There really are only four reasons anyone has trouble eating normally.

1. Physical Restriction (Controlling and limiting what you put in your mouth)
2. Mental Restriction (“I shouldn’t eat like this”)
3. Poor Body Image (“I should change”)
4. Not wanting to feel emotions.

I normally focus on 1-3. And it is actually VERY simple.

Your physical restriction is affecting your relationship to food. It makes your body wired to seek food. It makes your mind wired to seek food. It slows down your metabolism. It sabotages all efforts at normalcy with food.

Your guilt over eating, even when you are “allowing it” will continue to get in your way. It feels like there’s an impending diet, and BOOM. Binge.

Your body image that’s been ingrained over time is largely the cause for the first two anyway. When we think our bodies are wrong or ‘our fault’, we subconsciously think we should control our food – then – backlash. The cycle worsens.

But #4 is one I don’t talk about as much. It’s where fear of feeling your emotions can cause people to “eat to numb.”

Just like alcohol, a little bit of emotional eating is a non issue. It’s actually fully normal, healthy, and comforting. It’s only when you are SO out of touch with emotions that you need to constantly numb that emotional eating is a problem.

And even then, emotional eating is NOT bingeing, but often becomes bingeing when people feel guilt (#2) over their emotional eating. They’re eating and they tell themselves “tomorrow, no more!” and it becomes a binge.

So what is my advice to you?

1. Do not restrict
2. Become aware of all guilt and limiting beliefs in the way
3. Get right with your body. Learn about Health at Every Size. Follow body positive accounts
4. Commit to feeling your emotions, but DO NOT restrict food. Eat AND feel.

And boom, you are now a Fuckiteer.