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Emotional & Binge Eating Help

How NOT To Pass Food Struggles Onto Your Children

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Most parents have their children’s best interests at heart. But like the rest of us, parents are human beings who do the best they can every day. And we all have our moments.

About 75% of the women we work with at Beating Binge Eating have mothers or grandmothers who struggled with their body and their food.

And/or have fathers or grandfathers who sent messages about their appearances. (Things like dropping hints about losing weight, praising weight loss and being skinny, being “on track,” or getting “healthy” and more…)

Seeing these struggles and taking on these beliefs have plagued them all their lives, too.

They’re messages that have been passed down from generation to generation, wreaking havoc every step of the way.

These messages might have been unintentional. They might have even been well-intentioned. But either way, the impact of those early messages can’t be denied.

The more you see your mother struggling with food, the more you believe that food is an enemy.

The more you hear that your father say that you “need to lose weight,” the more you equate size with worthiness.

Whether those messages are conscious or not, their impact is powerful.

Does that mean that food and body struggles have to “run in the family” forever?

Of course not.

There’s something you can do to stop the food-body family struggles, starting NOW.

If you’re a mama, a mama-to-be, or a future mama, this is for you. Even if you don’t have a family, I bet you have kids in your life who look up to you. So this is for you, too!

Want the generational body-food war to end? Find out how to pass down messages and body love and food freedom instead of endless food struggles in the video below:

 

 

Now, if you’re a parent and you’re reading this, I know that you have your children’s best interests at heart. More than likely, your own parents wanted the best for you, too.

Of course, they might have conveyed some questionable body-food ideas when you were growing up. But that was probably because they were misinformed themselves.

Unfortunately, that misinformation most likely set you up for food struggles. Struggles that have likely stayed with you up until now.

In all fairness, though, it’s not your parents’ fault…

Damaging information and impossible standards are everywhere. From the diet industry to the fashion world to our own families, negative messages run rampant in our lives.

We all absorb these cultural signals, take them to heart, and build a belief system around them. We create belief systems that lead to actions like crazy restrictive dieting and relentless body shaming.

Then, of course, we pass them along to the young ones in our lives. Because we don’t know any other way.

Before you know it, you’re broadcasting your struggles, and children in your life notice. Not only do the kids take them on, they believe that they’re normal.

Most women (and men) who struggle with binging believe that they’re hiding it from their children. But the kids do notice when their parents behave strangely with food.

You might not think that your child sees you body-checking yourself in the mirror. Or dressing to cover up jiggly arms or thighs. But they pick up on the energy of dissatisfaction, and it makes an impression.

Children pick up on energy, feelings, and words. They notice what’s happening around them more than we realize. That means they take what the adults do as examples, and form beliefs around those examples.

If your children see you obsessing over food, binging on the sly. or hating the way you look, they’ll pick up on it.

When I was growing up, my mother did the best she could. She loved me dearly. She supported me. But her struggle with food was real and as she tried to help herself she tried to help me too.

She only meant to show me the methods she knew to break free. We tried diets together, pushed ourselves hard at the gym…

There were many other outside factors, but through this all I developed a pretty dysfunctional relationship with my body and food that lasted for nearly a decade.

Then a few years ago, the most amazing thing happened…

My mom healed her personal struggle through our own Beating Binge Eating program.

Her body released weight without trying. She freed herself from cravings and urges to binge. Now she feels free, happy, and fulfilled in her life, especially with her body and food.

That means she takes pictures with the family without fear of not looking right. We eat together without any food weirdness getting in the way. All those things that used to keep both of us stuck are distant memories now.

She has become a beacon of light in our community. She’s a shining example of everything that Food Freedom Forever stands for, and I couldn’t be more proud of her!

So no matter who you are or how long you’ve struggled, it is NEVER too late to heal your struggle. And when you do, you’ll also make an impact on the ones who come after you.

It’s also never too early to pass down loving and supportive messages and methods to your children.

No matter where you are in your journey, do what you can to instill positive messages in your. Show them examples of well-being, vitality, and happiness rather than shame, struggle, and pain.

That means start with treating yourself with kindness, respect, and love. Then show the children in your life how it’s done!

Now, I’m not saying that you have to be perfect. You don’t have to go from a wounded to healed body image overnight, or “fake it ‘til you make it.”

Just focus on healing yourself first, one step at a time. Then make an example of body and food-positive behaviors from there.

The key is to do things that make you feel good about yourself. Take steps to create an easy relationship with food, and cultivate body love.

Once you’ve started making positive changes in your life, you can be the change for others. That includes your children!

So take the steps. Do what you have to do. Not only will you heal yourself, but you’ll also impart supportive values to your kids.

If you don’t know what those steps are yet, that’s OK. We’re here to help! My free training will show you the way…

This training will show you the steps to create a peaceful relationship with food. Then you’ll be able to share what you’ve learned with the people you love the most!

We can end the generational struggle with food. It starts by making being a shining example for your children. This training will show you how to take that first step.

I know you’re an awesome parent, and you want the best for your children. So start by creating the best for yourself!

The best way to teach something is to live it. So start living a life of freedom with your body and your food, one step at a time.

Trust me, your children will notice–and they’ll create that freedom for themselves, too!

Now, tell me–what kind of example do you want to set for the children in your life? Leave me a comment and let me know. Let’s start making this generational shift happen together!

My Struggle with Binge Eating: How I Found Food Freedom Forever

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Over the last few years, I’ve helped more than 2000 women (not counting the 1000’s of others touched in our free communities) end their struggle with their body and their food.

It’s been a privilege and an honor, not just because of the food piece, but because of what women get to do when they are free from the chains of this struggle.

However, it didn’t always look this way for me…

It wasn’t that long ago that my life was a vicious cycle of binging, dieting, and repeating.

