We often try so much to stop binge eating, we try new diets, go to nutritionists and often it doesn’t work and then we get to a point where we wonder: Why am I binge eating? As a consequence, we start questioning our own will-power and discipline. The truth is, binge eating is not about will-power, it is more than that. It is about what triggers binge eating and how we respond to those triggers.
If you suffer from binge eating disorder, you might feel similar to the way I felt. I was truly ashamed of what I did and never talked about it until I decided that I needed help. You can read my personal story and how I overcame it in this blog post.
Feeling guilty and ashamed is often part of it.
When I think about my binge eating episodes, it always came with a whole number of emotions and feelings. It often started with excitement. I couldn’t wait to eat all the yummy food I bought. Then it continued with feeling sick as I was eating all the food and ended up with shame and guilt about what I had done AGAIN.
After every binge eating episode we often feel guilty about the amount of food we had.
Every time I would say to myself that it is the last time and I would never do it again. However, it didn’t last long and I was craving more caramel slice, more chocolate and more fudge (yap, those were my favourite foods to binge on – oh and bread.)
Binge Eating is another form of eating disorder
At that time I didn’t realise what binge eating was. But basically it is an eating disorder where we frequently eat large amounts of food while feeling powerless to stop and extremely distressed during or after eating. In most cases you will find yourself being full and still not being able to stop. Often you might even not register that you are eating. It is like a tunnel vision – like a numbing process. Only when you finished all the food you had available, you might stop and realise what just happened.
If you are like me, you probably have tried to tell yourself: “I just need to go on a diet, eat well, exercise more and I will be fine. I just need to have stronger will-power.”
Knowing your binge eating triggers puts you in your drivers seat again
Dieting and restricting is, however, one of the triggers for binge eating. So every time you go on a diet, you set up a bomb for the next binge episode. We might have good intentions, but unknowingly to us, we are the creators of the binge and restrict cycle.
The main triggers for binge eating are the following reasons.
- Dieting and restricting
- Inconsistent or not enough meals
- Imbalance in your blood sugar
- Habits and Patterns
- Beliefs and negative thoughts
- Emotions
To find out which one applies to you and what you need to do to end the binge eating cycle and create a healthy mindset around food again, please download the free workbook. I have worked with hundreds of people and now understand the hidden triggers for binge eating. The good news is, when we address those hidden and real reasons, binge eating disappears and you won’t even notice when it happened. No will-power or strong mindset required.
Hidden reasons for binge eating revealed
6 KEY STEPS TO
END BINGE EATING CYCLE &
RELEASE EMOTIONAL WEIGHT
Regain power over food!
Binge eating and emotional eating is not a food problem, it is an emotional problem.
We can’t rely on will-power to stop binge eating. In this e-book I am addressing the underlying reasons why we use food as a drug and what our body is trying to tell us.
This will surprise you now, but binge eating is not a problem, it is a solution. It is a solution to a problem you haven’t addressed yet. It is a sign that there is something in your life that is not serving you. Mindfulness is a great tool to identify your emotions without using food as a crutch. Numbing our emotions won’t make them go away, they will manifest themselves in other illnesses.
Binge Eating is a learned coping mechanism
Some time along the way you have picked up a coping mechanism that was serving you at that time. It was your way to find safety and comfort. And the beauty of this is that you can learn a new way of managing what ever is going on for you- but in a more powerful way.
Depending on your trigger, you can now create a plan what you can do instead. Let’s say if stress is your major trigger and every time you feel stressed, you want to eat. Follow the following steps to learn to create a plan of action:
4. Steps to stop binge eating
- Identify your emotion: stress
- Create awareness of your coping mechanism: eating lollies
- Understand why you want to eat: relax and comfort
- Think about other ways to find relaxation and comfort: Deep belly breathing, walk, talk to a friend, move your body, have a hot bath, go for a run, hug a loved one, rest.
In the video below I am going more in-depth into these triggers. Watch the full video to identify what your real reasons are for binge eating and emotional eating.
Download the workbook mentioned in the video HERE
To figure out your reasons for binge eating and finally find peace and control over food again, join me for my upcoming online Food Freedom Program – Free yourself from Binge Eating and Emotional Eating. Click HERE to find out more.
At the end of the course you will know powerful tools to ease your binge eating urges, know how to manage stress and strong emotions without food and feel empowered and in control to get back into food and body freedom.
