The "Cake Doesn't Count" Podcast

The single most common struggle I hear from women?  The struggle to win the evening food battle. Don't know what else to do besides eat at night? That's what we're talking about on the podcast today! Evenings can be the most challenging time for most of us around food . The day is done, the busy-ness settles, the distractions fade. And we're left with that whisper from the pantry that seems to cal...

When you look around, it can feel like everyone has their eating under control. Except you. Looking out at the world, it can feel like you are the only one that battles food. Everyone else has it all together--at ease in their clothes, eating what they want, not worrying about weight gain . So why does it feel like this? And what can help move you through it? Listen in on today's podcast for answe...

I just got back from a week with my extended family in the Outer Banks and was in a bathing suit much of the week. Now, as you know from my blog and podcasts, I've done A LOT of work on body image over the years. The one thing that can still trip me up?! Seeing myself in a bathing suit in a photo. It's like I suddenly take a magnifying glass to the photo to scrutinize every single detail of my bod...

Fear of weight comments can pop up at the most inconvenient times. You're going to a party with friends you haven't seen in a while and get bogged down in anxiety about what they'll think. You have a family event with that one person who ALWAYS makes a comment and you are dreading it like the plague. You're seeing people post pregnancy and can't stop thinking that they'll think you look terrible n...

You know when you just feel plain exhausted thinking about food? Maybe it's the fears of weight gain and anxieties of the food battle ( what you should/shouldn't eat) . Or it's the criticism of yourself and how you're not "getting" it fast enough. Maybe it's the stress of trying to be really "good" because you have a big event or vacation coming up. Whatever it is, today's podcast is a must listen...

Written by Jenn Hand , Holistic Nutritionist, Board Certified Health Coach, NBC-HWC   If you've been in the diet world for any length of time, you know how frustrating the weight battle can be. But what if we're believing the wrong things about weight loss? After helping hundreds of women overcome late night bingeing and finding their normal, I know a thing or two about what works, what doesn't an...

Women often say to me (sometimes ashamed and embarrassed)... "I've gained weight and I feel like a failure". In some form, I hear these words frequently. I thought these same words thousands of times in my journey. "Everyone must think I'm a failure because I've gained my weight back." "How can I have it all together if I can't even control my weight?" "What's wrong with me...I can't even manage s...

Ok, here's the million dollar question...when you have a desire for something you don't think you "should" eat, should you give in to a craving or just ignore it?   When I was trying to stop dieting, I wrestled with serious dessert cravings. I often would have this internal battle with myself, fighting back and forth about trying to NOT give in.   And then of course, I'd be so tired of battling my...

It's easy to be confused over the right way to eat. There are approximately 3,456,878 articles on google talking about what's "good" , what you're "supposed" to eat/not eat, and research supporting each claim. (And every one seems believable!) Every "expert" says something different. Some people claim Keto is the best, others say Intermittent Fasting, and still others claim that Weight Watchers is...

Written by  Jenn Hand , Holistic Nutritionist, Board Certified Health Coach, NBC-HWC Do you feel shame and/or want to hide your body? I've been talking a lot lately about shame around our bodies and how we, as women, want to hide our bodies. We often carry this deep feeling of being ashamed of our weight and that, in turn, makes us want to hide. We want to cover up, wear baggy clothes,   hide duri...

Whether you're new to learning how to eat normally or have been on this path for years, inevitably the fear will arise: what if I gain weight? Typically, when we're focused on dieting it can seem to give us a sense of control around food. We feel "safe" knowing we are following something. So when we go off the plan and are working to find our normal, it can feel very scary! It can seem like we're...

When we are trying to let go of dieting and be more "normal" around food, it can be verrrrry challenging to know when to stop eating. Are you supposed to listen to your body? Measure or count something? Get specific portions? When we're left with just ourselves (without following a food plan), how in the heck are we supposed to know when to put down our fork and leave the table?! I'm sharing 3 dif...

