Shannon Patterson 3/1/26 Shannon Patterson 3/1/26

Binge Eating Support Series Post 6: Supporting yourself after a binge

After a Binge

First, take a deep breath and try not to beat yourself up. While not every binge needs to be analyzed in detail, taking an opportunity to reflect on what happened beforehand can help identify possible unmet needs. See blog post #4’s BAND strategy for a step-by-step reflection process to understand possible functions of and strategies to address binge eating. As always, remember to approach with curiosity.

Start out by reflecting on the past few days. Have there been any periods of time when it was difficult to eat regular meals and snacks? Have you been going more than 3-4 hours without eating? Is the food that you’re eating satisfying for you, and are you getting enough to eat? If you’re not sure that you’re eating enough, working with an eating disorder specialist – ideally a dietitian – even for a brief time – can help you determine if your nutritional needs are getting met. Many times, binge eating is not driven by emotion so much as restriction—even when it is unintentional—or the threat of possible restriction (i.e., “diet starts tomorrow”).

If you believe your nutritional needs are being met…

Consider and address the problem or situation you might be avoiding.

Binge eating, or other types of eating disorder behaviors, may be used to avoid difficult situations or problems. Some problems aren’t solvable, but others are. You might consider taking a moment to ask yourself whether there is a problem or situation you’re avoiding, and to identify possible solutions to address it.

After binge eating, consider what emotions, thoughts, or situations you’d have to deal with if you hadn’t been able to binge. Is there a way to tackle the problem in small steps? Consider using the following problem-solving exercise to support your reflection.

1) Is there a problem that I’m experiencing?

2) What is the problem?

3) What would you like to be different or to change?

4) What can you do about it? Brainstorm all of the possible solutions or things to try. Note that any answer works here, including “make no changes” or “do nothing”.

5) What are the possible advantages of each option? (pros)

6) What are the possible downsides to each option? (cons)

7) What makes the most sense to try? Choose the best solution and a possible runner up as the backup plan.

8) Carry out the planned action.

9) Reflect and evaluate – how did it go?

10) If the outcome wasn’t what you desired, does it make sense to try the next item on the list? Is there any social support that you might enlist to help you?

Surf the Urge to Restrict after a binge.

Urge surfing is a powerful mindfulness-based skill that can help interrupt the cycle of dietary restriction that often follows a binge episode. After a binge, it’s common for people to experience very intense urges to “compensate” through restriction, skipping meals, or rigid food rules to arise—but these urges—like waves—naturally rise, peak, and fall over time.

Instead of reacting immediately, urge surfing invites you to pause and observe the sensation with curiosity rather than judgment. You might notice where the urge shows up in your body, how strong it feels, and how it changes moment by moment, reminding yourself that an urge is not a command. Also note what you feel compelled to do (or not do) when this urge hits. It can also be helpful to evaluate the pros and cons of acting on urges to restrict in the moment.

During this time, identifying a coping statement may be helpful. Some examples may include:

· “I can ride this wave without making decisions that will keep the cycle going.”

· “An urge isn’t a command—I don’t have to act on this”

· “Skipping meals will make the next binge more likely, not less.”

· “My worth is not determined by what or how much I ate” or

· “I can learn from this moment without punishing myself.”

By staying present and allowing the discomfort to pass without acting on it, you create space for more balanced choices—such as returning to regular nourishment and self-care—rather than reinforcing the binge–restrict cycle. Over time, practicing urge surfing strengthens tolerance for distress and helps rebuild trust in your body’s ability to regulate itself without extremes. It may also be used to surf the urge to use other behaviors, such as purging, after eating.

The information shared in this blog is intended to educate and empower, not to replace medical or mental health services. It should not be used as a form of treatment. If you’re struggling or need individualized care, please reach out to a licensed professional.

Shannon Patterson 1/25/26 Shannon Patterson 1/25/26

Binge Eating Support series Post 5: During the Binge

The following tips are designed to support you during a binge episode.

If you’re already in it, the goal isn’t to stop or “control” your eating. That usually just adds pressure and makes everything feel more intense. Instead, think about supporting yourself through the moment.

