100 episodes

Real people. Real breakthroughs. For more than three decades, Marc David has helped millions discover the true causes of their unwanted eating habits like overeating, binge eating, emotional eating and the inability to lose weight. In this unscripted show, Marc coaches real clients using his unique blend of psychology and nutrition. Whether you want to transform your relationship with food or learn how you can help others, there’s no better place than The Psychology of Eating Podcast, and there’s no better way than hearing the stories of real people.

The Psychology of Eating Podcast Marc David

    • Health & Fitness
    • 4.7 • 517 Ratings

Real people. Real breakthroughs. For more than three decades, Marc David has helped millions discover the true causes of their unwanted eating habits like overeating, binge eating, emotional eating and the inability to lose weight. In this unscripted show, Marc coaches real clients using his unique blend of psychology and nutrition. Whether you want to transform your relationship with food or learn how you can help others, there’s no better place than The Psychology of Eating Podcast, and there’s no better way than hearing the stories of real people.

    Tempted to Take a Break from Weight Loss But Afraid of What Will Happen? –In Session with Marc David

    Tempted to Take a Break from Weight Loss But Afraid of What Will Happen? –In Session with Marc David

    If you’ve been dieting for many years, you know it can get to be a little “much.” Chronic dieting can leave us frustrated, exhausted, and exasperated. Why does something so simple – weight loss – have to be so hard?
     Millions of people around the world are realizing that they’re just plain tired of dieting. So much so that an increasing number of people are deciding to take a break from weight loss altogether. 
     But taking a diet break doesn’t alleviate the very real fear that many of us experience: that the second we stop dieting, we’re going to gain weight. 
     In this episode, Marc David works with Stephanie, 47, who has taken a 1-year break from weight loss – but has gained a stone (about 14 pounds) during that time, and is afraid she’ll only gain more. 
     Nevertheless, she’s given herself this time to move away from “weight loss at all costs” to approaching her weight from a mindset perspective, and doing all the reading and learning she can from self-help experts like Dr. Kristin Neff and Brene Brown. 
     As Stephanie shares, she’s at an inflection point. She’s been dieting since she was a teenager, often with the help of slimming clubs that are popular in the U.K. She became so disenchanted by her experience in the weight loss world, that she knows she can’t go back. 
     She believes that her spiritual path lies in trusting her body and accepting it the way it is – but three decades of dieting have lodged deep-seated fears around weight gain. 
     Stephanie asks, “What can I do to overcome the conditioned fear of weight gain?”
     Regardless of where we’re at with our weight, this is one of the very best questions we can ask of ourselves. Because the truth is, we may want to lose weight … but deep down, we’re wanting to love and accept ourselves even more.
     Episode highlights:
     ✅ Why finding the right foundation for ourselves as a person – one based on our true value instead of our weight – is so important.
    ✅ Why it’s unrealistic to think you’ll 100% accept yourself one day – and why allowing yourself to be imperfect can help you heal and grow. 
    ✅ How our collective judgment around weight clouds the notion of what it means to be truly healthy.
    ✅ Why BMI science is outdated, and can contribute to our weight gain fears. 
    ✅ The interplay between “self” and “self-improvement” and why we need to sometimes let go and allow ourselves to simply “be.” 
     ---------------
     Learn more about us at The Institute for the Psychology of Eating: https://psychologyofeating.com/ 
     Ready to call a ceasefire in your battle with eating, and find peace and freedom with food? Learn more about our newest program, The Emotional Eating Breakthrough! https://learn.psychologyofeating.com/
     Interested in becoming a certified coach in eating psychology? Then tune in to hear Marc talk about our Mind Body Eating Coach Certification Training, and download a copy of our School Catalog: https://psychologyofeating.com/info-kit/ Learn our powerful, cutting-edge approach, and discover how you can create a unique career helping others find peace and freedom with food.
     Follow us on social: 
    - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/Psychologyofeating
    - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IPEfanpage
    - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eatingpsychology/
    - Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/eatingpsych
    #dietbreak #antidiet #dieting #weight #relationshipwithfood #selfimprovement #selftrust #selfacceptance #eatingpsychology #holisticnutrition #marcdavid #podcast

