The Model Health Show
TMHS 754 - The Hunger Habit & The Surprising Truth About Willpower - With Dr. Jud Brewer
Episode guests
Podcast summary created with Snipd AI
Quick takeaways
- Awareness and curiosity are powerful tools for habit change.
- Understanding the reward values of habits can help create new patterns aligned with goals.
- Paying attention to the actual experience of eating can break destructive eating habits.
Deep dives
Awareness is the key to changing habits
The podcast episode emphasizes the importance of being aware of our habits and paying attention to our behavior and the results we experience. By mapping out our habit loops, we can identify triggers, behaviors, and rewards, which allows us to understand why we engage in certain habits. This awareness helps us become disenchanted with unhelpful habits, such as overeating, and realize that they are not as enjoyable or rewarding as we may think. By being curious and present in the moment, we can break free from the cycle of mindless eating and make more conscious choices.
The science behind habit change
The podcast discusses the neuroscience behind habit formation and change, highlighting the role of dopamine in reinforcing certain behaviors. It explains that habits are formed through a trigger, behavior, and reward process, and that our brain learns to associate certain actions with pleasurable rewards. However, by bringing awareness to our habits and the experiences they provide, we can start to change the reward value of these behaviors. This can be done by paying attention to the actual experience of the habit, such as realizing that overeating does not actually bring lasting pleasure, and finding a bigger, better offer that is more fulfilling and rewarding.
The importance of curiosity in habit change
The podcast emphasizes the power of curiosity in changing habits. Curiosity is intrinsically rewarding and can help us explore the sensations, emotions, and consequences of our habits. By being curious about our cravings and paying attention to how they feel in our bodies, we can disarm their power and recognize that they are not as desirable as they may seem. Curiosity also allows us to engage our minds in a positive way and discover new, healthier ways to satisfy our needs and desires.
Challenging the myth of willpower
The podcast challenges the belief in willpower as the key to changing habits. It explains that willpower is often ineffective because it relies on the prefrontal cortex, which is easily overwhelmed by hunger, stress, and fatigue. Instead, the podcast suggests that awareness and curiosity are more powerful tools for habit change. By understanding the reward values of our habits and exploring healthier alternatives, we can create new patterns and behaviors that align with our goals and values.
The role of food reward in habit change
The podcast acknowledges that food is inherently pleasurable and that our brains have evolved to seek out tasty and rewarding foods. However, it highlights that ultra-processed foods are designed to be addictive and can manipulate our reward pathways. To counteract this, the podcast encourages paying close attention to the actual experience of eating, savoring the flavors, and recognizing when our bodies signal that we've had enough. By finding genuine pleasure in our food choices and making conscious, satisfying options, we can break free from destructive eating habits and create a healthier relationship with food.
Every January, thousands of folks set health and weight loss goals and ultimately fail. This is because most people rely on tactics like restrictive diets, trying to harness willpower, and shame-based goals. But our brains and bodies are smart, and if we want to cultivate real, sustainable changes, we have to operate in a way that works with our brains’ innate operating system.
On today’s show, you’re going to hear from Dr. Jud Brewer, an internationally renowned addiction psychiatrist and neuroscientist. His new book, The Hunger Habit, dives into the science behind overeating, food cravings, and how to train our brains to create healthier habits that actually last.
This interview contains insightful conversations on willpower and self-judgment, the powerful role of curiosity and awareness for creating lasting change, and the proven neuroscience behind why diets don’t work. If you’ve ever wanted to change your eating habits on any level, I know you’re going to love Dr. Jud’s outlook. Enjoy!
In this episode you’ll discover:
- The truth about willpower.
- How the prefrontal cortex operates.
- The three elements needed to cement a habit.
- How language impacts our experiences.
- Why judgement can inhibit the learning process.
- How to use curiosity to create healthier habits.
- Why diets don’t work, according to science.
- The only way to change a habit.
- Why awareness can aid in smoking cessation.
- How to leverage your brain’s reward value equations.
- Why curiosity is a superpower.
- How to map out the habit loop around your eating patterns.
- The difference between homeostatic hunger and hedonic hunger.
- What the pleasure plateau is.
- The true definition of addiction.
- What BBO is.
- How to harness awareness and release self-judgment to create change.
