Tag Archive for: stop binge eating

quick and practical advice to stop binge eating

Quick and Practical Advice to Help You Stop Binge Eating (Part VI)

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I am continuing my blog series to provide quick inspiration and practical advice about a variety of issues that may come up for you in binge eating recovery. (You can read additional advice in Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV, and Part V)

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A “small binge” or overeating?

When you eat more than you think you should, or eat until you’re too full, do you find yourself wondering if it was a “small binge”?

It’s not usually helpful to think of overeating episodes as “small binges,” because this can lead you to feel guilty or like you’ve failed for engaging in behaviors that even normal eaters engage in.

Overeating could be something you want to work on, but when you lump it into the same category as bingeing, it can make you feel like you have to get your eating perfect every time to avoid a “binge.” This can create unnecessary stress and pressure and can lead to a restrictive mindset around food.

For more help with overeating, you can read a 3-part blog series at BrainoverBinge.com/Overeating/

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Out of touch with hunger and fullness?

“Feelings of hunger and fullness are the signals that nature intended to guide eating; however, for recovering binge eaters, using these signals is often a skill that comes in time.” -The Brain over Binge Recovery Guide, pg. 239

If you don’t feel in touch with your hunger and fullness right now, you are not alone, and this doesn’t have to prevent you from making progress toward recovery.

When you restrict food and/or binge, it interferes with natural appetite mechanisms, and it can take some time for your system to regulate.

Deliberately eating adequately, day by day, allows the primary cues for eating to reemerge. Sometimes this happens quickly, sometimes it’s a very gradual process, but if you keep going, you’ll eventually reconnect with your appetite!

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It’s okay to “not know”

“Become comfortable with not knowing” – Eckhart Tolle

Something that may be holding you back from ending binge eating is “not knowing”…

Not knowing what your life will look like after you quit.
Not knowing what your weight will be.
Not knowing who you’ll be without the eating disorder.
Not knowing how you’ll fill your time.
Not knowing exactly how you’ll eat.

To encourage yourself to take the leap into the unknown, remind yourself what you do know – that the eating disorder is harmful, that it’s keeping you from a full life, that’s it’s hurting your health, your relationships, your career, and more.

The unknown of recovery is more comfortable than the known pain of the binge eating. And as you walk through the unknown, you’ll have a chance to learn about yourself, to discover how you want to spend your time, to allow your body to heal, and to learn how to eat in a way that works for you.

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Boredom is better than bingeing

Do your thoughts tell you that life without binge eating will be boring? Do these thoughts convince you to keep binge eating to avoid boredom?

To help you see this in a new way, I want you to imagine someone you care about. Now imagine that person asking you if they should engage in a harmful behavior to avoid boredom. What would you advise them? Would you tell them the harmful behavior is better than being bored, and better than trying to find other things to do?

Of course not!
But that is exactly what the lower brain’s faulty logic is convincing you to do when it comes to binge eating.

If you ask anyone who has recovered (including myself), they will tell you that a binge-free life is NOT a boring life. Even if you have a hard time believing that right now, isn’t boredom better than the pain binge eating causes? There are gifts in boredom, it creates space for rest, and space for you to discover who you are and what you want for your life.

If you are using the Brain over Binge course, you can listen to a thorough discussion of this in the 5th Q&A track on the Q&A page titled “What if life without binge eating seems boring?” (Get the Brain over Binge Course for only $18.99 per month)

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Developing self-trust

“As soon as you trust yourself, you will know how to live.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

When you struggle with binge eating, I know that it can be tempting to look outside of yourself for the perfect meal plan or exercise regimen. It may feel easier for someone else to tell you exactly what to eat (and of course there are times when this is helpful and medically necessary on a temporary basis), but to have freedom with food, it’s important to take steps toward trusting your own body and preferences.

Once you learn to trust yourself, there is no more second guessing your every food choice. You simply decide, eat, and move on (and get feedback from your body that may help you with future decisions). You can start practicing this at any meal or snack! Empower yourself to make the best (imperfect) food decision you can in the moment, and then dismiss all of the brain chatter that tells you that you’re “wrong.”

