⚠️ Warning: Your brain might be playing tricks on you!

We spend so much time focusing on the physical side of fitness, the weights, the steps, the sweat. But: the mental game is where the real battle happens.

Have you ever wondered why, the second you feel stressed or overwhelmed, you find yourself reaching for the snack drawer? You aren’t even hungry, but suddenly you need that food.

That isn’t a lack of willpower. That is your “Primal Brain” (the limbic system) trying to take over the controls. 🧠✋

The Villain: The Primal Brain

Here is what is actually happening. Your “Primal Brain” is designed for survival. It interprets negative emotions – like stress, anxiety, or sadness, as a literal threat. It thinks you are being chased by a tiger. 🐅

To protect you, it screams at you to find safety. And for many of us, “safety” looks like comfort food. It pushes you toward snacks to “flee” the pain.

Recognising this glitch in the system is a total game-changer for overcoming binge eating. It’s not that you are weak; it’s just your survival instincts firing at the wrong time.

The Battle Plan: How to Take Back the Wheel

You don’t have to let the Primal Brain drive the car. You can retrain your mindset and stop the binge before it starts.

Here is your 3-step guide to beating the mental trick:

1. Identify the Voice (Spot the Villain) 🕵️‍♂️ The first step is awareness. Notice when your brain starts screaming for an escape. Is it actual hunger, or is it chaos? If you just had a bad email or a fight with a partner, and suddenly you want crisps? That is the Primal Brain talking. Call it out.
2. The Power Pause ( shields Up) 🛡️ When the urge hits, hit the pause button. Acknowledge the feeling (“I am feeling stressed right now”), but don’t let it drive your actions. Take a breath. Step away from the kitchen. Buy yourself 60 seconds of silence.
3. Re-centre (The Counter Attack) 🧘‍♂️ Remind yourself: I am in control, not my survival instincts. You are safe. You don’t need to “flee” into food. Remind yourself of your goals and your “why.”

The Hero’s Truth

You have the power to retrain your mindset. It won’t happen overnight, and that is okay. Progress is messy and nonlinear.

But every time you pause and choose to stay in control, you get a little bit stronger. It is one choice at a time.

You are the Hero. You’ve got this. 💪✨

Resources:

DoItLikeDan – ‘Motivation is a Liar: Use Your “Why” When Willpower Fails’

Brain Over Binge – ‘The Primal Brain’s Role in Normal Eating (And Binge Eating)’

BEAT – National Eating Disorder Charity

NHS – ‘NHS Eating Disorder Help’

 I will share my story, with how I managed to defeat my own binge eating villain in an upcoming blog.

Until the next blog,

Dan

DoItLikeDan, DoItLikeYou