Fasting After a Binge is Harmful. Here's Why.
Written by Isabel Vasquez RD, LDN
If you’ve just eaten to the point of uncomfortable fullness, the thought of fasting may cross your mind. You may think that after a cheat day or a binge, you need a “reset”.
However, fasting after a binge can backfire by setting the binge-restrict cycle into motion. This restriction can lead to intense cravings and an obsession with food, which makes it more likely you’ll end up bingeing again.
To make peace with food, it’s important not to restrict yourself, even if you just binged. Eating regular, well-rounded meals helps your body trust that food is available so another binge is less likely. It can help you to have a more peaceful and a less chaotic relationship with food.
In this article, you’ll learn more about why fasting after a binge is harmful and what to do instead.
What is Binge Eating?
Many people use the phrase binge eating to describe eating past the point of comfortable fullness. You may have eaten more than what you consider to be “normal”.
This may lead to emotional discomfort in the form of guilt and shame, and physical discomfort in the form of an overly full belly.
It’s important to note that binge eating also has a clinical definition. It’s used to diagnose people with eating disorders like binge eating disorder or bulimia nervosa.
The diagnostic criteria for binge eating disorder says that binge eating must include both of the following:
Eating, in a discrete period of time (e.g., within any 2-hour period), an amount of food that is definitely larger than most people would eat in a similar period of time under similar circumstances
A sense of lack of control over eating during the episode (e.g., a feeling that you can’t stop eating or control what or how much you eat)
The binge eating episode must also include three of the following:
Eating much quicker than normal
Eating until you feel uncomfortably full
Eating large amounts of food when you’re not physically hungry
Eating alone because you’re embarrassed about how much you’re eating
Feeling disgusted with yourself, depressed, or very guilty after overeating
For the purposes of this article, we’re not just talking about clinical binge eating. Fasting after any kind of “binge” can be harmful.
What is Fasting?
Fasting is when you intentionally restrict your food intake for a certain period of time. It may be for a few hours or a full day. It might mean not eating anything at all, or it might mean limiting your intake to just a couple of items (usually ones that are low in calories).
Unlike starvation, fasting is a choice.
Fasting can be done for religious reasons, or it can be done for a diet such as intermittent fasting.
In the case of fasting after a binge, it’s usually done to try to compensate for overeating.
Why Do People Fast After A Binge?
Fasting after a binge is usually a means of trying to compensate for “overeating”. After a binge, you may feel intense guilt or fear that you’ll gain weight. Fasting is done as a means of trying to balance things out.
In reality, it can set the binge restrict cycle into motion. This is when you binge eat, feel really guilty about it, and then restrict food to try to relieve the guilt and start fresh. However, this typically leads to extreme hunger and food obsession which can trigger another binge.
If you notice yourself stuck in the binge restrict cycle, give yourself compassion. Weight stigma causes many people to feel guilty after binge eating and fearful of weight gain.
However, remaining stuck in the binge-restrict cycle will only lead to a fraught, chaotic relationship with food. Establishing a more consistent, balanced eating pattern can help prevent binge eating so you can have a more peaceful relationship with food.
Note that having an intense fear of weight gain is a sign of poor body image. Binge eating and fasting may be a sign of disordered eating. The National Association for Eating Disorders (NEDA) has a short screening tool you can use to assess whether seeking support may be helpful.
Why Fasting After A Binge Is Harmful
Fasting after a binge can harm your relationship with food and your body. Interestingly, the rise of intermittent fasting has led to more research on the effects of fasting on binge eating and eating disorders.
Fasting Is Associated With Eating Disorder Behaviors
A 2022 study in the Journal of Eating Disorders found that intermittent fasting is associated with greater eating disorder symptoms.
In the study, both men and women who engaged in intermittent fasting scored significantly higher on an eating disorder screening tool than community norms.
In other words, they had higher rates of eating disorder thoughts and behaviors. In fact, almost ⅓ of the participants had scores indicative of an eating disorder.
