Breaking Up With Binge Eating

Emotional skill development is being uncovered as one of the crucial pieces to successfully treating and preventing eating problems. Without it, people simply don’t get better, or they get better for a short time and relapse when life gets hard again. Sadly, few weight management programs and “experts” use these skills in their treatment approach, opting instead to focus on food, food, food. If your personal history includes being given food directions, diet programs, and eating advice ad nauseam, yet no direction on how how skillfully deal with your feelings, you deserve better! Let it fuel your hope that you can and will get better - you just haven't been given the right tools before. And today, that starts changing. 

Clients often ask Maryclaire and I, “What are the usual signs that someone is making progress overcoming binge eating?" It makes sense; of course we want to know how we are doing! If you have wondered this too, perfect, because we’re getting right to those signposts in today’s episode.  

Many people who come to Nutrition Loft wanting to permanently stop binge eating also want to be thinner. And they want to get right down to business seeing the pounds head for the hills.  But the expert in us coaches knows better and today, we’ll explore why we need to start with something that is NOT weight loss to free someone from binge eating, and in the long run, end their weight problems. Along the way, we'll talk about why dieting and weight control efforts so often backfire by worsening binge eating disorder.  We'll also explore how changing how you think about your choices can make weight loss possible down the road. 

The smell hits you before you walk in the door: tacos. The Mexican music emanating from the brightly colored restaurant sounds cheerful and inviting, and you can't wait to run your fingers through the water droplets on the outside of an ice cold margarita glass. "This night with my friends is going to be so much fun," you think. "And some fun, is exactly what I need."Five hours later, fun is exactly the last word you would use to describe what you're feeling. You are bloated, stuffed, laying on the couch with your face mashed into the fabric. The citrusy drinks and salsa have left a sour taste in your throat, and your stomach is distended with an entire basket of chips, plus your tacos, part of your friend's shrimp burrito, and fried ice cream for dessert, even though you were already full. And when you got home, you went right to the pantry, scooping handfuls of cereal out of the box, crunching graham crackers, and finishing off the packet of cookies in front of the tv. You are miserable, ashamed, sick to your stomach and sick of this life. And yet, you know feeling this awful physical pain, self-hate and regret so many times before hasn't stopped you from doing it. And that's a frightening thought. If this amount of suffering hasn't made you change, what will? Answering that question is what today’s episode is all about.

Crying in dressing rooms. Afraid to go to a formal dinner. Never going to the beach. Body hatred can be cruel, and it's something most people have felt at least once in their lives. But we don't have to feel it in the future.This episode is for anyone out there who has ever felt not good looking enough. In it, you'll hear how you aren't alone, plus we'll share tactics for shifting your perspective on your body's role in your life. We'll give you some concrete steps you can use to begin a friendlier new relationship with your body. 

Megan thought she could bring an apple in her backpack, but to lose weight she heard snacking between meals was a bad idea. But she knew her main goal wasn’t weight loss, it was to not binge. So… should she snack or no?She began to fill with dread. Her chest tightened."You ok?" Her boyfriend asked. "You looked so happy a few minutes ago, but all of a sudden you look … miserable."  If you can relate to Megan’s stress, you’re not alone. Today’s show is all about answering that crucial question: “If my main goal is not to binge, how often should I be eating?”