Why binge eating happens

Binge eating is one of the more frustrating and demoralizing eating habits, rarely discussed with loved ones often due to feelings of embarrassment or shame. I recall a client telling me the closest she got to revealing her binge eating habit was with her running friends, jokingly "confessing" to "stuffing herself with cookies" the night before and needing the run.

Though there are two types of binges:

1.) Objective Binge: The most commonly associated binge which includes an unusually large

Binge Eating can be healed with a holistic approach that bridges nutrition & psychology.

volume of food eaten in a relatively short amount of time. Often upwards of 2000 calories in one sitting

2.) Subjective Binge: The amount/volume of food may pass as somewhat "normal" but the intensity in which a person eats and the regret and rumination afterwards is experienced similarly

I'm offering reasons for both. Here are four reasons binge eating happens, that are often overlooked...

Why Binge Eating happens

1.) Under-eating via not planning or unintentional neglect

Some people have unwittingly placed body care and nutrition low on their list of priorities. Skipping meals early in the day like breakfast and lunch (when digestive power is at its peak) often leads to a binge late afternoon or evening, which is the body's smart solution to under-eating.

2.) Under-eating via intentional calorie restriction

Some clients very intentionally try and not eat, restrict eating, or eat as little as possible assuming this will be the royal road to weight loss. It can be an extremely difficult belief to dissolve as "eating too much" is the most widely believed cause of a body weight one is unhappy with. Many women believe "less is always better," and fight their own physiology until ravenous hunger, stress, a painful emotion, fatigue, or any other vulnerable state overrides their attempts at willpower.

3.) Painful emotions swelling to the surface

In Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy, binge eating is categorized as a "firefighter," a part of the psyche that takes over when a painful emotion is starting to overwhelm a person. James Hollis, the great Jungian analyst wrote, "The chief motive of any addiction is, of course, to help one not feel what one has already been feeling. Breaking the tyranny of the addiction will require one to feel the pain that the addiction defends against." (from Finding Meaning in the Second Half of Life). When a person does not yet have the inner or outer resources to meet with, feel, and heal their own pain, a binge could occur to temporarily distract from the pain. Healing binge eating, then, requires good therapy.

4.) Perfectionism not tolerating "human" behavior

If a person has perfectionistic tendencies around food, diet, and weight, it is almost certain that when there is one dietary transgression that goes against their internal sense of rules, shame and a sense of defeat come on strongly. This is often why perfectionists attempt to control so much around thier eating - something in them KNOWS that if they make a mistake, they simply cannot tolerate it, feel all effort is lost, the day is ruined, and add to the distress by binge eating.

Healing Binge Eating is possible

I see clients locally here in my Grand Rapids office in West Michigan as well as remotely via phone and ZOOM. After serving my community for 17+ years I hold great confidence that no one is "doomed" to binge eat forever. One must become thoroughly committed to the curiosity required to see what binge eating is a placeholder for, and what lessons that binge eating is trying to teach a person.

Reach out here to check on session availability or sign up for Laura's 3-month, home study training: Heal Your Eating here to begin your healing process right away.

With love & respect,

Laura