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Learning How to Eat in Recovery
in Binge Eating, Blog, Coaching, Dieting, Meals, Nutrition/by Kathryn HansenA central theme of my new book is that only 2 goals are necessary for recovery: 1.) Learning to dismiss urges to binge and 2.) Learning to eat adequately I share principles, recommendations, written exercises, and resources to help you accomplish those two goals in a way that works for you. One of the resources I recommend–primarily in the area of learning […]
The Primal Brain’s Role in Normal Eating (and Binge Eating)
in Binge Eating, Blog, Cravings, Dieting, hunger and fullness, Hunger and Satiety, indulging in food, Intuitive Eating, Pleasure/by Kathryn HansenI received a good question today from someone struggling with binge eating regarding which part of the brain—the higher brain (rational) or the lower brain (primal, habitual, and instinctual) is involved in normal eating. This is topic I address thoroughly in my new book, the Brain over Binge Recovery Guide (now available on Audible) but […]
Improve Self-Control and Stop Binge Eating Under Stress
in Binge Eating, Blog, Self-Control, Stress/by Kathryn HansenI received a request for a blog post about how to improve self-control and dismiss binge urges when you are under stress. Stress can deplete the self-control functions in your higher brain, especially if you have stressful responsibilities that seem to require heroic self-control—like caring for an aging parent, nursing a sick spouse, being with […]
Eating on Plate – A Simple Awareness Tool
in Binge Eating, Blog/by Kathryn HansenI wrote this on my Instagram account (@brain_over_binge) a few days ago, and I thought I’d share it here as well, and add a little to the discussion. I wrote about the benefits of taking a moment to put the food you are going to eat on a plate, especially highly palatable processed foods, sweets, […]
Simple Technique to Resist Urges and Overcome Binge Eating
in Binge Eating, Blog, bulimia, Coaching, Purging, Resisting Urges, Support, urge to binge, urge to purge/by Kathryn HansenIn my last post, Am I Ready for Recovery From Binge Eating?, I talked about staying focused on the two recovery goals of the brain over binge approach: dismissing binge urges and learning to eat adequately. You can use what best helps you reach those goals. There are many ideas out there about how to […]
Am I Ready for Recovery from Binge Eating?
in Anxiety, Binge Eating, Blog, Body Image, Calories, Coaching, Cravings, Depression, Dieting, Emotions, Overeating, Resisting Urges, Weight/by Kathryn HansenDuring my years of binge eating, and what seemed like thousands of attempts to recover (before I finally found help in Jack Trimpey’s book, Rational Recovery), I looked for the reasons why I wasn’t successful. Through therapy and reading self-help information online, one of the theories I came up with was that I simply wasn’t […]
Binge Eating at Night and Late-Night Cravings
in Binge Eating, Blog, bulimia, Cravings, Detachment, Habits, Health, hunger, Night Eating, Overeating, Pleasure, weight gain/by Kathryn HansenIt’s common for binge eaters to primarily binge at night; and even after binge eating stops, you may still find yourself having late-night food cravings. Some people are bothered by these cravings, and wonder if giving in to them means that they are overindulging; or conversely, if ignoring those cravings means that they are being […]
“My Case is Different”: When You Feel Your Unique Problems Prevent Recovery from Binge Eating
in Binge Eating, Blog, Stress/by Kathryn HansenDo you find yourself thinking that quitting the binge eating habit may work for others, but not for you? Do you think your life is more complicated than others who have recovered? Do you think your binge eating may have developed for deeper reasons, or that you have too many struggles in your life to […]
How Much Should I Eat?
in Binge Eating, Blog/by Kathryn HansenThis is a big question – one that I can’t answer thoroughly in one post, and one that actually doesn’t have a right answer because everyone is so unique. However, I want to share some thoughts on this topic because I think that not eating enough can undermine people’s ability to resist binge urges. This […]
Is Intuitive Eating a Remedy for Binge Eating?
