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Given his dating history and currently rumored bae (hint, hint: Kim Kardashian), Pete Davidson is no stranger to making headlines in the press. Though recently, the “Saturday Night Live” star revealed a more vulnerable side of himself while appearing on iHeartMedia’s “River Cafe Table 4” podcast. During the interview, the comedian touched on his diet and eating regime, which almost acted as a reward and punishment tactic on the nights he worked SNL or stand-up. “I would usually base my eating off whether I had a good show or not. And then if the show doesn’t go well, I usually don’t want to eat, so there would be days where I just didn’t eat,” he told podcast host Ruthie Rogers.
Davidson explained that the aspect and pressure of instant gratification from telling jokes, especially new material, had a negative impact on his eating. And when a joke didn’t land among the audience, he was left defeated. “You’re either flying high and crushing it, or it’s like, ‘Ooh, not great.’ So when you’re not doing well, you know,” he said. Rogers, who is also a Michelin-starred chef, labeled this relationship as “emotional eating.”
If you are struggling with an eating disorder, or know someone who is, help is available. Visit the National Eating Disorders Association website or contact NEDA’s Live Helpline at 1-800-931-2237. You can also receive 24/7 Crisis Support via text (send NEDA to 741-741).
Changing his eating schedule saved his relationship with food
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According to Mayo Clinic, emotional eating can target you “when you’re at your weakest point” and is “a way to suppress or soothe negative emotions.” These emotions can range from stress and anger to sadness and loneliness. Whether done consciously or not, emotional eating can be a form of comfort for some. However, Ruthie Rogers explains that for Pete Davidson, emotional eating has the opposite effect on his relationship with food. “Some people might say, after a bad show, ‘I feel so crap I just want to eat or drink or forget it, but you go the other way,'” she told the comedian on her podcast. “That’s saying that my mood, my performance, affects how I feel, and therefore it affects how I eat.”
None of this is new news to Davidson, who’s aware of his emotional eating habits. To help combat this and prevent it from happening again, Davidson now eats prior to going on stage, so his meal isn’t dependent on the outcome of his show or the number of laughs. If you think you suffer from emotional eating, Mayo Clinic recommends keeping a food diary, taming stress, snacking healthy, fighting boredom, and seeking professional help to keep those emotional eating thoughts and habits at bay.
