EP #70 Food Feedback

Sometimes it starts like this: We have food that’s concentrated in some way—maybe it’s extra savory, extra crunchy, extra sweet. And we have an amount in excess of what we need. Then we get more from the food beyond an ordinarily enjoyable way to nourish and sustain our bodies—we get an amplification of pleasure and fullness, a spike in energy, and a numbing of any pain that might be hanging around.

So far, so good, perhaps. But what next? When the eating stops and the effect of the food wears off, the amplified pleasure not only goes away, but we may feel a sense of withdrawal from it. The energy spike now becomes an energy drop. And the pain comes back.

Remembering that food gave us the heightened pleasure, increased energy, and escape from pain in the first place, we may go back for more. And now? Houston, we have a problem—a positive feedback loop in which the solution deepens the struggle.

Listen to episode 70 of The Done Bingeing Podcast where I explore three positive feedback loops central to the experience of binge eaters. Get full show notes and more information here: https://www.holdingthespace.co/70.

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