Salad With a Side of Fries Nutrition, Wellness & Weight Loss

Nutrition Nugget! Bite-size, bonus episodes offering tips, tricks and approachable science. This week, Jenn is talking about compounding consistency. A one percent effort each day can make a huge difference in a year when you are consistent. Jenn is providing some examples and reasons why compounding consistency is the ticket to changing your life. Tune in to learn how you can put in just a little effort each day and reap big rewards. Like what you're hearing? Be sure to check out the full length episodes; new releases every Wednesday.  Have an idea for a nutrition nugget?  Submit it here: https://asaladwithasideoffries.com/index.php/contact/       

RESOURCES:

Become A Member of Salad with a Side of Fries

Jenn’s Free Menu Plan

A Salad With a Side of Fries

A Salad With A Side Of Fries Merch

A Salad With a Side of Fries Instagram

Have you tried every diet under the sun to lose weight or stop overeating, and end up at the bottom of the ice cream pint before you realize what happened? You haven’t failed, our brains are literally wired this way. But we can rewire our brain’s “circuits” with a simple method called, Emotional Brain Training. 

This week, Jenn is joined by Dr. Laurel Mellin to discuss Emotional Brain Training (EBT) and how it works to manage your under or over eating. Dr. Laurel starts the episode by sharing her experience with obesity, and how she overcame it with her EBT technique. She explains the science behind our tendency to over or under eat, the science behind EBT, the 4 circuits of the brain, and how someone can use EBT to change their life. Dr. Laurel gives a great deep dive into how we can be in control of our food, body, love and protection circuits so that we can live a life filled with more joy! Tune in to learn more! 

The Salad With a Side of Fries podcast is hosted by Jenn Trepeck, discussing wellness and weight loss for real life, clearing up the myths, misinformation, bad science & marketing surrounding our nutrition knowledge and the food industry. Let’s dive into wellness and weight loss for real life, including drinking, eating out, and skipping the grocery store. 

IN THIS EPISODE: 

• [2:57] Jenn shares what members are getting this week!
• [5:45] Dr. Laurel shares her story about turning to food for comfort.
• [8:54] What are the chemicals in the body that drive over and under eating? 
• [11:06] How do these chemicals work together in a state of stress?
• [17:19] Dr. Mellin discusses the three different stress responses and how we get stuck. 
• [21:43] What is Emotional Brain Training (EBT) and where do we start?
• [27:11] How to rewire your eating habits. 
• [29:18] What happens to the eight chemicals after EBT?
• [32:06] Why it can be hard to lose weight after you have healed your food circuit. 
• [38:15] Dr. Mellin shares about the one year program people tend to stick to for rewiring their brain circuits. 
• [40:05] What does the process look like throughout the year? 
• [41:00] Dr. Mellin answers rapid-fire off topic questions. 

KEY TAKEAWAYS: 

• There are four circuits in our brain: the food circuit, love circuit, body circuit, and protection circuit. Each circuit plays an important role in our bodies and how they impact us is dependent on how they are ‘wired’.
• The circuits in our emotional brain are what can make or break our lives. They get encoded there through no fault of your own. If you want freedom, you must rewire these circuits. 
• When you rewire your brain, you are more likely to experience, love, joy, and be able to face life head on.

QUOTES: 

[3:52] “We have to stop focusing on the food. The food is the tail end of a fight or flight circuit that’s spewing chemicals that make you want to eat. Turn off that circuit and those chemicals won’t arrive, but as long as you’re focusing yourself and evaluating yourself and punishing yourself for what you ate, you’re not going to have the intentional control in your brain to focus on rewiring that circuit so you get lasting freedom.” - Dr. Mellin 

[14:59] “What happens is all eight of those chemicals collude to make it virtually impossible for you not to overeat, feel bad inside, and gain weight. It’s all biochemical, and it’s all affected by one thing, the stress chemicals in your body.” - Dr. Mellin

