If you’ve been binge eating for a while and have been trying to figure out how to stop, you’ve probably come up with some food and eating rules for yourself.
Do you aim to only eat a certain number of calories? Do you have foods that are on a “do not eat because I will definitely binge on them” list?
I had one of those lists and I swear I would add something to it like, every week.
I could always find a new food to binge on.
For the longest time I also counted calories and was terrified of going over my goal.
Then of course there were also times I didn’t care about it because I’d just give up on myself for a while.
I had my rules, and sometimes I would follow them and sometimes I wouldn’t.
It really depended on how much work I felt like putting in at the time.
But here’s the truth about food rules.
We all have food rules whether we’re aware of them or not.
Some of them we come up with ourselves and some are taught to us and we just accept them as normal.
Even “normal” eaters have food rules, they may just not be as conscious about them.
These rules can include what you eat, how often you eat, how much you eat, and what you eat.
There’s nothing wrong with having rules, but only as long as they’re ones that are sustainable and useful for you.
They also shouldn’t be made out of fear.
Doing something because “I’m afraid that…” or “I can’t trust myself…” is not going to give you a positive outcome.
If you’re afraid of a food and therefore eliminate if from your diet, then you’re in trouble.
On the other hand, if a food doesn’t make you feel good so you only eat it very sparingly, then you’re making an empowered decision. You’re in control and deciding to not eat that food from a positive place.
I have rules around my eating and what I eat and I love them.
I’ve chosen an eating plan that works for me that I like.
And there are no foods off limits, just foods I choose not to eat on a regular basis.
Look at what your food rules are and compare them to what you want them to be.
Consider what kinds of rules you have about eating. What don’t you eat? And why don’t you eat it?
What foods are you afraid of and why? How do you want to feel about these foods?
When it comes to food rules, they’re your rules. You make them and then you either follow them or break them.
When you binge, you’re breaking them.
Make rules for yourself that you don’t want to break.
