April 23, 2025 • 28 mins
That moment when you're staring into the fridge, not actually hungry but somehow convinced food will solve whatever's bothering you? We've all been there. And it's this exact pattern of emotional eating that silently sabotages weight loss journeys more effectively than any late-night cookie ever could.
In this raw, no-nonsense exploration of why we eat our feelings, we dig into the uncomfortable truth: food isn't therapy, it's fuel. When we use cookies to cope with stress or chips to chase away loneliness, we're not solving our problems – we're just postponing them while adding calories to the mix.
The game-changer isn't another diet plan or more willpower. It's learning to create that crucial five-minute pause between feeling something uncomfortable and reaching for food. During those five minutes, everything can change as you recognize what's actually happening: you're not hungry, you're human.
What makes emotional eating so tricky is how it masquerades as normal behavior. We explore the telltale red flags – eating when not physically hungry, using food as reward, sneaking snacks, continuing past fullness, or having hyper-specific cravings. Recognizing these patterns is the first step toward breaking them.
But awareness alone isn't enough. We need practical strategies for those moments when emotions run high and willpower runs low. From naming your feelings to building a toolbox of non-food coping mechanisms, we offer actionable alternatives that address what you're really hungry for – which usually isn't food at all.
The path to breaking free from emotional eating isn't about restriction or perfection. It's about resilience, mindfulness, and making one better choice at a time. Because ultimately, the goal isn't to never emotionally eat again – it's to recover faster and choose yourself over your coping mechanisms more often than not.
Ready to stop numbing your feelings with food and start actually feeling them instead? This episode gives you the mindset shifts and practical tools to transform your relationship with both food and emotions. One small, smart choice at a time.
Lose Weight Without Starving or Obsessing! Learn the simple, no-BS system that helped me lose 140 pounds naturally—no extreme diets, no endless gym hours, just real, sustainable fat loss for real people.
Join the Effortless Weight Loss Academy HERE
Please leave me a review on whatever platform you listen to your podcasts.
Send me questions or comments to Jonathan.Ressler@gmail.com
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
If you're a whiny snowflake that can't handle the
truth, is offended by the wordfuck and about 37 uses of it in
different forms gets ass hurt.
When you hear someone speak theabsolute, real and raw truth,
you should leave Like right now.
This is Shut Up and Choose, thepodcast where we cut through
(00:25):
the shit and get real aboutweight loss, life and everything
in between.
We get into the nitty gritty ofmaking small, smart choices
that add up to big results.
From what's on your plate tohow you approach life's
challenges.
We'll explore how the simpleact of choosing differently can
transform your health, yourmindset and your entire freaking
(00:48):
life.
So if you're ready to cutthrough the bullshit and start
making some real changes, thenbuckle up and shut up, because
we're about to choose our way toa healthier, happier life.
This is Shut Up and Choose.
Let's do this Now.
Your host, jonathan Ressler.
Speaker 2 (01:14):
Hey, welcome back to Shut Up and Choose the podcast
where we cut the noise and thenonsense and all the bullshit
out there in the diet industryand all that garbage and that
fake shit that internet gurusand Instagram jerk-offs are
throwing your way trying to tellyou hey, do this and you'll
lose weight, or do that.
It's all a bunch of shit.
(01:34):
So today we're going to go intothat place where we don't
coddle your excuses anymore andwe call them out.
You know those deep, dark,snack-filled corners of your
soul where you whisper toyourself it's just one cookie,
while you're holding the entiresleeve of Oreos like it's a life
raft.
That's right.
(01:54):
Today's episode is calledEating your Feelings.
Try feeling them instead Weird.
Right, because, let's be real,you didn't accidentally eat half
a pizza last night.
Your feelings drove the bus andyour stomach was just the
hostage.
So today we're going to talkabout emotional eating, that
age-old habit of trying to fixyour feelings with food.
(02:14):
Feeling sad, ice cream, feelingstressed, chips, feeling bored
hey, let's just open the fridgeand stare at it like it holds
all the answers to life'smeaning.
I can't tell you how many timesI've stared at the empty fridge
looking for something to eat.
Or let me rephrase that Ilooked at the full fridge
looking for something to eat andI couldn't find it, and the
(02:35):
truth is it's not in there.
Whatever you're looking for,it's not in there.
And I'm not judging you becauseI'm guilty of it myself.
Judging you because I'm guiltyof it myself.
We've all been there.
Emotional eating is one of themost common sneaky little
saboteurs of progress on anyweight loss journey.
I'm guilty of it, for sure.
But what makes it so dangerousisn't the actual food itself,
it's the mindlessness of it.
(02:56):
You know that I'm all aboutmindful eating, so it's the
mindlessness of that emotionaleating that I've had a rough day
, so I deserve this bullshitthat turns into like a
600-calorie snack and then yougo into the oh my God, why did I
do that?
Shame spiral.
But here's the thing, right.
Food is not therapy, food isfuel.
(03:16):
You wouldn't pour vodka intoyour gas tank and expect your
car to run although I know somepeople have tried it but why the
hell are you stuffing Doritosin your mouth and expecting it
to fix your loneliness, yourstress or your boredom?
I get it.
Eating shitty food feels good.
It gives that hit of dopamine,that little rush of ah, just
when the world feelsoverwhelming.
(03:36):
But that is temporary, we allknow that.
And when the snack is gone, thestress is still there.
Only now it's got a side orderof regret with it.
But before you start with a hey, jonathan, I deserve a treat.
Yeah, okay, maybe you do.
But let's not confuse treatingyourself with self-sabotage.
Eating your feelings doesn'tmake them go away, it just
(03:56):
delays them.
So you're not really solvinganything, you're just numbing
yourself with the calories.
And again, I say this because Iam guilty, guilty, guilty.
I did that for years andoccasionally I still do it now.
But in this episode we're goingto get real about emotional
eating.
I'm going to walk you throughhow to spot it, what caused it.
Most importantly, how to stopletting your emotions run your
refrigerator.
(04:17):
Because the truth is, you can'tout-exercise emotional eating.
You can't out-salad your wayaround shame.
You just have to face it headon.
So if you're ready for that,good, because it's time to stop
soothing yourself with snacksand start dealing with your shit
like a grown adult.
So let's start with what isemotional eating.
Let's define the monster in theroom.
(04:37):
You know the elephant in theroom.
Emotional eating, what is itreally?
It's that thing where you eat acookie because you had a bad
day.
Well, yes, that's true.
Is it that moment when youpolish on a bag of chips because
your boss hit you with one morepassive, aggressive, per my
last email?
Yeah, that's also it.
But here's the truth about it.
Emotional eating is any time youeat for reasons other than
(05:01):
physical hunger.
That's it.
That's emotional eating.
Any time you eat for reasonsother than actual physical
hunger, that's it.
That's emotional eating.
Anytime you eat for reasonsother than actual physical
hunger, it's using food ascomfort, distraction, reward,
punishment, celebration, copingBasically everything except for
fuel for your body.
