It’s Halloween week, and diet culture is coming out in full force with the annual panic about sugar, candy, and how to avoid eating too much.

We’ve turned a holiday that’s supposed to be about having fun, wearing costumes, and trick-or-treating into yet another reason to feel guilty about food and live in fear of weight gain. 

But here’s the thing: Halloween candy isn’t actually what I want you to be worried about.

What’s more concerning is what happens AFTER Halloween and the predictable cycle we’re about to enter – and THAT’S what we’re going to talk about today.

Now before we get into all that I also have a Spooky Season Bundle which is on sale right now and includes 3 of my best masterclasses for just $33:

• Decharming Halloween Candy
• Understanding & Applying Gentle Nutrition
• Here Come the Holidays – setting boundaries being in photos, treats galore and setting boundaries with diet talk
• I’ll link to it in the show notes or you can DM me the word SPOOKY and I’ll send you the link to grab it.

Before we dive into our main topic for today, you know what time it is…We’ve got some Wellness Woo to talk about. 

Wellness Woo is the stuff that diet and wellness culture tells us we should do in the name of health, but it’s really based on pseudoscience, exaggerated claims, or just nonsense. 

Today’s Wellness Woo is: The Wolverine Peptide Stack

I was listening to another episode of my new favorite podcast called This Podcast Will Kill You and their episode on peptides was great and I highly recommend you go listen to it. The 2 hosts are both named Erin and one is a medical doctor and the other is an epidemiologist so they are qualified professionals to be covering the medical and health topics they cover – and they’re delightful to listen to.

In their peptide episode they covered something called The wolverine stack that I thought was perfect for our Halloween episode. And trust me – it’s not just spooky, it’s terrifying to me…for real.

I was inside this online group a while back and someone asked someone else what their peptide stack was and I hadn’t heard that phrase yet, but I instantly knew what it meant – that people are taking multiple unproven non-FDA approved peptides and combining them together, and my spidey senses instantly went off. 

Now I covered peptides in a previous wellness woo segment back in episode 225, but there’s so much more that’s come out about them recently with the way that this black market industry has exploded, and honestly TPWKY did a far better and more thorough job of covering it. So if you want to go back to episode 225 to hear my take at the time you can, but if you want the deep dive go listen to TPWKY.

Let’s back up really quick to understand what a peptide is – it’s a short chain of amino acids, which are the building blocks of protein. 

Some examples of peptides that you prob didn’t know are peptides, but you’re already familiar with them:

• Insulin
• Oxytocin (used as pitocin during labor)
• Endorphins
• There are so many of these in our bodies, and FDA approved medications of various sorts that are peptides. Some examples are
  • Some growth hormone meds for people with growth hormone deficiencies
  • Some osteoporosis medications
  • And of course the GLP-1 medications that are all the rage right now. Not all peptides produce weight loss though, and I want you to understand that. 

The other place you’ve probably heard a lot about peptides in the past decade or so is in skincare products and the anti-aging arena. That’s my first association w/ peptides before all of this blew up. I remember seeing it being advertised in face creams claiming that it can reverse the signs of aging.

Nowadays peptides are a hot topic especially in fitness and longevity spaces – and that’s where this Wolverine Stack comes from. So again, a “stack” is combining multiple peptides. And these peptides are ones that are labeled “for research purposes only” – so people are getting them through sketchy channels, because they’re not approved for human consumption. 

There was a study where an independent lab tested a bunch of these peptides that you can order online from places like China, and apparently a lot of these transactions are taking place in Whats App – which should be your first sign that maybe what you’re doing is a bad idea. What they found was that up to 40% of them didn’t contain what they said they did in the amount they claimed, and that many of them were contaminated with bacteria. Do you really want to be injecting unknown substances and potentially bacteria into your body?? And for what purpose?

Well allegedly this Wolverine Stack will help with healing of muscles, recovery from exercise or injury, or surgery. (Side note the wolverine stack is named after the marvel character)

It combines 2 peptides called BPC-157 and TB-500. I initially assumed that these were the actual chemical names of the peptides – no. It stands for Body Protection Compound 157 and Thymosin Beta 500 (which might be the chemical name on that one I’m not sure) – my point is that they’re calling them things that sound really scientific, but are made up. That’s intentional deception. 