    • 47 min
    Emotional Eating in Uncertain Times: It's Time to Forgive & Let Go – In Session with Marc David

    Emotional Eating in Uncertain Times: It's Time to Forgive & Let Go – In Session with Marc David

    Emotional eating always has a psychological or biological reason for showing up in our life. It never just “happens” … it’s almost always an unconscious psychological strategy to regulate difficult emotions. 
    That’s the case for guest coaching client, Katy, who’s going through a period of massive change – and is struggling to manage her feelings about it all. As a newly-turned 30-year old, Katy is figuring out what’s important to her in life, what sort of career she wants to pursue, and how she wants to earn money. She’s hoping to find a life partner, and would one day like to become a mother. 
    And all this great change is bringing up major uncertainty, as well as feelings of anxiety, fear, and self-doubt. 
    Amidst all of this, Katy has been experiencing on-off cycles of emotional eating, overeating, and body judgment. She wishes her food habits didn’t feel like such a roller coaster ride, and that she could just feel consistently joyful and positive about her relationship with food and her body.
    But as Marc David explores with Katy, it can be pretty difficult to maintain a consistently positive and joyful relationship with food when the rest of our life is in a state of change and upheaval. 
    The truth is that our relationship with food is a reflection of the rest of our life. If we find ourselves in an uncertain time of life, it’s natural to feel uncertain and inconsistent with food. 
    Through self-awareness and self-kindness, we can begin to see food as the powerful and effective emotional regulator that it is – and stop making ourselves wrong for turning to it sometimes when we aren’t feeling so good about life. 
    As Katy looks to the bigger context of her life, she realizes that her love-hate cycles with food and body, and in particular, with emotional eating, are simply reflecting the cycles of change she’s experiencing in her inner and outer worlds. And with this new awareness, she can bring some much-needed forgiveness and self-compassion to herself – which ironically, can begin to free herself from the very unwanted eating patterns that are weighing her down. 
    Episode highlights:
    ✅ Why seeking to be in a constant positive state with food can keep us trapped in our eating patterns. 
    ✅ How to find forgiveness and self-acceptance in your relationship with food – and why times of change call for it more than other times of life.
    ✅ How to know whether fasting or cleansing is right for your body, or when it might exacerbate yo-yo dieting tendencies.
    ✅ How to take baby steps with mindful eating.
    ---------------
    Learn more about us at The Institute for the Psychology of Eating: https://psychologyofeating.com/ 
    Ready to call a ceasefire in your battle with eating, and find peace and freedom with food? Learn more about our newest program, The Emotional Eating Breakthrough! https://learn.psychologyofeating.com/
    Interested in becoming a certified coach in eating psychology? Then tune in to hear Marc talk about our Mind Body Eating Coach Certification Training, and download a copy of our School Catalog: https://psychologyofeating.com/info-kit/ Learn our powerful, cutting-edge approach, and discover how you can create a unique career helping others find peace and freedom with food.
    Follow us on social: 
    - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/Psychologyofeating
    - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IPEfanpage
    - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eatingpsychology/
    - Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/eatingpsych
    #emotionaleating #overeating #bodyimage #relationshipwithfood #eatingpsychology #foodfreedom #intuitiveeating #mindfuleating #slowdowndiet #marcdavid #podcast

    • 54 min
    Stop Waiting to Lose Weight So You Can Find Love – In Session with Marc David

