Binge Eating Breakthrough

Latest Episodes:

Overeating vs Binge Eating – What's the Difference? Apr 12, 2023

Show notes

Today I answer a question I get a lot - what is the difference between binging and overeating?

I am not a medical professional, and this is not medical advice. If you feel like what you are doing with food is extremely detrimental to your mental or physical health, I encourage you to seek advice from a medical professional.

What I share on my podcast is my own perspective and is based upon my personal experience as well as that of helping many others. If, after listening to this podcast, you want to get more into specific definitions, diagnoses, and more, the internet will provide no shortage of information for you to learn more.

Here are a few takeaways from today’s episode:

Binges can look very different for different people. Binges can be as short as a handful of minutes, and they can also last for hours or off and on for days or longer. One of the other hallmarks of a binge is the feeling of being unable to stop. It feels like you are out of control and is often a dissociative experience where you may not even remember the act of eating itself.

If you purge, I encourage you to reach out for support. Especially if you purge through vomiting and have been doing this for an extended period of time, there are very real physical health consequences to your mouth and to your GI tract. These are often unseen but can have a lasting and very serious impact. I know it can be hard to talk to someone about binging and especially purging. Do your research and make sure that you are talking to someone who can support you in a compassionate way.

What is overeating? It can show up as eating beyond what your body needs. Overeating can be a lot of food, either because there is simply a lot to choose from or it tastes good, and you don't want to stop. You also may think that you only get this once a year, so they might as well eat what they can like on Thanksgiving. That feeling at the end of the meal when you know you are a bit more full than you would like - that's an overeat.

Define Your Food Freedom Workshop

If you’ve ever said, “I just want food freedom,” this workshop will help you take a closer look at what that actually means for you. Food freedom is not only about what you want to stop doing with food. It is also about what you want your relationship with food, your body, and yourself to look like instead.

Join me live October 5th - Save your spot.

Want to know why you struggle with food and what to do next? Start watching The Food Freedom Mini Series today.

I Feel Confused and Conflicted Apr 05, 2023

Show notes

In this episode I talk about a common struggle of women who feel confused and conflicted about their relationship with food. I had a conversation with a potential client who summed up this struggle perfectly with the statement, "I feel so confused and conflicted."

There are two approaches that women often take when it comes to their relationship with food. The first approach involves dieting, which usually comes from a place of hating one's body and thinking it needs to be smaller. This is a common struggle among women who want to lose weight or have tried dieting but have yet to find lasting success.

The second approach is the anti-diet movement, which involves eating anything and everything one desires and conveying that wanting something different for one's body is wrong.

Both approaches involve giving the middle finger to something - either the body or the diet industry. This judgmental approach is not conducive to lasting change and often leads to disconnection from the physical body. Instead, I encourage you to take a more compassionate approach to your body and focus on physical and emotional health.

The body positivity movement has important messages about loving and caring for one's body but also cautions against any approach that involves judging oneself or others. Ultimately, I encourage you, my listener, to find a balance between caring for your bodies and finding confidence in who they are as whole beings.

Want to know why you struggle with food and what to do next? Start watching The Food Freedom Mini Series today.

Getting to Know the Part That Wants to Binge Mar 29, 2023

Show notes

Does it ever feel like there are multiple versions of you? Like you have a part of yourself that really wants to eat in a way that is nourishing or feels good in your body, and then you have a part of you that doesn't care in the moment and wants to escape into food?
Have you found yourself in the middle of a binge telling yourself that you will feel terrible later or you will regret this, but at that moment, you don't care? That part of you that wants to binge is way louder and way more convincing than the part that knows there will be consequences to this behavior.
There is nothing wrong with you. We all have different parts. I am not a licensed therapist or an expert in this field. This is not medical advice. If it feels like you experience something more extreme as it relates to your experience of yourself showing up in different ways sometimes, please seek professional guidance and support.
In this episode, we talk about this topic because any of us who binge or struggle with feeling out of control around food sometimes have a part of us that wants to binge, even while there is another part that doesn't. You are not alone. This is normal.
Here are a few takeaways from this episode:

Think about when you started binging or feeling out of control around food. What do you suppose you needed at that time?
We think that if we just put that part of us in the closet and try to pretend it doesn't exist that it will just go away. But that's not how it works. We must bring it out of the closet and get curious about it.
Learn how to stop fighting with the part of you that binges. Bring awareness to it by taking it out of the closet, getting curious about it, understanding it, and seeing how you can address its needs in a way that is more honoring and nourishing for yourself - both physically and emotionally.

Learn how to find ways to honor and nourish yourself and all its parts-even if those are parts of you that you want to hide from.

Want to know why you struggle with food and what to do next? Start watching The Food Freedom Mini Series today.

