Binge Eating Therapy
What is binge eating?
Binge eating is the process of rapidly consuming large amounts of food in a way that feels uncontrollable.
The urge to eat is so overwhelming that it feels as if you can't stop eating even when you're far beyond the point of fullness.
Many people who binge eat don't fully understand why they do it, what triggers it, or how to stop eating when a binge is in full swing.
However, it IS possible to stop binge eating once you understand the emotional factors at play.
How do our emotions trigger binges?
Binge eating disorder is closely tied to your emotions. Stress, sadness, anxiety, loneliness and boredom can all trigger binges. Food can make you feel good because it generates a boost of the feel-good hormone serotonin. When you feel low or upset, you may use food to give you that quick feel-good fix and push down your emotions so you don;t have to deal with the pain of them.
Then of course afterwards you feel bad about yourself emotionally and you also feel bad physically, often experiencing bloating, lethargy and nausea, as well as feelings of shame, regret, guilt and self-loathing. These negative emotions then fuel further episodes of bingeing and so the vicious circle continues.
Many people with binge eating disorder suffer from low self-esteem and have a very negative relationship with themselves although often they can appear confident and in control to those around them. Bingeing, and the subsequent weight gain that often occurs with frequent binges, worsens self-esteem and contributes to further stress and unhappiness which triggers more bingeing.
As you can see, binge eating disorder is a cyclical problem. Negative thoughts and emotions cause chaos in your mind which then needs to be ‘quieted’ down and the quickest and easiest way to do that is with bingeing. Binge eating therapy can help you break this cycle, regain control, and adopt a fresh way of thinking about yourself and the food you eat.
What are the signs of binge eating disorder?
- Eating large quantities of food in a short amount of time
- Eating in secret and in isolation
- Avoiding social situations involving food
- Buying lots of unhealthy, sugary and fatty foods like cake, crisps, chocolate, ice cream and sweets
- Rapid weight gain, although not all binge eaters are overweight
- Unusual meal patterns
- Low confidence
- Irritability
- Low mood and anxiety
- Tiredness, lethargy and problems with sleep
- Poor concentration and focus
What does binge eating disorder treatment
look like?
Our award-winning Beat the Binge programme here at Fresh Forward Coaching is an intense 12 week programme with a combination of 1:1 sessions, group coaching, online modules and personalised hypnotherapy to completely transform your entire relationship with yourself and food. It helps you get to the root cause of why you behave in the way you do so you can stop binge eating forever, feel more confident in yourself, more comfortable in your skin and feel great naked!
Find out more about Beat the Binge now or get in touch to get started.