The Done Bingeing Podcast

Sometimes feelings suck. Especially when you don't want to feel them. One of the main reasons we have the desire to overeat is that overeating is an effective—though temporary—pain killer of feelings we don't want to feel. The fact that it has the effect of doing what we want it to do—numb painful emotions—even for a short time is what keeps reinforcing its use as an analgesic. Episode 14 drills down even further into emotional eating.

In this episode, we continue the discussion we began in Episode 3 about using self-regard as your key ally to end your binges. Self-regard can help you deal with your unhappiness with your weight, the temptation to diet to lose that weight and control your eating, your urges to binge, the bingeing itself, and weight loss after you stop bingeing.

We have the desire to overeat for three main reasons: 1. because we use food to anesthetize painful emotions, 2. because of how we're conditioned to eat by society, and 3. because of how our dopamine system is hijacked by high-sugar foods.

You can begin to unlearn that desire by understanding how we use food to deaden uncomfortable feelings, how we're conditioned to overeat, and how the neurotransmitter dopamine works. We're going to take these one at a time. Episode 13 tackles how we use food to escape emotions.

In this episode, we continue the discussion we began in Episode 3 about using self-regard as your key ally to end your binges. Self-regard can help you deal with your unhappiness with your weight, the temptation to diet to lose that weight and control your eating, your urges to binge, the bingeing itself, and weight loss after you stop bingeing.

When we focus on losing weight, we're just treating the symptom—the tip of the iceberg, the part of the problem that we can see. We're not addressing what lies below, the bulk of the problem that we can't see. We have to dive beneath the surface to find the underlying causes of being overweight. One of the biggest culprits is the desire to overeat—and that's what Episode 12 is all about!

In this episode, we continue the discussion we began in Episode 3 about using self-regard as your key ally as you end your binges. Self-regard can help you deal with your unhappiness with your weight, the temptation to diet to lose that weight and control your eating, your urges to binge, the bingeing itself, and weight loss after you stop bingeing.

Something happens when we run: everything goes by in a blur. And what can you see in a blur? Not much. Some unidentifiable streaks perhaps. And this is exactly where bingeing thrives. In the blur, in the streaks. In the unwillingness or inability to see, to be aware, and to be conscious. In the unwillingness or inability to stay still. But you can see so much better in the stillness. It isn't as scary as you think. You can be still after the binge. And I can help.

Episode 11 continues the conversation we began in Episode 3 about how self-regard should be your key ally as you end your binges. Self-regard can help you deal with your unhappiness with your weight, the temptation to diet to lose that weight and control your eating, your urges to binge, and the bingeing itself. The next episode will cover how self-regard can help you lose weight after you stop bingeing.

Loving the fact that you binge may seem like the most ridiculous thing you've ever heard. But before you unsubscribe, let me ask you this: When you binge, do you think things like, "This is disgusting," "I must be broken to eat like this," "I hate that I can't stop myself," or "No one can find out that I do this"? If so, do these thoughts make you feel ashamed, resigned, sad, powerless, and scared? And if so, does that prime you for yet another binge? Many binge eaters experience this cycle almost to the T. One more question: What's the up-side?

Episode 9 explores why it seems to make sense to hate our bingeing, but how—counter-intuitively—it may actually be better to love it. This episode continues the conversation we began in Episode 3 about how self-regard can be a key ally in helping you end your binges. Episode 4 focused on weight, Episode 5 looked at dieting. Episodes 6 to 8 tackled the urges to binge. The following episodes will cover the aftermath of bingeing and weight loss after the bingeing has stopped.

Welcoming your next urge to binge may sound off-the-wall, but it can be just what you need to set you free from your bingeing. Being afraid of your urges isn't freedom. It's prison. And you don't need to be afraid of them anyway. Freedom is when you're willing to allow an urge—to open the door to it, welcome it in, and actually look forward to its next visit. When you can stay neutral about your urges in just this way, you weaken the old, outdated neural connection anchoring your bingeing. So, in a way, your urges are actually just what you need to heal. If you're scratching your head, or if this sounds impossible, listen to the episode to find out why it may be easier than you think! Episode 8 continues the conversation we began in Episode 3 about how self-regard will get you a whole lot closer to ending your binges than shame will. Episode 4 focused on weight, Episode 5 looked at dieting. Episodes 6 and 7 began exploring the urges to binge. The following episodes will cover the bingeing itself, the aftermath of bingeing, and weight loss after the bingeing has stopped.

The last thing you want to do is hang around with the urge to binge, right? There's no doubt that your urge is super-compelling. But there's also no doubt that your prefrontal cortex is super-powerful. Armed with the brain science we covered in the last episode, you can learn how to defuse the urge to binge by witnessing it. And nothing defuses your urges like compassionate curiosity—you've got it, a form of self-regard!

Episode 7 teaches you how to track what's happening for you during an urge and how to disengage from any drama with the technique called the "Behind-the-Scenes Movie Trick." You'll learn that you don't have to binge to make the urge go away. You'll also learn that you have two powerful allies with you on your journey to end binge eating. Listen in to find out more.

This episode continues the conversation we began in Episode 3 about how self-regard will get you a whole lot closer to ending your binges. Episode 4 focused on weight, Episode 5 looked at dieting. Episode 6 began to tackle the urges to binge. The following weeks will continue to discuss the urge to binge and will also cover the bingeing itself, the aftermath of bingeing, and weight loss after the bingeing has stopped.