"Why do I keep doing this?" —Bingeing, eating past fullness, and what your body might actually be looking for

Something that I hear a lot is this particular kind of bewilderment people that share with me about habitually eating beyond fullness or binging to the point of physical pain. It’s not so much the discomfort of it that bothers them when they talk about it, but it’s more the confusion as to ‘why did I do that again?’ and ‘why do I keep doing it?’ 

Whether its outwardly said or not, it so often comes with a belief that something about them is wrong, broken or not trying hard enough and if they could just find more willpower or the right plan then it wouldn't happen again.

I’m a firm believer that none of the patterns we repeatedly play out are just ‘bad habits’ or signs of ‘not coping’, but actually have, or have had, some kind of positive intention behind them. It might seem difficult to see that when we logically know what we are doing isn’t ultimately working for us, but understanding what's happening at a less conscious level can change how we relate to the behaviour and that offers us more choice.