Food Addiction, the Problem and the Solution
The INFACT School presents a podcast exploring food addiction as a widespread problem and outlining pathways to recovery. Host Susan Branscome, a recovered food addict, interviews counselors, professionals, and people who have successfully recovered. The show is aimed at food addicts, people who have struggled with dieting, and professionals or medical practitioners treating obesity and related issues. It also highlights the school’s training and certification programs founded by director Esther Helga Gudmundsdottir.
Episodes
Beyond Willpower: How COR Retreat Helps People Heal from Food Addiction
This powerful episode of Food Addiction: The Problem and the Solution features two remarkable women from COR Retreat — Program Director Nancy Kaley and Co-Facilitator Joni Osip — who share both their professional expertise and deeply personal journeys in food addiction recovery. This conversation explores why food addiction is far more than a lack of willpower and how ultra-processed foods can tri
Why We Can’t Stop: The Truth About Ultra-Processed Food Addiction
Dr. Jen Unwin is a pioneering voice in the field of food addiction, bringing more than three decades of clinical experience from the UK’s National Health Service and a lifelong focus on one powerful idea: hope. A Fellow of the British Psychological Society and recipient of the Karen Ehlert Lifetime Achievement Award, she has dedicated her career to helping people move beyond shame and self-blame t
When the Doctor Is the Patient: Dr. Tro on Food Addiction and Healing
Dr. Tro Kalayjian is a board-certified physician in Internal Medicine and Obesity Medicine, founder and Chief Medical Officer of Toward Health, and a founding member of the Society of Metabolic Health Practitioners. Through his virtual metabolic health clinic, he helps patients address obesity, type 2 diabetes, chronic metabolic disease, and food addiction using a personalized, lifestyle-based app
Why 30–50% Don’t Respond: What We’re Missing in Eating Disorder Treatment
Dr. Kim Dennis brings a deeply integrative and courageous voice to the conversation on eating disorders, food addiction, trauma, and recovery. As a board-certified psychiatrist and the Co-Founder, CEO, and Chief Medical Officer of SunCloud Health (https://suncloudhealth.com/) she has spent more than two decades treating complex, co-occurring conditions—while also drawing from her own lived experie
Blending Science and Empathy to Help Food Addicts Recover
In this powerful episode, we speak with Jessica Parker, a coach who brings both lived experience and deep compassion to her work with individuals struggling with food addiction. At just nine years old, Jessica experienced the trauma of divorce and the sudden shift into a blended family with five new sisters. Food quickly became the language of love in her home, but it also fueled disordered eating
Today I Have Peace and Neutrality Around Food
Mike Fetherston has walked a long, humbling road through addiction and recovery. one that has included alcohol, drugs, food addiction, bulimia, and as a result, morbid obesity which plagued him for much of his life. His struggle began early. By the age of two and a half, Mike was already turning to food as a coping mechanism, saying he loved food and wanted to feel as full as he could, from as ear
The Journey Took Many Turns and Led To Her Purpose
Sakinah Osborne is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, National Certified Counselor, and Clinical Director at Milestones In Recovery (https://www.milestonesprogram.org/) —a leading residential treatment center in South Florida that specializes in food addiction and eating disorders. Milestones is one of our valued podcast sponsors, known for its abstinence-based, holistic approach to recovery. Wit
Food Addiction Recovery is Possible; Treatment is Necessary
Guests Amanda Leith SHiFT, Recovery By Acorn and Esther Helga Guðmundsdóttir, INFACT School both experienced the misery of obesity and countless failed diets—until they discovered their real problem: food addiction, a brain disease. Like many late-stage food addicts, they used food to cope with life, consuming far more food than their bodies needed. Once they recognized their addiction, they bega
My Mission is to Help Souls Fly
Barney Reason is a recovering food addict who has also overcome addictions to alcohol, drugs, and compulsive behaviors. His journey began early—he had his first drink at age 7 and got sober from alcohol by 25 years old. But as the alcohol stopped, his food addiction escalated, leading him to a peak weight of 365 pounds.
Barney grew up in a deeply unstable environment, marked by abuse, neglect, a
It Is Only Because I am Powerless That I am Willing
David Wolfe is a certified food addiction counselor and co-founder of SUGARx Global (https://www.sugarxglobal.com/), an online community dedicated to helping individuals overcome sugar and food addictions. David has been instrumental in developing impactful programs that support people successfully finding freedom from addictive food behaviors. He is also the co-author of The Fix For Cravings (htt
Food Addiction is Not Your Fault, Yet It Is Your Responsibility to Recover When You Know
Dr. Adrian Soto-Mota brings a unique blend of expertise as a practicing clinician, data specialist, researcher, and educator at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), the largest university in Latin America.
The Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS) (https://sites.lsa.umich.edu/fastlab/yale-food-addiction-scale/) is the most widely used food addiction screening tool worldwide. Dr. Soto-Mo
The Problem Was Never My Body Weight; the Problem was WHY I Overate.
Sachir Ajlouni’s incredible journey from obesity and food addiction to recovery is a story of hope and transformation. Weighing 450 pounds at his heaviest, Sachir spent over 30 years trapped in a cycle of compulsive overeating and failed attempts at weight loss, including bariatric surgery. It wasn’t until he entered SHiFT, Recovery by Acorn (https://foodaddiction.com/) a food addiction recovery p
All Behavior Originates In The Brain
Dr. Bonnie Nolan holds a PhD in neuroscience and is a Licensed Clinical Alcohol and Drug Counselor. With expertise in both neuroscience and psychotherapy, she works on the front lines of opioid addiction, understanding the brain's dopamine response to addictive substances. She also recognizes how genetics, environment, and mental health issues like anxiety and depression contribute to addiction.
H
Abstinence Without Food Addiction Recovery Is Just Another Diet!
The INFACT School (https://infactschool.com/) is the only school in the world that teaches students about the science of food addiction and how to treat it. Graduates receive a Certified Food Addiction Professional (CFAP) which is recognized in Europe and the U.S. This seven-month virtual training program involves speakers and many top professionals who study the disease of food addiction. Stude
I Broke My Own Heart
Christine G. was raised in an alcoholic home and was often compared by her parents to a sibling and was expected to be different. As a child, she began using food to cope with this treatment and she reached her highest body weight of 229. Her lowest weight was 95 pounds as she suffered many years with bulimia and food addiction. At the age of 13, Christine experienced a traumatic personal violati
Sugar and Ultra-Processed Foods Are Addictive
Large food companies, previously owned by tobacco companies, know that we are addicted to sugar and ultra-processed foods. These companies are making large profits using the same tobacco addiction model with items they are selling us to eat. Food companies add sugars to food items, like high fructose corn syrup, and 250 other sugars to the engineered items they call food. Meanwhile, the U.S. pop
I Had A Physical Reaction to Sugar, I Got High On It.
Doris R. grew up in an alcoholic household and as the oldest of five children had a lot of responsibility early in her life. She was responsible for taking care of her younger siblings while her mother worked. Her father was an alcoholic, and her mother was obese and used food. Her first diet was in the 4th grade. A recovered alcoholic, after Doris became sober and her food use increased. She rea
Recovery From Food Addiction Led Me To Hope and Possibility
Before recovery, Raena Z. weighed 315 pounds and today she is a recovered food addict which over a 100-lb weight release. As an overweight child, she recalls liking food more than others and using food to manage her emotions. In this episode, Raena shares an experience from high school that caused her incredible shame. After she married and gave birth to her son, her weight continued to climb hig
It Is Scientifically Proven: 12-step Recovery Programs Work
Do 12-step recovery programs work? Yes! Dr. John Kelly of Harvard performed a comprehensive study which is one of the most widely disseminated research findings in the last five years and was reviewed by Cochrane. The Cochrane organization reviews research studies and is internationally recognized as the benchmark for high-quality information about the effectiveness of health care. Dr. John Kelly
Food Addiction Recovery is Available through 12-step Programs.
Amy B.’s highest known weight was 265 as she used food for many years to deal with stress, anxiety and life challenges. While there is humor and a comedic lightness in this podcast episode discussion between two food-recovered food addicts, the messages are serious and important in talking about what it was like and recovery from food addiction. A recovered alcoholic, Amy used food in the same way
Food Addiction Versus Eating Disorders, What Are the Differences?
These three incredible professionals have not only personally experienced recovery from addiction, but they have made it their life’s work to help others recover from food addiction and eating disorders. This podcast panel episode is comprised of three well-known experts in the treatment of food addiction and eating disorders, Dr. Marty Lerner, Amanda Leith, and Esther Helga Gudmundsdottir. Dr.