If you aren’t there yet, have compassion for yourself and get support when you need it, but start to build that self-trust muscle as much as you can, because it will serve you for the rest of your life.

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5 eating habits that are not bingeing

5 ways of eating that are not binge eating:

1. Eating when you’re not hungry (Life doesn’t always line up with our appetite cues)

2. Celebratory meals (It’s normal to eat more than usual on special occasions)

3. Eating fast food/highly processed food (Sometimes we don’t have access to or time for better food)

4. Snacking (A binge is an abnormally large amount of food, not a snack)

5. Having dessert (If you saw someone else having dessert, would you consider it a binge?)

Asking yourself if you’d consider it a binge if someone else was eating that way helps you avoid having an overly broad definition of a binge. When you “over-define” binge eating, it creates unhealthy perfectionism. I never want you to think you’ve “failed” if you eat in these 5 very normal ways. Sure, any of these 5 habits could become unhealthy if overdone, but right now you are focused on ending the binge eating…you are not trying to eat perfectly!

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Think only “future you” can recover?

Do you find yourself believing that you’ll be more capable of recovery in the future? Do you think that after a certain event, or obligation, or birthday/holiday passes, then you’ll be ready to end the habit?

You are not alone in having these thoughts! Even if you can point to future factors that you truly believe will set you up for success, also know that the lower brain maintains habits by creating reasons to continue engaging in it. One of the common reasons is that “you will be more ready and equipped for recovery at another time.”

The lower brain calls for instant gratification, and to get it, it creates a vision of a future where you can quit effortlessly…whether that is tomorrow, next month, or next year. This can go on forever if you let it, because once the future becomes now, the lower brain will still call for instant gratification.

When you hear thoughts encouraging you to binge today and quit another time, know that you’ll have those same faulty thoughts at any time you try to quit. Resistance to change is normal and natural, but you can overcome it!

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Everything is not wrong

Do you find yourself thinking that everything is wrong when it comes to your food choices and eating behaviors?

I know there are habits that you want to change, I know it’s painful to live with binge eating; but I want you to drop the belief that everything is wrong in your relationship with food.

Start taking the time to notice when you do things right, and by “right,” I don’t mean perfect. When you acknowledge what is going well and stop downplaying your successes, you can build from there.

To help you keep this in mind, here is a quote I recently shared on my Instagram (@brain_over_binge):

“Rather than wandering around in problem-solving mode all day, thinking mainly of what you want to fix about yourself or your life, you can pause for a few moments throughout the day to marvel at what’s not broken.” -Kristin Neff

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Do you resist what helps you?

If you find yourself resisting doing the things that you know will help you toward change, it can be easy to think you really don’t want change after all. But this is not the case. It’s natural and normal for the brain to resist change…and to resist the things that lead you toward change.

In the Brain over Binge course, Lesson 7, I explain that “resisting doing things that will change habits does not mean you actually want those habits in your life. It just means your brain has an inclination toward those old patterns.”

You can learn to feel the automatic desire to resist change without letting it stop you from taking the steps you need to take to free yourself from binge eating.

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This advice is taken from weekly emails I send to encourage recovery. If you’d like to receive my emails (and monthly newsletter) going forward, all you need to do is enter your email address on this page.

When you sign up, you also get the free “Brain over Binge Inspiration Booklet” and the free course track, “Manage Your Mindset After a Binge”.
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More help:

If you want extra guidance as you learn to give up binge eating, here are some resources for additional support:

One-on-one Coaching – Book a 45-minute or 20-minute private and highly personalized session with Kathryn. You will learn to change your thinking, uncover what is holding you back, and get on a path to complete freedom from food issues.

Group Coaching – Get help from coach Kathryn and support from others who are overcoming this habit. Includes a forum that is open 24/7, 4 weekly group coaching calls with Kathryn, plus course access.

Brain over Binge Course – Self-paced online lessons (plus an app) for only $18.99/month. Includes over 125 tracks to listen to that give you the information and answers you need as you end binge eating.

