The 3 Main Triggers to Binge Eating

In this article we’re going to be talking about a big topic when it comes to binge eating… we will talk about the 3 main triggers of binge eating.

These are the factors that can lead to binge eating.

So this means that if you do tackle these and avoid these triggers then you will most definitely have a reduction in binge eating episodes. Binge eating can be a very serious problem, but it’s also something that can be triggered by surprisingly small things.

If you’re trying to overcome a binge eating problem, it’s important to know what the main triggers are.

In this blog post, we’ll take a look at some of the most common binge eating triggers and how to avoid them.

So here are the 3 main triggers of binge eating.

#1: Being Physically Hungry

So you may be thinking, ‘How can I be hungry if I binge? If anything, I overeat so much.’ Which is understandable to think, but if you look at the bigger picture, what does your eating pattern look like? Do you find yourself not eating regularly OUTSIDE of binges?

You may have had a big meal or a binge at night but once that hunger comes back maybe the next day morning, maybe the next day afternoon, do you tend to push back that hunger because you are worried that you might gain weight?

Dietitians who work with people who binge eat will focus on what you are eating OUTSIDE binges rather than what you are bingeing on.

Do You Follow Any of These Common Eating Habits?

Here are things to look out for, and I want you to imagine in your head, your eating habits: Is there a lack of structure when it comes to your eating?

Do you tend to skip meals and go hours without eating? Do you eat regularly for a few days and then stop eating the next day or two? Is there a specific time of the day when you consume the majority of your calories? Probably at night? Do you tend to eat ‘healthy’ during the day and find yourself bingeing later on?

Outside of binges, do you focus on eating ‘healthy/clean/safe/good/boring’ foods whereas your binges are ‘exciting/delicious/guilt/bad/unhealthy/off-limits? If I were to ask you if you ate regularly, would you say “yes“?

Some people may eat regularly for a day or two or eat small portions hoping it will be enough but then find themselves restricting later in the week.

We should look at the bigger picture: Regular eating means eating regularly during the day and during the week.

Eat Regularly to Avoid the Temptation of Binging.

So how do we avoid this binge eating trigger of being physically hungry? So to avoid this trigger, we just simply have to eat regularly.

What this may look like is to eat every 2-4 hours, breakfast, mid-morning snack, lunch, mid-afternoon snack, dinner, and maybe an evening snack at the end of the day.

Ensure you are 7 or 8/10 full, with 0 being ravenously hungry and 10 being painfully full. As hard as it sounds, sometimes removing the trigger of physical hunger may be enough to stop the binges altogether. What keeps most people in the binge-restrict cycle is that they do not want to surrender to their weight loss goals. What I want you to know is that to stop binge eating, you will have to stop focusing on weight loss… at least for a while until you have stopped binge eating and it no longer has power over your life, then you can choose what to do with your weight when you have a much better relationship with your food however weight loss is not something I would suggest right after binge recovery.

Some people might be thinking they are not losing weight or failing their diet because they are not using enough willpower.

You might be thinking ‘how come other people could do it and not me, I must be a failure’ but what I want you to know is that you are far from it, it takes lots of courage and strength to break through binge eating.

Eating regularly can be one of the simplest yet most difficult things to do because you will have to surrender to your weight loss goals in order to do so.

You will have to eat when you are hungry.

This hunger may be something most people hate during diets but in reality, it is a protective mechanism by your body to warn you that you need the energy to keep the systems moving!

You may be thinking, if I eat regularly, I am definitely going to binge on all the foods I normally binge on.

I’ll just binge regularly…

Fibre: Keeps You Full

So what is important next is what those regular meals and snacks should look like: The meals should be balanced: Focusing on containing fibre, fats, carbohydrates, and protein.

So if you normally have a bagel with a scrape of butter for breakfast try to add protein and some fibre to keep you full, so this meal would transform into something like a bagel with butter and cottage cheese and chia seeds.

Having a balanced meal containing fibre, fats, carbohydrates, and protein will ensure you stay full, the same goes with some snacks.

