June 28, 2023June 27, 2023 by Libby

Some Thoughts on What to Do After a Binge (or Overeating in General)

Experiencing the aftermath of a binge eating episode is typically incredibly uncomfortable both from a physical and emotional/psychological standpoint. Not only are you likely working through feelings of guilt, disgust, and possible shame/embarrassment, but you also have the physical sensations of over-fullness and bloating to tolerate. NOT FUN.

In this post, I want to provide some tips on what to do if you find yourself in this scenario. This could be post-binge OR after any sort of uncomfortable degree of overeating.

To review, an actual binge eating episode is defined as eating (within a 2-hr window) significantly more than most people would eat under similar circumstances. It is also accompanied by feeling out-of-control.

Even if you don’t struggle with “technical binge eating,” regularly experiencing chaotic eating and/or regularly reaching the point of unpleasant fullness is also quite distressing. You may feel a sense of shame, wondering why do I find eating so hard when others seem totally fine??

You are not a uniquely flawed human being if this is something you are wrestling with. There are legitimate physical and emotional/psychological reasons why you may experience your eating spiraling out-of-control at times.

Next time you find yourself feeling overly full or struggling with the aftermath of a binge, I hope you find the following ideas useful!

(Note: a lot of the following ideas/thoughts can be applied to other eating disorder behaviors, including restriction and purging).

Thoughts on What to Do After a Binge (or Overeating in General):

Return to Your Next Regular Meal or Snack.

After binge/overeating, it can feel tempting to want to restrict food intake to “compensate” for what you ate. PLEASE DO NOT DO THIS. By restricting intake, you are actually setting yourself up for greater likelihood of future binge/overeating. NO BUENO.

Restriction is one of the biggest triggers for binge eating. This can be physical food restriction (i.e., not eating enough) OR food restriction from an emotional/psychological standpoint (i.e., not eating certain foods that you enjoy/want to eat but fear are “unhealthy” or “fattening”). By restricting yourself following a binge, you are setting yourself up to continue in the binge/restrict cycle. We cannot avoid the realities of human biology and psychology!

I recommend waiting a bit as needed for the extreme uncomfortable fullness to die down, THEN getting back on track with whatever your next meal or snack would be. (This is where working with a dietitian can be very helpful if you don’t feel like you have a good sense of what regular meal/snack patterns look like for you).

Don’t skimp here! Incorporate fat + protein + carb in adequate quantities for a satisfying meal experience. This is a needed strategy for getting off the unpleasant hamster wheel of regular binge/overeating.

I know it is tempting to restrict. I urge you to do the hard thing of nourishing yourself properly!

Consider some gentle movement.

I wanted to include this suggestion but it is a little tricky as it depends on your intentions. When done from a healthy mindset, engaging in some light physical movement or exercise following binge/overeating can be helpful. Some light movement after feeling overly full can be helpful for your digestion, your blood sugar levels, and your overall mood.

Ideas include going outside on a walk, doing some light stretching/yoga, or cleaning/organizing your home.

My caveat with this point is that I do NOT recommend this strategy if it is done for the purposes of “compensating” or “making up” for what happened food-wise. This would then be another form of restriction and will likely keep you on the binge/restrict cycle as alluded to above. Many people end up in a cycle of binge eating and then engaging in extreme exercise — another unhealthy pattern that will keep you stuck.

Reflect on the context surrounding the binge.

When I am processing a recent binge eating experience with a client, we are looking to do a deep dive into the context surrounding the binge to look for clues as to what triggered it. This will help us know what factors we may need to start addressing to minimize/prevent binges going forward.

Some things to think about:

THOUGHT PATTERNS: What unhelpful thought patterns might you have been engaging in? Black-and-white thinking, catastrophic thinking, and self-fulfilling prophecies to name a few. A couple examples of what this might look like…

–> “ANY deviation from what I planned to eat means I have totally blown it. Eating one cookie means I failed for the day. Now that I failed I might as well continue eating and eating.”
–> “Foods are either good or bad. I have my binge/unhealthy foods and I have my healthy foods that I eat when I am having a “good” day.”

EMOTIONAL DYNAMICS: What emotions were you experiencing throughout the day / leading up to the binge? Binge eating is often used as a way to manage feelings that feel overly distressing/intolerable.

–> Reflect back on your day (or even your week) for clues as to how you might have been feeling. Label this feeling with an acutal emotion word. Then go a step further. Why may you have been feeling this way? What events occurred in your day/week? Who did you interact with? Are there any stories you are telling yourself about yourself/the situation? It may be helpful to journal out your thoughts/feelings or process with a friend, dietitian, or therapist. Honesty with how you are feeling is key.
–> It can often be useful to have a secondary person to help you process healthier ways to better tolerate and manage uncomfortable feelings in the future. Be patient and compassionate with yourself as this kind of growth takes time!

WATCH OUT FOR…YOUR NEMESIS, RESTRICTION: When looking at the context surrounding binge/overeating, consider your eating patterns throughout the day and week to honestly assess for any restrictive patterns (see point above).

–> Did you eat enough the day leading up to the binge/overeating episode?
–> Have you been eating enough throughout the week?
–> Have you been including adequate amounts of each food group (including carbohydrates!) at each meal?
–> Have you been eating frequently enough? (I recommend every 2-4 hours)
–> Have you been regularly including foods you enjoy/find tasty, including desserts?
–> Are you self-imposing any unhealthy food limits/restrictions? (quantities or types of foods)

Take responsibility for what you can — the present moment.

After a binge eating episode or eating any quantity of food that leads to discomfort, it can be tempting to want to dwell on the past and spiral into an internal experience of guilt and shame.

We can acknowledge and validate the frustration of experiencing binge eating or overeating. IT IS FRUSTRATING THAT THAT HAPPENED. However, staying too long in the frustration/anger and not moving forward is likely to keep you stuck and set you up for more guilt that will likely lead to more binge eating!

Once the binge eating has occurred we can’t change that reality. We CAN move forward by taking responsibility for the only thing we can — the present moment.

How can you choose to care for yourself NOW, in this moment?

How can you show yourself self-compassion and kindness instead of self-disgust and mistreatment of your body?

How can you choose to nourish your body instead of planning for future restriction?

How are you actually feeling and how can you respond to your emotional needs in a life-giving, healthy way?

What might it look like to view this challenging/uncomfortable experience as an opportunity to re-engage in the present moment by caring for yourself NOW, instead of drowning in guilt/shame about the past or obsessively thinking about the future?