Tried to lose weight but ended up binge eating?
Understanding the connection between binge eating and food restriction is a fundamental step towards stopping obsessive food thoughts, uncontrollable cravings and compulsive over-eating.
The foods that are often label as ‘bad’ like fat, sugar, carbs, or specific meals such as pizza, chocolate, ice cream or pasta tend to be the targets of diet restrictions.
Do some of these common rules sound familiar to you?
Rule 1 – No carbs. They make me fat so never eat them.
Rule 2 - No snacking or eating between meals.
Rule 3 - Always order the healthiest item off the menu when I’m eating out.
Rule 4 - To lose weight I have to eat 100% clean all the time.
Rule 5 - I can only eat between certain times.
Rule 6 - Avoid high-fat foods like peanut butter and cheese
We convince ourselves there are valid reasons to avoid them.
We have to avoid them to lose weight right?
Restricting foods and strict dieting is 100% the problem not the solution.
It's important to understand that when you restrict foods or create rules around eating, you actually intensify your cravings and trigger the ‘binge-restrict cycle’.
You set out to eat less, but end up eating a LOT more. Not a great plan for weight loss!
To make matters worse, when you eventually give in to cravings and indulge in the forbidden foods, your brain's dopamine (pleasure) response is heightened.
The restricted foods now represent more pleasure (to your brain) than they did before you restricted them.
The first rule for stopping binge eating forever is to have NO rules.
Once you break free from the mindset of restricting certain foods, you’ll notice they’ll lose their allure and become less interesting. This shift helps to dial down the dopamine response, and your cravings will become much more manageable.
The aim is to stop categorizing foods as 'good' or 'bad', and instead view all food in a neutral light. Once you see foods as neutral, you’re far less likely to binge on them.
Of course, it’s not just dieting and restriction that makes binge and compulsive food behaviors flourish, and learning how to unpack all the factors causing your out-of-control eating is what Daily Method is all about.
If you want more support with step-by-step guidance, join the Daily Method Course and learn how to stop the destructive cycle of overeating and start enjoying a life of total food freedom.