The restrict/binge cycle is your body’s natural response to unconscious external agreements around food that have overridden the instinctual way your body wants to help you self-monitor your intake. Binging doesn’t occur without restriction or deprivation. For some it is an involuntary deprivation related to things like socioeconomic status, lack of agency or control over food decisions (children), etc. But, for many caught in this vicious cycle, it is the result of voluntarily restricting intake to become “thin”, “fit”, or “healthy”. 

Restriction can be a volume restriction (total calories, portion sizes, etc.), a specific food restriction (no fast food, no sugar, etc.), or in the context of a certain diet (Paleo, vegan, gluten-free). Putting medical necessity to the side for now (Celiac’s disease, seafood allergy, etc.), restrictions tend to become linked to messages of “this food is good, I am good for eating it” or “this food is bad, I am bad for eating it” or something similar. We “train” ourselves by declaring sugar the devil and kale juice the savior! It’s simply not true. There are layers upon layers within this, but the “healthfulness” of a food is subject to perspective, needs, wants, and ultimately YOUR judgement about them. 

To get out of the restrict/binge cycle you must trust that if you believe a food is the right thing to nourish you, then it is. It’s not about what’s “good” or “bad.” It’s about “What do I need right now?” The struggle, or “stuckness” comes down to you trying to instill your “higher” (domesticated) self-control over your “animal” (body) self. And, you won’t win. Your body will do what it needs to do to maintain its safety and security, including encouraging your “higher self” to obsess about food, lowering your metabolism to store fat more efficiently, and going beyond hangry when it finally wiggles it’s way to some “off-limits” sustenance. This is usually the step in the cycle where you feel your lowest. You’ve failed, given in, been “bad”, but STOP that here. You are a complicated being living in an everchanging environment. You, and your body, are learning how to survive, adapt, and thrive. You are acquiring lessons. That’s what life is meant to be. 

So, instead of punishing with self-harming behaviors offer yourself some compassion. Take some time to reflect and journal. Note that if the deprivation had never existed the out-of-control need would never have come about. See yourself through a lens of loving kindness. And, do better next time. I don’t mean around the bingeing. I am talking about the initiating force. The restriction. Let go of that. Begin to trust your body to be your partner in eating with intuition, trust, and compassion. The very first step to intuitive eating is freedom. You are ready now, set yourself free.