Shrinking is not the solution if you are overeating.

by Ana | October 5, 2025 | Healthy Eating, Psychology | Comments are off for this post.

If someone struggles with binge eating, the instinct might be to try to “shrink” themselves through extreme dieting, restriction, or over-exercising. But those approaches actually make binge eating worse, because restriction often triggers more intense cravings, shame, and loss of control around food.

The real path to healing binge eating is about:

Addressing the root causes (emotional, psychological, or even biological factors).
Learning to regulate eating patterns without harsh restriction.
Improving your relationship with food so it feels neutral rather than something to fight.
Getting support (like therapy, support groups, or evidence-based programs for binge eating).

Shrinking your body doesn’t heal the disorder — healing the disorder may, over time, help your body settle into its natural weight. a breakdown of what happens both physiologically (in your body) and psychologically (in your mind):

? 1. The Restrict–Binge Cycle

When you restrict food — whether by dieting, skipping meals, cutting out entire food groups, or severely limiting calories — your body interprets that as starvation.
Even if you’re doing it intentionally, your body doesn’t know that. It just knows:

“Food is scarce. I need to survive.”

That sets off a cascade of effects that push you toward eating, not away from it.

?? 2. Physiological Effects

Hunger hormones increase — Ghrelin (the “hunger hormone”) spikes, making you think about food constantly.
Satiety hormones decrease — Leptin (the “fullness hormone”) drops, so it takes more food to feel satisfied.
Metabolism slows down — Your body tries to conserve energy since it thinks there’s a famine.
Cravings intensify — Your brain especially fixates on calorie-dense foods like sweets, carbs, and fats because those are efficient sources of energy.

So when you finally eat after restricting, your body overrides willpower — you’re biologically driven to eat a lot, fast.

? 3. Psychological Effects

Deprivation mindset: Telling yourself certain foods are “bad” makes them more tempting — you want what you “can’t have.”
Rebellion: When you finally break a restrictive rule, you might think, “I’ve already messed up, so I might as well keep eating.”
Shame and guilt: After a binge, people often feel disgusted or guilty, which can lead to renewed restriction — restarting the cycle.

?? 4. Breaking the Cycle

Recovery focuses on nourishing yourself consistently instead of restricting. That might mean:

Eating regular, balanced meals (even when you don’t “feel you deserve it”).
Giving yourself unconditional permission to eat all foods — over time, the intense pull toward certain foods fades.
Learning emotional regulation skills so food isn’t your main coping mechanism.
Getting professional support (like a therapist specializing in eating disorders or intuitive eating).