You may already know that the biggest predictor of binge eating is dieting or food restriction of some kind.
That being said—dieting, by itself, is not the root cause of binge eating…
Poor body image—and the strong pressure we feel to control our weight in the first place—must be addressed to change diet-binge cycling patterns for good.
In my experience with clients—fear of weight gain—is the root cause of almost ALL binge eating.
Fear of weight gain is why it’s so hard to relax around food—to believe fully that food really is “just food.”
Fear of weight gain backs us up against a wall and says “you don’t have a choice in this matter—get thin or die.”
When you let yourself be controlled by your fear of gaining weight—because you believe the walls will cave in around you or the Earth will burst into flames if you do—that’s when the diet-binge cycle truly begins.
That’s when you start judging every bite of food you feed yourself,
that’s when you can’t help but to obsess about your food,
that’s when you feel like you don’t have a choice but to restrict,
because you believe your survival depends on it.
And then it’s just a matter of time before you can’t fight the restriction any longer—before you’re lunging for that jar of peanut butter because you just need some relief from the tension of “hanging on” to your diet for dear life.
The pressure is too much; it’s too heavy to bear.
When you’re only okay with yourself at a certain weight, it’s like you’re handing food a baseball bat and saying:
“You have the power to make or break me, show me who’s boss.”
Binge Eating is an almost certain outcome of hating your body in the long run. It’s just a matter of time.
Is body acceptance something you’re willing to work on? What are you willing to let go of, to get to the other side?