I struggled for over a decade. Now I’m proud to say that I’ve been free for over 5+ years, and I’ve never been happier.

But the road to Food Freedom Forever was grueling. I had my struggles. I had my setbacks. Moments where I felt like I’d be stuck forever.

Then, I discovered 3 simple but game-changing truths about food, my physiology, and freedom.

Now, I don’t have cravings anymore. The urges to binge are gone. In fact, I can say with confidence that I will never binge again.

It’s not because I found the ultimate workout. I didn’t learn to push myself harder or up my willpower and stick to the perfect diet, either.

It’s because I rewired myself from the inside out.

Watch the video below where I go deep into my body-food saga. I’ll share how it started, how it played out, and the three main takeaways I learned along the way so you don’t have to struggle like I did.

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It all started around the middle of my high school years. Back then, for various reasons, I put a lot of importance on how I looked.

I remember gaining a little bit of weight in my mid-teens. It wasn’t a ton, but it was enough of a shock to bring on a ton of fear and insecurity.

I started forming all these beliefs about my worth and the size of my body. I don’t believe this now, but at the time, these thoughts crippled me:

I thought that the type of boys I wanted to date wouldn’t be with me if I wasn’t a certain look and size.

I didn’t think I’d get into college and have the school experience I’d want if I was overweight.

I thought that extra pounds would keep me from being a competitive athlete.

I even thought that being the wrong size would keep me from getting my dream job and opportunities in life.

Translation? I believed that being overweight would stop me from receiving the love, connection, and life that I desired.

Sounds crazy, right? But these fears aren’t superficial whims or ego trips.

Love, attention, and connection are core human needs. Needs that I thought I couldn’t meet because of a few extra pounds.

All that self-rejection and insecurity sent me on a decade-long quest to change my body. Let me tell you, it went a lot further and got a lot crazier than I ever intended…

Of course, then weight loss schemes started innocently enough. I went on diets. I took a few diet pills here and there. I had a cheat meal from time to time after weeks of strict dieting.

Then cheat meals turned into cheat days. Cheat days became cheat weekends. Weekends so bad that I’d wake up feeling bloated, swollen, and disgusted with myself on Monday morning.

Then it got to the point where I couldn’t get through a day without binging now matter how good of getting back “on track” my intentions were that morning.

To control these massive overeating spells…

I’d try diets, fasts, and juice cleanses to undo the damage.

I worked out like a maniac to offset binges. I even hired big-name personal trainers and entered fitness competitions to have a goal to stick to thinking that would control me.

I convinced myself that I was doing this out of a passion for fitness and nutrition. Turns out it was just an obsession with getting weight off my body.

Even more damaging was what I believed about weight loss…

I believed that if I could just lose weight, all of my problems would just disappear.

So I tried every diet and followed every fitness guru out there. Then I realized was it didn’t matter who I worked out with or whose diet I stuck followed no matter how incredible they were.

It wasn’t about the food. It wasn’t about the exercise. The harder I tried to control both of those things, the more chaotic my life became.

The scariest part was that through it all, I did some serious damage to my body.

The restrict-binge-repeat cycle and the yo-yo dieting left my thyroid suppressed. My pituitary gland stopped functioning nearly completely. My hormones were out of whack. I was close to Stage 4 adrenal fatigue (Doctors would say that’s bedrest and burnout).

Then, there was the acute kidney failure that put me in the hospital for a week after one of my fitness shows. This one shook me to my core.

I remember being in the hospital bed. My dad had come to see me in the hospital, and things weren’t looking good.

My blood pressure was spiking. I couldn’t catch my breath. Then I looked up and I saw the terrified look in my Dad’s eyes, knowing that he couldn’t help me.

Just like that, I realized that my actions weren’t just hurting me. They were tormenting the people I loved, too.

Now, I wish I could tell you that this was THE moment that I miraculously healed myself. But unfortunately, after that epiphany I tacked on another six years of food-body hell.

But it was a powerful turning point for me.

I decided that I needed a change and I couldn’t keep hurting those around me the way I was.

I set out on a holistic healing quest. I was determined to heal myself, then show the world how to heal, too.

I became a certified health coach. After graduation, an international coaching organization hired me to manage their health division, and I was on my way.

At this company, I worked under many holistic healing professionals. There was a nutritional healer, an Acupuncturist and naturopathic Doctor, and 2 renowned coaches… just to name a few.

Being around all that knowledge seemed like the fast-track to my goals. I’d learn from these holistic professionals. I’d heal myself. Then I’d show the world how to heal, too.

That was my plan. Then there was the reality…

I did focus on learning holistic healing, particularly through nutrition. But that food-focus had some unintended consequences.

The more I concentrated on healing through food, the more I thought about food. And before I knew it…

I was binging again.

Even with my company’s top coaches, doctors, and healers helping me. I still binged.

Now, I wasn’t going through two drive thrus and secretly eating in my car while crying my eyes out anymore.

Instead I was hiding in the Whole Foods parking lot gorging on whatever “health foods” I could get my hands on.

Then that fateful day came, and it all fell apart.

The head of the company asked me to submit a current image of myself for their website. At the time, I’d put on another 20 pounds. Needless to say, that request hit me like a ton of bricks.

I was telling others how to be healthy but I couldn’t get myself that way. I felt like the ultimate fraud.

So I resigned my position and left the health and wellness industry altogether. I promised myself that I was still going to help others get healthy, but I had to start with myself.

That determination sent me on a new journey.

I pursued personal development. I studied modalities like Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), hypnotherapy, and traditional therapy. I researched eating disorders and how they’re treated. I dug deep and learned a lot.

