Episode summary: In today's episode, Erin shares her recent ADD diagnosis at forty-two and what it revealed about her 100-pound weight gain in her twenties and thirties. She breaks down the science behind ADD, dopamine, and emotional eating, explains why this connection goes undiagnosed in so many women, and shares what has actually helped her and the hundreds of women she coaches.

Key takeaways:

• ADD looks completely different in women than in men. It often shows up as anxiety, perfectionism, emotional intensity, and inattentiveness rather than hyperactivity — which is why so many women are never diagnosed.
• ADD is a dopamine regulation issue, and the ADD brain is constantly searching for ways to raise dopamine. Food, especially sugar and processed carbohydrates, is one of the fastest available sources.
• Research shows adults with ADHD have 2.7 times higher odds of obesity and are 4.1 times more likely to have binge eating disorder compared to those without ADHD.
• Emotional eating is not a willpower problem. It is your brain seeking relief, soothing, and pleasure — and understanding that is the beginning of real change.
• Structure, real food, inner work, accountability, and joyful movement are the most powerful tools for breaking the dopamine-food cycle.

Resources and links mentioned:

• CHADD (National Resource on ADHD): www.chadd.org
• ADDitude Magazine — ADHD and Dopamine: www.additudemag.com/slideshows/adhd-obesity-link
• PubMed: ADHD and Obesity Scoping Review (2025): https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40077657
• PubMed: ADHD and Overweight in Children, Meta-Analysis: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36952326
• Join the NutriHabit app waitlist: www.healthyrealfood.com/nutrihabit

Ready for support? If this episode resonated with you, I would love to connect. Book a free strategy session with me at www.healthyrealfood.com/schedule/free-consult — we will talk about where you are, what has gotten in your way, and whether the NutriHabit coaching program is the right fit for you. Find out more at www.healthyrealfood.com.

Ready to lose weight for the last time? Ready to Stop Starting Over?

If you’re tired of the dieting rollercoaster and want a clear, customized plan that actually works... let’s talk.

I offer free 1 hour coaching calls to help you break through what’s keeping you stuck, create a plan that fits your life and start seeing results you can actually sustain.

Click here to book your free call now: www.healthyrealfood.com

You don’t have to figure this out alone.

This is your year. Let’s make it happen...together.

Nervous System Regulation for Emotional Eating: JD Tremblay on Discipline, Resilience & the “Double Breath”

Erin shares a candid moment from her Healthy Real Food Podcast interview with JD Tremblay where she feels off her game due to family stress, and JD teaches a nervous system regulation tool called the “double breath” (inhale to perceived full capacity, inhale again, hold, then release slowly) that quickly calms the body and can be done discreetly. JD, an integrated engineer, certified naturopath practitioner, ultra triathlete, and director at Hungry Warrior Academy, explains that discipline comes from following structure and systems, not perfection. He outlines the DECA framework—Discipline, Energy regulation, Capacity, Action—encouraging listeners to start with small “non-negotiables,” build quick wins, and avoid unrealistic comparisons. They discuss resilience through recovery, sleep, naps, meditation (minimum 12 minutes), and pattern recognition around eating behaviors.

00:00 Podcast Intro and Guest Tease

01:07 Meet JD Tremblay

03:07 JD Origin Story and Military Lessons

04:36 Double Breath Reset Demo

08:51 Resilience Through Discipline

09:50 DECA System Explained

14:52 Quick Wins and Taking Action

19:04 Recovery and Meditation Tools

21:05 Emotional Eating and Regulation

22:21 Pattern Awareness and Wrap Up

Ready to lose weight for the last time? Ready to Stop Starting Over?

If you’re tired of the dieting rollercoaster and want a clear, customized plan that actually works... let’s talk.

I offer free 1 hour coaching calls to help you break through what’s keeping you stuck, create a plan that fits your life and start seeing results you can actually sustain.

Click here to book your free call now: www.healthyrealfood.com

You don’t have to figure this out alone.

This is your year. Let’s make it happen...together.

It’s Not Too Late: Patricia Sigerson’s Real Food Transformation, Staying Off Meds & Changing Your Family Tree | Ep. 247

In Episode 247 of the Healthy Real Food podcast, Erin interviews NutriHabit mentor Patricia Sigerson about her health transformation and why she believes it’s not too late to change your trajectory. Patricia shares how watching family members struggle with diabetes, medications, and declining health shaped her deep “why” to stay off meds and use food as medicine, including improving her cholesterol without statins. They discuss separating food from connection, creating new active memories with grandkids through salads, smoothies, apples, and outdoor activities, and the mindset shifts that support long-term maintenance: progress over perfection, course-correcting quickly, planning and preparation, having freezer backups, and surrounding yourself with a supportive community for accountability and encouragement.

00:00 Hopeful Episode Intro

02:31 Meet Patricia Mentor

06:45 Patricia Deep Why

12:06 Grandkids New Traditions

15:04 Food Connection Mindset

21:25 Non Scale Victories

24:28 Course Correcting Skills

28:35 Tips For Beginners

33:07 Planning Freezer Hacks

34:09 Final Encouragement Outro

Ready to lose weight for the last time? Ready to Stop Starting Over?