Ensuring you are eating regular, balanced meals will keep your body from being hungry which is a trigger for binge eating.

When you are not physically hungry, it is difficult to binge because your body is not craving any specific foods. You are less likely to think about food as well.

Sub Trigger: Emotional Hunger

There is a sub trigger for binge eating and that is emotional hunger. Emotional hunger is often described as eating in response to our emotions instead of physical hunger. We may eat when we are stressed or sad, for example. Emotional hunger can be difficult to resist because it is often accompanied by strong emotions and cravings.

To avoid emotional hunger, it is important to recognize the signs that you are actually experiencing emotional hunger.

Some common signs include eating even though you are not physically hungry, feeling ashamed or guilty after eating, and experiencing cravings for certain types of foods, such as sweet or salty snacks.

If you are experiencing emotional hunger, it can be helpful to engage in other activities to address your emotions, such as talking to a friend or journaling about how you are feeling.

Additionally, focusing on mindful eating can help you better understand cravings and avoid letting them lead to binge eating.

Sub Trigger: Boredom

Another sub trigger for binge eating is boredom. When we are bored, we may turn to food for entertainment or comfort.

Boredom eating can be especially problematic because it often leads to mindlessly consuming large quantities of food without even enjoying it.

To avoid boredom eating, it is important to have other activities and hobbies you enjoy.

If you find yourself often hungry or thinking about food when you are bored, try scheduling your meals and snacks ahead of time so that you don’t have to rely on food for entertainment.

You can also keep a journal to track what you eat and how often you are feeling bored, which can help identify patterns in your behaviour.

Additionally, engaging in mindful eating practices can help you better understand your cravings and focus on the experience of eating instead of the food itself.

Overall, there are a number of sub-triggers that can lead to binge eating, including physical hunger, emotional hunger, and boredom.

To avoid these triggers, it is important to focus on practicing healthy habits like eating regular, balanced meals and engaging in other activities to address your emotions.

Practicing mindful eating can help you better understand your cravings and avoid letting them lead to binge eating. With these strategies, you can overcome binge eating and maintain a healthy and balanced lifestyle.

That Is Evidence-Based on Research

Evidence shows that people who start to eat regularly to break through their binge eating, actually do not gain a significant amount of weight, instead of building up a huge surge of hunger hormones which is all satisfied with a binge, you are craving those hunger pangs with eating little and often throughout the day – spreading those calories.

But rather than focusing on weight and calories, let us look ahead in the future to what you will gain being free from binge eating: you may finally enjoy meals with loved ones without guilt, you won’t have to have this sadness lurking inside telling your mind that your family cooked meal is sabotaging your diet, you won’t have to pretend that you are “busy” when friends invite you out for a delicious meal.

To break through these physical triggers of binge eating, we need to focus on eating regularly, balanced meals and snacks that will keep us full throughout the day so that we can avoid a surge in our hunger hormones.

With these strategies in place, you can begin to say goodbye to binge eating and start to enjoy your meals and social interactions free from guilt and shame. So don’t give up, keep working towards recovery, and take back control of your life!

This leads me to the 2^nd main trigger of binge eating:

#2: Mental Restriction

Mental restriction is a more subtle trigger of binge eating. Do you find yourself mentally restricting?

Mental restriction looks like eating ‘clean’ outside of binges, then, later on, you may get a craving for some chocolate for example, but you tend to avoid that craving and go for a piece of fruit.

You tend to avoid ‘bad or forbidden’ foods, or as some people call it ‘fear’ foods.

Yes you can replace the piece of chocolate with fruit and you will be full but you most likely won’t be satisfied – And until you are satisfied, you might find yourself eating more and more or restricting until you start triggering the binge to satisfy that built-up unsatisfied need.

Mental restriction is a main trigger of binge eating because it can create cravings and make you feel deprived.

And these may be the hormones that fuel your binges when they are not regularly satisfied through regular, balanced meals and snacks.

