Midlife women have been taught how to diet, but not how to eat, and it’s costing them energy, strength, mood, sleep, and long-term health. In this episode of Eat the Fcking Food, Kristin Collins sits down with nutrition and fitness coach Le Bergen (20+ years in the space) to talk about what most women never hear out loud: you’re not failing, you’re under-fueled.

Le breaks down why “eating the minimum” might help you survive, but it won’t help you thrive, especially as you age. Together, they reframe “performance” beyond the gym (think sleep, digestion, mood, focus, and daily stamina), and explain why chasing a smaller body often keeps women stuck in weaker bodies.

You’ll learn how to start eating up to your needs without panic, why carbs got unfairly thrown into the “Butterfinger category,” how to use tracking as neutral data (not punishment), and a simple hand-portion method that meets you where you are. Then they close with the most joyful mic-drop imaginable: yes, eat the bun.

1. Why eating up to your needs matters more as you age (thriving vs surviving)
2. What “performance over size” really means for real life, not just workouts
3. How under-fueling impacts muscle, brain bandwidth, organs, skin, and vitality
4. What to say to yourself when you’re scared to eat more (start small, chase actions)
5. Why carbs affect mood and energy, and how restriction fuels the binge-restrict loop
6. How to “clean up the carb closet” without demonizing foods
7. A practical starting point: journaling as information (not a diary, not a confession)
8. A simple hand-portion framework for meals (your hand, your body, your needs)
9. Why the scale can lie, and why body composition matters more than a number
10. The forever shift: stop looking for an end date, build a floor, not a finish line

We talk about:

1. 00:00 Meet Le Bergen, why this convo matters
2. 01:00 The podcast name story, food fear, bananas and carrots
3. 02:00 Why eating up to your needs matters more in midlife
4. 03:00 Thriving vs surviving, muscle, brain power, organ function
5. 04:30 What to say when you’re scared to eat more (start with protein)
6. 07:30 Performance over size, what “performance” means in real life
7. 09:00 Carbs, mood, energy, blood sugar, and the binge-restrict loop
8. 14:00 The best place to start, journal first, use data, adjust timing
9. 17:00 Tracking without obsession, hand portions, meals in daylight