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The Goal Digger Podcast | Top Business and Marketing Podcast for Creatives, Entrepreneurs, and Women in Business
937: Tired, Foggy, and Bloated? Your Body Isn't Broken: Here's What It's Telling You
00:53:58
With Brigid Titgemeier and Jenna Kutcher
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- [00:02]
Jenna Kutcher
Okay.
- [00:02]
I have been on this ruthless pursuit to purge any clothes that I'm not actually wearing. Like, if I haven't reached for it in months, it's gotta go. I am trying to be really intentional about what I bring into my closet right now, which means I am only buying pieces that I know I will actually wear and use. Revolve just gets it though. I'm literally wearing my brown Autry sneakers from there right now and my new suede purse. It fits my laptop in it, so it's basically a fancy shoulder bag that works for everything. I love finding pieces like that, things that look good but also work hard for my actual life. Their holiday shop is live right now with all the good stuff. Sparkly party dresses, cozy sets, cute gifts, everything you need for whatever is on your calendar. And it's all in one place, which makes shopping feel way less overwhelming. Whether it's a weekend away, a big night out, or a holiday party, your dream wardrobe is just one click away. Head to Revolve.com forward/gold digger. Shop my edit and take 15% off your first order with the code gold digger. Fast two day shipping, easy returns. It's literally the only place you need to shop from. That's Revolve.com forward/gold digger to shop my favorites and get 15% off your first order with the Code Gold Digger offer available for a limited time. So happy shopping.
- [01:19]
Brigid Tigmeier
It's a natural process that women's bodies go through. And the more that we can prepare ourselves and with building muscle and supporting our bone density and thinking about getting stronger, not just thinner, the more that we're setting ourselves up for long term health and success.
- [01:37]
Jenna Kutcher
I'm Jenna Kutcher and I help you trade hustle for purpose and build a business that gives you the life you actually want to live. From a $300 Craigslist camera to a seven figure business I run from home, I've learned that success isn't just about what you do. It's about how you live. Here you'll strategies that work, systems that give you your time back and steps that turn your effort into results and impact. If you're ready for clarity, confidence, and a business that feels as good as it looks, you're in the right place. This is the Goal Digger podcast.
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What if the fatigue, the brain fog, those stubborn symptoms that you've been brushing off are actually your body's way of.
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Waving a red flag?
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Like one that could completely change your health if you knew how to read it? That's exactly what happened to me. A few years ago I was totally stuck. I was in a cycle of stress, I was exhausted. I had all of these different mystery symptoms that I couldn't even really name and I barely could explain until today's guest stepped in. If you've been listening to the show for a while, you might remember her from an episode back in 2022 when we pulled back the curtain on my own health transformation. And three years later she's still with me and she' back with some new insights that I know you're going to want to hear. Bridget Tigmeier is a functional medicine registered dietitian and the founder of Being Bridged Functional Nutrition. She and her team have helped more than 25000 people, everyone from Fortune 500 CEOs to busy moms. Lower their inflammation, balance hormones, improve their gut health and actually reclaim energy through evidence based nutrition and lifestyle strategies. I like to think of myself as like her number one success story, but I bet there a million people like me that have followed her advice. Bridget has been featured everywhere from ABC News to the Today show to GOOP to mindbody Green. She's even helped launch the Cleveland Clinic center for functional medicine with Dr. Mark Hyman. Brigid's approach is what I think makes her so different. She combines clinical precision with real world practicality so that her clients can actually make changes that stick. And in this conversation we're going to talk about the five biggest lessons from my own health journey with Brigid. What's changed in the science of hormone health and nutrition since she was last here. And we're just going to talk about what steps I've taken to really support my body through stress, through perimenopause, through detoxing and so much more. So if you're listening to this and you're where I was when I first met Brigid, maybe you're feeling tired or foggy, bloated, depleted, and you're trying to be healthy.
- [04:24]
This is for you.
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Brigid has this amazing membership. She's going to talk about it at the end of the show. It's called the Being Collective. And it essentially gives you the structure, the strategy and the support to stop chasing symptoms and to finally feel like yourself again. And I would argue to feel what you want to feel like the energy and the vibrance that you have questioned, if it's even possible for you. So if you want to join the Being Collective Kickstarter, it's basically this four week on ramp to coming back home to yourself, to feeling like yourself again. You will get 28 days of done for you. Anti inflammatory meal plans. You'll get weekly coaching, dietitian check ins, live group calls, weekly video trainings. It is this focused framework to actually help you learn how to optimize your health. It is really simple. It is science backed. It helps you use food as medicine without having to restrict, without a ton of overwhelm so that you finally have better energy, better digestion and confidence in.
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Yourself and in your body again.
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So if you want to learn more about the next cohort and join in, go to jennacutcher.com forward/being. That's jennacutcher.comforward/being. She hosts these once a month, so every month you can jump on in on the Kickstarter. All right, Ms. Brigid, welcome back to the Gold Digger podcast. It's been too long, my friend. Let's take this out of the text thread and bring it back to the podcast.
- [05:49]
Brigid Tigmeier
Bridget.
- [05:50]
Jenna Kutcher
Okay, I want to start with something that might surprise people. And I will never forget this, but you once told me that my symptoms weren't something I needed to fix. They were something I needed to listen to. And I swear to you, like, that completely flipped how I thought of my body, how I saw my body. So I think let's start here. Why are we so obsessed with fixing ourselves when maybe we're not actually broken?
