Build your tomorrow (literally)
Breaking the Binge Eating Cycle
Binge eating doesn’t work. You know it, and I know it. When has eating until your stomach aches, your pants feel too tight, and your face and fingers swell ever made you feel better? Yet, when you feel sad, anxious, depressed, or lonely, you turn to binge eating. The aftermath? Those feelings you were trying to escape amplify, becoming 100 times worse. You go from square zero to square negative 100.
James Clear profoundly describes this phenomenon in Atomic Habits: “Bad habits are autocatalytic: the process feeds itself. They foster the feelings they try to numb. You feel bad, you eat junk food. Because you eat junk food, you feel bad.” This cyclical nature of binge eating keeps you trapped, chasing fleeting comfort but experiencing prolonged misery.
The mission of Build the Pattern is to examine binge eating behaviors through the lens of habit psychology. Today, we will leverage the idea of binge eating being autocatalytic to help create change. We will also use Clear’s strategy of making a bad habit unattractive- by focusing on the negative aspects of a behavior, we are less likely to engage.
Why Binge Eating Persists
The problem with binge eating is that you don’t remember the consequences 10 or 15 minutes after a binge. What you recall are those first few bites—the temporary comfort, the numbing of the world, and the fleeting peace. But that sensation lasts for mere seconds. What remains is food waste, delivery charges, low self-worth, sleepless nights, and a self-imposed isolation the next day. You restrict to compensate, promising yourself it won’t happen again, but within 24 hours, you’ve forgotten the nightmare and strengthened the association between binge eating and comfort.
The Brutal Truth About Binge Eating
Today, you are going to STOP. Just for a moment. Binge eating is not the solution. In fact, it amplifies every problem you’re already facing.
- You feel lonely, so you binge eat. Now, because you binge ate, you avoid leaving your house, cancel plans, and feel even lonelier.
- You feel unsuccessful, so you binge eat. Now, because you binge ate, you’re sleep-deprived, overly full, and unable to focus on work or goals.
We have to remind ourselves: binge eating is a bad habit that feeds itself. It’s a vicious cycle because you’ve convinced yourself it will make you feel better. But deep down, you know it won’t. You have to remind yourself of all the reasons why binge eating sucks and all the ways you feel the next morning.
Shift Your Perspective: Think About Tomorrow
One of the most effective strategies in breaking this cycle is asking, “How will I feel tomorrow morning?” The next time you feel the urge to binge, pause for 30 seconds and consider:
- If I eat that pint of ice cream, how will I feel when I get up tomorrow?
- Will I feel energized?
- Will I feel good at work?
- How will it feel to walk around?
- Will I enjoy my plans?
The answer to all of these questions is a resounding no.
Most of the time, you don’t think this far ahead. You’re focused on the immediate relief. “Right now, I feel miserable, and binge eating will fix it NOW. I can deal with tomorrow later.” But here’s the harsh truth: tomorrow is built on today. Your actions today shape how tomorrow will unfold. You have to start seeing binge eating for what it is: something that is holding you back and making you feel sluggish, sad, lonely, insecure, and generally stuck. The way to make binge eating unattractive is by thinking of the next day. Think about what binge eating will cause.
Building a Better Future
Only you can create a better future for yourself, and that starts with today. Stop pretending this is your “last binge.” Stop telling yourself binge eating makes you feel better. At some point, we must confront our harshest realities. I know you’re struggling with self-worth, loneliness, and anxiety. I feel it deeply. But I also know a part of you wants to feel better. You deserve a life that’s rich and fulfilling—not just for a second, but for a lifetime.
A Simple Exercise to Interrupt the Cycle
We’re going to start small. Using James Clear’s idea of binge eating being autocatalytic and making bad habits unattractive, try this exercise the next time you feel the intense urge to binge:
- Set a timer for 3 minutes.
- During this time, either talk out loud or write down: If I binge, I will feel X, Y, Z tomorrow morning. Be honest about the emotions and physical sensations you typically experience the next day. You can also think about “what will I lose if I binge?”
- After the timer ends, spend 30 seconds looking at your list.
- Genuinely examine what you wrote. Ask yourself, What will I gain if I binge? Likely, the answer is 30 seconds of peace at the cost of 24+ hours of misery.
This is not about changing everything overnight. It’s about slowing down and thinking about tomorrow. It’s about reclaiming control and breaking the cycle one small step at a time. You have to remember not the 30 second relief, but the longer 30 hours of pain and misery.
You Deserve More
The journey starts now, one mindful pause at a time. I am not asking you to change everything all at once. I am just asking you to slow down for 3.5 seconds, and quite literally, think about tomorrow. You deserve a life filled with joy, connection, and energy. Let’s work together to find healthier ways to cope. You are worthy of happiness that lasts longer than a fleeting bite.