Have you ever gotten on the scale or glanced at your reflection in the mirror and have it completely ruin your day? Maybe you've had a few days where you feel pretty good and decide to "check in" on your progress. One glance or hop on the scale and BAM, it sends us spiraling into a rabbit hole of negative thoughts. That negative spiral can derail our best laid plans, sink us into a dark place and...

A quick check in question: what's your relationship to exercise? For some women, exercise can mimic the diet mentality. (AKA the all or nothing type of thinking ) Some women are in the "excessive, use it to burn something off, to not feel guilty" place with exercise.  Others are on the opposite side: the "I have no motivation to do anything and can't get moving" struggle.  (As as aside, FitBits an...

It is hard to let go of holiday food guilt. For some reason, we think we have to be really "good" around food. But enter the holiday Trifecta of dessert overload and it can be challenging: Halloween + Thanksgiving + December holidays = lots of sweets. I went to visit my niece in Raleigh over Halloween and had a few too many Reese's pumpkins. Because I was a bit hungry and hadn't had enough dinner...

If eating is your only excitement (and what you really look forward to), dive into today's podcast (below) In honor of my brand new offering , we're exploring filling the void without food :) So often in the world of weight loss and diets, we get seduced into the "secret formula to solve XYZ". We often feel terrible about ourselves to try to get "motivated" enough to push/punish ourselves into cha...

A woman emailed me to say she was struggling: "I'm having a hard time letting go of adhering to a program or following some sort of rule; I use dieting as a security blanket." I have never heard dieting explained this way and I thought it was absolutely something we needed to explore! Why is dieting so hard to let go of? Because it can be safe, familiar and our security blanket. We default back in...

There is so much on body acceptance and body love out there that gives tips and tools for how to love your body. But what if you never DO actually learn to love your body? Is that okay? Or should you keep trying? Dive in here! You can also check out the " Love Your Body" challenge here.

So I kind of got talked into doing a burlesque show. (*Disclaimer--this is my summer of "yes"--saying yes to things I normally wouldn't!) It was a 6-week class with a performance at the end. In booty boy shorts underwear 😮😮😮. Needless to say, it was WAY outside my comfort zone, absolutely terrifying and brought up tons of body criticisms that I didn't know were still in there. I'm talking about...

You know when you are just having one of those bad body image days? It could be you caught a glimpse of your reflection in a window, saw a photo of yourself you hated , put on an outfit that didn't fit or are just in your head about your body. Regardless of what causes it, we all have those days. (Yep--even that woman you look at and think " I'd kill to have her figure ") Bookmark this podcast to...

Have you ever gone on a diet, "failed" and then blamed yourself for not sticking to the program? No matter what it is--a food program, a diet, or any other plan... ...whatever thing that you blame yourself for not having more willpower to adhere to . (Hint: this is almost everyone that comes into my community because we all blame ourselves!) Today is a must listen! PS-How to Make Healthy Food Deci...

On our path towards " normal" eating , there is usually a lot of fear. How do you move through fear on the path to freedom? That's what we're talking about in today's podcast! We usually fear weight gain, rusting ourselves, bingeing, judgement around our bodies, comments from others ... And that's just the start of the list! How do you move through fear when you're working towards being more free?...

When we want to lose weight or are uncomfortable in our body, we often hold onto this concept of a "future thin body". This may show up as a yearning to be at a size you were before or a subtle desire that you try to push down (one that wishes you could "get back to" a certain weight). Exploring this topic can help you dig deeper into what it is that you're REALLY wanting from that size/weight and...

The all or nothing mindset plagues us in the diet world. When we're on a diet, we pick up this way of thinking: ...that we're either good or bad. We're on or off. We're eating perfectly or not . There's no gray area. It's just "are we doing the plan" or not? When we're trying to find our own version of "normal eating", this mindset can come back in full swing.  It ends up keeping us stuck, because...

Anxiety used to hit me when it came time to wear spring/summer outfits. If warm weather clothes are a trigger, then today's podcast is a must listen. I wanted to hide my body and crawl under a rock until winter came back around again. The thought of baring my body in a bathing suit or shorts invoked deep shame and embarrassment. If you struggle with the transition from winter to summer clothing, t...