So You Want to Stop Bingeing? Here’s What You Need to Know

If you’re struggling with binge eating, you’ve likely tried a variety of diets, restrictive eating plans, or other “quick fixes” to get control of your habits. But here’s the truth: bingeing isn’t a problem you can solve by restricting food or following rigid rules. In fact, that approach might be why you’re stuck in this cycle in the first place.

Here are the three key things you need to know about overcoming binge eating, based on evidence from intuitive eating principles and food freedom psychology.

#1 Restriction Fuels Bingeing

It might seem counterintuitive, but the more you restrict food, the more likely you’ll  binge. Whether it’s cutting calories, avoiding entire food groups, or labelling certain foods as "bad," restriction creates a scarcity mindset.

When your body thinks it’s being starved, you’ll start to crave the very foods you're avoiding. At some point, the inevitable happens – you eventually cave into your cravings.

Think about it this way: If you constantly tell yourself you can’t have chocolate, it becomes all you think about. Eventually, you give in, and you don’t stop at a few pieces. Instead, you eat as much as you can, feeling totally out of control.

To stop bingeing, you need to remove the restrictions and eat regularly instead. Allow yourself to eat all foods without judgment. Yes, even the ones you fear will trigger a binge. When you stop depriving yourself, you fixate less on food and eventually learn to eat in a way that’s much more balanced.

#2 Bingeing Isn’t About Willpower—It’s About Emotional Needs

A lot of people who binge eat blame themselves for being “weak” or lacking willpower. But bingeing is rarely about willpower or even about motivation (I know that you’re very motivated to stop bingeing). Instead, it could be a way that you’re coping with emotions. Stress, anxiety, loneliness, boredom, and even happiness can trigger binge eating if food has become your go-to for emotion regulation.

Perhaps you’re using food as a coping tool? If food is the only way you know how to deal with difficult feelings, it’s no wonder bingeing has become such a habit. To break free from bingeing, you need to develop other tools for managing your emotions.

Ask yourself: What am I feeling when I reach for food? What do I actually need in this moment? Sometimes, it might be comfort or distraction, and honestly – I say this as a psychologist – if you sometimes use food to comfort or distract, that’s OK. But food can’t meet those needs in the long term.

You probably need to explore other ways to handle your emotions — whether it’s talking to a friend, journaling, taking a walk, or simply acknowledging your feelings without using food to numb them. Building a toolbox of non-food coping strategies is essential for breaking the binge cycle.

#3 You Need to Reconnect With Your Body’s Cues

One of the most common reasons people binge is that they’ve lost touch with their body’s natural hunger and fullness signals. Years of dieting or ignoring your body’s needs can leave you disconnected from the signals that tell you when to eat and when to stop. When you’re not listening to your body, it’s easy to undereat or overeat, leading to a binge when your body finally demands what it’s been craving.

Relearning how to tune into your body’s cues is crucial. This means eating when you’re hungry and stopping when you’re full, without guilt or second-guessing. It can be hard at first, especially if you’ve been overriding these signals for a long time…

You can start by noticing how hunger feels in your body. Is it a subtle gnawing, an emptiness in your stomach, or a dip in energy? Pay attention to these signs and honour them by eating when your body needs it, not when a clock or diet plan tells you to.

Similarly, learn what fullness feels like — not stuffed or uncomfortable, but satisfied and content.

Getting back in touch with these cues takes time, that’s normal. The key is to stay curious and non-judgmental about your body’s needs, rather than labelling yourself as “good” or “bad” based on what or how much you eat.

The bottom line?

Stopping binge eating isn’t about having more control over food—it’s about breaking free from the need to control. When you give yourself permission to eat, develop tools for managing emotions, and reconnect with your body’s cues, bingeing becomes less of an overwhelming force in your life.

And, if you need a helping hand to stop bingeing, for good, then why not schedule a call with me here to see how I can help.