Life After Diets
210. Can't Eat Without a Screen? What Food + Screens Might Be Doing for You
Why is it sometimes so hard to eat without watching something? In this episode, Stef and Sarah look at the relationship between food and screens from two very different personal experiences. For Stef, screens used to make it possible to eat without having to listen to the running commentary in her head about what or how much she was eating. Over time, even after restriction eased, the pairing itself had become familiar enough that taking one part away could still feel like a loss. Sarah's experience was different. Food and television became a way to fill empty evenings and make being alone feel easier, until the combination started to feel less like enjoyment and more like something she had to keep doing. That leads into a bigger question about what we're actually looking for when we pair food with stimulation. Sometimes it really is just pleasurable. Sometimes it helps us stay regulated. And sometimes it gives us distance from thoughts or feelings we don't want to be alone with. They also talk about distracted eating, why removing the screen can actually make eating harder for some people, and the difference between being distracted and being disconnected from yourself. Plus: Mike gets recruited as the control subject with a suspiciously uncomplicated relationship with food, Sarah figures out something about loneliness in real time, and Stef makes an unexpectedly convincing case for red onion. Connect with Stefanie Michele, Binge Eating Coach & Somatic Therapist Website Instagram YouTube Connect with Sarah Dosanjh, Author & Psychotherapist Website Instagram YouTube Sarah's book I Can't Stop Eating is available on Amazon
