Motivated With Meg

Welcome to Motivated with Meg!

I’ve been wanting to share my thoughts on self-care and body wellness for a long time, but I kept overthinking how to put my voice out there. Instead of waiting for the perfect time or platform, I’m taking my own advice and I’m starting now, right where I am. 
So… Welcome to the Motivated with Meg podcast! 🌈
In this first episode, I dive into my own struggles with body image, how shifting my diet philosophy helped me find true health and self-compassion, and breaking free from diet culture…all based on my personal journey.
If you’ve ever felt like you’re not enough or struggled with guilt around food, this episode is for you. Let’s explore how small, mindful changes can make all the difference. I’m excited for you to listen!
 
Topics Covered
My mission, and why you should tune in to this podcast
My struggles with body image and extreme dieting during college
How diet culture creates unrealistic body expectations
What happens when you focus too much on weight loss?
Why health is not “one size fits all” and the importance of experimenting
How self-compassion and small experiments helped me discover what works for me
Sneak peek: upcoming experiments around eating, movement, and more!
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Oreos and Self-Care: Finding Balance in Every Bite

Welcome back to Motivated with Meg! Today, we're diving into the foundation of making empowered choices: aligning with your values. I’ll share how getting clear on what really matters can guide us in everything from wellness to life’s little indulgences.
If you’ve ever felt pressured to meet others’ expectations instead of your own, this episode is for you.
We’ll talk about how small, value-driven choices, even with Oreos, can make a big difference. So grab a snack, maybe an Oreo or two, and let’s get into it.
Topics Covered
How aligning your goals and actions with your values will bring more ease and authenticity to your life
James Clear’s concept of “casting votes” for the person you want to become
My story of struggling with diet obsession and how I lost sight of my values along the way
Letting go of perfectionism and learning to embrace balanced wellness choices
Navigating real-life moments when our values feel like they’re in conflict
How to make small, mindful choices that honor both my health and enjoyment
A simple exercise to help you identify and reflect on your own values
Resources
James Clear’s Values Exercise – A helpful tool for identifying your personal core values.
 
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Habits, Struggles, and Why Small Changes Matter

Welcome back to Motivated with Meg! Today, we’re diving into habits and exploring how they shape our lives. I’ll share insights on the power of habit loops, and how we can break free from old patterns that don’t serve us. If you've ever felt stuck in cycles of overthinking, or wondered why some habits feel impossible to break, this episode is for you. Together, we’ll learn how to create habits that align with our values and make small but impactful changes that lead to lasting fulfillment. Let’s get into it!
Topics Covered
The habit-highway analogy
Why struggling might actually be a habit we’ve unknowingly formed
The habit loop: understanding cues, routines, and rewards in everyday habits
Back when I struggled with emotional eating
Why small changes add up over time and how they can lead to big transformations
Confirmation bias and how it shapes our beliefs around food, diets, and other habits
Reflecting on where I create struggle and how I’m learning to let go of it
Resources:
Charles Duhigg’s The Power of Habit – Book on understanding the science of habit formation.
James Clear’s Atomic Habits – Resource on creating meaningful, lasting habit changes.
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The Power of Words: Redefining Health, Diet, and Success

What comes to mind when you hear the word "health"? Is it a number on the scale, a plate of veggies, or something entirely different? Have you ever stopped to ask where those ideas come from—and if they’re truly your own?
Welcome back to Motivated with Meg! Today, we’re exploring how the words we use, like health, diet, and success, shape our habits and our lives. I’ll share personal stories and practical tips to help you rethink the definitions that *might* be holding you back. This episode is all about creating new, empowering definitions that align with your values. 
Topics Covered
How the words we use every day shape our beliefs and actions
My personal story of shifting my definition of health to align with my values
The impact of societal definitions, like “diet” meaning restriction, and how to challenge them
How redefining a single word can create a ripple effect in your habits and mindset
Resources:
Caffeine for the Soul podcast - What it Takes to Succeed
Your Experiment:
Redefine one keyword in your life to align with your well-being.
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Eating Too Fast and Missing the Point - The Eating Experiment #1