[32:37] “I thought, I’ve got to go on a diet, and I said no, I’m not going to. I’m going to find my own natural weight. I’m not going to judge my body no matter what size it is. I’m going to eat when I’m hungry, stop when I’m dissatisfied, and use the EBT tool so I can do that. And what happened is food became a non-issue.” - Dr. Mellin

"You can rewire your brain for health, health in mind and in body." - Jenn Trepeck

RESOURCES:

Become A Member of Salad with a Side of Fries

Jenn’s Free Menu Plan

A Salad With a Side of Fries

A Salad With A Side Of Fries Merch

A Salad With a Side of Fries Instagram

GUEST RESOURCES:

The EBT website for the program

Latest Book 1-2-3 JOY 

EBT Facebook Group

Dr. Laurel Mellin's Instagram

Dr. Laurel Mellin's LinkedIn

BIO:

Dr. Mellin is a health psychologist, New York Times Bestselling author, and founder of emotional brain training, a neuroscientific program for rewiring the brain out of stress overload and into states of joy and optimal health. She developed EBT during her 40 years as a professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. Dr. Mellin is the executive director of the Solution Foundation, which conducts EBT research and trains health professionals and coaches to deliver EBT in their practices and online.

Nutrition Nugget! Bite-size, bonus episodes offering tips, tricks and approachable science. This week, Jenn is talking about temptation bundling. Have you heard of it? You’ve probably even done it before. Temptation bundling is when you find things or activities that you want to do and tasks that you don’t necessarily want to do or have been putting off, and doing them together. Tune in to hear some of Jenn’s examples and how you can use this strategy to get more things done, plus how it ties into your Halloween candy! Like what you're hearing? Be sure to check out the full length episodes; new releases every Wednesday.  Have an idea for a nutrition nugget?  Submit it here: https://asaladwithasideoffries.com/index.php/contact/       

RESOURCES:

Become A Member of Salad with a Side of Fries

Jenn’s Free Menu Plan

A Salad With a Side of Fries

A Salad With A Side Of Fries Merch

A Salad With a Side of Fries Instagram

How do we get ourselves to do the things we know to do? How do we make healthful actions a priority? This week's guest tells us the simple process. Better yet, he helps us make it easy too. Tune in to learn how to create new and lasting habits!

This week, Jenn is joined by author and speaker Andrew Jobling. The episode kicks off with Andrew talking about his journey restricting food while being a professional athlete, and how it led to a dark place in his health and life. He then shares how to create change through mindset, creating new neural pathways, and anchoring into your ‘why’. He describes what T.E.A.R.S. is, and how the process can create lasting change. They end the episode talking about what elements to focus on each and every day to create a healthful life. Tune in for some great insight and tips! 

The Salad With a Side of Fries podcast is hosted by Jenn Trepeck, discussing wellness and weight loss for real life, clearing up the myths, misinformation, bad science & marketing surrounding our nutrition knowledge and the food industry. Let’s dive into wellness and weight loss for real life, including drinking, eating out, and skipping the grocery store. 

IN THIS EPISODE: 

• [5:08] Jenn shares what members are getting this week!
• [7:13] Andrew shares his story about restricting food, and ending up in a dark place. 
• [12:47] Why did Andrew decide to write his first book?
• [14:48] How do we create change? 
• [23:30] Andrew shares a practical application of step 1 of creating change. 
• [25:21] Andrew explains part 2 of the change process. 
• [30:30] What does T.E.A.R.S stand for? 
• [33:22] Do you need to focus every day on the elements of being healthy?
• [42:28] Andrew answers rapid fire, off topic questions. 

KEY TAKEAWAYS: 

• There is no such thing as a quick fix, you have to do the work. Change is simple, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. 
• The first thing you have to do when changing your habits is understand how you want to live, create a vision of life and identify why it’s important. 
• You can change your results by changing your mental state. 
• To change, pick one thing that you need to do differently, one thing that’ll have the greatest impact on your energy, on your health, on your self esteem. Do it every day consecutively for 63 days to create a neural pathway in your brain to create an unconscious habit. 

