What After a Binge Feels Like

If you’re someone who’s experienced binge eating, you know just how crummy it feels after a binge. You’ve eaten much more than feels comfortable to your physical body. Your mind seems like it’s turned against you by making you feel even more guilt and shame. And you feel just overall defeated that this happened again. But you’re left wondering what to do after binge eating. 

How do I know all this? Hi! I’m Jenn, a former binge eater turned Food Freedom Registered Dietitian & Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor. I used to think I’d never be able to stop binge eating. But now I help folks just like you overcome their struggles with food. So that you can live the life you’re meant to, without food stress. 

So, let’s dive into what to do after binge eating so that you can support yourself through this time. (Hint: save or Pin this blog post for later so you can come back here and refer to it whenever you might need it.)

What to do After Binge Eating

Before we dive into each one of these things to do in-depth, I want to give you an overview. All of the things below will help you to give yourself grace, feel better, and ultimately move toward overcoming binge eating once and for all. 

What to do after binge eating overview:

• Be gentle to yourself – instead of focusing on the guilt & shame, give yourself grace & lots of self-compassion
• Get comfy – you’re likely feeling uncomfortable, so let’s get comfy in whatever way you can! 
• Regulate your nervous system – binge eating likely puts you into an unregulated state, so let’s re-regulate that nervous system
• Ditch the scale – because “body checking” after a binge isn’t helpful and can just make you spiral into negative thoughts more
• Avoid “making up for” the binge – any form of restriction just fuels the binge-restrict cycle, and is what leads you right back to binge eating again
• Let it go, process later – right after a binge, there’s no need to figure it all out. Just take care of yourself, reflecting can come later!
• Reach out for support – whether it’s to a professional, joining a program like EFF, or confiding in a trusted loved one, know that you don’t have to do this alone. 

Now, let’s dive into each of these in more detail: 

7 Things to Do After a Binge, In More Depth: 

1. Be gentle to yourself 

That harsh inner critic voice comes out to play after a binge. You may know it all too well, the voice that says “You shouldn’t have done that,” “Why can’t you just control yourself,” “I can’t believe you let yourself do that,” or whatever else it may say. 

Let’s face it, these statements are unhelpful and not true. 

That inner critic is trying to use shame & judgment as a motivator to help you stop binge eating. But it’s not a good motivator at all. That shame & judgment doesn’t allow you to move forward, it keeps you stuck. So instead… let’s focus on self-compassion. 

Self-compassion is a practice that really just is how it sounds – treating yourself with kindness & compassion. This is not easy at first since we’re so used to the opposite. But it can really be the anecdote to that harsh inner critic voice.

How to practice self-compassion:

• Notice when the self-judgment thoughts come up 
• Question, “Is that really true? Or is this just my inner critic talking?” 
• Ask yourself, “if a friend were experiencing this same thing, what would I tell them?” 
• And then tell yourself just that! (remember, this takes practice for your brain to “buy into” it so keep practicing)
• Plus, many of the things to do after a binge below are also practices of self-compassion

2. Get comfy

Post-binge is an uncomfortable feeling. Your body may be feeling icky from eating more than what would’ve been comfortable. 

So what better way to shift your state than to get comfortable the best you can? 

How to get comfy after a binge: 

• Put on comfortable clothes
• Cozy up in a warm fuzzy blanket
• Make a tea (peppermint, fennel, or ginger teas are my favs to soothe the tummy) 
• Put on soft music or a feel-good TV show 
• Maybe some gentle movement (try this free 12-minute gentle yoga for digestion) 
• Anything else you know that helps YOU get comfy!

3. Regulate your nervous system 

Binge eating likely puts you into an unregulated state. Things might be feeling all out-of-whack and chaotic, and that’s a pretty good sign that your nervous system might need some tending to. 

If this is new to you, first of all, what is the nervous system? Your nervous system is like the “command centre” of your body. It’s what allows you to do things like moving around, thinking, and feeling. There’s something called the parasympathetic nervous system and the sympathetic nervous system. 

The parasympathetic nervous system is what helps you to rest, relax, and be in a calm, content state so that everything can function smoothly without overworking. And the sympathetic nervous system is what helps you to prepare for the “fight or flight” response. When we have a “dysregulated nervous system” in general it means that there’s an imbalance within our nervous system. Another great way I love to explain this is the concept of the window of tolerance.

