reaction to them

* Redefining success and what health means to you – for most people, it’s not related to weight at all.

* How your “ideal weight” is most likely different than your body’s true ideal weight

* What is “compassionate nutrition”?

You can also watch our interview on Youtube HERE!

And yes, Cristina DID mention that she’s been working on a new book – check out Made Whole Made Simple here, which is coming out in March 2020! 

Hang out with Cristina!

* Blog: the Castaway Kitchen Blog

* Instagram: @thecastawaykitchen

* Watch this video on Youtube HERE

You’ll love these episodes too:

25 | Cristina of the Castaway Kitchen on AIP & Real Food Keto for Healing Autoimmune Disease

40 | Making Peace with your Body, Food, and Healing from Autoimmune Disease with Whitney Shook

62 | Perfectionism in Eating Disorders and Autoimmune Disease with Paige Kinsella

Melissa Bates is an Intuitive Eating and Binge Eating Coach who has overcome 20+ years of binge eating and chronic dieting, and 3 years of bulimia. So you guessed it – we’re digging into and deconstructing binge eating today. We’re chatting about deconstructing binge eating, how to figure out what is causing your binges, and the major mindset shifts that you can make to cultivate a mindset of curiosity and healing, rather than guilt and shame, towards binge eating.

Link to the holiday feedback survey form: https://forms.gle/7xFVfrKmghbox6SD7

Discussed on today’s episode:

How to start listening to your body again after years of dieting and restriction

The different types of eaters

Melissa’s history with binge eating, chronic dieting and bulimia

How Melissa deconstructed what was causing 20 years of binges and figured out what her body was asking her for

Where mindset and connecting with your mind play into binge eating

Growth mindset vs. fixed mindset (and how this relates to your relationship with food and your body)

Melissa’s struggles with IBS and how she deals with those symptoms now while trying to live a restriction and diet-free lifestyle?

What eating intuitively means for Melissa and what it looks like now in her life

Recommended Resources:

* Book: The Motivation Manifesto, by Brendon Buchard

* Book: Intuitive Eating, by Evelyn Tribole

* Joe Dispensia

Hang out with Melissa!

* Website: www.melissabbates.com

* Instagram: @thewellnesswolf

* Podcast: The Wellness Wolf

Link to the holiday feedback survey form: https://forms.gle/7xFVfrKmghbox6SD7

You’ll love these episodes too!

50 | Why you binge around the holidays and Inflammation 101 with Brianna Diorio

80 | A “thank you” to binge eating + giving up control for healing with Bree Shook

83 | Dieting for Social Acceptance and Health at Every Size with Kirsten Ackerman, RD

Part II all about CBD is coming to you live this week! This is a continuation from last week’s interview with Meg Kramer all about CBD 101. This week, we’re asking the burning questions we all have about the legality of CBD, including: is CBD legal? What are the current laws related to CBD – and is it nationally regulated, or is it different state-by-state? What if you have to get drug tested for your job? And many more!

Make sure you listen to last week’s episode with meg, episode # 93, titled CBD 101, to get all the super interesting and important details about CBD – what it is, how it works in the body, what it’s most commonly used for, and what to look for (and avoid!) in a product if you’re thinking about buying some.

Discussed on today’s episode…

How to tell if a CBD product is of high quality? 

What about the law – is CBD legal?

Over the counter vs. prescription?

Can practitioners recommend CBD legally? 

What are the implications of the 2018 Farm Bill on the CBD/hemp industry?

Are there federal laws on CBD, or does it vary state by state? 

If you get drug tested for your job (government, military), is CBD safe to use? Does it show up on urine tests?

Typical CBD dosage on the low (microdosing) and high end (therapeutic uses in studies) of usage

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

* CBD Hacker Website

* CBD Hacker: Facebook

* CBD Hacker: Instagram

* Meg Kramer on Twitter

* Project CBD Website

* Book: Healing with CBD: How Cannabidiol Can Transform Your Health Without the High, Eileen Konieczny, RN, with Lauren Wilson.

* Book: CBD: A Patient’s Guide to Medical Cannabis, Leonard Leinow & Juliana Birnbaum

Other questions about CBD? Leave them in the comments!

We’ve been spending a lot of time on gut health and healing, so I wanted to get back to some nutrition & health trend myth busting! Starting with: CBD 101. It’s a super hot topic in the nutrition, health, and even pharmaceutical world, and there is SO much misinformation there about CBD. It’s time to dive in to see what the big deal with CBD is. Today’s guest is Meg Kramer, the editor of CBD Hacker, a website that provides evidence-based research into all things CBD. It was really important to me to get someone on the podcast who doesn’t actually manufacture CBD themselves (or have a brand that does so), so we could stay completely unbiased towards any particular brand in the information.

Today you’ll learn: what CBD is, what all the hype about it is for and why it’s so popular yet hotly contested in the industry, the main uses and types of CBD, and how to find a quality product vs. how to spot a fraudulent product that’s just trying to take your money! We split this episode into two parts, so next week we’ll be talking about the legality of CBD, whether it’s safe, if it’s a good idea to take with the job that you have, etc.

MEDICAL DISCLAIMER. The information we are talking about in this podcast is intended as general information only, and should not be taken as a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment of any disease or condition. We are not telling you to go out there and start taking CBD immediately. As you’ll soon learn, you need to do a lot of research to determine what is high quality and what isn’t in the CBD world, whether it’s legal in your state and safe for your job, and whether it’s right for you.

Discussed on today’s episode:

What IS CBD? Why is there so much hype about it lately?

What does it do? Does it get you high?

What are the main uses of CBD? 

Is all CBD oil the same? What’s the difference between CBD derived from different parts of the plant? Is whole plant form best?

What should you look for on the label of a CBD oil to see if it’s a high quality product?

How to start off taking CBD? Do you have to start with small amounts? How do you know what a good amount to take is? How do you know if it’s actually helping?

What are the different ways you can take CBD? How do they compare? 

What are the CONS of taking CBD, if any? Does it interact with any medications?

Are there any long-term side effects?  

Resources mentioned:

* CBD Hacker Website

* CBD Hacker: Facebook

* CBD Hacker: Instagram

* Meg Kramer on Twitter

* Project CBD Website

* Book: Healing with CBD: How Cannabidiol Can Transform Your Health Without the High, Eileen Konieczny, RN, with Lauren Wilson.

* Book: CBD: A Patient’s Guide to Medical Cannabis, Leonard Leinow & Juliana Birnbaum

Other questions about CBD 101? Comment on the show notes!