Mental Binge Triggers: thoughts that lead to overeating
Binge eating can be fueled by physical, emotional, and mental triggers. This blog post is the third of a three-part series that explores some of the most common binge eating triggers. Today we are talking specifically about mental triggers.
Mental triggers are thoughts or ways of thinking that can cause a behavior to occur. Most of the time, mental binge triggers are so habitual that we may not perceive that they’re even happening.
This post aims to identify some of the ways this might be showing up for you so that you can create awareness instead of thinking on auto-pilot. Please note that this list is not exhaustive!
Here are some of the most common mental binge triggers:
Binary Thinking.
Black & white, all-or-nothing thinking.
Only offers two options ("bad food day" or "good food day").
Increases the likelihood of feeling like a failure with one misstep, and moving into a binge.
Example: I ate a cookie at work, I'm failing, might as well binge now.
Should-ing.
Mental chatter, can be conscious or subconscious.
Sets up expectations of what we "should" or "shouldn't" be doing.
Leads to feelings of guilt, increased desire for the moralized food, and sometimes rebellion.
Example: I want some cereal right now but I shouldn't eat carbs. Eventually binges on cereal or carbs.
Planning to diet.
Setting the intention to restrict, compensate for, or make rules about the future in response to food guilt.
Brain predicts impending restriction and initiates messengers to gather food en masse whenever it is available to prepare.
Rationalized with thoughts like, “I need to restrict for my health” or “I can’t be trusted around food so I have to be harder on myself.”
Example: I can't control myself around food, ugh!! Clean Eating starts Monday!
Comparison.
Leads to distortions like overgeneralizing, perfectionism, binary thinking, and catastrophizing.
Perceived loss of status, decreased confidence, decreased ability to keep the bigger picture in perspective.
May binge to further "prove" inadequacy.
Example: I'm not good enough. Might as well eat, I'm so far from where I want to be anyway, what does it matter?
Victimization.
Spins a narrative that one is too weak to handle pressure and might as well give in to thoughts of binge eating.
Places the responsibility outside of the self as a way of avoiding discomfort of lack of control.
Can also show up as "I deserve this," by way of self-punishment or self-comfort.
Example: It's been a long, hard day. No one recognizes what I do around here. I deserve to eat.
Do you recognize yourself in any of these? Do you recognize when they are happening in real time? Fortunately, gaining awareness of when this is happening (and that it’s happening at all!) can be extremely helpful in overcoming your binge eating patterns. But don’t expect this to happen overnight! It takes time to detect patterns. Support can be helpful when our personal biases are present (those biases want to keep you in familiar thinking patterns!).
If you need support in identifying and challenging these thoughts, consider joining the Private Facebook Group where you can find like-minded community and ask questions. You can also apply to work with me or join the group course!
