Finding it difficult to control your eating?
Struggling to understand your unhealthy relationship with food?
Seeking out effective and easy strategies to stop your binge eating behaviour?
The fact that you’ve recognised there might be a problem and that you’re reading this article is an excellent sign that you’re ready to embrace healthier eating habits!
And with the 6 step-by-step techniques below, you’ll be well equipped to tackle binge eating. These techniques are actually scientifically proven to be effective in breaking the binge eating cycle.
But first, you can’t stop binge eating without understanding what it is and what’s behind the habit. So let’s get into it.
Table of Contents
What is binge eating, and what is causing it?
Put simply, binge eating is eating uncontrollably. There are two types of binge eating episodes: objective binge eating and subjective binge eating1Fairburn CG. Overcoming binge eating. London, UK: Guilford Press 2013..
With more than one in 20 people engaging in binge eating, this isn’t a problem affecting just a few.
Objective binge eating
You’re eating unusually large amounts of food (about 2,000 calories or more) in a short time frame (under two hours), and the entire episode feels like you’re just operating on autopilot.
Subjective binge eating
You’re eating what you think is an excessive amount of food but, in reality, is not objectively large. That same sense of a loss of control is still there.
Other characteristics of binge eating include:
- Feeling like you’re eating “forbidden” food – usually high calorie and very palatable.
- Eating at a much quicker rate than how you’d normally eat.
- Eating when you’re not at all physically hunger.
- Feeling pleasure during a binge, but overwhelmed with immense guilt and shame afterwards.
- Feeling a sense of secrecy to your behaviour – and you’ll go to great lengths to hide it2Grilo CM, Ivezaj V, White MA. Evaluation of the DSM-5 severity indicator for binge eating disorder in a community sample. Behaviour Research and Therapy. 2015;66:72-76..
If you’re nodding your head to these traits, you might be begging to know: what is going on here? Why do I engage in these behaviours?
Understanding the factors behind your behaviour is an important part of changing that behaviour; targeting these factors will have a “flow on” effect in reducing your binge eating episodes.
There are three broad “maintaining factors” – that is, factors that contribute to the persistence of binge eating3Fairburn CG. Cognitive behavior therapy and eating disorders. New York, NY: Guilford Press 2008.:
Shape and weight overvaluation
“Who I am depends on what I weight”
This is when you’re basing your self-worth largely on your weight or shape.
Whereas most people tend to evaluate themselves on a variety of life domains, like work performance, friendship groups, or sporting capabilities, you evaluate your self-worth largely on how much you weigh or how you perceive your body.
Such a belief system can lead to obsessive self-weighing or unrealistic social comparisons. It also encourages extreme dietary behaviours4Fairburn CG, Cooper Z, Shafran R. Cognitive behaviour therapy for eating disorders: A “transdiagnostic” theory and treatment. Behavior Research and Therapy. 2003;41:509-528..
In fact, 23% of Australian women report an overvaluation of weight and shape.
Dietary restraint
Food avoidance. Fasting. Calorie deprivation.
Sound familiar?
That’s because they represent the demanding “food rules” we apply to dictate what, when, and how much we can eat.
How do these dieting tendencies influence binge eating?
These diet rules (“avoid chocolate at all times”) are so hard to sustain long-term that when you finally break them (“oops, I ate a Kit Kat!”), you figure you may as well go the whole hog (“might as well finish off the packet and start fresh tomorrow”)5Polivy J, Herman CP. Dieting and binging: A causal analysis. American psychologist. 1985;40(2):193..
This reaction is the cause of binge eating.
The result: shame, guilt, and worthlessness.
You might be down on yourself for your lack of self-control. You might fret about the impact of a binge on your weight and body shape. So you make a conscious decision to follow your diet even harder tomorrow.
And then the cycle continues6Fairburn CG. Cognitive behavior therapy and eating disorders. New York, NY: Guilford Press 2008..
Sudden mood fluctuations
Find yourself suddenly sad? Lonely? Stressed?
These moods also have a direct impact on your binge eating behaviourr7Stice E. Risk and maintenance factors for eating pathology: a meta-analytic review. Psychological Bulletin. 2002;128:825-848..
It’s exhausting enough dealing with these strong emotions, let alone trying to maintain strict diet rules. So you give yourself a reprieve. But abandoning these rules makes you prone to disinhibited binge eating.
Not to mention, eating delicious food is a temporary mood booster. We forget briefly why we’re feeling a certain way.
But you might take it to the extreme, so we need to help you come up with more adaptive ways of coping with negative mood states (without resorting to binge eating).
6 proven steps to stop binge eating
And with that, it’s time to move into the proven steps you can take to stop your binge eating.
(If you’re looking for advice on what to do immediately after a binge eating episode, click here.)
These steps come from evidence-based cognitive-behavioural treatment manuals for binge eating, so you can follow them confident they’ll help you get into a better space.
It is better to follow the steps in order, particularly because there is good evidence to show that focusing on modifying your behaviour before your thoughts is a good determinant of future success.
Step 1: Take a step back to observe and understand your behaviour
How to do it? Without careful monitoring, it’s impossible to remember precise details. So diaries are a great idea to help you pinpoint the precise things that are going on before, during, and after a binge.
Record:
- Time and date
- What you ate – and drank
- Where you were
- Whether you viewed it as a binge
- Any other comments that may help you better understand your current eating behaviour, such as how you were feeling at the time or what your energy levels were like.