After a couple of years of this self-improvement kick, I began feeling more confident. I upgraded my belief systems and let go of a lot of self-sabotaging behaviors.

But I still thought about food. A lot of the time.

I still had cravings. I still had mini binges or at minimum a feeling of compulsion towards certain things. There was still a lot of emotional eating.

No matter how much healing I’d done, food still had way too much power over me.

Then there was a particularly bad binge experience that sent me over the edge. I remember laying on my floor crying. Feeling broken. Feeling confused. And feeling like something was deeply wrong with me.

At this point in my life I felt like I only had 2 choices:

I would check myself into an inpatient eating disorder center. OR, I would try Overeaters Anonymous.

I chose the latter. It proved to be the proverbial last straw moment, too…

I had a wonderful woman offer to support me, and we chatted for the first time. The conversation we had was one I’d never forget.

She told me that I’d be addicted to food for the rest of my life. She said that I’d have to abstain from carbs and sugar forever. She told me that I’d always have this “monster” addiction, and that I needed prayer and devotion to get through it.

It would take this white-knuckle abstinence from temptations 24/7, and for the rest of my life. THAT was the only way I’d ever be free.

It was so confronting:

Was I a food addict? Would I struggle with this for the rest of my life?

After a debilitating cry session on the floor. I came to my senses.

NO. NO. NO F-ING WAY. NO.

I refused to accept this as my truth.

Then I thought about all the other women who came to these people for help, and were told the same story.

My no grew – it wasn’t just taking a stand for myself, it was taking a stand for all women who’ve ever felt or been told the same.

I was not an addict that would have to struggle forever – I don’t believe anyone is.

I promised myself that I would NOT let anyone brand me or any other human with an “eating disorder” until the end of time.

Sooo, I hit the books AGAIN…

I embarked on a deep-dive study on addiction. I wanted to learn what it was and what it wasn’t once and for all.

From there, I dug deeply into neuroscience. I learned about how neuroplasticity works. I also did my homework on brain and body physiology.

Through all of my prior experiences and my exhaustive research, I discovered three powerful truths. Three crucial truths that set me free.

Truth #1: Weight loss is not about the perfect diet or the ideal workout. If weight loss or binge-control is the goal, diet and exercise alone are not the answers. In fact, obsessing over them makes your body-food battles significantly worse.

Truth #2: The deep emotional work matters, but it’s also not everything. Emotional work is a big deal, and a significant part of the process. Self-love and body positivity counts. But they won’t get you there by themselves.

Typically, there are some physiological things that are going on at a deeper level that drive eating behavior, that literally have nothing to do with who you are as a person.

Truth #3: I was NOT broken (and neither are you). Through all my ups and downs, I learned the most important truth of all. I wasn’t binging because I was broken, flawed, or hopeless.

I didn’t have an addiction that would plague me for life. There were specific brain and body triggers that were driving my urges to binge, and they needed to be addressed.

Turns out that conventional diet and exercise wisdom was pitting me against my body. It was supposed to set me free, but it kept me stuck in a cycle of binging for over a decade.

Now, here’s the bottom line…

Binge eating isn’t about willpower. It’s not about self-control. You don’t need 10 years of talk therapy to heal yourself. And you definitely don’t need to brand yourself with an eating disorder for life.

It took me over a decade to learn all of this, and it made me realize my true mission.

I needed to teach what I’d learned to others so that they wouldn’t suffer as long as I did. That’s how the Binge eating blueprint was born…

First, I coached women privately for a few years with great success. They’d break free from their struggle in 6 months to a year, but I wanted them to have freedom faster.

So, I created that path with our signature system: The Beating Binge Eating Blueprint

It’s an 8-week journey that has helped 720+ women heal their struggles without years of therapy.

You don’t have to be in a crazy 15-year struggle. You can change your life in a lot less time than that, and we’re here to help!

That’s my story, and I hope that it inspires you to learn more about breaking free, too!

If you want to start your personal journey, my FREE training is the way to begin! Click below and get instant access to my Beating Binge Eating Blueprint Video training.

This training will help you embrace the 3 truths about binging and weight loss, and put you on the road to Food Freedom Forever!

Leave a comment below and share what resonated with you the most, and how I can help you find Food Freedom Forever!

4 Reasons Why The Keto Diet Fails–The Ugly Truth about Low-Carb Diets and Their Long-Term Fails

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If you’re Keto diet devotee, brace yourself. You might not like what I’m going to say.

But after helping thousands of women free themselves from food struggles, I believe it’s time to get real about this trendy eating plan.

The Keto Diet is everywhere, and there’s a good reason for why it sells so well.

It seems like a logical plan. It’s got science behind it. It’s got millions of devoted followers who swear that it’s magic and praise it like gospel. And I admit, it does give pretty impressive immediate results.

But here’s the question: does it work over the long haul?

I’m going to answer that question, along with a few reasons why Keto is not all it’s cracked up to be.

In this post I’ll share what happens after you get that initial burst of weight loss success–and why that success only lasts so long.

Watch the video below and learn why Keto is more wishful thinking than miracle cure — and what to do instead of living off having to live restricted from carbohydrates to get the lasting weight loss you want!

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What is the Keto Diet?

If you’ve never heard of it, the Keto Diet is pretty much a repurposed version of the Atkins Diet.

Long story short, it’s a low-carb diet. Hardly anything new, since low-carb has been with us in one form or another for decades.

Here’s the bottom line with Keto: you’re allowed to eat about 20-50 grams of carbs a day, depending on your activity level. The rest of the allowable foods are pretty much protein and fat based, and high fiber non starchy vegetables (for some people there is even a restriction here).

Now, there is some legit science behind the Keto diet. I’m not denying that. I’m going to cover the theory of it right here.

