So you’re going along your day, everything is fine and dandy, then it hits you. That urge, that craving, that NEED to eat that you just can’t say NO to.

From that moment on you can’t think of anything else but scouring the cabinets.

If binge or emotional eating has ever been a thing for you, I bet you know what I’m talking about. But have you ever wondered where those nasty binge urges come from, and why they’re almost impossible to resist?

Because after all, you’ve been down this road before. Your rational mind knows what’s going to happen if you give in to the binge again…

You’ll end up feeling tired, bloated, and guilty. Saying yes to that food frenzy never ends well, and you know it. But against your better judgment, you can’t say no.

This was a way of life for me for over a decade. I’ve lived under the power of binges, and it’s no way to spend your precious time.

If this sounds all too familiar to you, stay tuned!

I’m going to show you why those urges to binge feel like trying to stop a tidal wave.

You’ll learn why they happen, why it’s not your fault, and how to finally be free of them.

Read on and we’ll get to the bottom of binge eating triggers once and for all!

When it comes to urges to binge, it all truly comes down to one thing–your brain.

Sure, there is an emotional component to binge eating. But those overpowering, compulsive urges are, as they say, “all in your head.”

Now, I’m not saying you’re making these urges up, nor am I saying that you’re crazy. NOT at all. Let me explain what I mean by this, with the help of my lovely pet kitty!

I recently moved into a new home along with my cat. Ever since we arrived, my sweet kitty has been on edge. Every bump in the night or random noise sends her into a frenzy. She’s far more agitated than usual (even for a cat!).

In human terms, she’s in an unfamiliar situation, and it’s triggering a “fight or flight” response. The part of her brain that is wired for survival is on full alert.

This primal, survival-oriented part of the brain is powerful in animals. Needless to say, when I try to comfort her and reassure her that she’s safe in our new home, it doesn’t work well. I can’t reason with that survival oriented urge.

Humans and animals both have this primal, survival-oriented part of the brain. But one thing we have that our pets don’t is the rational thinking part of the brain.

Humans have a large frontal brain. It’s the place where you store your goals, your dreams, and your love for yourself and others. It’s where you find the rational, empowered version of yourself. In other words, it’s your “grownup” brain.

So what do my cat and your logical brain have to do with uncontrollable binge urges?

You have that empowered, rational brain in the frontal space. But like my kitty, we’ve also got the survival-mode brain. It’s the part of your brain that ensures you get plenty of food, shelter, water–everything you need to stay alive.

That primal area can be triggered if it perceives a threat to your safety. One of those threats it picks up on is a shortage of food.

If your survival-oriented brain thinks that food is scarce (whether it really is or not) it sounds the alarm bells. It’ll trigger you into what we call “survival mode.” From there, it drives you to do one thing–EAT.

Here’s the interesting part. One of the biggest food-shortage brain triggers out there is good old-fashioned dieting. Restricting or controlling what you eat makes your survival brain think that food must be in short supply, so you better grab as much as you can NOW.

For that matter, food deprivation of any kind can trick your primal brain into action, too, whether you’re on a “diet” or not. Sometimes even restrictive, dieting-like thoughts (like mentally counting calories) can set off the food-shortage panic!

So you restrict your food. Your survival mode brain perceives a food shortage. It thinks you might have to starve yourself next, so it does the only thing it knows how to do– it triggers you to binge right now.

What do you think happens next?

Over time, your brain forms automatic patterns, with binging as your go-to response. The more you repeat this pattern, the more established it becomes.

Before you know it, binge urges and giving in to those urges becomes regular.

Now, let’s get back to your higher-thinking brain for a minute.

Urges to scour the cabinets or raid the refrigerator come from your survival brain. They don’t arise from your rational-thinking, higher-level brain.

Now, you might think that the empowered, reasonable part of your brain could easily override your primal brain. Surely your rational brain can recognize binge triggers for the tripwire they are, and convince your primal brain not to go there when urges hit you. Seems logical, right?

BUT, this rational-thinking part of your brain actually can’t talk your survival brain down from the ledge very well. That’s why trying to rationalize your way out of an urge to binge works about as well as trying to reason with my cat!

Not that I’m comparing your brain to a cat, necessarily! But I’m sure you see the analogy I’m making here. Try as it might, your rational brain can’t reason very well with your hardwired survival instincts.

Some people say the battle between the rational and survival brain feels like an “angel and devil” thing. On one shoulder there’s the angel trying to convince you NOT to give in to urges. On the other is the devil, prodding to eat like there’s no tomorrow.

It’s an interesting analogy, but it’s not exactly the truth…

Binge urges are not the “devil.” Your survival-oriented brain is not evil, and it’s not attempting to hurt you by driving you to eat.

The truth is that your survival-oriented brain is trying to help you. It has ONE job–to keep you alive. But sometimes it does that job a little too well. Sometimes it’s strategies to keep you safe morph into destructive mental patterns, like binge eating.

But know this. Your survival brain isn’t out to get you.. It’s not this demon that intentionally torments you by pushing you to overeat.

For that matter, binge patterns are NOT a disease that you’re destined to battle for the rest of your life. They don’t mean you’re broken, flawed, or beyond hope. These patterns CAN be broken, no matter how long you’ve had them or how powerful your binge urges are.

And the news here gets even better…

With the right steps and the right system, you can not only stop fighting binge urges but actually eliminate them. (Really!)

There are several steps to this process…

One step is ensuring that you eat enough food to meet your body’s needs, so your survival brain doesn’t panic. Another is learning to manage your emotions rather than push them down with food. Yet another is replacing unsupportive habits with empowering ones.

Of course, it’s not an overnight thing. Take it one step at a time, and it’s important to follow the steps in the right order. You need the right system, plus the guidance to make it work for you.

But when you’ve got the right support and the right system, magic starts to happen!

If you need any support in this area, we are here for you!

Click the image below where I’ve got a special gift for you! We call them, “Craving Cards”, and they’re one of our most popular tools!

If you ever feel night time cravings, sugar cravings, the urge to just say “screw it I’m going to start my diet over tomorrow”, or like you need a little body confidence pick me up… 

Just grab a card, go through the prompts, and shift it instantly!

Click the image above and let me know where to send them!

You’ll also get mini demo video training sessions for each card where I share how to use the cards and some of my best tips for food freedom forever!

With our Craving Cards and Demo Series… 

You’ll learn how to stop cravings in their tracks, feel confident, and get back your power, fast! 

Love,
Brittany

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