    Stop Waiting to Lose Weight So You Can Find Love – In Session with Marc David

    It’s no surprise that many people around the world would like to lose weight. In fact, between 2017 and 2021, 55% of all Americans have expressed the desire for weight loss. And unfortunately, many people who are single and would like to find love in their life are instead putting it off until they’re at their desired weight. 
    That’s the case for 41-year old Shawnna, our guest in this episode of the podcast. 
    Shawnna would like to lose about 50 pounds, and find a more peaceful relationship with food – one where she’s not constantly thinking about what, when, and how much to eat. As she shares, she’s tired of feeling like food and her weight is holding her back from following her dreams, including finding a significant other. 
    But despite her best efforts, Shawnna has struggled over the last decade to not see her weight as one of the most important aspects of life to overcome. 
     She’s tried every approach she knows to lose weight. And she’s tried everything to try to forget about her weight, move on, and have a happy life. 
     No matter what she does, Shawnna feels limited by her relationship with food.
     So what should she do next? 
     As Marc David shares with Shawnna, part of the solution is remembering that our relationship with food is a great teacher – one of the key tenets of eating psychology, otherwise known as food psychology.
     When we understand that our eating challenges are here to help us learn and grow, we can then turn to a powerful question: What is my relationship with food and body trying to teach me? What can I learn from this situation? 
     And for Shawnna – like so many of us, part of the answer lies in being clear about what we truly want from life – and learning how to prioritize and put those things first. 
     Episode highlights:
    ✅ How our family “tribe” influences our eating challenges, and what’s important to know as you’re healing your own relationship with food. 
    ✅ Why learning to pay attention to our desires is key to transforming our food and body challenges — and how to start.
    ✅ How to be the “real” you now and have the life you want, even if the weight isn’t gone yet.
     Tune in for a beautiful episode on not waiting to lose weight to find love. Because we all deserve to experience love in our life…
     ---------------
     Learn more about us at The Institute for the Psychology of Eating: https://psychologyofeating.com/ 
     Ready to call a ceasefire in your battle with eating, and find peace and freedom with food? Learn more about our newest program, The Emotional Eating Breakthrough! https://learn.psychologyofeating.com/
     Interested in becoming a certified coach in eating psychology? Then tune in to hear Marc talk about our Mind Body Eating Coach Certification Training, and download a copy of our School Catalog: https://psychologyofeating.com/info-kit/ Learn our powerful, cutting-edge approach, and discover how you can create a unique career helping others find peace and freedom with food.
     Follow us on social: 
    - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/Psychologyofeating
    - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IPEfanpage
    - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eatingpsychology/
    - Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/eatingpsych
    #weightloss #weightlossjourney #bodyimage #selflove #selfimprovement #foodfreedom #eatingpsychology #foodpsychology #marcdavid

    • 49 min
    Why We Need to Get Rid of the Term ‘Body Dysmorphia’ – In Session with Marc David

    Why We Need to Get Rid of the Term ‘Body Dysmorphia’ – In Session with Marc David

    In this episode of The Psychology of Eating Podcast, we’re going to take a look at why we need to get past the label of ‘body dysmorphia’ – a medical term – and instead look to understand why body dysmorphia is actually present.
    And to do that, we must explore our personal story from childhood to adulthood – because our history contains the clues for where this pattern developed in the first place.
    The reality is, many of us have dysmorphic tendencies. Meaning, we see our body differently than it actually is – and not in a good way.
    That’s the case for Rory, 62, who reports struggling with body dysmorphia since childhood. As he shares with Marc David, he’s never had a problem controlling what he eats. He’s been able to maintain his body fat at 8-10% consistently since his 20s through extreme sports and rigid dieting. 
    But none of his efforts ever feel like enough. Rory’s body hate runs so deep that he avoids mirrors and glass windows so he doesn’t see his reflection. In his mind, he wishes he had the body of an Olympic athlete, strong and lean and muscular. But that’s never been the body he sees reflecting back to him. He considers his body overly thin, with too little muscle regardless of how much strength training he does.
    Despite all his internal struggles, Rory has a pretty incredible life: 5 kids and a beautiful marriage, and a lot of commitment to his own personal growth. He really wants to discover how he can stop the voice that says, “I hate my body” – and instead find peace and self-acceptance. 
    Whether you or a loved one is struggling with body dysmorphic tendencies – or find yourself, like Rory, telling yourself “I hate my body” – this episode is for you!
    Episode highlights:
    ✅ Why self-labeling as “body dysmorphic” unnecessarily medicalizes our human condition, and why understanding our food and body story is more important
    ✅ The connection between body dysmorphia and our childhood strategies for self-protection and love
    ✅ Why bringing self-compassion to our inner child can powerfully shift body hate
    ✅ How to move from doing things TO your body to instead creating a nourishing conversation WITH your body – and why that’s key to fostering a positive body image
    ✅ How to create the optimal conditions for releasing body dysmorphic tendencies…
    -------------
    Learn more about us at The Institute for the Psychology of Eating: https://psychologyofeating.com/ 
    Ready to call a ceasefire in your battle with eating, and find peace and freedom with food? Learn more about our newest program, The Emotional Eating Breakthrough! https://learn.psychologyofeating.com/
    Interested in becoming a certified coach in eating psychology? Then tune in to hear Marc talk about our Mind Body Eating Coach Certification Training, and download a copy of our School Catalog: https://psychologyofeating.com/info-kit/ Learn our powerful, cutting-edge approach, and discover how you can create a unique career helping others find peace and freedom with food.
    Follow us on social: 
    - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/Psychologyofeating
    - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IPEfanpage
    - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eatingpsychology/
    - Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/eatingpsych
    #bodydysmorphia #bodyimage #bodypositivity #weightloss #weightlossjourney #selfawareness #selftalk #eatingpsychology #marcdavid #podcast