The theory is that if you stop eating carbohydrates, your body doesn’t have surges of glucose, which decreases surges of insulin rushing in. Insulin is thought of the “storage” hormone. So the theory is, less insulin = less fat storage.

Also, after being in full ketosis, your body starts using fat as its fuel source. Your breath also begins to smell like shit too. Fun fun.

It sounds great in theory (minus the keto smell). In practice, it does produce quick results that are pretty motivating. In the short run, that is.

But what happens after a few weeks or a few months of extreme carb cutting?

From what I see in with the thousands of people (experts in the field included) that I’ve worked closely with, the plan hurts more than it helps. The long-term effects don’t justify the short-term results.

Now, in all fairness, Keto does provide some legitimate health benefits to people with specific medical conditions.

If someone has diabetes or insulin-related issues, for acute issues, a keto diet could be supportive (that is, if it doesn’t lead someone to binge eating on carbs, which nearly always happens).

If someone has a neurological condition like Alzheimer’s, dementia, or seizures, the Keto diet can induce specific and beneficial neurochemicals, too.

Of course, at this point, I have to throw in a disclaimer…

If you have a medical condition, don’t listen to me over your doctor. I am not dispensing medical advice. I’m not telling to either start or stop the Keto diet based on any medical condition that you may or may not have. Just so we’re clear.

And I will say this…

With all of our clients that have tried this and everyone I know who has done it, the Keto diet makes all the promises. But in the long term, it doesn’t deliver.

Here’s a breakdown of what happens when you jump on the Keto bandwagon…

You sign up for that 72-hour keto reboot, challenge, or whatever fancy name it has. You follow the plan, and start cutting carbs like there’s no tomorrow.

Suddenly you feel lighter. Less bloated. The scale says you’ve dropped 5, 10, 15 pounds. You get that mystical feeling that you’ve found a unicorn in a world of useless diets, and you’re as happy as the emoji with the heart-shaped eyes.

But there’s a reason why the weight falls off your body so effortlessly in the beginning. Unfortunately, it’s not exactly magical.

Here’s what happens…

Carbohydrates normally hold water in your body. When you stop eating those carbs, your body releases that water. So most of the rapid weight loss has nothing to do with fat burning. It’s pretty much water loss, and not much else.

Then, reality sets in. Four things happen that pretty much ruin your chances for lasting weight loss success.

Keto Fail #1: Food-focused thoughts trigger cravings (and survival mode). Keto rules out a lot of foods. That means there’s a ton of focus on which foods are allowed and which are not.

It also means that you think more about food, crave the things you can’t have, and eventually fall off the food wagon.

Many people claim that the Keto diet has cured their cravings.

But here’s my question: For how long?

Are you able to fully live your life? Or are you in the kitchen obsessively making concoctions to keep your cravings at bay?

Maybe it knocks out your cravings for a week or a month. But as a lifestyle plan, the sustainability factor is always the biggest question mark.

For nearly everyone who tries Keto, it will trigger the brain into a survival mode that drives you to lose control on food or carbs when you do allow them.

And no, this is not because you are addicted, it’s because you’ve restricted them so long that when you have them the brain says: GIVE ME MORE. Then chemically rewards you for it!

Keto Fail #2: Food becomes your life. Nearly all of the Keto followers I know have one thing in common: food is a huge focus in their lives.

That Keto diet hypnosis takes over. Keto devotees think about food a lot. They talk about food a lot. Food becomes the centerpiece of their conversations, thoughts, and activities.

They have to prep food and recipes to feel satiated. It’s a lot to think about!

Now, I have a lot of interests and passions. There are a million things I’d love to talk about other than which vegetable is the most Keto friendly. Or how many carbs my new protein shake has. Or how I’m back in ketosis again after a food bender weekend.

So, what happens when the cool pinterest keto creations aren’t cutting it anymore?

Are you willing to forever limit your restaurant choices to “allowable” options instead of just having some apps with your friends or fam?

Will you want to keep up the extreme carb-cutting indefinitely?

If that’s a heartfelt YES for you, then Keto might be your jam. But for most of us, that’s a NO.

Be real about how you want to live your life long-term.

And be honest with yourself about what the Keto diet demands–and if you’re willing to live with the rules indefinitely (if they even work, because most of the times they do not forever).

Keto Fail #3: Cutting out essential nutrients for your well-being. Keto requires that you drop food groups that are vital for your well-being. But the more “bad” stuff you cut from your diet, the more likely you’re you’ll inadvertently cut out something good. That’s especially the case with fruits and veggies.

Some are higher in carbs, which automatically puts them on the NO list in Keto world. Cut them out and you’ll reduce your carbohydrates. But you’ll also lose a lot of target phytonutrients that support your health.

When your body is missing something it needs, it triggers cravings in hopes of replacing what it lost. That means more food-focused thoughts, more out-of-control eating, and more potential weight gain rather than weight loss.

Not the point of the diet, right?

Keto Fail #4: The painful withdrawal (and weight gain that happens when you stop). You go for weeks, maybe months capping your carbs at 20-50 grams a day. What happens when you ultimately give up and try to go back to a normal diet?

Your body latches onto the carbs it’s been craving. Your body retains extra water along with all those carbs. You end up feeling bloated, exhausted, and miserable. (Not to mention packing back on the weight you lost…)

For some, the carb consumption gets out of control.

This is especially disappointing if you started Keto to help curb binge eating.

Keto makes a lot of promises, even that it can help you take control with binging. But by the time you realize that it’s an unsustainable long-term plan and you try to come off of it, it’s too late.

You can’t prevent the massive withdrawal symptoms. You’re left feeling physically miserable and even more out of control with food than you started.

Bottom line? The Keto diet and a balanced relationship with food can’t live in the same place at the same time. In the end it’s an ineffective way to stop binge eating.

