Food Addiction (feat. Glenn Livingston, PhD)
If you’ve ever said “I’m addicted to (a food)” or you’re ready to truly overcome food addiction without dieting, this episode is for you!
On today’s episode, Jenn is joined by Glenn Livingston, the author of Never Binge Again. Glenn discusses his story of overcoming food addiction as well as the studies he performed to understand why food addiction is so difficult to manage. He gives us a glimpse into the food creation and marketing that companies use to draw us in and make food so addictive. Glenn walks through how he helps his clients overcome food addiction once and for all so they can reclaim control of their lives. Tune in today to learn how to quiet your “inner pig”.
The Salad With a Side of Fries podcast is hosted by Jenn Trepeck, discussing wellness and weight loss for real life, clearing up the myths, misinformation, bad science & marketing surrounding our nutrition knowledge and the food industry. Let’s dive into wellness and weight loss for real life, including drinking, eating out, and skipping the grocery store.
IN THIS EPISODE:
● [7:05] How did Glenn get into the psychology space and what’s his history with overeating?
● [9:33] What were the things that brought Glenn to a new paradigm?
● [11:52] How does the brain work to make decisions?
● [13:15] What were the survey results Glenn found when asking people what foods they tend to overeat or crave and the meanings behind those cravings?
● [16:58] How true is it that food is made to be addictive and marketing is designed to get you to crave food?
● [20:35] How do we know where the line is between an addictive relationship with food vs. really just enjoying food?
● [23:54] Where does Glenn have clients start in healing their relationship with food?
● [24:34] What are the two sets of thoughts that our mind has and how can you manage them?
● [28:40] How do we identify the “inner pig” voice vs. other voices in our head?
● [34:32] How long does it take for someone to get to tune out the “inner pig”?
● [35:28] What are some other elements at play and how can we utilize those to overcome food addiction?
● [39:06] Glenn explains his analogy of a leaky fireplace.
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
● A great place to start when you are working to overcome binge eating/food addiction is to ask yourself “how do I eat in accordance with my own best judgment?” When you ask yourself this question and really listen, the answer will be clear. Your body will seek what is nutritious for it.
● As always when changing your habits, start small. Create one simple rule - what's the one thing you could do that wouldn't be too burdensome, that you could and would do, but it would still make a big difference and point you in the right direction. Examples: don’t eat anything out of a bag, don’t go back for seconds, only eat chocolate on the weekend.
● When you find yourself in a moment of wanting to break your one small rule, do some breathwork. Breathe in for a count of 7, breathe out for a count of 11. This will engage your parasympathetic system so your body can rest and digest.
QUOTES:
“With 40% of the population obese...there's a very powerful outside force." - Glenn Livingston
“When you encounter a variation in flavor in nature, that's also a potential signal that diverse micronutrients are available so you're more likely to keep eating. So they [food manufacturers] found they could get people to eat more if there's a very slight variation in flavor." - Glenn Livingston
“We've spent so long following the rules of some plan out there that we also forget and have lost the connection to how we feel when we eat things.” - Jenn Trepeck
"The way the brain works, it's not just as easy to start tomorrow." - Glenn Livingston
“The core problem with food addiction is listening to your whims and impulses and emotions rather than your intellect.” - Glenn Livingston
“You can only ever use the present moment to be healthy.” - Glenn Livingston
RESOURCES:
Become A Member of Salad with a Side of Fries
A Salad With A Side Of Fries Merch
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GUEST RESOURCES:
GUEST BIO:
Glenn Livingston, Ph.D. is a veteran psychologist and was the long time CEO of a multi-million dollar consulting firm which has serviced several Fortune 500 clients in the food industry. You may have seen his (or his company's) previous work, theories, and research in major periodicals like The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Chicago Sun Times, The Indiana Star Ledger, The NY Daily News, American Demographics, or any of the other major media outlets you see on this page. You may also have heard him on ABC, WGN, and/or CBS radio, or UPN TV.
Disillusioned by what traditional psychology had to offer overweight and/or food obsessed individuals, Dr. Livingston spent several decades researching the nature of bingeing and overeating via work with his own patients AND a self-funded research program with more than 40,000 participants. Most important, however, was his own personal journey out of obesity and food prison to a normal, healthy weight and a much more lighthearted relationship with food.