Brain over Binge Books – Get Brain over Binge and the Brain over Binge Recovery Guide on Amazon and Audible.

Quick and Practical Advice to Help You Stop Binge Eating (Part V)

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I am continuing my blog series to provide quick inspiration and practical advice about a variety of issues that may come up for you in binge eating recovery. (You can read additional advice in Part I, Part II, Part III, and Part IV)

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Showing up for yourself

On days that feel hard, read this…

“All progress is made when people who don’t feel like showing up for themselves show up anyway. Your power is wielded in your ability to act despite conflicting emotions. Feel your feelings, then get moving.”  -J. Mike Fields

This is not to say that you always need to push through and exhaust yourself. Sometimes rest and downtime is what you need. But it’s vital to realize that you can’t wait to feel good to take positive action, and you especially can’t wait to feel good to avoid the harmful action of a binge.

When you show up for yourself and say no to binges no matter how you feel, you will start to feel better and better!

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What if I eat emotionally?

Recovery from binge eating does not mean you will never eat emotionally again.

It’s simply not realistic to expect yourself to avoid every form of emotional eating that may come up. Emotions are always running through us, and pretty much every time you eat, you may be able to point to an emotion that could be theoretically linked to that eating. It’s sometimes hard to sort out what is actually emotional eating and what is just normal eating in times that you’re emotional.

It can become a little confusing and I think that’s why it’s important to realize that—even if you do eat something that seems to be driven by emotions—you can still stop after a reasonable amount and you can dismiss any urges to binge that may arise. In other words, emotional eating never needs to lead to binge eating.

I talk extensively about the relationship between emotional eating and binge eating in the Brain over Binge course, especially in Lesson 7. (The course is only $18.99 per month with no commitment.) 

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Stay binge-free even with persistent urges

It can feel frustrating to dismiss an urge only to have it come back not long after it settled down…

But when you start thinking things like “I can’t believe this is happening again!” or “why can’t these urges just leave me alone!” it puts your nervous system in a fight-or-flight state that makes it more difficult to dismiss the urge again.

Try not to be surprised that the urges keep coming back. After all, the lower brain thinks you need this habit, and producing urges is what it’s been conditioned to do. The less you are upset about the recurrence of the urges, the more accepting your mindset will be, and you can even welcome each urge as an opportunity to make the changes you want.

I’m not saying you’re going to like having the urges! But, to decondition the brain, you have to learn to be okay with having unmet desire to binge (no matter how often that desire shows up) until that desire fades away.

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What do you need to allow in recovery?

Do you fight against binge urges instead of letting them come and go?

Do you automatically start eating when you feel certain emotions?

Do you go into a full binge after feeling some discomfort from overeating?

Do you attempt to keep tight control over your weight?

While all of these issues may seem different, you can improve any of them by learning about the concept of allowing what is. When you develop an allowing mindset surrounding urges, food, weight, emotions, and more, you actually step into a much more powerful position to make positive changes.

Allowing what is is not being passive…it is letting the things you can’t control simply be. When you do this, you get your energy and focus back to use it on what you can control.

Coach Julie and I have a podcast episode about this topic, and I know you’ll find it helpful in many aspects of binge eating recovery:
Listen to Episode 142: Allowing What Is (with Coach Julie)

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Not eating mindfully?

You’re not alone if you find yourself not eating in a mindful way. Life is busy and challenging, and thankfully, mindfulness during meals is not a requirement for recovery.

You may have received the idea somewhere that you “should” be present while you are eating, and chew slowly, and pay close attention to the sensations of your body. All of this can certainly be helpful, especially if you are re-learning normal eating and re-establishing your hunger and fullness cues.

However, not eating mindfully does not make you destined to binge.

Your lower brain might produce a thought like, “you weren’t present enough and you didn’t really enjoy your food, so now you need the ‘pleasure’ of a binge.” This is neurological junk. The reality is that sometimes you just have to eat and move on, and you simply don’t have time to sit down and savor your food.

You’ll find the level of mindfulness that you want (depending on each situation), but always remember that you can dismiss binge urges no matter what.

