I used to struggle big time with binge eating and unintentional over eating. Meaning I’d eat myself absolutely sick on a regular basis, whether I intended to or not.
In college, my roommates and I had a day called “cheat day Friday”. This was the day we allowed ourselves to all-out binge after a full week of starving ourselves. Even if the foods were “healthy-ish” and not total junk, I just couldn’t stop eating.
On a regular day in college, I’d eat about 300-400 calories (I know 😱). On a binge day, I’d eat around 4000 - 5000 calories.
I was THE poster girl for a vicious binge-restrict cycle. I was depressed, full of self-hatred, and overall, miserable.
By starving myself 6 days a week, I developed an obsession with food. When I wasn’t binging, I was planning my next binge. When I was binging, I hated myself but couldn’t stop.
But here’s the thing… Therapy didn’t help. Books didn’t help. Youtube videos didn’t help. Counting down from ten before I was about to binge didn’t help. Googling “how to stop binge eating” 230948938475 times DID NOT HELP.
The *only* thing that helped was eating enough, eating regularly, addressing my mineral status, and eating really nutrient-dense foods.
Today, I have been binge-free for over 3 years. I cannot even fathom binging again. Even when I’m emotionally drained, stressed beyond belief, feeling empty, or feeling low. I don’t turn to food for “comfort” (or what I thought was comfort) any more.
Food is completely neutral to me now. I enjoy a good meal, but I don’t think about food, I don’t obsess about food, and I certainly don’t even consider eating myself sick, or starving myself enough to put myself back in that place.
There are a lot of complicated things in life, but healing from binge eating disorder and/or overeating isn’t one of them. You just need to EAT.
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