Why Can’t I Do What Other People Can? Mar 22, 2023

Show notes

I've noticed a common theme with a few of my clients recently, and I have also seen this in myself, so I thought it would be a great topic to talk about on the podcast.
Do you ever look at other people and wonder how they are able to do what they do?
Do you compare what you are able to do to what someone else is able to do?
Do you look at how someone reacts to something and wonder how they can have such a different reaction than you do?
In this episode, I help you think about these questions differently than you might have previously.
It’s possible that you are a highly sensitive person. Tune in to discover what that means and how to know if you are.
A few takeaways:

You aren't meant to be like other people. You are meant to be you.
You were uniquely wired; the key isn't figuring out how to be like somebody else. The key is figuring out how to work with the way you were uniquely wired and how to best care for yourself.
Learn to say no to the things you don't want to do. Set up a healthy perimeter.

Learn to work with yourself; you will feel more aligned and at ease.
Comparison is not helpful. Trust your body. What may change if you embrace your sensitivity?

Define Your Food Freedom Workshop

Join me live October 5th - Save your spot.

Want to know why you struggle with food and what to do next? Start watching The Food Freedom Mini Series today.

What About the Scale? Mar 15, 2023

Show notes

Today's episode builds upon the topic of what you consider success when thinking about the journey with food and your body. We are discussing the scale and answering the question - should I weigh myself?

I hear two primary reasons for people wanting to weigh themselves:

To keep in check
To see if it's working

In this episode, we look at each reason in greater detail. I also share some of the thoughts that are common to have when the number has gone up. These thoughts also lead to shame, guilt, frustration, and more.

I used to be a person who weighed myself, but only when I wanted to see the number and thought it might be going down. When I look back on it, I was dieting, even though, at the time, I would have assured you that I just liked and preferred healthy food.

As I got further in my healing journey and learned about the genuine mind-body connection, I realized that using the scale was taking me away from the ability to trust my body.

Want to know why you struggle with food and what to do next? Start watching The Food Freedom Mini Series today.

But It Worked Before... Mar 08, 2023

Show notes

In the last episode, I talked about whether or not it is a good idea to track your binge-free days. I talk about what some people see as success. If you haven’t listened yet, I invite you to check it out if this is something that you currently do or think might be helpful.
In today’s podcast I discuss how so many people look back on a previous diet or a previous time in their life where they were making different choices around food and they think that it worked before, so they should just be able to go back to those same choices and have the same "success" they experienced in the past. In this episode, we will go deeper on what “success” means and why you think it might have worked before.

How do you define success?

Want to know why you struggle with food and what to do next? Start watching The Food Freedom Mini Series today.

Should I Track How Long It Has Been Since My Last Binge? Mar 01, 2023

Show notes

You may be wondering, "should I track how long it has been since my last binge?" Some people may think it's helpful to watch how many days they are abstinent from binging. I used to track my binge-free days with an app where I tracked statistics, all in some hope that by paying really close attention to everything then I could finally get myself under control and stop binging. I am not going to tell you what you should do, because everyone is different. What worked for me, may not work for you. Today, I invite you to go deeper and show you how to check in with yourself to uncover how tracking your binge-free days may or may not be helpful for you.

Here are some key points from this episode:

It is most important to become super aware of what you make it mean when you binge. If you have tracked your binge-free days in the past, what happens when you do have a binge?

You can change your thoughts about binging. When you change what your thoughts are about binging after a binge-free period, you are more likely to get curious, to figure out what happened, to make a plan for the next time, to try new things, and to keep getting up as many times as it takes.

Know your reason and like your reason when you decide whether or not you will track your binge-free days. If you don't like your reason - I invite you to get curious about it. If you could look at it without judgment, would you want to re-evaluate or consider other alternatives? And if the answer is no - that's great too. You always and forever have the right and the agency to make any decisions you want. Just make sure that you are choosing them for you. Not because anyone else told you, but because you want to and you like your reasons.

Define Your Food Freedom Workshop

Join me live October 5th - Save your spot.

Want to know why you struggle with food and what to do next? Start watching The Food Freedom Mini Series today.

Is It Possible to Stop Binge Eating Permanently? Feb 22, 2023

Show notes

Many people ask, is it possible to stop binge eating permanently? There are often two extreme views. Some think binge eating is a life sentence that is something that you will have to manage and deal with for the rest of your life. Others think that it is absolutely possible to stop permanently and share stories of the immediate transformation of never bingeing again. As you know from other episodes, I am a fan of moving out of extremes and more toward the middle. Bingeing is not just about the food…it goes much deeper. In today's episode, I help lift the veil, uncover how I help my clients look under their hood, and explore what's happening.

It's important to look at the root problem to create permanent change. What is causing the symptoms in the first place?

