Stop a Good Intention from Turning into a Binge

DISCLAIMER:  Today, I wanted to talk about this requested topic. This post is intended to help people who truly struggle in their relationship with food; people who cannot just have a sweet — or maybe feel like they can’t have sweets at all.. Some of you may not understand this post if you’ve never struggled with eating patterns and that’s okay. Daily eats and other posts will be back next week.

Happy Friday y’all!

Today I want to talk about something, that I know so many of use have dealt with in the past, or still deal with today: binge eating.

This is something I work on in-depth with some of my Clients. Trust me, I know how hard it is to stop bingeing, and that’s why I’m giving you this free content, to help you let go.

Most of us would probably agree that bingeing is eating without thought or care; it’s very in the moment. The care hits us the moment we’re done, and filled with guilt, promising ourselves “that was the last time — and this time, I’m serious!”

Here’s how to keep a good intended intuitive eating decision from turning into a binge.

So, Wednesday morning, I was full of weird feelings: not wanting to wake up at usual waking hour (I did); not wanting to workout (I did); wanting to have sweets (I did).  I kept intending to do what I knew would make me feel good. That included trying to listen to my body (I did).

I had a very specific craving: something substantial, sweet, and chewy. My first thought was “ask Mom to make her awesome Oatmeal Cookies.” (I did). My next thought (looking into the fridge) was “that scone looks to die for, I’M GOING TO EAT IT.” I grabbed it out of the fridge, broke off a little bite, and knew I wanted to have one. A whole one. I then checked in with myself:

1. Am I going to be okay having this as my only sweet today?
2. How will I feel when I’m done with the scone? Will I still want more?

To be honest… I kinda felt like I knew the answers, but I didn’t feel 100% sure. Would I feel okay? Would I be satisfied when I was done? Would I be okay with having that as my one sweet for the day (it was only 10:00a)?

Eeeeeeeeeek. I wasn’t sure. The only thing I was sure of was that I wanted that scone. So, I took a risk, and listened to my body not being entirely sure of how I’d feel after.

I ate the scone slow, chewed it well and fully enjoyed each taste. I took sips of hot, black coffee between bites… I felt glad that I listened to my body, and allowed myself to have what I really wanted.

But toward the end of the scone, I noticed something… I started to get this strange feeling… like I didn’t want the scone to end… I wanted that enjoyment to keep going. Yikes! The thought/feeling that I was was trying to avoid.

I mean, when I started, I had already asked myself all of the questions, including “am I going to be satisfied with this when it’s gone?”

Then I had a thought… well, what if it’s not done? What if I leave just one small bite?

AND that’s when it hit me. That’s where I’d have my power over the food, and it would not have power over me (<– often how we feel when a binge happens).

I was going to leave one small bite, wrap it up and put it in the fridge. That would leave no room for the lying/bring-me-down lady, who sometimes rents space in my brain, to say “aww… it’s all gone, and now you need more.”

Binge eating usually starts off well intended. Typically, we don’t decide “okay, I’m going to eat one cookie, finish it, have another, finish that, and keep going until they’re all gone.”

We usually start thinking “I’m just going to have one.“

But then what happens? If you’ve binged before, you know the answer. You don’t just stop at one cookie. You finish (key word) the first, grab another, and the cycle continues.

But what if you don’t finish it? What if you leave just one bite?

Here’s my thinking, and what worked for me: if you don’t finish that food, then there’s no reason to start on a different food (or more of the same food). It gives you power to walk away. 

Here’s what I want YOU to do:

1. Get one of your forbidden foods, at sometime this week — one that you feel you can’t have in the house.
2. Get out a reasonable portion. Ask yourself where you’d like to sit, what plate you’d like to use, if you’d like to have a drink with it, etc.
3. Eat this food slowly, with zero distractions.
4. Between bites, set the food/fork down, chew it thoroughly, and fully taste all of your favorite flavors.
5. When you’re almost to the last bite, stay calm, chew slowly, and leave one small bite. 
6. Do not throw this bite away — that would be the same as finishing it, and the whole purpose, is to know that it’s still there.

Comment below, and tell me one food that is on your forbidden list. When are you going to try this exercise?

Feel free to email me your experience, or leave it in the comments below! I’d love to hear how this works for all of you!

PS, if you found this article helpful, make sure you’re on my VVIP (very, very important person)  e-mail list. I send out helpful, encouraging e-mails every Friday that take you smoothly into your weekend.