My Food Use and Weight was Affecting Everything In My Life
Lori P. is a recovered food addict who shares the challenges experienced in childhood, during a failed marriage, and after the death of her mother. An accomplished company executive, she had used food and many diets during her life attempting to manage her weight and food addiction. Lori had reached a bottom in her addiction and reached a point of desperation, so she began recovering in a 12-step
No Weight Loss Program Can Beat a Severe Food Addiction
Dr. Joan Ifland is a leading authority and expert in highly-processed Food Addiction and wellness recovery and has personal experience with food addiction. When she realized that her mental and physical health was being negatively affected by the food she was eating, she began to make changes involving eliminating certain foods and utilizing recovery. Dr. Ifland gives practitioners and clients n
Denial of My Food Addiction Caused Me to Live From the Neck Up
Kristie M., a recovered food addict, has been maintaining a 170-pound weight loss for many years. Having been a child of obese parents and one parent who abused alcohol, she identifies as being obsessed with food early in her life and dealt with the shame and denial of not being able to control her weight or food use on her own. There were many food behaviors including secret eating that plagued
I Was an Unhappy Fat Boy, Today I’m a Joyful Thin Man
After losing 130 pounds and gaining it back…twice, on his 34th birthday, Michael Prager had reached 365 pounds. He was often miserable and isolated and alienated people in his life while feeling the shame of his body size. After many years of dieting, he finally learned that he has an addictive, biochemical reaction to sugar, flour, and highly processed foods and decided to “get out of the driv
Deception And Persuasion By the Food Industry Contribute To Our Food Addiction
Thirty-four years ago, Dr. Debbie Danowski weighing 328 pounds realized that her life was unmanageable and she decided to enter a food addiction recovery program. Today Dr. Danowski maintains a 170 weight loss through a daily recovery routine. In this podcast, we discuss denial, powerlessness and the negative consequences of food addiction.
Getting the message out about food addiction is the dri
The "Addict Brain" Highjacks Our Brains Like a Computer Virus
In his book, Recovery Mind Training Dr. Paul Earley cites the statistic that addiction is a devastating brain disease affecting over 23 million individuals including their loved ones in the U.S. alone. He says that the single biggest driver around addiction is genetics and that there is a strong genetic link with addiction in families. Dr. Earley describes how powerful and insidious the Addict Br
I Used Food In the Same Ways I Had Used Alcohol and Drugs
When an overweight friend had a stroke, Tony W. realized that if he did not address his own weight and food issues, his health would continue to decline. Weighing 464 pounds, he had many obesity-related illnesses including neuropathy in his feet and five hernia surgeries. He grew up in a family and culture of fried foods and high-calorie foods. Tony got sober from drugs and alcohol using a 12-ste
Food Was My Friend, My Lover, My Companion
Colleen Y. has been recovering from food addiction for over four years having physically released 150 pounds. Like many food addicts, her history involves eating in secret and planning her food binges. She experienced shame and embarrassment about her weight and food use and tried to control her food and weight through diets and lap-band surgery. During a 2-month relapse, after she had become abs
A Doctor Told Me I Was Committing Suicide with Food
Once weighing 335 pounds, Lisa K. lost 150 pounds and recovered from her food addiction through treatment and ongoing 12-step work and recovery support. Early in her childhood she had a preoccupation with food and loved the sugar, fat and starch food combination. Growing up in an abusive home she learned not to feel emotions. Later as a teenager she became a food volume addict and was often teased
The American Obesity Epidemic is An Addiction Crisis
Dr. Susan Peirce Thompson has the unique experience of being an addict along with having studied the science of food addiction. In her book Bright Line Eating, The Science of Living Happy, Thin and Free she discusses the concept of automaticity which is developing important new habits around the way we eat and behave. Her Susceptibility Scale quiz allows clients to determine on a scale of 1-10 how
Follow the Instructions from the Original Recipe to Recover
Dr. Guttorm Toverud has a Ph.D. in Counselor Education from the University of North Carolina and a master's degree in Agency Counseling from Appalachian State University. He specializes in teaching that recovery from food addiction is possible using a 12-step program having conducted workshops for 30 years with more than 10,000 participants. Dr. Toverud trains professionals to treat food addicts w
Sugar is Toxic and is NOT A Food, It Is an Additive to Foods
Dr. Robert Lustig has a degree from MIT, a medical degree from Cornell University and a law degree from U.C. Hastings. He is bold in his messaging: Our metabolic health as a nation has been negatively affected by our nutrition---We are not eating real foods, whole foods. Sugar is added to ultra-processed foods and it is making us sicker. 75 percent of our health care costs in the U.S. are due t