One of the things they talked about in the TPWKY episode that disturbed me the most is this: If these peptides are actually accelerating healing, that means that they’re causing cells to turnover and multiply more quickly. And you know what else in your body has cells that multiply quickly? Cancer. And they talked about some of these peptides in lab that have also been shown to have angiogenesis abilities – which is creating blood vessels. You know what else creates its own blood vessels? Tumors. So it’s sounding like there’s a strong likelihood that SOME (not all) of these peptides that are being tested could be a breeding ground for cancer. 

Now I want to be clear this doesn’t mean that the FDA approved peptide meds like insulin, pitocin and GLP-1’s cause cancer. They don’t. Let’s keep in perspective that when we say “peptide” that refers to so many things – not just 1 type of substance or medication. Peptides are the building blocks of proteins. There are so many proteins in our bodies and that exist on planet earth – and peptides are the building blocks of all these proteins. We’re lumping together way too many things here, and that makes it really confusing for the general public. 

I think another part of this peptide craze that makes it appealing is that they’re marketed as natural. Natural doesn’t mean safe. And it doesn’t mean effective.

And here lies the issue – a lot of these peptides are probably not doing what people claim they are. And there’s a risk that some of them can be really dangerous. That’s why we have a process in place for studying, testing, and approving medications – as well as monitoring for adverse events so if it was causing problems it would be caught. These non-regulated peptides have no safety measures in place.

Both of these peptides in the Wolverine Stack are explicitly banned by the world anti doping agency.

So I’ll leave you with a quote from Dr. Christopher Robinson, a physician researcher at Johns Hopkins:

“The placebo effect is real, It can produce genuine physiological changes that make people feel better after taking something, even when the treatment hasn’t been shown to be effective.

“But the only way to determine whether a peptide actually leads to improvement and works better than a placebo,” he continues, “is to test it in well-designed clinical trials with a large enough group of people to distinguish a true treatment effect from an expectation, a coincidence, or the body’s natural healing mechanisms.” – end quote

Some of these peptides very well may have utility. Some of them may be useless. Some of them may be straight up dangerous. We don’t know that until they’ve been fully studied.

Purchasing these unregulated vials online carries significant health risks, including chemical impurities, heavy metal contamination, incorrect dosages, and a high risk of infection from self-injection.

If you have an example of Wellness Woo that you want to share, send it to me at rebuildingtrustwithyourbody@gmail.com. 

Ok, that’s enough of that. Moving on to today’s main topic…THE HOLIDAY DIET CULTURE HORROR STORY

• It starts with Halloween and everyone getting all worked up about the candy.
  • I remember saying once to a friend of mine that I only buy candy I don’t like and he said that was the dumbest thing he ever heard.
  • People who won’t bring candy into their house until the last minute, or who buy it ahead of time and eat most of it and then have to buy more
  • Sneaking your kids candy and hiding the wrappers in the trash
  • Keeping the lights off so you don’t get trick or treaters
  • Doing the Switch Witch
  • Feeling guilty, promising to be good tomorrow
• Then comes TG
  • Tips for avoiding holiday weight gain.
  • Pressure to make traditional foods “healthier.”
  • Those news segments on TV and social media posts about how many calories are allegedly in the typical TG meal and how much exercise you’d have to do to burn it off
  • Skipping meals to save up calories.
  • Doing a Turkey Trot or workout class that morning not for fun but to earn your food so you feel less guilty
  • Feeling stuffed, guilty, and frustrated afterward.

Then the Christmas/Holiday Season:

• The endless parties, cookies, treats, and family gatherings.
• Trying to be “good” and then feeling like you’ve blown it when you encounter the tin of popcorn, or the candy tray or the chex mix.
• Family comments about weight, food, and bodies.
• Seeing people you haven’t seen in a while and they’ve lost weight and now you’re triggered and you’re simultaneously angry, annoyed and jealous.
• Feeling like you’ve lost control and deciding to start over in January.

Then comes January…aka Diet culture’s superbowl.

