Can Dieting Lead to Binge Eating?

I remember a time where I was afraid of having cookies in the house because I didn’t trust myself around them and I knew I would just eat a whole package in one sitting. The root of the problem was that I wasn’t eating enough during the day. This was leading to binging. 

Dieting and restricting calories can cut the communication between your brain and your body and can lead to mindless eating and binging. Binging happens because you’ve been restricting your intake all day long, and you’re now so starved and cannot control how much you’re eating. It can also happen because, with dieting, you’ve learned to shut down your hunger and fullness cues, which is usually how your body communicates with you to tell you if you’ve had enough food or not.

#nodietday is coming up May 6th and although I am all for a “no diet” mentality EVERYDAY I will be talking about this in the next few days. 

Here are just some of the impacts of dieting on health AND sport performance: 

• It can cause nutrient deficiencies (Calcium, Iron, Zinc, B vitamins...)

• It can trigger an eating disorder 

• It can cause constant fatigue which will impact your strength, power, and endurance 

• It can have a negative impact on sport recovery leading to injury 

• It can weaken your immune system 

• It can lead to a “rebound” weight gain meaning going back to the weight you started at and sometimes higher.

If you’re stuck restricting calories and foods you love, and experiencing any of the effects above, it may be time to rethink your approach towards food and nutrition. If you’re feeling stuck with your current eating habits, reach out! We can figure this out together, or I can help you find someone who can help, if I am not the right fit.