- [06:16]
Brigid Tigmeier
If I think back to our first conversation and the Jenna Couture that I talked to In January of 2022, when we first started working together, that was definitely something that we went into over and over. The fact that your symptoms are oftentimes an indicator that something underneath is happening that you want to pay attention to, that our bodies are craving for us to listen and be able to respond to what is happening underneath the surface instead of just constantly, like, putting band aids over the things that we're experiencing, or like you said, feeling like we're constantly obsessed with having to fix ourselves. And I think instead of thinking of it as fixing yourself, thinking of it as how can I listen to better understand what exactly is happening so that I can optimize where I'm at in my life, so that I can feel the energy and the vibrancy and the health that I know that I'm worthy of feeling.
- [07:10]
Jenna Kutcher
Okay. I literally remember exactly where I was when we did our first conversation. We were in Arizona. Little Quinny was like, in a tiny stroller. And I remember telling you, like, I was just so nervous and anxious because my book was coming out like six months from then. Like, when I first Talked to you. We were shooting promo stuff for the book, and I was thinking, like, how in the heck am I going to get a book out into the world, run my business and mother two kids? Like, I think I was just so worried, like, am I going to have the energy required to do that? And I will say that when I first started working with you, I was coming at it from such a different place than maybe I had in the past in terms of, like, health. Where before I would look at, like, how can I lose weight? Or what does this look like? And this time it was like, how do I, like, create energy in my life? I don't think the entire conversation we talked about, like, what do you want.
- [08:04]
Brigid Tigmeier
To look like, right?
- [08:05]
Jenna Kutcher
Or, like, what do you want this scale to say? It was like, how do you want to feel? And that was so transformative to me. And I think that oftentimes we look at symptoms, and it's like we look at them as what's wrong with ourselves, right? Like, as women, we're constantly just analyzing, how can we do better? How can we be better? Am I enough? How do I do more? And it was really an interesting thing to think of. Like, these are signals. They're just, like, talking to us. They're telling us, like, what might be going on behind the scenes and, like, inside of your body. And so I think we should start with, like, let's get specific here. You know, we've worked together literally, over the last three years, and so I've made a lot of changes. I mean, I think the person I am today compared to the person you talked to that first time, is an entirely different being. But let's break down 5 of what we think are the most important shifts that you had me make that I made not just about, like, what changed, but, like, why those shifts mattered. Because I want people to understand the deeper principles, not just, like, take a routine and say, okay, I'm going to copy this, and I'm going to get results.
- [09:13]
Brigid Tigmeier
You are an entirely different person than when we first met three years ago. And I remember exactly where we were as well. Where you were and where I was and where Quinn was. And I think before even getting into that, I'd like to just pause and acknowledge how far you've come on your health journey. Of course, everyone has been. All of your followers have been so obsessed with, you know, like, oh, my gosh, Jenna looks like a different person. She's glowing. She's energized. Your body has completely transformed, like, so many things. But you have consistently come back to the fact that you have focused on feeling really good and healing your body from the inside out, which is what I think is so beautiful about your overall experience, in addition to the fact that you really held onto that future version of yourself that you were initially dreaming about when we talked in January of 2022. And often I think that it's easy for us to create that future version of ourselves, but not always the. It's not always the easiest or most realistic for everyone to continuously show up for themselves day in and day out. And you are such an inspiration to so many people because of the way that you were like, I need to have more energy, I need to have more vibrancy. And it seemed to me like it was almost like not a wake up call, but a calling that was coming from deep inside of you that was like, I need to change the way that I'm focused on my food, my health, my energy, my focus. All the things that ended up, you know, creating this entirely different person that you're talking about and speaking about today, that has been so beautiful. And I think that's why people have been so obsessed with, like, what has Jenna done to change in all of these incredible ways, wouldn't you say?
- [11:04]
Jenna Kutcher
Oh, my gosh. I mean, Bridget, this morning I Woke up at 5:45 and worked out. When I used to do podcast days, I would, like, literally plan to, like, sleep until the last second, and then I would be on the couch afterwards. And I baked two loaves of bread this morning. I worked out this morning. I have aminos. I like, I am stacked and ready to go. And it's just. I mean, I think people can hear it in my voice, right? Like, it is a whole different energy and a whole different vitality. And so it's just crazy to me where I was like, oh, wow, I have a really busy podcast. I'm gonna get up early and work out tomorrow. Like, that type of thing is like, signaling. Wow, you have come a long way. Like, when we first talked, I hated working out. Working out to me was like, I have to do this and I should do this, but I don't want this. And now it's like, oh, my gosh, I get to do this. This is so great. Oh my gosh, I gotta get in there. And so, yeah, so much has changed. So let's break down. What do we think the five things are? We can do this collaboratively if you want.
- [12:11]
Brigid Tigmeier
So when we talk about the first five things, I think that if we summarize the Key initial factors, actual physiological factors that we focus on, that that may help and then we can dive into habits, if that's okay.
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Jenna Kutcher
Yeah, let's do it.
