MYB EPISODE 7:
WHAT TO DO (AND NOT DO) AFTER OVEREATING OR BINGING
In today’s episode, we share strategies for:
1) moving past food choices we don’t feel good about
2) creating healthier patterns in the future
Step 1: AVOID MAKING THE SITUATION WORSE
- Avoid self-judgment and, instead, get GENTLY CURIOUS about what led to your choices. Were you stressed? Exhausted? Frustrated? Not have food prepped or packed?
- Do your best to avoid adding emotional drama to the situation. This isn’t helpful or kind AND it often leads to more poor decisions.
- Don’t make it mean something about you as a person. A food choice does not define us NOR determine our worth. Read that again. One more time out loud. “My food choices are 100% unrelated to my inherent worth.”
- Avoid “always” and “never” statements. Example: “I always do this. I’m never going to be able to figure this out!” None of this is true.
- Do something kind for yourself. Less than optimal food choices can be a result of us not getting our needs met in more nurturing ways. Start to break this pattern with self-care. Take more breaks, schedule fun activities into your week, and make sure you have things to look forward to.
- Keep your commitments for the remainder of the day (maintain normalcy) and don’t isolate
STEP 2: HOW TO CREATE HEALTHIER EATING PATTERNS IN THE FUTURE
- Get clear that food does NOT have more power than you do. Does that mean we should always eat “clean”? No. It means that no matter how strong our temptations may be, we hold the ultimate power to choose.
- Start connecting the dots between the idea that “I like being able to eat whatever I want” and not maybe not feeling your best. Food tracking/journaling is a powerful tool to help you identify the foods/eating patterns that make you feel great and those that don’t.
- If you’re going to indulge, choose ONE thing rather than multiple things. This is a middle ground strategy for those times you decide to indulge but don’t want to feel out of control. When we stick to one thing, we get ‘palate fatigue’. When we add in a variety of textures and flavors (crunchy, creamy, salty, sweet), we can consume a lot more.
- Strategize self-care rituals around the times an episode might normally occur (credit to Elizabeth Benton of Primal Potential for this strategy). If you notice that overeating/bingeing occurs in the evening, you may want to plan social time, a fun class, a massage, etc. during this time to help create new patterns.
FINAL THOUGHT:
If you try these strategies and don’t feel like you’re making much headway, consider that it may be time to work with someone who specializing in eating disorders. A peaceful relationship with food and body is something we all deserve and it IS possible to create but sometimes we need some support to make it happen.
Eating Disorder Resources:
You can always e-mail Jenny (she's an ED therapist & coach) at jenny@rlcwichita.com or PM her on Facebook (facebook.com/coachjennyhelms) to get connected to the resources that would be best for you! She loves connecting people with the right resources and also provides online therapy to those in need outside of the Wichita area.
*NEDA (the National Eating Disorder Association) is also a great resource.