• New Year’s Resolutions that are all about dieting, exercising, losing weight, and getting healthier.
• Detoxes, cleanses, challenges, and weight loss promises.
• Feeling pressured to “undo” everything you ate over the holidays.
• Another round on the dieting rollercoaster – that you know deep down will end poorly, yet part of you wants to do it anyway.
• This cycle doesn’t have to be inevitable for you…but it is predictable when you’re still in the diet mentality, and especially if you’re not actively choosing to do something different.

When you’ve spent the past 20, 30, 40+ years on and off diets since you were 8 years old, those old thought patterns and feelings don’t just disappear because you declared that you’re not dieting right now. That pull back towards dieting is so magnetic.

So here’s where I’m going to give you a little tough love, because I don’t want you to spend another holiday season feeling this way.

STOP Waiting for January to Save You

1. Nothing magical happens when the clock strikes midnight on Dec 31. 

• The calendar changing doesn’t automatically change your relationship with food.
• The same fears, beliefs, and habits follow you into the new year.
• If you’ve been promising yourself you’ll deal with this in January for years, how has that worked out?

2. Waiting until after the holidays is diet mentality in disguise.

• “I’ll start when things calm down.”
• “There are too many tempting foods right now.”
• “I’ll enjoy the holidays first and get serious afterward.”
• Those are literally the same types of thoughts that keep people postponing change.
• Intuitive eating isn’t a diet you need to start on Monday, or on January 1st. It’s something you can fully commit yourself to right NOW. Too many of you are dabbling and straddling the line between dieting vs IE. How do I know this? Because of all the conversations I’m having with you guys in my DMs and email, and in the IE Mini Audits that I’ve been doing. Struggling with consistency and flip-flopping on and off IE and treating it like a diet is where LOT of you are getting stuck and it’s why it’s not working for you.
• This isn’t going to get any easier the longer you wait. In fact, it’s going to get HARDER if you tell yourself you’ll figure it out after the holidays because diet culture is going to continue getting louder and louder between now and then. 

3. I would actually argue the holidays are the PERFECT time to practice.

• Real-life situations are where intuitive eating skills become your superpower.
• You can practice permission to eat your favorite dishes and treats, choosing what’s satisfying, honoring your hunger/fullness, AND gentle nutrition. There are so many opportunities that will stretch you and help build those skills in different scenarios and with different foods that it’s a time of year that you can not only make a TON of progress – but embracing and leveraging IE will make the holidays 100x more enjoyable for you!
• Doesn’t that sound so much better than not letting yourself have pumpkin pie or feeling guilty for eating sugar cookies with your kids or grandkids?
• In fact, I want you to commit to doing something different NOW. Before Halloween is over, I want you to identify ONE food rule or dieting belief you’re ready to get rid of. And I want you to practice breaking it and reframing it. DM me and let me know what’s your rule or belief you’re challenging so I can cheer you on!! 

The cost of waiting:

How Do You Want to Feel on January 1st? Picture yourself roughly 60 days from now when we roll into the New Year. How do you WANT to feel then? 

Let’s picture 2 scenarios:

Scenario A: Nothing Changes

• Another holiday season spent worrying about food.
• Feeling frustrated with yourself and your body.
• Thinking about how you’re going to save up for TG dinner or holiday parties
• Getting on the scale every week praying that you’re not gaining weight, and feeling mad at yourself if you do
• Passing on the egg nog or the gingerbread latte that you love because diet culture said you shouldn’t drink your calories.
• Starting the year feeling like you need to make up for the holiday season and fix yourself. 
• Getting sucked into some New Year’s resolution or weight loss challenge at work

Scenario B: You Start Now

• By Jan 1 you’ve spent the past 9 weeks actively practicing a different approach.
• Sure, there were imperfect moments, but you’ve learned from them.
• You’ve enjoyed foods you love this time of year while also honoring your body’s needs.
• There’s nothing to make up for because you weren’t overeating or going off the rails with food. You were enjoying your favorite things, but you were also honoring your health and listening to your hunger/fullness cues.
• You roll into January with more confidence and momentum than you’ve ever had before, and you don’t even feel tempted by dieting because you’re so clear and solid and laser focused on what you’re doing that you tune diet culture out and roll your eyes.