QUOTES: 

[4:38] “We’re told not to eat these foods because they’re not good for us, yet the stress that’s created by avoiding them can be far more damaging than actually indulging every now and then.” - Andrew Jobling

[9:37] “I became very interested in nutrition. I got very interested in learning about how to eat healthy and sustain it, how to eat to lose weight, how to eat not to get a result, not to get into an outfit, not for a quick fix, for an event or a moment of time, but for a lifetime. And it finally dawned on me that indulgence is part of that.” - Andrew Jobling

"There's 2 types of change: physical change and chemical change...Physical change is not permanent...Chemical change is something where once it's changed it will never ever ever ever go back...What we're changing in the human experience is not a physical thing; what we're changing is a mindset.” - Andrew Jobling

[31:48] “If you can identify the negative thought and replace it with a positive one and reinforce and affirm that thought, then that will change your emotional state, your actions, your routines, and hence the results you start getting in life. Simple, not easy.” - Andrew Jobling

[42:01] “Well, let me just give you some perspective. There is no such thing as tomorrow. No one’s ever lived in tomorrow because as soon as midnight strikes, guess where we are? We’re back in today. There is no such thing as next week, there is no such thing as next year. It’s an imaginary concept, no one’s ever been there, the only place we ever have is now, is today. So if you don’t start today, effectively what you’re saying is I’m not starting.” - Andrew Jobling

RESOURCES:

Wellness Puzzle Podcast, Episode 207

Become A Member of Salad with a Side of Fries

Jenn’s Free Menu Plan

A Salad With a Side of Fries

A Salad With A Side Of Fries Merch

A Salad With a Side of Fries Instagram

GUEST RESOURCES:

Andrew Jobling's Facebook

Andrew Jobling's LinkedIn

Andrew Jobling's Instagram

Andrew Jobling's X

Andrew Jobling's YouTube

Andrew Jobling | Empowering you to live a life of joyful longevity

BIO:

Andrew Jobling played professional Australian Football for seven years at St Kilda Football Club. He is the best-selling author of eight published books, including his newest book T.E.A.R.S. of Joy. With over 30 years in speaking, leadership, mentoring, health and well-being, Andrew provides powerful mindset strategies to empower permanent positive change.

Nutrition Nugget! Bite-size, bonus episodes offering tips, tricks and approachable science. This week, Jenn is talking about being ticklish. She is discussing the science behind being ticklish and why some people aren’t ticklish at all! Tune in to learn why we can be ticklish at times and not others, plus why being ticklish has an evolutionary component! Like what you're hearing? Be sure to check out the full length episodes; new releases every Wednesday.  Have an idea for a nutrition nugget?  Submit it here: https://asaladwithasideoffries.com/index.php/contact/       

RESOURCES:

Become A Member of Salad with a Side of Fries

Jenn’s Free Menu Plan

A Salad With a Side of Fries

A Salad With A Side Of Fries Merch

A Salad With a Side of Fries Instagram

With so many items available at Costco, it can be tricky to determine what is a truly healthier option vs. what is just marketed as a good option. Jenn is here to help!

This week, Jenn is diving into all things Costco. She walks through a variety of items from meat, to refrigerated foods, frozen foods, and even some non food items. Jenn discusses the nutrition facts, how you can spruce up a meal using some Costco items for quick meals, and what she would stay away from. This is definitely an episode to listen to before you hit Costco for your next food haul! Tune in to learn what you should add to your cart! 

The Salad With a Side of Fries podcast is hosted by Jenn Trepeck, discussing wellness and weight loss for real life, clearing up the myths, misinformation, bad science & marketing surrounding our nutrition knowledge and the food industry. Let’s dive into wellness and weight loss for real life, including drinking, eating out, and skipping the grocery store. 

IN THIS EPISODE: 

• [2:12] Jenn shares the recipes members are getting this week!
• [5:34] What are some good meat options at Costco considering the type and price?
• [13:34] What is the quality of the food in the refrigerated sections? 
• [17:09] Are there healthy noodle options available at Costo? 
• [19:54] What are some good frozen food options? 
• [26:29] Which snack options are good to buy at Costco? 
• [34:01] Any good non-food items you should look out for?

