The Relationship between Binge Eating and Restriction

It’s tempting to restrict or skip meals in an effort to counteract what you ate the day before, but restriction of food will only fuel disordered eating, keeping you stuck. 

I remember being consumed with having to  make up for something I did wrong, whether it be a binge, eating a “bad” or forbidden food, going over my calories or macros for the day, or even missing a workout. My mind would spin thinking, 

“I’m going to skip breakfast”

“I’m only allowed to eat…”

“No carbs today”

“More cardio everyday this week”

Little did I know that this mentality was only setting the stage for another binge and the heavy feelings of shame and guilt to follow, which only continued to fuel my eating disorder.

And for many of you who have spent a good amount of your life restricting food, either through dieting or an eating disorder, you’ll understand that overtime that window between being “good” and bingeing (subjectively or objectively), gets narrower and narrower; ramping up the obsession and feelings of being out of control around food.

And it’s not due to a lack of willpower or discipline, it’s simply because our minds and bodies’ rebel against our trying to control them through restriction. 

Bingeing is a natural and adaptive response to real or even perceived physical or emotional deprivation.

Because our bodies have evolved to survive, they view restriction as threatening and as a result, often trigger a binge or loss of control around food. Therefore, it’s essential to challenge and ultimately eliminate any restriction, as part of recovery from binge eating.

The only way to break the cycle is to change it

Repetitive behaviors create habits and the longer we act upon those habits, the more we reinforce them. So, no matter what you ate yesterday, in order to interrupt this loop, not only do you have to eat today, but you have to eat food, ideally food you enjoy, consistently throughout each day. If this feels overwhelming, that’s okay, you can work up to it. Remember, one step at a time.

Skipping breakfast or starting your day off with a hardboiled egg, when what you really want is a piece of toast with peanut butter and banana, is like pulling back a bow and arrow. You can hold that tension for a little while, but eventually that arrow is going to fly hard and fast in the opposite direction.

Old ways don’t open new doors

But boy, are we good at convincing ourselves, “this time will be different.” While it will feel challenging and even counterproductive at first- “You want me to eat breakfast after I binged last night?!” It is essential to your recovery, freedom, and peace of mind. 

Warmly,

Lindsey