The Dylan Gemelli Podcast

Episode #73 – Featuring Amber Romaniuk: Overcoming Emotional Eating, The Dangers of Restrictive Eating, Food Addiction vs. Substance Addiction, Steps to Recovery and More!
Date: December 15, 2025
Host: Dylan Gemelli
Guest: Amber Romaniuk, Emotional Eating, Digestive, and Hormone Expert

Episode Overview

In this deeply personal and emotional episode, host Dylan Gemelli sits down with Amber Romaniuk, a renowned expert in emotional eating, digestion, and hormone health, to dissect and demystify the complex world of food addiction, eating disorders, and recovery. Both Dylan and Amber share candid accounts of their own struggles, emphasizing the prevalence of these challenges—even among health professionals. The episode offers compassionate, practical guidance for listeners struggling with emotional eating, the dangers of restrictive dieting, and the nuanced differences between food and substance addiction. Real-life strategies, psychological insights, and actionable first steps toward recovery are shared throughout this powerful conversation.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Amber’s Personal Journey with Emotional Eating (04:11 – 12:20)

• Amber was not always set on her current career path; she aspired to be an entertainment news reporter.
• Early childhood bullying and parental food addiction (her mother had MS) planted deep insecurities and unhealthy coping strategies centered around food.
• The spiral: from weight loss via restriction and overexercise to a euphoric binge that triggered three years of nightly binge cycles.
• Amber describes hitting rock bottom, even eating out of a dumpster, which shattered her denial and catalyzed her healing journey.
• She initially sought professional help but found it unsupportive, deciding to solve her food addiction on her own.

"I needed that moment to happen because I can no longer deny that this wasn't a serious issue. The denial got crushed by the low point."
— Amber Romaniuk, 11:20

2. The Psychological Darkness of Eating Disorders (12:20 – 14:14)

• Dylan emphasizes the heavy psychological toll: the denial, shame, and cyclical justifications.
• Comparative insight: Dylan shares how giving up drugs and alcohol was “easy” versus the persistent grip of food behaviors.

"With the food, it is...a fear of stopping it...it's overwhelming."
— Dylan Gemelli, 13:32

3. Why Food Addiction Is Different from Other Addictions (14:14 – 17:46)

• Amber explains that you cannot “quit” food, making it uniquely difficult.
• Addictive food ingredients are purposely engineered to trigger dopamine highs.
• Societal normalization and emotional associations with food (comfort, celebration, reward) reinforce unhealthy patterns.
• Brain chemistry and ingrained family dynamics contribute to lasting vulnerability.

"There are...addictive ingredients that are put in the food, obviously on purpose to make us addicted."
— Amber Romaniuk, 15:58

4. The Vicious Cycle: Restriction, Triggers, & Recovery Methodology (17:46 – 25:20)

• Dylan and Amber discuss the failings of “all or nothing” approaches and the importance of gradual change.
• Amber emphasizes understanding emotional triggers and taking recovery at a steady, personalized pace. Many clients work with her for 12–24 months.
• Identifying triggers: emotional states, self-loathing, people-pleasing, daily stressors, hormonal imbalances.
• The journey involves honest self-assessment, patience, and layered approaches—including emotional and practical nutrition adjustments.

"You cannot fast-track this journey...it is about going slow and being willing to accept that this healing journey is going to take time."
— Amber Romaniuk, 20:08

5. The Dangers of Restrictive Dieting and Food Fears (25:20 – 33:48)

• Dylan shares being a nutritionist yet falling into restrictive, low-fat, low-calorie traps.
• After years of restrictive eating and food fear, increasing fats and overall calories led to better body composition and mood.
• Amber warns that elimination diets and fasting protocols are disastrous for those with binge/emotional eating habits, especially without professional, trauma-informed support.

"Restrictive eating and fears of things without understanding or crash dieting can play a really massive role in...developing an eating disorder."
— Dylan Gemelli, 27:37
"You cannot be restricting and skipping meals to help heal your relationship with food."
— Amber Romaniuk, 29:59

6. Nutrition Philosophies & Individuality (33:48 – 38:53)

• Both agree that most people benefit from more protein and healthy fat, but carb/fat balance is highly individual.
• Importance of hormone and blood sugar awareness when adjusting dietary patterns.
• Amber shares her personal experience with under-carbing, sky-high cortisol, and the importance of “whole foods from nature” over processed foods.