If you’re tired of the dieting rollercoaster and want a clear, customized plan that actually works... let’s talk.

I offer free 1 hour coaching calls to help you break through what’s keeping you stuck, create a plan that fits your life and start seeing results you can actually sustain.

Click here to book your free call now: www.healthyrealfood.com

You don’t have to figure this out alone.

This is your year. Let’s make it happen...together.

How to Help Kids Find Peace With Food (ADHD, Dopamine & Emotional Eating) | Kamy Moussavi

In episode 246 of the Healthy Real Food Podcast, Erin interviews Kamy Moussavi, founder of Step Together, a family-centered program helping parents and children build healthier habits through emotional regulation, supportive routines, and sustainable lifestyle changes, with a focus on ADHD, impulsivity, and emotional eating. Kamy shares his personal history as the overweight kid who struggled with food addiction and bulimia into his 20s, and explains why excess weight is often a symptom of deeper emotional and environmental factors, including dopamine-seeking behaviors and family stress. They discuss how modern addictive food and screen environments affect kids, the ADHD–dopamine connection (especially inattentive ADHD in girls), and why parents should avoid pressuring children and instead change the home environment, model healthy coping, reduce shame, and prioritize self-care. Kamy directs listeners to steptogether.us for coaching and a free session.

00:00 Worried About Kids Food

02:02 Meet Kamy And Step Together

03:22 Kamy Origin Story

06:57 Modern Addiction Environment

09:39 Why Parents Come First

13:17 Root Causes Emotional Coping

15:59 Brain Science Behind Binging

24:25 ADHD Dopamine Link

31:59 Protective Parenting Strategies

37:59 Drop Shame Find Support

To learn more about Kamy and his misstion at Step Together visit www.steptogether.us

Ready to lose weight for the last time? Ready to Stop Starting Over?

If you’re tired of the dieting rollercoaster and want a clear, customized plan that actually works... let’s talk.

I offer free 1 hour coaching calls to help you break through what’s keeping you stuck, create a plan that fits your life and start seeing results you can actually sustain.

Click here to book your free call now: www.healthyrealfood.com

You don’t have to figure this out alone.

This is your year. Let’s make it happen...together.

The Truth About Seed Oils (and the Best Fats to Eat) | Healthy Real Food Podcast Ep. 245 w/ Sherry Calbom

In episode 245 of the Healthy Real Food podcast, Erin interviews nutrition expert and author Sherry Calbom about industrial seed oils and why they may contribute to inflammation, weight gain, brain fog, hormone disruption, and cravings. Calbom defines common seed oils to avoid (including canola/rapeseed, grapeseed, corn, soy, safflower, sunflower, peanut, rice bran, and cottonseed) and shares preferred alternatives such as olive, avocado, and coconut oils, plus butter, ghee, and tallow. She explains how processing methods and omega-6 imbalance may drive oxidative stress and inflammation, affecting metabolism, insulin resistance, and even brain health. The conversation emphasizes reading labels, making simple pantry swaps, choosing better options when eating out, and using tools like the Seed Oil Scout app, and highlights Calbom’s book The Truth About Seed Oils.

00:00 Seed Oils Warning

02:10 Meet Sherry Calbom

04:57 Weight Gain and Inflammation

07:47 Which Oils to Avoid

09:04 Healthy Fats to Choose

11:06 Low Fat Diet Fallout

13:51 Hormones and Insulin Resistance

16:10 Why Seed Oils Harm

22:12 Cell Membranes and Brain Health

25:20 Healing Through Real Food

30:04 Simple Swaps and Eating Out

33:46 Purpose and Next Steps

34:24 Book and Where to Follow

35:25 Final Thanks and Wrap

Ready to lose weight for the last time? Ready to Stop Starting Over?

If you’re tired of the dieting rollercoaster and want a clear, customized plan that actually works... let’s talk.

I offer free 1 hour coaching calls to help you break through what’s keeping you stuck, create a plan that fits your life and start seeing results you can actually sustain.

Click here to book your free call now: www.healthyrealfood.com

You don’t have to figure this out alone.

This is your year. Let’s make it happen...together.

How Weighing Your Food Brings Peace (And Helps You Lose Weight for Good) | Ep. 244

In episode 244 of the Healthy Real Food Podcast, Erin explains why weighing food on a digital scale can create peace instead of obsession, sharing how she lost over 100 pounds and kept it off with a real food lifestyle. She describes why willpower, intuitive eating, and eyeballing portions often fail in today’s engineered food environment, and teaches a simple “decide ahead of time” approach: write tomorrow’s plan tonight, then weigh and eat exactly what’s planned to quiet food chatter. Erin outlines the Nutri Habit Flex Step Meal Plan System, which customizes calorie targets (1400–3000 in 100-calorie steps), supports either abstinence or moderation, and uses ladder-style steps and maintenance breaks to make long-term maintenance sustainable. She also previews an upcoming NutriHabit app designed to simplify the meal-plan exchange math.

