In today’s episode, we’ll talk about 4 steps to overcome binge eating and restriction
Whenever somebody brings up the topic of how to stop binge eating, I vividly remember the day I caught myself binge eating. This story happens at the peak of my most restrictive dieting period.
It was a Friday and I was picking up snacks at the grocery store for a movie night in. As soon as I walked in, I automatically gravitated towards the foods I was restricting: carbs, dairy, sugar… (hint keto!).
Flash forward to the end of the first movie: I was sitting there on my couch with an empty box of pizza, half-empty bag of brownies, and an ice cream pint just about done… I wondered what just happened.
I suddenly felt the sting of self-loathing. Soon, I was beating myself up, calling myself names that I wouldn’t call my worst enemy. As I bullied myself, I quickly cleaned up and made all evidence disappear out of fear of anyone knowing.
I share this with you because I want you to know that you are not alone.
There is nothing wrong with you and you aren’t broken. There is a reason why you do this. Until you find it and work on healing it, the binge eating will not go away.
What is Binge Eating?
Psychologists define binge eating as eating more food than most people would in a specific amount of time under similar circumstances. It is characterized by a sense of lack of control and is associated with negative emotions. Binge eaters have difficulty regulating their emotions and use food to cope with them.
At the time, I knew that what I was doing was called binge eating or overeating, but I had no idea why I was doing it. I just thought something was wrong with me, so I kept it a secret. Afraid that others might judge me, I hid my shame and guilt behind a façade of strength. Then I punished myself by restricting food the next day.
I now know that I was eating in response to the food restriction I was imposing on myself, and to numb the emotions I didn’t want to feel.
In today’s episode, we will explore how to stop the cycle of binge eating and restricting in 4 steps.
What you’ll learn listening to this episode:
- The spectrum of eating behavior
- Disordered eating versus eating disorder
- Overeating versus binge eating
- How to end the binge-restrict cycle
- 4 steps that will help you overcome binge eating
Mentioned in the show:
Rebellious Eating Solution Masterclass
Canadian National Eating Disorder Information Center
Hotline: 1-866-633-4220
US: National Eating Disorders
Toll-free Number: 1-800-931-2237
