The Binge Code Road Map
So in module 1, we talked a lot about Unhelpful eating habits driving our binge eating behaviour.
That’s good to know, but what can we do about it?
Well, quite a lot actually.
And, that’s whats this module all about.
We’re going to break down what we’ve already learned about habits into an easy to follow, actionable, step-by-step program.
Watch the video below to learn more.
The BIG Picture overview
So, what’s this all about?
If this program could be summed up in just one word, that word would definitely be “CENTERED”.
Your cravings for sugary foods, your binge urges, your excess weight… All of this is your body’s way of telling you that you’re off balance and off-center
The goal of this program is to help you get your balance back.
- A balanced body doesn’t want to hold on to excess weight.
- A balanced body doesn’t want to binge on food.
- A balanced body houses a happy, healthy mind.
Regaining your balance will enable you to tune into your body and make intelligent, intuitive decisions about the kinds of food that are right for you (we call this balanced eating).
- You’ll feel more confident, relaxed and in control around food.
- You’ll feel more in control of your life.
- You’ll improve your sense of overall well-being.
If there’s one key to life-long recovery, it’s learning to listen to your body so you can maintain balance. The good news is that listening to and understanding your body is a skill. It’s something we can get better at. 🙂
How did I get out of balance?
Our body loves being in balance (homeostasis). Our body has its own internal regulators that are designed to maintain balance.
When we are hot, our bodies sweat to cool down, when we need energy, we feel hunger, when we need to rest we feel tired.
The problem is that most of us are chronically out of touch with our own bodies.
We spend all day running from one task to the next.
We spend hours trapped in our own heads.
We ignore how our bodies feel.
We follow diets that tell us when and what to eat, instead of listening to our own hunger.
We ignore weariness and just drink another cup of coffee.
Some of us ignore the very fact that we have a body which is crying out for help!
By continuously ignoring the needs of your body, you weaken your connection to it.
The subtle communication signals between you and your body start to disappear.
You don’t feel these subtle signals of hunger, stress, physical fatigue and emotional exhaustion anymore.
And so we lose our balance by losing touch with our natural bodily regulators.
What happens when I’m disconnected from my own body?
When we’re out of touch with our bodies, balance turns into a distant memory.
- You stop feeling genuine hunger.
- You overeat, you undereat, you become chronically stressed, you get burnt-out.
- You become physically malnourished and emotionally drained.
- You experience binge urges, panic attacks and chronic pains.
- You feel empty, hungry for meaning, lonely, restless and completely lost.
Think of it this way…
It’s like being a tightrope walker in a circus.
Tightrope walkers rely on small, subtle signals from their bodies to know if they’re off balance or not. They are constantly tuning into their bodies, listening to their biofeedback and adjusting their position in order to maintain balance. This enables them to achieve the amazing feat of walking on a rope.
If those subtle bodily signals were to disappear, the tightrope walker would come crashing to the ground. Think of yourself as that tightrope walker, and the rope as your health.
No bodily signals, no balance – and off you fall.
So, what specific unhelpful habits do we need to change?
Ok, so let’s get into the nitty gritty, what specific unhelpful habits am I talking about.
Well, here are the main ones we are going to focus on for this program.
OFF-CENTER HABITS
So there are the main culprits causing the biggest issues. These habits lead to primal hunger, deprivation & binge cravings. This is the order we are going to tackle them in.
1. Using food to change your state
Eating food as a habitual response to uncomfortable emotions, feelings or state.
2. Restricting when you eat
Habitually restricting how often you eat (eg skipping breakfast). Can lead to primal hunger.
3. Restricting the types of food you eat
Avoiding food groups such as fats or carbohydrates. Can lead to primal hunger & deprivation.
4. Restricting how much you eat
Not eating enough food for your biological needs. This is a huge binge trigger and DRIVES primal hunger.
5. Eating food lacking nutrition
Eating too much refined foods lacking nutrition creates cravings as your body way to try and get the nutrition it needs.
6. Restricting foods you enjoy
All diets come with food rules that tell us not to eat some of our favourite foods. Ofcourse there are exactly the foods we end up binge on! Leads to serious deprivation.
7. Lack of self care
Without proper self-care our wellbeing suffers, we don’t feel so great and this can lead us to use food to change your state (see habit 1)
8. Not listening to your body
If we don’t listen, we don’t understand our body signals. If we don’t understand our body signals its is MUCH more challenging to self-regulate and re-center.
9. Eating food based on food rules
Because we don’t listen to our body (see habit 8) we need to rely on external cues as to when and how to eat which can leave us off-center.
So, do any of the above look familiar?
If so, don’t feel disheartened. This is good news. Now that we have identified which habits are driving your behaviours we can now take steps to replace those habits!
If you suffer from Bulimia Nervosa…
The habits we need to address are remarkably similar for Binge eating as for Bulimia Nervosa, except we are going to include one more additional habit we need to focus on. That is..
10. Purging your food
Purging food either through self induced vomiting, laxatives, diet pills, fasting or excessive exercise is a form of food restrictive which only drives primal hunger more.
What do we replace our unhelpful habits with?
So now we have identified the unhelpful habits making us off-centered and driving our binge eating, how do we change these habits?
Studies show the best way to change a habit is to REPLACE it. We can substitute in NEW behaviours to replace the old. This is a much more easier and effective strategy than trying to stop unhelpful habits cold turkey.
So here are a list of the Habit Substitutions.
UNHELPFUL OFF-CENTER HABITS | REPLACE WITH CENTERED HABITS | |
Leads to primal hunger, deprivation & binge cravings | Leads to stability, balance & peace with food | |
1. Use food to change your state | > | Use SOS technique |
2. Restrict when you eat | > | Eat regularly |
3. Restrict the types of food you eat | > | Eat balanced meals |
4. Restrict how much you eat | > | Eat enough |
5. Eat food lacking nutrition | > | Eat more real food |
6. Restrict foods you enjoy | > | Eat foods you enjoy |
7. Lack of self care | > | Daily Self Care |
8. Not listening to your hunger | > | Tune into hunger |
9. Eat food based on food rules | > | Eat food based on personal insights (Insight Eating) |
10 Purge food (Bulimia only) | > | Use SOS technique instead of purging |
The above chart is a really great big picture overview of the whole program.
Really if you wanted to break it down to it’s must simplistic in the Binge Code Program we are going to do 10 things
- Use The SOS technique to change our state
- Eat regularly
- Eat balanced meals
- Eat enough
- Eat more real food
- Eat foods you enjoy
- Daily Self Care
- Tune-in to felt sense to gain insights
- Eat food based on personal insights (Insight Eating)
- Use The SOS Technique instead of purging food.
Once you apply these changes to your life you will be centered, balanced and binge free.
Don’t worry if this seems like a lot to take in. We’re going to take this one step at a time and we only need to go at a pace you feel comfortable with.