You can’t pursue weight loss and heal from binge eating at the same time

Healing from binge eating disorder (BED) and actively pursuing weight loss at the same time usually backfires — and here’s why:

1. Weight loss goals often fuel restriction

BED is rooted in a cycle of deprivation ? loss of control ? binge. If your mind is focused on eating less, cutting calories, or shrinking your body, you’re essentially reinforcing the very restriction that triggers binge episodes.

2. Mixed goals create conflict

Recovery is about learning to eat consistently, adequately, and without judgment. Weight loss ambition, on the other hand, tends to keep you monitoring, controlling, and judging every bite. This internal tug-of-war makes it hard to build trust with food and your body.

3. Healing requires neutrality, not pursuit of control

BED recovery is about moving away from black-and-white thinking (“good vs. bad food”, “I was good today, I was bad today”). Weight loss focus usually keeps that morality tied to eating, which keeps the shame cycle alive.

4. Your body needs stability first

Physically, when you’re healing from BED, your body is often trying to repair from cycles of starvation and overeating. It needs reliable, adequate fuel. Chasing weight loss during this stage undermines that healing and makes binges more likely.

5. Mental recovery comes before body changes

You can’t make peace with food if you’re still trying to manipulate your body size at the same time. It’s like trying to learn to trust a partner while secretly testing them every day — the trust never builds. Once your relationship with food is steady, your body will find a weight that reflects health, not punishment.

? Bottom line: Healing from BED is about freedom and stability. Pursuing weight loss at the same time keeps you trapped in the binge–restrict cycle. Many people do find that when they truly heal, their body settles into a more comfortable weight naturally — but the priority has to be recovery, not control.