Emotional Eats Podcast: Real conversations about menopause, hormones, emotional eating, and weight loss for women over 40

What if your genetics could help explain why you struggle with sugar cravings, stubborn weight gain, fatigue, or even managing stress?
In this episode of the Emotional Eats podcast, Dr. Sam Shay joins me to talk about how your unique DNA may influence your health, eating behaviors, and the way your body responds to food, exercise, and stress.
Dr. Sam shares his personal journey with chronic health struggles and how genetic testing changed his approach to nutrition and wellness. We also discuss why following the latest diet trend may not be the best approach for your individual body, especially as you navigate midlife and menopause.
In This Episode, We Discuss:
Genetics and emotional eating: How genetic differences may influence sugar cravings, overeating, appetite, and emotional regulation.
Personalized nutrition: Why the same diet doesn't work for everyone and how genetic testing may offer additional information about your nutritional needs.
Three types of weight gain: Dr. Sam's framework of inflammatory water weight, hormonal/toxic weight, and caloric fat weight.
Inflammation and your health: The potential connections between inflammation, fluid retention, mood, energy, and brain fog.
Exercise and recovery: Why more exercise isn't always better and how individual differences may affect recovery.
Genetic testing after 40, 50, or 60: How understanding genetic predispositions may help guide future health choices.
We also talk about the importance of looking beyond willpower and combining lifestyle habits with individualized health information.
One important takeaway from our conversation: Your genes are not your destiny. Understanding your genetic tendencies may give you another tool for making informed decisions about your health.
About Dr. Sam Shay
Dr. Sam is the creator of the DNA Decoded Program™ for the public to access easy-to-understand and easy-to-implement genetics testing so that they can have a personal blueprint to their health and wellness. Dr. Sam is also the founder of FitgenesUSA.com, where he trains practitioners and health coaches on how to leverage genetics in their practice to help their clients identify food triggers, understand how their body handles stress, and create targeted plans that support clarity, resilience, and longevity.
Whether supporting exhausted parents, health-conscious professionals, or individuals seeking sustainable transformation, Dr. Sam makes cutting-edge science feel human, hopeful, and empowering. Featured on over 200 podcasts, stages, & summits, he delivers each conversation with insight, warmth, and a dose of sharp humor, helping audiences turn their genetic blueprint into a roadmap for thriving.
 
Connect With Dr. Sam Shay
Podcast:  https://fitgenesusa.com/podcast/
YouTube:  http://youtube.com/@DrSamShay
Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/drsamshay/
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/sam.shay.792/
Website:   http://www.DrSamShay.com
 
Connect with Kim
In my More Than Weight Loss Guide, I share my biggest aha moments and exactly what I did in my own journey to get my body back in midlife plus all the conversations I'm having with my clients who are making progress with their health and weight loss. Your health is so much more than the number on the scale and weight loss is more than a diet.
Click Here to get your MORE THAN WEIGHTLOSS guide
 
Emotional Eats Podcast: Emotional Eats Podcast:  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/emotional-eats-podcast-end-emotional-eating-weight/id1686639038
Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/emotionaleatskim/
TikTok:  https://www.tiktok.com/@emotionaleatskim
YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/@emotionaleatskim
Disclaimer:  This podcast is for entertainment and informational purposes only.  Always consult with your medical practitioner before changing habits.  This podcast is not to take the place of medical or mental health professionals.
If you enjoyed the episode, share, download and follow.  I would be so grateful.  It helps me reach more women who need to hear this conversation.

☕ FREE GUIDE: 7 Steps to Stop Secret Eating and Break the Cycle
https://stan.store/kimhyneswellness/p/free-guide-how-to-stop-secret-eating--7-steps
Do you wait until nobody's home to eat? Hide wrappers? Feel ashamed of how much you've eaten?
It's time to understand WHY you're doing it instead of just trying harder to stop.
Grab my FREE guide with 7 practical steps to help you break the cycle of secret eating, shame, and guilt. Plus, you'll get a reflection page to help you uncover what's really driving the behavior.
👉
Have you ever hidden food wrappers, eaten in your car so nobody would see, or waited until everyone left the house so you could finally eat what you wanted?
I've done all of it. From hiding McDonald's in my backpack to burying Reese's wrappers in the trash, I spent years eating all the things when nobody was watching.
Here's what I figured out about myself. I wasn't just hiding the food. I was hiding a part of myself.
In this episode of the Emotional Eats Podcast, we're getting into the psychology of secret eating. Why shame, food rules, fear of judgment, and even the need for a little peace and freedom can make eating alone feel so good.
We'll talk about how these patterns may have started years ago, why you can feel judged even when nobody's watching, and seven practical ways to start breaking the cycle of sneaking food, hiding the evidence, and feeling guilty afterward.
Because it's not just about what you're eating. It's about why you feel the need to hide it.
If this episode resonates with you, please follow the Emotional Eats Podcast and share it with a woman who needs to hear this conversation. Let's take the shame out of emotional eating, one conversation at a time.
In my More Than Weight Loss Guide, I share my personal journey, 10 years' worth of conversations with my clients, and the things you may not even realize are affecting your weight and health, especially in midlife.
You'll discover:
Why eating less and exercising more isn't always the answer.
How your hormones, stress, sleep, and emotional eating can affect your weight.
What it really takes to stop starting over and create lasting changes in your health and body.
And I'm not just telling you what you need to know. Every chapter includes simple, practical steps you can use in your own life, plus related Emotional Eats Podcast episodes so we can dig a little deeper together.
You'll also get lifetime access to all future updates!
👉 Get your More Than Weight Loss Guide here: https://stan.store/emotionaleatskim/p/get-my-more-than-weightloss-guide-now
 
