Sola, welcome to my world. This is exactly my experience as well. I get torn between the "I need to give myself permission to eat whatever I want" in order to heal food issues, and the thought that if I DO eat whatever I want, I would end up eating sugar, which is addictive, and would put me back on the roller coaster. So therefore I want to put restrictions on myself to allow myself to ONLY eat Paleo, because of the dangers promised by eating non-Paleo.

I've been Paleo since February. And I have been walking the path between those two worlds.

I have learned that when I put those restrictions on myself (I'm ONLY eating Paleo, no excuses), I end up rebelling in a BIG way. And then feel bad that I've eaten bad, and get upset, feel badly about myself, and continue to eat horribly until I manage to pull myself out of it.

I also have found that when I give myself permission to eat whatever, (in the beginning especially) I would eat something non-paleo, I would have more cravings to eat badly. So, yes, that part is true too.

But here is the difference! When I give myself permission, it is easier for me to choose healthier foods. So, instead of "If I'm not going to eat Paleo then I'm going to go really crazy and eat Doritoes + Ben & Jerry's + Coke + whatever and disappear into a black hole" (which is how I react when I "cheat" on my self-imposed restrictions). So, instead of that, I think about it more rationally. Instead of the Doritoes, I go for the hazelnut + rice cracker gluten free crackers. Not paleo, but not Doritoes. Scratches that itch but doesn't put me on the roller coaster. And instead of the Ben & Jerry's, I get coconut ice cream. And instead of the coke, I get coconut water. But it is because I'm free to make those choices. And I know that I can make worse choices.

And yes, sometimes this did lead me down a slippery slope. But then I climbed back up it. I didn't feel so bad about myself because I "cheated", instead I just felt a little disappointed that I wasn't eating the way I wanted. So the level of being mean to myself diminished. And I chose to see every fall as an opportunity, and with every fall, I catch myself quicker, and climb back up quicker.

The thing that I've focused on that has helped is to really listen to my body. Listen to what it actually wants to eat, and not just the habit. Sometimes I reach for unhealthy foods out of habit, but when I listen to my body I realize I don't want that at all. And I also listen to how my body feels afterward. Do I feel sick? Do I feel groggy? How do I feel the next day? The last time I ate a small bag of Cheetos, I felt really sick, and I logged that in my mind, and the next time I had a thought of eating Cheetos, it was easy for me to pass on it, because I knew how it would make me feel, and I didn't want to feel that way.

Yesterday the most amazing thing happened. I was SUPER hungry (due to the days events/choices the only thing I had to eat that day was salad greens + dressing). And Friday's is my night off from cooking, so I'll sometimes bring home some lazy food (like smoked salmon & almond butter). And I gave myself complete permission to eat whatever I wanted. WHATEVER. And I asked myself did I want a burger? No, I really didn't. I walked down the ice cream isle, asking did I want some ice cream or Coconut Ice Cream? Nope, not really.

You know what I wanted? I wanted to have the healthy leftovers that I had waiting at home. But because I was so determined to have SOMETHING I don't usually let myself have, I bought some of the for mentioned rice+nut crackers and some egg nog (single serve in a glass bottle, from a local, sustainable farm) and dark chocolate. And I came home and ate my left overs (and ate a lot, I was HUNGRY). But I didn't eat all the crackers. Or all the chocolate. And I woke up feeling fine, and not bad about myself, and then had a paleo breakfast and got on with my day.

And I know that some day, I won't bother with any of it, and just eat Paleo, because I choose to eat Paleo, and I choose health, and I choose to feel the way Paleo makes me feel. But I have to give myself the right to choose it. And I have to trust myself to choose it. And I know the beauty of Paleo is that it helps you to eat the right choices, because you aren't on a blood sugar roller coaster, because you are eating foods that actually nourish you, and because it just makes SENSE.

Whichever path you decide to take, I wish you much luck and success. The only thing that you really have to do, is not give up on yourself. That is the only way that I've made the progress that I have. Just don't give up.

Personally, and from my experience, sugar causes binge eating. The more sugar I eat, the more sugar I want to eat. Sugar is a metabolic addiction with a direct and powerful pleasure response in the brain. To me, having a slice of cake is like an X smoker having 'just one' cigarette. In such a case, I blame the sugar/nicotine itself and not the nosugar/nocigarette lifestyle as the main source of the problem.