If accessible to you, consider trying the following:

Watch the self-talk. This isn’t a failure; it’s a signal that something is going on.
If you can, slow things down a little. Sitting down, taking a breath, or putting the food on a plate can help without stopping eating.
- Check in with your breath—what’s it doing? Can you slow your breathing?
- Slow down your chewing for 30 seconds. What aspects of the food are you enjoying right now? What flavors, textures, or temperatures do you notice? Would you make any changes?
- Move to a different environment if possible. Our brain builds associations between environments and behaviors. For many, disordered behaviors happen in the same locations. Removing yourself from that location may help interrupt behavior. (This could also be used pre-binge)
Stay connected to your body. Feeling your feet on the floor or noticing your breath can help you feel less checked out.
Give yourself permission to eat. Reminding yourself that the food isn’t forbidden and will likely be here again another time can lower the sense of urgency. (Note: I acknowledge that for people experiencing food insecurity, uncertainty about food access is very real and that there may be nuance here)
Notice how eating may be serving a purpose right now. Ask yourself: What is this helping me with? What might I be feeling, thinking, or doing if I weren’t binge eating right now?
Skip the “Diet starts tomorrow” or “I’ll fix this with exercise later” promises. Continued restriction and overexercising often keep the cycle going.

Again, I want to emphasize that what matters most isn’t “controlling” your behavior, but instead understanding the function of binge eating and identifying ways to care for yourself while it’s happening. Small moments of compassion can make a real difference over time. In the next blog, we will detail ways to care for yourself after a binge.

Shannon Patterson 12/7/25 Shannon Patterson 12/7/25

Binge Eating Support Series Post 4: Before (or after) the Binge

Before the binge: Understanding what drives the behavior

The following BAND strategies can help you understand what your binge eating may be doing for you. Often, these behaviors help us out in some way, or we wouldn’t continue to do them.

First, attempt to “Delay” the binge by 5-10 minutes.

Why it works: Urges often weaken when delayed, even by short periods. It also buys you some time to pause and better understand how binge eating might be serving you and to identify what’s driving the binge. Try setting a 5-minute timer to reflect.

Say to yourself: “I’m not saying no. I’m saying not yet.”

Important Note! Before delaying the urge to binge, check in with yourself to see if you’re hungry, and consider the last time you ate. If it’s been more than 3-4 hours (and sometimes less, depending on your needs), realize that it’s time for refueling and start planning your next meal or snack. If you’re feeling hungry… eat!

If you’re using an app to track your symptoms, this is a great time to grab it or your notes app to come back to later with your therapist or dietitian. During the delay, reflect on what’s driving the behavior. Below are examples of typical binge “driver” categories—each of the following strategies is connected to a driver category, which is abbreviated in parentheses before it.

(B) Breaking a rule (aka “diet starts tomorrow” mentality)

(A) Avoidance of difficult emotions or problems

(N) Navigating stressful experiences

(D) Depriving yourself of your emotional needs or pleasure

(B) Did you Break an eating rule?

Strategy: Catch it/Check it/Change it

First, catch the thought fueling the binge and write it down or say it out loud

Examples:

“I’ve already messed everything up earlier today, so I might as well binge.”

“I’ll eat all of this now so tomorrow I can start over again.”

Acknowledge: This is the “I messed up, so screw it” thought. Saying it out loud or labeling it allows you to create some distance between yourself and the thought.

Second, check the evidence: Gently question the thought by examining the evidence

Note: this isn’t done in a “gaslighty” way; ideally, we’ll act as if we’re a neutral 3rd party. We can validate ourselves while also challenging the eating disorder thoughts.

Examples:

“Did I really mess everything up by eating those chips and M&Ms earlier Or did I just eat something I feel anxious about?”

“Is eating this food truly a disaster, or just human?”
“Will eating this all now really help me to care for myself tomorrow?”

You might consider that binge eating doesn’t make things better, that eating isn’t a catastrophe, and that the thought exaggerates the situation.

Third, attempt to change it: Identify a replacement coping statement to modify the thought.

Here’s an example:

“I didn’t mess up by eating—I’m more than just my food choices.”

“Although I’m tempted to restrict again tomorrow, I’ve learned this just keeps me locked in the binge/restrict cycle.”

“I know I’ll be able to access this food again so there’s no need to binge to get rid of it.”

Finally, Confirm: “What’s next for me now?”— You might plan what, where, and when your next meal/snack will be, and when you can have this food again, or identify an unmet need.

Why it works: disrupts the binge/restrict cycle by challenging black and white that keeps the eating disorder going

(A) Are you Avoiding feelings?

Strategy: Acknowledge difficult emotions with Self-Compassion

Name it to tame it—Say (out loud or mentally):

Acknowledge: “Ouch. This is a moment of struggle. I’m having a hard time” or identify your feelings out loud. Note: If you have a difficult time identifying your emotions, you’re not alone. You might consider checking out this feelings wheel to help you identify different ideas or notice what physical sensations are coming up for you. The important part is to acknowledge that you’re struggling.
Form a compassionate response: “I can make one small caring choice right now. What would I say to a friend or family member if they were in my shoes now?”
Consider universal experiences: “I’m likely not alone in this difficult experience” (in a way that doesn’t invalidate)
Respond with self-care: If you’re able, ask yourself what you might be needing in this moment—do you need to take a moment alone, or need connection with others? Invite yourself to take a deep breath first.