- [12:26]
Brigid Tigmeier
So, number one, the number one thing, especially in the first one to two years, because I also want to highlight the fact that everyone's health journey evolves and yours has evolved. So what we were focused on in the beginning is not necessarily what we're focused on now, which is very natural as especially a woman goes through different cycles. Right. So when we met, you were like fresh into postpartum and as you're evolving, you're like entering this perimenopausal era where the changes in your needs for your body are going to look different. So in the first one to two years that we worked together, the five key areas would be lowering inflammation. That was a huge focus. And we saw your, your markers go from moderate levels of inflammation in your HSCRP and your homocysteine levels to completely optimal levels through nutrition, lifestyle and supplements, which I think, you know, is, is so astonishing because of the true power of using the molecules within food to fuel every cell in your body to actually optimize your cellular functionality, which is possible when you're able to lower inflammation. So number one was lowering inflammation. Number two was supporting blood sugar balance. Because when we ran your initial labs, you had insulin resistance, your fasting insulin levels were fairly elevated, and we had talked about all the ways to help to optimize insulin sensitivity, to be able to sort your blood sugar balance, and shifted so many of the ways that you ate and then you layered in the sleep and then you layered in the exercise, and that significantly optimized your fasting glucose levels, your fasting insulin levels, your hemoglobin A1c and your other blood sugar markers. We also focused a lot on stress reduction, chronic stress reduction, your cortisol levels and your thyroid health, because these are really the foundation of a woman's hormone pyramid. So I think of cortisol and also insulin as being those two primary hormones at the base of our hormone pyramid. Then you have your thyroid and then you have your sex hormones at the top. Estrogen, testosterone, progesterone. And the sex hormones are more of like the sexy place that people want to start. But we focus on the opposite of really creating a strong foundation because of the way that chronic stress can deplete our sex hormones and also deplete our thyroid hormones. And so focusing on optimizing your cortisol levels and implementing more stress reducing practices and things that we can Talk about today. The fourth was nutrient deficiencies, addressing all of your nutrient deficiencies, because I think that so many women are walking around extremely nutrient depleted without even realizing that that's the case. And they are just normalizing the fatigue, they're normalizing the. The brain fog, they're normalizing the mood imbalances without realizing that just specific nutrients like omega 3 fatty acids can have an enormous impact on our brain fog and cognitive health, on our mood and mental health, and so many other things. So just, you know, one example was getting your omega 3 levels optimized to be able to support lowering any kind of brain inflammation and supporting overall hormone balance. And the fifth was heart health, which might sound not that sexy to a lot of women, although heart disease is still the number one cause of death in women. So I often try to establish this as something that we need to be thinking about, especially in 30s and 40s and 50s. This might seem like it's too early, like these are just things that your grandparents need to worry about, but it's actually something that in women's 30s and 40s can be an early cause of death. And so heart health, you lowered your cholesterol levels by 50 points. You cut your triglyceride levels in half. Astonishing changes in your labs that we saw from the focus that you had. And as a byproduct, you talked about, you know, the weight loss and the improvements in muscle mass, which I do want to talk about the muscle mass in particular today. But that was all as a side effect of focusing on these five basic parameters of health that impact not only how you're feeling on a daily basis, but also how you're going to advance through perimenopause and menopause. A lot of researchers are focusing right now on if we can delay the onset of menopause, that it can actually extend a woman's life because it decreases the onset of risk factors like heart disease, Alzheimer's disease, osteoporosis, and other things. So all to say that the work that we did together, I feel you're seeing the benefits of today, but that you'll continue to see the benefits of for decades in laying that strong foundation.
- [17:02]
Jenna Kutcher
I mean, it sounds like we did a lot, but here's what I want people to know. I mean, did do a lot. We did do a lot is it was all over time, and it was all pretty gradual. Like, so if that feels or sounds overwhelming, it actually didn't feel that way, like, in the process, because it's like everything kind of was Almost like a domino that hit the next domino over. And you know, it's really interesting to me because let's talk about food a little bit because I feel like that was an area that I think was probably my hardest area and I will remember. So we did levels, which was like a continuous glucose monitor which also just backed up the fact that I was really insulin resistant. And I remember being like, Bridget, I can eat a Dilly bar from Dairy Queen and nothing happens to my blood sugar. Like it doesn't spike it. Like I must have really, really good like insulin response. And you were like, no, like I.
- [18:00]
Brigid Tigmeier
Were frustrated by that.
- [18:01]
Jenna Kutcher
I was so frustrated. Like I was like, I don't get it. I can eat a cookie and nothing happens. And like I didn't realize you gave an analogy about like a school bus or something. Can you give that analogy of what that was? Because I didn't even understand what that meant. And I feel like a lot of people, I mean you probably have the stats are pre diabetic and they don't even realize it. And so that was like me where I'm like, like no, I'm really healthy and like my blood sugar isn't responding to these sugary things. So it must be good, right?
