Question: How do I stop binge eating? Answer: Read this blog!
In this Q&A series, I am striving to answer difficult questions in a short, easy to consume format. None of those long winded fluffy blogs that dance around the answer. So here goes.
Answer: So how do I stop binge eating? 90% of knowing how do I stop binge eating comes from knowing what causes binge eating in the first place. The short answer to that is evolution and diets.
When you diet, your brain perceives that there is a lack of food. Our reptilian subconscious brain, which is responsible for doing things to keep us alive, like breathing, also acts automatically when it perceives a time of famine.
During a famine, our reptilian brain naturally makes us really hungry (and slows our metabolism, which affects our ability to lose weight).
The important point here is that your reptilian brain is simply trying to keep you alive. It doesn't know any better because from restricting foods and dieting, it believes that it has to consume as much food as possible to survive.
The key then to knowing how to stop binge eating is to recognise that our reptilian brain is separate from our developed human brain. Whereas our reptilian brain might be screaming to binge, our human brain will be resisting this urge. Maybe you've experienced this, where you feel a compulsive need to binge, but at the same time don't want to because you know how it will make you feel afterwards.
Having two competing thoughts in a scientific sense is called "eco-dystonic", and it shows that your reptilian brain is somewhat "separate" to your human brain. Or at the very least, it means that you can choose whether to listen to your reptilian brain or your human brain.
Putting this into practice means recognising and accepting that your reptilian brain is simply trying to keep you alive. There is nothing wrong with you if you have an urge to binge, your brain is functioning as it should considering it's perceived famine/lack of food. Rather than trying to fight the urges, it's better to acknowledge and accept them for what they are.
Restricting foods also puts them up on a pedestal, making them more appealing and can also lead to binge eating disorder. To stop binge eating, you must remove restrictions and include all foods.
To learn more details and specific techniques about how to stop binge eating, download your free guide to stop binge eating now. In it I share in more depth why you binge eat and exactly how to stop binging with specific, actionable steps to help you stop binge eating instantly.
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