Connect with Kim:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emotionaleatskim/
TikTok:  https://www.tiktok.com/@emotionaleatskim
YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/@emotionaleatskim
Want to improve your midlife focus or sleep?  Check out Brain.fm.  This app has help me be more productive, get the best afternoon powernaps and bring down my nervous system….fast.  Get 30 days for free here.
 https://www.brain.fm/kimhyneshealth
 
Disclaimer:  This podcast is for entertainment and informational purposes only.  Always consult with your medical practitioner before changing habits.  This podcast is not to take the place of medical or mental health professionals.

You finally sit down at the end of the day. You put your feet up, turn on Netflix, scroll on your phone, grab the ice cream and tell yourself you're resting.
But are you actually resting?
In this episode of the Emotional Eats Podcast, I'm talking with my friend and yoga therapist Cheryl Gordon about non-sleep deep rest, or NSDR, and why so many of us may be going through our days without giving our nervous systems the recovery they actually need.
Cheryl explains what NSDR is, how it differs from sleep, napping and meditation.  We talk about why scrolling your phone or watching TV may feel relaxing, but doesn't give your nervous system the same kind of rest. We also talk about that familiar afternoon crash when your energy drops, your brain feels fried, and suddenly the pantry starts looking really good.
Highlights:
• Why stopping work isn't necessarily the same as resting
• What happens when your nervous system stays overstimulated
• Why the afternoon slump can make emotional eating more tempting
• How rest can support clearer thinking and better decisions around food
• How little time you may actually need to intentionally pause and recharge
And Cheryl doesn't just tell us how to do it. She leads us through a simple three-minute breathing practice right in the middle of the episode that you can come back to anytime you need it.
If you keep telling yourself, "I'm too busy to rest," this conversation may change the way you think about rest completely.
Because sometimes you don't need to push harder.  You need to recharge.
And that trip to the pantry isn't just about the food.
ABOUT CHERYL GORDON
Cheryl is a yoga therapist who helps midlife women learn how to regulate their nervous systems so they can lose weight, sleep better and feel more at peace in their bodies again.
CONNECT WITH CHERYL
 
IG:  https://www.instagram.com/cherylgordonyt/
YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/@cherylgordonmindfulmenopause
Substack:  https://cherylgordonyt.substack.com
Website:  www.cherylgordonyt.com
 
Connect with Kim:
In my More Than Weight Loss Guide, I share my biggest aha moments and exactly what I did in my own journey to get my body back in midlife plus all the conversations I'm having with my clients who are making progress with their health and weight loss. Your health is so much more than the number on the scale and weight loss is more than a diet.
Click Here to get your MORE THAN WEIGHTLOSS guide
 
Emotional Eats Podcast: Emotional Eats Podcast:  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/emotional-eats-podcast-end-emotional-eating-weight/id1686639038
Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/emotionaleatskim/
TikTok:  https://www.tiktok.com/@emotionaleatskim
YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/@emotionaleatskim
Want to improve your midlife focus or sleep?  Check out Brain.fm.  This app has help me be more productive, get the best afternoon powernaps and bring down my nervous system….fast.  Get 30 days for free here.
 https://www.brain.fm/kimhyneshealth
 
Disclaimer:  This podcast is for entertainment and informational purposes only.  Always consult with your medical practitioner before changing habits.  This podcast is not to take the place of medical or mental health professionals.
If you enjoyed the episode, share, download and follow.  I would be so grateful.  It helps me reach more women who need to hear this conversation.

