Binging and Purging: More Common Than You Think!

Healthy-eatingMany diet programs and pyramid schemes make their money off of the thought that women eat too much. It must be true that, if you are overweight, you must sit around all day and stuff your face. You must be eating brownies for breakfast and ice cream sundaes for lunch and by simply “controlling your portions” and exercising, you will lose weight. Would you believe me if I told you that I don’t buy into that for the majority of the female population?

Ok, you’re thinking “…but I watch ‘My 600lb Life’ on TLC and that is definitely the issue!” For some people, it is, but I’m talking about the average woman that has 30-50lbs to lose and can’t seem to get it to budge. Do you eat healthy snacks at the office, order a salad for lunch, and still struggle to lose weight? These might be some reasons why…

1) You’re binging and purging. No, you’re not vomiting in the toilet, but you exhibit disordered eating that needs to be addressed. You are stuck in a negative cycle that keeps you at the same weight. You’re going wild on the weekend (binging) and then eating very little during the week to compensate (purging) until you do it again the next weekend. Another common issue: You’re eating very little during the day, binging at night, and eating very little the next day because you’re not hungry from the binge the previous evening.

2) You’re lying to yourself. I can’t preach enough about the power of food journaling. When you do it correctly, it forces you to face the music. Your weekend binge is 3000+ calories each day. When you come home from work and eat everything in the cabinet because you didn’t eat enough during the day, that’s an extra 1000+ calories. You can’t fully comprehend what you’re doing to yourself and your progress, though, if you’re not journaling or not journaling honestly.

For some women, it is an issue of eating too much, and that can easily be corrected. But if you fall into the binging and purging category I described (as I believe a large majority of women do), you have disordered eating habits. You’re compromising your health, quality of life, and weight loss progress. How do you fix it? Get rid of the thought that food is a reward for a tough week at work and/or a coping mechanism for stress. Eat enough high quality food during the day so that you’re not starving at night. Enjoy your weekends, but turn the binge into just one special dessert or meal you’ve been craving. Strive for balance, not extremes, and your body will align with the goals you have set for yourself!