- [18:29]
Brigid Tigmeier
A hundred percent. Okay, so the school bus analogy, if we're talking about blood sugar, so you have any time that you eat, your blood sugar is going to rise. If you have something like let's say an apple for hopefully you're not just having an apple for breakfast, but you have an apple and then your blood sugar increases. That's the glucose increasing in your bloodstream and that signals to your pancreas to secrete insulin, which is a hormone that is incredible and helps a lot with bringing that glucose into the cell. But when you have too much of it or you become insulin resistant, insulin is also a pro inflammatory fat storing hormone if you end up having too much. So what happens in a lot of instances is that as a person is producing the insulin from their pancreas to bring the sugar from the apple into their cells so they can use it for energy, then you have the insulin as basically your school bus driver where it's picking up the glucose in your bloodstream and it's bringing it into the cell. What happens for a lot of people is that they become insulin resistant where their cell doesn't recognize the school bus driver, which is the insulin. That is the unlock. It has to create an unlock situation in order to actually get the glucose into the cell. And so people will start to become more insulin resistant, which signals to your body to create more insulin and more insulin. So what will happen is that your body starts to overcompensate for the rises that are happening in your blood sugar by producing more insulin. And that will happen before the onset of something like prediabetes or type 2 diabetes in many instances. And unfortunately, a lot of doctors still don't test fasting insulin levels. So a person may not realize that they're becoming pre diabetic before that actually happens in the standard blood markers that most physicians are testing. So you'll go from thinking that you're perfectly fine and healthy, which a lot of people will experience, you know, several blood sugar fluctuations throughout the entire day. And then you don't realize that it's like years and years of that happening that then lead you to the point of being in a doctor's office where they're like, oh, just to let you know you have pre diabetes. So we caught that a lot earlier to be able to say, like, your fasting insulin levels are really high and that could be part of the reason for why you're eating the cookie and you're not having enormous rises in your blood sugar.
- [20:46]
Jenna Kutcher
Interesting. I mean, I just remember being like, wait, what? I don't get it.
- [20:52]
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- [22:00]
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- [23:05]
Another thing that I think is interesting is I even remember we were talking a lot about food. And I love my parents so much. We were raised on processed food. I mean, almost 100% of the time. The other day I was looking at old photos and for Christmas one year, my grandma bought me a box of ramen noodles, like a whole box of them. We probably cost $3 because I would eat them every single day, right? Like, all of our food came out of packages. And I almost was raised.
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And I've.
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I've literally been thinking about this a lot lately with this belief that, like, good food is made in a lab. I mean, like, that is literally what I think the actual belief was, is like, how could anything natural taste as good as this? And so that was a huge piece for me of, like, I remember talking to you on the first day and we were talking about, like, different foods I was eating, and I was eating these like, cauliflower hash browns that were like, packaged up from like Kroger or something. And I was like, this healthy. It's like cauliflower. And like, you were like, read the ingredients and it was like, there's just like all these other things in it, right? And so I think that my relationship with what healthy food was was looking at food packaged up as health food, if that makes sense. And that was a really huge untangling for me. Like, the other day I made tomato soup with cocoa out of tomatoes from our garden. And that was revolutionary for a kid raised on Campbell's soup, right? Like, that I could make something from my garden that tasted better than something that came in a can. Talk to me a little bit about that.
- [24:41]
Brigid Tigmeier
Wow, that is amazing.
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Jenna Kutcher
Isn't that wild?
- [24:44]
Brigid Tigmeier
What was likely happening? And this happens to so many people, I mean, your story is the story of so many others, is that the foods that you're eating are hijacking your taste buds, which makes you continue to crave these ultra processed foods that have been chemically manufactured to be at this bliss point that food scientists are paid a lot of money to create, that has the proper ratio of fat, salt and sugar. Typically that leads you to not being able to say no. That leads you to needing to continue to eat more and more and more and feel like you have no control over the foods that you are putting in your mouth or the quantity that you're putting in your mouth. So a lot of times, like we talked about the idea of retraining your taste buds, that your taste buds crave what you feed them. And so there is a process for a lot of people where they have to go through a period of time where they're actually retraining their taste buds and having those natural flavors be the preferred option where as you continue to evolve your taste buds and this doesn't happen overnight. And I think for you, like the theme and so many of the things that we're gonna talk about today is how this has been a consistent build over time. And so many people are just committed to like a 30 day window or a two week window or something along those lines. And like this is three years out for you. And so highlighting that like your taste buds will continue to even change over time and that changes how you fuel your body. We have bacteria, we have, you know, a lot of beneficial microbes in our large intestine. And we also have less beneficial microbes that are more harmful. And the harmful bacteria can actually release compounds that increase our cravings and desire for more ultra processed high sugar foods that leads to more of their survival, essentially because they fuel off of these less healthy foods. And so they're living inside of you and sabotaging you by driving you to want to eat more of those foods. Now, research shows that within just two to three days of changing your diet, that your gut microbes start to change. And so over time, you know, months and years in the making, you're continuing to change the actual bacteria that are living inside of you and the preferences that they have for different foods that lead to lower levels of cravings in addition to normalizing natural flavors. Like, I remember working with a client many years ago when I was working at the Cleveland Clinic for Dr. Hyman, and he said to me that he used to have to put sugar on his strawberries in order for them to taste sweet enough. And that after me just have saying, okay, I think that for 10 days we should have you remove all forms of added sugar from your diet so that we can start to reset your taste buds. He said. This was the first time in my life that I've ever realized that strawberries are naturally sweet on their own. But prior to that, I was never able to recognize that because of the foods that he had eaten throughout his entire life.