    • 50 min
    Accepting Our Aging Bodies – In Session with Marc David

    Accepting Our Aging Bodies – In Session with Marc David

    We all have different reasons for wanting to lose weight:
    Feeling lighter  Being healthier Fitting into your “skinny” clothes Or sometimes, just feeling more confident… And sometimes, there are hidden reasons for wanting to lose weight that we don’t even realize we have.
    For Nataliya, 46, weight loss has been a lifelong journey. Nataliya wants to be more confident in her body, and to feel lighter. She jokes that her goal is to feel “like a squirrel” and be able to jump from branch to branch.
    But what she doesn’t quite realize is that her desire to feel lighter is driven by a part of her that’s thinking some “heavy thoughts.”
    And as Marc David explains, those heavy thoughts are all about her resistance to something that so many of us would like to avoid:
    ===> Aging. 
    Even though she is youthful, has a young child, a great marriage, and is in good health, Nataliya is starting to feel older – and her unwanted weight is just one more reminder of the aging process. She finds herself often longing for the body she had as a young girl.
    As Marc points out, making peace with aging is a spiritual practice. And to find peace with our age, we ultimately need to connect with that part of us that’s wiser and more mature.
    Because it’s perfectly understandable to have a hard time saying goodbye to our youth – but it’s also vital that we develop a healthy relationship with aging.
    Along the way to making the powerful connection between weight and aging, Marc also helps Nataliya see that if she truly wants to lose weight, she needs to focus on a whole new approach, including:
    ✅ Letting go of needing the approval of others to feel that her body is “acceptable”
    ✅ Noticing when the “teenager voice” within her is taking over the weight loss conversation
    ✅ Finding peace with aging, and making it a spiritual practice 
    ✅ Learning that body confidence doesn’t come from future weight loss … it happens when we do things, right NOW, that help us feel better in our body 
    ✅ And much more…
    Tune into this wonderful episode on aging, weight, and making peace with ourselves and our lives.
    ---------------
    Learn more about us at The Institute for the Psychology of Eating: https://psychologyofeating.com/ 
    Ready to call a ceasefire in your battle with eating, and find peace and freedom with food? Learn more about our newest program, The Emotional Eating Breakthrough! https://learn.psychologyofeating.com/
    Interested in becoming a certified coach in eating psychology? Then tune in to hear Marc talk about our Mind Body Eating Coach Certification Training, and download a copy of our School Catalog: https://psychologyofeating.com/info-kit/ Learn our powerful, cutting-edge approach, and discover how you can create a unique career helping others find peace and freedom with food.
    Follow us on social: 
    YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/Psychologyofeating Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IPEfanpage Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eatingpsychology/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/eatingpsych #aging #bodyacceptance #weight #spiritualpractice #selfacceptance #selflovejourney #foodfreedom #eatingpsychology #marcdavid

