Binge eating disorder and emotional eating suck! They suck the life and happiness right out of your body. The food might feel good for a minute but as soon as it’s gone the same feelings that you tried to push down are still there. Except now your body feels bloated, swollen, and miserable. For those of us that suffer from binge eating disorder, it never totally goes away. It’s always there lingering in the shadows. Especially during times of stress, burnout, and depression. Making the decision to create an irresistible life doesn’t mean these things magically disappear. It’s like I always say; there is no magical before and after story. The difference when you’re living an irresistible life is that you can recognize old behaviors and then course correct.
Ever since I returned from the BlogPaws conference in Myrtle Beach, I’ve been struggling with emotional binge eating. I shared a little bit about this on my Instagram and to my email subscribers. In an effort to get myself back on track, I’ve put together my top five tips on how to reset after a binge.
1. Accept It & Move On
The aftermath of a binge is a shame shit storm. It’s really easy to get stuck and stay in that dark place. Trust me, I’ve been there and it can go on for months if you don’t learn how to accept it and move on.
Don’t dwell on the binge and all the things you did “wrong.” Accept that you’re human and it happened. You can’t change the past. However, you can move on at the next meal. Don’t beat yourself up about it.
2. One Meal at a Time
Sometimes it’s so hard to move forward because the big picture is overwhelming. When I think about ALL of the weight I have to lose it overwhelms me. Then doubt creeps in and tells me, “You’ll just fuck up anyways so don’t even bother.” Yea, between now and my goal weight I WILL end up binging again. But it doesn’t mean it has to take me down and totally derail my goals.
When you’re in that dark post-binge place just doing the smallest tasks seem monumental. What if you could set an intention to not binge at the next meal? What if you could not binge just between now and the next meal? Then take it even further and ask yourself what if you could go just one entire day without binging? Stop trying to look at the big picture and just focus on the next meal. The more you do this, the easier it will get. One meal and one day at a time.
3. Drink Lots of Water
If you’ve been on a binge, your body is going to feel it. You are swollen and bloated all over. The best way to start detoxing is to drink a ton of water. It will help to flush out all of the sodium and water retention.
4. Eat Clean
When you’ve been on a roll eating all the carbs, trying to eat clean just doesn’t sound good or feel right. It’s a domino effect. The more sugar and carbs you binge on, the more your body wants them. You have to stop the cycle by eating a clean meal with fresh fruit and vegetables. One of my favorite meals is a salad with chicken, spinach, strawberries, blue cheese, and balsamic vinaigrette. It tastes great and it helps to detox my system of all the nasty binge foods.
5. Get Outside
The last thing I want to do when I’m feeling the binge bloat is to go anywhere. BUT, the outdoors is the binge eating antidote. Getting outdoors will help with your mood and going for a walk helps to get things moving in your body.
6. Stay Woke
The best way to beat binge eating is to stay aware of what you’re doing. Be mindful of your meals. Journal what you’re eating and how you’re feeling. Think before you eat. Sit down when you eat. Don’t stand up and eat straight out of the fridge or pantry.
How do you reset after a binge? Let me know in the comments below.
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Hi! I’m Aimee with 2 E’s. I'm a confidence coach that empowers women to love themselves by breaking down body image issues, so that they can lose the emotional weight and gain the confidence to look and feel irresistible...at any size.
Recovery’s not about never ever bingeing again. It’s about less and less frequent and less and less severe, and we’re much more quickly able to get out of the cycle of it, recognize what happened, and meet those needs in other ways.
I’m so happy you say that. I know people that have gone the OA route (overeaters anonymous) and it’s an all or nothing mentality. I do not think that is a good way to embrace recovery. Thank you for your thoughtful comments!
Thank you both for your comments and suggestions on how to heal BED. Every relapse is devastating to me even though I have been there so many times before. I feel so discouraged and berate myself with self disgust. Your tips on healing and acceptance remind me that I am not alone. It gives me a feeling of hope knowing that others struggle as I do. I am so happy that I came across your writings Aimee. Deeply grateful.
Jennifer,
Reading comments like yours is why I do what I do. There is so much empowerment in knowing we aren’t alone in the struggles that are so socially taboo and rarely talked about until now. I pray you get the healing and hope that you need to move forward with your journey. You are more powerful than you know. You got this!