Neuroscientist Dr. Jud Brewer challenges conventional weight loss wisdom, exposing the myth of willpower. He discusses the neuroscience of habits, dopamine's role, and the importance of self-acceptance in behavior change. Dr. Brewer's blend of Eastern traditions and hard science provides practical solutions for those wrestling with cravings or food compulsions.
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Quick takeaways
Mapping out habit loops can help reshape our relationship with food by identifying triggers, behaviors, and rewards.
Developing awareness and disenchantment with eating habits can break the cycle of unconscious eating and build a healthier relationship with food.
Distinguishing between hunger and craving allows for conscious and intentional choices about eating habits.
Leveraging awareness, curiosity, and self-compassion is key in reshaping eating habits and breaking free from destructive patterns.
Deep dives
Mapping Habit Loops
The first step in reshaping our relationship with food is to map out our habit loops by identifying the triggers, behaviors, and rewards associated with our eating habits. This process involves paying attention to our actions before, during, and after eating, as well as journaling our daily experiences to gain a clearer understanding of our habits.
Developing Awareness and Disenchantment
The second step involves developing awareness and disenchantment with our eating habits. By becoming more present and nonjudgmental, we can observe our behaviors without shame or guilt. This awareness helps break the cycle of unconscious eating and enables us to build a healthier relationship with food.
Differentiating Between Hunger and Craving
It's important to differentiate between hunger and craving. Hunger is the physiological need for calories to maintain homeostasis, while craving is the desire to eat for emotional reasons or out of habit. By learning to identify and distinguish between the two, we can make more conscious and intentional choices about our eating habits.
Leveraging Awareness, Curiosity, and Self-Compassion
The key to reshaping our eating habits lies in leveraging awareness, curiosity, and self-compassion. By paying attention to our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors around food, remaining curious about our experiences, and approaching ourselves with kindness and acceptance, we can begin to develop healthier eating patterns and break free from destructive habits.
Importance of Curiosity in Changing Habits
Curiosity is a powerful tool in changing habits because when we are curious about something, paying attention to it becomes natural. By leveraging curiosity, we can make the process of change feel less difficult. However, conjuring curiosity is not always easy, especially if we have habits of self-judgment and criticism. It is important to work with what is in front of us and gradually replace self-judgment with self-kindness to create a more receptive mindset for change.
The Power of Mindful Eating
Slowing down when eating and paying attention to our food can lead to a better understanding of our body's signals of hunger and fullness. The 20-minute window it takes for our bodies to recognize satiety can be achieved by being mindful during meals. This awareness helps to distinguish between cravings, emotional eating, and true hunger. Practicing mindfulness while eating can also enhance our sensory experience and lead to better food choices and overall well-being.
Changing Habits and Developing Self-Kindness
Developing self-kindness is crucial in the process of habit change. Honoring and accepting our past selves, recognizing that we did the best we could, sets the foundation. By investigating our habitual reactions and recognizing the difference between self-indulgence and self-kindness, we can start to cultivate acts of self-kindness that meet our needs. This shift in mindset allows us to break free from self-judgment and develop healthier habits.
The Limitations of Willpower in Changing Eating Habits
Relying solely on willpower to change eating habits is not effective in the long term. Willpower often leads to temporary changes followed by a return to old habits. It is important to understand that willpower is limited and can become depleted. Instead of relying solely on willpower, a comprehensive approach that focuses on awareness, curiosity, and self-kindness is more effective in creating lasting changes in eating habits.
As the new year unfolds, resolutions often falter, particularly those related to food habits. Acknowledge this truth with gravitas—most diets fail most of the time. Neuroscientist Dr. Jud Brewer challenges conventional weight loss wisdom, exposing the myth of willpower from a neuroscience perspective.
In his third podcast appearance (RRP episodes 471 and 586), Dr. Brewer, Brown University’s Mindfulness Center director and School of Public Health and Psychiatry professor, delves into his latest book, The Hunger Habit. Drawing on two decades with thousands of patients, he advocates attention, mindfulness, and curiosity for healthier choices.
Evolutionarily, our brains, seeking certainty, create habit loops with triggers, behaviors, and results. The reinforcing dopamine spritz forms a stubbornly resistant, recalcitrant loop. Dr. Brewer scientifically addresses breaking these habits.
Today, we explore the neuroscience of habits, dopamine’s role, the absence of willpower in behavior change, and the importance of self-acceptance.
Note: This discussion may be confronting for those with eating disorders; seek help at www.nationaleatingdisorders.org.
Dr. Brewer’s blend of Eastern traditions and hard science provides practical solutions. This episode is a must-listen if you’re wrestling with cravings or food compulsions.