    • 51 min
    How We Learn to Parent Our Inner Child Around Food & Weight – In Session with Marc David

    How We Learn to Parent Our Inner Child Around Food & Weight – In Session with Marc David

    The desire to lose weight unites so many people around the world. And while it may be a common global phenomenon … what’s not frequently recognized is how unique all of our weight loss journeys turn out to be.
    The truth is, if we want to lose weight and keep it off, we need to intimately understand our life story and how it affects our journey with weight.
    In this episode of The Psychology of Eating Podcast, you’ll meet Wendy, 57. She’s been on a strugglesome journey to lose weight. And one thing that particularly stands out in Wendy’s life story is the prominent role a particular archetype has been playing all these years:
    Her Inner Child.
    Each and every one of us has an “inner child” – which you can think of as an archetype – or “voice” or “personality” that shows up in different parts of our life. Here are some descriptions of the child within us:
    Our Inner Child wants immediate gratification.
    It loves pleasure and fun.
    It’s a part of us that’s very innocent and naive.
    Notably, the Inner Child doesn’t care about the consequence of its actions.
    This personality often takes over our decision making process when it comes to food and diet.
    So what does this have to do with weight loss?
    Well, when the Inner Child is sitting at the head of the table and making our food choices, it will go against our better judgment. It will make decisions that run counter to our goals of health and weight.
    As you’ll hear in this episode, Marc David, master eating psychology expert, works with Wendy to explore her Inner Child and help her demystify her weight loss journey. For a long time, Wendy’s Inner Child has been at the head of the table, making nutritional decisions with little regard to the negative consequences. 
    Marc ultimately helps Wendy see that the best way for her to work with weight is to take charge of the different personalities inside of her, to accept her Inner Child’s desire for pleasurable food, and to let the voice of her Inner Adult run the show when it comes to her eating choices.
    Along the way, they also cover some fascinating topics such as:
    ✅ Weight loss during Covid times
    ✅ Grieving and weight
    ✅ The impact of our primary relationship on weight
    ✅ The dynamics of the “good girl” and “bad girl” archetypes with food
    ✅ And much more…
    --------------
    Learn more about us at The Institute for the Psychology of Eating: https://psychologyofeating.com/ 
    Struggling to understand what’s at the root of your challenges with food and body? Discover the eating archetypes, or hidden personalities, that may be driving your eating challenges in our free mini-course, THE 8 EATING ARCHETYPES: A Self-Discovery Tool. Sign up here: https://psychologyofeating.com/eating-archetypes/
    Interested in becoming a certified coach in eating psychology? Then tune in to hear Marc talk about our Mind Body Eating Coach Certification Training, and download a copy of our School Catalog: https://psychologyofeating.com/info-kit/ Learn our powerful, cutting-edge approach, and discover how you can create a unique career helping others find peace and freedom with food.
    Follow us on social: 
    - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/Psychologyofeating
    - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IPEfanpage
    - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eatingpsychology/
    - Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/eatingpsych
    #weightlossjourney #eatingarchetype #innerchild #innerchildhealing #nourishnotpunish #foodpsychology #selflove #marcdavid

    • 50 min

Customer Reviews

4.7 out of 5
517 Ratings

517 Ratings

cucufugu ,

Amazing Insight

Marc David has the ability to see what is at the root of so many body image and eating issues just through honest conversation with people. It’s incredible to listen to him as he talks honestly and with so much compassion to each person he works with. I appreciate his insight and knowledge.

therealrebs ,

Powerful Podcast

By far one of the most helpful podcasts about the journey all humans experience with eating, food and body! Mark is a wonderful communicator and the guests and their stories are powerful. I look forward to each episode and am grateful for this podcast!

katy-agradeco ,

Mark’s work is so valuable!

Mark’s work is full of so much wisdom and compassion. I feel the guidance and information he shares has the capacity to bring a lot of freedom and self love to our process with food and body. I especially love his Slow Down Diet book.

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