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Finding balance in health and wellness doesn’t have to be overwhelming, and it definitely doesn’t require giving up the foods you love! Visit startproject10.com to learn more about our 10-week challenge designed to help you create lasting habits, not restrictions.

In this episode of How to Eat Cake on a Diet, Jody dives into a game-changing concept: focusing on non-scale victories (NSVs) instead of letting the number on the scale define your progress. So often, we tie our mood, motivation, and self-worth to a fluctuating number—but the scale only tells a fraction of the story. Jody explores how celebrating NSVs, like better energy, improved mood, and feeling stronger, can transform how you view your health journey.

She shares her personal experience of letting go of a fixated goal weight and finding freedom, confidence, and balance by focusing on how she felt rather than the number on the scale. From fitting into clothes more comfortably to building sustainable habits and enjoying food without guilt, Jody highlights the victories that truly matter.

This episode covers:

• Why the scale isn’t the most important measure of progress.
• Examples of powerful NSVs, like improved sleep, better stamina, reduced cravings, and greater self-confidence.
• A success story from a Project 10 challenger, Jenny, who transformed her mindset by celebrating her strength, energy, and freedom from the stress of dieting.
• Practical ways to track and celebrate NSVs, such as journaling, taking progress photos, and sharing wins with a supportive community.

Jody encourages listeners to redefine success beyond weight and focus on building a healthier, happier life. She reminds us that NSVs show the real, lasting changes that make the journey worthwhile.

Send us a text

Finding balance in health and wellness doesn’t have to be overwhelming, and it definitely doesn’t require giving up the foods you love! Visit startproject10.com to learn more about our 10-week challenge designed to help you create lasting habits, not restrictions.

In this episode of How to Eat Cake on a Diet, Jody delves into the transformative power of self-talk and how it can make or break your health journey. The way you speak to yourself shapes your mindset, self-esteem, and ability to overcome challenges. While negative self-talk reinforces shame, guilt, and self-sabotage, shifting to self-compassion opens the door to growth, resilience, and lasting change.

Jody explores the harmful effects of negative self-talk—how it increases stress, lowers motivation, and keeps you stuck in a cycle of defeat. She explains how positive self-talk isn’t about ignoring reality but speaking to yourself with the same kindness and encouragement you’d offer a best friend. By reframing setbacks as opportunities to learn and grow, you build a stronger foundation for success.

The episode includes practical strategies to transform self-talk:

• Become Aware of Your Inner Dialogue: Notice when self-critical thoughts arise.
• Challenge Negative Thoughts: Ask, “Is this thought helpful or true?”
• Practice Compassionate Language: Treat yourself as you would a loved one.
• Daily Affirmations: Use positive reminders to reinforce self-belief.

Jody shares real-life examples, like Rachel, a Project 10 participant who overcame years of self-criticism by embracing self-compassion. This shift improved her consistency and allowed her to enjoy the process of building healthy habits.

The episode ends with actionable exercises, like the "Best Friend" exercise and daily affirmations, to help you rewrite your inner narrative. Jody reminds listeners that transforming self-talk takes practice but has the power to reshape your mindset and drive meaningful progress.

Send us a text

Finding balance in health and wellness doesn’t have to be overwhelming, and it definitely doesn’t require giving up the foods you love! Visit startproject10.com to learn more about our 10-week challenge designed to help you create lasting habits, not restrictions.

In this episode of How to Eat Cake on a Diet, Jody breaks down why diets fail and how building sustainable habits is the key to lasting health and weight management. Starting with a startling statistic—that 95% of diets fail within the first year—Jody explains how restrictive diets set us up for failure by creating unsustainable rules, depriving us, and failing to address the root causes of unhealthy behaviors.

She dives into the science behind why rigid diets are so challenging to maintain, including the psychological impact of restriction, the "all-or-nothing" mentality, and the lack of flexibility that makes diets incompatible with real life. Jody emphasizes that true transformation doesn’t come from relying on fleeting willpower or chasing quick fixes—it comes from consistent, intentional habit-building.

The episode highlights:

• The Flaws of Dieting: From deprivation leading to bingeing to one-size-fits-all approaches that ignore individual needs.
• The Power of Habits: Why habits are more resilient and effective than diets, how they shift from effortful actions to automatic routines, and why consistency matters more than perfection.
• Practical Strategies for Habit Formation: Including starting small, using habit stacking, and focusing on immediate, intrinsic rewards rather than relying solely on the scale for validation.
• Harm Reduction: A compassionate approach to breaking deeply ingrained habits by making gradual, realistic changes instead of expecting overnight success.

Jody explains the habit loop—cue, routine, and reward—and shows how understanding this framework can help replace negative patterns with positive, lasting habits. She also addresses how tying progress to intrinsic rewards, like feeling energized or reducing stress, helps maintain motivation when external measures, like the scale, fluctuate.

The key takeaway? Habits are the foundation for sustainable change. They offer flexibility, resilience, and the freedom to navigate life’s unpredictability while staying aligned with your goals. The episode concludes with practical tips for building habits, such as starting small, removing barriers, finding accountability, and tracking progress.