# Emotional Eating, Trauma, and a 311-Pound Weight Loss Transformation | LifeLONG Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/lifelong-with-ethan-suplee-7617312/emotional-eating-trauma-and-a-311-pound-weight-loss-transformation-lifelong Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/lifelong-with-ethan-suplee-7617312/emotional-eating-trauma-and-a-311-pound-weight-loss-transformation-lifelong.md Podcast: [LifeLONG with Ethan Suplee](https://stenobird.com/podcast/lifelong-with-ethan-suplee-7617312) Published: 2026-06-02T15:08:31+00:00 Episode link: https://shows.acast.com/lifelong/episodes/emotional-eating-trauma-and-a-311-pound-weight-loss-transfor Audio file: https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/6931f393aef2c71c1d822bf3/e/6a1ef1f0a5a56cd151fd8fa2/media.mp3 Processing state: not_requested JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/lifelong-with-ethan-suplee-7617312/episodes/emotional-eating-trauma-and-a-311-pound-weight-loss-transformation-lifelong Duration seconds: 3058 ## Resource What happens when food becomes more than food? This week on LifeLONG, Ethan Suplee sits down with Michael Collins, who lost an incredible 311 pounds after years of struggling with obesity, type 2 diabetes, emotional eating, and what many people now describe as "food noise." At his heaviest, Michael weighed over 500 pounds. He was taking multiple medications, struggling to walk, and facing a frightening health prognosis. But his transformation wasn't just about weight loss. Michael shows how trauma, grief, emotional eating, self-worth, and food addiction shaped his relationship with food for decades. And how addressing the emotional side of obesity became just as important as changing what was on his plate. Michael's story isn't about quick fixes, extreme dieting, or perfect discipline. It's about healing, honesty, and learning how to separate emotional needs from eating behaviors. (00:00) Introduction (02:52) Welcoming Michael Collins (06:15) Discovering the Diabetes Reversal Program (10:42) Coming Off Diabetic Medications in Six Weeks (12:14) Dietary Changes & Eliminating Trigger Foods (14:00) The Tragic Car Crash & The Onset of PTSD (18:32) Emotional Eating & The Mental Health Connection to Food (24:26) Spontaneously Signing Up For & Running a 5K (29:31) Navigating Southern Family Meals & Establishing Boundaries (31:22) Body Dysmorphia & The Mental Battle After Massive Weight Loss (34:09) Mailbag (48:50) Final Thoughts Want to be on a future episode? Register here to join the conversation: 2way.tv/ethan Don't forget to subscribe to the YouTube for clips, full episodes, and more! Lastly, you can send questions to ethansupleeshow@2way.tv and we will ask them on the show.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. ## Actions - request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/lifelong-with-ethan-suplee-7617312/episodes/emotional-eating-trauma-and-a-311-pound-weight-loss-transformation-lifelong/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode. - read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/lifelong-with-ethan-suplee-7617312/emotional-eating-trauma-and-a-311-pound-weight-loss-transformation-lifelong.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource. A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed. ## Transcript Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.