Why it works: Ever heard of the saying “the only way out is to go through?” This skill helps you practice acknowledging and naming challenging emotions, which ultimately reduces their intensity. Research shows that self-compassion helps people heal from eating disorders by decreasing shame.

(N) Are you Navigating difficult experiences?

Strategy: Ground, Distract + Dive Response

If intense, difficult events or emotions drive the binge, consider the following:

Splash cold water on your face or place a plastic bag of cold water on the bridge of your nose (a towel-covered ice pack works too!). This creates a “dive” response.
Hold an ice cube for 30 seconds
5-4-3-2-1 grounding (identify senses).
Do one thing mindfully. Distract yourself by calling or texting someone, dancing to music, cuddling or brushing your pet, showering, taking a step outside, or going on a gentle walk.

Why it works: The dive response physiologically disrupts the escalated emotional state that drives the binge in part by lowering pulse rate and blood pressure. Grounding allows you to refocus on your external world when overwhelming internal experiences consume you.

(D) Deprivation of pleasure: Identify additional pleasant activities

Consider that binge eating may be an act of self-care to help you relax and enjoy pleasure—even if only temporarily. Take a moment to evaluate how much time you have for yourself and for your own enjoyment each day. If you don’t have many opportunities, you’re not alone. Between working, managing chronic illness, or caregiving, many of us may struggle to find the energy to engage in enjoyable activities. Consider looking at a list of pleasant activities like this one to check off ideas that intrigue you. Make a list of additional pleasant activities to incorporate intentionally.

Why it works: Engaging in pleasant activities helps meet emotional and sensory needs in ways that expand beyond eating for comfort or pleasure. When your day includes moments of enjoyment, rest, connection, or creativity, your body and mind feel less deprived, making the urge to binge as a source of relief or pleasure less intense. Expanding your sources of satisfaction supports a more balanced nervous system, reduces stress, and gives you alternative ways to soothe, reward, or uplift yourself. Over time, this reduces the pressure on food to fill all emotional roles, making binge episodes less frequent and less necessary.

Wrapping up

Would you like more support to explore and address the drivers above? Please feel free to reach out here to learn more about therapy services at the Center for Change and Empowerment.

Shannon Patterson 11/28/25 Shannon Patterson 11/28/25

Binge Eating Support Series Post 3: Preventing Binges

Strategies to Prevent Binge Eating

As highlighted in the previous post, binge eating is both a body and brain response to restriction, stress, and unmet needs—not a personal shortcoming. Maybe you’ve had therapy in the past that tried to get to the “root of the issue” without considering the support you need in real time. In the next several blog entries, we’re diving into practical strategies that help reduce the binge-restrict cycle, support your nervous system, rebuild trust in your body, and give up the fight with food.

Buckle up! You’re in for a ride. Ideas are divided into prevention strategies, in addition to those strategies that can be used before, during, and after binge eating. To avoid overwhelm, we’ll divide these up into four different entries. Most strategies are core elements of Cognitive Behavior Therapy and its sibling therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, which have the most research support for use with binge eating. Each post will explore different strategies used across time. We’ll start with…

Prevention strategies

These may not stop a binge right away, but they may reduce your vulnerability to future binges:

Develop and stick with a regular eating schedule: breakfast + lunch + dinner + 2–3 snacks, waiting no more than every 3-4 hours between them
Avoid fasting or cutting out entire food groups; instead, aim for food group variety at meals and snacks if possible.
Notice the enjoyment of what you’re eating—incorporating “satisfying” meals and snacks are key in preventing deprivation that leads to binge eating
Eat enough. If accessible to you, work with an eating disorder-informed dietitian to determine your needs.
Examine your sleep patterns. Are you getting enough restful sleep? Untreated sleep apnea, insomnia, or inconsistent sleep schedules may impact eating behaviors.
Consider the role of drug and alcohol use on your eating. Many drugs (Caffeine, I’m looking at you!) can decrease appetite, which increases binge eating after it wears off. This includes prescribed medications such as stimulant medication for ADHD. Understand how the medicines you take may influence your appetite. On the other hand, alcohol and marijuana generally increase appetite.

Shannon Patterson 11/23/25 Shannon Patterson 11/23/25

Binge Eating Support Series Post 2: Why you don’t need another diet

Why dieting and weight loss attempts don’t help you to stop binge eating in the long term

Many people seeking help for binge eating have already tried countless diets, plans, “lifestyle changes” and rules. These approaches often focus on restricting food, losing weight, or—my favorite (insert sarcasm here)—just having more “willpower.” Sound familiar to you? While this might seem logical on the surface, it can actually backfire to increase binge eating over time.

