Binge eating? Three Questions to Ask Yourself from a Binge Eating Therapist.

Struggling with binge eating? Having more urges to binge since COVID hit? Or, has it always been there, lurking in the background, ready to pounce when you’re feeling especially tired, stressed, or overwhelmed? It’s so hard to deal with binge eating in San Diego and elsewhere. Regardless of whether you meet the criteria for binge eating disorder or just grapple with binge eating every once in a while, it really sucks. Sure, there may be initial relief and numbing out from stress, but after a while discomfort, guilt, and shame can set in, which is so challenging. To help you figure out what to do if you struggle with binge eating, I’ve outlined three questions to ask yourself to get you on your way.

Question #1: Am I eating enough throughout the day?

A lot of times people with binge eating think that they need to eat less, when in fact they may need to eat more. From a physiological standpoint, binge eating can result from being undernourished. Being undernourished means that you’re restricting food in some way, often during certain parts of the day. It could be restricting the number of calories you eat, or restricting the types of food you eat.

The vast majority of binges occur after 3p. Sometimes binge eating is a continuation of a meal or an after-school/after-work/after-dinner snack. Sometimes binge eating is a separate occurrence. Sometimes it even happens in the middle of the night (AKA “night eating”).

Whenever binge eating happens, it can trigger a lot of distress.

Eating more frequently throughout the day can ensure that you are properly nourished by the time you reach late afternoon/evening. Many of the eating disorder dietitians in San Diego with whom I work suggest the “rule of threes,” which means three meals and three snacks: Breakfast (eaten within 1 hour of waking up), mid-morning snack, lunch, mid-afternoon snack, dinner, and after-dinner snack.

Spreading out your food intake during the time you’re awake can (a) stabilize blood sugar levels, (b) stabilize metabolism, (c) prevent you from feeling famished by 3p, and (d) keep you from feeling deprived, both psychologically and nutritionally.

If you’re struggling with binge eating and need help with meal planning (not dieting—meal planning; there’s a HUGE difference), I recommend that you contact an eating disorder dietitian in San Diego or elsewhere for support.

Question #2: Am I preoccupied with food and eating?

Preoccupation with food and eating can result from (a) physiological food deprivation, (b) psychological food deprivation, (c) categorizing foods as “good” or “bad,” and (d) chronic dieting.

Researchers during World War II conducted the famous Minnesota Starvation Experiment, in which 36 physically and mentally stable young men voluntarily starved themselves to help people learn how to treat starvation. The “semi-starvation phase” lasted six months, with an additional three-month restricted-eating “rehabilitation phase.”

While in the semi-starvation phase, the men not only experienced significant physical changes (decreases in strength, stamina, heart rate, sex drive, etc.), they endured psychological distress as well. The individuals would obsess about food; they would fantasize and dream about it. They would talk about food and eating all of the time. They were apathetic, irritable, depressed, and fatigued.

It’s time to speak with a binge eating therapist in California.

If you’re struggling with binge eating, you’re likely restricting and obsessing about food to some degree. Like the men in this experiment, food restriction can trigger food obsession.

With binge eating, there is often a belief that you have to compensate for the binges, so you restrict during certain times of the day. There is a belief that if you’re binge eating, you need to cut down on what you eat.

Food restriction leads to food obsession, which can trigger binges. Binges can cause you to restrict afterward, which can lead to more binges, and so on. The cycle may seem endless.

The more freely you let yourself eat throughout the day and avoid restriction, the less your obsessions about food will lessen. Finding an eating disorder dietitian and binge eating therapist to work with can support you in this process.

Question #3: Do I feel shame about my body?

Body shame is insidious in our culture. The explosion of visual social media, such as Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok, has created a hook-up/instant “like” culture in which people make split-second decisions about others’ appearances. This phenomenon not only causes individuals to shame others’ bodies, but it also leads to people unfairly comparing themselves to carefully crafted and heavily edited images.

Shame in general is a big part of binge eating. People feel ashamed about their bodies, so they binge eat to self-soothe or numb out their distressing emotions. Individuals then feel shame after the binges, which prompts either more binges or food restriction—and food restriction leads to more binges! It is a vicious cycle that sometimes feels inescapable.

Binge Eating Therapists in California Strive to Help You Heal and Find Power in Your Body and Food!

One empowering way to address body shame is to look into the Health at Every Size (HAES) movement. HAES advocates emphasize size diversity and inclusion. They step away from the often-harmful, traditional medical model that equates thinness with health (which some research contradicts). Instead, they acknowledge that people can achieve health a wide variety of body shapes and sizes. Check out the Health at Every Size book by Linda Bacon, Ph.D., for more information.

Interested in working with a HAES-informed binge eating therapist or dietican? Click here for more details.

________________________________________________________________________________

Hey everyone, I really appreciate you reading my blog!  Have a wonderful day. :)  

Marianne 

Begin Working with A Binge Eating Therapist Through A Live Interactive Workshop, Masterclass for Binge Eating, or Via Online Therapy!

If you want to take the next step toward eating disorder recovery and find out more about eating disorder treatment, ARFID, bulimia, binge eating, or other eating disorders in San Diego, check out the resources on my website, including previous blog posts and my guest-speaking gigs on podcasts.

REGISTER NOW! My live, virtual, 5-week class is called Freedom From Binge Eating*. The registration deadline is Friday, July 8th, and it begins Tuesday, July 12th.

You can find more information about me on Instagram @drmariannemiller, on my Facebook page, or on Twitter. 

*Disclaimer: This class is not therapy and should not replace professional eating disorder/binge eating treatment or medical advice. This educational group is for learning, discussion, and encouraging connection.