149. Brian Baumal- A Guest Ep!
Welcome back to The Food For ThoughtCast, food fans! Today on Episode 149, we are joined by Brian Baumal, a registered psychotherapist who specializes in food addiction. This is a bit of a different episode, really focusing on the "thought" part of the "cast." We explore diet culture, the stories we tell ourselves about food, the mindsets that determine how and why we eat, and Brian helps us understand the connection between the brain and all things sustenance. This was an incredible conversation and we had a great time learning from Brian and honestly, we could have probably gone on for another hour or so. We all had a chance to be a bit vulnerable, and we hope that you have as great of a takeaway from this chat as we did. Takeaway, that's a food reference. But anyway, share us with a friend and don't forget to watch us on YouTube! Now with more facepalms.
Registered Psychotherapist Specializing in Weight Loss, Shame, and Sustainable Behavior Change
Brian Baumal is a Toronto-based psychotherapist who helps people lose weight without turning their lives or their self-worth into collateral damage. His work sits at the intersection of cognitive behavioural therapy, eating disorder treatment, and the emotional reality of long-term weight change. What makes his approach distinctive is not just clinical training, but lived experience.
In his early forties, Brian found himself in Disney World, often described as the happiest place on earth, facing a sudden wave of fear and shame after a health scare that never fully materialised. Surrounded by family, uninsured, and acutely aware of his own physical limits, he realised that weight was not just a health issue. It was shaping how he moved through the world, how safe he felt, and how harshly he judged himself. When he returned to Toronto, he did not start a diet. He started a plan, using the same therapeutic tools he had been trained to offer others.
Rather than chasing speed or perfection, Brian focused on dismantling shame and slowing expectations. He learned how to stay engaged after missteps instead of treating them as proof of failure. Over time, the weight came off and, more importantly, stayed off without relying on restriction, punishment, or rigid rules. That process became the foundation of his clinical work.
Today, Brian specialises in weight management and restrictive eating disorders, using a structured form of CBT designed to interrupt the cycle he sees derail people again and again. Shame creates urgency, urgency creates unsustainable c…Read More