Remember, if you’re serious about this, it’s important to monitor consistently until you’ve regained control of your eating.
Monitoring will allow you to understand and identify the precise factors that are triggering your binge eating behavior. Knowing exactly what’s going on prior, during, and after a binge is one of the most important thing needed to change, because you’ll know what you need to work on in order to stop your binge eating.
If you don’t monitor, you’re going in blind, hoping to eventually address the things that are driving your binges. This is clearly inefficient!
Monitoring will set you up for quick and lasting change.
Step 2: Don’t skip your meals!
Aim to eat at least three meals and three snacks a day, no more than 3-4 hours apart.
Eating regularly combats two dangerous dieting behaviours: delaying eating (such as fasting or skipping meals) and caloric restriction (such as undereating).
Studies have shown that these two dieting behaviours can lead to many negative health outcomes, including binge eating, psychological impairment, depression symptoms, and anxiety symptoms.
Eating regularly and flexibly will help you gain more control over your eating by eliminating problematic forms of dieting, minimizing any urges to binge, and reducing your frequency of binge eating.
Plus you’ll love the sustained energy you’ll have throughout the day!
How to do it? Plan! Plan! Plan! Each night, plan and write down when you’re going to eat your meals and snacks. Don’t stress about what to eat, because the initial focus is on gaining momentum, stability, and regularity.
We’ll cover how to modify the contents of your food in Step 4.
You might want to eat based on your body signals (such as when you’re hungry). But these signals are usually disrupted in those who binge, which means you’ll find it hard to distinguish between hunger and satiety.
That said, once you’ve adopted a consistent pattern of regular eating, these cues should eventually return, making you much better able to follow a pattern of intuitive eating.
Step 3: Address your problems
Finding it tough to handle a bad situation effectively? If so, learning effective problem solving might be a good idea.
Remember, binge eating is predictable: it usually occurs either after (a) an all-or-none reaction to a dietary rule break and (b) our mood fluctuates and intensifies.
Working through these tough times effectively and healthily may help prevent these predictable binges.
How to do it? Problems can often seem overwhelming and impossible to surmount but don’t forget you’re not alone.
This may be a helpful 4-step guide to problem-solving (with an example):
-
- Identify the problem: My partner and I always fight – I’m home alone left feeling so frustrated all the time.
- Think about a range of possible solutions to the problem: I could either: eat, watch TV, go on social media, or go for a walk.
- Carefully think through each solution’s implication:
- Eat: This isn’t a good idea because, in the past, when I eat I usually overindulge to help soothe my frustration.
- Watch TV: There’s nothing really on TV at the moment, so I’ll probably get bored and have an urge to eat instead.
- Go on social media: I’m not feeling the best about myself at the moment, so jumping on Instagram and seeing other people having fun would probably worsen the situation.
- Go for a walk: A walk will remove me from temptation and well help blow off some steam.
- Pick the best solution(s) and act on it: I’m going to go for a brisk walk – 45 minutes at least!
Step 4: Accept your situation by meditation
Ever considered meditating your way through a bad mood?
If so, fantastic – meditation can be a powerful tool to help you deal with the sudden stressors and anxieties that we encounter on a day-to-day basis.
Meditation forces you to sit back, relax, and better recognize, accept and embrace the inner workings of your mind.
In other words, it prevents you from impulsively resorting to a binge (or any other destructive behavior) whenever something stressful is going on or when something doesn’t go according to plan.
So whenever you notice a sudden shift in mood states, feel an overwhelming sense of stress, or take a hit to your self-esteem, try to resort to a small session of meditation.
There are so many excellent meditation apps out there, freely available for you to download.
Do this meditation session either before or after you’ve problem solved your way through these negative experiences.
It will keep you grounded and, with enough practice, prevent the urge to binge.
Step 5: Tackle your food anxiety
Do you have tasty “forbidden foods”? Why do you have a “forbidden food” list at all? After all, no food in isolation causes weight gain.
Perhaps it’s because these foods are binge-eating trigger foods that cause you considerable grief and anxiety.
Gradual exposure to these foods and reintroducing them into your diet (in moderation) will help get rid of the anxiety around certain foods and their potential to trigger a binge.
How to do it? Create a list of your forbidden foods. Rank them in order from “most forbidden” to “least forbidden”. Slowly reintroduce the foods from the “least forbidden” list into your diet.
For example, if cereal is on your “least forbidden” food list (but you’re still concerned about eating it), put a small handful of cereal in your regular breakfast smoothie. Gradually, you’ll realise that nothing catastrophic happens if you eat the cereal.
You’ll have proven your irrational belief that eating cereal causes weight gain!
The anxiety around that food may diminish and you could start to enjoy a more rounded diet – and life!
Keep it up for the other foods until there’s no more anxiety. They won’t be a binge eating trigger for much longer.
Remember, this will take time. Don’t expect success overnight. But you will start to notice that you have less anxiety as you gradually reintroduce foods. I promise.
Step 6: Immerse yourself in joyful activities
OK, let’s move away from this intensive focus on your weight and shape to evaluate your self-worth and start looking at other aspects of your life.
If you can broaden your scope of self-evaluation by increasing the importance of other life areas, your need to diet may diminish – and with it, your binge eating episodes.
How to do it? Think about activities that make you happy, bring you joy, and that interest you.
Some examples could be….
- Competitive powerlifting
- Joining a football club
- Taking dance lessons
- Taking up yoga
- Taking up Quidditch (it IS a thing!)
- Building puzzles
Make a list of these – as long as possible. Be creative!
Which one are you going to commit to trying?
The point of these activities is to give more meaning in your life, independent of weight and/or shape cues.
Eventually, if you devote enough energy to these activities, you may start to realize what the more important things are in life. Your craving to control your weight and shape could diminish. Once it does, this will undoubtedly have a positive effect on your eating behaviour.
Moving forward
Implementing these steps will take time, so be patient. But I have every confidence that you’ll start to see improvements in your health, mental state, and lifestyle soon.
Now I’d like to turn it over to you.
What are you finding most challenging regarding your eating habits?
Let me know by leaving a comment below right now.
Lastly, be sure to check out these amazing eating disorder books to continue your educational journey.
References
Hi Dr. Jake, i just found you on the page from Danny Lenon, SIGMA nutrition, i ahve been suffering from binge eating and bulimia since i was 15 years old… now i am 43… and the episodes are stronger and more recurrent since i started to work asa personal trainer 10 years ago and since i started a keto diet and dropped around 7 kilograms of fat… i have read, and done all what you wrote and those 5 steps…
Hi Margrit,
Thanks for your insight – I can imagine the difficulties you might be facing from time to time. How did you find the steps? Was there anything in particular that you found beneficial? Remember, change takes a lot of work over some period of time. A lot of the time, we have to be patient and really make sure that these new behaviours are entrenched into our daily routine.
Would love to hear your feedback
Jake
Hey Jake, amazing post and very informative. I love the work you’re doing. Couple questions:
1. In the outset you mentioned the concern with body shape and weight. I’ve heard you talk about the bodychecking and body avoidance as well. Do you recommend people try to break these habits when they are mindful enough to do so? Say someone is constantly checking themselves in the mirror and wearing baggy clothes. Would you work with them to stop wearing baggy clothes and stop checking the mirror all the time? Or do you work on the 5th item on the list and that’s a side effect?
2. With the eating pattern, do you as the clinician help them make choices to meet their dietary needs? I’d be worried about them choosing foods/portions for their 3 meals and 3 snacks that still result in a sizable deficit.
Thank you for your time and keep up the good work.
Hi Dylan,
Thanks so much for the positive feedback!
Here’s a response to your two questions
1) This is a good question, and the answer is complex. The reason why we want to tackle body checking and avoidance is because they’re two important factors that are keeping the eating disorder symptoms going (and in particular the overvalaution of weight and shape). How we tackle this depends entirely on the individual. If self-weighing is a problem, then in therapy we want to provide supervised weight checking – no more than once a week. If body avoidance is an issue, then we use a whole host of techniques to target that, particularly body image exposure exercises and self-monitoring of body image behaviours. These are additional strategies that I haven’t included in this article, but are still indeed an important component of treatment. So, ultimately, we won’t stop the behaviours immediately; rather, we would take a gradual approach (e.g., if someone stares in the mirror for 5 minutes 10 times a day, then maybe the first week we tackle this we instruct for 8 times a day and so on). Finally, there is evidence to suggest that if we also implement step 5, then these behaviours should also decrease. The reason for this is that these body image behaviours are just expressions of underlying shape/weight concerns. If we are to directly eliminate these concerns, then these behaviours would theoretically cease.
2) At the start, we usually don’t instruct on the type or amount of food to eat. It is more about just getting into a routine of eating regularly. Then, as the person has established this pattern, the clinician usually makes some informed choices about what to eat, with a primary focus of including so-called forbidden foods. During treatment, there is also a psychoeducational component, in which the client is taught about basic nutrition, what the body needs, and how much is needed (given their height, weight, sex etc).
I hope this answers your questions, and thanks for the positive feedback!
Jake
I am a body avoider … I try to force myself to engage my body in some way everyday, either through yoga or using body cream in acts of self-care. I still avoid the most problematic areas, but at least I’m gesturing toward mindfulness. I’ve also started strength training and I find the mind muscle connection a good way to connect with the self in its physical form. Finally, fuelling for strength is a great way to reimagine food’s function.
Thanks Jake for the helpful steps. I’m new to this journey and anxious about it but I’m understanding the process which is helping.
Great way of explaining it all.
Thank you Kristina!
Best of luck with the process, and feel free to reach out should you need any guidance!
Jake
This article has been a massive help over the past month.
I’ve applied a lot of these concepts and I haven’t felt better in years.
Amazing Dr Linardon!
Great to hear Allie! Keep it up
Wow! I’m so glad I came across this when I did.
I’m really looking forward to trying these strategies out.
I did have one question I was hoping you could help me with. Is there a suggested approach for how to recover immediately after a binge?
P.S Thanks for referencing, it’s great to be able to dive into the source material.
Hi jake,
Just regarding step 4 forbidden foods. There are no foods I want to restrict except for processed sugar chocolate, candy, cakes, ice cream – I am really addicted to sugar.
My cravings are so strong, it controls my life and is quite painful living with. I can’t just have a bite of sugar and that be it so I feel I need to remove it completely. How to we get around this? Whilst overcoming BED?
Thanks,
Leila
Hi Leila,
I hear what you are saying.
A good point of reference is to start small. Perhaps you don’t need to immediately reintroduce these sugary foods right away. Rather, reintroduce those foods that are close approximation to those sugary foods. Over time, you can move up the “hierarchy” and start to reintroduce those more sugary foods that trigger you. The point is to take this process very slow. There’s no rush. Wait until you’re OK with certain foods (i.e., they don’t cause you to binge) before moving on to the next.
Hi Jake,
Thanks so much for the work you are doing (I wish it was here thirty years ago!). I have a question similar to Leila’s regarding sugary foods. I am 57 years old and up until two years ago had been in a 12 Step Program for about thirty years to treat my binge-eating disorder. For the last 10 years of that time I didn’t eat sugar and ate three meals and three snacks a day and this served me very well – I felt great and free from the the compulsion to binge. Two years ago I had to reintroduce sugar because of the influence my behaviour was having on another family member (I was beginning to become obsessive about “healthy” food) and I did this slowly. At first it was fine but now I am bingeing again. It’s taken two years. I never thought I’d see the day when this would happen again after a lifetime of working on this. It’s causing me a great deal of distress as you can imagine. I have been applying intuitive eating ideas to inform my behaviour. I’m wondering, though, if after all these years the neural pathways I have made associating some sugary foods with bingeing are just too ingrained to ever disappear and that I’m better off just not eating them at all. This is what I would like to do but what is stopping me is the nagging voice of the Intuitive Eating movement that tells me that no foods should be off limits and that if I just persist with intuitive eating I will be able to one day have a normal response to these foods (this is my interpretation of course – no-one has ever said this to me!). I am wondering if you have come across any research or have any thoughts about age and patterns of behaviour such as binge-eating changing.
I would really appreciate any insights you may have.
Kind regards,
Sally
Hi Sally,
Thanks for the message.
It sounds like a tricky situation you’re in. It also sounds like you’re in two minds about whether to incorporate sugar back into your diet. I don’t think there is a correct answer to your situation.
However, if you’re comfortable with not eating sugar and it doesn’t impact your physical, social and emotional health then that is your choice and it sounds reasonable, particularly if you’ve found yourself not binge eating as a result of this. On the other hand, if your mental health is negatively affected as a result of not consuming sugar (e.g., family issues, social isolation, mood problems, deprivation), then I would consider very slowly reintroducing sugary foods back into your life. This would have to be done at a very slow pace, taking it day by day. You know your body and health best, so this is something that you will need to consider.
We usually see that people who binge eat spontaneously recover. Unfortunately, however, we can’t yet predict with accuracy who will and will not spontaneously recover. Perhaps being proactive and getting a hold of your eating patterns really quickly is the best likelihood of long-term success.
Hope this helps
Dr Jake, this is a very interesting article. Thank you for this.
I’m a generally healthy person, having a sweet tooth but eating all in moderation. I do count my kcal. I found myself binging when I have break from counting kcal, whether it is a day or just a week off counting, I definitely eat more that week (not necessarily binging). I would normally binge in the kitchen, alone or during social gatherings when food is easily accessible. As a child I remember binging at grandma’s house as food was on display whether at home my mum would hide it away so I wouldn’t eat it all at once. Do you think I should just keep sweet on a display constantly and try to learn to control myself from eating or perhaps stop counting kcal or not having a break in counting?
Looking forward to hear from you.
Karolina
Hello!
Thank you for the message. This all depends on a variety of factors, so it can be a little difficult to make a judgement to your situation. In general, counting calories can become problematic because it has potential to elicit a pattern of black-and-white, obsessive thinking around food. This might explain why it is easy to binge during periods of calorie counting. It is not a good idea to avoid certain foods, because the more we try to avoid something we enjoy, the more chance we are going to crave it and seek it out. It is generally a good idea to include as many different foods into your lifestyle as possible, because this may reduce the physiological and psychological deprivation experienced.
I hope this helps with your situation
Regards,
Jake
Thank you for this free help first of all. Mt problem is that I just est and eat. Then I try to cut back and panic when an event comes up and how I won’t “have fun” if I can’t eat like everyone else. I gained 50 lbs this past year. The worst I have ever been I I feel I have no control. I’m gonna try this and pray it helps.
Hi Jake,
What if I have already introduced my ‘forbidden foods’ back into my diet, like sweets? I was doing that before I found this website. I do feel out of control with them, so should I maybe omit them, and only start with adding least forbidden foods to my diet now? But wouldn’t that be a form of restriction if I want to eat a sweet, and instead can only reintroduce things like cereal and white bread at first? I just want to make sure that I don’t feel restricted in any way, but I also hate the way sweets take over my life, and trigger emotional eating.
Thank you!
Hi Deena,
Thanks for your message.
The important point to note is that you might want to take it slow. For this technique to work, the person might need to start off with the “least forbidden” or “least feared” first and gradually reintroduce this food back into your daily diet so that it no longer causes angst or anxiety. Once you realize that any negative feelings/thoughts have disappeared as a result of you consuming this food, then you can move onto another food on your list.
While it may still feel like you’re “restricting” certain foods, the problem with not taking this graded approach (and instead allowing yourself to eat all of these forbidden foods) is that it can cause someone to feel out of control while also introducing a sense of chaos. Doing it slowly and carefully has been shown to be most effective. It does take a lot of time, but once you’ve moved up the list and you find that none of those foods cause you grief, then it will be all worth it, and your relationship with food will have improved as a result.
I hope this helps.
Regards,
Jake
Hi Jake,
Is it normal to have all the symptoms of bulimia and not telling anyone even family members?
As I always binge eat without anyone seeing me.
Can you please tell me what to do?
Thanks in advance.
Hi Lana,
This is very normal. It’s actually more common for people not to tell anyone about their bulimia nervosa symptoms for a prolong period of time. In fact, one of the hallmark features of binge eating is that it’s done in secret due to feelings of shame, embarrassment, and disgust.
There’s good evidence showing that social support protects against the various symptoms of bulimia nervosa. For this reason, it may be appropriate for people fighting the illness to let significant others know about it. Their support, guidance, and encouragement can help people recover from the illness. I understand that it can be scary to disclose this information, but the evidence does show that disclosure is better for recovery than secrecy.
If you do intend to disclose to family members, it might be worth planning how you’ll tell them. It’s OK to omit some information you don’t want to share, but it could be important to let them know of the struggles you’re dealing with.
Hope this helps.
Jake
Hi Jake,
These steps are almost exactly the same as taught in CBT but you explain them in a much better way!
I find myself completely stuck both physically and mentally when I try to implement any changes, especially anything around food. I have been bulimic/anorexic for for almost 15 years now and as much as I want recovery the fear of my body changing holds me back and sabotages me every time I try.
What advice would you have to stop myself in that moment where I have made one step forward but I am forced, by either weight gain or fluid shifts, to take 5 steps backwards.
Whilst it may not sound like a huge deal, the immense fear of weight completely terrifies me and holds me back from making any changes. I really dont want this to be the case anymore!
Any advice would be great.
Sorry for the very long comment!
Hi Zen,
Thanks so much for the feedback! I’m glad you feel like they’re explained well in this article 🙂
Fear of weight gain is a very common experience in people with eating problems, and because the belief is usually so entrenched, it takes a while to address. If you’ve found that this fear is a barrier for you to make lasting, positive changes, then probably the best approach moving forward is to see a therapist who can help unpack this fear and help you to resolve it. Sometimes, self-help steps are not enough to address such entrenched fears, and what is instead needed is an expert who can step you through the process.
I hope this offers some additional insight, but keep working hard to make improvements!
Jake
Hi Jake
I think all these ideas make sense. I practice them .And all is going well when suddenly I start bingeing. It’s hard to get back on track . I try not be restrictive but I still go back to bingeing. I am getting discouraged. This is not how I want to live my life. I do think recent events both personal and world wide have increased my stress and therefore my bingeing. Any other suggestions greatly appreciated.
Hi Shelley,
It is very common to experience some slight lapses, but the important point to note is that you should get back on track as soon as you recognize this. As a starting point, check out my article on “what to do after a binge”
Dr. Linardon,
I have had periods of binge eating my whole adult life since puberty. I have been a size 20 and a size 4 several times each in my life. I am 57 year old female. I was a size 4 and weighed 135 pounds on May 9th 2019, when my partner died suddenly of a heart attack/heart failure. I now weigh 206 pounds. I used to work out 3 times a week. I even lifted weights and did pushups. I know that the sudden death of your soulmate is a hard thing to get through, but I just can’t stop eating until it hurts. I mean it really hurts and I don’t know why I do it. I have six children and 13 grandchildren and I love them dearly. It’s like a relief and a punishment all wrapped up in one. I don’t know how to stop. I am not stopping myself from eating anything. I am not forbidden any food. I eat what I want. But if I open a container of cookies, I have to eat all of them. I consider myself happy. I am not depressed. I have come to terms with his death. I miss him and I always will, but I don’t understand this.
This article and all of these comments have been extremely helpful. I am a lot like Sally. I was also in 12 step food recovery. I didn’t eat sugar for two years but relapsed in the worst way. Restriction just doesn’t work for me, but I know soda and sweets and fatty floury food can be so addictive to me. I like the idea of removing the anxiety around it and just do small portions or none at all. Do what works, but removing the anxiety is key I think. Maybe restricting worked once in my life, but I need a more balanced point of view now.
Thank you so much for your helpful advice. I just got off of a very strict diet and have binged almost every day since (its been 2 weeks now). Ive felt awful and guilty every day and can’t even bring myself to go to the gym because of it. But Ive been eating whatever i want since quitting the diet so I don’t know how I would incorporate the step of starting to have my least forbidden foods first since ive been having so much of everything, all at once. Do you have any advice for this?
Also, do you recommend having that forbidden food more than once a day when trying to incorporate it back into the diet? What would the other meals/foods look like around that, should it be all healthy “clean” foods?
Thank you so much.
Hi Angelique,
Thank you for your message. I think the point of the exposure exercise it to take it slow and at a pace that suits you. At the start, it might be a good idea to only have a forbidden food once per day to avoid any extreme anxiety. Once you’ve felt like you’re OK with this once per day and your anxiety has dissipated, then you may increase the frequency or amount eaten. You want to get to a point where you’re anxiety levels are almost non-existent when faced with these foods. Just note that it will take a while, but this is necessary.
Regards,
Jake
This really showed my traits and was really helpful but Can I still fast depending on my body type, do you think it is healthy?
Hi Dabbie,
Fasting is generally not a good idea in the context of mental health. It is one of the dieting strategies that is most strongly related to binge eating and other problems. This has been demonstrated in numerous research studies.
Regards,
Jake
My issue is that I’m slowly, but surely, killing myself. I’m a type 2 diabetic, partly because of genetics and mostly because of Binge Eating. I’ve been binge eating for 11 years now – I’m 22. That’s half my life.
Recently, I’ve been binging and then purging by not taking my insulin, as it can cause weight gain. Recently, my blood sugar was 31.2mmol/L because I hadn’t taken insulin for several days while binging. I’ll be honest, I’m shocked I didn’t end up in hospital.
I’ve decided to ring my diabetes clinic tomorrow to discuss this, and to also ring an eating disorder helpline.
Hi Han,
Thank you for sharing your story. I am sorry that you’re dealing with these struggles. You are doing an excellent thing in asking for help. Not many people are willing to do this.
Hi Dr. Jake,
I am just exhausted because I think about weight and food and eating all day, every day. My weight fluctuates constantly, as much as 10 lbs in a few weeks. Then I get scared and try to get back to healthier habits. Inevitably, I end up bingeing again and I give up. It feels like it has to be all or nothing. I can’t find balance. My self-worth is entirely dependent on my weight. This adds to my depression, which leads to more compulsive eating. I feel like I have tried every dietary, psychological and physiological strategy in the world, with no luck. I just can’t keep going like this, decade after decade. I know I would do better if I had more going on in my life, but I have a very small threshold between being bored and being completely overwhelmed, which creates more anxiety. I feel very broken and beyond repair. I am not sure how to go forward.
Thank you for your online resources and any encouragement you can offer.
Amy
Hi Amy,
Thank you for sharing your story. I am sorry that you are going through all this, but just note that you’re not alone. I think it’s an excellent start that you’ve started searching for self-help material. It is the first and most fundamental step. Please do let me know how you are going after you’ve implemented the steps and strategies.
I wish you all the best.
Regards,
Jake
When I get a little down on myself I tend to binge eat.. I ate 2 hotlinks. then I made 2 peanut butter and jelly sandwichs..and raisins..it’s like I can’t stop my self from eating..sometimes and 2 cups of water..what should I do?
Hi Aaron,
Try to follow the 6 steps in this article. They are designed to help with the situation you’ve described.
Regards,
Jake
Dear Dr Jake,
Since November, and after 10 years plus with absolutely zero issues about food and/or weight, I find myself unexpectedly relapcing in a cycle of Binge Eating/Purge. I am now 41 and totally confused. I tried to investigate what happened. In November 2020 I adhered to some 30-day meal plan in order to solve some persevering physical issues such as low energy, heavy brain fog, mood swigs and sleep issues. I had the feelings those were triggered by hormonal shifts (turning 40) and by my “lazy” eating habits (I don’t like cooking so I live on what is easily at reach, but still quite a “clean and healthy”).
Once I adhered I discovered it was a Keto food plan with 3 days of Intermittent Fasting (16/8) based on healthy fats (olive oils, avvocado, seeds, cottage cheese, yogurt, …), 80/100 g proteins, 80/100g vegetable carbs (broccoli, spinach, bell peppers, tomatoes…). I was eating more then before (I realised my diet was quite poor in terms of variety of nutrients and portions to that point) and cutting of carbs (rice, pasta, grains) and refine carbs (bread, cookies, …) were no big issue as I used to have them occasionally. This plan immediately and completely solved the problems mentioned earlier and I lost 3 kg in 01 month which was a bonus as I did not adhere to loose weight.
Though, I do remember that on week 3 the “expected” cravings they had “prepared us for” severely kicked in. They explained it as “Candida Dying”. I braced myself and worked through that although it was really tough. In that week and for a couple more. I did notice I was eating my planned meals and snacks much more voraciously, at a much higher speed. It was surprising to me but I did not give it too much weight. In that phase food became an obsession to the point I was spending my time looking at cooking videos on YouTube. Something I had never done in my life. Literally like a drug addict.
Another thing I noticed is I never felt satiated which was something I was accustomed to as my body naturally signalling me that it had had enough food intake. That “cue” disappeared completely with keto, I was, so to speak, neither hungry nor full. Feeling always “empty”.
I think that, or something around that, knocked me off balance and the trouble kicked in a month later, in December, and has since increased. It is now 03 months. I need to reverse this as it is quite “fresh”, eventhough I have suffered from Bulimia Nervosa as a young adult. I tried to follow the 03 meals + 03 snacks but it is difficult because it takes my mind back to food (food obsessione) so many times a day. Before that I used to kind of skip breakfast (no time!) and have 02 meals, snacks rarely. So, without knowing it I was already doing some sort of Intermittent Fasting. That’s why doing that meal plan was no big issue for me.
1) can you confirm the keto meal plan with IF triggered the relapse?
2) can I as a habit just eat lunch + afternoon snack + dinner; I feel I manage better my food obsession and can focus on other stuff, ie life?
3) can I reverse this easily as it is “fresh”? Stupid question!
In the present moment it is absolutely impossible for me to deal with certain foods (chocolate, cookies, bread, pizza,…) without blowing the whole pack. Even if I force myself to NOT purchase or HAVE them.
If they are not available I will keep searching for other foods to “satiate” that crave: cheese, yogurt, … like if my brain had to fill in that “carb” void.
Before November and 10+ years prior I could have 2-3 cookies, a couple buns, and naturally stop and feel satiated.
I will follow your 5 steps, and purchase one of the self help books you recommend.
Thanks for your kind feedback.
