Overcoming Binge Eating (and yo-yo dieting) - Successfully!

When was the last time you truly felt nourished after a meal?

Did you feel satisfied completely or like you could have eaten a little more of this or that?

How about cravings - have you ever had such intense cravings for things that you couldn't be satisfied with anything but "insert whatever the food was"? (I.E. Chocolate, sweets, chips, cookies, cake etc.)

Do you yo-yo diet: go on a diet to go off a diet? Self-sabotage when you have some success? Quit the diet and regain the weight and then some? What if I told you that these "cravings" were truly an insight into your health? And not just your overall general health, but your hormonal health?

What if I told you that you don't have to "eat less and move more" to get the beautiful body that you truly have hiding inside?

Well, it is no secret that you are here perhaps because you are seeking to improve your overall health, or maybe you suspect something deeper is going on. That was me. In my early 20s and into my early 30s I had all kinds of issues with my cycle and my mood was all over the place. I struggled with crippling arthritis, infertility & PCOS, severe anxiety, panic disorders and ongoing deep depression. I slept maybe 2-4 hours (interrupted) per night which left me feeling chronically fatigued.

What do you struggle with most?

• 0%Body Image
• 0%Mental Health
• 0%Infertility
• 0%OTHER (Pain, auto-immune, insomnia, etc)

I had no idea that many of my issues were stemming from the foods that I was eating. How those foods were affecting my gut microbiome and my brain. I just did not put two and two together to make 4.

Fast forward to the age of 34, married and having moved to a new country (HELLO USA!) where I found myself still struggling emotionally. It was a HUGE move - the biggest move I have ever made. My husband was suffering from severe elbow pain and many doctors simply said, "It's just arthritis, here is some pain management."

My husband suggested we look into the carnivore way of eating (referred to as WOE for the remainder of this article). The first video I watched was the interview of Kelly Hogan with Dr. Ken Berry on youtube.

After watching this one interview and hearing Kelly's testimonial about how she reversed her infertility, lost over 120lbs, overcame her sugar addictions and other things, I was ready to try carnivore. I have tried almost every diet under the sun. So I was totally willing to try carnivore. What was the worst that could happen?

October 2, 2022 my husband and I committed to 90 days of carnivore. I had a really rough first 5 weeks as we moved to the carnivore woe. My husband had a relatively smooth transition and went Lion for the first two weeks eating only beef, salt and water. I, however, had a much more difficult time. I had to rely on dairy like cheese and heavy whipping cream. I found myself bingeing on any of the "carnivore friendly" foods that I could find and scouring the internet for recipes and meal ideas.

Overcoming Binge Eating - Successfully!

During this time I came across the Steak and Butter Gang where I met Raymond Nazon & Emily Harveaux. Their program Chisel CHANGED MY LIFE. The program focused on FEASTING rather than starving. It focused on NOURISHING, HEALING & RESTORING the body from the inside out.

For the first time I was PUMPED about a diet! No diet EVER before had focused on feasting! Every diet I have ever done focused on eating less and moving more - which fried my adrenals, shut down my endocrine system and dramatically influenced my mental health.

It took about a week of eating 3meals a day (ref 3MAD) plus 2-3 snacks in between before I was like ok, this is A LOT of food. I ate until I was comfortably stuffed plus another couple of bites. By the end of that first week, I was ready to drop the snacks and move on in the program.

Here was the best part: my binge eating began to fade into the background like white noise and eventually become non-existent. My cravings dissolved. My arthritic pain went from a 8-10 sometimes I couldn't get out of bed down to a 2-3. The psoriasis I had been dealing with resolved. Eczema cleared up. Allergies began to fade. My night vision improved to the point where I feel ok to drive at night if I need to. Tinnitus - gone. PCOS - resolving. SO MUCH SO, that we were able to conceive in December of 2022. We lost the baby shortly after which is a HUGE celebration that our bodies have healed enough to conceive!! Awful periods have gone from 7-9 days causing anemia down to 6ish days and much lighter and NO PMS!!

Now, this is the coles notes version of my overcoming MANY things and I have a long way to go. The binge eating and yo-yo dieting was something I thought I would have to live with for the rest of my life. The sugar addiction I had was preventing me from enjoying life and clearly hearing from my body what she needed to be hormonally and mentally healthy.

Now I am happy to say I have overcome binge eating AND have been broken up with sugar for nearly 4 months (as of the date of this blog post) and I have no intentions of getting back together with sugar!

What could a carnivore or ketovore (primarily meat based) WOE do for you?

What are you currently struggling with that you would like to see healing and resolve with? Carnivore is one tool of many. It is by far my favourite woe.

Here are 5 steps to STOP BINGE EATING: A CARNIVORE APPROACH

1. EAT TO NOURISH: Nourishing your body with the right foods will not only curb cravings but it will reset your brain. Cravings are typically a sign of undernourishment or hormonal imbalance.

2. PREPARE AHEAD: Meal prep is a great time saver and can also be a tool to help you stop binge eating. Prepare easy to heat/on the go meals and snacks so when you are in a pinch, you are reaching for the right foods to nourish your physiology.

3. EAT TO SATIETY: Forget calorie counting and macros. SIMPLIFY IT. When recovering from binge eating you will want to eat until you are comfortably stuffed. Start with 3 meals plus snacks for 1-2 weeks and watch what happens! You will be blown away!

4. DRINK WATER & ADD SALT: Did you know cravings can come from mineral and electrolyte imbalances? When switching to a carnivore WOE, it is encouraged to salt your food to taste plus a little more.

5. JOIN A COMMUNITY: Be accountable! You are never alone in this journey to recovery and we want to love and support you. Join a community or reach out for 1:1 support to maximize your success and potential. You can contact me via my website to schedule your 1:1 consult or message and follow me on instagram!

Looking forward to hearing from you! Comment below what you have overcome and what has been most supportive!

Cheers to you Overcoming Binge Eating - Successfully!

With love and warm regards,

Richelle Lecourt