Understanding why dieting often backfires is an important first step toward real, lasting healing from binge eating. Let’s dive into four reasons dieting is not the answer to binge eating.

1. Dieting triggers the binge–restrict cycle.

When you strictly limit what or how much you eat, the brain and body react in the following ways:

Biological response: Your body increases hunger hormones and lowers metabolic rate. You become more driven to eat—not less.
Psychological response: Recall the last time someone told you that you couldn’t have or do something that you wanted to. How did you feel? Also coined, “the forbidden fruit effect”, binge foods become more appealing and harder to stop thinking about.
Inevitability of backlash: When restriction becomes unsustainable, a binge—or “rebound eating” episode often follows. Afterward, guilt leads right back to more restriction, and the cycle continues.

This cycle isn’t a lack of control—your body can’t tell the difference between intentional dieting or famine. Rather than beating yourself up for binge eating, think of binge or rebound eating as your body’s attempt to help you out during difficult times.

Binge eating is not a character flaw or a failure of discipline.

Willpower, or “self-control” over one’s food choices, is limited and easily reduced by stress, fatigue, and emotional demands.
Biological hunger signals are stronger than willpower—this is a survival mechanism.
When you blame binges on “not trying hard enough,” you increase shame, which actually fuels more binge eating.

Eating Disorder recovery requires skills, social support, and nervous-system regulation—not willpower.

2. Dieting focuses on weight, not health or your relationship with food.

Most diet-driven interventions are focused on weight loss instead of addressing:

Triggers behind binges
Emotional and environmental factors—including diet culture and larger systems that contribute to disordered eating and poor body image
Behavioral patterns
Body-image distress
The stress response that drives eating for relief

Weight-focused methods often overlook the root causes of binge eating and can worsen them by increasing shame, stress, and disconnection from hunger and fullness cues.

3. Restriction prevents you from trusting your body

Repeated dieting teaches you to ignore your internal signals:

Hunger feels virtuous—like you’ve done something right
Fullness can feel like a failure or something to avoid
Eating becomes rule-based and externally guided instead of being focused on your body’s internal needs.

In other words, dieting distances us from our true preferences and internal sensations. Healing binge eating means rebuilding a respectful, stable relationship with your body, not fighting against it.

4. Intentional weight loss with dieting doesn’t work for the majority of people.

This is a hard truth that many find difficult to accept. A majority of people who diet regain lost weight over time due to biology, metabolism changes, or challenges with long-term behavioral “adherence” to unrealistic caloric restriction. Long-term maintenance of significant weight loss appears to occur in a minority of cases. Estimates of long-term weight loss maintaners vary from around 1–3% up to about 20%, depending on how “significant weight loss” is defined (e.g., source 1, 2, 3, 4). It’s important to note that these numbers reflect weight-change outcomes, not health, psychological well-being, or changes in health behaviors, which are distinct and important as well. People who have lost weight and keep it off often describe engaging in unrealistic or disordered behaviors in order to maintain said weight loss.

Effective therapy approaches to healing binge eating should help you shift away from dieting and include:

Regular, adequate nourishment to stabilize hunger cues and satisfy your taste preferences
Emotional regulation and distress tolerance skills to support your nervous system
Understanding binge triggers without judgment and developing the tools and strategies to address these triggers
Identifying weight-neutral improvements instead of using weight as a measure of success
Reducing shame by fostering self-compassion and creating a supportive recovery environment

Recovering from an eating disorder is about restoring balance, not controlling your food intake. During our next post, we will share tips to help reduce binge eating.

Shannon Patterson 11/18/25 Shannon Patterson 11/18/25

Binge Eating Support Series Post 1: What is a binge?

What exactly is a binge, anyway?

Have you ever noticed that people throw the term 'binge' around a lot these days? “I binge-watched Schitt’s Creek last night,” and “I guess he’s binge-drinking again this Thursday night” are just a couple of examples outside of food.

When it comes to binge eating, specific characteristics are involved, including the following:

1) An experience of loss of control while eating.

This is more than just thinking you ate more than you should or “blowing” your diet. When someone experiences clinically significant loss of control eating, they feel like they physically can’t stop eating once they’ve started. This might look like going back and forth into the kitchen to get food repetitively, with that feeling of loss of control. Others describe the experience as feeling like they’re completely disconnected from their body, or as if they’re a vehicle rolling down a hill, unable to brake. As a clinician, you might hear the following:

“Once I start eating, it feels like I can’t stop.”
“It’s like a magnet keeps drawing me into the kitchen.”