Emotional eating is when yourheart is hurting, when your
(05:21):
brain is fried, when your soulis screaming and, instead of
dealing with the actual issue,you give your mouth a job to do
because chewing is easier thanfeeling right.
Again, I am guilty.
I'm not judging you, I'm guilty.
Now, let's not get it twisted.
Eating emotionally doesn'talways look like sobbing into a
pint of ice cream at midnightwhile watching some sad rom-com.
(05:43):
If you're that kind of person,sometimes it's subtle.
Sometimes it's you justreaching your first snack just
because it's there and you'rebored, or it's you eating more
dinner because it's comforting,even though you're already full.
I did that all the time.
It can even happen when you'recelebrating, because when you
have to eat cake at a birthdayparty, because that's what you
(06:05):
do, but that's again bullshit.
Here's the wild part, thoughEmotionally eating isn't even
about the food, it's about theescape.
It's a temporary fix that letsyou avoid something else,
whether that's stress or sadness, or anger, anxiety, loneliness,
who knows?
And, honestly, in a lot ofcases, even joy.
Some people eat when they're toohappy too, because their brain
(06:26):
has been trained to link foodwith feelings from childhood,
and I don't get into this wholebig, deep emotional dive.
So if you're looking for apsychology lesson, I'm not going
to give you that.
But look, when you skin yourknees as a kid, what happened?
Your mother gave you a cookieor a treat.
Right, you aced the test.
Hey, let's go out for pizza.
Boom, the emotions become tiedto food and that shit sticks in
(06:47):
your head and you know what partsucks the most.
Emotional eating works for likefive minutes.
That dopamine hit.
It's real, it numbs you, justlong enough not to deal with
what's really going on.
But then you get the crash, youget the guilt, you get the
bloating, the why the fuck did Ido that moment.
You went just from just onebite to why is the bag empty?
(07:08):
Now you have that originalproblem that you had, plus the
regret, and they're all sittingin your lap.
So let's stop pretending this isabout willpower.
It's not.
You're not weak, you're juststuck in a pattern, a pattern
where food has become yourtherapist, your best friend,
your numbing agent and yourcelebration ritual.
And here's the mic drop moment.
I didn't drop it, though, untilyou separate your emotions from
(07:31):
reading no diet, no meal planand no calorie tracker is going
to save you.
That's why so many people willquote unquote do everything
right during the day and thencrash and burn at night.
It's not that they're hungry,it's that they're emotionally
exhausted, and food is the quickfix.
So if you're wondering why thescale won't move or why you keep
undoing your progress, thismight be the root of it all, and
(07:52):
I'm betting you that it is.
So let me give you some signs.
So you know you're doing it andprobably lying to yourself
about it.
So now that we know whatemotional eating is, it's time
for a little game.
I like to call yourself aboutit.
So, now that we know whatemotional eating is?
It's time for a little game Ilike to call am I hungry or just
avoiding my life?
So here's the deal.
Emotional eating can be sneakyas hell.
It doesn't always show up witha flashing neon that says you're
(08:12):
eating your feelings.
Most of the time, it whispersto you in a sweet, manipulative
little voice and, what's theworst part, you believe it.
So let's go through some of thewhat I consider the classic red
flags that you're emotionallyeating.
Yes, this might sting a little.
That's the whole point of this.
Growth is uncomfortable, likeyour genes, if they're too
fucking tight from eating toomuch.
But anyway, the first red flagis the I'm not hungry, I just
(08:36):
need a snack.
You're not hungry, you'rerestless, you're bored.
Maybe you're procrastinating,but instead of doing literally
anything else, you're in thepantry, acting like a bag of
pretzels is going to solve yourcrisis or whatever is going on.
I hate to break it to you, butif your stomach's not growling,
your energy's not dipping,you're not actually hungry,
(08:56):
you're just emotionally fidgety.
Big one for me.
I ate all the time when I wasfull, it was just I was bored.
Red flag number two is I've beengood all day, so I deserve this
.
I definitely have used that one, the classic moral
justification.
You've turned eating into areward system, like your golden
retriever who just did a trick.
First of all, you're not goodor bad based on what you eat.
(09:21):
That's just a fact.
You're not good or bad based onwhat you eat, but using food as
a reward for being good all day.
You're not good or bad based onwhat you eat, but using food as
a reward for being good all day.
That's not nutrition, it'semotional bargaining.
The third red flag is that youeat in secret, guilty.
If you're hiding food, sneakingsnacks or eating in the car so
no one sees you, that's shame,and shame is a big red, fucking,
blinking emotional flag.
(09:42):
Food doesn't need to be eatenin the shadows unless you know
deep down what you're doingisn't about hunger, it's about
hiding your coping mechanism.
So if you're eating alone oryou're hiding food, you are
eating emotionally.
The next red flag is you eatpast full and then you feel like
shit.
I am, or I was, so guilty ofthis one.
(10:05):
I always said, hey, if one isgood, two must be better.
So let me guess, because I'vebeen there.
You were just going to have onebite and suddenly you're
stuffed, you're uncomfortable,you're regretting your life
choices.
That's not hunger.
That's you numbing out anddisassociating while chewing.
So hunger stops when you'refull.
Emotional eating keeps goinguntil you've punished yourself
(10:34):
enough to stop.
Next red flag is your cravingsare very specific.
If you're truly hungry, you'lleat a piece of chicken and be
fine.
If it has to be chips orchocolate or mac and cheese or
pizza or burger.
That's emotional eating'stelltale signature.
Emotional cravings are specificand urgent.
They feel like needs.
That's your brain chasing adopamine hit, not your body
asking for fuel.
And look, we've all played themental gymnastics game.
(10:56):
It's just one bite.
If you're a woman, I'm PMSing.
It doesn't count, I'll startagain Monday.
If any of that sounds familiar,you've got a whole fucking
courtroom in your head arguingfor and against a snack.
The bottom line is, if you haveto debate it, if you're actually
thinking about it, it'sprobably not physical hunger,
it's emotional.
And the trick here is justbecoming aware the moment when
(11:17):
you pause and go.
Wait.
Am I actually hungry or am Ijust tired, sad, whatever you
feel in the emotion, that onepause can be the difference
between progress and the sameold sabotage.
I know from me starting to eatmindfully when I was thinking am
I really hungry, do I reallywant this Saved me I don't know,
hundreds of thousands ofcalories that I would have eaten
(11:37):
, that I didn't eat because Ijust stopped and said, hey, am I
really hungry?
So yeah, you might be lying toyourself a little bit, but guess
what you can stop.
You can get honest, startrecognizing the patterns and
take your power back.
Food doesn't have to control you.
You just have to be braveenough to see what you're really
doing and then do somethingdifferent.
(11:58):
That's how you stop emotionally.
Like I said, as soon as Istarted to become mindful about
it and really think is thissomething that I really want to
eat or am I really hungry rightnow?
My whole world changed.
So here's some things that youshould do instead.
Here's some things that I did.
So I don't know.
(12:19):
You don't have to eat.
You have options.
And no, I don't mean switchingto healthy junk food like baked
chips or sugar-free cookies.
They're dog shit.