If you’ve been listening to this podcast for a while now and you’re nodding along, but you’re still struggling to put intuitive eating into practice and stick with it, that’s a sign you may need more than information or just a weekly episode to listen to.

You need a roadmap, practical tools, and hands-on support to help you apply what you’re learning and stick with it consistently – especially when things get tough.

That’s exactly why I created Non-Dieter’s Club, my signature coaching program. 

Non-Dieter’s Club helps you break free from the dieting mindset while learning how to nourish your body and support your health.

It’s not just about making peace with Halloween candy or Christmas cookies. It’s about changing your relationship with food and your body for the long haul, without giving up on your health. 

You can start NOW, with all of the tools and support you need through the holidays and into the new year. 

The people who start now are going to 1) enjoy the holidays wayyyy more, and 2) have a major head-start in January – because those who start now aren’t going to be getting sucked into dieting or new year’s detoxes or cleanses that are nonsense and don’t produce lasting change. 

Current NDC enrollment ends Nov 4, so DM or email me for details and we’ll get you inside asap. There’s never been a better time to enroll – you are literally getting the hot off the press updated core curriculum inside that I just dropped yesterday for my members, and it’s INSANE. The people inside this program are going to have better results than ever with the ways that we are upleveling this year.

Your future self will thank you for making the decision to take action now instead of dragging your feet and waiting another 2, 6 or 12 months and being stuck in the same place or worse. 

I’ve watched far too many people tell themselves that they should be able to figure this out on their own, or that they’re going to just try dieting one more time and really give it their all, or that they’re too busy right now, or any other excuse in the book. 

These are limiting beliefs and lies that we tell ourselves when we’re scared, scared to go all-in, scared to do the work, scared to fail, scared that it might not work. 

Instead of sitting around continuing to look for all the reasons that IE might not work for you – I want you to consider what if it does? What if it is amazing, and by this time next year you’re not even mildly worried about the holidays because you are so rock solid with IE and your relationship with food? 

That doesn’t happen by spinning your wheels continuing to do what you’ve been doing. It happens by taking action and leaning in. 

Like I said earlier, the scary thing right now isn’t Halloween candy or sugar. It’s what happens once we get into the thick of the holiday season and then January when diet culture is out in full force. The scary thing is getting sucked back into that cycle or spending another holiday season living in perpetual fear of weight gain and then promising yourself you’ll make up for it in January. The scary thing is having this exact same conversation 1 year from now because nothing changed. That’s what scares me. But I’m not the one who needs to be scared. I’m not worried about food this time of year for myself. I love this time of year and all of the holiday foods now that I’m an intuitive eater. It didn’t used to be that way. I remember being sooooo worried about calories and weight during the holidays when I was in my diet mentality era. And every day I think God I’m not in that place anymore. I’m not scared of Halloween candy or the mashed potatoes at TG. I’m not scared of the apple cider donuts or caramel apples at the pumpkin patch. I’m not worried about binging on Christmas cookies. Because that’s not my reality anymore – and it doesn’t have to be for you either. 

I’ll leave you with this. It’s decision time. You can choose to keep doing things the way you have been. And nothing changes. Or you can choose to do things differently and get a different result. But you can’t complain about the results you don’t get with IE from the work you didn’t do to figure out how to do all the different components of it – and to do them correctly. I know this is a bit of tough love, and I hope it’s motivating and activating for you. I want you to have your best holiday season ever, with so much joy and peace with food and your body – and I can guarantee you that won’t happen if you’re avoiding sugar, weighing yourself, and spending the whole time comparing your body to other people who are doing crazy things to lose weight. You’re on your own journey, and I want you to OWN and EMBRACE that journey. I want you to feel empowered and confident with your eating and your health. Diet culture is loud, and it’s cunning. I challenge you to make yourself a plan for how you’re going to guard yourself against diet culture between now and the New Year. And even better if you write it down. Bonus points if you DM me and tell me what your game plan is so I can be your hype woman.

In case nobody has told you today – you are ENOUGH ALREADY. Have a great Halloween, and we’ll talk again soon.

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