- [27:34]
Jenna Kutcher
Wow, that's wild. I mean, I think think that was a really big sticking point for me. Another thing I think we could talk about is like creating the habits around when I ate. Because I remember talking to you and I was like, brigid, I am just, I'm not hungry in the morning. I don't need breakfast. I am not hungry. And like, you were like, please just get something in your body. And most days now it is a pro, like some sort of protein drink. But I will have at least 30 grams of protein by 8am now every single day. And, you know, today I had some sausage and a protein shake. And that is very attainable for me and it's very doable. And it's just become second nature. And another thing that I found that I'll do is like, let's say you, like, you've read my book. I love pancakes. Like, pancakes are very spiritual in our family. But I will have protein before I make the pancakes, right? And just like, like we always tell our girls, like, pad your tummies. Like you can have something sweet, but, like, you're gonna get a tummy ache if you don't have any sort of padding in there, whether it's protein or fat. And so that was a belief and something that I had. And I was just talking to my girlfriends the other day because we were talking about just eating throughout the day. And like, so many women will not eat anything. And then all of a sudden it's like lunchtime and we're starving, so we're just ravenous grabbing for anything. Or we're like, well, it's already 3 o'. Clock. I might as well just wait till dinner, right? And then it's like by that time you are so depleted you have nothing in your body. And so I feel like I had to really relearn how to eat, which is so weird. But also just really think through, okay, what am I getting out of this food? Like, what does the protein look like? Like, how am I going to feel after this? The other day I ate a lunch and it had, I think it was like, 45 grams of protein. And I was so satisfied and full. And when I looked at it, I was like, that's not gonna fill me up. And I was like, oh my gosh, I feel so great. So talk to me about this a little bit.
- [29:37]
Brigid Tigmeier
So if you are able to get enough fiber and protein, then it does increase your satiety hormones. That helps you naturally understand I am satiated and I don't need to continue eating. So it can help with actually regulating your food intake without even needing to obsessively count calories. But this is funny that you say this because in preparation for today, I read through a bunch of our notes from, you know, all the different times that we talked and trying to outline, like, what are Jetta Coacher's key habits.
- [30:07]
Jenna Kutcher
Yes.
- [30:08]
Brigid Tigmeier
That we continue to talk about over and over again with the number one being front loading your calories throughout the day. Because this one was not easy for you. It took you, you continued to say like, I'm not that hungry or you would have, you know, like a little bit of something. That was the first step. Was it having a little bit of something and then having something with protein and then me saying, you need at least 15 grams of carbohydrates, ideally 30 grams of carbohydrates in the morning to help to support your hormone balance, to help to support your blood sugar levels, to help to drop your morning blood sugar levels, which might sound counterintuitive, but overall leading to lower levels of perceived chronic stress so that we could get your morning cortisol levels down, support hormone balance and lower your, your blood sugar. And so I am so proud that you are incorporating by 8am as much as you are because that has definitely. That was not an easy one for you.
- [31:02]
Jenna Kutcher
No, it wasn't. I mean, yeah, that was something where I was, that was a hill I was gonna try to die on and you didn't let me die there. Thank goodness.
- [31:11]
Brigid Tigmeier
But it's so normal for women to say I'm not hungry in the morning and you have to retrain your body. And I feel, you know, there are, of course there is a significant amount of research behind intermittent fasting, but if you're going to do something like intermittent fasting, one, you need to understand what is your stress capacity because intermittent fasting is a hormetic stressor. So for certain women at different phases of their life, it's not necessarily the first thing that I would recommend. If you already have too many other elevations in perceived stressors or hermetic stressors, which we can talk about. But also then if you're going to do that, let's say you're gonna do a 14 hour window or if you're pushing to a 16 hour window, then cutting your eating off the night before in order to be able to eat first thing in the morning is something that I am continuously recommending to women. It also is so key in regulating your appetite throughout the rest of the day. Your breakfast sets the tone for the rest of your day and the preferences that you have later on in the day. So if you start your day with just like avocado toast, which is not going to have enough protein, which is going to have some fiber, but doesn't have enough of the rounded nature that we're looking for, then you're going to be more likely to have that blood sugar increase and then the crash two to three hours later where mid morning you're looking for like another pick me up because you're more tired or you're just feeling like you're craving something and then mid afternoon you're feeling like you're craving something again. So you go to the snack drawer and then you're upset because you ate too many snacks. And so breakfast sets the tone for the day. It's something that I really feel strongly is so important for a lot of women.
- [32:45]
Jenna Kutcher
Yeah. Okay, where should we go next?
- [32:49]
Brigid Tigmeier
Let me go through a few other habits in this list. Key habits.
- [32:52]
Jenna Kutcher
Okay.
