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HOW TO BREAK FREE FROM A BINGE / RESTRICT MINDSET
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It’s important to note that I am not a believer in the concept of a “diet.” One of the most counter-productive things that anyone can do when changing their eating habits is to restrict and remove the foods that they like the most as it can lead to an unhealthy binge / restrict cycle, a negative mindset and potential weight gain.
What is a Binge / Restrict Cycle?
When we start to change our eating habits and consciously focus on putting healthier foods into our body, it is often the case that we completely remove any of the foods that are considered to be ‘bad.’ Unfortunately, when we remove foods that we enjoy from our daily diet, our body and mind almost immediately starts to crave them. A stressful day or emotional upset can trigger binge (consuming large amounts of food in a short space of time) eating the foods we crave in an attempt to calm ourselves, which can then lead to shame or guilt, and the cycle repeats by restricting those foods again in an attempt to make up for it.
How to Break Free from the Binge / Restrict Mindset
Remember that you aren’t “on a diet” and remove the mindset that foods are ‘good’ and ‘bad.’ Eating balanced, nutritional meals is the healthy way to lose weight and maintain your weight loss, but it is ok occasionally to indulge in the foods you enjoy. With my own clients I like to practice what I preach. Eating healthily and changing your eating habits are about finding a balance that works for you and enjoying the food that you eat, so I don’t restrict or deprive myself of foods that I enjoy, following an ‘80/20 rule.’ 80% of the time I aim to eat and drink well, and 20% I like to be more relaxed. I combine this with a regular exercise routine that I enjoy which allows me to keep my weight steady, feel good about what I eat and have a healthy relationship with my body and food.
Be compassionate towards yourself. Remember that you are a human being and avoid chastising and being negative towards yourself if you have binged as this is likely to develop further negative feelings towards food and further restrictive behaviours. Accept the fact that there will be times where you may slip up and changing your binge / restrict mindset won’t be immediate. Take some time to try and identify and understand why you binged and the triggers involved instead.
Make sure that you eat your next meal. If you have binged make sure that you accept that it has happened and move on, avoid skipping anything and make sure that you eat your next meal. Getting back into your routine as soon as possible is important.
Plan out your meal and snacks every day and have the ingredients ready. By knowing what you are going to eat each day and when, means it is much easier to get back into your routine without having to spend lots of time planning or food shopping.
Find a form of exercise that you really enjoy. Exercising is proven to increase the levels of serotonin in the body, which makes you feel more happy and positive and helps to fight depression and anxiety. This could be anything from slower, more focused forms of exercise like yoga and pilates, to high-energy hiit workouts or running, but make sure that it is something that you enjoy and look forward to.
Be mindful of
how you eat and focus on feelings of being physically full.
The benefits of mindful eating is that it helps to identify unhealthy relationships and behaviour patterns that may have developed around food. When your body is feeling physically full, it is less likely that you will crave the more unhealthy foods. To find out more about mindful versus mindless eating, visit my blog post here:
https://www.thedietologist.co.uk/mindful-versus-mindless-eating
Remember that the binge / restrict mindset is not going to be permanent. Making small changes, looking at your meals one day at a time and not depriving yourself of foods you enjoy will help to break the binge / restrict mindset and develop a happier, healthier relationship with food.
Want to know more about how I can help you change your relationship with food and break the binge / restrict mindset? Why not book a discovery call? Contact me via my website here:
https://www.thedietologist.co.uk/#CONTACT