Another 2022 study, this one in the journal Eating Behaviors, yielded similar results. It found that young adults and adolescents who engaged in intermittent fasting had greater eating disorder symptoms than those who didn’t.
Despite fasting being touted for weight loss, there aren’t any studies showing that fasting helps you lose weight long-term. Plus, it can have some really serious harms on your mental health.
Fasting Increases Binge Eating and Food Obsession
After extreme restriction (AKA fasting) your body is deprived of energy. It needs this energy to complete essential functions like breathing, moving, and digesting.
When your body senses scarcity around food, it increases your cravings and hunger. It’s your body’s means of protecting you. This is true even if you binge before you fast.
For example, a 2022 study in Eating and Weight Disorders found that participants engaging in a low-carb diet or intermittent fasting had higher rates of disordered eating, particularly binge eating and food cravings.
They often felt out of control around food, preoccupied with food, and guilty about their cravings.
Furthermore, a 2023 study in the journal Appetite found that undergraduate students with a history of intermittent fasting have higher rates of binge eating than those who have never fasted.
What To Do After A Binge
Eat Your Regular Meals And Snacks
Even if you have the urge to fast after a binge, it’s generally best to eat your regular meals and snacks. Don’t ignore hunger pangs; honor your hunger!
Remember, restricting food will only perpetuate the binge restrict cycle.
So, rather than trying to compensate for a binge by restricting, practice finding the middle ground by eating enough consistently. This can help prevent swinging from one extreme to the other by fasting and bingeing.
Show Yourself Compassion
My experience with clients and research both show that binge eating can lead to intense feelings of guilt and shame. Those feelings are part of what triggers the urge to fast.
So, before you take those feelings as facts and decide to fast, take a second to acknowledge that the feelings are there. Then, try showing yourself some kindness and compassion.
Reframe harsh thoughts about yourself with ones that are more neutral or compassionate.
Instead of believing that you’re bad for binge eating, remind yourself that you’re only human. It’s okay that you have an imperfect relationship with food. You still deserve to eat your next meal. And how you eat says nothing about your worth as a human.
Take It One Meal At A Time
Rather than getting ahead of yourself by planning how you’ll compensate for the binge, ground in the present. Look at the next meal or the next day as a fresh start.
Especially if you’re struggling with an eating disorder, it may be overwhelming to think about the journey ahead towards recovery. So, take it one meal at a time.
Just because you binged earlier, doesn’t mean you should skip your next meal. Eating your next meal helps your body trust that food is available. Do your best to practice gentle nutrition by adding a source of carbs, protein, fat, and fiber for satisfaction.
This can help prevent intense hunger, cravings, and guilt typical of the binge restrict cycle.
Say Goodbye To Rigid Food Rules
We often look at a binge in isolation, but it helps to zoom out and see what may have contributed to it. Food rules are a common contributor.
Do you have any rules about what you should or shouldn’t eat?
Do you have rules about how much or when you should eat?
Restrictive food rules can cause your body to feel deprived, physically or mentally, which could lead to a binge.
Eliminating food rules is a key part of intuitive eating—a weight-inclusive, non-diet approach to nutrition. A 2019 study in the journal Eating Behaviors found that intuitive eating eased weight-related shame and binge eating.
Plus, getting rid of food rules helps you enjoy your food and move on with your day. Normalize eating foods you normally restrict so that they don’t have so much control over you anymore.
Final Thoughts
Although you may be tempted to fast after a binge, continuing to eat regular meals and snacks will help break the binge restrict cycle and improve your relationship with food.
Also, remember to give yourself compassion, and ditch harsh food rules that increase the likelihood you’ll binge again.
If you could use support in improving your relationship with food and practicing gentle nutrition, our team of Latina registered dietitians is here to help. Learn about working with us here.
For education on how to ADD nutrition to your favorite Latine cultural dishes, make peace with food, and focus on your health without dieting, join our nutrition library for just $27/month.
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