Stuck in a never-ending cycle of dieting, feeling out of control around food, and shame? You might be caught in the binge-restrict cycle.Learn what the cycle is, the science behind it, and five tips to break free from it.What is the Binge-Restrict Cycle? The binge-restrict cycle occurs when a person oscillates between restricting food and binging or overeating food to a point of discomfort.

Often folks who have been dieting and restricting their food intake find themselves in this cycle.We can think of this cycle having four steps: 1.Restricting food Maybe you’ve been on a diet for a while or maybe you recently started a new diet.

You’ve been cutting back on portion sizes and tracking your calories on an app.You’re eating significantly less than you used to and maybe you feel a sense of pride around that (because our culture says you’re morally good for “watching” what you eat).2.

Food preoccupation and cravings Now you’ve been restricting for some time and you start to notice you can’t stop thinking about food.You’re constantly wondering when your next meal is going to be and you’re ruminating on what you should choose to eat.It’s hard to focus on other things because you’re so preoccupied with thoughts about food.  You also start to notice intense cravings for food, specifically carbohydrates.

It becomes harder and harder to ignore them because the cravings are so loud.  3.Binge / feel out of control around food With the cravings being

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