Why We Eat When We're Not Hungry, and How to Stop | Dr. Jud Brewer, Being Well
TLDRIn this insightful podcast, Dr. Jud Brewer discusses the transformation of our relationship with food, focusing on emotional eating habits rather than diets or nutrition. He emphasizes the importance of awareness and self-compassion in changing habitual patterns, suggesting that traditional willpower approaches are ineffective. Brewer's research indicates that by becoming mindful of our actions and feelings, and seeking more rewarding alternatives, we can break free from unhealthy eating behaviors. The conversation highlights the significance of kindness in fostering behavioral change and the pitfalls of guilt and shame in maintaining old patterns.
Takeaways
- 📚 The conversation is not about diets, nutrition, or weight loss, but about changing our relationship with food habit patterns, especially emotional eating.
- 🧘 Jud Brewer's approach emphasizes awareness and mindfulness over willpower in changing habits, which contrasts with traditional diet advice.
- 🚫 The episode acknowledges that sensitive issues around food and body image may be triggering for some listeners, and they are encouraged to skip it if needed.
- 🔬 Jud's background in research and his experience with smoking cessation programs led to the development of mindfulness training methods that significantly improved quit rates.
- 🌟 The 'Hunger Habit' book by Jud Brewer discusses the neuroscience behind habits and how awareness can help change them, rather than focusing on the food industry's role.
- 🍫 Brewer explains that habits form through a cycle of trigger, behavior, and result, and that emotional eating often stems from associating food with emotional states.
- 💡 The process of changing habits involves becoming aware of them, understanding the reward value, and learning to trust the body's signals of hunger and satiety.
- 🍰 Brewer's 21-day program guides individuals to recognize and rewire their habits by paying attention to the experience of eating and identifying the 'pleasure plateau'.
- 🌱 The importance of kindness and self-compassion is highlighted as a means to change behavior, as guilt and shame can impede progress.
- 🔄 The conversation suggests that by practicing mindfulness and finding 'bigger better offers', individuals can break free from habitual patterns and make choices that support their well-being.
Q & A
What is the main focus of the conversation with Dr. Jud Brewer in the podcast?
-The main focus of the conversation is about changing our relationship with food and habit patterns, particularly emotional eating, rather than discussing diets, nutrition, or weight loss.
Why did Dr. Jud Brewer start exploring the connection between his smoking cessation program and eating habits?
-Dr. Brewer started exploring the connection after pilot testers of his 'craving to quit' app reported that they were using the tools developed in the program to change their eating habits, which led him to investigate the shared mechanisms and apply the methodology to eating.
What is the problem with traditional diet approaches according to the podcast?
-Traditional diet approaches often focus on willpower and knowledge, which does not lead to lasting behavior change. They can also foster guilt and shame, as people feel they are not able to follow the diet plans and blame themselves for not being successful.
How does Dr. Jud Brewer's approach differ from traditional diet and nutrition advice?
-Dr. Brewer's approach focuses on habits and awareness rather than willpower. It aims to help individuals understand and change their behavior by trusting their feeling body and learning from direct experience, rather than relying solely on cognitive information.
What is the significance of the 'raisin exercise' in mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) programs?
-The 'raisin exercise' is used in MBSR programs to introduce the concept of paying attention to something that people usually do without much awareness—eating in this case. It helps to break the autopilot of habitual eating and encourages mindful consumption.
What does Dr. Brewer suggest is the key to changing habits related to emotional eating?
-Dr. Brewer suggests that the key to changing habits related to emotional eating is awareness. By becoming aware of the initial craving, the experience of eating, and the effects afterward, individuals can start to appreciate what is truly enjoyable and satisfying for them.
How does the 'pleasure plateau' concept relate to mindful eating?
-The 'pleasure plateau' concept refers to the point during eating when the brain signals that it has had enough, and the pleasure derived from eating begins to decrease. Mindful eating involves recognizing this plateau and understanding the body's signals of satiation, which can help prevent overeating.
What is the role of kindness and self-compassion in changing habitual behaviors?
-Kindness and self-compassion play a crucial role in changing habitual behaviors by creating a supportive internal environment. They help to reduce self-criticism and shame, allowing individuals to be more open to learning and changing their behaviors.
How can the concept of 'bigger better offers' be applied to break free from habitual patterns?
-The concept of 'bigger better offers' involves finding alternative behaviors or experiences that are more immediately rewarding and satisfying than the habitual pattern one is trying to change. This provides a stronger incentive for the brain to try something new and break the cycle of repetition.
What is the importance of understanding the difference between homeostatic hunger and hedonic hunger?
-Understanding the difference between homeostatic hunger (the body's need for food to maintain balance) and hedonic hunger (eating for emotional reasons) is important for recognizing when eating is driven by genuine physiological needs versus emotional cravings, which can lead to unhealthy eating habits.
How does the 'abstinence violation effect' relate to the discussion on diets and willpower?
-The 'abstinence violation effect' is observed when people who have been exerting willpower to follow a restrictive diet eventually fail and not just slightly but completely, often leading to overindulgence. This highlights the limitations of relying on willpower alone and the importance of addressing the underlying reward systems in the brain.
Outlines
📢 Introduction and Disclaimer
Forest Hansen introduces the episode with a disclaimer, emphasizing that the discussion is about changing relationships with food, not dieting, nutrition, or weight loss. He highlights the focus on emotional eating and mentions that the conversation may be sensitive for some viewers.
