I Couldn't Stop Binge Eating

Then I Fixed This One Simple Thing

Like most “healthy” decisions I’ve made in the past, this one started with a familiar goal:

I wanted to be thinner.

I was a carb fiend. Give me chips, pasta, pizza, or rice, over meat and veg any day. I’d eat huge portions of these with a small mound of meat on top for protein.

I gave up alcohol. Partly because it didn’t fit my active lifestyle, but also because (yep, you’ve guessed it) I wanted to lose weight.

Buoyed by this success, I decided to stack another habit and ditched meat.

I didn’t like it much anyway. This was a fantastic way to cut calories and lose weight.

Veganuary was the answer. Vegans don’t eat much, I thought. A month of veganism is sure to slim me.

Don’t get me wrong, the ethical side effects were great too. I felt like I was doing something selfless. When the month was up, I didn’t go back to eating meat, but gradually dairy crept back in (I had missed chocolate the most).

I had no desire to eat meat. Although I grew up eating meat, it was typically only things like chicken, turkey, minced beef, and burgers. I didn’t enjoy steak, lamb, pork or anything meatier than birds and minced cow.

I shed some pounds. Vegetarianism worked well for me…until it didn’t.

The Start of a Slippery Slope

I stopped drinking at the end of 2019.

I stopped eating meat at the start of 2020.

I stopped going out in 2020/2021.

Didn’t we all? Thank you, Covid.

My hormones went haywire thanks to a poorly fitted contraceptive implant and all that came after that.

I blamed hormones for everything for a while, and they could’ve been a contributing factor, but so too was my behaviour around certain foods.

I started binge eating.

At first it was occasional, then it became routine. Automatic.

For years, I was pushed and pulled by binge and restriction. Most evenings followed this pattern:

• Dinner

• Zombie snacking

• Lose control and zombie snack some more

• Snack, snack, snack til I could snack no more

It was a confusing, chaotic time.

I’d melt Nutella and mix in broken biscuits or cereal, eat large bowls of ice cream smothered in chocolate or syrup, or crunch on crisps, toast, chocolate biscuits, chocolate bars, and so on.

The strangest part was I didn’t feel hungry, but I lost complete focus and control. I went into a trance.

I felt that something was wrong with me and I didn’t know what or why.

I felt greedy and disgusting.

Hormones?

Yes, that must be the answer.

The Missing Piece

I was vegetarian for five years. It never occurred to me to start eating meat again. Perhaps I was stubborn or maybe it felt like giving up.

It took me a long time to realise what was missing, but now it feels obvious.

I wasn’t eating enough protein.

People think protein is only necessary for building muscle, but that’s not true. Protein is the most important macronutrient for appetite regulation. It increases satiety more than carbohydrates or fats, partly by influencing hormones like GLP-1 which signal fullness.

When protein is low, meals may be high in calories and still not feel like they’re enough.

That summed up my entire diet.

I was eating a lot, but rarely felt satisfied so my body kept demanding more.

It’s easy to call it lack of discipline, but it makes sense physiologically that low protein intake equals less satiety, a high intake of refined carbs invites unstable energy, and the result is strong, persistent cravings. With the addition of habit and emotion, it’s a recipe for binge eating.

The crash triggers cravings for quick, sugary foods, which is exactly what I was reaching for at night and perpetuating a vicious cycle.

What changed?

Everything clicked into place. I don’t know why, it just did. The time was just right.

I returned to eating meat, eggs, and dairy to prioritise protein. It wasn’t a perfect diet, I wasn’t obsessed with packing protein in, but I began to feel satisfied after meals again, and as a result, the binge eating stopped.

To be clear this isn’t an attack on vegetarianism.

Plenty of people eat plant-based diets and feel amazing, but they’re intentional about it. They build meals around protein sources such as lentils, tofu, beans, dairy, and eggs and make sure they’re getting enough.

I wasn’t doing that.

I was eating like a carboholic who had simply removed meat.

I can’t say for certain that being vegetarian caused my binge eating. Undoubtedly, there were other factors and lifestyle changes at play, such as giving up alcohol. I didn’t fully understand my habits at the time.

But I got what I wanted.

The binges are gone. If you feel like you’re constantly fighting your appetite, like you’re doing everything right but still frequenting the kitchen at night, it might be worth taking a few steps back.

Ask yourself:

Are your meals really satisfying you?

For years, I thought I needed better control, more willpower. But it wasn’t as deep as that. I just needed more nourishment. Better nourishment.

Once I gave my body what it was asking for, the fight stopped.

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This experience prompted me to go on a quest, a mission, to learn more, to help myself and to help others who are stuck just as I was. If you’re in a rut, you don’t have to stay there. Better days are ahead.

Need some support along the way?

Reach out.

I’m a nutrition and mindset coach with 8+ years of running experience, 2+ years of strength training experience, and a background as a Run Leader and Female Captain of a hill running club.

Information is cheap. Years of training and coaching taught me that what most people really need is support, accountability, and a plan that works around their life.

Let’s work together.

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