Why You Can't Stop Eating: The Science of Weak Willpower | Dr. Vanita Rahman
The Exam Room by the Physicians Committee
Physicians Committee
4.9 • 3.5K Ratings
🗓️ 28 May 2026
⏱️ 59 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Binge eating and emotional eating are not simply about willpower. According to Dr. Vanita Rahman, they are often driven by stress, shame, biology, habits, food environment, and the way the brain learns to use food as a coping mechanism.
In this episode of The Exam Room Podcast, Dr. Rahman joins Chuck Carroll to explain what is really happening when someone feels out of control around food — and how to begin breaking the cycle.
Chuck also shares his own experience with food addiction, emotional eating, and eating in secret before losing 280 pounds and transforming his health.
🧠 You'll learn:
- The difference between binge eating, bulimia, emotional eating, and stress eating
- Why shame keeps the binge eating cycle alive
- Why nighttime can be the biggest danger zone
- Why binge eating can happen even with healthy vegan foods
- Why "willpower" may be the wrong word entirely
- How a whole food, plant-based diet may help reduce cravings and support recovery
- Why group support can be so powerful for long-term success
- What to do after a binge to avoid falling into a spiral
Dr. Rahman is leading a 12-week Binge and Emotional Eating Program through the Physicians Committee beginning June 10. The program focuses on mindfulness, identifying triggers, nourishing foods, reducing vulnerability, and building tools for long-term success.
Also mentioned in this episode: The Rochester Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota is hiring a Lifestyle Medicine physician or provider. Learn more at https://www.RochesterClinic.com or call 507-218-3095.
Exam Roomies of the Week
- Sharon Smith
- Mary DeCoster
💪 Binge & Emotional Eating Program
👉 https://bit.ly/overcoming-binge-eating
🙏 Support The Exam Room Podcast & PCRM
👉 https://bit.ly/SupportExamRoom
🏥 Barnard Medical Center
👉 https://www.pcrm.org/barnard-medical-center
🎉 International Conference on Nutrition in Medicine
👉 https://www.pcrm.org/icnm
This episode is not medical advice. Always speak with your doctor about cancer screening, treatment, and any changes to your diet or lifestyle.
- About Us -
The Physicians Committee is dedicated to saving and improving human and animal lives through plant-based diets and ethical and effective scientific research. We combine the clout and expertise of more than 17,000 physicians with the dedicated actions of nearly one million members and supporters worldwide.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Congratulations, Mary DeCoster and Sharon Smith for being our exam roomies of the week. |
| 0:05.1 | You are supporting PCRM's life-saving and life-changing work, including the Exam Room Podcast. |
| 0:11.6 | And right now, thanks to a very generous donor, all gifts made by July 10th will automatically be matched. |
| 0:17.7 | Plus, gifts of $100 or more automatically receive a free exam room podcast tote bag. |
| 0:23.7 | And I'll give you a shout out here on the show. So double your gift today, pcrm.org |
| 0:29.2 | slash exam room. Today on the exam room. |
| 0:36.6 | People call it different things like binge eating, emotional eating, stress eating. |
| 0:41.3 | It really doesn't matter how we label it. |
| 0:45.3 | There are two key features of it. |
| 0:47.3 | One is a sense of a loss of control. |
| 0:50.3 | So people are eating and like Angela is saying, I can't stop eating. |
| 0:54.7 | So that's that loss of control, even though she knows she needs to stop. |
| 0:59.9 | She can't seem to stop. |
| 1:01.4 | And the other is that it's adversely affecting our health. |
| 1:05.5 | So that could be our emotional health. |
| 1:07.3 | It could be our physical health. |
| 1:08.7 | And what's really going on there is binge eating |
| 1:12.7 | often becomes a coping strategy. Listen, when we eat, we often feel good. Food releases these |
| 1:20.2 | endorphins in our brain, it feels good. So it takes the edge off whatever it was that was troubling |
| 1:25.0 | us. But it also distracts us often from what's really |
| 1:29.0 | troubling us. If I can focus on eating, I don't have to focus on whatever it is that I don't |
| 1:34.3 | want to focus on. |
... |
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