"Part of it is really going to be dictated by where's your cortisol levels, right? And where's your blood sugar at? Those are huge parts of this."
— Amber Romaniuk, 35:09

7. Mental Health, Self-talk, and Identity Shifts (38:53 – 45:47)

• The inner critic (ego mind) forms in childhood and perpetuates self-loathing and sabotage.
• Recovery involves identifying and actively reprogramming negative self-talk, engaging in forgiveness, and healing the inner child.
• Amber advocates for tools such as breathwork, EFT tapping, journaling, and cultivating healthy coping mechanisms.

"It's very exhausting and draining to constantly be berating and belittling yourself..."
— Amber Romaniuk, 41:10

8. The Shame, Secrecy, and Prevalence of Disordered Eating (45:47 – 50:47)

• Dylan shares the double burden for men in fitness—feeling unable to admit struggles due to stigma.
• Eating issues touch nearly everyone to varying degrees, often normalized or minimized. Amber stresses this epidemic is by design, feeding the trillion-dollar diet and food industries.
• Social media, photo filters, and media contribute to body dysmorphia at increasingly younger ages.

"I found every bodybuilder, everybody in health and fitness...everybody's got some sort of eating disorder or image issue."
— Dylan Gemelli, 47:02
"Ninety percent of the female population in North America struggles with some form of emotional relationship with food and body image issues."
— Amber Romaniuk, 48:42

9. The Role of Spirituality and Self-Love in Recovery (50:47 – 53:44)

• Dylan credits faith and surrendering to a higher power as a turning point.
• Amber stresses that nothing external—material goods, relationships, or even having a child—will heal these wounds; it must come from within.

"Nothing outside of you is going to help you heal this. So please call your power back to you."
— Amber Romaniuk, 52:28

10. First Steps Toward Recovery (53:44 – 56:00)

• The first actionable step: lovingly admit to yourself there is a problem.
• Build awareness around whether hunger is physical or emotional.
• Start tracking triggers, and—when ready—reach out for support from trusted individuals or professionals.
• Investing in healing is described as priceless compared to the cost, pain, and isolation of staying stuck.

"The first step is being lovingly honest with yourself that this is what is going on. Admit it to yourself and don't have shame."
— Amber Romaniuk, 53:45

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Amber (on reaching rock bottom):
  "I just ate out of a garbage in a dumpster. I'm broke, I'm alone. I have no life path... But I needed that moment to happen because I can no longer deny that this wasn't a serious issue." (10:39)

• Dylan (on food vs. substance addiction):
  "With the food...it's like a fear of stopping it. ...With the drugs, I could quit easily. With food, I can't convince myself not to do it no matter how many times I say I wouldn’t." (13:32 & 17:11)

• Amber (on the impact of restrictive diets):
  "Restriction only fuels the desire to have what you're not allowing yourself to have." (28:38)

• Amber (on self-love as a core solution):
  "You can't love anybody else or do anything else if you don't love yourself, if you don't take care of yourself." (51:27)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [04:11] Amber’s childhood, early roots of disordered eating, narrative of her spiral and lowest moments
• [14:14] Why food addiction is uniquely challenging (biological, societal, emotional factors)
• [25:20] Dangers and triggers of restrictive dieting
• [33:48] Individualized nutrition, protein/fat/carb discussions, hormonal context
• [38:53] Addressing negative self-talk, mental health, identity re-shaping strategies
• [45:47] Industry stigma, male vulnerability, and the universality of disordered eating
• [53:44] Practical first steps—acknowledge, self-investigation, seeking support

Resources and Follow-Up

• Amber’s Podcast: [The No Sugarcoating Podcast] – available everywhere
• Website: [AmberApproved.ca] (Includes free emotional eating quiz & workshop)
• Consultation: Free 30-min body freedom call via Zoom (worldwide)
• Instagram & YouTube: @amberromaniuk

Concluding Remarks

Both Dylan and Amber stress the critical importance of self-compassion, honest acknowledgment of the struggle, patience for the journey, and the necessity of supportive, informed help. This episode is a deeply honest, stigma-breaking conversation for anyone touched by emotional eating or food addiction, offering hope and a roadmap for real, sustainable healing.