Regulating your nervous system after a binge helps you to get back to a regulated state where you’re more able to find a sense of calm, be kind to yourself, and move forward with less of the spiraling chaotic feelings. 

How to regulate your nervous system: 

• Breathing exercises, like deep sighs 
• Guided meditations
• Somatic movement practices (try these somatic practices) 
• Hold ice cubes in your palms 
• Go out into nature & practice mindfulness
• And so many more! 

4. Ditch the scale

Stepping on the scale after a binge, whether it’s right after, the day after, or any time really, probably isn’t a good idea. Think about how the scale makes you feel when you look at that number? I’d like to guess, that often it doesn’t make you feel so good, especially if it’s gone up. 

This is because we tend to use the scale as a form of external validation of our sense of self-worth. The more we focus on the number on the scale to tell us if we’re “good” or “bad” the longer it’ll take to ditch that diet mentality and overcome binge eating. 

Any other form of “body checking” (like staring long in the mirror, etc.) would fall under this category as well! 

How to stop body checking: 

• Hide the scale away, or get it out of the house completely 
• Remind yourself why it’s not a great idea when you get the temptation to step on the scale 
• Avoid longingly staring at your body in any mirrors
• Avoid comparison to other people’s bodies (maybe get off social media for a day!) 

5. Avoid “making up for” the binge 

It’s completely valid to have the initial reaction of “Oh my gosh, I need to make up for what I just ate” after you binge eat. After all, the inner food police thought that “calories are bad” is likely part of what led you to have struggles with food. And for the record – calories are not bad! They’re just a measure of energy (which your body needs!). 

“Making up for” the binge could look like skipping your next meal, intentionally eating less the next day, trying to eat clean again, increasing exercise to make up for the food consumed, etc. 

Instead of helping you, what this “making up for” actually does is keep the binge-restrict cycle going around and around (see below). When we restrict ourselves, it’s almost inevitable that we’ll land back in a state of overdoing it with food. This is because your body is always trying to get to a state of balance and harmony. 

How to avoid “making up for” behaviour: 

• Eat meals and snacks as per usual 
• Try tuning into your hunger & fullness to guide eating choices (instead of “shoulds”)
• Move your body if it feels good, but don’t force it because you “have to”
• Remind yourself that your body is smart & on your side!

6. Let it go, process later 

Right after a binge, there’s no need to figure it all out. Just focus on taking care of yourself for now. All of the other points in this post are things that are great to do after binge eating. 

“Letting go” can be much easier said than done. Of course, our brains like to stew on the negative and what we feel needs to be “fixed,” but what if the act of doing that isn’t helpful for you in this moment? Maybe it is, maybe it’s not. But practice listening to your inner knowing to see what is actually supportive for you in this moment or not. We don’t need to force “fixing it” or reflecting right away.

If you do want to work on things, try reflecting about your experience the next day or later on once you’re feeling in a more calm and regulated state. 

How to “let it go,” for now: 

• Practice nervous system regulation techniques, see above. 
• Write down your thoughts into a journal to revisit later 
• Distract yourself, for now. (Yes, distraction can be a healthy coping mechanism in reasonable doses) 
• Come back to reflect later, the next day, or with a supportive person

7. Reach out for support

Let’s face it, it’s hard to navigate binge eating on your own. It can feel confusing and messy. But the good news is that you don’t have to do it alone! This might just be one of my favourite longer-term things to do after a binge. 

Whether it’s with a professional, joining a program, or confiding in a trusted loved one, it can be so beneficial to get support on your relationship with food healing journey. Allowing yourself to be supported by someone else can expand your capacity for moving forward and making changes.

How to reach out for support: 

• Reach out to a binge eating professional (like a Registered Dietitian or Therapist).
  • You can check out our services at The Intuitive Nutritionist here.
  • There are also many directories online like Dietitian Directory or Psychology Today.
• Join a program that supports folks to overcome binge eating and food struggles. Our Embodied Food Freedom small group coaching program for binge eating may just be what you need!
• Ask someone you trust in your life to support you.
  • A partner, loved one, family member, friend, etc.
  • I know this may be scary, but know that they would love to support you! You just have to be brave and ask