Restrict Binge Restrict Binge
Think about the times when you have had those strict rules around food and eating in the past, how long was that sustainable? How did you feel when you did have access to those foods? Did you ever feel guilt, shame or negative feelings come up when you did have those foods?
Any kind of restriction, mental - like “diet starts tomorrow” - can set off this black & white, binge-restrict response. By changing this pattern of eating, can help you neutralize foods so that you can ditch the food guilt, rules and ‘diet starts tomorrow’ mentality.
The Cycle can start with the first point, then on the second and so on and then the cycle can start again and again...
- Feeling of 'I need to get control by going on a diet'.
2. Dieting restricting the amount of foods. 'I will never have X Y Z again'.
3. Feeling out of control and hungry - cravings then start. 'I can't stop thinking about food'.
4. Relax the diet and binge - eg. Last Supper mentality - 'This is the last time I will have this food'.
5. Guilt / shame. 'I failed, I can't do this'.
And the cycle starts again with 1, 2, 3, 4, 5!
Any kind of restriction, mental - like “diet starts tomorrow” - can set off this black & white, binge-restrict response. By changing this pattern of eating, can help you neutralize foods so that you can ditch the food guilt, rules and ‘diet starts tomorrow’ mentality.
What Can You Do?
1. Stop Compensating For Binges
If you've binged before, you've likely tried to "make-up for it" in some way. After downing half a pan of brownies or an entire pizza, you may be feeling afraid - afraid of getting fat, of being found out, or even afraid of developing and unwanted health condition such as diabetes or heart disease later in life. The natural response to this fear is to try to "undo" the effects of the binge by intentionally restricting calories, consuming "cleaner" foods, or attempting to eliminate "bad" foods altogether.
However, this is likely going to make the binge-eating behaviour worse, not better! Because binge eating is often a response to restriction, behaviours such as cutting calories, skipping meals, or eliminating the foods you love will make you crave calorie-dense food because your body feels deprived. Even if you still eat consistently, if you are viewing certain foods as "bad" or "off-limits," research shows that your natural response will be to crave those foods even more. In addition, intentionally cutting calories will cause you to miss out on seeing the way your body will naturally adjust its hunger cues to meet your needs.
2. Boost Meals and Snacks
Many people who are struggling with binge eating have a strong desire to lose weight, and go on restrictive diets to do so. These diets often support small or low calorie meals and either skipping snacks or making them pitifully small. Unfortunately, dieting and cutting out meals and snacks are the exact opposite of what you need to find freedom from binge eating! Oftentimes, people binge because they didn't honor their hunger earlier, and they have reached the point of no return. Their body is screaming for food, meaning they're going to eat everything they promised not to, and lots of it.
Now, most people try to break this cycle by simply "overcoming" the intense cravings by using willpower or filling up on low-calorie foods, but your body knows better. It thinks it is starving and will not stop sending you signals to eat until you do. Your body will win-every time. So, instead of trying to stave off hunger indefinitely, the best way to stop binge-eating is to prevent it by eating enough and eating regularly. The truth is, eating every three or four hours and eating enough to feel satiated isn't indulgent, it's preventing that next binge. It's worth it.
3. Introduce "Trigger Foods" In A Safe Environment
If you're bingeing on foods because you feel deprived of them, it makes sense to try to incorporate them into your week to avoid feelings of deprivation. However, if you do this in the wrong setting, you're likely to binge again, only to reinforce the incorrect belief that you can't "handle" that particular food. While the process of making peace with food is detailed in this post and is often best done with the help of an experienced professional, some helpful tips to remember are to try this food when you are neither hungry nor overstuffed, to eat slowly and mindfully, and to remind yourself that this food is not inherently good or bad. You may even want to eat with a friend, family member, or significant other for support. While challenging, this step is important, as it prevents you from continuing the vicious binge-restrict cycle as you progress towards food freedom.
If you feel concerned about any of this and you need professional help, please contact your GP for further support.