Have you ever finished a meal and thought, "Wait, I don’t even remember eating that"? What if something as simple as chewing your food could transform your eating experience? 🤔
Welcome to Season 1 of Motivated with Meg! In this first episode of "The Eating Experiment," we’re tossing out food rules and exploring how slowing down and being present with your food can lead to freedom, satisfaction, and better habits.
No judgment, no perfection—just practical steps to enjoy your meals more. Tune in to learn how mindful bites can make all the difference!
Topics covered in this episode:
The WHY behind “The Eating Experiment”
My thoughts on how food and freedom are connected
Mindful bites
My personal story of mindless eating and how I turned it around
The science behind mindful eating
How to notice your habits without judgment and make changes ✨in the moment✨ 
Your experiment for the week
Resources:
Harvard School of Public Health on Mindful Eating – Insight into using your senses to enjoy food and reduce overeating.
Connect with Meaghan
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The Gas Gauge of Eating: Tuning into Hunger and Fullness

The holidays are here! And with them come big meals, endless snacks, and food-focused gatherings. It’s easy to lose touch with your body’s hunger and fullness signals when surrounded by tempting dishes, traditions like cleaning your plate, or even guilt around indulging. 
But what if you could enjoy the holidays without the stress of overeating or restrictive food rules? 
Welcome back to Motivated with Meg! In this episode, we’re continuing the Eating Experiment by exploring how to reconnect with your body’s natural hunger and fullness cues (even during the holiday chaos).
You’ll learn simple ways to notice when you’re hungry or satisfied, why it matters, and how to approach these signals without judgment. 
Let’s make this holiday season one where food brings joy, not guilt.
If you’re enjoying this series, please subscribe and give us a rating wherever you listen to podcasts! 🙂
Topics Covered
Why so many of us feel disconnected from our hunger and fullness signals
How diet culture and medication can disrupt these natural cues
My personal story of skipping meals and how it backfired
The science behind hunger and fullness
The hunger and fullness scale (and how to use it)
Your weekly experiment
Resources:
Intuitive Eating by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch – Learn more about the 10 principles of intuitive eating.
Harvard School of Public Health on Mindful Eating – Insights into using your body’s cues for healthier eating habits.

Cravings Aren’t the Enemy: How to Understand and Work with Them

Ever feel like cravings are out to get you? Whether it’s the sudden urge for chips, chocolate, or something salty, cravings often get labeled as “The Enemy”.
But what if cravings weren’t bad at all? 💡🤔What if…they were simply messengers trying to tell you something? 
Welcome back to Motivated with Meg! In today’s Eating Experiment, we’re diving into food cravings and how to approach them. From understanding the science behind why we crave certain foods to learning how to respond before acting, this episode will help you navigate cravings with more ease and compassion.
Tune in for practical tips, relatable stories, and your weekly experiment!
Topics Covered
Why cravings aren’t the enemy and how to handle them
My personal story of hiding snacks in my car and why cravings showed up when I was alone
The connection between cravings, stress, and emotional regulation
What triggers our cravings
Dopamine and the brain’s reward system
Why cravings often show up during hormonal changes
The impact of diet culture on cravings and how restriction fuels the urge to overeat
Your weekly experiment! 🌈
Resources:
TED Talk: "Women Are Not Small Men" by Dr. Stacey Sims – Learn about hormonal differences and their impact on nutrition and exercise.
Intuitive Eating by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch – A resource for breaking free from diet culture and understanding body signals.
Your Experiment:
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The Sneaky Food Rules You Don’t Realize You’re Following

This week, the goal is to work on our awareness around 2 things: diet mentality and diet culture. 
Have you ever felt like food has too much power over your thoughts, plans, or self-worth? What if I told you, that might be diet mentality running the show? 🤔
Welcome back to Motivated with Meg! Today, we’re talking about the sneaky ways diet mentality seeps into our thoughts and actions, often without us realizing it. I’ll share personal stories, break down the billion-dollar industry that profits from your insecurities, and most importantly, show you how to spot and challenge the thoughts that keep you stuck in the diet cycle.
If you’re ready to feel more free around food, this episode is for you!
Topics Covered
The difference between diet mentality (internal) and diet culture (external) and how they work together
My personal story about eating cake…and the guilt that came with it. 
The billion-dollar industry that profits off your insecurities
The diet cycle: how restriction, guilt, and bingeing keep you stuck in a loop
The three most common thinking traps that keep the diet mentality alive
Why we’re trained to think food choices are moral choices (good vs. bad food) and how to shift that thinking
And of course, your weekly experiment!
 
Resources:
NEDA (National Eating Disorders Association) – Resource for support and treatment for eating disorders.
Intuitive Eating by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch – Book resource for breaking free from diet mentality.
The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk – Insight on how trauma can shape behaviors, including eating habits.
 
Connect with Meaghan
Follow @motivatedwithmegpodcast
Follow @meaghanmcelroen