In summary…

I could list many more nuanced reasons why Keto fails, but I bet you get the idea. It’s a great idea in theory that just can’t go the distance in practice.

In my experience, the Keto diet and all the other low-carb wannabe plans are simply band-aids. They’re a short-term fix that can turn into a long-term fail.

Here at Beating Binge Eating, though, we’re all about long-term sustainability and freedom with your food.

Genuine, lasting freedom with your body and your food requires more than a band-aid. If this is what you want over the long haul, Keto is not the answer.

Now, if you’re convinced that the latest low-carb diet feels like freedom to you, I’m not going to tell you that you’re wrong.

But think of it this way. If you’re living under strict food rules and restrictions, does that feel actually feel like freedom?

If you beat yourself all day because you can’t stick to a diet: that’s not freedom.

If your diet makes you think about food so much that you ultimately snap and go on a gorge-fest: that’s not freedom.

Not the way we define freedom, anyway!

There is a pathway to food freedom that has nothing to do with cutting carbs, keeping food journals, or forever obsessing over your next meal.

Click the link below and receive my FREE training! It’s a step-by-step system to help you let go of restrictions, reconnect with yourself, and get to the magical place that we call Food Freedom Forever.

Have you ever tried the Keto diet? What did you think about what I had to say? Leave me a comment and let me know–what did you like (or NOT like) about my take on low-carb diets.

Can’t wait to hear from you!

4 Nasty Things Appetite Suppressants Do To Your Body (A PSA for Health Care Practitioners and Patients)

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I have to admit, I’m a little nervous to talk about this, but it’s been on my heart.

It’s about a widely used treatment for binge eating, and it comes in those little amber bottles from the pharmacy.

Today I’m sharing an important Public Service Announcement. It’s for healthcare professionals who prescribe appetite suppressants to patients who struggle with binge eating.

It’s also a call-to-action for patients who have tried it all, and worry that chemical intervention (i.e. drugs) is their last best hope.

The problem is that these drugs not only fail patients in the long run, but often leave them worse off than they were before they started.

Now, I’m not a doctor, nor do I claim to be one (on the internet or otherwise). As always, consult with your physician before deciding to take or not take medicine.

I’m sharing this because I’ve seen what happens when patients leave the doctor’s office and start taking these drugs in real life. No matter how well-intentioned these medications are, the results can be disastrous.

This is why I feel the need to share what I’ve witnessed, the real-world consequences of relying on pills to break free from binging.

I’m speaking not only as someone who has helped 1000s of others break out of the struggle. I’m also a former patient who fell prey to the nasty side effects of these drugs.

So to all of my well-meaning healthcare professionals and the patients who are on the brink of last-ditch efforts to break free of binging, this is for you…

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Let’s start with a straight-up disclaimer. Not just in the name of “CYA,” (ahem!) but also in the name of my personal truth.

I’ve helped a lot of people. I’ve helped myself. I’m here to share my experience and my opinion. Take that for what it’s worth.

I don’t claim to know your situation. So before you make any changes to your healthcare, talk to your provider. Don’t quit your meds because I’m sharing my experiences and what I’ve seen–talk to your healthcare practitioner first.

If you’re a practitioner who prescribes these drugs in good faith, I know you mean well. I also get that you don’t usually see firsthand the aftermath of the chats you have with patients.

That’s why I’m sharing my behind-the-scenes insight. I want to help everyone make more informed decisions from here on out.

Cool?

OK. Let’s go all-in, and let’s start with appetite suppressants.

I started taking phentermine (medical appetite suppressant) when I was 19 years old.

Honestly, it made me feel like I was jacked up on a legal form of speed. Sure, it knocked out my appetite. But like any amphetamine-like drug, the crash always followed the high.

Not only did I feel those nasty hangover effects, but I was also ravenous for not having eaten all day. You can guess what that triggered me to do next…

Binge.

In addition to phentermine, there’s a laundry list of drugs that aren’t even intended for binge eating, things like antidepressants and anti-seizure drugs, that affect the brain a certain way and can (not always) suppress appetite and cravings.

Most patients who get them have neither seizures nor are they necessarily depressed.

But apparently, these drugs have enough of an appetite suppressant side effect that they’re being used for a whole new purpose.

Now, here’s the real question–do these stimulants, antidepressants, and seizure drugs honestly stop binge eating?

From what I’ve seen, these drugs are a band-aid at best. At worst, the repercussions associated with these meds throw the risk-benefit ratio way off center.

Let’s talk about the unintended consequences of binge-eating drugs.

Issue #1: False Hope.  If you’ve been waking up each morning, afraid to face another day of deep suffering due to uncontrolled binging, these drugs might feel like the answer to your prayers.

I’ve been there. I get it.

You have a quick fix option available in the form of a pill, and your hope is back. Then you actually start taking it, and your hope starts soaring.

Many of these pills give you an instant burst of energy and mental clarity. For a moment, you feel not only energized, but also free from all-consuming food thoughts.

Sounds like the dream, right?

So you eat less food. You think the drug is working. But sooner or later, the buzz wears off.

Only then do you realize that your brain and body went into a starvation state without your knowledge.

You’re left feeling ravenous. You’ve got monstrous cravings. Not to mention a nasty crash from a short-lived buzz. That miracle cure you were so excited about has let you down, and let you down hard.

These drugs bypass the true causes of binge eating with a pill of false hope. But the backlash doesn’t stop there…

Issue #2: The Physical Effects. Binge eating is a battle, which creates perpetual stress in your system. Add in a stimulant drug or mind altering drug and it’s like pouring gas over the flames.

Binge eating ravages your endocrine system, your adrenal system, and your digestive system. These drugs then turn up the stress on your system by a factor of a thousand and make things even worse.