2) Eating an “objectively large amount of food”

What does “objectively large” mean? Eating disorder experts describe it as eating more than what most people would eat in a similar time frame under similar circumstances. Some estimate that an objective binge is equivalent to multiple meals’ worth of food. Often, people describe eating amounts of food that may be significantly less than this, but recognize the loss of control experience described above. This is called a subjective binge.

Research tells us that it’s not so much the amount of food as the distress associated with the experience that matters. Consultation note: When I work with therapists, I encourage them to assess this first characteristic thoroughly and provide education to clients they work with, because often people think they are binge eating when they actually don’t meet criteria.

An episode of binge eating involves by at least 3 of the 5 following criteria. Because us mental health providers love our acronyms, we’ll coin these as the “UNRAD” experience of:

Eating until you are Uncomfortably full
Eating when you are Not Hungry
Eating more Rapidly (or quickly) than what is typical of you
Intentionally eating Alone, or in secret, due to shame about your behavior
Experiencing Distress or Disgust after the experience

What is Binge Eating Disorder (BED)?

To meet criteria for Binge Eating Disorder, the above criteria should be met, and the binge eating must happen at least once weekly for a period of 3 months at a minimum. There must also be concerns about these eating patterns. If someone is using strategies such as exercise, vomiting, or other means to cancel out their binges (known as “compensatory behaviors”), they likely meet criteria for a different eating disorder.

Behaviors that are often mistaken for binge eating

If you (or a client) identify with any of the experiences below, or perhaps don’t meet the full criteria for Binge Eating Disorder, the following support posts in this series can still be helpful.

Repetitive snacking (AKA “Grazing”) – known as eating small amounts of food over time, it’s often driven by undereating, not giving yourself full permission to have certain foods, or need for stimulation of some sort. Though it can be distressing, it’s not a binge.
“Emotional” eating or eating to soothe yourself or distract from difficult emotions. Recognize that emotional eating is part of a normal relationship with food. If it is your only coping strategy, however, you might consider adding to your toolkit.
Eating something you hadn’t intended to, or “blowing the diet”. Also not binge eating, but often speaks to overcontrolled food intake and rigid food rules.
Eating until uncomfortably full. By itself… not a binge. Sometimes this is called “rebound eating” and is more likely to occur after a long period without eating or when you get really hungry. If you don’t eat enough regularly, or have a medical condition such as gastroparesis, this may also affect your experience of feeling full quickly.

This information aims to clarify what binge eating is—and what it is not. For accurate diagnosis, therapists are encouraged to assess these dimensions carefully and offer clients clear, compassionate education. For additional tips or applied support, reach out for more information on clinical consultation or eating disorder treatment.

Shannon Patterson 11/13/25 Shannon Patterson 11/13/25

10 things that can keep eating disorders going

10 Things that can keep eating disorders going

Eating disorders often develop as ways to cope— sometimes in response to stress, trauma, or experiences that felt unsafe or overwhelming. While they may offer a sense of control or comfort, certain patterns can unintentionally keep them going. Below are 10 common things that reinforce eating disorders.

Systemic Issues: Discrimination, food insecurity (not having enough food to eat), or our society’s weight bias, create shame and stress, disrupting appetite and leading to disordered eating.
Being Below Your Body’s Desired Weight: Known as your “set point”, being below your body’s natural weight triggers constant hunger, cravings, and slowed metabolism; often this leads to ongoing restriction and binge–restrict cycles.
Food Rules: Rigid rules (e.g., “no carbs”) cause guilt when broken, which can fuel bingeing or stricter restriction.
Restricting Food: Not eating enough in portion, timing, or variety causes fatigue, poor focus, extreme hunger, and binge urges.
Basing your Worth on Body or Control over your food: Linking self-esteem to weight, shape, or eating in a certain way reinforces body-checking, avoidance, and constant control.
Other Weight Control Behaviors: Vomiting, fasting, over-exercising, or using products to cancel out or “make up” for your eating keeps your body undernourished and locks the binge–restrict cycle into place.
Life Stress & Difficult Emotions: Using only disordered eating to cope with emotions and difficult life events prevents you from learning coping skills and keeps problems unresolved.
Low Self-Esteem: Feeling unworthy fuels the belief that changing your body will make you “enough.”
Perfectionism: Unrealistic standards drive self-criticism and rigid thinking, making “good enough” impossible, and the bar keeps raising.
Relationship Difficulties: Strained or unfulfilling relationships can lead to using disordered eating to avoid, communicate distress, or self-soothe.