When trying to overcome binge eating, it’s very important to make sure you’re not restricting food.
As I mentioned in my Why You Binge Eat video and post, a lot of people who binge eat developed their urges after being on a restrictive diet. Continuing to restrict, either calories or “bad” foods, can also keep you in the binge cycle. It makes this process more difficult, if not impossible, and who wants things to be more difficult?
Not this girl!
What happens when you’re not eating enough is that your brain thinks you’re going to starve, so when highly caloric food is available, it screams at you to eat as much of it as you can.
You’re also depriving your brain of enough energy to make solid decisions and utilize self-control, therefore making it easier for you to give in when the urge to binge hits.
When you restrict foods you label as bad, or off limits, you may end up rebelling against yourself in a major way.
You might be afraid that if you eat a normal amount of food, then you’ll gain weight.
Here’s the thing about that. Right now you’re probably restricting and bingeing and either gaining weight or doing all kinds of fluctuating. It’s a big old never ending mess. But if you do what I’m suggesting, you might gain a little weight, but you’ll binge less. Then you’ll be on the path to not bingeing at all and then you can tackle any other eating habits you have to reach and hold onto your natural weight.
Weight loss and creating new eating habits is a process and the binge eating must be dealt with before anything else.
I know it isn’t easy to break out of the dieting mindset, but do your best. Listen to your body and pay attention to what it feels like for you to be hungry and full. Pay attention to what thoughts you’re having when you’re around food and when you do feel the hunger and fullness signals.
The goal is not to eat perfectly, but stop trying to lose weight for now and just focus on not reacting to your binge urges.
Learning to eat right for your body takes time.
I’m well aware of it because I went through it myself.
I relied on counting calories and watching the clock for years. Now I rely on my body’s signals.
If you need help, I’m here for you, hit me up!
You can email me or schedule a free mini session with me and we can talk about what you’re having trouble with.
At least give this a try. See what happens.
If you can believe that if you restrict less then you will eat your regular food and not binge as much, then that is what you will do.
Work on that.
I mean, that’s what we’re aiming for in the end right?
And you have to believe you can achieve something before you can.
If you don’t think you can do it, you’ll just give up. So make a declaration to yourself that you’re going to do this. Yes you may have some slip ups, but that doesn’t mean it’s over. It just means you still have work to do and that’s ok.
Stop binge eating first, deal with the weight after.
And hey, the weight might just deal with itself after you stop.
