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Summary

There's a lot of conversation (and confusion) about the first meal of the day... breakfast.

For a long time you were told never to skip it.

Now you're told to cut it out completely.

Some argue you need it to rev your metabolism for the day.

Others would say a longer fast means more fat is burned. 

What's the truth?? 

Well if you know me, you probably know my answer is going to be somewhere in the middle and I'm going to say it differs from person to person (I know, I know, I can hear the groan of exasperation, you ...

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Summary

At some point in your life, you've probably heard this piece of weight loss advice: "just eat when you're hungry and stop when you're full."

Hell, I've given that advice many times over to my clients.

Sounds simple enough right?

But what about when it's not?

What if you have a hard time differentiating between true hunger and boredom?

What if 'full' has always meant 'stuffed' for you and you're not sure what you're supposed to feel like after a meal?

I've had many clients in this boat. From an early age, we're ofte...

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Summary

I can't count how many times in my career I've uttered the words, "No one is fat because of eating bananas."

I actually remember the first time I said it.

I had a client who ate virtually every meal out, who regularly drank 4-5 artificially sweetened ice teas at one sitting, and who was just getting into a workout routine.

They had a solid 60 pounds to lose and when I told them to eat a banana to fuel their workout their response was, "Don't bananas have a lot of sugar??"

Honestly, it hurt my heart to hear that fear ...

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Summary

This is probably the most embarrassing story I could tell you, and believe me I never thought I would tell a soul, let alone put it out into the world in a podcast episode. But I really think we need to talk about it. 

Warning: if you're squeamish (especially about period stories), skip to the 'advice' section of the blog. 

It was about a month ago, it was day one of my cycle and I was hurting... bad. I've had cramps that have made me yack before, but nothing came close to what I was experiencing in this moment. 

Now b...

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Summary

I see people arguing over nutrition research all the time. This study says keto is the best, this study says paleo’s the best, this study says vegan’s the best. But here’s the thing, research and the experts behind it can be skewed, biased, and outdated. 

How many times have we proven old diets wrong that were once strongly supported by hundreds of studies (the era of ‘fat makes you fat’ comes to mind)?

Look at the fact that most researchers don’t want to use women to test their theories because our hormones ‘fuck up’ th...

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Summary

The last 2 weeks we've talked about how trauma affects the brain (giving you an external locus of control, reduced impulse control, and impaired memory) and how trauma affects the body (reduced metabolism, fibromyalgia, autoimmune disease, just to name a few). 

And after hearing all that, you may be feeling a bit hopeless, wondering if your past trauma is going to define and limit the possibilities for your future. 

It isn't. Not if you're willing to do the work. 

Now before you click away thinking 'the work' automatica...

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Summary

My narcissistic relationship triggered my autoimmune disease. 

Yes there were certainly other factors at play: diet, genetics, birth control. 

But for years I couldn't speak my mind for fear of retribution. For years I was on high alert, unsure what would set him off. For years I felt like I was crazy, having every word twisted and turned against me. 

My body's defenses were chronically waging war against the ever-present emotional threat and eventually turned on me, attacking my own thyroid cells.

I've known this. I'...

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Summary

For years I've said that the negative emotions and experiences we don't process and release get stored in the body. Sometimes as fat, sometimes as illness, sometimes as injury.

It always sounded 'woo woo' when it came out of my mouth, but finally I've discovered a book that scientifically backs up this intuition. 

'The Body Keeps the Score' by Bessel Van Der KolK, MD, is one of the most comprehensive books I've ever read on trauma, how it affects the brain and body, and how to heal deep-seated wounds.

And before you sh...

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Summary

What's my #1 tool for getting out of my own way when trying to achieve big goals?

Journaling. I know it’s cheesy, and self-helpy, and therapisty to say, but it FREAKING WORKS.

More often than not what holds us back is the autopilot thoughts and habits that play on repeat day after day.

The magic of journaling is it forces us to take a step back, to question those limiting beliefs and actions, to get an outside perspective on our own lives, and to more clearly see the way OUT.

But I know journaling can be intimidating. You may...

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Summary

How do I describe Destinee? She is loud, loving, and absolutely beautiful. 

But her strength and beauty doesn't come from an easy life. Her strength comes from the battles she's faced. Her beauty is in her battle scars.

She is a warrior and I am so excited to share her story of losing almost 100 pounds in the last 3 years without dieting.

But my words won't do it justice, so here's all I'll say: When I first met Destinee, she was 270 pounds and while the world saw a shining smile and vivacious personality, inside she...