Why Can’t I Just Stick to My Food Plan??
Recently, my FB group has acquired a bunch of new followers who are new to intuitive eating and body neutral concepts. I recently received the following inquiry:
“How did you stick to your plan to quit binge eating? I do good for a few days then go crazy again. I need to do this because my health is really starting to suffer but I feel like even that’s not a big enough motivator to not give in.. I’m going crazy. I’ve tried slowly eliminating trigger foods and going on full blown diets. Nothing is beating my urge for junk. It runs my life. I think about it all day until it happens.”
If this question resonates with you, my responses below may at first seem counterintuitive and unrealistic. I also felt this way at one time and rejected the ideas I'm about to explain, but this was ultimately my path to recovery.
RECONSIDER THE “PLAN” MINDSET.
The "plan" mindset is the idea of being on or off something.
When it comes to food, this can fuel a black-and-white, all-or-nothing mindset.
And all-or-nothing mindsets fuel binge eating.
So instead of thinking of recovery as a "plan," think of it as a deconstruction. Plans and diets are typically rule-based. We want to start questioning "the rules" that seem to provoke a rebel response.
It is not about doing as much as it's about un-doing.
RECONSIDER THE LOGIC AND WILLPOWER MINDSET.
Shame is another driver of binge eating.
When we tell ourselves that we "should" be able to stop eating (especially for noble causes like health) we are assuming that binges are a choice.
In fact, binges come from a primal part of the brain that is not in touch with rationality. That's why it feels like a hijacking.
Binges are an instinctual response to food scarcity (and other forms of scarcity). They are not a matter of willpower, and shame/pressure will not help decrease them long-term.
RECONSIDER THE RESTRICTION MINDSET.
Ahh, this may be the biggest mind-flip of them all.
Binge eating is portrayed as a problem of gluttony: of too-much-ness. Rational thought would suggest that the antidote, then, is to moderate via restriction. To eat less, to allow less.
In fact, the true ability to moderate comes from the freedom to make choices without fear, guilt, or pressure. The rebel response in binge eating is not to be underestimated or pathologized. We need freedom of choice. Restricting your foods will likely make your binges worse.
RECONSIDER THE PATHOLOGY OF “JUNK FOOD.”
Part of restriction is the designation of food as good/bad. When we talk about "junk food," it's typically with an implied judgment -- junk food is bad, right?
Hold on.
"Junk food" may be less nutritious and doesn't make us feel very good if we eat lots and lots of it, but it has a place in our lives. The reason we binge on it can be because we overly judge and restrict it.
RECONSIDER BODY GOALS.
Most of us have grown up assuming that weight is something to be tightly controlled.
We learn that we are not allowed to be over a certain size.
We learn that if we don't control this, our body is bad, and we are not good enough.
In fact, bodies come in diverse shapes and sizes and we all need different amounts of food to thrive. All bodies deserve respect. We are a society obsessed with "perfect" bodies and it's creating disorders that are wreaking havoc on our physical and mental health.
Do you have any questions about these ideas? Confused about what to do next? Consider looking more closely at your body image to take your awareness to the next level.