Just because something is lowcalorie diet, that doesn't mean
it's good for you.
In fact, it's probably worsefor you.
I'm talking about actuallybreaking the cycle.
So the first thing you do tobreak that emotional eating
(12:41):
cycle and this is gonna be ashocker is number one is feel
the fucking feelings.
Right, yeah, I said it.
Hey, there's a radical concept,I know, but here's the deal.
The emotion you're trying toescape isn't going to go
anywhere just because youdrowned it in ranch dressing.
So sit with it, getuncomfortable and feel it on
purpose.
If you're sad, just cry.
(13:02):
If you're, punch a pillow, oryou know someone that you like
to punch.
If you're stressed out, scream,I mean, you know, whatever,
whatever it is you have to do.
If you want to punch yoursteering wheel, just do it.
Feel, feeling it, and it'llpass, because all emotions do.
They just want to beacknowledged and certainly not
numbed out with food.
(13:24):
The second thing again, which Ijust talked about, is to create
a pause.
Right, here's your new ruleTake a five-minute pause If
you're feeling the urge to eat.
Wait five minutes, just five.
In that time you ask yourselfhey, am I physically, am I
really hungry?
What emotion am I actuallyfeeling, and will food fix that?
And if the answer is I don'tknow, then it's probably
(13:47):
emotional eating.
And that pause for me, and Ipromise you, for you will be a
game changer.
Sometimes all you need is alittle space between impulse and
action to make a better choice.
The next one is to actually namethe emotion.
You can't fight what you won'tname, and if you've been
emotional eating for years, thetruth is you probably suck at
(14:10):
identifying feelings.
And no offense there, but also,yes, offense.
Take a second and ask yourselfwhat am I really feeling right
now?
Is it stress, is it shame, isit loneliness?
Who knows?
It doesn't matter what it is,but actually think about it and
name it.
That was a huge game changerfor me.
Like I would always identifyhey, you know what I'm bored or
I'm stressed, and then I wasable to not eat.
(14:32):
So naming the emotion gives youback your power.
It pulls you out of thatautopilot mode that you're in
and it drags you right intoawareness and once you're aware,
you're in control again.
I also say you should try tobuild a go-to coping toolbox,
and for me, food was always mygo-to, but I realized that it
(14:53):
was time to expand that menu.
So here's just a couple ofthings and I've talked about
these before but here's justsome alternatives to emotional
eating that don't involveactually sabotaging your
progress.
Don't involve actuallysabotaging your progress.
First is go for a walk, or calland text somebody Journal.
If you're into that thing,journal what you're feeling,
Turn on some music, cleansomething, drink water there's
(15:17):
just so many things.
If you want to dance, dance itout in your kitchen like a nut
job, but not every tool is goingto work every time.
A building list gives you someoptions and when you're
triggered, you don't need tomake the perfect choice, you
just need to make a betterchoice.
And really that five-minute ruleand that having a toolbox that
you do think I distracted myselfwhen I felt like I wanted to
(15:38):
eat and I really didn't feellike I wanted to eat, I was
emotionally eating.
I would go out for a walk, evenif I literally just walked a
hundred steps.
It just kicked a little thingin my head, it triggered
something in my mind and Istopped eating.
I didn't want, I lost thefeeling.
So now, if you do all thosethings and you still want to eat
, that's fine, that's okay, butjust make sure you do it
(16:00):
mindfully.
You know again, my whole thingis about mindful eating.
Sometimes you just really wantthat fucking piece of chocolate
or that donut and I totally getthat.
I'm not telling you to livelike a mug.
But if you're going to do it,do it consciously.
Think about it, one of the waysthat I actually help myself.
This is a silly.
It sounds crazy, but I promiseyou if you try it, you'll be
(16:22):
shocked.
Don't eat anything without aplate, so whatever it is you're
going to eat if it's a donut, Idon't care.
If it's a piece of chocolate,put it on a plate and don't eat
it out of the bag.
If you want to eat potato chips, put them in a bowl.
Then sit down and eat it slowlyand actually taste it.
Don't be on your phone, don'thave any other distractions,
just you and the food.
And mindful eating turns thatlittle guilt fest into an actual
(16:46):
choice.
It's a small, smart choice.
You're allowed to feed yoursoul, it's okay as long as you
think about it.
But when it's a choice, you'renot powerless, You're in charge,
and that's the whole point.
So yeah, I'm not here to tellyou that you're going to break
that emotional eating cycleovernight.
You're not.
You're going to break a habitthat's probably older than you
(17:09):
who knows?
It's been going on for years.
For me, it's been going on mywhole life, but the bottom line
is it can be broken.
One pause and one honestquestion or one better choice at
a time.
And again, it's always aboutsmall, smart choices.
So how do you break that cycle?
Well, here's the truth.
That hurts.
You don't need more information, you need more consistency.
(17:32):
Right, that's it.
Because doing the same shitover and over again, expecting
different results, that's calledinsanity.
And we all know that.
If you're doing the same thingover and over again and think
that you're going to lose weight, you're wrong.
Emotional eating isn't someweird mystery that you haven't
cracked yet.
It's a habit loop.
It's something that you'vebuilt into your head.
It's deeply ingrained andautomatic cycle.
(17:54):
You have an emotion, then youget the trigger, then you eat,
then you regret it and then yourepeat.
That's the loop, and if youwant to break it, you have to
disrupt it over and over againuntil that new behavior becomes
automatic.
And again, let's be clear onthis thing it's not about being
(18:15):
perfect.
You're gonna fuck up.
You will eat your feelingsagain.
You're human.
Life gets messy, shit happens.
But breaking the cycle meansrecognizing it when it's
happening and interrupting itsooner.
So you fall down.
Okay, no big deal.
Get back up, get back faster,get back stronger and, of course
(18:36):
, get back smarter.
So, if you want to, I guess thenumber one way to break it is
awareness is everything right?
If you don't notice the pattern, you can't change it.
So your first job is to notice.
Start tracking those emotionaleating moments.
Not the calories.
Don't track your calories,because that's bullshit, but
track your patterns.
Like, hey, what happened beforeI had this craving, what was I
(18:58):
feeling?
What did you eat?
How do you feel?
It's not about guilt, it'sabout data.
Right, every moment you trackis a clue because, again, we're
trying to build a better lifethrough small, smart choices,
those little tiny choices thatbuild up over time and
eventually the pattern is goingto scream at you.
So, oh shit, I eat every time Iget an email from my boss.
(19:18):
Boom, that's awareness, right?
Or, oh my God, I just heardfrom my ex-wife or my ex-husband
, and I'm in the kitchen eating.
That's the stuff that you haveto notice and you have to be
aware of, because that's yourpower move right.
The second thing is you have tobuild better reactions.
You have to do them on repeat.
So remember the things that wetalked about taking five minutes
(19:38):
.
You need to use them repeatedly, even when you don't want to,
especially when you don't wantto, because consistency isn't
sexy, but it's actually whatrewires your brain.
Every time you pause instead ofeat, or take a walk instead of
diving into a bag of chips,you're telling your brain hey,
we do things differently now.
