How to stop binge eating.
Are you a binge eater? Do you use food to numb your feelings? Do you find yourself eating a lot of food in one sitting because you are trying to comfort yourself?
Those are hard questions to answer, I know! It’s hard to admit it but that will help you take the next steps forward.
Never full
All my life, I never understood what it felt like to be full or hungry. Food was something I used to comfort and hurt myself. I used it as a reward and a punishment. My relationship with food was the most toxic relationship I have ever been in.
Do you have a toxic relationship with food?
We are all taught to push aside our feelings. To “get over” them. So, where do they go when we don’t honor, validate and heal from them? They stay inside us. They don’t actually go away. They just keep building up inside of us.
It’s not easy
There is no magic pill to stop binge eating. I’m sorry! There’s a lot of inner work that goes with being able to stop binge eating. You have to begin to heal all that shit you have pushed down so far into your core all your life. All that stuff that you are trying to run away from and numb. That’s what you need to start honoring, validating, feeling and healing.
That’s not what you wanted to hear, I get that. But, there is no other way to truly stop binge eating. Once you don’t have to numb your feelings anymore and you are starting to have a healthy relationship with food and yourself, you will start to not need food to be your escape.
Comfort
Binge eating has always been your comfort, right? When I was 12 years old, I would buy a dozen donuts and eat them all in my room. I would buy a whole chocolate cake at the bakery and eat it all in my room.
It brought me comfort in that moment, but it was still toxic. I didn’t have an outlet or anyone I could truly confide into that I felt was a safe space to share how I was feeling. Actually, sharing how I was feeling made me feel even worse because I felt like it was absolutely hopeless.
So, I understand how hard it is and that this isn’t going to happen for you overnight. BUT YOU NEED TO UNDERSTAND THAT TOO!
Patience
You need to be patient with yourself and start by taking little steps daily to honor, validate, feel and heal your stuff daily. That could be in many forms. Maybe you could get into therapy, write in a journal, talk to a friend, put on some music and dance it out.
Whatever way feels best for you to let out your feelings and not stuff them inside is healthy! Of course, as long as you are not hurting anyone else. I think I had to say that right there!
You are strong
You are so much stronger than you give yourself credit for. You can stop binge eating. You can begin to heal and have a healthy relationship with yourself and food.
IT’S OK FOR YOU TO FEEL YOUR FEELINGS!
It still baffles me as an adult that we are taught the opposite of this. We are taught to cover up and numb our feelings, instead of being taught that our feelings are completely normal and natural, which they are!
Imagine! Humans being taught to not be human! It is absolutely confusing for me as to why we are taught this. It’s so harmful. It has harmed so many of us!
FIRST STEPS
What are your first steps to start overcoming binge eating? Start with feeling your feelings. Start with healing. These first steps might feel really bad! That’s ok. It’s so important for you to start to be ok with feeling your feelings so you can stop using food to numb them.
Start a journal of your feelings. Let it out. Let it all out.
Maybe get into therapy.
Be patient with yourself.
YOU ARE INCREDIBLE
I hope this is helpful for you. Right now, I HAVE BEEN BINGE FREE FOR 16 MONTHS! I didn’t think I would ever be binge free because I used food to numb and punish myself my whole life. BUT HERE I AM! Binge free for almost a year and a half!!
YOU REALLY CAN DO IT!
How you speak to yourself about yourself is important and powerful to overcoming binge eating. I wrote a book about how to use affirmations to speak to yourself more kindly. It’s called THE NO BULLSHIT GUIDE TO USING AFFIRMATIONS