- [32:53]
Brigid Tigmeier
Avoiding skipping meals. Because that as you're talking about for lunch was something that I remember hearing you over and over again talking about how you would just be starving and then you would grab whatever was fast and most convenient. And so looking ahead at your day to say like when am I going to eat something, what am I going to eat? So that it was pre planned instead of thinking that it was just automatically going to happen for you without putting any thought or intention into it was definitely a shift also because then it gives you more control over the grazing that was happening later on in the afternoon or at night or after dinner. The fact that you stopped skipping meals I think was a huge one because it was optimize all the food choices that you were making so that if you're thinking like I have one calorie to consume, what is the greatest return on that investment? Then you're thinking about foods that are going to actually fuel you for the rest of your day so that you have higher levels of energy and your mood is more stable and you have less brain fog and ability to focus. The third one was something that we kept Coming back to was increasing your fiber intake, having 30 grams of fiber per day at minimum. Because fiber is so supportive of women's hormone balance, it's also extremely connected to our ability to stay satiated. So there's actually one study that showed that an additional 14 grams of fiber per day for at least two days consecutively was able to decrease overall energy intake by 10%. So I'm not a big calorie focused person. Yeah, I like to layer in the other elements of nutrition. Thinking about nutrition in a more holistic realm to say, how much fiber are you getting? How much protein are you getting? Are you eating all of your meals? Are your cortisol levels balanced so that we can ensure that you are able to naturally regulate some of your intake? I just find that that creates a healthier relationship with food in order to layer in these additional components. So fiber was important for satiety for blood sugar balance and decreasing your insulin resistance for supporting your energy and your mental health. There's an enormous connection between fiber consumption and decreased risk of depression. Also thinking about detoxification, because fiber can bind to environmental toxins that we're exposed to that then are able to be excreted from our body so that they're not having as much of a negative impact. So we focus on that. Eating at least 25 grams of protein per meal, which you've talked about a lot, retraining your taste buds was another one. And getting the right supplements, of course, you can get a lot of important micronutrients, antioxidants, phytonutrients from the foods that are on your plate at every single meal. But we also layered in a lot of supplements that can help with offsetting some of those nutrient deficiencies in addition to optimizing, you know, those levels so that you're not just focused on not having deficiencies, but having optimal levels, which is a different way of thinking about the body.
- [35:57]
Jenna Kutcher
Yeah, I mean, it's interesting now because I feel like even just looking at my morning today, I'm like, everything is so natural. Like, it's. It's like the air I breathe, where I think that for anyone that's going on some sort of a health journey, getting to that place where you're not having to overthink things or really be super aware of them, it can become a state of being. And I don't think I ever crossed that threshold in my life where it was almost just who I am versus what I have to do until, like, now, where I'm like, oh, like, even Just thinking about today, like, I took my supplements. I have my aminos right next to me. I thought through when I was gonna work out. I know what I'm gonna eat for lunch. I already had protein today. Like. Like, it's actually simpler than it all sounds when it just becomes part of who you are and the way you move through the world. And so it's really interesting because I know we've talked about this in a past episode, but for me.
- [37:02]
Can you believe that we're already wrapping up 2025? This year was packed with travel and so many new memories. One of my favorite moments was our team retreat in Arizona with the incident. Incredible women who help me keep this business running.
- [37:15]
I also recently took the kids to.
- [37:16]
Nashville during fall break, and somewhere in between, I squeezed in a trip to Puerto Rico with friends. We booked some of our most memorable stays this year on Airbnb. There's something special about finding a place that doesn't just look great in the photos, but actually feels welcoming the moment you walk in that this feels right kind of feeling. If you've got trips coming up, whether it's a family vacation, a retreat, or a work trip, your house will probably be sitting empty while you're gone. Have you considered hosting your home on Airbnb and letting it work for you? It's a simple way to earn some extra income that can be put towards a future trip or home improvement projects. Your home might be worth more than you think. Find out how much@airbnb.com forward/host.
- [38:01]
Probably one of the biggest emotional shifts in this whole process was, like, the identity tied to it, right? And I was literally just talking to a friend the other day who's on her own health journey, and she was just talking about going out to a girl's dinner. And, like, she was being really just aware of what food she was eating because she knew how it was going to make her feel. And I said, isn't it interesting? Because I have a very visceral memory of a couple years back when I was on a girls trip, and usually I felt like the unhealthy one. Like, I think it was an identity I gave myself, maybe. And I remember being on that trip and I was the one who was moving my body every day, and I was the one not drinking alcohol, and I. I was the one eating well. And I remember being like, wow, I am, like, really healthy. Like, I might be the healthiest girl on this trip. And not that it's a comparison thing, but it was this huge chasm that was closing for me of, like, my identity around all of it. And not that it was like getting on a high horse, but just having this awareness of, like, wow, I'm awake to all of this. And I know what is going to make me feel the best. I know what is going to make this experience mean the most for me. And these are the choices that I'm willing to make. And so it's really interesting to think of, like, how much our identity and beliefs are tied into the actions that we take when it comes to our health.
- [39:19]
Brigid Tigmeier
I remember you voice loading me after that trip.
- [39:21]
Jenna Kutcher
Yeah.
- [39:22]
Brigid Tigmeier
And telling me about, like, how good you felt with being able to be as consistent as you were. It's funny that you bring that up, but it is so much a part of people's identity. And there's a lot of work that's required from a mindset standpoint. So many people think that nutrition is just about the food, but 80% of it is about continuously being able to change your mindset. So initially, when it comes to making the changes, knowing that one, you're worthy of making those changes, that you're worthy of the investment. Right. From your book that you say you are the investment, not the risk.
- [39:56]
Jenna Kutcher
Yeah.
- [39:57]
Brigid Tigmeier
And so thinking about it from that lens. But then once you actually are, you know, gaining traction, changing your identity around what is possible for you, moving forward. And then once you start to have success, not sabotaging yourself by thinking, oh, this is only short term, how long is this going to last? Because I know you've tried other diets in the past. Like, you've talked about how you did Weight Watchers before your wedding and you've tried NOOM and, and a few other ways of eating. And so, you know, when people have that experience, they're often like waiting for the shoe to drop where they're like, this is only going to last for so long. And there's a level of self sabotage that can happen over and over again as you're even making progress to say, how long is this going to last? And I think that then having the ability to. Once you. I even remember after you had bought so many new clothes because you had lost so much weight and you had messaged me saying, like, I just feel a little nervous buying these clothes because I don't know if I'm always going to be able to, you know, like, stay here because of things that have happened in the past. And so there's a level of being able to surrender and lean into what you're fully capable of. And embracing the science of neuroplasticity, which is this idea that you can rewire the way that your brain actually functions and what you're capable of. But so much of it has to start with continuing to up level your belief of what is possible for you in your life.