Do that enough times and thatbecomes your new normal.
(19:59):
And the next thing is shortenyour recovery time.
Look, I said it already, you'regoing to fuck up.
You're going to still eat,emotionally sometimes.
Period it just, it's going tohappen.
The goal isn't to never do itagain.
The goal is actually just torecover faster.
So it used to maybe take you aweek to bounce back.
Now make it a day, make it anhour, make it 10 minutes,
whatever it is.
That's the progress, that's thepower, that's how the cycle
(20:20):
breaks, not by never falling,but by learning how to bounce
back.
And of course I talk about thisall the time.
Get rid of that all or nothingbullshit mentality that
everybody in the internet saysyou don't have to be perfect For
me.
I'd eat one donut.
I'd feel guilty and say fuck it, and then eat six more.
I am the most guilty of that.
(20:41):
Hey, if I had one, I might aswell.
You know what I'll start againtomorrow that is not going to
ruin your day.
Giving up is what ruins yourday and ruins your week.
Ruins your progress.
So breaking the cycle meanslearning to have a misstep
without making it a meltdown.
Right, you messed up bigfucking deal.
Own it, learn it and move on.
(21:02):
Get to the next thing.
And what's going to help you dothat is celebrating the little
wins, and I talked about this ina whole episode of the podcast.
But if you pause for twominutes before you ate, that
that's a win.
Celebrate it, man.
And I'm not talking abouthaving a fucking party with
birthday cake, because thatwould be, I don't know, a double
negative.
But if you choose to call afriend instead of a snack,
that's a win.
If you only eat, this is goingto sound crazy, because no diet
(21:26):
person in the world is going totell you.
But if you only eat one cookieinstead of 12, that's a win.
Progress doesn't look likeperfection.
It looks like better decisions,better small, smart choices
stacked on top of each other,day after day.
So be sure to track your wins,celebrate them, even brag a
little bit hey, I didn't eat thechips.
(21:46):
Yell it out if that's what Ihave to, but you're building
this new habit and that deserveshype, even if you're not going
to tell your best friend, allthose people, but it to just
reinforce with yourself that,hey, I just had a win.
I only ate one cookie insteadof 12.
I only ate one donut.
Those are the small, smartchoices that I'm talking about
that lead to huge results.
(22:08):
So breaking the emotional eatingcycle is about building
resilience, not restriction.
It's about choosing your futureself instead of your current
craving and doing it again andagain.
So when the emotions hitbecause we all know they will,
there's no way around that andthe cravings start to creep in
because again they will rememberthat you don't need to eat your
feelings.
(22:28):
You need to feel them, you needto face them and then move the
fuck on.
I mean, feel it, face them andthen move the fuck on.
I mean, feel it, face it andmove on.
All right, if you've made itthis far into the episode,
congratulations.
You probably recognize now thatemotional eating isn't some
mysterious force of the universethat all happens to the weak.
(22:50):
No, it's something almosteveryone does.
Why?
Because life is hard, man,emotions are messy and food is
easy.
But here's the thing Easydoesn't get you to your goals.
Comfortable doesn't get youconfidence, and eating your
feelings actually doesn't fixthem.
It just puts them on layaway.
So, if we recap, look, emotionaleating is when you eat to
(23:12):
escape, to soothe yourself, tonumb yourself, to reward
yourself, not because your bodyactually needs fuel and it's
sneaky.
It wears a bunch of disguise,like hey, I've been good today,
disguises that you put on or Ideserve this, or I'm just bored.
You can break the cycle, but itwon't be overnight and it won't
be perfect, but with awareness,intention, practice and small,
(23:35):
smart choices, you will breakthe cycle.
I'm living proof.
You don't need another diet,you don't need to be stronger.
You just need to shut up andchoose consistently.
Choose to pause, choose to feel, choose to build new habits,
choose better.
One small choice at a time.
And again, I told you this 15times, but I'm going to tell you
(23:55):
again you're not going to beperfect.
You're going to eat yourfeelings sometimes, and that
doesn't make you a failure, itmakes you a fucking human being.
What you do next, that's whatactually matters.
So let me give you a littlecall to action.
I usually don't do this, butlet me give you a call to action
so you don't just listen tothis episode, and not a lot like
.
I usually don't do this, butlet me give you a call to action
so you don't just listen tothis episode and not a lot of
(24:16):
like, wow, yeah, hey, that'strue, and then go eat some
stressed out snack five minuteslater.
So, number one track youremotional eating moment.
Not just the calories, just theemotion.
What happened before, what youfeel, what you eat and what
could you have done instead.
Try one of my non-coping toolsfrom the cheat sheet that I gave
you just once.
Pick the one that doesn't feeltoo awkward and give it a shot.
(24:39):
The pausing five minutes,that's easy.
Text a friend, journal, gossip,whatever it is.
Just go ahead and do it andthen actually write down one
small win, not a huge win, notthat you lost five pounds.
A win like hey, I only ate onecookie, or I did need that donut
, or I paused five minutes,something that you did that
interrupted the usual pattern,even if it was, just like I said
(25:01):
, pausing.
Just one small, smart choice.
Then own it.
And hey, if you're feelingreally brave, post it online.
I posted my whole well not mywhole journey, but I posted a
lot of my journey online, sopost it, share you win.
Dm me if you want, tag me onInstagram, tweet it, tell me why
.
Because the more you say thisis who I'm becoming, the more
(25:22):
likely you are to keep becomingthat.
So you're not stuck, you're notbroken.
You're just learning a new wayto deal with life, and that's
impressive.
It's not easy, but it isimpressive.
This is not about being perfect.
This is about being present,being mindful, eating mindfully
and being persistent and finallychoosing yourself over your
(25:42):
coping mechanisms.
So what's it going to be today?
Snack your stress or shut upand choose a better way.
I think you already know thatanswer.
So that's it for today onemotional eating.
I hope this helps you.
It helped me to reallyunderstand why I was eating and
why I was eating at the times Iwas eating, especially when I
(26:02):
wasn't hungry.
Hopefully you use some of thisstuff.
One day I'm actually going todo like a group of worksheets
that you can download for free.
In fact, maybe I'll start thatnext week.
I don't know, I'll have tofigure it out.
If you want to read my bookabout my 140-pound weight loss
journey, it's on Amazon.
It's called Shut Up and Choose,same as this podcast.
It takes you through the upsand downs.
(26:23):
It takes you through all themindset shifts that I had.
We're an Amazon bestseller.
I get emails every day peopletelling me how it changed their
life just by changing theirmindset.
And again, this is a mentalgame.
If you want, if you're not areader and you're more of a
watcher, I have a 23 videocourse called the Effortless
Weight Loss Academy.
It is, like I said, a 23 videocourse.
(26:46):
I think it's 23.
It might be more, I don't know.
But the bottom line is you canwatch the whole thing in two
hours or less and it reallytakes you through all the mental
shifts that you have to make.
I don't give you a meal plan.
I don't give you an exerciseplan.
That's all bullshit.
