5 Things This Health Coach Quit Doing to Beat Binge Eating and Transform Her Body
Dierdre Rae is showing off her before-and-after transformation – in a crop top. In a new social media post, the London-based certified health and wellness coach discusses her health journey, revealing how she overcame an eating disorder to become the healthiest version of herself. In the before photo from 2019, she did "hours of exercise every day, massively undereating for days and then binging, the body is constantly swollen and bloated." Now, in 2024, she has a more balanced approach to diet and exercise and is healthier than ever. Here is how she did it.
She Achieved "Food Freedom" After a 10-Year-Long Eating Disorder Battle
"Food freedom is never something I thought I'd be able to have (for reference, I'm around the same weight in both photos). It was a 10-year battle, but here we are over 5 years later – intuitive eating, never calorie counting, doing the exercise I enjoy, resting without guilt, and not constantly thinking and worrying about food/body image," she writes in her post. "If you're struggling, I have a free binge guide in my bio 🫶🏻 (just some tips from me that helped heal binge eating habits for myself, some of my friends, and clients 💗), but here are a few things that helped me start to recover."
She Read This Book
First, she suggests ordering a book. Buying the book 'brain over binge' by Kathryn Hansen (in her Amazon storefront or on audible, was a game-changer. "There's a book and a recovery guide, make sure you get the book," she says.
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She Balanced Her Breakfast
Next, she tackled her diet, starting with breakfast. "Eating a balanced breakfast (protein, fats, AND carbs) the morning after a binge/overeating to balance out blood sugars," she says.
She Quit Dieting
After years of yo-yo dieting and seriously restricting food, Dierdre gave up crash diets for good. "I completely stopped dieting and trying to lose weight (had to sit with that anxiety)," she writes.
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She Reversed Negative Thoughts
She also changed her thought process. "I started standing up for myself by not letting unchecked intrusive thoughts come into my brain. I reversed any negative thought about my body and food into something I'd believe," she writes.
She Shifted From "Intense Cardio" to Weight Lifting and Walking
She also shifted her approach to exercise. "I stopped all intense cardio while recovering. I only weight lifted and walked. (intense cardio can mimic binge symptoms and make you ravenous)," she explains.
She Incorporated "Fear Foods" Into Her Diet
And lastly, she "ate and incorporated my fear foods EVERY day," she reveals. "It helped to take away the feeling that if I ate something 'bad,' the whole day wasn't ruined; therefore, I was less likely to binge (I had cake after lunch every day for an entire summer). IT'S NORMAL to overeat it in the beginning, but it's about practicing taking those foods off of the pedestal we've placed them on."
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Stretching Is Also Important
She discusses how important and "underrated" stretching is in another post. "Getting workouts in is incredible, but mobilizing your body has just as many benefits. I know that stretching is easy to skip out on, especially after you've finished a workout. Still, even a few minutes of stretching can have massive benefits," she writes, listing benefits such as muscle recovery, injury prevention, increased range of motion in joints, enhanced muscle performance, can help improve posture, promotes blood circulation, can relieve stress, enhances athletic performance, and reduces muscle stiffness and soreness. And if you enjoyed this article, take advantage of these 15 Quick Ways to Lose Body Fat Percentage in a Week.