- [41:26]
Jenna Kutcher
It's crazy too, because I have been the same exact weight for the last two and a half years. Like, I. My weight has not changed. Weight is not a part of this in terms of, like, how I want to feel and like muscle, which we'll talk about in a minute. And so it's interesting to me because it's like once my body got better, back to a place where it felt really healthy, which, by the way, like, what I weigh now is 20 pounds heavier than I was when I got married, right? Like, it's crazy to see how many different versions my body has been through with miscarriage and pregnancy and breastfeeding and being a collegiate athlete. Like, I think so many women have held so many different sizes, so many different weights. And like, right now, like, the weight I am and the weight I have been, it feels like the strongest, most healthiest version of myself. And it hasn't changed. Like, it fluctuates during my cycle. But, like, I know that. Like, I know that this is my point where I feel the best. And so it's been really interesting too, because it's like I take that pretty much out of the equation and it's like, how do I feel in my clothes, how do I feel in my body, and how do I move through my day? Those three things to me really are like the signifiers of, like, where I'm at my journey. You said we were going to talk about muscle mass. Let's talk about that before we run of time.
- [42:48]
Brigid Tigmeier
Muscle mass is so incredibly important for decreasing your risk of all cause mortality, of supporting your brain health, of decreasing risk of dementia, of decreasing risk of osteoporosis and fractures. It wasn't until recently that I actually realized that the likelihood of dying after a fracture is about the same as dying after a breast cancer diagnosis. And I feel like as a society there's so much awareness around breast cancer and so not enough awareness around the role that muscle mass plays on our bone health and our bone density, which we lose up to 10% of and even potentially more as women transitions from perimenopause to menopause. If we are not thinking proactively enough, with strength training and enough protein and potentially hormone replacement therapy and other things that can support women in Increasing our muscle mass. So muscle helps with decreasing insulin resistance. The bigger that your muscles are, the more that they can soak up glucose and decreases that insulin resistance, which also leads to lower levels of inflammation. Your muscles actually release anti inflammatory messages throughout your body. And we also know that it can support your overall gut health because when you have lower levels of inflammation, it supports a healthier gut microbiome, which also supports our hormone balance. So muscle is really a large indicator of our overall health. So much more than the number on the scale because it really is true that your muscle weighs more than fat. So if you're continuously just thinking about how much do I weigh and how much weight can I lose, and you're never actually thinking through how much of this weight am I losing that is muscle compared to fat, then you may actually be at a disservice if you're losing weight and it's coming from muscle. So we want to think more about increasing muscle mass to help with also increasing bone density. So that as women are going through their 30s, 40s and 50s, you're able to do so in a way that supports improvements in your overall health, that lowers your risk of heart disease, lowers your risk of Alzheimer's disease, lowers your risk of osteoporosis, in addition to helping you feel good and mitigating a lot of the symptoms that come with perimenopause and menopause, which I feel like can sometimes be positioned as such a, you know, doom and gloom situation. But it's a natural process that women's bodies go through. And the more that we can prepare ourselves with building muscle and supporting our bone density and thinking about getting stronger, not just thinner, the more that we're setting ourselves up for long term health and success.
- [45:30]
Jenna Kutcher
I am so committed to entering my 40s in the best shape of my life. I mean, I think I could argue that right now I'm probably in the best shape of my life in terms of health and mindset and nutrition and all of the different things. But like, girl, I'm going to be hell bent on walking into that next decade, the best version of me, and I'm already on my way, but I'm so excited about it. Okay, so if somebody is listening to this and the new year is around the corner and I think, you know, I often think of the new year as like the time of resolutions and the new diets and all of the crazy media coverage that we get on, like new year, new you and new body and all of that pressure.
- [46:16]
What is a different approach we can.
- [46:17]
Take as we kind of enter into this next era, both whether it's the new year or a new era or a new stage of our lives.
- [46:25]
Brigid Tigmeier
I would say thinking about your nutrition and your health holistically by addressing the factors that contribute to health or aging as women. You touched on, you know, trying to feel the best that you possibly can going into your 40s, which really requires better blood sugar balance, lower levels of inflammation, nutrition that helps to protect us from environmental toxin exposure and supports our detoxification capacity that helps to decrease our levels of perceived stress that also impacts our hormone balance. And thinking about doing this in a way that is so much greater than just calories in the ways that we talked about with getting 30 grams of fiber per day, with getting a minimum of 25 grams of protein per meal, and getting the phytonutrients and antioxidants that help to combat the inflammation that sometimes increases as we age. So the way that I've structured this is thinking about pretty much like in working with you, Jenna, and these things that have helped you transform your health without a super rigid approach to calorie counting and that sort of thing. I created a membership program, the Being Collective, where every single week I create with my dietitians meal plans that meets these nutrition principles so that we can help help women feel like this is possible in a way that's simple, that tastes good, that's enjoyable, that isn't extra rigid, and that checks the boxes on these various aspects of the things that we talked about today from a nutrition standpoint. So I created a membership called the Bean Collective. And every month we launch the Being Collective Kickstarter, which is your four week on ramp to the process where you follow 28 days of anti inflammatory meal plans that also includes live coaching from myself and my dietitians, talking about all the mindset shifts and the nutrition science behind truly making changes sustainable. And so we have the Bean Collective Kickstarter that will happen in January that I would love for your community to join us for so that they can structure their meals and incorporate a lot of these habits that we've talked about today. So the Bean Collective Kickstarter, you can join us in January to set the new year off in a more sustainable approach to nutrition. And if you're listening to this, after the new year we run a new cohort every single month, a new on ramping program so that you can then experience that four week on ramp into then the Bean Collective membership where we can support you in thinking about nutrition holistically and we also have VIP upgrade options if you're interested in doing labs and other things like we talked about today to better understand your personal nutrition needs.
