Binge eating is not something we choose. This form of disordered eating is usually triggered by restrictive diets, body image disorders, and a gluttonous spirit that’s linked to past trauma(s). Plus, food is comforting.
What is Binge Eating and Why do I Binge Eat?
The definition of binge eating disorder is simple, but why we binge eat is not. Binge eating has been defined as weekly episodes of extreme overfeeding where we lose control of our free will to say NO.
Binge eating disorder can be detrimental to our mental, physical, and spiritual wellbeing. Symptoms for binge eating disorder includes obsessing over certain foods that would “trigger” another episode.
People who are binge eating on a diet often regain the lost weight (yo-yo dieting), and some even start to purge, and this can lead to bulimia nervosa and anorexia if no intervention plan is provided.
People who have never experienced this loss of control, a clear symptom of binge eating, will never understand what binge eating is like. It’s like you’ve been possessed by it. It’s like a drug addiction.
Are you lonely at night? Do you find yourself hiding food? The all of nothing mentality?
The Cause for Binge Eating Disorder is Common
Binge eating is usually observed in the female population (age 14+). Most young woman are pressured to look a certain way for social acceptance, love, and promotions in the workplace.
Body image disorders often trigger eating disorders and men aren’t immune from binge eating disorder either. For many years I shamefully struggled in darkness with a binge eating disorder.
The fear of relapse kept me from social gatherings as junk food and booze triggered my gluttony. There was a hole in my soul that could not be filled. This emptiness opened a door for depression.
Binge eating disorder is a psychological thing. I’ll even go as far as to say it’s a deep spiritual thing. Gluttony is a sin, it’s part of the 7 deadly sins. So perhaps there’s more to it than restrictive dieting?
Gluttonous Leaders in the Bible
“Son of man, prophesy against the leaders of my people. Tell them this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Woe to the shepherds who only feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed their flock?’
‘You eat the fat, wear the wool, desire to sit in the best seats, and you butcher the fattened sheep. But you do not strengthen the weak, feed/clothe the poor, healed the sick, or searched for the lost.’
– Woe to you gluttonous leaders.
Jesus said we must “be transformed by the renewal of the mind.” God says, “I will give you a new heart, and remove the heart of stone”. The condition of your heart also conditions your thinking.
We have to condition your thinking to overcome binge eating. Throughout the Holy Bible we read about times of plenty, and times of famine, times of blessing, and times of war. Seasons of testing.
The beauty of God’s Design is the complexity that comes with the organized chaos of mother nature. Without chaos, we cannot create order. Without some darkness, there’s no purpose for God’s Light.
Overcome Binge: Eating with Christ
My solution might sound religious as it’s metaphysical in nature, but truly it’s the narrow gateway to healing. Wounded souls reach for comfort and love, and if you or anyone you know are struggling with this, then it’s time to direct them to find healing. It’s time to overcome binge eating for good by dining with Christ.
We have to condition your thinking to overcome binge eating. Throughout the Holy Bible we read about times of plenty, and times of famine, times of blessing, and times of war. The beauty of God’s Masterpiece is the complexity science that’s associated with organized chaos. Without chaos, we cannot create order.
“Without darkness, there is no need for Light. No Need for God.” – Jan.
My journey to overcome binge eating sounds counter intuitive as I ate more. But it’s easy to see why a 1000 calorie diet will trigger binge eating episodes. You can’t expect to eat less than your resting metabolic rate + daily cardio; you’re starving the body. Physically speaking you need a healthy diet.
But changing your diet is not as easy as it sounds if you’ve developed certain fears of weight gain, triggers for binge eating, and the mind that’s obsessed with food and feeling good. That’s why your own metamorphosis will start before anyone can see it, and you will likely binge eat again (stumble). But if you get back up and try again, you will get stronger.
We crawl, we fall, we walk, we fall, we run, and we fall, and that’s just how we grow. If you challenge the norm, and if you go against the flow, then you will progressively get stronger. However, without challenges, we cannot grow.
The true key to overcoming binge eating starts within your heart. You must believe that God (Rapha – Healer) exists, which means there is a possibility for you to be healed (hope). This will give you faith to know that you have been called here to read this, and your journey back to God’s heart is about to begin. Let Him renew and prosper your soul to thrive again.
“Once I was blind, but now I see.”
Bodybuilding Refeed: Carb Refeeding Tips
“Lonely people eat more.”
I lost it when a girl I liked told me she’s not interested because I was too skinny, and I was… But it still angered me as I’ve spent 8 years fighting the fat boy in me, and still I wasn’t good enough to be loved. So I did what any logical man would, and I took a deep dive into natural bodybuilding preparation.
The 1200 calorie diet I was on, it wasn’t going to help me gain size, so I changed it to 2400 calories per day. I also added a protein shake to increase my lean protein intake for muscle building. I joined a gym and started working with a free program. It felt good to eat more, but I still found myself binge eating on the weekends.
