Hidden Reasons For Binge Eating and Over Eating 

Identifying your hidden reasons for binge eating can be life-changing! Have you tried it all? Jenny Craig? Keto? Fasting? Shakes? Pills? The issue is, none of this works. Why? Because essentially you are ‘treating your arm when your leg is sore’. In other words, you are not addressing the ROOT CAUSE of the issue (your individual relationship with food).  And this looks different for everyone. 

Find Your Own Root Cause

Quite often people don’t know why they are overeating. Moreover, they just start trying different things because ‘Aunty Jo tried it’ and ‘My sister Sally tried it’.  However, none of these random approaches address the core issue.  For example, you might jump on board the Keto diet (as some studies show weight loss).  But actually, your issue is using food for comfort.  Obviously, Keto is bound to fail long term, as we are not addressing the core issue of emotional regulation.

8 Hidden Reasons For Binge Eating and Overeating

Ultimately, it’s critical to look into the main issues going on (for you) and treat them.   I will share 7 out of the 8 hidden reasons for overeating, binge eating, and obsessive thoughts around food. 

1] Dietare Rules

Dietary rules include having certain self-imposed food rules, such as ‘no sugar or sweets‘.  Importantly, the stronger our rules around certain foods, the more appealing this food becomes.  Our brains are inherently wired like this.   Essentially ‘food rules’ have the reverse effect we intend.   Like a child, if we tell them ‘You can play with any toy, except this red truck’.  What toy do you think they will want? Exactly.  If we say ‘no cakes’ to ourselves we will crave it more.  Moreover, the second aspect is not eating adequate and regular calories throughout the day.  Obviously, if we don’t eat enough our body will want to catch up (causing the night-time binging).  Thus, it is critical we eat sufficient calories and regularly throughout the day. (Yes, don’t skip meals!).

2] Blood sugar

Do you ride the blood sugar roller coaster? This is people who start their day with simple carbohydrates or sugary breakfasts, followed by a muesli bar, then a banana, and then a sandwich or sushi.  These foods spike your blood sugar. It continues and you have a muffin and then pasta for dinner.  The day was filled with simple carbohydrates.  Consequently, the culmination of these foods will contribute to food cravings in the afternoon/evening and especially after dinner.  (For how to stabilize your blood sugar click here). 

3] Habits Can Be A Hidden Reason For Binge Eating

Thirdly is habits. How do we create a habit? By repeating the same behaviour over and over again.  Think about it.  How many years have you been struggling with food? How many years have you been doing the same thing.  Eating when you are stressed? Craving when you are bored? Eating every time you want to procrastinate?  These repetitive behaviours over and over are our habits.  It’s empowering to look at our habits that no longer serve us – unlearn and break them, whilst instilling new more aligned ones.  This is a long-term practice to create a new reality.

4] Routine

To all the mummas out there.  What I hear frequently is, kids go to bed and mum says ‘Now I can relax,’.  They go to the cupboard and pantry and grab food and sit in front of the TV.  Eat and relax.  It’s just a routine that you have created. Obviously, you might do this unconsciously.  Further, I work with many clients who work from home (especially since covid), and similar routines are created.  For example, every time they are tired they go to the kitchen because food is now available.  That is part of their routine, as a ‘break’.  So, look into the routines throughout your day that you repeat over and over. Where is food part of your routine?

5] Emotions

We all emotionally eat to a degree.  Stressed.  Tired.  Bored.  Lonely. Worried – Go to food.  This is a learned behavior created early in childhood.  You were a toddler crying and your mum gave you a lollypop.  Therefore, we associate food and soothing with comfort.  Similarly, we learn very early how food changes our feelings momentarily.  It does this by stimulating the reward system in the brain (like drugs, alcohol, and shopping), which make us feel good temporarily. It’s wired in our brain, so now it’s up to us to slowly unlearn and re-wire.   We have the choice to do this.  

6] Emotional Attachment

Emotional Attachment to food. Perhaps certain foods remind you of particular moments or people in your life.  When you feel lonely maybe you tend to eat certain biscuits?  Or you eat a bar of familiar chocolate? Perhaps you bake because you have beautiful memories of coking with your grandmother?  Essentially, at that moment, you are not craving the food, you are craving the feeling and connection.

7]  Body Image

In fact Body Image is the second leading cause for binge eating after dietary restrictions, based on research. Someone who does not like their weight or shape usually wants to find ways to manipulate that.  They do this through lots of exercise or diets.  This can lead to always thinking about food and worrying.  ‘How many calories have I eaten? Have I eaten too much? When was the last time I ate?’ Our inner dialogue in relation to our body image can cause these constant and obsessive thoughts. This can lead to overeating to sooth this constant fear or a reaction or restricting food which we discussed in point 1

Hidden Reasons For Binge Eating And Over-Eating

These are the 7 out of 8 hidden reasons why we overeat and obsess about food. I see so many people struggling for many years with these exact issues.  It breaks my heart, as people try so many things and nothing works! Because these strategies bypass and do not address the causes.  Then you feel like a failure.  You are not! It’s just what we get taught.  Find out what is causing your binge eating and overeating. Here is my free workbook you can download instantly. It discusses in more detail, the 8 hidden reasons for overeating and gives strategies you can implement.  

Are You Ready?

If you feel ready to make changes, book a free call to do a proper assessment and we can create a individualised plan for you.  Or just have a chat to see if we are a good fit to work together and I can help you. Love, Eugenia

8 HIDDEN REASONS FOR BINGE EATING 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.