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Eating outside of meals/snacks is not a binge

In Episode 147: Redefining Restriction, I mentioned that I generally like to eat 3 meals a day plus some snacks in between. Someone then reached out to ask: If you eat outside of these meals/snacks, do you consider that a binge? The answer is absolutely not.

Life is often challenging and unpredictable, and having meals and snacks is just a general framework, definitely not a rule. On extremely busy days, I sometimes just eat something whenever I feel hunger or when it seems like I need some energy, and this ends up looking like maybe 7-8 snacks. I sometimes eat a few large meals and no snacks, or sometimes only one actual meal and the rest just quick convenience food because it’s easy and I don’t have the bandwidth to put any effort into food.

The point here is that life doesn’t always line up with how I’d ideally like to be eating, and when I eat in a way that doesn’t fit that “ideal,” I never consider it a binge. My past binges were large and unmistakable, and after recovery, I told myself that if I had to ask if it was a binge or not, then it was not a binge.

This allowed me to confidently choose to eat in whatever reasonable way I wanted to, based on my available time and resources, without thinking I was wrong or broken. This also kept me from creating strict rules around my eating that could have led me back down the path of dieting.

I realize that for some, binges are less clearly defined, and that’s why there are significant sections of my course and 2nd book devoted to helping you define your binges. You can also find guidance in this blog post: Subjectivity in Binge Eating.

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Are low moods making food more appealing?

Feeling down or feeling negative emotions absolutely makes rewarding behaviors more enticing. This, combined with the reality that food is the easiest form of reward that most of us have access to, creates a scenario that sets us up to feel driven toward food during low moods.

Even people who never struggle with binge eating can develop some emotional eating habits over time. Everyone probably “uses” food for reasons other than true hunger to some extent. To keep this in balance, it’s about learning to consciously choose instead of feeling like food has control over you.

For more help with this (especially if negative emotions are connected to your binge eating), listen to Episode 39: Q&A: Emotional Attachment to Binge Eating

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Would you tell a friend to binge?

We often tell ourselves that a binge “makes sense” for one reason or another, and one common reason you may come up with is that you’ve already eaten something unhealthy, or you’ve already broken a resolution to avoid a certain food, so you might as well binge.

It can be helpful to take a step back and think about what you’d tell a friend who broke a resolution or ate something unhealthy…

Would you tell them all is lost and that they might as well eat all of the junk food?

Of course not!

However, you may believe this same logic when it comes from your own thoughts. A big part of binge eating recovery is learning to recognize these faulty, lower-brain thoughts and realize they don’t represent your truth.

Instead, you’d tell a friend that whether or not they stick to their other resolutions, a binge never makes sense and always leads to more pain. You’d tell them that regardless of their food choices, a binge does not bring them any closer to improving their eating habits.

You can treat yourself the same way you’d treat a friend—knowing that whether or not you are “successful” with your eating, you never have to binge… and that is a huge success!!

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This advice is taken from weekly emails I send to encourage recovery. If you’d like to receive my emails (and monthly newsletter) going forward, all you need to do is enter your email address on this page.

When you sign up, you also get the free “Brain over Binge Inspiration Booklet” and the free course track, “Manage Your Mindset After a Binge”.
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More help:

If you want extra guidance as you learn to give up binge eating, here are some resources for additional support:

One-on-one Coaching – Book a 45-minute or 20-minute private and highly personalized session with Kathryn or Coach Julie. You will learn to change your thinking, uncover what is holding you back, and get on a path to complete freedom from food issues.

Group Coaching – Get help from coach Julie and support from others who are overcoming this habit. Includes a forum that is open 24/7, group coaching calls, mindfulness resources, plus course access.

Brain over Binge Course – Self-paced online lessons (plus an app) for only $18.99/month. Includes over 125 tracks to listen to that give you the information and answers you need as you end binge eating.

Brain over Binge Books – Get Brain over Binge and the Brain over Binge Recovery Guide on Amazon and Audible.

are you truly binge eating

Ep. 72: Are You Truly Binge Eating?

