Binging in Eating Disorder Recovery

Are you recovering from Anorexia or Bulimia an feel you are having periods of binge eating? If your answer is yes, that is actually pretty common. To be blunt, your Eating Disorder really messes with your body, it’s natural cues, cravings etc. That doesn’t mean that all hope is lost, but it does mean that your body probably isn’t operating at it’s peak and in line with it’s natural rhythm.

When you have restricted your food intake for any length of time, it disrupts your hunger, disrupts your mind’s perception of food and fullness, essentially causes a lot of disruption. When you restrict, your body has the tendency to go to the other extreme; binging. If you want to know why that is, we can look at our evolution to better understand this concept. Check out this video to learn more; Are You Tired of Restricting and Binging?

Before we go any further, I would really encourage you to be honest with yourself about your binging. Sometimes, being that your perception has been morphed by your Eating Disorder, you may feel as though you’re binging, but sometimes you may perceive the following, more typical behaviors, as “binging;”

1. Eating a bit more than what your meal plan says to.
2. Eating past the point of fullness.
3. Feeling like you’re eating mindlessly
4. Feeling that what you ain’t really didn’t have much nutritional value.

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While this is not an all-inclusive list, these are common examples I see that a person in recovery perceives as binging. I’m not saying that real binges don’t happen in recovery, but first I would reflect on this and see if it’s a possibility that you really aren’t binging. Depending on what it actually is, different things can help it.

It’s important to note that all the examples I had mentioned are normal behaviors at times for a person who hasn’t struggled with an Eating Disorder. It’s about becoming more comfortable with it happening and forgiving of yourself because your food intake will not look “perfect” each day. That is not normal and would be very rigid. And with regards to eating past the point of fullness, this may be a temporary discomfort you need to live with because your body’s natural cues are probably still off. You may be experiencing fullness before your body really should, and you need to be eating to the point that you are in order for your body to reset itself and get more in line with its natural cues.

Although frustrating, it takes time for your body to get back to its natural rhythm. It’s crucial to be patient and forgiving to yourself and to remember that recovery isn’t perfect and Recovery is Not Linear.

What I would say is most important is to be honest with your treatment team; your Eating Disorder therapist and an Eating Disorder nutritionist while in recovery. If not, I would strongly suggest working with them since they can really help untangle this for you and give you the proper tools for what you’re actually struggling with. If you don’t have a treatment team, here is a Guide to Getting Help for an Eating Disorder.

I hope you found this post helpful! If you know anyone else who could benefit from reading this, please share with them. If you have any questions, concerns or requests for future posts, please leave a comment or message me privately.

I wish you wellness and honesty with yourself on your journey to finding your State of Balance!

You may also find these videos helpful;
Are You Tired of Restricting and Binging?
What Does Recovery Look Like?
What is Anorexia Nervosa?
What is Bulimia Nervosa?

or these posts:
Guide to Getting Help for an Eating Disorder
The Pendulum
Recovery is Not Linear