It’s happened. You had a binge. You weren’t planning on it and it caught you off guard. And now, you’re sitting there, wondering if you’ve ruined intuitive eating. And before you know it, you’re Googling “how to detox after a binge” and looking at your pantry, considering whether or not you should just toss everything out and start fresh on Monday.

Sound familiar?

You’re not alone. Here’s the deal: the impulse to fix it, make up for it, or get back on track is diet culture in disguise, trying to sneak back in and punish you for that binge. 

Let’s explore why bingeing might still be happening even if you’re not actively restricting, and how to reconnect with your body and move forward after a binge without guilt, punishment, or starting over. 

Why Binge Eating Happens in the First Place 

If you’ve been working on intuitive eating and you end up in a binge, it’s easy to think, “What the heck? I thought I was past this,” right? So let’s get this out of the way first: bingeing is not just about willpower or “losing control.” It’s not random, or a sign that intuitive eating “isn’t working.” 

It’s a huge clue that something deeper is going on beneath the surface, like: 

• Maybe you’re not dieting anymore, but you’re thinking like a dieter
• Maybe you’re technically letting yourself eat all foods, but you’re still judging them in your head 
• Maybe your body’s been running on fumes all day and by 9 pm, it screams loudly enough to override all your intentions. 

Listen, this is the part that no one talks about when they say just listen to your body…because sometimes, your body is trying to speak to you through a binge. Instead of jumping to fix it, slow down and ask… 

• What is this binge trying to tell me? 
• What need isn’t being met? 
• What pattern might still be playing out from diet culture? 

While you’re answering these questions, the temptation is to analyze and critique yourself. Take moral judgment off the table. A binge isn’t proof you’re broken; it’s a protective response from your body or nervous system. You might be trying to cope, soothe, or survive something. bingeing is often a symptom, not the issue. Your body isn’t misbehaving, but reacting to something…and that “something” is often subtle and complex.

Give yourself space to recognize the root cause instead of punishing yourself for the symptoms. 

Common Triggers that Aren’t Always Obvious 

Most people think bingeing happens because they “lost control”, but here’s the thing: the reason behind the binge may be completely unrelated to food. The triggers aren’t always obvious. For example, the trigger may have been a remnant of diet culture thinking sneaking back into your brain. Let’s dive into a few of the less-obvious triggers:

1. Mental Restriction 

You might be physically allowing all foods, but your brain? It’s still judging them like you’re on a diet. Let’s say you eat a cookie but immediately think, “Ugh, I shouldn’t have eaten that.” Your brain hears the judgement and responds as if restriction is still happening, setting off the binge/rebellion cycle. 

2. Subtle Scarcity Mindset 

Little thoughts like “Oh, I’ll be better tomorrow,” or “I can’t keep doing this” activate the diet part of your brain. Even if you’re not on a formal diet plan, those thoughts you learned in dieting create an urgency to eat it all now, which can drive binge-like behavior. 

3. Emotional Suppression

This is one of the most common triggers, yet often the least obvious. Food serves as the buffer or coping mechanism for emotions you haven’t learned how to sit with yet. Bingeing gives you a temporary sense of relief, distraction, numbing, or even soothing, especially if it feels like you’ve been holding it all together. In this trigger, bingeing can act as a release…but it’s only temporary. After, you feel like crap and the cycle repeats itself. 

The tricky part here is that a lot of the time, the emotions have absolutely nothing to do with food, but with something else in your life. You may be so detached from those emotions that you have no clue what it is. If this feels familiar, it may be time to get curious and connect the dots. 

4. Biological Undereating 

Sometimes binges happen for biological reasons, like undereating, skipping meals, or going long gaps between eating. If you’re not eating enough or getting enough of a certain nutrient, a binge may be your body’s way of getting what it desperately wants and needs. 

5. Perfectionism and All-or-Nothing Thinking 

Have you ever felt like you messed up so you said, “Screw it, I already blew it,” and went back for more? This doesn’t mean you don’t have discipline or willpower. It’s the mental residue of dieting showing up again. 

