Physical vs. Mental Food Restriction - Why You are Still Binging
Physical food restriction (aka limiting how much food is eaten or not eating certain foods) is a very large trigger for binge eating. This binge eating sometimes turns into a vicious cycle that results in feelings of guilt and other uncomfortable feelings, which then leads to more restriction, which results in more binge eating. This restrict-binge cycle is your body’s way of protecting you. Our body is hard-wired to keep us safe from starvation!
The first step to getting out of the restrict-binge cycle is to remove the food restriction. But maybe you feel like even though you have stopped the physical restriction and you allow all foods, you still find yourself binge eating. You feel like you are honoring your cravings and eating the “off limits” foods, but you still feel out of control around them. What usually is going on here is that there is still mental food restriction happening.
In this post I want to discuss more about the restrict binge cycle, differentiate between physical and mental restriction, and provide tips on how to finally stop both of these types of restriction for true food freedom.
If you’re new here, hello and welcome! My name is Hannah and I am a non-diet dietitian here to help you improve your relationship with your food and finally find food freedom.
The restrict-binge cycle
The restrict-binge cycle is a vicious cycle that typically starts with the restriction of calories, often in the spirit of weight loss. This restriction often leads to cravings and feelings of tension and, when triggered, can lead to a binge eating episode. After binge eating, individuals often feel ashamed, guilty, and they fear regaining weight back so the cycle restarts as they restrict their calories (or specific food, nutrient, etc.) all over again.
Restriction
Restriction is often the first part of the cycle. Physical restriction can be in the form of fad diets, calorie counting, or cutting certain nutrients or food groups out of your diet. You may also restrict because you just had a binge.
Increased tension, cravings, and emotions
Eventually you start to feel irritated and vulnerable because of the restriction. The honeymoon phase of the diet is now over. At this point, it probably feels like you are no longer in the driver’s seat.
Binge eating
Eventually there is some kind of trigger for a binge. This might be a fight with a friend that sends you into emotional eating. It may be a deadline at work that is quickly approaching that leads to stress eating. Maybe you see cookies in the cafeteria, and because you’re being “good” and you are not having sweets or carbs (or whatever else you are restricting), they become a trigger when you smell them or see your friend enjoying them.
Cheat days or cheat meals are also often a trigger for binge eating. When you know there is a cheat day coming up and you restrict the other 6 days of the week, this can lead to binge-type eating for many people. I’m gonna say it - cheat days are really just glorified binge eating.
Whatever the trigger may be, the binge is not your fault. It didn’t happen because you don’t have willpower or motivation. Your body is trying to survive and it is not sure if you were restricting in the spirit of “health” or because you were deserted on an island with no food. Your body is always trying to protect you in any way that it can. It is going to feel desperate for food and look for a quick and pleasurable source.
A quick note about binge eating disorder: binge eating disorder (BED) is an eating disorder that is often characterized by periods of eating large amounts of food to the point of feeling uncomfortable. If you struggle with any of the characteristics of BED, please reach out to a qualified practitioner. Complete recover is possible and it is so important to seek treatment.
Feelings of shame and guilt
After a binge, you might experience shame and guilt and you might feel worthless and tell yourself this is all your fault. You might even think about how this failure applies to other aspects of your life.
This is where the cycle restarts. You either go back to restriction because you feel painfully full from the binge or to compensate for the excess calories, carbs, etc. that you consumed. You also might restrict because you simply feel guilty for eating.
Here’s the really good news - there is a way out of this cycle.
Physical food restriction vs. mental food restriction
Both physical restriction and mental restriction can be an entry into the restrict-binge cycle. But what is the difference between them?
Physical food restriction
Physical restriction involves limiting the amount of food you eat, whether through calorie counting, a points system, portion control, or cutting out certain foods or food groups. This is a one-way ticket to the restrict-binge cycle because the body is biologically set up to protect you when it notices that you aren’t eating enough.