Not to say there aren't other psychological issues potentially in play as well. I am not a psychologist so am hesistant to make comments on other potential behavioral issues. But I do think there is a strong tendency for addicts, including sugar addicts, to make excuses for going back to their addiction, like saying 'I deserve this today' or 'just this once' or 'it's only fair.'

As for a less restrictive approach, I think that depends on the individual. Personally, I have found I can occasionally eat starch like from potatoes, and I can eat whole pieces of fruit at will, without going overboard or becoming over addicted. I can eat some fruit today and tomorrow, I may not feel like eating any fruit at all. So fruit doesn't drive me into an addictive overboard behavior. Nor does it have adverse affects on my weight, nor do I have any blood sugar issues. So I allow fruit. But if fruit had the same effects on me as a slice of cake, as far as triggering of cravings and overeating, then I would not eat it.

You have to find out what works for you. For some, less restriction works. For others, it doesn't. For me, it works with some things but not with others.

I doubt the problem is the food. Having struggled with EXACTLY the kind of dissatisfied binge behavior you mention most of my life, I can say for a fact that change begins in you and your emotions.

For me, eating paleo has made it easier to stay centered and listen to my body- it has even lifted me out of a slightly depressed state. But eating paleo doesn't change the way you feel about yourself.

I know I am a perfectionist, and sometimes, when my life feels painfully imperfect, I turn to food to soothe me. I want to escape my imperfect (nasty, brutish, short...) existence.

Listen to your feelings. When I binge, I really, really don't want to binge. I can hear my body telling me to stop. But I can't stop because I hate myself at that moment and hate my life.

So create a life you want. It all starts with your perception of YOU.

I've never had problems with binge eating, so I can't speak to that part of your question, but I have thought about the psychology of eating a lot, so I do have some stuff to say about that.

My biggest problem has always been not eating, not in a conscious fat phobic anorexia kind of way, but more in the forgetting to eat or, at times, the being repulsed by food kind of way. When I was eating SAD this tendency wreaked havoc on my blood sugar and general well being. When I went vegan, and later raw vegan, it spiraled out of control and into serious orthexia territory. Having a limited diet gave me the excuse (and moral righteousness) to get even worse about it, using the "there is nothing for me to eat" excuse all the time. My weight plummeted, my hormones were all over the place and since I was eating really carb-heavy in addition to sporadically my hypoglycemia got out of control. Throw in the vegan obsession with cleansing and I was almost done for for a long time.

Then I flipped out one day at the restrictions and the attitude and threw myself back into SAD omnivory, prioritizing my mental health over my physical health. Paleo has helped with all of this immensely, but the scars of so many years having such an unhealthy relationship to food are still there. So I do what works for me. I know I can't handle going back to a way of eating that involves a pseudo-religious obsession with purity and sin, so I work hard to not let Paleo become that. I use Paleo eating principles to guide my food choices, not rule them, because psychological well-being is an important piece of health, too. So I don't stress about grain fed meat, or a little sugar being in a curry sauce, or some rice here and there. I eat as clean as I can most of the time and make compromises other times and can't let myself slip into thinking about it as cheating or whatever because that leads to bunch of terrible self-flagellation. When I did that in the past it just made me go bonkers and then think that eating kraft mac and cheese was better than spending my life fearing contamination. Now I have a more moderate approach that is serving me quite well. Maybe someday I'll even be able to get into IF without it triggering a whole bunch of food-avoidance.

I've been low carb/paleo for less than two months now and my metabolism is still shifting. Some days are great; other days I have cravings, especially after exercise or other exertion. But they feel like physical cravings due to wacked out blood sugar, not psychological cravings. I know that sometimes it's hard to tell the difference.

Although this diet can fix a broken metabolism, there seems to be plenty of evidence that true binge eating is a psychological condition in many cases. That's not to minimize your feelings by telling you that it's all in your head; just to say that the combination of paleo and counseling with someone who specializes in eating disorders could be much more powerful than either approach alone.

