There are many reasons why this may be happening to you. Today we will cover ONE of them... the gosh darn, uncomfy, pesty "binge and restrict" cycle.
Inside my food freedom online course, I go in depth on how to break free from this exact feeling of "no control" around food without it feeling too scary and overwhelming. If you are not quite ready to join us... here is an overview of what you can do right now.
What Is the 'Binge & Restrict Cycle?'
Do you restrict yourself by counting calories or eliminating food groups (i.e. bread, dairy, etc.)? Do you ever slip into that "screw it" mindset when you go over your "prescribed" amount of calories and eat to an uncomfortable fullness. Maybe you think to yourself, "I already messed up today, so I might as well eat it all now and start over tomorrow."
This is essentially that “binge-restrict” cycle. This binge can vary from mild to extreme, but either way, when you feel like you've lost control and cannot stop its so uncomfortable and extremely frustrating. I have been right there with ya. 9 PM rolled around and I was eating anything and everything in sight.
But I Don’t Restrict Myself with Calories?
Try asking yourself this question again, are you sure you are not restricting yourself? Maybe you are not counting calories. Perhaps you keep certain foods out of the house to avoid wanting them.
This is still restriction and commonly another trigger for a binge. We feel that if we keep something (i.e. ice cream, bread) out of the house, we won't want or think about them. However, when we deprive ourselves of something, we create an even stronger desire for it compared to if we just gave ourselves permission to have it. Our brain is wired this way. Think of it like this; You tell a child they cannot have the lollipop at the candy store. They're now probably going to think about that darn lollipop all day long.
This isn’t to say you should eat every single candy all day long, that probably wouldn't feel good. However, giving yourself permission to have a food when you want it instead of depriving yourself of it ironically leads to you wanting that food less often or in smaller quantities. This is because you no longer have that "all or nothing, now or never" mindset around it.
Before Giving Yourself Permission…
I get it... having trigger foods in the house is easier said than done. That is why we want to work on your hunger and fullness first. This will allow you to make decisions for yourself on whether or not it would even feel good to even be consuming food at any given moment.
Start Small… Eat *Enough* Breakfast
I will go into depth on hunger and fullness in another blog post. However, here is a brief overview of what you can start with now.
You want to be sure you are eating consistent, balanced meals and snacks throughout the day. Balanced meals include carbs, fat, protein and adding something that gives you satisfaction (croutons on a salad, pickles on a sandwich, etc).
Start by eating breakfast. This doesn't have to be at a certain time every day or some boujee looking plate. Just something each morning to let your body know food is available and it can tell you when it is hungry/not hungry. You don't want to overwhelm yourself, so we won't bring your trigger foods into the house yet (trust me, I did this... did not end pretty).
Continue eating the foods that you are comfortable with and that don't give you anxiety. This process is going to slowly tell your body, "Hey, you can let me know when you are hungry and I will honor that again."
This is foundational for when we work through your trigger foods. Your body will have learned to send you hunger and fullness cues to avoid that “all or nothing, eat it while I have it” mindset because you will have found that sweet, comfy spot with fullness and learned that overeating does not feel good.
As you begin to eat breakfast, reflect on how this makes you feel later in the evening. Are you more satisfied and fell less inclined to binge? Are you needing more food to feel full throughout the day? What breakfast foods feel good to your body and which do not? Do you have more energy? Again, this reflection process will set you up nicely for when we work through your trigger foods.
But Eating Breakfast Everyday Sounds Triggering To Me…
If eating breakfast is triggering for you or you are used to skipping breakfast due to intermittent fasting (gosh another good blog post - I better get to writing), this step may still feel too overwhelming. No worries… I totally get it, I felt this way too.
What I want you to do is try eating a smaller, simple breakfast 1 or 2 times a week. Maybe start with just fruit, then add toast, then maybe some eggs. Reflect on this experience; how do you feel on days you eat breakfast versus the days you don't? Are there any noticeable patterns? Are you thinking about food less on the days you start your day with breakfast?
There is no right or wrong way to go about this process. You are just simply collecting data on what feels good to you. Inside my Food Freedom online course, I guide you deeper through this process and how to find what feels comfortable at your own pace.
Let’s get ya out of that gosh darn, uncomfy, life-sucking restrict and binge cycle.
Remember, you have already taken the hardest step; deciding to seek food freedom for yourself…
you are a ROCKSTAR and you 100% got THIS. :)
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