Drawing from Goldilocks and the 3 bears, Mel shares her own experiences. This episode will shed some light on why having high and low sensitivity is NOT being overly dramatic, rude or high maintenance. Finding safe experiences with food is trial and error. Sometimes it will be too hot, too intense or just too much. Other times it will be boring, underwhelming and disappointing.

In this episode, Mel explains why Dopamine is essential - WHAT it does and WHY it can affect our eating. And it’s not just about dopamine seeking behaviours, we also need to understand the folk who struggle with dopamine hypersensitivity.

In this episode I share my experience of struggling for my whole life with undiagnosed ADHD, and then finding clarity, answers and a way forward. I’ve put my heart on my sleeve here because it’s been therapeutic for me, and because I also hope it helps someone else feel less alone.

Now, if you love adapting your recipes for the feel-good factor or simply love experimenting with food, carry on! But it’s all to easy to get caught up in fads and trends and lose sight of why you’re doing it.

If you were offered a drug you could take just once a week, that was clinically proven to lead to sustained weight loss, without the nasty side effects, you’d be tempted right?

In this episode, Mel helps you put a strategy in place; one that helps to remove your attention from your eating disorder, that takes the focus away from the food and helps you navigate any tricky or triggering social situations.

Mel is here to help release some of the shame around food being a coping tool and she’ll explain why food is a common crutch for so many . Mel will also help you understand what food issues can look like when the anxiety comes before the eating and after the eating.

In this episode Mel gives insight into the numerous factors that affect blood sugar, sheds light on the money making behind pre-diabetes and how diabetes management recommendations and eating disorder behaviours look very similar.

Believe me when I say, recovery looks different for everyone. And that in itself can make it scary; like you’re venturing alone on a treacherous journey, but you’re not quite sure where it will end. But you are not travelling alone and this episode proves this.

Listen as Mel explains why so many are terrified of sugar (also listen to the previous episode about whether addiction is a thing) and explains why it’s important we give permission to eat the foods we or our kids want.

In this episode, Mel delves into that fear of fullness; where it comes from, what it means and ultimately how we can start to let go of that fear.

Join Mel in this episode as she debunks some myths and unpacks some of the conflicting theories around food addiction. Sarcasm and humour also included.

Mel shares some situations she’s directly involved with where weight stigma means her family have not being given the treatment they need and deserve. It’s often not intentional but implicit (aka unconscious) bias is rife in healthcare – the only way to change this is (1) become more aware that it exists and (2) take the necessary steps to challenge it! Press PLAY and Mel will reveal the truth and where it comes from and the adverse effects it creates.

In this episode Mel shares the information bariatric surgeons should be providing for their patients to make a fully informed decision. She talks about the risks of combining eating disorders with weight loss surgery and what you need to think about in taking the best care of yourself. Weight loss is not everything.

In this episode Mel explores how as humans, we create false beliefs that can determine how we see and treat ourselves. She explains how to move away from focusing on appearance, how to re-write your beliefs and how to cope with others who perhaps have the sensitivity of a boulder when it comes to mouth engaging with their brain.

In this episode, Mel shares two ways in which you can begin to dig deeper and explore what your desire to lose really means for you. So you can begin to let go of the need to endure dieting behaviours, without fear. She also explains how letting go of this desire can feel like grieving the loss of an actual person. Mourning the behaviours you can no longer sustain, your past body or the body you never got to have is valid!

I give 5 reasons why intuitive eating might not have worked or be working for you and I can tell you now, it won’t be your fault. But what is often NOT talked about is the impact of chronic dieting, the lingering diet mentality, stress and trauma on our ability to truly listen and respond to our body. I also provide 5 resources from my Pick N Mix that may help you fill in the gaps in terms of tools to help you embrace the practice that is intuitive eating.

In this episode Mel touches on the benefits that some may experience from tracking food, exercise and weight but I focus more heavily on the downsides, and the reasons why some users find them detrimental to their health.

She also shares three tips to help reduce food and number obsession….you might guess the first one?