All you have to do is fix yourhead, fix your mind.
It's really not thatcomplicated.
In fact, I'll go out on a limband say it's simple, and a lot
(27:08):
of people say it's not easy.
Once you get the hang of it,once you start interrupting your
patterns, once you startthinking, making those small,
smart choices, it's fucking easy.
So now you know all aboutemotional eating.
I've given you some hints, I'vegiven you some tricks, I've
given you some coping mechanisms.
Now, really, the only thingleft to do is to shut up and
(27:28):
choose you've been listening toshut up and choose.
Speaker 1 (27:33):
Jonathan's passion is to share his journey of
shedding 130 pounds in less thana year without any of the usual
gimmicks no diets, no pills.
And we'll let you in on alittle secret no fucking gym.
And guess what?
You can do it too.
We hope you enjoyed the show.
(27:54):
We had a fucking blast.
If you did, make sure to like,rate and review.
We'll be back soon, but in themeantime, find jonathan on
instagram at jonathan wrestlerboca raton.
Until next time, shut up andchoose.
If you're a whiny snowflake that can't handle the
truth, is offended by the wordfuck and about 37 uses of it in
different forms gets ass hurt.
When you hear someone speak theabsolute, real and raw truth,
you should leave Like right now.
This is Shut Up and Choose, thepodcast where we cut through
(00:25):
the shit and get real aboutweight loss, life and everything
in between.
We get into the nitty gritty ofmaking small, smart choices
that add up to big results.
From what's on your plate tohow you approach life's
challenges.
We'll explore how the simpleact of choosing differently can
transform your health, yourmindset and your entire freaking
(00:48):
life.
So if you're ready to cutthrough the bullshit and start
making some real changes, thenbuckle up and shut up, because
we're about to choose our way toa healthier, happier life.
This is Shut Up and Choose.
Let's do this Now.
Your host, jonathan Ressler.
Speaker 2 (01:14):
Hey, welcome back to Shut Up and Choose the podcast
where we cut the noise and thenonsense and all the bullshit
out there in the diet industryand all that garbage and that
fake shit that internet gurusand Instagram jerk-offs are
throwing your way trying to tellyou hey, do this and you'll
lose weight, or do that.
It's all a bunch of shit.
(01:34):
So today we're going to go intothat place where we don't
coddle your excuses anymore andwe call them out.
You know those deep, dark,snack-filled corners of your
soul where you whisper toyourself it's just one cookie,
while you're holding the entiresleeve of Oreos like it's a life
raft.
That's right.
(01:54):
Today's episode is calledEating your Feelings.
Try feeling them instead Weird.
Right, because, let's be real,you didn't accidentally eat half
a pizza last night.
Your feelings drove the bus andyour stomach was just the
hostage.
So today we're going to talkabout emotional eating, that
age-old habit of trying to fixyour feelings with food.
(02:14):
Feeling sad, ice cream, feelingstressed, chips, feeling bored
hey, let's just open the fridgeand stare at it like it holds
all the answers to life'smeaning.
I can't tell you how many timesI've stared at the empty fridge
looking for something to eat.
Or let me rephrase that Ilooked at the full fridge
looking for something to eat andI couldn't find it, and the
(02:35):
truth is it's not in there.
Whatever you're looking for,it's not in there.
And I'm not judging you becauseI'm guilty of it myself.
Judging you because I'm guiltyof it myself.
We've all been there.
Emotional eating is one of themost common sneaky little
saboteurs of progress on anyweight loss journey.
I'm guilty of it, for sure.
But what makes it so dangerousisn't the actual food itself,
it's the mindlessness of it.
(02:56):
You know that I'm all aboutmindful eating, so it's the
mindlessness of that emotionaleating that I've had a rough day
, so I deserve this bullshitthat turns into like a
600-calorie snack and then yougo into the oh my God, why did I
do that?
Shame spiral.
But here's the thing, right.
Food is not therapy, food isfuel.
(03:16):
You wouldn't pour vodka intoyour gas tank and expect your
car to run although I know somepeople have tried it but why the
hell are you stuffing Doritosin your mouth and expecting it
to fix your loneliness, yourstress or your boredom?
I get it.
Eating shitty food feels good.
It gives that hit of dopamine,that little rush of ah, just
when the world feelsoverwhelming.
(03:36):
But that is temporary, we allknow that.
And when the snack is gone, thestress is still there.
Only now it's got a side orderof regret with it.
But before you start with a hey, jonathan, I deserve a treat.
Yeah, okay, maybe you do.
But let's not confuse treatingyourself with self-sabotage.
Eating your feelings doesn'tmake them go away, it just
(03:56):
delays them.
So you're not really solvinganything, you're just numbing
yourself with the calories.
And again, I say this because Iam guilty, guilty, guilty.
I did that for years andoccasionally I still do it now.
But in this episode we're goingto get real about emotional
eating.
I'm going to walk you throughhow to spot it, what caused it.
Most importantly, how to stopletting your emotions run your
refrigerator.
(04:17):
Because the truth is, you can'tout-exercise emotional eating.
You can't out-salad your wayaround shame.
You just have to face it headon.
So if you're ready for that,good, because it's time to stop
soothing yourself with snacksand start dealing with your shit
like a grown adult.
So let's start with what isemotional eating.
Let's define the monster in theroom.
(04:37):
You know the elephant in theroom.
Emotional eating, what is itreally?
It's that thing where you eat acookie because you had a bad
day.
Well, yes, that's true.
Is it that moment when youpolish on a bag of chips because
your boss hit you with one morepassive, aggressive, per my
last email?
Yeah, that's also it.
But here's the truth about it.
Emotional eating is any time youeat for reasons other than
(05:01):
physical hunger.
That's it.
That's emotional eating.
Any time you eat for reasonsother than actual physical
hunger, that's it.
That's emotional eating.
Anytime you eat for reasonsother than actual physical
hunger, it's using food ascomfort, distraction, reward,
punishment, celebration, copingBasically everything except for
fuel for your body.
Emotional eating is when yourheart is hurting, when your
(05:21):
brain is fried, when your soulis screaming and, instead of
dealing with the actual issue,you give your mouth a job to do
because chewing is easier thanfeeling right.
Again, I am guilty.
I'm not judging you, I'm guilty.
Now, let's not get it twisted.
Eating emotionally doesn'talways look like sobbing into a
pint of ice cream at midnightwhile watching some sad rom-com.
(05:43):
If you're that kind of person,sometimes it's subtle.
Sometimes it's you justreaching your first snack just
because it's there and you'rebored, or it's you eating more
dinner because it's comforting,even though you're already full.
I did that all the time.
It can even happen when you'recelebrating, because when you
have to eat cake at a birthdayparty, because that's what you
(06:05):
do, but that's again bullshit.
Here's the wild part, thoughEmotionally eating isn't even
about the food, it's about theescape.
It's a temporary fix that letsyou avoid something else,
whether that's stress or sadness, or anger, anxiety, loneliness,
who knows?
And, honestly, in a lot ofcases, even joy.
