Trust Yourself With Food (previously the Bite Size Nutrition Podcast)

How does someone with a genuinely healthy relationship with food eat over the holidays—without obsessing, “saving up,” or spiraling afterward?

In this episode, we’ll explore what changes when you feel calm and grounded around food, even in an environment full of rich meals, family dynamics, disrupted routines, and allll the emotions that come with the holidays.

• What a healthy relationship with food actually looks like over the holidays

• How body image and food freedom are deeply connected (and why holidays can poke at both)

• Why people with a healthy relationship with food don’t “save up” or “make up for” holiday eating

• How to think about flexibility over a season or a year, not just one day or one meal

• The difference between moving your body to care for yourself vs. to “burn off” food

Feel “in control” with macros but think about food all the time?

In this updated episode (original ep is #118), I unpack the hidden risks of macro tracking and teach a saner, skills-first way to eat without feeling like you’re spiraling.

You’ll learn

• How to spot rigid vs. flexible control (and why it matters)

• What research suggests about tracking frequency, intention, and disordered eating risk

In this solo episode, I share why I’m not planning to “bounce back” after birth and what I’ll focus on instead: caring for my baby, caring for my body, and letting my recovery unfold with respect, flexibility, and support.

We’ll talk about:

• How bounce-back culture fuels body checking, comparison, and self-objectification

• What positive body image actually means (it isn’t “loving how you look”) and why it supports healthier eating and movement

• Embodiment as a practical skill set for pregnancy and postpartum

• The mindset I’m taking into postpartum: nourishment, movement as possible, and honest communication about needs

• How I prepared during pregnancy: flexible training, regular eating that includes convenience and pleasure, breathwork/deep core work, and proactive conversations with my partner

If you’re pregnant, postpartum, or supporting someone who is, this episode offers a grounded alternative to appearance-focused goals and a permission-based way to recover.

In Part 2 of this two-episode series, we move from why control-based sugar strategies fail to how to manage sweets with permission, awareness, and flexibility—without rules, guilt, or obsession. You’ll learn simple, compassionate practices to enjoy sweets and feel more in control of your choices.

What you’ll learn

• Why unconditional permission reduces urgency (and overeating) over time

• “Awareness over avoidance”: how curiosity beats rigid rules

• How to align sugar decisions with your values (connection, ease, authenticity)

• The “add, don’t restrict” approach to snacks and meals

• Why wanting more after sweets is normal—and how to respond wisely

• A step-by-step mindful sweets practice you can try this week

Related episodes

• Unconditional Permission to Eat mini-series: ~Episodes 51–53

Resources

Part one of two

Have you ever sworn off sugar, only to end up eating more of it once it was “off-limits”?

In this first official episode of Trust Yourself with Food, Gillian unpacks why common strategies for controlling sugar - like cutting it out completely, keeping it out of the house, or using rigid food rules....tend to backfire.

This conversation is NOT about fear mongering sugar or telling you how much you should be eating- it's about the psychology of scarcity, all-or-nothing thinking, and how hidden weight-loss pressures often drive our desire to quit sugar.

You’ll leave this episode with practical reflection prompts to help you decide what a reasonable sugar intake looks like for your life... without rules, guilt, or constant mental chatter.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

• Why past sugar-control attempts haven’t worked long-term

• How scarcity and “screw it” thinking fuel cravings and overeating

• The link between sugar restriction and hidden weight-loss goals

• 3 reflection prompts to reset your relationship with sweets