The binge eating cycle consists of alternating phases of limiting food intake (restriction), followed by eating large amounts of food (bingeing). This cycle can be painful and cause a lot of guilt and shame. If you’ve experienced this cycle, you’re not alone! Keep reading to learn why this cycle happens and 5 things you can do to help stop overeating.
What is the Binge Restraint Cycle?
The binge eating cycle consists of alternating phases of restricting food intake (restriction), followed by eating large amounts of food (binge).
The restriction phase may include restrictions on the amount of food (eg, portion size, calories, etc.) or the type of food (eg, cutting out certain foods or food groups). This phase may include dieting, skipping meals, cutting calories, rules about what you can or cannot eat, and/or compensatory exercise.
When you restrict certain foods or food groups, you may be able to avoid eating those foods for several days or even several weeks, but eventually, your body feels deprived. This is the binge eating phase. “Exaggeration” usually means different things to different people, but common threads include behaviors such as:
- You eat faster than normal
- Feeling out of control around food
- Eat until you feel uncomfortably full
- You eat large amounts of food even when you are not physically hungry
Exaggerations can also be related to emotional triggers such as stress or anxiety and can serve as a temporary escape or coping mechanism. The binge eating phase is usually associated with strong feelings of guilt and shame.
A binge eating phase is then followed by another restricting phase, where one tries to control their eating and suppress guilt and shame by following dietary rules and limiting what they eat. Which eventually leads to deprivation again, and a binge occurs once again. the cycle continues.
The cycle of binge eating can vary in length. You may experience both in one day, for example, restricting for most of the day followed by a binge at night, or you may restrict for weeks or even months before experiencing a binge. While many people restrict to compensate for overeating or to try to avoid overeating, this is counterproductive as food restriction is actually the underlying cause of the binge eating phase.
The Science Behind Binging
The human body is designed for survival, that’s how we evolved. Part of survival means eating enough. This means that when your body detects any sign that there isn’t enough food, it goes out of its way to make sure you eat enough to survive.
When you diet, count calories, or limit or restrict certain foods in any way, your body sees this as a threat to your survival. This is especially true if you have been and are not dieting. The more times you go through the binge eating restriction cyclethe more your body becomes wary of hunger and the more it will try to do everything it can to make sure you eat enough.
Your body responds to food restriction in several ways:
- It lowers your metabolic rate, so you need fewer calories to function.
- It produces more hunger hormones so you are hungrier and eat more.
- It produces less fullness hormones, so it takes more food to feel full.
- It increases your appetite and desire for high calorie food (this is part of why binge eating after a period of restriction usually results in higher calorie foods like chocolate, cookies, chips, pastries, etc.)
5 Ways to Stop the Binge-Restrict Pattern
1. Give yourself unconditional permission.
Food restriction is the main underlying cause of overeating. Every time you limit the amount or type of food you eat, you set your body up to crave more of those foods in the future. The solution: try to give yourself unconditional permission to eat (and enjoy – see #4) food. Over time, as you release your dietary restrictions, the cycle of overeating restriction will end.
Here are some steps you can take to give yourself unconditional permission to eat:
- Notice any eating mindset you may still be participating in and let it go.
- Allow yourself to eat what you want when you want it. (See #2 and #4 below)
- Create abundance with food, both physically and spiritually.
- Adjust your language to make all foods neutral.
2. Honor your hunger cues.
Become attuned to your body’s signals to tell you it’s hungry, and then honor that hunger by eating something. Hunger can be felt in a number of ways, and not just from a growling stomach. Some other ways you can feel hunger:
- Energy: Tired, low energy, sluggish
- Head: Difficulty concentrating, headache, dizziness, inability to concentrate, dizziness
- Disposal: Irritable, aloof, eccentric (the classic “hanger”)
Ignoring hunger cues or waiting to eat until you’re extremely hungry tends to lead to fast and haphazard eating, which can play into the overeating restriction cycle. Knowing your earlier hunger cues and eating before you start to stress helps you rebuild trust in your body. Over time, this increase in confidence—that you will feed your body when it sends a signal—helps stop the restrictive pattern of overeating.