Some people eat when they're toohappy too, because their brain
(06:26):
has been trained to link foodwith feelings from childhood,
and I don't get into this wholebig, deep emotional dive.
So if you're looking for apsychology lesson, I'm not going
to give you that.
But look, when you skin yourknees as a kid, what happened?
Your mother gave you a cookieor a treat.
Right, you aced the test.
Hey, let's go out for pizza.
Boom, the emotions become tiedto food and that shit sticks in
(06:47):
your head and you know what partsucks the most.
Emotional eating works for likefive minutes.
That dopamine hit.
It's real, it numbs you, justlong enough not to deal with
what's really going on.
But then you get the crash, youget the guilt, you get the
bloating, the why the fuck did Ido that moment.
You went just from just onebite to why is the bag empty?
(07:08):
Now you have that originalproblem that you had, plus the
regret, and they're all sittingin your lap.
So let's stop pretending this isabout willpower.
It's not.
You're not weak, you're juststuck in a pattern, a pattern
where food has become yourtherapist, your best friend,
your numbing agent and yourcelebration ritual.
And here's the mic drop moment.
I didn't drop it, though, untilyou separate your emotions from
(07:31):
reading no diet, no meal planand no calorie tracker is going
to save you.
That's why so many people willquote unquote do everything
right during the day and thencrash and burn at night.
It's not that they're hungry,it's that they're emotionally
exhausted, and food is the quickfix.
So if you're wondering why thescale won't move or why you keep
undoing your progress, thismight be the root of it all, and
(07:52):
I'm betting you that it is.
So let me give you some signs.
So you know you're doing it andprobably lying to yourself
about it.
So now that we know whatemotional eating is, it's time
for a little game.
I like to call yourself aboutit.
So, now that we know whatemotional eating is?
It's time for a little game Ilike to call am I hungry or just
avoiding my life?
So here's the deal.
Emotional eating can be sneakyas hell.
It doesn't always show up witha flashing neon that says you're
(08:12):
eating your feelings.
Most of the time, it whispersto you in a sweet, manipulative
little voice and, what's theworst part, you believe it.
So let's go through some of thewhat I consider the classic red
flags that you're emotionallyeating.
Yes, this might sting a little.
That's the whole point of this.
Growth is uncomfortable, likeyour genes, if they're too
fucking tight from eating toomuch.
But anyway, the first red flagis the I'm not hungry, I just
(08:36):
need a snack.
You're not hungry, you'rerestless, you're bored.
Maybe you're procrastinating,but instead of doing literally
anything else, you're in thepantry, acting like a bag of
pretzels is going to solve yourcrisis or whatever is going on.
I hate to break it to you, butif your stomach's not growling,
your energy's not dipping,you're not actually hungry,
(08:56):
you're just emotionally fidgety.
Big one for me.
I ate all the time when I wasfull, it was just I was bored.
Red flag number two is I've beengood all day, so I deserve this
.
I definitely have used that one, the classic moral
justification.
You've turned eating into areward system, like your golden
retriever who just did a trick.
First of all, you're not goodor bad based on what you eat.
(09:21):
That's just a fact.
You're not good or bad based onwhat you eat, but using food as
a reward for being good all day.
You're not good or bad based onwhat you eat, but using food as
a reward for being good all day.
That's not nutrition, it'semotional bargaining.
The third red flag is that youeat in secret, guilty.
If you're hiding food, sneakingsnacks or eating in the car so
no one sees you, that's shame,and shame is a big red, fucking,
blinking emotional flag.
(09:42):
Food doesn't need to be eatenin the shadows unless you know
deep down what you're doingisn't about hunger, it's about
hiding your coping mechanism.
So if you're eating alone oryou're hiding food, you are
eating emotionally.
The next red flag is you eatpast full and then you feel like
shit.
I am, or I was, so guilty ofthis one.
(10:05):
I always said, hey, if one isgood, two must be better.
So let me guess, because I'vebeen there.
You were just going to have onebite and suddenly you're
stuffed, you're uncomfortable,you're regretting your life
choices.
That's not hunger.
That's you numbing out anddisassociating while chewing.
So hunger stops when you'refull.
Emotional eating keeps goinguntil you've punished yourself
(10:34):
enough to stop.
Next red flag is your cravingsare very specific.
If you're truly hungry, you'lleat a piece of chicken and be
fine.
If it has to be chips orchocolate or mac and cheese or
pizza or burger.
That's emotional eating'stelltale signature.
Emotional cravings are specificand urgent.
They feel like needs.
That's your brain chasing adopamine hit, not your body
asking for fuel.
And look, we've all played themental gymnastics game.
(10:56):
It's just one bite.
If you're a woman, I'm PMSing.
It doesn't count, I'll startagain Monday.
If any of that sounds familiar,you've got a whole fucking
courtroom in your head arguingfor and against a snack.
The bottom line is, if you haveto debate it, if you're actually
thinking about it, it'sprobably not physical hunger,
it's emotional.
And the trick here is justbecoming aware the moment when
(11:17):
you pause and go.
Wait.
Am I actually hungry or am Ijust tired, sad, whatever you
feel in the emotion, that onepause can be the difference
between progress and the sameold sabotage.
I know from me starting to eatmindfully when I was thinking am
I really hungry, do I reallywant this Saved me I don't know,
hundreds of thousands ofcalories that I would have eaten
(11:37):
, that I didn't eat because Ijust stopped and said, hey, am I
really hungry?
So yeah, you might be lying toyourself a little bit, but guess
what you can stop.
You can get honest, startrecognizing the patterns and
take your power back.
Food doesn't have to control you.
You just have to be braveenough to see what you're really
doing and then do somethingdifferent.
(11:58):
That's how you stop emotionally.
Like I said, as soon as Istarted to become mindful about
it and really think is thissomething that I really want to
eat or am I really hungry rightnow?
My whole world changed.
So here's some things that youshould do instead.
Here's some things that I did.
So I don't know.
(12:19):
You don't have to eat.
You have options.
And no, I don't mean switchingto healthy junk food like baked
chips or sugar-free cookies.
They're dog shit.
Just because something is lowcalorie diet, that doesn't mean
it's good for you.
In fact, it's probably worsefor you.
I'm talking about actuallybreaking the cycle.
So the first thing you do tobreak that emotional eating
(12:41):
cycle and this is gonna be ashocker is number one is feel
the fucking feelings.
Right, yeah, I said it.
Hey, there's a radical concept,I know, but here's the deal.
The emotion you're trying toescape isn't going to go
anywhere just because youdrowned it in ranch dressing.
So sit with it, getuncomfortable and feel it on
purpose.
If you're sad, just cry.
(13:02):
If you're, punch a pillow, oryou know someone that you like
to punch.
If you're stressed out, scream,I mean, you know, whatever,
whatever it is you have to do.
If you want to punch yoursteering wheel, just do it.
Feel, feeling it, and it'llpass, because all emotions do.
They just want to beacknowledged and certainly not
numbed out with food.
(13:24):
The second thing again, which Ijust talked about, is to create
a pause.