Don't cut the cheese. Cheese is honestly what keeps me sane sometimes. If you are at a party and there is nothing paleo, you can have some cheese from the cheese plate. At a restaurant? Order the cheese plate for dessert. Had a bad day? Buy a block of good cheese. Unless you have an autoimmune disorder that is affected by cheese, keeping eating and loving it :)

I've had major binging problems in the past. It took a serious toll on my health. Then I started the paleo diet, and I was still having binging episodes for about 5 months, until I implemented intermittent fasting in my routine. I fast one day once or twice per month, and for some reason, I am way more in touch with what I NEED to make me feel good rather than what I want that in the past has delivered some sick satisfaction in a binge. Also, I think it took my system several months to get used to not eating any cheats. Now when I cheat, I get violently ill. My body can't handle refined sugars and processed foods anymore. So now, when I see Halloween candy, sugar, or any type of bread (all of these used to be HUGE temptations for me) all I think is 'poison. it's poison.' This has been really helpful for staying paleo true. Finally, if I feel in a bingy mood, I eat a ton of whole carrots, or spinach. Then I have fiber belly... and have no desire to saturate some oatmeal with agave and hunker down, which I used to do a lot.

I've struggled with binge eating a lot in the past and I understand that it is not easily overcome. I would yo yo diet and binge and binge and binge. I still struggle with it too (though now only when I take a day or meal off of paleo eating). In my journey to understand the root of my binge eating I did a lot of research and a lot of individual psychological work to help understand my habits and where the drive to eat was coming from.

Along the way I found a series of books that I found to be somewhat of a revelation. For me, getting involved in paleo eating came months after I felt at peace with my binges (a feeling which ultimately would end them). I would highly recommend you read the book "Breaking Free From Emotional Eating" by Geneen Roth. I found it to be extremely helpful and it gave me a new way to look at my eating habits. From there I was able to release myself from the power that food had in my life and have not found paleo to be restrictive because of the way I view my eating choices.

I should note that the book is geared towards women and it's probably not for everyone but it helped me take the steps to control my emotional eating and hopefully it can help you too.

Best of luck to you. I know what a struggle compulsive eating can be.

I agree and can relate to Amanda's description above. Being mentally comfortable with where one is diet-wise is very important, especially for those who have battled with their relationship with food. Paleo guides what I eat about 80% of the time and has helped me become waaaaay less anxious about my food choices. The axiety over food is still there, but I don't think that is a product of a restrictive Paleo diet. It is more of a product of a mental condition/problem/whatever that may or may not necessarily relate to food. It's hard to summarize in one post, but the bottom line is that I can say that the "restrictions" of Paleo are more than likely not your problem. It's your relationship with food (and perhaps other sources of anxiety) that is the underlying problem. For me, Paleo has helped the anxiety.

See my answer here especially the part about aminos and I'll reiterate the part about eating enough fat. I think it's also good to figure out which foods are stronger binge triggers for you. I now reach for potato chips instead of wheat or popcorn (to both of which I am somewhat allergic) and they don't seem to cause that slippery slope effect nearly as drastically. For example, if I break down and order a pizza, I can't just eat a normal portion, I'll eat the whole thing. It's like eating wheat turns off my fullness indicator and turns me into a ravenous bottomless (psychological) pit.

Now I'll admit last night I ate a sandwich, a pint of ice cream, and half a bag of potato chips. I made that choice fairly consciously and by giving myself permission and not beating myself up about it, the cravings didn't continue into today. I ate relatively little today, actually, and also went on a nice long bike ride, which improved my mood far better than the pile of carbs I ate last night. (Note I was not doing cardio to punish myself for overeating!) I'll also admit I cheated (not binged) fairly often last month, and I've been maintaining my health and weight and feel great. Your metabolism may vary, but I think the key is to not make bingeing or cheating an all-or-nothing proposition. That might help with the feeling restricted vs. rebelling against the restriction thing. I make conscious decisions to cheat (and often talk myself out of it), and go on and eat delicious paleo food the rest of the time.

One more thought--eating junk is expensive! My little feast from the convenience store last night cost me $10, which I could have spent on a whole lot more real food. I think of this whenever I balk at paying for grass-fed or at least less crappy meat. I'm on a tight budget and this really really helps me to keep in mind. I was having a pizza craving a few weeks ago, which could easily mean $25 for one meal. So I made myself go to the store instead, where I bought grass-fed butter, and beef and veggies and some 90% dark chocolate and made a nice meal with a tasty dessert (it's impossible for me to binge on 90% chocolate).