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cookie rosenblum kathryn hansen

Free Class with Cookie & Kathryn

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This post is out of date.

I’ve heard from many people who aren’t sure if they binge or not. They know they are doing something with food that doesn’t feel good, and they know they are eating too much at times, but…

Is it binge eating?
Is it compulsive overeating?
Is it emotional eating?

There is some subjectivity in labeling problematic eating behaviors, and there is often overlap between behaviors. However, it’s valuable to determine what you are specifically struggling with, because when you know what your problem is, you can better apply targeted solutions.

I’ve recently talked to my friend and colleague Cookie Rosenblum about this, and we have decided to host a free online class to help you determine if you are binge eating, compulsively overeating, or engaging in habitual pattern of emotional eating. We want to help you understand how to overcome each of these issues!

The class will be on Wednesday, November 18th at 12pmET, and you can register now. (This post is out of date.)

Cookie is an expert at helping people overcome problematic overeating and emotional eating, and of course, I help people stop binge eating.

Because the term binge has become mainstream (think of “binge-watching” shows), it is sometimes applied to any behavior that seems excessive, including eating behaviors. However, binge eating is not the same as overeating, and overeating isn’t always a problem. Everyone overeats from time to time, but when it feels compulsive and too frequent, it’s definitely something to work on.

If you aren’t sure what type of eating issue you are dealing with, but you want to be free of your struggle with food, I hope you will find the upcoming online class with Cookie very helpful.

This is a one-time class and space is limited, so I encourage you to register today.(This post is out of date.)

Free help for binge eating (course preview)

Free Course Resources to Help You Stop Binge Eating

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I want to let you know that I’ve created a free preview of the Brain over Binge Course. I realize that times are difficult right now, and you may not be in a position to purchase the whole course, but I hope you can use the free resources to help you stop binge eating. When you go to the preview, you will receive instructions and guidance. In the rest of this blog post, I will outline and explain what’s included in the preview, and answer questions you may have about the course.

Brain over Binge Free Preview

Resources in the free preview:

 

  • Lesson 1 Welcome Track: This track will guide you as you get started using the Brain over Binge approach, or as you renew your commitment to stop binge eating.
  • A Writing Prompts Worksheet:  This worksheet will help you develop your own insights and get in the right mindset for recovery.
  • A Tips and Advice Message:  In the complete course, I’ve written 12 messages that include important ideas and information that I want you to keep in mind as you go through the lessons. The tips and advice message in the free preview guides you to get the most out of your writing prompts worksheet.
  • A Coaching Track:  This track is designed to help you focus on and grow your desire to stop binge eating. You can listen anytime you need some extra motivation.
  • 2 Q&A Tracks: These tracks will give you detailed answers to the following questions/issues:
    • How much focus should I put on recovery?
    • Food is constantly in my thoughts. Even if I’m not having urges to binge, I’m incessantly thinking about eating.

If you decide to subscribe to the course, you will get 8 lessons right away. The course includes 115+ tracks, 24 worksheets, and 12 tips and advice messages. 

You can begin the course at any time and go through the lessons at your own pace. The lessons will guide you in a carefully structured way, toward a new understanding of your binge eating habit, and will show you exactly how to end it.

The Brain over Binge Course is based upon my simple and practical approach, and the idea that you can can end binge eating without a major personal transformation, and without solving your life’s problems.

  • You’ll learn to use what works for you (and put aside what doesn’t) so recovery can be efficient and effective.
  • You’ll learn to trust yourself again, and stop feeling out of control around food.
  • You’ll be able to see a future without the pain of binge eating.

All of the information and guidance of the Brain over Binge Course is available for only a small fraction of what it would cost to work with a coach privately or in a group setting. I put all of my coaching, advice, and encouragement into this affordable format so that it will be more accessible to anyone who needs it.

FAQ’s about the Brain over Binge Course:

 

1.) Are the coaching tracks in the Course the same as the coaching tracks that are available separately? 