Binge eating is like the warning light that comes on and tells you something is wrong under the hood. When you binge, it's important to look under your "hood" to see what is going on.

I believe that it is possible to stop binge eating permanently. I also think it is impossible to stop permanently using certain approaches. There is a reason that so many people experience brief periods of what they consider "success", only to start bingeing again.

I see ending binge eating as unwinding. It's a process that takes time. No button gets flipped, and there are no more thoughts, desires, or cravings for food. It is genuinely a rewiring of the brain, creating new neural pathways.

Here are some key points from this episode:

To stop binge eating, you must understand it. You are not broken. Bingeing is not a problem to be fixed or solved. Bingeing is a symptom. An indicator that something else is going on. If you can remove the shame and judgment and understand what is going on underneath the hood to make the binge light come on, we can work on the root cause.

Instead of thinking I am broken, I am out of control, I am a binger; begin to think I am connected to my body's wisdom, I am stronger than I think, I am my biggest advocate, I am a calm and peaceful eater.

As you expand your ability to be with any emotion, that will expand your ability to be with that desire to eat and let it pass on its own. Then you can figure out what it had to tell you. As you work with your nervous system, your body feels safer and less likely to need to escape into the patterns it has known before. You will have more connection to your body and access to the logical part of your brain that can help you make those choices at the moment.

If you want to understand WHY you feel out of control around food sometimes, take this short 7 question quiz to discover your #1 reason, including 3 steps you can take today to begin to change.

Want to know why you struggle with food and what to do next? Start watching The Food Freedom Mini Series today.

A Candid Conversation With My Husband Feb 15, 2023

Show notes

In honor of Valentine's Day, my husband Todd joins me for a candid discussion about what it has been like for him on the other side of my binge eating journey. This is an unscripted conversation, and I trust you will find insights and nuggets that benefit you.

In this candid conversation, we discussed the initial time I told him about my binging (after we were married), the journey we've been on over the years, and how it has unfolded. Todd has been instrumental in my journey and the healing process. He shares his perspective and advice to anyone else who may be in the same situation.

This is a must-listen if you have a loved one you haven't told about binge eating or you’re wondering how to help someone with binge eating. Learn what is helpful and what pitfalls to avoid. Discover how a compassionate ear can change everything, even if they don't understand.
Here are some key takeaways from this episode:

The conversation is not easy, but it is worth it.
The healing journey has grown our emotional capacity as a couple.
Having support is crucial to unwind binge eating. You cannot do it alone. We need a compassionate witness by our side.

If you think you might be ready to talk with your loved ones about your secret eating, you can share this episode with them or check out replays of my How to Talk to Your Loved Ones About Your Secret Eating Masterclass for some key questions to consider for yourself and a step-by-step guide of what to say and how to share what is going on with you.

Define Your Food Freedom Workshop

Join me live October 5th - Save your spot.

Want to know why you struggle with food and what to do next? Start watching The Food Freedom Mini Series today.

How Fear May Be Keeping You in the Binge Cycle Feb 08, 2023

Show notes

If you are in a binge cycle with food, I want you to consider whether fear is a part of it and whether you can see yourself in the examples I share.
There are two extreme behaviors to explore. On the one hand, you have people who try to be very rigid with their food, thinking they need to control everything - this fear is that they will gain weight if they don't.
On the other hand, you have people who have been through the diets and have failed the binge cycle enough to know that, for the most part, diets fail and often lead to a binge. These people who stop bingeing are so committed to the anti-diet approach that they shun any structure or rigidity altogether.
This second approach often results in significant weight gain and decreased mental or physical energy.
Most of us benefit from a structure in some ways. In some cases, some people benefit from a lot of structure. The problem, in my opinion, with some of the anti-diet movement is that it becomes a rebellion against any structure.
The problem is not structure or limits regarding food; it's the emotion or feeling behind them. Creating a structure because you think you can't control yourself without it is a form of fear.
I think it's problematic when people shun any structure around eating, which negatively impacts the person's overall physical and emotional health.
I believe that most people who gain a lot of weight are still missing the skill of connecting with their bodies and using food to disconnect.
Is there a fear that is keeping you from having more flexibility or more structure in your eating?
Identify what that fear is.

If you are listening to this podcast, chances are you would like to be happier with your eating behaviors around food. Is it possible that the thing you fear might lead you to binge is keeping you in a disordered pattern with it?
Many binge eaters live in the extreme—all or nothing. I invite you to get curious about what it might look like for you to live in the space in between. Is it possible that things could be different? What might that look like for you?

Define Your Food Freedom Workshop

Join me live October 5th - Save your spot.

Want to know why you struggle with food and what to do next? Start watching The Food Freedom Mini Series today.