Mental food restriction
Even if you are not dieting or intentionally cutting any foods out, you may still struggle with trusting yourself around certain foods. Here’s some examples of mental restriction:
“I should not have eaten that”
“I will do an extra long workout to burn this off”
“Tomorrow I won’t eat as much as I did today”
“It’s okay to eat this food in moderation, but every day would be too much”
“If I’m eating *enter forbidden food* right now, I should not eat it again later”
“I’ve already ruined this day of eating. I might as well start over tomorrow”
Breaking free from physical and mental food restriction
It is going to be a process and not just a switch that you can flip, but you can get out of the restict-binge cycle. Let’s first start with some tips for breaking the physical restriction.
How to stop physically restricting food
Have self-compassion. Your biology is trying to protect you. The binge(s) happen for a reason. Your body is desperately trying to get in the nutrients that it needs. We also live in a culture where diets are always being thrown at us and we’re always encouraged to not eat “this or that” food, restrict our calories, hit the gym X days per week. All of these signs around us make it very difficult to get out of the cycle.
@dietitianhannah Both physical food restriction AND mental food restriction can lead to food preoccupation or feelings of food obsession #dietitianhannah #dietitiansoftiktok #antidietdietitian #nondietdietitian #intuitiveeating #makepeacewithfood #rejectthedietmentality #foodfreedom #dietculture #wellnessculture #dietitiantips #honoryourhunger ♬ original sound - Dietitian Hannah
Eat consistently throughout the day. I say this all the time - eating as little as possible is never going to pay off. Skipping meals tends to be a big trigger for binge eating later in the day. Most people operate the best when they eat every 3-4 hours or so. After a binge, get back to normal eating habits. Say you had the binge at night - get back to eating breakfast the next day! Try your best not to restrict.
Honor your hunger. If you have hunger cues, use em. We can’t ignore our body when it tells us that it’s hungry. When we do, this sets us up for a binge. If you feel like you don’t have trustworthy hunger cues, check out this post.
How to stop mentally restricting food
As for the mental restriction, the process will likely require mentally reframing your restrictive thoughts. It will go beyond just eating the “off limits” foods. Here are a few steps to try:
When you notice a mentally restrictive thought, write it down in your phone or in a journal.
Review the restrictive thought. Remind yourself that this is a restrictive thought and it is not reality. This is your binge brain or diet brain speaking!
Reframe the thought, and write down the reframed thought and/or repeat it out loud to yourself.
Continue steps 1-3 again and again. It takes practice and repetition to unlearn mental food restriction.
Continuously remind yourself that you have unconditional permission to eat. Because you do! Take your time and give yourself grace. It may take a while to unlearn years of food restriction.
Let’s go over a few examples of how to reframe your mental restriction thoughts:
Restrictive thought: “I should not have eaten that.”
Reframed thought: “This food provided my body with nourishment and it brought me joy and pleasure. It’s okay that I ate that.”
Restrictive thought: “I’ve already ruined this day of eating. I might as well start over tomorrow.”
Reframed thought: “I can’t ruin anything because there is nothing here to ruin. I will continue to make choices that nourish and respect my body.”
Restrictive thought: “Tomorrow I won’t eat as much as I did today.”
Reframed thought:“My body deserves nourishment every single day. Tomorrow I will eat when I am hungry and eat foods that are both physically and mentally satisfying.”
Restrictive thought: “If I’m eating *enter forbidden food* right now, I should not eat it again later.”
Reframed thought: “It’s okay if I eat this food more than once per day. If I want to eat it again later, then I will.”
Bottom line
To wrap up, there are many reasons why you may find yourself binge eating or in any other capacity routinely eating past a comfortable fullness. If you feel like you have gotten rid of the food rules and are allowing yourself to eat all foods but still struggle with binging, I challenge you to look for signs of mental restriction. Are you feeling guilty after eating certain foods? Do you feel like you should do extra exercise after eating certain foods? Do you tell yourself that you won’t eat that food again tomorrow?
Use the steps outlined in this post to break these physical and mental food rules. You got this! If you are looking for more support in this area, we’d love to guide you inside The Nutrition Reboot Membership.
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