Yes. There are 15 coaching tracks in the Brain over Binge Course, including an track that will help you in moments when you are feeling tempted to binge. You can also get these same 15 coaching tracks separately, which is a great option if you feel like you don’t need the whole course, but only some daily reinforcement and motivation from the coaching tracks.
*Starting in May 2020, when you purchase the coaching tracks, you will also get Lesson 1 of the course. There is no extra cost for this until July 7, 2020, when the price of the coaching tracks (plus Lesson 1) will go up from $31.99 to $49.  Lesson 1 gives you a foundation in the Brain over Binge approach, which will help you use the coaching tracks more effectively.
*If you purchase the coaching tracks, and then later decide to upgrade to the complete course, 100 percent of your payment for the coaching tracks will be applied to the course price. 

 

2.) I was a member of the former 8-Week Group Course, or the Independent Study Course.  Can I get a discount on the new version of the Brain over Binge course?

Yes! If you participated in one of my previous courses, and you want to enroll in the new version of the course, please send an email to contact@brainoverbinge.com and you will receive special repeat member pricing.

 

3.) How is the course different from the Brain over Binge books and podcast?

The course is based around the same concepts as the books and podcast, but it’s designed to guide you in a more incremental way, so that you can better apply the concepts in your own life. The audio lessons take the most important information from the books and podcast and break it down for you in a way that is accessible and practical. Most people learn better with a structured and guided approach, but you know yourself best, so use what works for you!

The course also contains 85 Q&A tracks, and many of the topics discussed are not covered at all in the books or podcast, and if they are, the discussions in the Q&A tracks are more detailed and relatable to your own situation. In these course Q&As, I believe I’ve answered every question I’ve been asked over my years of helping binge eaters. The Q&A tracks are very practical because you can find a question you have at any time of day or night (on the Q&A page), and click on the track to get an answer when you need it. Most people find this to be much more convenient than trying to find an answer in a 300+ page book or somewhere in a podcast episode.

In the course, you also get 15 coaching tracks to keep you focused and motivated, including a coaching track to help you when you are feeling the urge to binge. There are 115 total tracks throughout the course, so if you are someone who learns well with track, or if you like to listen while doing other things you need to do, then the course could be a great fit for you.

Although the approach in the course is fundamentally the same as it is in the books and podcast, the value is in the structure, guidance, accessibility, detail, Q&A tracks, and coaching tracks. I’ve had so many people tell me that even though they read the books or listened to the podcast, the course gave them the extra help they needed to end binge eating for good. Here is one quote from a course member:
“This course is exactly what I needed to hear! I’ve read countless books on the BED-topic (including Brain over Binge) before, without any success. The course is full of deep insights and packed with valuable and practical information. I really appreciate the rational and organized form everything is presented. I’m exceedingly thankful for the course – it has really changed my life!“ – Justin

 

4.) Will you ever offer the 8-Week Group Course again, with the Facebook Group and live group calls? 

Although nothing is completely certain in life, I do not plan to offer that version of the course in the future. The original course that I created with Cookie Rosenblum was very successful; however, based on life and work changes for both Cookie and me, we are unable to continue that version of the course. I hope this new version will allow the course to be more accessible and affordable to more people who need it, and eliminate some of the challenges of a group format. Everyone is highly individual, which is why I want to give you all of the resources you need to be successful, as well as give you an extensive library of Q&A tracks that you can use to stay on your own path to recovery.

 

5). If I choose the no-expiration access, how long will I have access to the Brain over Binge Course after I enroll?

You will have access to the private course website for as long as it is available, which I hope will be for many years. I do not have any plans to change the course in the future (aside from possible small improvements that you’ll get access to). However, I do not believe that promising “lifetime” access is realistic, considering the ever-evolving, changing, and unpredictable nature of life and technology. If I need to end the course in the future, you will still get at least 1 year of access from the date you purchased. I will also give you 2 weeks notice if I ever decide to change or replace an track or worksheet, so that you can download and save it first.

 

6.)  How do I enroll?

Registration is always open. You can subscribe here.

 

7.) Undecided? 

Remember you can check out the Free Preview to see if the course is right for you:

 

© Copyright 2026 Kathryn Hansen