Today, I’m pondering what my life would be like had I never dieted. If you know me, you might be aware that I battled with disordered eating when I was younger. I truly believe that if I never dieted, I would never have struggled with binge eating.
For me, dieting:
- led to anorexia
- which led to binge eating
- which led to bulimia
- which improved (ironically) back to binge eating
- which improved to overeating
- and finally returned to normal eating
Whew, what a waste of my time. Although dieting is not the only trigger for binge eating, very often not eating is what sets the stage for binge eating. It could be not eating well during the day or not eating well while trying to diet. Restriction and deprivation are very common binge triggers.
Beyond deprivation, other common triggers for binge eating are:
- coping with negative feelings or emotions
- down-time or time alone
- the desire to zone out, numb out or escape
- food exposure
- drinking alcohol
- negative body image (which usually leads to dieting)
- boredom
Of course these are not the only triggers for binges. We are all different. But awareness of what drives you to binge is the first step in changing your behavior.
Do you know your triggers that set you up for bingeing or overeating?
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