KEY TAKEAWAYS: 

• Costco meats are a great option for price and quality!
• Even if something is marked “healthy” make sure you check the ingredients and amount you are getting for the listed price.
• You always have the option to create meals that add in healthy options - for example Kevin’s mongolian beef with some organic veggies. 

QUOTES: 

“We know that in any store, the produce is going to be our best option...the organic berries at Costco are, hands down, the best prices I've seen anywhere...they actually have quite a bit of organic produce.” - Jenn Trepeck

[5:36] “So they have organic ground meat. First of all, four pounds for $24.99 for organic ground beef is wild. I was curious, it doesn’t say it on the package if they are grass fed, so I went to the internet, according to the internet it is grass fed. I think it is more challenging to find organic grass fed beef for that kind of price, which is why I thought it was notable. Actually, the same for the organic, boneless, skinless chicken breasts, they are $5.99 a pound.” - Jenn Trepeck

[9:37] “Some things at Costco are region or geography specific. So, not to say that everything we found here you'll find at your Costco, but you know, I think if they have them at any Costco, it's something you could even ask your Costco for.” Jenn Trepeck

[16:10] “I would say, add vegetables to this right. Round out your meal, it’s going to give you some of the fiber and I would add some quality fat in there also. You can make a meal in a few minutes for your family, but for something that’s pre-packaged and one of these sauces, I’ve seen way worse.” - Jenn Trepeck about Kevin’s Chicken

"Anytime we are getting these frozen, or already prepared in some way, foods, they are adding these other things to it, that you're not getting if you bought ground chicken or the chicken breast. But, this is a healthier option compared to some of the other ones that you could pick.” - Jenn Trepeck

[36:34] “I live in the world of practicality vs. idea. You know, only eat green things, not that that’s even an idea, but you know what, I think some people can make it feel like if you are choosing some of these pre made or prepared or frozen things that you’re failing, and I think that’s 100% not the case.” - Jenn Trepeck 

RESOURCES:

Find Your Nearest Costco

Become A Member of Salad with a Side of Fries

Jenn’s Free Menu Plan

A Salad With a Side of Fries

A Salad With A Side Of Fries Merch

A Salad With a Side of Fries Instagram

Nutrition Nugget! Bite-size, bonus episodes offering tips, tricks and approachable science. This week, Jenn is talking about Gatorade Protein Bars. These protein bars are marketed as all the rage amongst fitness professionals, but are they the best option for you? Tune in as Jenn walks through the nutrition facts and her likes and dislikes about this protein bar, so you can determine if it’s something you want in your pantry. Like what you're hearing? Be sure to check out the full length episodes; new releases every Wednesday.  Have an idea for a nutrition nugget?  Submit it here: https://asaladwithasideoffries.com/index.php/contact/       

RESOURCES:

Become A Member of Salad with a Side of Fries

Jenn’s Free Menu Plan

A Salad With a Side of Fries

A Salad With A Side Of Fries Merch

A Salad With a Side of Fries Instagram

Do you feel stuck when things get too overwhelming? Do you wish there was a better way to navigate busyness or crazy schedules, especially when life throws you curveballs? Our guest today shares her CURVE method to help take the stress out of seemingly uncontrollable situations. 

On this week's episode, Jenn is talking with time management coach Anna Dearmon Kornick. They discuss how a large percentage of our day is controlled by habits and routines, which serve us well until the unexpected issues arise. What’s the best way to handle emergencies and the curveballs of life? Anna breaks down her CURVE method that helps people navigate difficult situations faster and simpler so they can move forward. Whether you are a mom trying to survive with busy kid schedules and work, or someone who feels like they are constantly busy and out of time, this is a great listen to provide tools that can put your mind at ease. Tune in to learn more! 

The Salad With a Side of Fries podcast is hosted by Jenn Trepeck, discussing wellness and weight loss for real life, clearing up the myths, misinformation, bad science & marketing surrounding our nutrition knowledge and the food industry. Let’s dive into wellness and weight loss for real life, including drinking, eating out, and skipping the grocery store. 