It does get better, just keep working on it. And definitely heed the advice that it's not entirely about the food, but about you.

Sola,

I have many of the same questions--and literally, from the moment I wake up in the morning until the moment I go to sleep at night, I wonder what to eat. Should I "restrict" my choices...should I eat this, that, something else, etc. I hate that I do this, but it is my reality. I am definitely bingeing--and when I eat "forbidden" foods, I tell myself that it will be the last time I will EVER eat those horrible neolithic items! I wish I had an answer--I don't--but just wanted to let you know you are not alone with this struggle. I feel like I am constantly seeking to know what other people think about the subject--usually other "professionals." The other day it did occur to me that I probably DO need to figure it out on my own for MY body, but I haven't a clue how to really do that.

I am a recovering binge eater and fairly new to Paleo. I have pretty much conquered my binges (haven't had a real one in over a year) but I do find that a restrictive eating plan can be a problem for people with compulsive eating habits.

What I found I had to do was figure out why I was having a binge. Once I started one, I had to track back to the emotional trigger and fix it. It wasn't an easy process, learning to deal with emotions without a fallback like food was tough, but it was important to me.

If you think the Paleo plan is causing more binges because it is making you focus too much on what you CAN'T have, then give it a break and try to just eat well. Planning works for me, because I really don't like to go off my plan, so in the morning I plan out most of the day and give myself 200/300 calories open for last minute changes. It doesn't work for everyone.

Good luck!

DON'T DO IT. DON'T SNACK. YOU'LL LOSE ALL OF YOUR PROGRESS

What you're going through is what's called an "Extinction Burst". An Extinction burst is your brain's reward center fighting to retain an old habit that is being replaced or disused. Essentially it's the final hump that breaks the cycle of a bad habit and allows you to replace it with a good habit. Unfortunately, your reward center is extremely robust and the habit of eating carbohydrate rich, sugary, and/or salty foods is one of our strongest rewards. Since the whole paleo movement is pretty much all about ditching those things you're fighting one of the hardest habits to overcome, and one of the easiest addictions to rekindle. If you eat during this period you'll reenforce your brain's desire to eat horrible things and you may (already have?) lose control and set your progress back a few months.

However, if you make it through this, you should find that your desire to overeat and overindulge on all things not-paleo should wane. It may take a couple of months, and it will try your mental strength. It'll be hard basically you're overcoming smoking in a land of chain smokers but if you can do it, you will be much better off.

(Some people never overcome their learned responses, and will never make it past the extinction burst, but that's a response reserved for a select few.)

Old habits die hard, and this is basically your brains reward center's last best attempt at getting you to revert to your old ways. If you can make it through this, your bad habits should be a thing of the past. If you're interested in reading a little bit more about the pyschology of the event, I recommend checking David McRaney's website You are not so Smart.

Sola, I've been 2 months into it as well :-), congrats on your progress thus far! I most definitely have some cravings for non-paleo foods just outside the parameter of paleo (cottage cheese, yogurt...still pretty healthy). But I honestly feel our bodies dictate what we need in our diets, we crave certain things to aid in what we may be lacking nutrient-wise. Don't be too hard on yourself or try to figure it all out. Do the best you can and if you feel it is really in need of counseling or has gone beyond a comfort level (that only you can tell), I would seek outside help. Good Luck!

Should you make every effort to overcome your binge eating?

Yes.

For me, it is quite literally a matter of life and death.

Is paleo for everyone?

Although, I think people would be generally healthier eating from an evolutionary perspective - most people either don't care or won't give up the foods they like that make them sick. And its not easy. It hasn't been easy for me - although it has gotten easier over time. But I don't give myself the choice anymore (the choice would be feet or cake - if I want to keep my feet, I can't eat the cake). Some people will never even listen to the persuasive arguments that paleo makes. Oh, they might listen to small parts like sunshine/vit D or getting your room dark to sleep or even turn against chroni cardio. They may even take fish oil - but only in the context of a low fat high carb regimen. Most people I know from Asia or India simp[ly cannot consider giving up rice/bread.

Oh well. I hope you stick with it. But I understand if you don't.

I might suggest finding a good hobby to take your mind off of it. Perhaps an online support group...such as some of the good folks here. CrossFit works for me for both. It might be something totally different for you. Best of luck. You can do it!