A Binge Doesn’t Mean You’re Going Backwards

I’ll say it again for the people in the back: a binge does not mean you’re going backwards. It often means you’re at the messy middle with intuitive eating. This is a critical growth stage. It means your untangling years, if not decades, of learned thoughts and behavior. It likely feels complicated, complex, and messy.

The good news is these moments are data about what still needs healing. This is golden information that can guide you forward on your intuitive eating journey. They’re not a sign that you need to start over. 

What Not to Do After a Binge 

If you binged, stop. Don’t open Google. Here’s what to do instead: 

1. Don’t restrict the next day or try to “make up” for it. 
2. Don’t shame yourself, “start over clean” on Monday, or do a detox. 
3. Don’t punish yourself with exercise.
4. Don’t treat intuitive eating like a perfect streak you’ve now broken. There is no wagon. You can’t fall off. 

Intuitive eating is a process and experience of learning to relate to your body differently. It’s not a light switch. You don’t have to be on or off. 

What to Do Instead: A 3-Step Compassionate Framework

What should you do after a binge? Go through my 3-step compassionate framework. 

Step 1: Pause and get curious 

This is the hardest part because your tendency will be to judge yourself. It’s normal to feel shame, frustration, or anger with yourself, but try to focus on uncovering what was going on with yourself before the binge. 

• Think back to your physical and emotional needs. Were any unmet?
• Let your binge be information, not a character flaw. It’s a warning light that something needs attention. What’s it telling you?

Grab my free worksheet that you can use to help understand the reasons you’re bingeing. This part is really important – don’t skip over it. 

The key is to do it with curiosity, not judgment.

Step 2: Reground in Self-Compassion

• Remind yourself: “I don’t have to earn my next meal.” Because you don’t. 
• Offer yourself the same kindness you’d give a friend or a child. (It might sound cheesy, but it works!) It may not feel comfortable at first, but it’s key to creating that new neural pathway in your brain.
• Use a grounding tool, like hand on heart, taking 10 deep breaths, affirmations, or journaling, to help you physically ground in your body.The temptation after a binge is to disconnect from your body because it feels bad, but your brain needs to stay present to objectively recognize that this didn’t feel good. When you stay connected to it, you can remember what feels good and what doesn’t in a non-judgemental way.

Step 3: Reconnect with Your Body

This step allows you to get back (and stay) back in touch with your body in terms of your hunger and fullness.

• Eat your next meal/snack when you’re hungry; don’t skip or delay. It’s okay to wait for the hunger to come back, and when it does, eat something. 
• When you are hungry, ask gentle questions to reconnect with your body, appetite, and satisfaction. 

 “What would feel nourishing right now?”

 “How does my body feel today, and what does it need?”

• If your hunger and fullness cues feel blunted, focus on structure and care instead of perfection. What does your body truly need to feel supported right now?

This framework will allow you to step back, reconnect with your body, and find your footing again without restriction, punishment, or deprivation.

Mindset Reframes and Next Steps 

There are a few mindset reframes that can help after a binge, namely: 

• A binge is not a failure, it’s feedback. Think about it as data to identify where you might need more support on your intuitive eating journey. 
• Diet culture tells you to “fix” the binge. Intuitive eating says, “listen to it.” You don’t need fixing or to punish yourself for a binge. You need to listen and get curious about what it’s telling you.
• Healing is like building a relationship. These moments of disconnection are an opportunity to reconnect, repair, and deepen the trust with your body.

As you move forward, keep the compassionate framework and the mindset reframes in mind to guide you. Get curious, give yourself compassion, and reconnect with your body. Notice what the binge is trying to tell you and be aware of what it is you need in the first place. 

Grab the Breaking the Binge Cycle worksheet to help you break down your triggers for a binge and to understand what it’s trying to tell you so that you can prevent it from happening.

And remember, you are worthy just as you are. 

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Search for Ep. 189 (Transcript): What To Do After a Binge (Without Punishing Yourself or Treating it Like a Diet)

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