Why do we Binge Eat?

I think one of the main reasons people end up binge eating is because they’ve been told that there are ‘good’ and ‘bad’ foods. And as soon as they have this idea that this one food (a doughnut for example) is bad food, then as soon as they eat it, they feel they messed up.

They feel they made a big mistake. That it’s going to make them fat. That it’s going to ruin their body. Ruin their progress. And they start to shame and guilt themselves for it.

But once they do that, and considering they think everything is screwed up, and they messed up more, they might as well keep screwing up. “I might as well have some pizza as well as have the crisps and the cake” because, in their mind they know eventually they’re going to start restricting again at some point! They might as well eat as much as they can in the meantime before they start restricting again. That could be an evening of eating everything in sight, or it could be a week-long binge.

It could be a while of bingeing and bingeing, before they get ‘back on track’. The issue is when they get ‘back on track’, they go back to the concept of ‘good’ foods and ‘bad’ foods. And when they are ‘on track’ again, they completely eliminate any food that could possibly be considered ‘bad’. Which then builds up the desire to binge again.  And so, the vicious cycle continues.

If you binge eat, you are not alone. So many people are struggling along with you.
Maybe some form of therapy may be a good way to get this off your chest. Or to confide in a friend, loved one or a coach.

One of the first things you need to do is stop trying to eliminate all of the foods you’ve been told are ‘bad’. The more you think they are ‘bad’ and ‘forbidden’, the more likely you are to binge eat them.

Bear in mind that struggling with binge eating, and struggling with cravings, are two different things.  By reducing cravings, you benefit from removing certain foods from your diet, but only for a brief period of time.  But before you start to reduce cravings, you need to build a healthy relationship with food. And that all starts by understanding that there are no ‘good’ or ‘bad’ foods!!