IN THIS EPISODE: 

• [2:21] Jenn shares what Salad with a Side of Fries members are getting this week!
• [5:05] What did Anna learn while working for a Congressman and Lieutenant Governor? 
• [12:47] How did Anna’s life shift after she decided to leave her role under the Congressman? 
• [15:15] Why is Anna such a big fan of routines?
• [17:41] What’s Anna's take on busy and good busy?
• [20:27] How do routines and habits work together?
• [24:15] What is the CURVE method? 
• [30:54] How can people navigate situations faster and simpler so they can move forward quicker? 
• [33:47] How can we navigate schedules during the upcoming busy holiday season?
• [41:23] Anna shares her final thoughts about routines. 
• [41:49] Rapid fire, off topic questions with Anna. 

KEY TAKEAWAYS: 

• Routines end up serving as the absolute foundation of your life that everything else builds upon. 
• When busy times come up, and there are things happening outside of the norm, utilize CURVE (Control, Understand, Resources, Vital, Enlist) to help you navigate what you are coming up against.
• If you are constantly dealing with curve balls - look to see if they are truly external factors or if they are something that you are creating unknowingly. Sometimes curveballs can be avoided with the right routines in place. 

QUOTES: 

[10:42] “Sometimes, whenever you are so involved, ingrained, and you throw so much of yourself into your work, I’m sure everybody maybe has experienced this at some point, you really start to lose pieces of yourself along the way. Especially when you’re in a crisis situation and you are there for someone who is in the worst experience that they have ever had in their entire life.” - Anna Dearmon Kornick

[15:28] “We spend likely more than half of our days just engaged in habit based behavior. We are living a lot of our life on autopilot, in that we are following the same well worn paths throughout our day.” - Anna Dearmon Kornick

[33:16] “It makes so much more sense to learn from other people and to get help from other people instead of just trying to do it all yourself, because you feel like it doesn’t count if you don’t do it all yourself.” - Anna Dearmon Kornick

“If, also, what helps you feel in control of your day and your life is maintaining some of your routines, then that's where we enlist the support. If someone else needs to pick up your kids so that you can get your activity in that day, that is just as valid, and potentially vital, as anything else that's specifically connected to the curveball.” - Jenn Trepeck

[41:24] “I just want to encourage you that if the idea of getting routines set up in your life feels daunting or overwhelming, just start with one. Just start with your morning routine and really get that dialed in and you’ll see the ripple effect that comes across your entire life.” - Anna Dearmon Kornick

RESOURCES:

Become A Member of Salad with a Side of Fries

Jenn’s Free Menu Plan

A Salad With a Side of Fries

A Salad With A Side Of Fries Merch

A Salad With a Side of Fries Instagram

GUEST RESOURCES:

Anna Dearmon Kornick's Website   

Anna Dearmon Kornick's Instagram

Anna Dearmon Kornick's Facebook

Anna Dearmon Kornick's Pinterest

Blueprint to Balance Website

BIO:

Anna Dearmon Kornick is a highly sought after time management coach and keynote speaker, top 1% globally ranked podcast host of It's About Time, and founder of the It’s About Time Academy. A true Louisiana firecracker who has become known for making time management fun, Anna helps busy professionals and business owners struggling with overwhelm manage their time using her personality-driven HEART Method.  

Building on more than a decade of experience in the fast-moving, high-stakes world of political and crisis communications, it’s no surprise that Anna thrives on creating order out of chaos. Early in her career, she wrangled media for a Lt. Governor and managed the hectic schedule of a U.S. Congressman. Her rapid response background and relentless approach to problem-solving position her as the go-to expert for purpose-driven time management for busy professionals. 