- [49:04]
Jenna Kutcher
Okay. I am obsessed with this, and I leverage. So I recently did an episode where I just talked about how we have somebody that helps us with food prep because it was just literally a sticking point in our lives and probably our top marital argument of all time. And we pull recipes from this all of the time. The kids love them. I love them. You get a grocery shopping list. You can sort by your dietary needs. And the thing that I love is, like, I cannot do the mental gymnastics of, like, looking at every single meal and knowing, okay, does this have enough protein? Am I getting the right fiber? And so it's like, literally just having Bridget in your back pocket of, like, here's your plan, and it's delicious. I was making the Snickers protein shake the other day with, like, the dates and, oh, my gosh, like, come on. And so anyways, I just think to, like, committing not just to, like, a week of fasting or something fast, but literally learning the science of all of this. It will change the way you look at food. I know for me as a mom, it has greatly supported me in teaching my daughters about food and thinking through even things like their school lunches. Like, are they getting enough protein today? What does their carbs look like? Like, how is this looking balanced for them and for me? And so, girl, we've been on a journey. You have changed my life. We have so many past episodes together, too. If somebody wants more of you and I together, but just thank you for walking with me through this whole thing, and thank you for really just kind of being like the little engine behind me that is showing me what is possible and how I truly could unlock this level of energy that I didn't even know was available to me.
- [50:50]
Brigid Tigmeier
Jenna, seeing you transform in the way that you have inspired other women to invest in themselves and to transform their health has been one of the greatest opportunities. You have changed my life in so many ways and being able to support so many people in your community. And I just. I can't explain how much I appreciate being a part of. Of your health journey.
- [51:11]
Jenna Kutcher
Where can everybody find out more and join in the program? Let us know. Give us all the places so you.
- [51:19]
Brigid Tigmeier
Can join the Being collected kickstarter@jennacutcher.com forward slash, being. You can find me at Being Brigid pretty much everywhere. So my website is beingbrigid.com and my Instagram is being Bridget, I have a podcast now that's focused on women's health and the power of using food as medicine called the Being Bridget Show. That's a big haul.
- [51:41]
Jenna Kutcher
Awesome. Thank you so much.
- [51:43]
Brigid Tigmeier
Thank you, Jenna.
- [51:45]
Jenna Kutcher
Some of these conversations literally just fly. Like, I looked at my clock and I was like, we need to do part two, we need to do part three on this. There is so much I want to talk about and I know there's so much you're probably curious about. For me, looking at where I am today, I honestly don't know if the past version of me even thought that this was possible. To feel energized, to wake up when the moon is still out and get movement in joyfully. To feel equipped to make the best decisions. To be the healthiest version of myself. Like the past me would not even recognize this version of me. And let me tell you, she is not done yet. I am dead set on entering the next decade in a few years, being in the best shape of my life. And not just the way I look, but the way I feel like. I know that that is what is ahead of me and it excites me to no end. I didn't know how good, good could feel until I met Brigid. If you want to join the Being collective Kickstarter, I highly recommend everything that woman touches. She has changed my life in ways that I can't even express, but ways you probably can see. Go to jennacutcher.com forward/being that's jennacutcher.comforward/being and sign up for her Kickstarter. It is a four week on ramp process that will change the way you look at food, that will change the way you understand the science, that will help you shift your identity, that will have you starting to ask yourself questions of like, is this what the healthiest version of me would choose? And I just cannot sing her praises more. I really, really owe so much to her and her work in my own life. And I just feel like I'm a walking, talking, energetic billboard for what she does. Jennicajirt.com forward/being thank you so much for listening to this episode of the podcast. Send it to anyone that you know would benefit from it. It is such a gift gift to share these episodes with you and to have you share them to your community. And until next time, Gold Diggers, keep on digging your biggest goals and make sure you eat some lunch today. All right, bye bye.
- [53:52]
Thanks for listening to the Gold Digger podcast. I hope today left you inspired and equipped with something you can put into action as you build a business that truly supports your life. If this episode resonated with you, here's how you can can help this show reach even more entrepreneurs. Hit follow. Share it with a friend who's building something meaningful, and if you're feeling generous, leave us a review. Those reviews help other listeners discover these conversations when they need them the most. This show has become so much more than I ever imagined, and it's because of listeners like you who show up and share. You are helping build something that will inspire entrepreneurs for years to come. For show notes, notes, links and resources, head to gold diggerpodcast.com keep digging your biggest goals the world needs what you're building.
- [54:40]
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