In the end, binging plus these drugs perpetuate the struggle that the drug was intended to relieve.

Issue #3: The Emotional Effects. Nobody likes to feel negative emotions. But the more you struggle against what you feel, the more those feelings will push back. Most of the time, it’s better to simply be with your emotions, and let them pass.

But not many of us make this a regular practice. Most of us choose to resist when things like stress and anxiety show up. The harder you fight to push down your feelings, though, the worse they get.

This makes you more likely to reach for food to quell the pain.

Now throw in a pill that jacks up your heart rate and stresses your system. What’s the result?

A hot mess of unresolved emotions and physiological overdrive. Not to mention more vulnerability to binging.

Issue #4: The Diminishing Returns. The effects of these drugs are typically short-lived. Believe it or not, those short-lived effects trigger long-term damage.

The longer you take the drugs, the more that your body builds up a tolerance to its effects. That’s when the even more chaos ensues.

The dose that you started with stops working. The inevitable crash comes. You’re left feeling stressed, irritable, and moody–and likely triggered into overeating to quell all of these heightened emotions.

It leaves you at a crossroads. Do you increase the dose on the drug that is causing these symptoms (but sort of works), or do you quit the drug altogether–and risk severe withdrawal reactions?

Turns out that there’s more to stopping binge eating than putting a temporary neurotransmitter block or a hit of speed in your system.

Now, these are the main reasons why appetite suppressants lead to epic fails. But there’s one more underlying factor that ties these issues all together…

These drugs are intended to stop you from eating. By their nature, they’re all about restriction. If you’ve been with me for a while, you probably know what I’m going to say next…

Restricting your food by any means only leads to more binging. These drugs not only force you to restrict your food, but they also bring vicious side effects into the mix.

They leave you starved for nourishment, irritable, and exhausted. They give you false hope and make you feel like a failure. All of this affects how you show up for yourself, your family, and everyone in your life.

Not worth it, in my opinion, for something that might curb a craving for a week or two!

Now, if you’re a practitioner who works with binge eating patients, I want you to know that I mean no disrespect. I know that you went into medicine to help people, and you believe that what you’re doing right by your patients.

But you might not know what happens long term once a patient gets home and actually starts taking the drugs that the treatment protocols advise.

You definitely won’t hear about it from a drug representative attempting to convince you to prescribe their latest miracle medication.

Know that we at Beating Binge Eating want to support you, and that’s why I’m sharing this message! I encourage you to connect with us and let us help you help your patients.

Now, if you’re a patient who is at the end of her rope with binge eating, and you believe that drugs are your last best hope, I urge you to take a second look.

Look beyond the conventional methods. Then have an informed conversation with your health care professional before you take this kind of leap.

You deserve better than short-term results with long-term side effects. In my experience, this is all that appetite suppressants can ever provide.

If you’re ready to explore other alternatives, I’ve got a special gift for you!

It’s a free training that will show you the loving and supportive way to make peace with food, love your body, and never have the urge to binge again.

Grab that training right here, and it’ll be in your inbox in seconds!

Do Binge Eating Experts Lie? 4 Tall Tales That Diet Gurus Tell (And When NOT To Take Their Advice)

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Every diet guru claims that they have the fix for weight gain and binge eating. If you’re anything like me, at some point, you’ve tried them ALL.

I mean listening to every trick that every expert and Instagram model is selling. Praying that the next thing you try will pull you out of the binge eating, food-body funk for good.

Then reality hits. The supposed magic binge eating cure-all fails you big-time.

You’re still giving in to binging. Even worse, you can now officially add one more supposed magical cure to your fail list.

You still feel out of control with your body and your food, and you’ve lost the battle with binge eating. Again.

Why do these so-called experts tout their strategies as gospel, when they nearly always fail–and even leave you worse off than when you started?

Some experts are well-intentioned but misinformed. Others mean well but lack real-world experience.

But some of them just use sneaky marketing tactics to lure you toward their fear-based solutions.

Regardless of anybody’s intentions, misinformation still leads to misery. The “experts” tell a lot of lies about how to break free of binge eating, whether they know it or not or not.

That’s why I’m exposing the 4 biggest lies that the experts tell every day–and how to NOT let them trick you into yet another diet disaster.

Don’t be fooled by diet gurus and their campaign promises. By the time we’re done, you’ll be able to spot a diet myth a mile away–and save yourself the pain and frustration of failure.

Grab your truth-colored glasses and let’s debunk some diet and binge myths that the experts STILL claim are true!

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Lie #1: Dieting. This is might be obvious, but it’s worth repeating. Diets lead to disasters. Still, they’re usually the first bill of goods that the gurus sell.

Why do we people still fall for the biggest myth of all?

First, diets seem logical. Burn more calories than you consume. Easy peasy, right? But diets fail to account for all of the complexities of the body, the brain, and the emotions–and with disastrous consequences.

Second, diets often produce encouraging short-term results. But that’s where the bait-and-switch effect begins. Truth be told, those results rarely last.

Bottom line, diets are based on restriction. In the long run, food restriction leads to eating rebellion. That is, the more you forbid any food, the worse the rebound binge will be.

But what if you have a legit health condition and certain foods genuinely are off the menu?

I’ve been there, too.

Back in the day, I battled adrenal fatigue, hyperthyroidism, kidney issues, leaky gut, food intolerances–you name it. My body was in constant turmoil.

All the professionals in my life told me that if I wanted to heal my body, I had to take a long list of foods off the table.

But the food itself wasn’t the problem. I was ravaging my body with binge and emotional eating on the regular.

Turns out that every diet I tried triggered me to binge. The more I dieted, the more food rules I enforced, the worse the rebound binges became. And the worse all of my health conditions became.

