LLN Episode #318: Dr. Glenn Livingston - Why Willpower Fails with Food — The Science Behind Cravings & Emotional Eating
Release Date: 12/29/2025
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LLN Episode #327: Katie Hardie - The “Normal Labs” Trap: What Midlife Women Must Know to Get Better Testing
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info_outlineAbout Dr. Glenn Livington:
Dr Glenn Livingston, Ph.D. is a veteran psychologist and longtime CEO of a multi-million-dollar consulting firm which has serviced several Fortune 500 clients in the food industry. Doctor Glenn’s work, theories, and research have been published in major periodicals like The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times and The Chicago Sun Times.
Disillusioned by what traditional psychology had to offer overweight and/or food obsessed individuals, Doctor Livingston spent several decades researching the nature of bingeing and overeating via work with his own patients AND a self-funded research program with more than 40,000 participants.
Most important, however, was his own personal journey out of obesity and food prison to a normal, healthy weight and a much more lighthearted relationship with food.
Show Notes:
If food feels like it has power over you — whether that means occasional overeating, persistent cravings, or feeling stuck in a cycle of “starting tomorrow” — this episode offers a radically different and compassionate approach.
In this powerful conversation, Glenn Livingston, psychologist and author of Defeat Your Cravings, explains why willpower is not the solution to food struggles — and how lasting freedom comes from learning to quiet the brain’s emergency response around food. Dr. Glenn shares how cravings are rooted in the nervous system, why deprivation backfires, and how nourishing your body properly allows the rational brain to regain control.
Together, we explore the science behind cravings, binge urges, and emotional eating — including the concept of the cravings extinction curve, why cravings intensify before they disappear, and how self-care, sleep, and nutrition play a critical role in calming the brain. This episode offers hope, clarity, and practical tools for anyone who wants peace with food — without dieting, restriction, or shame.
✨ What You’ll Learn
· Why willpower fails — and what works instead
· How cravings are driven by the fight-or-flight nervous system
· The science of the cravings extinction curve
· Why nourishing your body reduces binge urges
· How sleep, stress, and decision fatigue impact cravings
· How to stop “starting tomorrow” and work with the present moment
· Why extreme diets make cravings worse, not better
· How to regain calm, control, and choice around food
📚 Free Resource from Dr. Glenn Livingston
Dr. Glenn is offering a FREE digital copy of his book Defeat Your Cravings along with additional tools, recovery audios, and practical resources.
👉 Get your free copy here:
https://www.defeatyourcravings.com
(Click the big blue button that says Free Book)
💛 Final Takeaway
You don’t need more discipline.
You don’t need to fight yourself.
You need nourishment, understanding, and a nervous system that feels safe.
This episode offers a path to lasting peace with food — one grounded in compassion, science, and self-regulation.
Connect with Lynne:
Imagine not having to “figure out midlife” on your own anymore. 💜
If you’re craving real support, practical solutions, and honest conversation, come join The Energized Healthy Women's Club —my private community for women who want to feel healthier, lighter, and more confident. Inside, we share tips and strategies for weight, belly bloat, hormones, sugar cravings, fatigue, recipes, perimenopause, menopause, headaches, and more… so you can feel energized, supported, and truly not alone in this season.
Website: https://holistic-healthandwellness.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/holistichealthandwellnessllc
The Energized Healthy Women’s Club: https://www.facebook.com/groups/energized.healthy.women
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lynnewadsworth
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lynnewadsworth
Free Resources from Lynne Wadsworth:
Flourish in Midlife: 5 Essential Steps to Feeling Like Yourself Again
Hot flashes, mood swings, stubborn weight, zero energy… if midlife has you wondering “What happened to me?”—you are not alone, and you are not stuck this way.
Ladies, it’s time to move from just coping to truly flourishing.
In this FREE guide, you’ll discover 5 essential, practical steps to help you:
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Stay fit and energized through perimenopause and menopause
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Calm the chaos of hormones so you feel more balanced and in control
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Start feeling more “like yourself” again—clearer, lighter, and more confident
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Wake up with more energy and meet your day with real enthusiasm
These are the same simple, sustainable strategies I use with my clients—pulled together in one powerful resource designed just for midlife women like you.
✨ Ready to feel healthier, more in control, and excited about this next chapter?
Grab your free copy of Flourish in Midlife here: https://holistic-healthandwellness.com/flourish-in-midlife/
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