Better Health Nutrition - Denver

Is it normal or disordered? 🧐

The line between what’s normal and disordered can be so hard to find. We’ve been taught to eat and behave in certain ways to be healthy. But so many of these behaviors takes us away to actually being able to listen to what our body needs. And while these behaviors may start because of good intentions, many are disordered and can lead to more serious physical and psychological complications down the line. A few of these include:

▪️ Pushing off or not eating breakfast.
▪️ Not snacking between meals.
▪️ Opting for the lowest calorie option.
▪️ Eating less when you don’t exercise.
▪️ Eating according to serving sizes.
▪️ Only eating at certain times of the day.

Now, there are nuances associated with each of these, and some individuals need to eat in a specific way to manage a medical condition - that’s not who I’m speaking to.

These behaviors are so often praised in our society, but if you find that any these behaviors are getting in the way of your physical and/or mental health, it might be helpful to consider why you engage in them and how they are actually serving you.

You deserve respect and deserve to be fed always, no matter what. ✨🩵

Binge eating is uncomfortable - physically (aching stomach, discomfort in clothing) and emotionally (the shame, judgment, frustration). It brings up so many feelings, and the last thing we want to do is sit in the suck. It can be really difficult to not give into behaviors like restriction or overexercise in addition to self-beratement. 😞

But where does that leave you? Feeling even worse and frankly, fueling the vicious cycle even more.

Here’s a gentle reminder that this approach is not all of a sudden going to start working. Instead, let’s give this a shot:

1️⃣ Take a deep breath. You didn’t binge because of a lack of willpower or motivation. Have compassion with yourself and know that this probably will happen again while you are recovering.

2️⃣ Give yourself some space. Do what you can to separate yourself from the binge. Step away from where the binge occurred to clear your head. Step outside, call a friend, meditate, or try some breathing exercises. Don’t let your emotions take control.

3️⃣ Get curious. Start getting curious about why you binged. Binge eating can be a result of not having your emotional needs met, inconsistent eating patterns, low dopamine, inadequate protein/food intake, metabolic issues, past trauma, food restriction, and history of dieting.

4️⃣ Resist the urge to restrict. It might feel like the only thing that could possibly get you back on track is restricting. However, doing so only feeds into the vicious binge-restrict cycle. Your body’s natural response to physical or mental restriction is to eat. Do what you can to remember that.

5️⃣ Flip the script. Rather than thinking, “What is the matter with me? Why can’t I just eat like a normal human?”, try to reframe your experience.

This process takes time. Allow yourself that time to learn and process. Save this post for when you need it. 💖

Binge eating is uncomfortable - physically (aching stomach, discomfort in clothing) and emotionally (the shame, judgment, frustration). It brings up so many feelings, and the last thing we want to do is sit in the suck. It can be really difficult to not give into behaviors like restriction or overexercise in addition to self-beratement. 😞

But where does that leave you? Feeling even worse and frankly, fueling the vicious cycle even more.

Here’s a gentle reminder that this approach is not all of a sudden going to start working. Instead, let’s give this a shot:

1️⃣ Take a deep breath. You didn’t binge because of a lack of willpower or motivation. Have compassion with yourself and know that this probably will happen again while you are recovering.

2️⃣ Give yourself some space. Do what you can to separate yourself from the binge. Step away from where the binge occurred to clear your head. Step outside, call a friend, meditate, or try some breathing exercises. Don’t let your emotions take control.

3️⃣ Get curious. Start getting curious about why you binged. Binge eating can be a result of not having your emotional needs met, inconsistent eating patterns, low dopamine, inadequate protein/food intake, metabolic issues, past trauma, food restriction, and history of dieting.

4️⃣ Resist the urge to restrict. It might feel like the only thing that could possibly get you back on track is restricting. However, doing so only feeds into the vicious binge-restrict cycle. Your body’s natural response to physical or mental restriction is to eat. Do what you can to remember that.

5️⃣ Flip the script. Rather than thinking, “What is the matter with me? Why can’t I just eat like a normal human?”, try to reframe your experience.

This process takes time. Allow yourself that time to learn and process and give compassion to yourself when you need it. 💖

You deserve food freedom. You deserve to feel safe in your body. You deserve to feel valued.

I’ve been fairly absent on here recently. But I’ve been feeling extra grateful to be able to walk alongside my clients. They’re not doing easy work. In fact, it’s probably some of the hardest work someone can do. But damn, is it worth it. It’s worth being able to live a life free of guilt and judgment. It’s worth being able to accept and care for yourself in a way that your body deserves.

You deserve the support no matter where you are in your journey.

You deserve it all.