Behind Your Latest FOOD Binge: It’s Not Failure, It’s Only Feedback
BY JEN WIDERSTROM
This message is for anyone who has been on track, being consistent with healthy habits for however many days in a row of great decisions without giving in to past binging behaviors…but, all of a sudden, it happens. You binge. They’re not usually the birthdays, the big days, the holidays...they’re just the normal days where all of a sudden you’ve defaulted to this old, but long standing habit and you’re caught off-guard. There’s a weight in your stomach and the words in your head whisper, “not again.” There’s a feeling of confusion because you truly felt like you out-worked and out-lasted this behavior … But I wholeheartedly believe that this perceived setback does not mean failure. It’s feedback.
I recently had a conversation with a person I’ve been coaching in our FÖRENA Daily community that slipped into a binge episode. They’d been on track with their eating habits and finding great success in my 30 Day Challenges for over eight months, but this one meal made them feel like a fraud. If this is or has been you, I’ll say to you what I said to them:
“We live through things so we can learn from them, and then manage better next time. And if you’re too buried in your own judgment, you’ll miss the lesson that was given to you that day.”
At best, food is our fuel, but at its worst, we sometimes use food to escape from stress, worry, or from your own thoughts. We use food to soothe, to give and receive love, and sometimes it's even self love. “I’m going to get myself this food because I’ve worked so hard and I deserve it.”
Binging is not who you are, but it’s a tool that you've used in your past that comes up when what’s in front of you is a bit much for you to handle. If you’ve found yourself in that situation, it's such good information!! This behavior is alerting you that there is something else in your environment (physically or emotionally) that is going on. There’s nothing wrong with you, but environmentally you have been triggered, and you’re simply reaching for more food to self-soothe.
Try taking a look at what is going on in your life. Walk through your day and your week without judgment, and observe with an open mind to see how you arrived at that binge moment. When you do that and take that time to reconcile with what happened, assess the where and the why, you will be able to better understand the binge trigger and either heal, find closure with, or learn from whatever is going on that drove you to that plate in the first place.
You’ll be able to take this information forward with you as a way to see the next moment coming -- when you feel the dust kick up in that area again, you remember...just like when you’re driving your car and hit a pothole. It first feels like it comes out of nowhere. But when you drive the route again, you know how to navigate the road to avoid hitting it.
Burying yourself in more food (which is giving over to shame) isn’t the answer. Taking the time to be curious about and learn from your why is. These emotions don't go away if you bury them—really, they don't go away even if you don't bury them. But you’re always in a position to be honest with yourself and become your own ally from this point forward.
Jen Widerstrom, Founder
P.S. Remember that no matter what you're going through right now, you don't have to do it alone! There are others like you in our community, where we interact on a daily basis, fight our demons, share our victories, and watch over each other as friends and accountability partners.
Together we are FÖRENA - a health & fitness community for women like you where we focus not only on our physical health but also mind, soul, relationships, and overall well-being. Become one of us now with FREE 1-month membership, and let us witness your growth! 🌱
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