Mindful Eating Can Help You Overcome Binge Eating and Manage Your Food Cravings.

To break through the mental restriction triggers of binge eating, it is important to practice mindful eating and focus on the experience of eating instead of the food itself.

This means listening to your body’s hunger cues and allowing yourself to enjoy the foods that you crave without guilt or shame.

Scheduling regular meals and snacks to help keep your blood sugar levels stable throughout the day can help you better manage your cravings and avoid binge eating.

I want to ask you something: Don’t think of a pink elephant…what did you think of? A pink elephant!

If you try to hold your cravings and not honour them, you will be thinking about them most of the day.

Even if you aren’t currently thinking about it, it will subconsciously be in the corner or you may be thinking of other ‘forbidden foods’.

Our minds are very powerful, so if we are constantly thinking about food, our bodies will crave it.

You Only Binge on What You Restrict

So, restricting your food intake for too long can end up triggering physical hunger. Just like you need to eat when you’re actually hungry, your body also needs fuel after a period of restriction. Otherwise, it will go into survival mode and start hoarding calories.

A good tip to remember is: “You only binge on what you restrict”.

By focusing on eating regular, balanced meals and snacks throughout the day, you can better manage your cravings and take back control of your binge eating.

Don’t give up – keep working towards recovery, and start enjoying meals and social interactions free from guilt and shame!

You have to eat the foods you are craving. So instead of swapping to the ‘healthier alternative’, eat the foods you crave.

If you are craving a packet of crisps, eat the packet of crisps, if you are craving some chocolate, eat some chocolate.

This is just setting yourself up for a binge, but if you are following the regular eating pattern and not restricting physically, you will not be so hungry finding yourself overeating these foods.

You will be able to have a portion and feel content.

You’ll Be Able to Focus on Other Things in Your Life

A lot of people find it hard to believe but by eating the foods they are craving, they no longer crave them as much.

This is because their body feels nourished, and they aren’t as deprived.

So instead of thinking about food all day long, you will be able to focus on other things in your life!

If you focus on eating regular, balanced meals and snacks throughout the day, you can better manage your cravings and break the cycle of binge eating.

Remember to be kind and forgiving with yourself, and keep working towards recovery!

So how do you stop mental restriction?

How to Stop Mental Restriction to Binge Eating

1. Eat regularly: try to schedule regular meals and snacks to help keep your blood sugar levels stable throughout the day.
2. Listen to your body’s hunger cues: focus on the experience of eating instead of the food itself, and allow yourself to enjoy the foods that you crave without guilt or shame.
3. Don’t give up: keep working towards recovery, and start enjoying meals and social interactions free from guilt and shame.

Mentally restricting foods places them on a pedestal and when we subconsciously crave them all day, we see start to see them as a massive reward but if we are including them into our daily diet, then they actually start to lose the sparkle of being this ‘amazing’ ‘forbidden’ food.

With these simple tips, you can start managing your cravings and breaking the cycle of binge eating, so that you can enjoy meals and social interactions without guilt or shame.

And once again, just like how to stop physical hunger, a trigger of binge eating – to stop mental restriction, you will have to surrender to your weight loss goals for now and put those goals to the side.

Eat the foods you are craving and don’t restrict yourself. By doing this, you will be better able to identify your body’s hunger cues, preventing overeating and emotional eating later on.

With time and practice, you can start to truly enjoy regular meals and snacks without cravings or feelings of deprivation.

So keep working towards recovery and take back control of your binge eating!

Finally the 3^rd trigger of binge eating

#3: All-or-Nothing Thinking

So, I would say that avoiding the “all-or-nothing” thinking is as equally important as avoiding mental and physical restrictions.

All or nothing thinking looks like this: So, do you ever try to eat ‘clean’ for most of the week then find yourself finally giving in to that meal you consider bad?

You may give in and eat ‘bad’ the whole day because you think you ruined your diet. This is all or nothing thinking.

It’s an all-or-nothing mindset that tells you that you’re either on a diet or off a diet, eating ‘healthy’ or eating ‘unhealthy’, being ‘good’ or being ‘bad’.

