“I just need more willpower,” is the battle cry of millions of people as they dig into whatever foods they find themselves binging on.
Binging. Something a great many people are chained down by. Whether it be donuts, chips, candy, cakes, cookies or pasta, these binge foods are the Achilles heel for men, women and young people who swear they will be stronger tomorrow. Yet, it seems as if tomorrow never comes.
Driven by food addictions, millions are seeking an answer as to why they can’t seem to keep their hand out of the cookie jar.
Such was the case for Dr. Glenn Livingston. A life-long binger, Dr. Livingston found his binging was literally killing him. Warned by one doctor he needed to get his eating under control, or he would experience an untimely death, Dr. Livingston needed answers.
A phenomenally successful marketing consultant, on the one hand life was working, but on the other, it was out of control. It would not be long until none of it worked.
A Superstar Professionally
Dr. Livingston’s career was the envy of those who knew him. The author of Never Binge Again, Glenn is a veteran psychologist and was the long-time CEO of a multi-million-dollar consulting firm which has serviced several Fortune 500 clients in the food industry.
Featured in The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Chicago Sun Times, The Indiana Star Ledger, The NY Daily News, American Demographics, ABC, CBS radio, and UPN TV to name just a few media outlets, Glenn willingly admits he was driven by financial success.
Over the course of his career, Glenn has sold $30,000,000 of marketing consulting services.
Although monetarily successful, he hid a deep hole he could not seem to fill with anything other than food. He had a very intimate relationship with binging.
As his bank account grew, so did his waistline. Tipping the scales at nearly 280 pounds, Glenn was forced to face his demons. Never did he think he would end up as a tired, frustrated, obese man whose main comfort came from food. He was ready for a change. Yet, his journey out of obesity and the food prison he found himself in was not without more frustration.
Disillusioned by what traditional psychology had to offer overweight and/or food obsessed individuals, Dr. Livingston spent several decades researching the nature of binging and overeating through the work he did with his own patients AND a self-funded research program with more than 40,000 participants.
When You’re a Hammer… Everything Looks Like a Nail
Dr. Livingston comes from a family of 17 psychologists. A family where he was taught everything had an emotional connection… or so he thought.
He figured the solution to his eating problem was to do with some past emotional scar.
Maybe it was not feeling loved enough. Perhaps, he though, it was his mother giving him Bosco chocolate at the age of one rather than hugs. Or any number of experiences connected to an emotion.
What he discovered not only amazed him, he became obsessed with documenting his findings.
Dr. Livingston discovered there is the part of our brain that responds to food addiction that is the reptilian side of the brain. It is about feast or famine mentality, fight or flight. The reptilian brain does not know love. When it looks at something in the environment, it says, “Do I eat it, or do I kill it?”
Dr. Livingston also discovered what we crave has specific meanings to the craving. Chocolate tends to appeal to broken hearted people. Those stressed at work go for chips and pretzels. Home related stress triggers the desire for soft, chewy, starchy foods like bagels, breads and pastas.
Add to the mix the power of advertising, and many people are unaware as to why their willpower is simply not enough to combat food addictions.
With a background in marketing, Glenn is fully aware of the power of repeated advertising on one’s food cravings. Advertisers bank on the fact that people are looking for love at the bottom of a bag, box or container.
With images and sound bites that make unhealthy foods appear harmless, sexy, and appealing, Dr. Livingston knows how harmful advertising actually is.
With millions of people dealing with chronic conditions, Glenn continued his research and a personal transformation from a carnivore to a plant based/vegan eater.
Going Plant Based/Vegan
After a great deal of research with binging, Glenn realized it was more than the weight that was causing some of his health challenges. Digging deep into the works of some of the top plant-based doctors, Glenn was impressed with the teachings of Dr. Joel Fuhrman and GBOMBS. (Greens, beans, onions, mushrooms, berries, seeds).
Currently a 100% plant-based eater, one of Glenn’s initial introductions into veganism was during his childhood. His mother was advised to go vegan due to ovarian tumors. The hope was to avert a hysterectomy.
The plan worked. His mother did prevent the surgery. Yet, for his mother going vegan was a short-term proposition. After she had a clean bill of health, she went back to her old way of eating.
Fast forward to 2013, Glenn was dealing with several conditions including psoriasis, immune issues and various skin conditions.
Although not 100% committed at that point, this was when he began studying the works of Dr. Joel Fuhrman. It resonated with him. At the time, animal ethics was not a priority. Today it is.
Once he did go plant based, most of his health conditions completely reversed and to this day, have not returned.
Now living a vibrant life at a normal, healthy weight and a much more lighthearted relationship with food, Dr. Livingston has made it his mission to raise awareness about how to transform the desire and need to binge to awareness of what’s really going on when you do binge.
His findings are documented in his book, Never Binge Again. Get your FREE Kindle version on Amazon. Click here to access.
Living On Purpose
Dr. Livingston lives by the philosophy in the quote from Leo Tolstoy. “As long as there are slaughterhouses there will be battlefields.”
Glenn believes one life does not matter more or less than others. Taking the
life of an animal simply for our palate is not within his belief system.
His intent, vision and goal is to live with compassion, kindness and be “exquisitely present” in all he does.
“I spent the first half of my life chasing too much money. And, you know, I think I did harm helping to sell things like chocolate chip cookies. I want to make the second half of my life count more. I want to always be kind.”
Get Your FREE Kindle Version
Never Binge Again was born out of his passion to help as many people as possible get to the other side of binging. Not only is Never Binge Again a philosophy, it’s also his signature book. Kindle version available FREE at https://amzn.to/3gTbmSn
Contact Dr. Livingston
https://www.linkedin.com/in/drglennlivingston/
www.neverbingeagain.com/TheBlog/
