How long does it take to stop binge eating? This is something that many of the women who start working with me ask when we’re first getting started. Does it work? And how long will it take?
Written by Jenn Hand, Holistic Nutritionist, Board Certified Health Coach, NBC-HWC, Binge Eating Coach
How Long Does It Take to Stop Binge Eating?
In our instant gratification society, we are a culture of quick results.
If something doesn’t show us a result in a few days or a week, we tend to get impatient and frustrated. During my own path of breaking out of the diet/binge cycle, I’ve found that it is not a linear, straightforward path. If we’ve been struggling with dieting and overeating for years or decades, it’s not realistic to think that we will feel balanced and “normal” in a few weeks.
It can take months or years to truly feel at peace in how you eat.
That’s not to say you can’t make progress over time, it’s just that it’s usually a few steps forward, a half a step back, rather than all forward motion. I’ve worked with clients who stop bingeing in 3 months. I’ve had other clients I’ve worked with for the duration of a year who need deeper support in becoming binge free.
From my experience, you can make significant progress in 3 months and my belief is that we “let go” of bingeing as we longer need it. Rather than mandating that we never binge again, we slowly let go of needing food in the way we once used to as we learn to take care of ourselves and get our needs met.
Why do people overeat?
While we convince ourselves that food should be straightforward, it’s anything but!
We’re not robots simply calculating calories in and calories out in an equation. Food is not only physical, but mental, emotional and spiritual too.
We may overeat after a stressful day filled with endless to-dos, seek comfort in food after deep loneliness, turn to food for joy in our mundane lives or use it for anything in between. The diet industry has led us to think that eating is simple, but it’s not, and we can overeat for physical, mental and emotional reasons.
How do I train myself to eat less?
A part of eating less is to ensure that our bodies are getting the nutrients they need.
When we eat a lot of empty calories without any nutrients, we can still feel hungry. Our bodies quickly digest sugar and simple carbohydrates (and then get hungry soon after!) so be sure to eat protein at every meal or snack.
This helps your body to digest food more slowly. Additionally, stay hydrated and address any underlying emotional reasons that you’re turning to food to feel balanced in how you eat.
What is the psychological cause of overeating?
When we’re feeling deep, negative emotions, we usually don’t know how to cope.
Grief, pain, loneliness, sadness and other hard emotions can leave us at a loss of how to “fix” it and make it go away, so we turn to food to seek comfort, relief, and distraction from emotions we don’t know how to process.
Read More:
🌷How Do I Stop Binge Eating Every Day?
🌷How to Stop Overeating at Night
Work with a Binge Eating & Holistic Nutrition Coach
Overcome Bingeing and Emotional Eating, and Break Up with Yo-yo Dieting
Working with a binge eating coach and holistic nutritionist can help you get free from the frustrating binge and restrict cycle and stop yo-yo dieting.
You don’t have to be obsessed with food or have a million rules around eating to find your natural weight and learn to love your body. Ready to actually see a lasting change and experience true freedom?
Schedule a 20-min CallAbout the Author:
Jenn Hand has been helping women like you become normal eaters since 2015.
She’s worked with thousands of women, helping them to balance their bodies, end bingeing, stop obsessing over food, and start feeling amazing again. As a board-certified health coach and holistic nutritionist, Jenn knows how to support you in making real positive changes that last.
Her articles have been published on Mind Body Green, Tiny Buddha, Thrive Global and other local and global media platforms. She’s the author of How to Be a Normal Eater and the creator of The Normal Eater’s Club program. Listen to Jenn’s advice and tips on the Cake Doesn’t Count Podcast, or read more of her articles for free on the Food Freedom Blog.
Learn About Coaching!