Whenever we have this mindset, it results in binge eating.

This is because we mentally restrict ourselves from eating some foods and feel so guilty that we end up overeating just to make up for the guilt.

Focus on Progress Instead of Perfection

To break this all-or-nothing mindset, focus on progress instead of perfection. Aim to eat healthily most of the time, rather than counting every calorie or trying to avoid certain foods.

This way, you can focus on making small changes towards a healthier lifestyle instead of feeling like you’re constantly failing at dieting.

You think to yourself ‘I didn’t eat perfectly, I am going to restart my diet again on Monday.’

Relating to the previous point about mental restriction, if you stop mentally restricting yourself from certain foods and give yourself a break, you can start to focus on making healthier choices most of the time.

By doing this, you will avoid all-or-nothing thinking and begin healing your relationship with food and your body.

And with time and practice, you can start to truly enjoy regular meals and snacks without cravings or feelings of deprivation.

Then you start to find yourself not bingeing, more and more.

Have Self-Compassion for Ourselves

So in order to avoid the “all-or-nothing” thinking, we have to have self-compassion for ourselves.

You may stop physically restricting and mentally restricting, and you may have a drastic reduction in binges but if you do binge, you can either think to yourself, I had a binge, I’ll move on from this and learn from this or you could think to yourself ‘I failed and I cannot do this – Then start to restrict then binge and restrict then binge placing you back into the binge-restrict cycle.

By breaking the binge-restrict cycle, you are on your way to making peace with food and your body.

Whether you’ve binged or not, give yourself a break and practice self-compassion. With time and practice, you can start to truly enjoy regular meals and snacks without cravings or feelings of deprivation. So keep working towards recovery and start taking control of your binge eating today!

In conclusion, there are many triggers that contribute to binge eating, including mental and physical restrictions, as well as “all-or-nothing” thinking.

By focusing on making healthy choices, practicing self-compassion, and breaking the binge-restrict cycle, you can begin to take control of your binge eating and start living a happier and healthier life.

What Are the Main Triggers of Binge Eating?

There are three main triggers of binge eating: mental and physical restrictions, as well as all-or-nothing thinking.

1. Physical Restriction
2. Mental Restriction
3. All-or-Nothing thinking

And I get that, it’s not your fault all of these are happening, it’s diet culture trying to condition us that we need to restrict mentally and physically as well as try to eat perfectly.

You might have seen “What I Eat in a Day” videos online and you might think wow that person must be eating so clean and perfect.

But in reality, a healthy relationship with food is about eating foods you enjoy, foods that nourish you well.

What is more important than eating healthily is to have a healthy relationship with food – being free from guilt. 

Diet culture has been trying to sell us the idea of “perfection” for so long, and we’ve bought into it hook, line, and sinker.

So it’s no wonder that we try to ritually restrict our bodies and minds, as well as trying to eat perfectly.

But in reality, achieving “perfection” is simply not possible – we are all human and no one can be perfect all the time.

Focus on Making Healthy Choices Most of the Time

Instead of focusing on restriction and perfection, we should focus on making healthy choices most of the time.

By eating regular meals and snacks, and by taking care of our bodies, we can start to break free from the binge-restrict cycle and begin to live happier and healthier lives.

We hope this article has helped you understand the three main triggers of binge eating and how to overcome them. If you are struggling with binge eating, we urge you to seek professional help. There are many resources available to you, including the Binge Eating Recovery Course.

This course is designed to help people struggling with binge eating disorder learn about treatment options and have professional support from a registered dietitian as well as from others who have been through the same struggle.

So start taking control of your binge eating today, and remember – you are not alone!

As we can see, there are many triggers that contribute to binge eating, including mental and physical restrictions as well as all-or-nothing thinking.

By focusing on making healthy choices most of the time, practicing self-compassion, and breaking the binge-restrict cycle, you can begin to take control of your binge eating and start living a happier and healthier life.