The diet that was supposed to put me back in control ended up being the thing that took my control away.

So if you hear any expert selling a diet, consider it an immediate red flag.

Lie #2: Healthy Eating Plans (AKA Diets in Disguise). I’m going to straight-up say it. Every eating plan, from Keto to Weight Watchers, is a diet masquerading as “healthy eating.”

Take Whole30, for example. The woman who created this program has a good heart and an admirable mission. Honestly, there are many supportive principles in her plan, which is a great thing.

She advocates eating nutrient-rich, high-vibrational foods.  She’s big on eating to support your gut health. These are all loving and supportive practices.

But strangely enough, the clients we get from the Whole30 camp all tell the same story. When they went all-in with Whole30, were eating healthfully. But they were also constantly obsessing about every bite. Which lead to equally powerful rebound binging.

Restriction in any form, even as a healthy eating plan, always ends the same way. At some point, you snap.

That’s why any kind of eating plan is ultimately a diet in disguise–and will set you back more than it lifts you up.

Lie #3: Therapy. Now, I want to be clear. I’m not knocking therapy. There are well-intentioned therapists out there. There is a time and a place for inner work. If for whatever reason it feels like the right option for you, seek out therapy.

What I will say, though, is that many clients come to us because therapy didn’t come through for them. Some of them leave treatment centers feeling more lost and stuck than ever.

What’s is behind these epic therapy fails? We’ve discovered two main triggers.

First, traditional binge eating therapy relies on the ultimate binge eating trigger–restrictive eating protocol. It means that you’re attempting to solve the problem with the very thing that causes it.

Whether therapists know that they’re using a “fire with fire” approach or not, restrictive eating protocols nearly always backfire.

Second, traditional binge eating therapy stems from the idea that binge eating is only due to past traumas and emotional distress.

Now, I’m not saying that emotions play no role. They do.

For example, many of us bury residual traumatic feelings with food. Others who feel out of control in their lives often seek control with excessive eating. It’s definitely a thing.

I’m not saying that emotions don’t play a part. What I am saying is that they don’t have to be completely healed before you have a chance at freedom. You don’t have to uncover each and every emotional trauma in order to be free.

You see, patterns in your brain and body often trigger those heightened emotions in the first place. That means that breaking brain and body patterns are just as important as healing your emotions.

So emotions do matter. Just remember that perfect emotional healing is not a prerequisite to freedom from binging!

Lie #4: Food Addiction. I get that there are well-intended organizations that strive to help people heal from binging. But what if that organization tells you that you’re addicted to food, and you’ll never be free?

Overeaters Anonymous is one of them. They tell people that they’ll always struggle with binging, that they’re addicted to food, and food abstention is the only answer.

With all due respect to this organization, telling people that they’re food addicts is neither fair nor accurate. And treating that “addiction” with a restrictive diet is a recipe for disaster.

You see, “food addiction” doesn’t mean that you merely overeat. It implies that you have a disease, some sort of monster inside that needs to be controlled.

The subtext is also that you’ll never be free, that you’ll always be an addict, and the only answer is to control the inner binging beast.

This, my friend, is NOT the case.

This approach takes your personal power, convinces you that you’ll always be stuck, and ends up causing more binging than it cures.

The truth is that the urge to binge isn’t because of any inner demons. It’s merely your body’s response when it thinks that food is scarce. It’s actually your body’s weird way of saving you from starvation. It does not indicate an “addiction to food.”

These are the top four lies that the experts tell. Now, what do they all have in common?

They all seem logical. Sometimes they even work for a while. But eventually, you find yourself back at square one. Or worse.

They all are based on restriction and shame, in one way or another. They pit you against your brain and your body and set you up for eventual failure.

Be wary of any binge eating control tips that are about rules, restrictions, or diets. If it shames you in any way, if it makes you feel less than or like damaged goods, it’s NOT the answer.

Here’s the TRUTH. You’re not flawed. That thing that makes you binge is not a monster inside you, and it’s no reflection on you as a person.

The ultimate solution is based on love, support, and nourishment. It’s a path that helps you connect to yourself, honor your needs, and work with your body.

Controlling your urge to binge is a temporary fix, and this is all that most experts can offer you.

But what would it be like if you could naturally, let go of those urges altogether instead of attempting to control them?

That’s where my free training just might change your life!

Click the link below and find out how to drop the urges for good, reconnect with your body, and get on the pathway to what we call Food Freedom Forever.

You don’t have to settle for controlling urges. You can stop those urges once and for all. Let me show you how!

Have you ever heard any of these diets and binge eating lies, and are you ready to trade them in for some tips and tricks that honestly work?

Leave me a comment and share the biggest a-ha you got from this post, and let me know how I can support you in taking the next steps to Food Freedom Forever!

4 Reasons You’re Triggered To Binge (And How To Take Your Power Back)

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Let me let you in on a few truths about binge eating.

It doesn’t happen because you lack willpower. You aren’t lazy or undisciplined. You’re not addicted to food, and you don’t need the “right diet” to stop.

Most of all, it doesn’t happen because you’re somehow unworthy of the body and life you desire.

I’m guessing that you’re a smart and powerful person. You already have more willpower and discipline than you know.  And you deserve to feel free, energized and empowered in your body right NOW.

If all this is true, then, why can’t you seem to kick binge eating to the curb?

The truth is that you can end the struggle with your body and your food, no matter how it seems right now. Promise.

But the best way to end a struggle is to understand its real causes. Once you know why binge eating keeps pushing your buttons, you can end the button-pushing for good. Really!

I’ve got the top four reasons why you can’t stop binging, and what you can start doing TODAY to pacify the binging beast from here on out.