I Understand My Food Addiction is a Disease
Erin K, a recovered food addict was exposed to addiction and 12-step recovery as a child which she believes helped her realize that her food addiction could be alleviated through 12-step recovery work. She knew early on that she did not use food for nourishment, but rather to soothe her anxiety and to feel normal. Erin’s powerlessness and her compulsive behaviors around food drove her life. It wa
Acceptance is Not Approval and Powerlessness is Not Helplessness
H. Theresa Wright, MS, RD, LDN, is the Founder and Director of Renaissance Nutrition Center, in Pennsylvania where she has developed programs to help people develop the skills to make lifestyle changes that lead to freedom from food addiction and encourage a “sane approach” to eating and living. Website: Sane Food a nutrition therapist registered and licensed dietitian and nutritionist, for more
Sugar Addiction is Real….And It’s Not Your Fault
Dr. Nicole Avena is a research neuroscientist, a pioneer, and a world-renowned expert in the field of nutrition, diet, and food addiction. She received her Ph.D. in psychology and neuroscience from Princeton University and is uniquely qualified to address the biology of food addiction as well as its psychological aspects. In her books, Why Diets Fail (Because You're Addicted to Sugar) and Hedonic
I Never Imagined How Free Life Could Be
Sonja B. has been abstinent and sober from sugar, wheat, processed foods and compulsive food behaviors including volume eating, and nighttime binges, having maintained a 100-pound weight release for 18 years after hitting bottom in 2005. She had early evidence that she used food differently than others as a child and teenager and carried 75 pounds of extra weight in high school. Sonja went into tr
We Get To Learn a New Way of Living
Having struggled personally with food addiction, Amanda Leith entered a food addiction recovery program of the company she ultimately purchased and now leads, Shift, Recovery By Acorn, https://foodaddiction.com/. At Shift, Recovery By Acorn Amanda and her staff help clients struggling with food addiction to find physical abstinence and address underlying issues which produce life-changing results
I Did Not Think I Was Lovable, Today I Know I Am
Dee C. is a recovered food addict having maintained abstinence from sugar and excessive food consumption for 37 years and keeping off 100 pounds of extra weight. We discuss the shame and secrecy surrounding the use of food to cope with our lives. After many failed attempts at dieting, Dee talks about the misery of not being able to control food on her own and found the solution to her food addict
The Addict Mind Will Always Say, “It’s Not That Bad”
Dr. Vera Tarman is the Medical Director of Renascent, one of Canada’s largest treatment centers for substance abuse where she works as an addiction specialist. Dr. Tarman cites the statistic in her book, Food Junkies: the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that by the year 2030, 84% of the U.S. population will be overweight and 42 % will be obese. After recovering fro
It Is Possible to Have a Life Free of Food Addiction
Mary F. has maintained a nearly 200-pound weight release for 31 years as she has recovered from food addiction. As an overweight child and teenager, she endured ridicule and verbal abuse. The shame associated with not being able to control her eating made her miserable and suicidal. Mary talks about the powerlessness to stop eating once she started, and she discusses the secrecy around her addict
Food Addiction is an Attempt to Avoid Legitimate Suffering
Individuals can be predisposed to addiction through genetics says Dr. Marty Lerner, head of Milestones in Recovery https://www.milestonesprogram.org/ In his book, A Guide to Eating Disorder Recovery, Defining the Problem—Finding the Solution, he outlines the nature of the disease of food addiction and how to recover. Dr. Lerner talks about the “perfect storm”, a person being an addict and seekin
There Is Treatment For Food Addiction
Anna Maria S., a recovered food addict, was a child of alcoholic parents. Her childhood was one characterized by instability and sexual abuse. Though she was not aware of the sexual abuse until later in life, once she acknowledged the abuse and processed it, she was able to deal with it. She began to cope with life stress by using food as a solution early at the age of 7. After many failed diet
Food Addiction is a Brain Disease
Esther Helga Gudmundsdottir is a pioneer in the field of food addiction treatment and recovery. Motivated to continue to get the message out that food addicts cannot control their eating and body weight through diets and exercise alone, she began the Food Addiction podcast. Esther was personally battling food addiction for most of her adult life, carrying 130 lbs. of too much weight. She discovere
Coming Soon
The ASAM (American Society of Addiction Medicine) has found Addiction to be a brain disease affecting a person’s physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual well-being and that recovery from the disease is possible through treatment in recovery centers and 12-step programs or similar support. Currently, there is overwhelming evidence and science for food addiction as a substance use disorder.
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