Items mentioned in this episode include:
- Organifi.com/Model - Use the coupon code MODEL for 20% off + free shipping!
- HVMN.com/model - Save 30% on your first subscription order of Ketone-IQ!
- The Hunger Habit by Dr. Jud Brewer
- A simple way to break a bad habit: TEDTalk by Dr. Jud Brewer
- The Craving Mind by Dr. Jud Brewer
- Unwinding Anxiety by Dr. Jud Brewer
- Bob Newhart – Stop it!
- Connect with Dr. Jud Brewer Website / Apps / Facebook / Instagram
Be sure you are subscribed to this podcast to automatically receive your episodes:
Join TMHS Facebook community - Model Nation
Thanks to our Sponsors!
This episode is brought to you by Organifi. our nutrition does play a huge part in our drive towards what foods we're choosing and our drive towards hunger and cravings, and in particular, our cravings for hyper-palatable ultra processed foods. Now, a specific nutrient has been well documented to help our biology to make changes that make those foods less attractive. Now, this was published in the peer-reviewed journal, Appetite in 2014. And the researchers uncovered that chlorophyll, the green kind of lifeblood of plants, chlorophyll can aid in weight loss and reduce the urge to eat hyper-palatable foods. Now, what is the densest, most bioavailable source of chlorophyll that you're gonna find? Well, that's gonna be found in a food that actually got its name from its chlorophyll content, and this food is called chlorella. Also, in a double blind placebo-controlled study published in clinical and experimental hypertension, these researchers found that chlorella was able to normalize blood pressure of test subjects with diagnosed hypertension. This is serious business. Chlorella has been utilized for thousands of years, and again, it got its name due to its high chlorophyll content. And there are mountains of studies affirming how remarkable it is for human health. And in addition to chlorella, I love chlorella, but when it's combined with spirulina, it's familial algae. I like to think of this in terms of the fast and furious family. I don't get algae, I got a family. If you think about this combination, spirulina is the most protein-dense food ever discovered. It's about 71% protein by weight, and it's one of the most dense sources of chlorophyll as well, but also a rare compound called phycocyanin, which is well-established to stimulate stem cell activity in the human body. That's crazy. All It stimulates something called stem cell genesis, the creation and mobilization of stem cells. What other foods do you know can do things like that? Alright? Ultra-processed foods definitely can't do that. Honey Nut Cheerios, definitely can't do that. Pop-tarts definitely can't do that. Stem cells become effectively any cell that we really need to regenerate our tissues. And this combination, chlorella, spirulina, ashwagandha, and several other organic superfoods is all in the Organifi Green Juice blend. Go to organifi.com/model right now and you're gonna get 20% off their award-winning green juice blend. Get all the benefits of chlorella, spirulina, ashwagandha and more. Go to organifi.com/model. That's O-R-G-A-N-I-F-I.com/model for 20% off store-wide. Take advantage. This is a staple in my family's home. It's been like that for many, many years. Organifi Green Juice is amazing.
This episode is brought to you by HVMN. I wanna share something with you that has been fueling my workouts recently. Numerous studies, including a study published by the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, aka the FASEB journal, have found that exogenous ketones can be up to 28% more efficient in generating energy than glucose alone. And because of this, something that, listen, there are so many different supplements that are out there on the market. Very few things do you experience a change on the first day. Now, this isn't true for everybody, but for me, this was the case. I was shocked. I actually took time stepping away from everything else that I was doing as far as supplementation around training, gave myself a break, and then did this with a lot of focus and intention to see, hey, what are the kind of results that I could see by utilizing Ketone IQ? And I was really just blown away. My stamina was significantly increased, but more so, my recovery afterwards. It was really impressive. I just felt like I could do so much more than I normally do. And I'm somebody who really prides myself on being a high performer and being able to really challenge my limits and do exceptional things. And so to do what I was typically doing and didn't have energy left in the tank, I was just like, wow, this is something special. I need to tell more people about this. So right now, you can head over to hvmn.com/model and they're going to give you 30% off of your first subscription order. It'll be taken off automatically at checkout. And I'm telling you, this is the real deal. Go to hvmn.com/model. Checkout Ketone IQ today.
Remember Everything You Learn from Podcasts