in Binge Eating, Blog, Cravings, Dieting, Health, hunger, hunger and fullness, Hunger and Satiety, indulding in food, Intuitive Eating, Nutrition, Overeating, Processed foods, self-esteem, stop dieting, Weight, weight gain, weight loss without dieting, yo-yo dieting/by Kathryn HansenIf you’re a binge eater trying to recover, you’ve likely come across the term “intuitive eating.” It has become a common term that refers to tuning in to your own body and hunger signals to guide your food choices. The philosophy of intuitive eating was originally developed by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch, and detailed […]
Dieting Prevention Tips
in Binge Eating, binge eating disorder, binge eating recovery, Blog, books, bulimia, Calories, Dieting, Exercise, Parenting, stop dieting, Weight, weight gain, weight loss/by Kathryn Hansen“It’s fine to raise awareness about eating disorders, but I believe more focus should be on preventing dieting, because eating disorders are not illnesses that inexplicably happen to people. Nearly all cases of anorexia and bulimia, and a large number of cases of BED, would never occur without the initial diet.” –Brain over Binge, pg […]
Overeating, Part III: Practice Thankfulness
in Binge Eating, Blog, Hunger and Satiety, Meals, Overeating, Stress Eating, Weight/by Kathryn HansenWhen I was planning out this blog series on overeating, I envisioned this third and final post to be a little different (see Part I and Part II). I thought I would share some practical tips for conquering any problematic overeating you may have after binge eating stops, but this week I was inspired to take this post […]
Overeating, Part II: Don’t Overdo Self-Control
in Binge Eating, Blog, Calories, Dieting, Overeating, Self-Control/by Kathryn Hansen(Part I) To recover from binge eating, you are not aiming for heroic control of everything you put in your mouth; and this is very important when it comes to discussing overeating. Ending binge eating is not about ending all overeating, but many binge eaters want to address their overeating behaviors as well. In the […]
Overeating, Part I: My Experience
in Binge Eating, Blog, Hunger and Satiety, Meals, Nutrition, Overeating, Triggers/by Kathryn HansenI want to spend three blog posts talking about overeating – why do we do it? is it normal? how much is okay? how is it connected to binge eating? In this post, I’m going to briefly describe my experience with overeating, if I should even call it that. I consider all of my eating […]
Should I Drink Alcohol While Trying to Quit Binge Eating?
in Addiction, Alcohol, Binge Eating, Blog, Habits, motivation, Self-Control/by Kathryn HansenWhen I struggled with binge eating, it seemed like alcohol often ruined my progress in recovery. I’d have days when I felt like I was doing pretty well—my eating was relatively normal and I felt like maybe I would make it through the day without a binge. Then, I’d get invited out to have drinks, […]
Ditch Diets & Focus on Nourishing and Enjoyable Foods
in Binge Eating, Blog, Brain over Binge Book, bulimia, Dieting, dieting weight gain, Habits, Health, Nutrition, Overeating, stop dieting, stop overeating, yo-yo diet cycle/by Kathryn HansenI’ve been talking about eliminating foods for those who need to, and for those want to lead a healthier lifestyle (see Eliminating Foods Part I and Part II). In this post, I’ll discuss the importance of ditching diets, and replacing foods you are trying to eliminate with nourishing and enjoyable options. I’ll also share information and insights […]
Eliminating Foods in Binge Eating Recovery, Part II
in Blog, Health, Nutrition/by Kathryn HansenContinuing on the topic of eliminating foods (see Eliminating Foods, Part I), I want to discuss a possible obstacle you might encounter if you are trying to eliminate unhealthy foods while also attempting to quit binge eating. The reason I want to address this topic is because I’ve heard from many people who truly desire […]
Eliminating Foods in Binge Eating Recovery, Part I
in Blog, Health, Nutrition/by Kathryn HansenThis is the first of a 3-part series on eliminating foods from our diets (for health reasons). In this post, I will simply share a Q&A from an interview I did with Rande McDaniel at the Vegetable Centric Kitchen. This gives my basic opinions on the topic, and in the next 2 posts, I’ll elaborate […]
Enjoy Your Food: Giving up binge eating does not mean giving up food pleasure
in Binge Eating, Blog, Health, Meals, Nutrition, Pleasure/by Kathryn HansenI want to share a blog post from my good friend Emily, who is a health writer, called The Food Enjoyment Equation (copied below as it is no longer available online). It describes such a simple, but powerful idea about enjoying our food. To a binge eater, the idea of enjoying food in normal amounts can seem […]
Do You Want to Recover from Binge Eating?
in Binge Eating, Blog, Detachment, Habits, motivation, Support/by Kathryn HansenAfter my first binge, I wanted to stop. I did not want to eat so much food again in such an out-of-control way. I continued wanting to recover through all my years of being a binge eater. However, my desire for recovery didn’t always feel so clear. In the moments before a binge, I temporarily […]