The Family Fork: Nutrition For Moms In Perimenopause

I'm turning up the volume with this highly-downloaded series -- the best-of episodes that are filled with everything you need to have more fun, spend less time in the kitchen, and still reach your weight loss goals this summer.  If you're feeling the chaos of summer, and if your calendar feels unpredictable, this episode is your sign to get it locked in. Here’s exactly how to time block...

I'm turning up the volume with this highly-downloaded series -- the best-of episodes that are filled with everything you need to have more fun, spend less time in the kitchen, and still reach your weight loss goals this summer.  It’s 95 degrees, you're picking up the kids from camp in 20 minutes, and you have no plan for dinner. Welcome to summer. Here’s how to keep eating anti-inflammat...

We're turning up the volume with this highly-downloaded series -- the best episodes that are filled with everything you need to have more fun, spend less time in the kitchen, and still reach your weight loss goals this summer. Summer doesn't have to be the time to slow down and abandon all your health goals. You just need a better plan for this crazy season, so that you can feel confiden...

You're doing all the things to lose weight in perimenopause: eating better, getting your protein in, trying to move more. But the scale? It will not budge. If you've quietly started to wonder "what's the point", this episode is for you. I keep hearing the same thing from women in my world. They feel like they're trying everything and nothing is working, so they'v...

Ever heard the term “lifestyle medicine”? You probably assume (like I did) that it means to eat well, move your body, and get some sleep. But I actually looked into it and realized there was more to it than I thought. In this episode, I am breaking down the 6 pillars of lifestyle medicine, plus the seventh one that nobody else has added before. Lifestyle medicine is a root-cause approach to your h...

If you'd asked me a year ago whether I'd be recording this episode, I would have said no way. For a long time, I had a pretty firm opinion about GLP-1 peptides — and it wasn't a good one. But six months into my own peptide journey, my entire perspective has shifted.  And today, I'm sharing the whole honest story with you. If you've struggled with food noise (if you know, y...

Ever looked at your colleague, your neighbor, or your sister who is successfully losing weight in midlife and quietly wondered "why can't I?!" It doesn't have anything to do with willpower, hormones, or how disciplined she is. In this episode, I'm sharing the one thing that quietly drives every health outcome you have — and how to start building it for yourself. Here'...

Feel like you're eating healthy and "clean", but you're still not losing those midlife pounds? You're eating the salad. You ordered the oat milk latte. You swapped your white bread for whole grain. So why isn't the scale moving? Believe it or not, you can be eating clean and still triggering inflammation in your body every single day. And when your body is fighting in...

You said you’d do it differently this year. You’d lose the weight, feel confident at the pool, finally not need a cover-up. And here you are, a few weeks out from summer, in another fitting room, in another swimsuit you can’t even imagine wearing in public. If that loop sounds familiar, this episode is for you. In this episode, I’m getting honest about something I’ve skirted around on this podcast...

If you hear the word "Maycember" and you laugh and cry at the same time, this episode is for you. The craziness of all.the.things this month, plus your body is already doing its perimenopause thing on top of it. So how do you actually get through this month with your energy, patience, and sanity intact? In this episode of The Family Fork, I'm sharing my best practices from 23 years...

You've been here before. You've lost some weight, you're feeling good, making progress — and then life happens. Your schedule changes. Your kid needs more support. You go on vacation. And suddenly, all that progress starts to slip away. Getting results is one thing. Keeping them? That's where most women end up blaming themselves when the wheels fall off. This is the fourth and...

If you've been adding more cardio to try and drop weight before summer, and it's not working, this episode is going to explain exactly why. I know, it sounds completely backwards. If you grew up in the 80s and 90s like I did, you remember when cardio was everything. Jane Fonda workouts. Hours on the stair stepper. The formula was simple: want to lose weight? More cardio. Want to tone up...

