My Daily Practice to Beat the Binge

____________________

Allow me to be upfront here… I’m never going to be one of those Coaches that gives you a light and fluffy solution to a soul-crushingly serious issue.

Bingeing is NOT fun.

Not only is it not fun, it feels dark, shameful, destructive, uncontrollable and suffocating (honest enough for you?)

I get it. I know what it’s like because not only did I live in Binge City for over 25 years of my life, there are days when I STILL swing by the old neighbourhood, you know… just to see what it’s like. And every time I do, I leave feeling like that two week old, stale chocolate bar you find hiding under the seat of your couch. You know it’s kinda dirty… but you know you’ll eat it anyway.

Emotional eating is sneaky.

You tell yourself you’re in control.

You promise you’ll only have one bite.

You bargain with yourself and find eighteen new reasons why you must eat that double fudge brownie immediately.

But eventually, that whole “what goes around comes around” thing catches up with you.

One day you’re sure you’ve got this emotional eating thing under control and the next, you wake up to find your butt is the size of a small country and you wonder what went wrong?

Basically… if you are ever foolish enough to put a chocolate cake down in front of me, don’t expect it to be there when you get back.

Well, okay… so maybe I’ve progressed a little since my dieting and bingeing hey day, but I can assure you it was not because the magical will-power fairy visited me one night, sprinkled me with pixie dust and made all my cravings go away.

No.

I work at this stuff. And I work at it every. single. day.

So what does my daily ritual look like when it comes to beating the binge?

It looks a little something like this…

1. Ditch Your Kryptonite Food (well, most of the time, anyway…)

I know this is getting kinda old, but I’m all about keeping it real, so here it is… that nasty (yet delicious) white sugar, salty and snacky stuff is addictive and I find that it is NOT helpful to have it in house.

Now, let’s have a moment of honesty, shall we? How many times do you buy something sweet, snacky or salty from the shop, promise yourself you’ll make it last X number of days, or it’s for the kids, (or worse) you’ll make it last X number of days AND it’s for the kids, only to demolish it ALL YOURSELF four minutes after you get it home? (insert both hands raised here).

I’m not saying you should NEVER eat it. Heck, I’m not even saying you shouldn’t keep it in your house. You can pet it and stroke it and cuddle it at night if that’s what floats your boat… I’m simply saying that there are OTHER ALTERNATIVES to your kryptonite foods that WON’T make you act like the Cookie Monster on steroids when you eat them. Some of my faves include everything from my friend’s company, Rumbles Paleo. Use the Code KYLIE10 to recieve 10% off your orders!

2. It’s Daggy to Deprive Yourself

Step two is to stock up your kitchen with healthy alternatives, you know, stuff you actually feel GOOD about eating (primo example, Rumbles Paleo).

You’re not a loser just because you choose not to keep junk food in the house. Nor are you doomed to binge if you do. It’s all a matter of moment by moment choice. Having junk food in the house will not “make you binge”. It will simply reveal an issue that was already there.

Know that the OUTCOME of any situation will COME OUT of your mind. It’s your BELIEFS that drive your behaviours. Not the other way around. And if you need some support, you have an obligation to get it. Wishing things would change won’t create change. But action will.

Which leads me to my next point…

3. Stress Less & Get a Support System

Okay, so that’s really two points, but still…

Do you dive face first into the nearest bowl of frosted cake batter when life throws a little drama your way? The more you stress, the more you will crave a quick escape from your emotional pain. Something to relive the discomfort of whatever it is we’re trying so desperately not to feel.

Reducing the stress is the quickest way to reduce cravings BUT it’s not a magic bullet. You will STILL need to get a support system in place if you really want to solve this eating issue at the ROOT, rather than constantly trying to slap a band-aid over the wound.

Here’s the thing… sure, you can go it alone. But honestly, it’s just so much harder that eventually we convince ourselves that success must be for other people. Not for us. But THAT, you sexy creature, is a big ‘ol LIE!

It was never YOU that couldn’t make it work. It was simply that you didn’t have the right system in place for support. You don’t need another person giving you unhelpful cliché solutions. I have actually LIVED through this mess AND come out the other side with a body and a life that I love! Perfect? Well, I guess that depends on what your definition of perfection is?

If it means that I DON’T beat myself up if I eat a little more than I would have liked, I DON’T obsess over calories, carbs or kilos, and I DO think I’m pretty cool, no matter what size my booty is this week, then yeah… I’m perfect!

Now, I’d love to hear from YOU!

Have you ever fallen into the trap of the diet / binge cycle? Have you ever lost faith in yourself? Join the discussion below! You never know… your words might be the exact thing that sets someone free.