When you do bodybuilding, and you challenge your muscles to grow, they respond by absorbing carbs + water. That’s why your muscles get pumped. The glycogen in the muscle draws H2O and nutrients into the cells as blood is pumped through them by your heart.
This basically means if you pump iron you can eat more as it’s beneficial for muscle growth. So, train hard and eat.
The Natural Bodybuilders who cut for bodybuilding shows need to do carb refeeds often to restore muscle size (fullness), boost anabolic hormones, and trigger a host of other beneficial things in the body, including the stress relief (psychological) we get when we enjoy the sweeter things in life a bit.
Refeeding Advice: Apply Self-Control
Refeeding is not a cheat day, nor is it binge eating, but it can be if you are still in the 1st transitioning phase. We all have to get stronger (Joshua 1:9) in spirit, mind, and body. We must go through this soul-healing metamorphosis like a butterfly.
Humans are weak. That’s why we need God to strengthen us as His Spirit leads us to be One with Christ. Refeeding is a controlled overfeeding where you will be challenged to work hard and eat healthy. One day of the week, perhaps even two, you will purposefully overeat (+800 cal).
It’s okay to get the calories from sugar, but don’t go out for bags of jelly babies. You don’t need that, but if a social event presents you with something sweet, go ahead and enjoy it without feeling guilty. Those muscles you’ve been working so hard will absorb excess sugars (+ water) and your next workout will be pumped!
Refeeding: Treatment for Binge Eating Disorder
My strategy works by teaching people how to let go of the guilt, shame, and condemnation that’s associated with binge eating. When you do this and you follow the MBS-Strategy with a tenaciously fervent Spirit, then you will break free from the hold of the flesh. The enemy of your Spirit is the human part of you.
“The Flesh is Enmity against God.”
This is why God says we must die to be born again, not of flesh, but of the Holy Spirit. Understanding this parable can be tricky as we are all unique free thinking individuals. Let me share what I believe.
The mother who works 3 jobs to give her child a different life, she is walking with Christ. Jesus came do demonstrate that kind of love when He died to open our eyes to the identity of God. She dies, and yet she lives. The love in her child’s eyes gives meaning to her suffering. You are God’s child, and He deeply loves you. Allow Him to strengthen your soul.
Jesus Christ died for you! He wants you to be healthy and set free, and while people might not understand it, He is the Alpha and Omega who came to “wipe away every tear”. He is the answer to all our questions. He is the One who came to heal your pain and then open your eyes to see the beauty of life and thrive again.
I’d like to believe God appointed me to build Bodybuilding for Christ, to magnify His Name and direct people to the Cross. Be baptized and the Holy Spirit will help you through the wilderness back into the promised land. Each and every one of us have been given various gifts, beautiful personalities, unique fingerprints, and we’ve been assigned to fulfill an intricate role of the Body of Christ (God’s Temple).
“Bleed for the people you love”.
IN CONCLUSION
Let’s put all of this back into context. The MBS-Strategy to overcome binge eating will only work if you apply the right strength training principals as they will all set a solid foundation for growth. I know that not all ladies are interested in building muscle, and I’m not asking you to do bicep curls. But I am asking you to challenge yourself to get stronger. Strong is the new skinny.
Gaining strength, increasing metabolic rate, and being free to refeed (overeat) guilt free will give you the psychological relief to no longer fear food, or weight gain. Dieting is really about fasting and feasting. How can you truly appreciate anything if you have never gone without. Purposefully go without, and you’ll see.
Dieting: I was dying, now I’m eating.
View binge eating as an uncontrolled refeed from now on. As you train your body, mind, and spirit with the MBS-Strategy you will see order setting in, and this will organize the chaos in your heart and mind. This is when you will notice the big changes in your life.
This is how you overcome binge eating for good: By the embodiment of the 9 fruits of the Holy Spirit, which includes self-control, love, peace, joy, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, and the willingness to bleed with purpose.
I hope this blog inspired you to take the first step towards healing. All of us desire comfort and love, and the love we find in this world will always be conditional, and therefore we have God, All Sufficient El-Shaddai. God’s Word states that YHVH wants us to ask, for even an evil father knows how to give good gifts to his kin. Jesus Christ wants to remind us of His goodness towards us. We are all His beloved, and He is eternally ours.
“We are all here to serve with a purpose.“
My 5 Bible Verses For Healing and Strength
As it is written, “If evil men know how to give good gifts to their children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask.” – Matthew 7:11
As it is written, “The mind of the flesh is hostility toward God; for it is not subject to the Law of God, neither can it be.” – Romans 8:7
As it is written, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.” – Ezekiel 36:26
Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again. Born of water and Spirit.” – John 3:3
As it is written, “Now the earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.” – Genesis 1:2
Pray before you train. Once you have established a solid foundation, and you no longer crave junk food, then you can cut the unwanted fat and reveal the abs. If you feel like quitting, just ask yourself:
What else am I going to do?
– Coach Jan
If you need help getting back in shape, or if you need to lose lots of weight, reach out to me and join the mission.
Bodybuilding for Christ
Your Health, God’s Way