20 Very Common Binge Eating Triggers

(Just because no one talks about them, doesn’t mean you’re alone)

Binge eating doesn’t come out of nowhere. And it’s not about willpower, discipline, or “self-control.”

In most cases, binge eating is a predictable response to a combination of physical deprivation, emotional stress, and rigid food rules.

Below are some of the most common binge eating triggers — many of which are rarely talked about, but extremely common in people who struggle with binge eating.

1. Not Eating Enough

Consistently under-eating — whether intentionally or unintentionally — is one of the strongest triggers for binge eating.When your body doesn’t get enough energy, it eventually takes over.

2. Going Too Long Without Food

Intense hunger (even if you don’t consciously feel it) increases urgency around food.

3. Incomplete Meals

Meals missing carbohydrates, fats, or protein are often less satisfying. Low satisfaction increases the likelihood of seeking more food later.

4. Not Eating Enough at Meals

Leaving the table still hungry or unsatisfied keeps your body in a state of deprivation — even if you ate “something.”

5. Eating a Food You Consider “Bad” or “Forbidden”

Guilt and scarcity thinking (“I don’t know when I’ll be allowed to have this again”) often escalate into binge eating.

6. Breaking a Food Rule

Eating at a “wrong” time, eating more than planned, or eating a “forbidden” food can trigger anxiety, guilt, and the urge to binge.

7. Anticipated Restriction

Also known as the last supper effect. If you plan to diet or restrict soon, your body responds with urgency to eat now.

8. Eating It All So It’s Gone

Bingeing to “get rid of” food so you can start over tomorrow.

9. Not Eating What You Truly Wanted

Consistently denying yourself foods you want can lead to feeling deprived and binge eating later.

10. Thinking “I Shouldn’t Have Eaten That”

Guilt can easily escalate into a binge

11. Skipping a Workout

Especially when exercise is tied to self-worth, skipping a workout can trigger shame and compensatory eating behaviors.

12. Anxiety

Food often becomes a tool for regulation when anxiety is high.

13. Feeling Overwhelmed

Binge eating can act as a shutdown response — a way to escape or numb when things feel too much.

14. Physical or Emotional Exhaustion

Low energy = lower capacity to cope. When you’re exhausted, urges are harder to manage.

15. Body Dissatisfaction

Feeling unhappy with your body can trigger binges as punishment, numbing, or in response to thoughts of future restriction.

16. Comparing Your Eating to Others

Comparison fuels feelings of inadequacy, which can lead to binge eating as a way to cope or self-punish.

17. PMS and Hormonal Changes

Hormones matter.During PMS:

• Metabolism can increase by ~15%

• Hunger often increases

• Anxiety and low mood may rise

• Body image may worsen due to bloating

18. