How to Stop from Binge Eating aka Notes to Self

I barely miss a day at the gym. It has become a habit, a lifestyle. But how come I don’t see the progress I expect? On some cases, just like today; my body seems to be in it’s worse form than before. Why?

Written a lot of articles on different diets, from fads to what actually works. I never got the courage to admit that I am a failure because no matter how much I wrote about eating right.

One emotional meltdown and I’m back to where I started. Binging on milk tea, donuts, iced lattes, and other emotionally satisfying sugar. Turning it into an endless unhealthy cycle.

 

How do you stop yourself from binge eating?

One of my favorite FB groups that I visit is Macros Inc. 

Sure most admins can be harsh critiques, but they give honest feedback that actually helps you progress. Just like the post they shared before (and I wished it was sticky):

Help! I can’t seem to stop eating today!

No, not me, but I want to help you troubleshoot.

I think most of us have had these days, the days when you’re starving and seem to not be able to stop stuffing your face. It happens, here are some reasons why. If you can think of a reason I missed, post it in the comments and we can find a solution!

1) Sleep

when we’re low on energy from sleep, it’s not uncommon to want to get ALL the energy from food. Not getting enough sleep also makes it harder to make good choices about your nutrition. It can reduce your willpower and lower your resistance to those hyper palatable foods that you have stashed in your cupboard. Solution? Make sleep a priority. Every day. Try for at least 6 hours, 7 is better. A nap can help, but generally you won’t make up for only getting 4 hours of sleep with a 30 minute nap. Drink a caffeinated beverage, and walk away from the fridge.

2) Stress

many people (some lucky ones escape) respond to stress by craving comfort food, again, those hyper palatable goodies will SURELY make you feel so much better, right? Unfortunately not. Food isn’t going to make your emotional or mental state any better, it isn’t going to fix your problem, it will probably just leave you with added frustration on top of the stress you were already dealing with. Solution?

Recognise that food won’t fix your issue, walk away from the fridge, seek alternate ways to relieve stress. Take a bath, go for a walk, journal, exercise, read a book, play with a dog, call a friend, call a therapist. Chew gum, drink something zero calorie, take a nap.

3) Poor food choices

if I choose to eat a 700 Calorie Costco muffin for breakfast (I can make it fit and probably most of us have done something similar at some point in time) I’ve just used up almost HALF of my calories on something that, let’s be honest, didn’t fill me up. On these days, I’m invariably STARVING all day long, and I have such a hard time saying no to the tasty things. Solution? High volume foods.

On most days, I eat between 800-1000g of fruits and veggies. That’s a ton of volume, and in addition to the very satiating effect of protein, is plenty to keep me full with a few hundred calories left at the end of the day for something fun. EYFV. If you’re struggling with hunger, look at your food choices.

 

4) Binge Eating Disorder

when you are not hungry but you keep eating, and eating, and eating, far past the point of feeling full, all the way to feeling sick or beyond. Solution? Please, PLEASE, ask for help. Stop feeling like a failure because you can’t stop. Meet with a therapist, work with them to get the the root of the issue. Trying to lose weight without addressing the binging issue is like trying to put air in a blown out tire. You need to fix the tire before you can achieve what you need to achieve.

5) Shark week

all women have been there. Those few days leading up to that time when we’re SO HUNGRY that everything (especially the carby, chocolate things) sounds AMAZING.

Solution:

• a) higher volume foods to leave room for a pre-logged treat
• b) go to maintenance for those few days.

Don’t stop tracking, but it’s better to go to maintenance and get relief than it is to go all out on the fridge and eat in a glorious, delicious surplus and undo another week’s work.

6) Diet fatigue

 you’ve been dieting successfully but it’s suddenly become SO HARD to stay on track. You start sneaking bites, licks, and tastes. Your energy is gone, gym sessions suck. Solution? It’s time for a diet break. Taking 7-14 days at maintenance can help with the physical and mental fatigue of dieting. It’s better to pause your journey, get your mental and physical energy back, and THEN continue than it is to suffer, get nowhere, and then give up entirely. Give yourself some grace, take a tracked diet break.

 

Final Thoughts

I’ve been trying to track my macros and estimate counts of whatever I’m eating but instead, I obsess, I stop, and I binge. It’s not healthy mentally, emotionally, or spiritually. Should I blame my bipolar disorder? Partly. I should have control over my body, because this is the only one I have. 

All I desire is not really losing weight, or losing fat. I want to stop eating too much shitty food. It’s that simple. The perfect 80/20 balance. 80% good clean eats, 20% trash. Not the other way around.

After writing this article, I hope with the next one, it would be progress for all of us. How about you? What are your fitness goals?