Don’t let binging keep you feeling bloated, guilty, and miserable for one more day.

Watch the video below to learn the top four things that flip on the binge switch, and learn how to permanently set that switch to OFF!

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Number One: Diets. Diets don’t work. This is not news. But I say it this again not only because it’s true, but also because there are experts out there who still tout it as the answer.

But nothing triggers you to binge quite like focusing on everything that you’re not allowed to eat. That’s just what diets are.

Even plans that seem more flexible, like macronutrient counting, are diets in disguise. For example, Whole-30 might seem like a healthy eating plan. But if you look closer, you’ll find a lot of restriction going on in what seems to be a supportive plan.

Bottom line, if you restrict your food, you think about food. Then you crave more food, eat more food–I bet you see where I’m going with this!

Restriction sets you up for failure, no matter how much the experts promise you success. And it’s one of the most significant binge triggers there is.

So whatever eating plan you’re on, let it go. Chances are it’s hurting more than its helping.

Number Two: Same old, same old. A few weeks ago, we talked about the brain science behind binging. The short version is this: your brain likes routine. It puts behaviors on autopilot, mainly to make your life easier.

The problems come in when your everyday behaviors don’t support you.

The more you diet, the more it leads to binging. Then your brain gets used to the behavior you have on “repeat,” and it eventually turns into a habit.

When repeat actions become habits, whether good or bad, they’re tough to break. That’s just how the brain works.

But if your brain has turned binging into a habit, it doesn’t mean you’re weak. There’s nothing wrong with you. It’s just that your brain has created a pattern, which morphed into a habit.

Sure, it might take some time and practice, but with the right steps, binging is a habit that can be broken. I’ve done it myself, and have guided thousands of women to the promised land in that regard, too!

So don’t freak out. Don’t blame yourself. Simply recognize the pattern, and take the steps to let it go. (P.S. I go in depth into this topic on this post! Check it out!)

Number Three: Empowering “Forbidden Foods.” It’s one thing to restrict what you eat. But obsessing over chocolate, pizza, or whatever particular foods kill your “willpower” adds another layer of restriction angst. And it gets ugly pretty fast, trust me…

The more you tell yourself that you can’t have that cake, cookies, or bread, the more alluring those foods become. Pretty soon they have more power over you than anything on a plate ever should.

I won’t deny that a nourishing salad supports your body more than a piece of pizza. But let’s be real–making pizza the enemy gives pizza the power to make you miserable.

You’ll think about it, obsess about it–and when you eventually do break down, you’ll eat your way to pizza oblivion. (Been there, done that myself many times!)

But here’s a radical idea: what if you allowed yourself to have pizza any time you wished?

I’m not talking about eating a whole pizza in one sitting at any time. I mean allowing yourself to include pizza alongside your everyday healthy salad every now and then.

If you demystify the pizza, that pizza won’t own you anymore. You’ll enjoy it when you have it, and without fear of eating a whole pizza in one sitting.

That’s what happens when you let go of the rules, throw out the forbidden food list, and make food choices one moment at a time.

Number Four: Numbing your feelings with food. I don’t address this trigger as often as the others, but it’s no less important. This one is all about those feelings that a lot of us try to push down with food.

Here’s the thing. Most of us just don’t know how to be present in our bodies and feel our feelings. There are several reasons for this, too.

We’ve all had circumstances in our lives that have made us feel unsafe in our bodies, unsafe with our emotions. Many of us have relied on food to help us soothe or escape those emotions (I’m no stranger to this strategy myself.)

More than likely, the results have been mixed at best…

Maybe a bite of a high-carb treat helps quell unpleasant feelings for a short while. But more often than not, it’s a very short while.

After about 10 seconds, the high wears off. Not only are you back where you started, but you also feel drained, ashamed, and guilty for what you did. It’s the 1-2 punch that makes you feel worse than you did at the start. Sometimes it even leads you down the path to even more emotional eating, too.

Turning to food to soothe your feelings is a binge trigger in itself. Add to that your brain’s response to repeated behavior, and this trigger becomes that much more powerful.

But what if you could learn to connect with your body and be present with your emotions rather than trying to stop them with food? Sit with that idea for a moment right now, and see what comes up for you.

Not only would you give those emotions the healing space they need, but also, with practice, you’ll learn to leverage the power of the present moment. That’s a skill that makes enriches every part of your life!

Discovering the emotional roots of using food to soothe pain is an important part of the process. The more you let those negative emotions go, the more space you’ll have in your life for what you do want. And the less your emotions will trigger overeating.

Now, let me say this. Healing every emotional wound is not a prerequisite for food freedom. It’s a process, and you take it one step at a time. But it’s a powerful companion on your journey.

So don’t think that you have to uncover every emotional trigger to move forward at all. But do take some time to peel back the layers as you go forward. It’ll help you bring it all together!

The overall goal is to allow yourself to move through life as an empowered being.  It’s being present in your body instead of stuck in your head, plotting, planning, and obsessing about every bite you take.

This is what happens when you recognize the real root causes of binge eating, and you take the steps to heal them!

That might seem like a challenge after years of dieting, overthinking every bite, and listening to every expert out there. But you can break free from all these binge triggers–and I want to show you how!

I created a special training designed to help you drop conventional diet wisdom, connect to your body, and find what we call Food Freedom Forever.

Stop letting the triggers run your life. Start living your life feeling energized, empowered, and free–my free training will help you take the first step!

Click the link below and get this free training delivered directly to your inbox!

Now, I want to hear from you! Which of these four triggers do you resonate with the most, and what questions do you have about stopping them for good? I’m here for you, so ask away!

Leave me a comment, share your experience, and let me know how I can support you in finding Food Freedom Forever!

Ready to feel in control of food and feel good about your body?

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