What if that "healthy" breakfast you're eating every morning is actually making it harder for you to lose weight? That avocado toast with whole-grain bread and a yogurt on the side? It sounds like a solid start to the day. But if you're in perimenopause or menopause, you might be hitting three major inflammatory triggers before 9am — and you don't even know it. This is epi...

What if the reason you can't lose weight before summer has nothing to do with discipline — and everything to do with the thoughts running through your head? I had a wake-up call the other day. I was on my usual dog walk, baking in my long sleeves and yoga pants, sweating through what I thought would be a casual 30-minute stroll. And it hit me: shorts season is coming. Whether I'm ready o...

If you've been blaming stress, aging, or "just not trying hard enough" for the weight gain, the bad sleep, and the feeling that your body is working against you — this episode is about to reframe everything. I sat down with Stephanie Traver, a Women's Health Nurse Practitioner and Menopause Society Certified Practitioner, and founder of Vital Menopause in Colorado. Stephanie ha...

Tired of trying to make habits that never stick? Maybe you've tried every meal plan, workout program, and healthy habit out there, only to watch everything fall apart within days?  You're not alone, and more importantly, it is not your fault. (That's good news!) In this episode of The Family Fork, we're diving deep into the real reason healthy habits feel nearly impossible to b...

You worked hard to feel good before your trip. Don't let vacation undo all of your progress! It's time to look at why restricting before vacation sends you into overindulgence mode once you get to your destination. It's a cycle that repeats itself...but once you recognize it you can learn what to do so that you can come home from vacation feeling better than when you left. (Coming h...

If you've ever felt like you were holding it all together on the outside while quietly falling apart on the inside as you navigate midlife, this episode is for you. This week, I sit down with trauma and grief specialist Jill McMahon, who has spent over 25 years working with individuals through some of life's most devastating experiences. Together we unpack something that you may have nev...

How in the world do you stay consistent and "motivated" long enough to lose 65 lbs? As I reflect on my 50th year (which I hoped would be my healthiest year ever), I recognized that the health lessons I really needed, I learned when I lost 65 lbs in my late 40s. When people ask me how I stayed consistent, it all came down to three big lessons, which I unpack here. In this episode: 📌 Lear...

Do you feel like you're exhausted and dragging through every single day? Between the invisible load of managing a career, a family, aging parents, and shifting hormones, it’s no wonder you feel like you’re running on empty. In this episode of The Family Fork, I’m getting real about why you lose energy in perimenopause and how to get it back without spending a fortune (like a week at the spa!)...

When was the last time you looked in the mirror without counting your flaws? In midlife, it’s so easy to view your body as a project that needs constant fixing—less belly fat, less bloating, less brain fog. But the reality is that you get what you look for. If you spend your day hunting for evidence that your body is falling apart, your brain will find it. In this week's episode, I'm sha...

Struggling to get your partner on board with your healthy eating? Is your spouse "mostly" supportive of how you feel in perimenopause, but you wish he knew more? Juggling perimenopause and midlife health challenges is hard enough on your own, but when you’re in a marriage or long-term partnership, your health journey isn't just yours—it's a shared experience that impacts your r...

Raise your hand if your cravings have gotten worse in perimenopause? Like finding yourself standing in front of the pantry at 9:00 PM, wondering how you ended up halfway through a bag of Hershey’s Kisses or chips after a perfectly healthy day? If you’ve been beating yourself up for a "lack of discipline," it's not your fault, and I need you to listen to this! In this episode of The...

Feel like a lightweight when you drink in perimenopause? Does that nightly glass of Cabernet pack more of a punch than it used to (and you find it's harder to recover in the morning?) In this episode, we're digging into the relationship between alcohol and midlife, but it's a different take than you're used to . Because you already know the science. You’re a smart, driven, prof...

Juggling perimenopause, family, and weight loss goals can feel overwhelming, especially when it seems like you’ve tried every diet under the sun and nothing sticks.  In the previous episode, we talked about the nuts and bolts of nutrition and fitness strategy—the "what" of losing weight. Today, we are digging into the "how," and it has nothing to do with your gym membership. I’...