Hello Sophie,
Thank you for sharing. It is difficult to answer these questions without knowing precisely your circumstances. However, what I will say is that (1) a regimented meal plan like the ketogenic diet can certainly put someone at risk for binge eating and related problems given the strict and extreme nature of such diets; (2) your timing of meals needs to be suited to your lifestyle — you just want to avoid going long periods of time without eating (e.g., > 4 hours) because we know through systematic observation that such delayed eating patterns are major binge triggers; (3) yes, it is possible to reverse this. The beauty of your situation is that you’ve caught it early. Now it’s time to act!
I hope this helps.
Regards,
Jake
After a turbulent 2 years of marriage breakdown my husband and I parted at the start of the pandemic lockdown. During the first part of the breakdown my weight dropped by a stone and I felt very happy and comfortable in my new body, despite being devastated by the break up. This was the 2nd time in my life when long (18-19) year marriages had ended due to my husband wishing to leave me. . My self worth was obviously low.
Suddenly living alone in a shutdown world was difficult, and slowly but surely I did begin to binge eat, firstly slowly in the evenings when feeling alone really kicked in.
I had turned to binge eating in the past but having been in a happy place for so long had never thought it would be a problem that would return. During the last year the binge or over eating has slowly escalated. I have now regained most of the weight I had been so pleased to lose and find my mind obsessively at times filled with food and what I will eat. I do feel out of control.
Recently my husband has moved nearer to me and we have a good mutually supportive relationship, plus I have many good friends, so should be feeling better. I have hobbies quilt making, knitting etc which I enjoy but seem to be in this binging rut.
I tried some weeks ago to follow the guidance you have given but gave up. Today I plan to start again. Some problems never seem to go away as I am 71 years old now! Thankfully apart from my secret eating problem fairly fit and healthy.
Thank you for sharing your story, Gail. I do appreciate it, and many people I’m sure will resonate with it. I do encourage you to give 100% effort to those strategies listed. While sometimes we can feel like we “fail”, it’s always important to pick yourself up and try harder the next time. The more repetition, practice, and motivation, the better the likelihood of stopping these harmful patterns.
I wish you the best of luck.
Well I’m pretty fkd then. You mention judging yourself by work, friends, sports. Well I have none of those in my life nor any family. Food is my ONLY friend and comfort. Nearly disabled by the weight gain now. I honestly don’t see a way out, no energy to even try, it’s all so hopeless and overwhelming, this is the definition of living in hell.
Thank you for sharing Kate. There are multiple things to evaluate yourself on – not just work, friends or sport. It can be very helpful to take up a new hobby to help with this. Baby steps are important. Please do take the time to visit our help page if this is required.
Hi, I have a question. Is there a length of time you need to spend on each step? I have tried this before with another CBT program and stayed in step one for two weeks, this actually made me binge more because in my head it gave me a green light to “go for it” because I was tracking. My binges went haywire and I just couldn’t handle it. I then gave up and went back to a 12 step program because cutting out these foods was a lot easier It made no sense for me to do it like that. I am now in the depths of a binge that has been going on for around 5 months now. Turning 50 next year means I do not want the rest of my life to be about bingeing. However because my binges have and are affecting my health, nearly 2 stone put back on, joints are hurting, I feel ill. part of me just thinks return to a 12 step. So I am confused a bit to say the least. Just want to be healthy
Is it okay to start planning to eating regular now and use the food monitoring sheets, rather than waiting until I have a few under my belt? Got to at least try rather than just fully give in to this?
And with regarding of bringing back certain foods into your diet at what point do you do this, do you wait for a while before this happens, at what stage do you know when the time is right?
Thank you so much.
Hi Sara
There isn’t a particular “rule” for progressing through the steps. We usually say that you’re good to progress through the steps if you feel like you’ve mastered the particular strategy. It’s important not to rush through any of the steps though.
I would think that it would be very helpful to implement the monitoring and regular eating, regardless of how you’re currently tracking.
In terms of reintroducing “forbidden” foods, we usually suggest that it’s a good idea to implement this step after you’ve got the hang of your regular eating schedule. Try not to change too much too quick. Only you will know when you’re truly ready to implement a new step.
I hope this helps.
Regards
Jake
Hi! I appreciate your article. I can tell you’ve spent a lot of time understanding the issue on all its levels.
I had a few questions I’m hoping we can have a conversation about.
first, I saw a little typo in your article: “You’ll have proven your irrational belief that eating cereal causes weight gain!” I think you meant to say have disproven? hehee
second, my issue with binging.. ugh, feeling hopeless. One thing is that my binging is not and was not due to restriction (it was due to trauma), so the whole diet thing isn’t a trigger/cause. I don’t focus on weight, either, so I don’t relate to those 3 circles of the binge cycle in your article… My binge cycle might based on opportunity, pleasure, habit, and emotional distress.
However, I do feel the physical effects from binging on certain foods. Specifically dairy makes my nose stuffed and high amounts of processed sugar gives me yeast infections, makes me moody and triggers migraines. I’m starting to think it’s why my knee hurts sometimes, too (my doctor said it causes inflammation). So… I think that if I didn’t binge that a tiny amount of these foods would be fine. But I’m not sure, because if them in large amounts harms my body so much, maybe them in small amounts still has an negative effect on my health, but under the noticeable threshold? I’m curious your thoughts on simply restricting some foods completely? But my main question is how do you stop a binge mid-eating. My problem is stopping eating. I can eat a little and it doesn’t matter if it is cake or stir-fry, I will eat until it is gone and i feel out of control. What can i say to myself or do differently that will allow myself to eat a normal amount, then stop. I do not have a fullness signal (probably too many years of bulimia?) and I feel sick and awful as consequence, but they are delayed, like a few hours or the next morning, so my brain doesn’t associate the sick/stuffed with the pleasure of eating… I try meditating, journaling, podcasts, everything… I feel like it all works when not in the moment, then in the moment those tools don’t work and the binge frog (as I call him) takes over. Eck, losing hope, please help with any thoughts that come to mind! Thanks so much!