Right, here's your new ruleTake a five-minute pause If
you're feeling the urge to eat.
Wait five minutes, just five.
In that time you ask yourselfhey, am I physically, am I
really hungry?
What emotion am I actuallyfeeling, and will food fix that?
And if the answer is I don'tknow, then it's probably
(13:47):
emotional eating.
And that pause for me, and Ipromise you, for you will be a
game changer.
Sometimes all you need is alittle space between impulse and
action to make a better choice.
The next one is to actually namethe emotion.
You can't fight what you won'tname, and if you've been
emotional eating for years, thetruth is you probably suck at
(14:10):
identifying feelings.
And no offense there, but also,yes, offense.
Take a second and ask yourselfwhat am I really feeling right
now?
Is it stress, is it shame, isit loneliness?
Who knows?
It doesn't matter what it is,but actually think about it and
name it.
That was a huge game changerfor me.
Like I would always identifyhey, you know what I'm bored or
I'm stressed, and then I wasable to not eat.
(14:32):
So naming the emotion gives youback your power.
It pulls you out of thatautopilot mode that you're in
and it drags you right intoawareness and once you're aware,
you're in control again.
I also say you should try tobuild a go-to coping toolbox,
and for me, food was always mygo-to, but I realized that it
(14:53):
was time to expand that menu.
So here's just a couple ofthings and I've talked about
these before but here's justsome alternatives to emotional
eating that don't involveactually sabotaging your
progress.
Don't involve actuallysabotaging your progress.
First is go for a walk, or calland text somebody Journal.
If you're into that thing,journal what you're feeling,
Turn on some music, cleansomething, drink water there's
(15:17):
just so many things.
If you want to dance, dance itout in your kitchen like a nut
job, but not every tool is goingto work every time.
A building list gives you someoptions and when you're
triggered, you don't need tomake the perfect choice, you
just need to make a betterchoice.
And really that five-minute ruleand that having a toolbox that
you do think I distracted myselfwhen I felt like I wanted to
(15:38):
eat and I really didn't feellike I wanted to eat, I was
emotionally eating.
I would go out for a walk, evenif I literally just walked a
hundred steps.
It just kicked a little thingin my head, it triggered
something in my mind and Istopped eating.
I didn't want, I lost thefeeling.
So now, if you do all thosethings and you still want to eat
, that's fine, that's okay, butjust make sure you do it
(16:00):
mindfully.
You know again, my whole thingis about mindful eating.
Sometimes you just really wantthat fucking piece of chocolate
or that donut and I totally getthat.
I'm not telling you to livelike a mug.
But if you're going to do it,do it consciously.
Think about it, one of the waysthat I actually help myself.
This is a silly.
It sounds crazy, but I promiseyou if you try it, you'll be
(16:22):
shocked.
Don't eat anything without aplate, so whatever it is you're
going to eat if it's a donut, Idon't care.
If it's a piece of chocolate,put it on a plate and don't eat
it out of the bag.
If you want to eat potato chips, put them in a bowl.
Then sit down and eat it slowlyand actually taste it.
Don't be on your phone, don'thave any other distractions,
just you and the food.
And mindful eating turns thatlittle guilt fest into an actual
(16:46):
choice.
It's a small, smart choice.
You're allowed to feed yoursoul, it's okay as long as you
think about it.
But when it's a choice, you'renot powerless, You're in charge,
and that's the whole point.
So yeah, I'm not here to tellyou that you're going to break
that emotional eating cycleovernight.
You're not.
You're going to break a habitthat's probably older than you
(17:09):
who knows?
It's been going on for years.
For me, it's been going on mywhole life, but the bottom line
is it can be broken.
One pause and one honestquestion or one better choice at
a time.
And again, it's always aboutsmall, smart choices.
So how do you break that cycle?
Well, here's the truth.
That hurts.
You don't need more information, you need more consistency.
(17:32):
Right, that's it.
Because doing the same shitover and over again, expecting
different results, that's calledinsanity.
And we all know that.
If you're doing the same thingover and over again and think
that you're going to lose weight, you're wrong.
Emotional eating isn't someweird mystery that you haven't
cracked yet.
It's a habit loop.
It's something that you'vebuilt into your head.
It's deeply ingrained andautomatic cycle.
(17:54):
You have an emotion, then youget the trigger, then you eat,
then you regret it and then yourepeat.
That's the loop, and if youwant to break it, you have to
disrupt it over and over againuntil that new behavior becomes
automatic.
And again, let's be clear onthis thing it's not about being
(18:15):
perfect.
You're gonna fuck up.
You will eat your feelingsagain.
You're human.
Life gets messy, shit happens.
But breaking the cycle meansrecognizing it when it's
happening and interrupting itsooner.
So you fall down.
Okay, no big deal.
Get back up, get back faster,get back stronger and, of course
(18:36):
, get back smarter.
So, if you want to, I guess thenumber one way to break it is
awareness is everything right?
If you don't notice the pattern, you can't change it.
So your first job is to notice.
Start tracking those emotionaleating moments.
Not the calories.
Don't track your calories,because that's bullshit, but
track your patterns.
Like, hey, what happened beforeI had this craving, what was I
(18:58):
feeling?
What did you eat?
How do you feel?
It's not about guilt, it'sabout data.
Right, every moment you trackis a clue because, again, we're
trying to build a better lifethrough small, smart choices,
those little tiny choices thatbuild up over time and
eventually the pattern is goingto scream at you.
So, oh shit, I eat every time Iget an email from my boss.
(19:18):
Boom, that's awareness, right?
Or, oh my God, I just heardfrom my ex-wife or my ex-husband
, and I'm in the kitchen eating.
That's the stuff that you haveto notice and you have to be
aware of, because that's yourpower move right.
The second thing is you have tobuild better reactions.
You have to do them on repeat.
So remember the things that wetalked about taking five minutes
(19:38):
.
You need to use them repeatedly, even when you don't want to,
especially when you don't wantto, because consistency isn't
sexy, but it's actually whatrewires your brain.
Every time you pause instead ofeat, or take a walk instead of
diving into a bag of chips,you're telling your brain hey,
we do things differently now.
Do that enough times and thatbecomes your new normal.
(19:59):
And the next thing is shortenyour recovery time.
Look, I said it already, you'regoing to fuck up.
You're going to still eat,emotionally sometimes.
Period it just, it's going tohappen.
The goal isn't to never do itagain.
The goal is actually just torecover faster.
So it used to maybe take you aweek to bounce back.
Now make it a day, make it anhour, make it 10 minutes,
whatever it is.
That's the progress, that's thepower, that's how the cycle
(20:20):
breaks, not by never falling,but by learning how to bounce
back.
And of course I talk about thisall the time.
Get rid of that all or nothingbullshit mentality that
everybody in the internet saysyou don't have to be perfect For
me.
I'd eat one donut.
I'd feel guilty and say fuck it, and then eat six more.
I am the most guilty of that.
(20:41):
Hey, if I had one, I might aswell.
You know what I'll start againtomorrow that is not going to
ruin your day.
Giving up is what ruins yourday and ruins your week.
