Ep 142: Emotional eating: the shame cycle and how to break it

In this episode, Rachel and Ashleigh talk about recent struggles with comfort eating, sharing the reality that nearly EVERYONE has experienced at least once: eating in secret, or feeling shame and guilt over their food choices, and eating in a way that doesn't support your goals even when you know you don't really want to. Why do we sometimes eat compulsively even when we tell ourselves we shouldn't, or don't want to? Why do we feel so much shame around "guilty pleasure" eating? Rachel also shares where she has been over the past few months, including another heartbreak/grief cycle, a period of depression, starting a low dose antidepressant, and the body image feelings that come with regaining weight. In addition to sharing some very personal stories, they also offer a range of strategies and tactics for breaking habits that aren't serving you: things like urge surfing, planning, mindfulness and other therapies that can have a big impact.  Some big lessons come out of this episode, including the fact that you are not alone in your struggles; externalizing your fears can make them less scary; and there is always work to be done (and why this is a good thing!) Thank you to our sponsor, True Nutrition, where you can customize your own protein! Choose a mix of protein bases, a range of delicious flavors and sweetness level, and boost your protein with adaptogens, collagen, immune support, electrolytes and much more. Ashleigh loves the chocolate fudge brownie with a grassfed New Zealand beef protein base, and Rachel is testing different protein base combos for the ultimate protein ice cream recipe. Save time, effort, and money by combining all your supplement needs into one delicious protein powder. Head to truenutrition.com/MUSCLE and use the code MUSCLE for 20% off your custom mix! Chapters 00:13 What this episode covers instead of fiber 03:44 Listener feedback on the Strong and Sculpted Shoulders program 05:48 Using food to take the edge off 08:36 Why the brain defaults to food under stress 10:16 Shame, guilt, and eating in secret 11:43 Meeting the pattern with compassion instead of shame 15:13 Getting back on track faster instead of never messing up 16:04 Urge surfing and pausing before you react 19:30 Interrupting the pattern and building new pathways 21:16 Setting up your environment and taking a portion instead of the whole bar 24:43 Working with a coach, structure, and tracking as data 26:11 Change takes time, Ashleigh on eating two dinners 28:25 Rachel on the past few months 30:18 Getting lean while depressed 32:41 Starting an antidepressant and what changed 36:27 Body image, postpartum, and pressure in the fitness industry 39:29 Externalizing it and asking for help 41:27 Stigma around antidepressants and weight loss drugs 45:43 What this podcast is for 47:00 The work is not done 48:55 Sponsor break, True Nutrition 51:42 Sign off Takeaways Both hosts say they eat to cope with stress, and both say that knowing the mechanism does not stop them doing it. Rachel frames the goal as getting back faster rather than never slipping, and says that interrupting the pattern even once starts building new pathways you can prove to yourself. Ashleigh's tool is putting time between the urge and the reaction, five or ten minutes, then deciding, so the choice is a made one either way. Rachel's portion approach for clients: take a serving instead of the whole bar, eat it somewhere else, pay attention to it, then step away and pick a different way to cope if the feeling is still there. Rachel says a low dose antidepressant has helped alongside therapy and her own work, and she is careful to say the medication did not cause the weight gain. Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/vehl-lpMXM8  Programs Muscle Science For Women, 12-week strength program: https://rgfit.com/msw Grow Your Glutes, 8 weeks: https://rgfit.com/glutes Strong and Sculpted Shoulders, 8 weeks: https://rgfit.com/shoulders Fit Pregnancy Program: https://rgfit.com/fit-pregnancy Dopamine Reset Challenge, 10 days: https://rgfit.com/offers/BAQj63ya  Newsletter: https://substack.com/@musclescienceforwomen  Ashleigh VanHouten: https://ashleighvanhouten.com , Instagram <a href= "https://www.instagram.com