Hello
I struggle with binge/compulsive eating episode’s everyday for four years now.
What strategy’s can I do to rewire this automatic habbit .?
Hi Jake,
I’ve read the article and it does address a lot of my problems…… o tend to binge eat everyday few months that I think it has became a routine which sort of stresses me out… I am not overweight nor am I underweight now as preciously I suffered from anorexia nervosa and had lost a dramatic amount of weight. That enabled me to have the ‘freedom’ of eating without having to worry about being overweight… despite not feeling the need to eat nor do I particularly like to eat any type of food, I have the tendency to think that I should be eating ( when I was severely underweight and everyone encouraged me to eat more) But now that I’m at a normal weight…..gaining back these weight in such short period of time and still not being able to stop the urge to get food or just to chew sometime from the second I wake up to the second I get to bed…. I am worried if this continues…. I might become overweight….
I had been conscious about food and restricting myself from oily or high calorie food. At this time I was also binge eating but on low calorie food so my weight didn’t gain much… but ever since I open up to different food ….( not to say high in calories but just what everyone normally eat) I’ve been gaining weight as I BINGE 🙁
I tried going back to the restricting idea but it worsen to eating both low calorie n normal calorie food…..
I tried not to think about food when I’m not hungry but now i think that my body is a little ‘damage’ I feel bloated all the time when I have not eaten anything and even after. Sometimes I think it’s due to constipation but after going to the washroom , it feels better however within 5 mins i feel bloated again( somewhat like my stomach is empty so I have the tendency to reach out for food) and the cycle repeats….
I am really in a dilemma right now and this is stressing me out…. I hope you would be able to help me or suggest something
Thanks in advance
Hi Jake,
Thanks so much for your work in this area. I first started binge-eating when I was 11years old and am now almost 59. Since the age of 28 my journey to recovery has taken me on many different paths and I’m still learning so much. I’m so glad that research has finally been undertaken that can help us recover as there was very little around when I first started looking for help.
I wanted to comment on your statement above:
“This is when you’re basing your self-worth largely on your weight or shape.
Whereas most people tend to evaluate themselves on a variety of life domains, like work performance, friendship groups, or sporting capabilities, you evaluate your self-worth largely on how much you weigh or how you perceive your body.”
I’ve found the concept of self-worth and it’s relation to body perception fundamental to recovery. I also believe it is important to place the responsibility for body dysmorphic ideas on society rather than the individual. It is not our fault we don’t like our bodies. When our body doesn’t conform, we are told they are disgusting and we have to change them (the “Obesity Epidemic” case in point). I disagree with your statement that “…most people tend to evaluate themselves on a variety of domains…[but] you evaluate your self-worth largely on how much you weigh or how you perceive your body.” As I see it MOST people evaluate themselves on their body but those people live with the privilege of conforming to the ridiculous societal ideal of a certain body shape don’t have to judge themselves negatively and consequently place strict restrictions on their eating. This statement only serves to make us feel like we’ve stuffed up again when our only crime is, for a variety of reasons, to have a body that doesn’t conform to an unrealistic ideal (and that would be healthy if only society stopped hounding us to change it).
Until we address weight stigma at a societal level I believe we will continue to have the problem of binge eating and other eating disorders. Therefore activism to change weight stigma in western culture is fundamental to reducing the prevalence of eating disorders. Until we no longer believe that “fat” is the worse thing that can happen to us, eating disorders will prevail.
Kind regards,
Hi Jake
Thanks for your research and free information.
Do you know of any inpatient clinics to treat BED!
Kind Regards
Glad to hear it’s of use.
I might be able to assist if there’s a specific area/state you have in mind?
Great Article and site Jake . I have accepted i do have a binge eating problem. I’m actually in very good shape and pretty healthy . My issue is i have one day (Sunday) which i don’t even consider my “cheat day” that no matter what i do or where I’m at i always end up over eating on that day . The problem is in my head now and has become mental. Even after going all day being out not eating too much when i get home alone i have what i consider a “food attack” and can’t stop it and boom I’ve over eaten once again . Any advice would be great on how to break the cycle i can’t seem too .
Thanks for the information. I feel extra ashamed of my binge eating when I’ve studied CBT in my Masters of Counselling and feel I should know better. Taking your suggestion, I started writing down what I ate even though it was the last thing I wanted to face. But unsurprisingly, it felt better to face my behaviour and gave me confidence that I can indeed change. I’m going to keep journaling on my journey to gain control over my eating.
Thank you for the information
Im still trying to figure my eating patterns but im not entirely sure its binge eating. I find comfort in having meals that are to my liking
however since i have narcissistic guardians i can neither have my comfort food or i can cook so i find myself having junk everyday along with the home cooked meal and end up overeating and gain a lot of weight in short period.
this has gone out of control especially since i got into a long distance relationship and started alienating myself. Even though i do workout i still cannot get it under control.
Is there anything that u can suggest specifically for this situation ?