3. Eat consistently and eat enough.
If you are not eating adequately and consistently throughout the day, hunger and fullness cues may not be reliable indicators of when to eat and when to stop. A general rule of thumb is to eat three meals a day, plus plenty of snacks. Most people feel better when they eat every three to five hours. If you don’t feel hungry right now, it can help to create a relaxed, flexible eating plan.
While “enough” will be somewhat different for each person, a good sign that you’ve eaten enough is if you can go several hours without thinking about or obsessing about food. Thinking about food is often a sign that your body needs food and is physically hungry. If you’re obsessed with food, it’s probably related to lack of food and food restriction (see #1).
If you’re not sure if you’re eating enough, or if increasing the amount of food you eat is scary or stressful, now is the perfect time to meet with a weight-inclusive dietitian who specializes in eating disorders.
4. Select Satisfying Foods.
To feel “finished” with food, your body must not only be physically full but also satisfied. If you are not eating foods that you like, then you may feel the urge to keep eating, even if your stomach is full. In general, a hearty meal includes several components, such as:
- A mixture of carbohydrates, fat and protein
- Food(s) that you enjoy and taste good
Many people skimp on carbs, which can make you feel unsatisfied and then end up overeating. This is where it’s important to eat enough, both calories and carbs (see #3 above).
Instead of choosing food based on what you think you “should” eat, choose foods you like. Think about the taste, texture, aroma, appearance, etc. Before each meal, ask yourself, “What do I really want to eat right now? What sounds good to me?’ If you’re not sure, that’s okay. Pick something, eat it, and then note how full and satisfied (or not) you feel. By experimenting, you will learn what foods and food combinations satisfy you the most.
5. Cultivate a variety of coping tools.
Binge eating can often be a coping tool to deal with unpleasant emotions. It is important to develop other, more positive and helpful coping tools as you work to end the cycle of overeating. By cultivating multiple coping strategies, you can have different tools in your arsenal depending on the part of you that needs tending. Some ideas include:
- Connection tools: call a loved one, go out to dinner with a friend, play with a dog or cat, visit a coffee shop.
- Relaxation tools: take a few deep breaths, get a massage, listen to relaxing music, read a book.
- Tools for enjoyment: put on a cozy sweater or pajamas, sit in the sun, watch a funny TV show.
- Movement tools: go for a walk, dance, do some stretching, clean the house.
Make a list of all the coping strategies you can try—including connection tools, relaxation tools, pleasure tools, movement tools, and release tools. Put the list somewhere you can easily access or see it.
In addition to the above tips, ending the cycle may also include nutritional therapy and counseling support from a registered dietitian nutritionist and/or therapist. Health professionals trained in intuitive eating and eating disorder care can help you create a more balanced, healthy relationship with food.
Note: the cycle of binge eating is commonly associated with eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia. If you think you or a loved one may have an eating disorder, get in touch Eating Disorders Alliance for more support and information.
Get more end-of-cycle support:
My team and I deliver virtually personal nutrition trainingsupporting people with intuitive eating, disordered eating and eating disorders and more.
You can also start with my online course Unapologetic Eating 101: Foundations of Intuitive Eating Coursean intuitive nutrition and body image plan to help you break free from dieting and come to terms with food and your body.
Author biography
The post was written and reviewed by Alissa Rumsey, MS, RD, CDN, CSCS, registered dietitian and certified intuitive nutrition consultant. She specializes in inclusive weight care, intuitive eating, body image therapy, mindfulness, self-compassion, and healing from chronic dieting, disordered eating, and eating disorders. Alissa holds a BA in Nutrition and Exercise Science, and a MA in Health Communications, and is also an NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist.