Nutrition Nugget! Bite-size, bonus episodes offering tips, tricks and approachable science. This week, Jenn is talking about rucking. Have you heard of it? It is when you walk while carrying extra weight on your back which is said to have a host of benefits. Does Jenn think rucking is a good element to add to your movement routine? Is it safe for everyone? Tune in to hear her thoughts. Like what you're hearing? Be sure to check out the full length episodes; new releases every Wednesday.  Have an idea for a nutrition nugget?  Submit it here: https://asaladwithasideoffries.com/index.php/contact/       

RESOURCES:

Become A Member of Salad with a Side of Fries

Jenn’s Free Menu Plan

A Salad With a Side of Fries

A Salad With A Side Of Fries Merch

A Salad With a Side of Fries Instagram

If you’ve ever lost weight only to gain it back, you are not alone! This weight re-gain is referred to as relapse and it’s extraordinarily common and this is a must listen! Jenn explores the complexities of breaking the yo-yo dieting cycle, understanding relapse rates in weight management and what we can do to reduce our own relapse rate. 

This week, Jenn discusses the psychological and behavioral challenges of maintaining weight loss, emphasizing the importance of mindset and the tendency to revert to old habits. Drawing parallels to alcohol and smoking breaks, they highlight societal stigma and personal identity issues. The episode emphasizes the need for a holistic approach to lifestyle changes, focusing on sustainable habits and self-awareness to achieve long-term health and wellness.

The Salad With a Side of Fries podcast is hosted by Jenn Trepeck, discussing wellness and weight loss for real life, clearing up the myths, misinformation, bad science & marketing surrounding our nutrition knowledge and the food industry. Let’s dive into wellness and weight loss for real life, including drinking, eating out, and skipping the grocery store. 

IN THIS EPISODE: 

• [01:53] The concept of relapse rates in weight management and behavior change.
• [03:01] Jenn shares the recipe and tool members get this week..
• [07:38] The importance of mental and behavioral shifts for maintaining weight loss.
• [10:35] Weight management relapse rates to those in alcohol recovery.
• [12:16] What are some of the stigmas associated with weight loss and identity?
• [23:06] Why individuals regain weight, focusing on the physiological changes during weight loss.
• [25:05] How low blood sugar affects behavior and the tendency to revert to old habits.
• [26:01] The importance of quickly noticing when old behaviors resurface to minimize relapse duration and addressing the challenge of changing self-identity from being a dieter to a healthier individual.
• [30:14] Shifting perspective on cheat meals from frequent indulgences to occasional treats for special occasions.
• [37:00] What are the tools and behaviors that can help reduce our relapse rates?

KEY TAKEAWAYS: 

• Understand the importance of consistency and sustainable habits to avoid the pitfalls of repetitive weight loss and gain.
• Recognize the mental and behavioral hurdles that come with keeping the weight off, and develop strategies to address them.
• Remember what the parallels are between weight management and other behavior changes, such as quitting smoking or reducing alcohol consumption, but unlike those situations, the goal here is not a relapse rate of zero.

QUOTES: 

• “Maintenance is the least sexy thing there is, and what can happen is we accomplish this success and then we stop doing the things that got us there.” - Jenn Trepeck
• "When I work with my clients, it's 12 weeks to build the tool belt so you can go live the rest of your life. It's building the tool belt to handle whatever comes our way.” - Jenn Trepeck
• “There's a misconception of how change works. We're led to believe, and we want to believe, that we flip a switch or check the box and then onward! That's not really how it happens...at all!” - Jenn Trepeck
• "We end up losing the weight as water, muscle, and bone. The scale stops moving, we get frustrated, we go back to those eating habits, and we gain the weight back as fat."  - Jenn Trepeck
• "Our objective is not zero relapse; it's to make the relapse shorter, recognize it faster, and have a shorter, quicker path to moving forward." - Jenn Trepeck

RESOURCES:

Become A Member of Salad with a Side of Fries

Jenn’s Free Menu Plan

Celebrating 3 Years with the 5 fat factors

Willpower Won’t Power

How to Cheat

Take your foot off the gas (Reverse Dieting)

A Salad With a Side of Fries

A Salad With A Side Of Fries Merch

A Salad With a Side of Fries Instagram