Advertise on podcast: Eat the F*cking Food

Midlife women were taught how to diet, not how to fuel themselves, and many are waking up to the cost. Chronic pain, fear around food, shrinking confidence, and bodies that feel fragile instead of capable are not personal failures, they are the result of decades of conditioning to be smaller. In this episode, Kristin Collins sits down with SJ Yeung, known as Jeannie, a 52-year-old strength athlete, artist, and midlife woman who chose to stop shrinking and start building a body that feels powerful, capable, and resilient. SJ shares her journey through diet culture, chronic pain, fibromyalgia, perimenopause, and fear-based nutrition messaging, and how strength training and eating enough changed not just her body, but her confidence, independence, and future. This conversation goes beyond workouts and macros and gets to the heart of what so many women are craving in midlife, energy, autonomy, joy, and the right to take up space. This episode is for women who are tired of being told to eat less, move smaller, and stay quiet, and are ready to build strength in their bodies and their lives. In this episode, you’ll discover: Why midlife women are choosing strength over shrinkingHow diet culture and fear-based nutrition messaging lead to chronic underfuelingThe connection between eating enough, muscle, confidence, and independenceWhy getting stronger changes how you move through the world, not just the gymHow fear of “getting bigger” keeps women stuck in weaker bodiesWhat it means to eat with joy instead of judgmentWhy strength training supports longevity, bone health, and future independenceHow reframing body size can unlock confidence and self-trustWhy food freedom in midlife is about capability, not controlThe mindset shift from surviving to thriving We talk about: 00:00 Meet SJ and why this conversation matters02:00 Growing up in diet culture and the pressure to be smaller04:30 Chronic pain, fibromyalgia, and the search for healing07:30 Fear-based nutrition messaging and unintended underfueling10:30 Why eating less felt “healthy” but wasn’t sustainable13:00 Discovering strength training and choosing muscle over shrinking16:30 Confidence, independence, and feeling capable again19:30 The mental challenge of getting stronger in a culture that rewards small22:30 Longevity, bone health, and future-proofing your bodyspan class="ql-ui"...

Midlife women have been taught how to diet, but not how to eat, and it’s costing them energy, strength, mood, sleep, and long-term health. In this episode of Eat the Fcking Food, Kristin Collins sits down with nutrition and fitness coach Le Bergen (20+ years in the space) to talk about what most women never hear out loud: you’re not failing, you’re under-fueled. Le breaks down why “eating the minimum” might help you survive, but it won’t help you thrive, especially as you age. Together, they reframe “performance” beyond the gym (think sleep, digestion, mood, focus, and daily stamina), and explain why chasing a smaller body often keeps women stuck in weaker bodies. You’ll learn how to start eating up to your needs without panic, why carbs got unfairly thrown into the “Butterfinger category,” how to use tracking as neutral data (not punishment), and a simple hand-portion method that meets you where you are. Then they close with the most joyful mic-drop imaginable: yes, eat the bun. In this episode, you’ll discover:Why eating up to your needs matters more as you age (thriving vs surviving)What “performance over size” really means for real life, not just workoutsHow under-fueling impacts muscle, brain bandwidth, organs, skin, and vitalityWhat to say to yourself when you’re scared to eat more (start small, chase actions)Why carbs affect mood and energy, and how restriction fuels the binge-restrict loopHow to “clean up the carb closet” without demonizing foodsA practical starting point: journaling as information (not a diary, not a confession)A simple hand-portion framework for meals (your hand, your body, your needs)Why the scale can lie, and why body composition matters more than a numberThe forever shift: stop looking for an end date, build a floor, not a finish line We talk about: 00:00 Meet Le Bergen, why this convo matters01:00 The podcast name story, food fear, bananas and carrots02:00 Why eating up to your needs matters more in midlife03:00 Thriving vs surviving, muscle, brain power, organ function04:30 What to say when you’re scared to eat more (start with protein)07:30 Performance over size, what “performance” means in real life09:00 Carbs, mood, energy, blood sugar, and the binge-restrict loop14:00 The best place to start, journal first, use data, adjust timing17:00 Tracking without obsession, hand portions, meals in daylightspan...

Welcome to Eat the F*cking Food, a podcast for midlife women who are done living under diet culture rules and ready to eat enough to actually thrive. Host Kristin Collins, a certified nutrition coach and menopause coaching specialist, shares why this show exists: women have learned how to diet, but not how to eat, and it’s leaving them underfed, overwhelmed, and afraid of basic foods. In this first episode, Kristin tells her story, how perimenopause hit, and how symptoms stacked up, sleep disruption, anxiety, libido changes, and digestion so slow it landed her in the emergency room. She opens up about the trap of restriction that “worked” aesthetically while her health markers got worse, and the turning point that changed everything, eating up to her needs, lifting weights, and learning that rest and recovery are part of health too. Kristin also previews what’s coming next: guests and conversations designed to put self-care back on the table, remove fear around food, and help women fuel their bodies so they can fuel their lives. In this episode, you’ll discover:Why this podcast exists, to challenge diet mentality and help women eat enough to thrive in midlifeThe moment the name was born, after hearing women ask “Are potatoes okay?” “Can I have a banana?” “Can I have carrots?”How perimenopause showed up, sleep disruption, anxiety, libido changes, digestion issuesThe “compliments trap,” getting rewarded for getting smaller while health markers declinedWhy one-size-fits-all diets can do damage, and why this show separates opinion from factThe shift to eating up to your needs, lifting weights, and respecting rest and recoveryA simple structure for consistency, three meals, a snack, sometimes two snacks for high-energy daysRemoving morality from food, banana, cookie, cocktail, informed choices without shameWhat’s coming next, strength-minded coaching, tracking without fear by treating it as data, real midlife stories, and mindset support We talk about: 00:00 Welcome, and why diet nonsense ends here01:00 Food as self-care, eating enough to thrive (not drag through the day)01:35 The name story, “Are potatoes okay?” “Can I have a banana?”03:00 Perimenopause, symptoms and the “that’s just how it is” lie04:20 The emergency room moment, digestion slowed dramatically05:10 Detoxes, restriction, and the compliments trap06:45 The turning point, eating more, lifting, rest and recovery08:10 “Healthy doesn’t have to be so hard”08:45 The framework, meals, snacks,...

Stop dieting. Stop apologizing for hunger. Start eating like a woman who plans to be here for a long time. Eat the F*cking Food is a nutrition and mindset podcast for women who are exhausted by diet culture and confused by conflicting nutrition advice. If you’ve tried low carb, no carb, calorie counting, points, powders, or “starting over on Monday” and still feel tired, bloated, hormonal, or stuck, this show is for you. This podcast helps women understand how to eat enough, especially in midlife, by breaking down nutrition, metabolism, and hormones in a way that actually makes sense. We talk about why 1200 calories is never the answer, how chronic under eating impacts hormone health, gut health, digestion, sleep, and energy, and how to build a balanced plate without fear or food rules. Each week, we cover topics like diet myths, popular diets explained, intuitive eating foundations, blood work and lab results, bloating and gut health, GLP-1 medications and lifestyle support, and how to heal your relationship with food after years of dieting. You’ll hear from nutrition coaches, strength coaches, hormone experts, and women who believe strong is better than skinny, prioritize good health, and know that nourishment is not something you earn. This isn’t about weight loss at any cost. It’s about metabolic health, energy, hormone balance, and freedom around food. Subscribe for honest conversations about women’s nutrition, body image, hormone health, and learning how to actually eat. Your body isn’t broken. It’s underfed. Connect here: https://kristincollinshealthcoaching.com/ / https://www.instagram.com/kristinrcollins/