Most diets fail because they never address what the food was doing for you emotionally.
In this episode, Dr. Brendan McCarthy explains the stress-craving loop behind emotional eating, why ultra-processed foods feel impossible to resist, and how shame actually reinforces the cycle.
You’ll learn:
• Why cravings feel automatic
• How stress drives food urges
• The “cue → urge → reward” loop
• A simple 9-minute method to interrupt cravings
This isn’t about perfection or willpower. It’s about understanding the pattern so you can finally begin to change it.
Citations:
Boswell, Rebecca G., and Hedy Kober. “Food Cue Reactivity and Craving Predict Eating and Weight Gain: A Meta-Analytic Review.” Obesity Reviews, vol. 17, no. 2, 2016, pp. 159–177. doi:10.1111/obr.12354.
Use for: Food cues can trigger craving and eating even without true hunger.
Berridge, Kent C., and Terry E. Robinson. “Liking, Wanting, and the Incentive-Sensitization Theory of Addiction.” American Psychologist, vol. 71, no. 8, 2016, pp. 670–679. doi:10.1037/amp0000059.
Use for: “Wanting” food is not the same as true pleasure.
Schultz, Wolfram, Peter Dayan, and P. Read Montague. “A Neural Substrate of Prediction and Reward.” Science, vol. 275, no. 5306, 1997, pp. 1593–1599. doi:10.1126/science.275.5306.1593.
Use for: Dopamine helps encode reward prediction and learning.
Wood, Wendy, and Dennis Rünger. “Psychology of Habit.” Annual Review of Psychology, vol. 67, 2016, pp. 289–314. doi:10.1146/annurev-psych-122414-033417.
Use for: Habits form through repeated cue-context loops.
Laborde, Sylvain, et al. “Effects of Voluntary Slow Breathing on Heart Rate and Heart Rate Variability: A Systematic Review and a Meta-Analysis.” Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, vol. 138, 2022, article 104711. doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104711.
Use for: Slow breathing supports parasympathetic regulation and stress reduction.
Lieberman, Matthew D., et al. “Putting Feelings into Words: Affect Labeling Disrupts Amygdala Activity in Response to Affective Stimuli.” Psychological Science, vol. 18, no. 5, 2007, pp. 421–428. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9280.2007.01916.x.
Use for: Naming emotions can reduce emotional reactivity.
Gollwitzer, Peter M. “Implementation Intentions: Strong Effects of Simple Plans.” American Psychologist, vol. 54, no. 7, 1999, pp. 493–503. doi:10.1037/0003-066X.54.7.493.
Use for: “If-then” plans improve behavior change under stress.
Forman, Evan M., et al. “A Comparison of Acceptance- and Control-Based Strategies for Coping with Food Cravings: An Analog Study.” Behaviour Research and Therapy, vol. 45, no. 10, 2007, pp. 2372–2386. doi:10.1016/j.brat.2007.04.004.
Use for: Acceptance and urge-surfing strategies help cravings pass without acting on them.
Hall, Kevin D., et al. “Ultra-Processed Diets Cause Excess Calorie Intake and Weight Gain: An Inpatient Randomized Controlled Trial of Ad Libitum Food Intake.” Cell Metabolism, vol. 30, no. 1, 2019, pp. 67–77.e3. doi:10.1016/j.cmet.2019.05.008.
Use for: Ultra-processed foods increase intake and reinforce overeating patterns.
Dr. Brendan McCarthy is the founder and Chief Medical Officer of Protea Medical Center in Arizona. With over two decades of experience, he’s helped thousands of patients navigate hormonal imbalances using bioidentical HRT, nutrition, and root-cause medicine. He’s also taught and mentored other physicians on integrative approaches to hormone therapy, weight loss, fertility, and more.
If you’re ready to take your health seriously, this podcast is a great place to start.
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📘 Read Dr. McCarthy’s Book:
Jump Off the Mood Swing – A Sane Woman’s Guide to Her Crazy Hormones
https://www.amazon.com/Jump-Off-Mood-...
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Instagram: @drbrendanmccarthy
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Website: www.protealife.com
💬 Got a question or topic for a future episode? Let us know in the comments!