00:00 Weighing Food Fears

01:55 Transformation Story

04:32 Why Diets Fail

06:42 Brain vs Modern Food

09:13 Bypass Willpower Plan

10:09 Food Scale Freedom

12:00 NutriHabit Flex Step

14:30 Maintenance Ladder Strategy

16:53 Who This Helps Most

18:36 Real Food Plate Examples

20:16 Tracking and New App

23:18 Portion Math Demo

26:10 Key Takeaways and Wrap

Ready to lose weight for the last time? Ready to Stop Starting Over?

If you’re tired of the dieting rollercoaster and want a clear, customized plan that actually works... let’s talk.

I offer free 1 hour coaching calls to help you break through what’s keeping you stuck, create a plan that fits your life and start seeing results you can actually sustain.

Click here to book your free call now: www.healthyrealfood.com

You don’t have to figure this out alone.

This is your year. Let’s make it happen...together.

Weight Loss Isn’t Just Willpower: Dr. William Summers on Obesity Science, Nutrition, Stigma & GLP-1 Meds

On the Healthy Real Food podcast, host Aaron talks with Dr. William Summers, a Birmingham OB-GYN with over 30 years of experience who also specializes in medical weight management and metabolic health, about why obesity is a disease influenced by neuroendocrine signaling, hormones, inflammation, and modern processed foods—not just discipline or “calories in, calories out.” They discuss weight stigma and the shame many women carry, especially compared to men, and emphasize quality of life and separating worth from weight. Dr. Summers explains GLP-1 medications (including semaglutide and tirzepatide), future multi-receptor therapies, common GI side effects, rare serious risks like pancreatitis, and key exclusions such as medullary thyroid cancer/MEN2. They cover nutrition basics like reducing refined sugars, prioritizing protein, building muscle, and the need for sustained maintenance, plus upcoming Medicare coverage changes and affordability concerns.

00:00 Is It Really Your Fault

00:25 Meet Dr Summers

02:49 Stigma Shame And Self Worth

05:23 Obesity As A Disease

07:29 GLP One Medications Explained

12:20 Sugar Carbs And Protein Basics

15:59 Fat Cells Leptin And Inflammation

17:24 Nutrition Education And Policy

20:26 Medicare Coverage Breakthrough

22:45 Long Term Maintenance And Support

26:27 Food Industry Sugar Trap

27:09 Obesity Surge Explained

28:15 GLP One Basics

29:30 How GLP One Evolved

31:45 Supplements And Nutrition

32:32 Side Effects And Safety

36:12 Cancer Risk Exclusions

38:23 Managing Nausea Dosing

40:40 Maintenance And Tapering

43:34 Lifestyle Balance Mindset

45:13 Heart Benefits Wrap Up

45:48 Final Takeaways Resources

Watch Dr. Summer's Video Series on Weight Loss here...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMnFWPldTds&list=PLS7enKH0S3lyWlO8oqS_-nZzABLXp05Uh

Or go to www.theweightclinic.org to learn more.

Ready to lose weight for the last time? Ready to Stop Starting Over?

If you’re tired of the dieting rollercoaster and want a clear, customized plan that actually works... let’s talk.

I offer free 1 hour coaching calls to help you break through what’s keeping you stuck, create a plan that fits your life and start seeing results you can actually sustain.

Click here to book your free call now: www.healthyrealfood.com

You don’t have to figure this out alone.

This is your year. Let’s make it happen...together.

Win the Evening, Win the Morning, Win Your Life (Healthy Real Food Podcast Ep. 242)

Erin Hart shares how to lose weight for the last time by replacing willpower battles with systems, especially consistent evening and morning routines. She explains decision fatigue and the roles of the prefrontal cortex and basal ganglia, showing why routines make healthy choices more automatic, and highlights the cortisol awakening response as a powerful morning window best used for intentional activities rather than scrolling. Using the cue-routine-reward habit loop and habit stacking, she offers practical examples like planning tomorrow’s food after dinner, brushing teeth to “close the kitchen,” and checking in with an accountability buddy. Erin emphasizes “win the evening to win the morning,” suggests floor and ceiling goals for busy seasons, and reinforces foundational habits: writing food the night before, eating the plan, weighing/measuring, no snacking, and daily buddy connection.

00:00 Lose Weight for Good

01:44 Meet Erin and the Mission

03:18 Your Day Starts at Night

04:36 Brain Science of Routines

06:47 Morning Cortisol Advantage

08:35 Habit Loop and Stacking

10:43 Motivation Is Not Required

12:01 Win the Evening Routine

14:14 Build a Morning Power Hour

17:18 Busy Proof Floor Goals

18:33 Systems Over Willpower

19:33 Final Takeaways and Next Steps

Ready to lose weight for the last time? Ready to Stop Starting Over?

If you’re tired of the dieting rollercoaster and want a clear, customized plan that actually works... let’s talk.

I offer free 1 hour coaching calls to help you break through what’s keeping you stuck, create a plan that fits your life and start seeing results you can actually sustain.

Click here to book your free call now: www.healthyrealfood.com

You don’t have to figure this out alone.

This is your year. Let’s make it happen...together.