499: Why Willpower Fails: Emotional Eating Explained with Matty Lansdown

Today, I'm joined by scientist, nutritionist, and emotional eating and self-sabotage coach Matty Lansdown for a real conversation about health and weight that goes way deeper than food rules. Matty shares why most of us already know what to do, but still feel stuck, and how the real shift happens when you understand the patterns underneath your choices. 

We talk about emotional eating, trauma and self-protection, dopamine loops, and the unsexy truth that sustainable change usually comes from building awareness first, then making small tweaks consistently, without triggering rebellion.

In this episode, we explore: 

• Why it's "not about calories or kale," it's mindset and behavior change
• Two common roots behind emotional eating: trauma and dopamine-driven self-soothing
• A simple awareness practice: track what you eat, where you eat, and what you feel
• "One tweak a week" and why slow change is often the only change that sticks
• How rebellion gets triggered by rigid plans, and how self-guided empowerment helps
• Why naming the emotion can quiet a craving (Michelle shares her own "potato chips" moment)
• Fermented foods, gut health, and how the microbiome can influence your body's set 
• Obesogens, plastics, and common chemicals that may disrupt metabolism and hormones

Resources from this Episode:

Connect with Matty Lansdown:

Visit Matty's website

Matty's Podcast: The Real Weight Loss Coach

Matty on Instagram: @the.real.weight.loss.coach

 

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