In my More Than Weight Loss Guide, I share my biggest aha moments and exactly what I did in my own journey to get my body back in midlife and all the conversations I'm having with my clients who are making progress with their health and weight loss. Your health is so much more than the number on the scale and weight loss is more than a diet.
https://stan.store/emotionaleatskim/p/get-my-more-than-weightloss-guide-now
ABOUT THIS EPISODE
What if food isn't the biggest thing you're carrying?
Maybe you've spent decades being the good daughter, wife, mom, employee, friend and caretaker. You're the responsible one. The strong one. The one everybody knows will handle it.
But carrying all of that comes at a cost.  To your physical and emotional health.
In this episode of Emotional Eats Podcast, I'm talking about the connection between people-pleasing, perfectionism, emotional exhaustion and food.
We'll talk about:
• Why high-functioning women can still feel completely out of control with food
• How people-pleasing and perfectionism can quietly drain you
• Why food can become your escape, reward or rebellion at the end of the day
• What your "screw it" moment may actually be trying to tell you
• Practical ways to carry less, choose yourself more and stop making food your only source of relief
You cannot out-diet emotional eating. If food is doing a job for you, we need to understand the job.
Maybe healing your relationship with food isn't only about changing how you eat.
Maybe it's also about asking, "What could I stop carrying?"
If you know another woman who is always the strong one, always taking care of everyone else and struggling with food behind the scenes, please share this episode with her.
And make sure you follow Emotional Eats Podcast so you don't miss upcoming episodes about emotional eating, menopause, body image, hormones and creating a healthier relationship with food and yourself.
Connect with Kim:
You want to lose weight, but what if you could get so much more? Stop the emotional eating cycle, take control of your midlife health, and finally feel confident in your body. More Than Weight Loss connects the dots you've been missing, with practical steps you can start using TODAY. No more guessing. No more starting over.
Click here to get your More Than Weight Loss guide!
https://stan.store/kimhyneswellness/p/get-my-more-than-weightloss-guide-now
Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/kimhyneswellness/
TikTok:  https://www.tiktok.com/@kimhyneswellness
YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/@kimhyneswellness
 
Disclaimer:  This podcast is for entertainment and informational purposes only.  Always consult with your medical practitioner before changing habits.  This podcast is not to take the place of medical or mental health professionals.

Welcome to the Emotional Eats Podcast!
What are you waiting for before you really start living?  What are you putting off?
Listen in for the encouragement you need to just move forward and live your life fully.
This episode hit me hard.  As someone who waits too often for the perfect moment and who teaches others to stop waiting, Jim has helped me reframe what it means to live in the moment and on purpose.
James Logan, entrepreneur, endurance athlete, husband, father, and author of Just Keep Tri-ing, shares how a stage 4 terminal cancer diagnosis changed the way he sees life, suffering, faith, fear, and the time we think we have.
We talk about the difference between resilience and complacency, why avoiding discomfort may actually make life harder, and what happens when you stop waiting for the right body, more money, retirement, or life to finally calm down before allowing yourself to live.
Jim also shares what he's learned about finding joy while life is still hard, surrendering what you can't control, and why facing death ultimately taught him how to live.  We are all dying, but what are we doing while we're living?
This is not just a conversation about being terminally ill, but more about how to truly live a purposeful and intentional life…now.
Follow the Emotional Eats Podcast and share this episode with someone who needs the reminder that life isn't something we have to keep waiting for.
About James
James has been battling stage 4 cancer since April 2024. He was given 6 months maybe 2 years to live. Two and a half years later, he is still alive and thriving thanks to faith and fitness! He wrote a book titled  "Just Keep TRI-ING", a number 1 Amazon bestseller in three categories: Cancer, Triathlon and Spiritual Growth! "Just Keep TRI-ING" is also being considered for a 2027 Pulitzer Prize in the memoir genre.
 
James is currently training for the IRONMAN World Championship in Kona Hawaii October 10 2026. He is raising funds for the IRONMAN Foundation; profits from my book go to the foundation until the fundraising goal of $100,000.00 is achieved!  See link below to support James.
 
James believes if you have faith, you have hope; if you have hope, Anything Is Possible! He dedicated the remainder of his life to service and charity.
 
Please share James' story with a friend.
Connect With James J Logan
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stage42025/
 
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/jim.logan.462536
 
Support James here:  https://ironmanfoundation.donordrive.com/participants/4148
 
If This Episode Resonated With You
Please follow the Emotional Eats Podcast, download this episode, and share it with a woman in your life who struggles silently with food, body image, binge eating, or emotional eating. These conversations matter.
Connect With Kim:
Feeling Stuck?  If you feel like weight loss has become harder with emotional eating, stress, and changing hormones, the MORE THAN WEIGHTLOSS guide  will help you understand what's really getting in the way and exactly what to do about it.
https://stan.store/kimhyneswellness/p/get-my-more-than-weightloss-guide-now
Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/kimhyneswellness/
TikTok:  https://www.tiktok.com/@kimhyneswellness
YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/@kimhyneswellness
 
Disclaimer:  This podcast is for entertainment and informational purposes only.  Always consult with your medical practitioner before changing habits.  This podcast is not to take the place of medical or mental health professionals.