🎙️ Setting the Scene
Forest welcomes the audience and introduces his guests, including clinical psychologist Rick Hansen and Dr. Jud Brewer. He expresses his excitement about the topic and acknowledges the difficulty of discussing food habits and emotional eating constructively.
📚 Introducing Dr. Jud Brewer
Forest introduces Dr. Jud Brewer, detailing his credentials and background in psychiatry, behavioral sciences, and research. Dr. Brewer discusses his previous work on addiction and anxiety, and the surprising findings from his smoking cessation program that highlighted the role of mindfulness in changing habits.
🧠 Mindfulness and Habit Change
Dr. Brewer explains the success of using mindfulness training to help people quit smoking and how this approach can be applied to eating habits. He shares his insight that changing habits is about awareness, not willpower, and discusses the development of digital therapeutics for habit change.
🍲 Applying Mindfulness to Eating
Dr. Brewer recounts how users of his smoking cessation app began applying mindfulness techniques to change their eating habits. He elaborates on the concept of eating habits and how understanding the mechanisms behind them can lead to developing effective interventions.
📖 The Focus of 'The Hunger Habit'
Forest and Dr. Brewer discuss the scope of Dr. Brewer's book, 'The Hunger Habit.' The book focuses on habits rather than dieting or nutrition, aiming to address the root causes of emotional eating and how to rewire the brain to form healthier habits.
🍽️ The Problem with Diets
Dr. Brewer explains why diets often fail, emphasizing that knowledge alone isn't enough to change behavior. He critiques the diet industry's reliance on willpower and highlights the importance of direct experience and awareness in achieving lasting behavior change.
🧠 Neuroscience of Habits
Dr. Brewer delves into the neuroscience behind habits, explaining how the brain forms and maintains them. He introduces the concept of reward value and how it influences behavior, using examples like the pleasure of eating chocolate to illustrate these mechanisms.
🧠 Understanding Cravings
Dr. Brewer discusses the concept of craving and how it relates to emotional and physical hunger. He explains how cravings are often misinterpreted and how awareness can help distinguish between true hunger and emotional eating.
🥕 Case Study: Changing Eating Habits
Dr. Brewer shares a case study of a patient who changed her eating habits by paying attention to her body's signals. This example illustrates how mindfulness can help identify when enough is enough and avoid overindulgence.
🍫 Awareness and Choice
Forest reflects on his own eating habits and the challenges of applying mindfulness to change them. Dr. Brewer suggests practical steps to increase awareness and make more conscious choices about food.
🧠 Reconnecting with the Body
Dr. Brewer emphasizes the importance of kindness and curiosity in reconnecting with the body. He discusses how self-compassion and awareness can help reestablish a healthy relationship with food and improve interoceptive awareness.
🔄 Inclining the Mind Toward Healthier Habits
Dr. Brewer and Rick discuss strategies for inclining the mind toward healthier habits. They explore how awareness of cravings, deconstructing wanting, and appreciating the benefits of healthier choices can help form better habits.
🔄 Immediate vs. Future Rewards
Dr. Brewer addresses the challenge of balancing immediate and future rewards. He suggests focusing on immediate benefits to motivate behavior change and discusses how asking 'What do I need?' can help address emotional eating.
🔄 Awareness and Experimentation
Dr. Brewer encourages experimenting with different approaches to find what works best. He highlights the importance of learning from experiences and being open to discovering new, healthier habits.
🤔 Affective Forecasting and Self-Compassion
Rick and Dr. Brewer discuss affective forecasting and how it impacts motivation. They explore the importance of self-compassion and kindness in supporting behavior change and maintaining a healthy relationship with food.
💡 Conclusion and Final Thoughts
Forest summarizes the key points from the conversation, emphasizing the importance of awareness, self-compassion, and finding bigger better offers to change habitual patterns. He encourages listeners to apply these insights to various aspects of their lives.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Emotional Eating
💡Mindfulness
💡Habit Loop
💡Craving
💡Reward Value
💡Willpower
💡Awareness
💡Hunger Cues
💡Bigger Better Offer (BBO)
💡Self-Compassion
Highlights
The conversation focuses on changing our relationship with food rather than dieting, nutrition, or weight loss.
Dr. Jud Brewer shares his experience with mindfulness training to help people quit smoking, which led to a surprising five times higher quit rate.
The importance of awareness in changing habits is emphasized, as opposed to relying on willpower.
Dr. Brewer's work on habits extends to emotional eating and how we can form a healthier relationship with food.
The discussion explores the problem with diets and the ineffectiveness of willpower in creating lasting behavior change.
The concept of 'hedonic hunger' is introduced, differentiating it from actual physical hunger.
The interview delves into how emotional needs can become crossed with hunger, leading to miswired eating habits.
Dr. Brewer explains the neuroscience behind habit formation and the role of dopamine in learning and behavior change.
The 'pleasure plateau' concept is discussed, illustrating how paying attention to eating can lead to realizing when one has had enough.
The interview addresses the cultural and societal influences on our eating habits and the importance of policy changes.
The idea of 'Freedom Eating' is introduced, emphasizing choice and awareness over restriction and guilt.
The conversation highlights the importance of reconnecting with our bodies and learning to trust our natural hunger cues.
Dr. Brewer discusses the 'raisin exercise' as a method to practice mindfulness and attention to eating.
The interviewees share personal anecdotes on their struggles with habitual eating and the process of becoming more mindful.
The conversation concludes with a discussion on the role of kindness and self-compassion in changing habitual behaviors.
Transcripts
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