Ruins your progress.
So breaking the cycle meanslearning to have a misstep
without making it a meltdown.
Right, you messed up bigfucking deal.
Own it, learn it and move on.
(21:02):
Get to the next thing.
And what's going to help you dothat is celebrating the little
wins, and I talked about this ina whole episode of the podcast.
But if you pause for twominutes before you ate, that
that's a win.
Celebrate it, man.
And I'm not talking abouthaving a fucking party with
birthday cake, because thatwould be, I don't know, a double
negative.
But if you choose to call afriend instead of a snack,
that's a win.
If you only eat, this is goingto sound crazy, because no diet
(21:26):
person in the world is going totell you.
But if you only eat one cookieinstead of 12, that's a win.
Progress doesn't look likeperfection.
It looks like better decisions,better small, smart choices
stacked on top of each other,day after day.
So be sure to track your wins,celebrate them, even brag a
little bit hey, I didn't eat thechips.
(21:46):
Yell it out if that's what Ihave to, but you're building
this new habit and that deserveshype, even if you're not going
to tell your best friend, allthose people, but it to just
reinforce with yourself that,hey, I just had a win.
I only ate one cookie insteadof 12.
I only ate one donut.
Those are the small, smartchoices that I'm talking about
that lead to huge results.
(22:08):
So breaking the emotional eatingcycle is about building
resilience, not restriction.
It's about choosing your futureself instead of your current
craving and doing it again andagain.
So when the emotions hitbecause we all know they will,
there's no way around that andthe cravings start to creep in
because again they will rememberthat you don't need to eat your
feelings.
(22:28):
You need to feel them, you needto face them and then move the
fuck on.
I mean, feel it, face them andthen move the fuck on.
I mean, feel it, face it andmove on.
All right, if you've made itthis far into the episode,
congratulations.
You probably recognize now thatemotional eating isn't some
mysterious force of the universethat all happens to the weak.
(22:50):
No, it's something almosteveryone does.
Why?
Because life is hard, man,emotions are messy and food is
easy.
But here's the thing Easydoesn't get you to your goals.
Comfortable doesn't get youconfidence, and eating your
feelings actually doesn't fixthem.
It just puts them on layaway.
So, if we recap, look, emotionaleating is when you eat to
(23:12):
escape, to soothe yourself, tonumb yourself, to reward
yourself, not because your bodyactually needs fuel and it's
sneaky.
It wears a bunch of disguise,like hey, I've been good today,
disguises that you put on or Ideserve this, or I'm just bored.
You can break the cycle, but itwon't be overnight and it won't
be perfect, but with awareness,intention, practice and small,
(23:35):
smart choices, you will breakthe cycle.
I'm living proof.
You don't need another diet,you don't need to be stronger.
You just need to shut up andchoose consistently.
Choose to pause, choose to feel, choose to build new habits,
choose better.
One small choice at a time.
And again, I told you this 15times, but I'm going to tell you
(23:55):
again you're not going to beperfect.
You're going to eat yourfeelings sometimes, and that
doesn't make you a failure, itmakes you a fucking human being.
What you do next, that's whatactually matters.
So let me give you a littlecall to action.
I usually don't do this, butlet me give you a call to action
so you don't just listen tothis episode, and not a lot like
.
I usually don't do this, butlet me give you a call to action
so you don't just listen tothis episode and not a lot of
(24:16):
like, wow, yeah, hey, that'strue, and then go eat some
stressed out snack five minuteslater.
So, number one track youremotional eating moment.
Not just the calories, just theemotion.
What happened before, what youfeel, what you eat and what
could you have done instead.
Try one of my non-coping toolsfrom the cheat sheet that I gave
you just once.
Pick the one that doesn't feeltoo awkward and give it a shot.
(24:39):
The pausing five minutes,that's easy.
Text a friend, journal, gossip,whatever it is.
Just go ahead and do it andthen actually write down one
small win, not a huge win, notthat you lost five pounds.
A win like hey, I only ate onecookie, or I did need that donut
, or I paused five minutes,something that you did that
interrupted the usual pattern,even if it was, just like I said
(25:01):
, pausing.
Just one small, smart choice.
Then own it.
And hey, if you're feelingreally brave, post it online.
I posted my whole well not mywhole journey, but I posted a
lot of my journey online, sopost it, share you win.
Dm me if you want, tag me onInstagram, tweet it, tell me why
.
Because the more you say thisis who I'm becoming, the more
(25:22):
likely you are to keep becomingthat.
So you're not stuck, you're notbroken.
You're just learning a new wayto deal with life, and that's
impressive.
It's not easy, but it isimpressive.
This is not about being perfect.
This is about being present,being mindful, eating mindfully
and being persistent and finallychoosing yourself over your
(25:42):
coping mechanisms.
So what's it going to be today?
Snack your stress or shut upand choose a better way.
I think you already know thatanswer.
So that's it for today onemotional eating.
I hope this helps you.
It helped me to reallyunderstand why I was eating and
why I was eating at the times Iwas eating, especially when I
(26:02):
wasn't hungry.
Hopefully you use some of thisstuff.
One day I'm actually going todo like a group of worksheets
that you can download for free.
In fact, maybe I'll start thatnext week.
I don't know, I'll have tofigure it out.
If you want to read my bookabout my 140-pound weight loss
journey, it's on Amazon.
It's called Shut Up and Choose,same as this podcast.
It takes you through the upsand downs.
(26:23):
It takes you through all themindset shifts that I had.
We're an Amazon bestseller.
I get emails every day peopletelling me how it changed their
life just by changing theirmindset.
And again, this is a mentalgame.
If you want, if you're not areader and you're more of a
watcher, I have a 23 videocourse called the Effortless
Weight Loss Academy.
It is, like I said, a 23 videocourse.
(26:46):
I think it's 23.
It might be more, I don't know.
But the bottom line is you canwatch the whole thing in two
hours or less and it reallytakes you through all the mental
shifts that you have to make.
I don't give you a meal plan.
I don't give you an exerciseplan.
That's all bullshit.
All you have to do is fix yourhead, fix your mind.
It's really not thatcomplicated.
In fact, I'll go out on a limband say it's simple, and a lot
(27:08):
of people say it's not easy.
Once you get the hang of it,once you start interrupting your
patterns, once you startthinking, making those small,
smart choices, it's fucking easy.
So now you know all aboutemotional eating.
I've given you some hints, I'vegiven you some tricks, I've
given you some coping mechanisms.
Now, really, the only thingleft to do is to shut up and
(27:28):
choose you've been listening toshut up and choose.
Speaker 1 (27:33):
Jonathan's passion is to share his journey of
shedding 130 pounds in less thana year without any of the usual
gimmicks no diets, no pills.
And we'll let you in on alittle secret no fucking gym.
And guess what?
You can do it too.
We hope you enjoyed the show.
(27:54):
We had a fucking blast.
If you did, make sure to like,rate and review.
We'll be back soon, but in themeantime, find jonathan on
instagram at jonathan wrestlerboca raton.
Until next time, shut up andchoose.
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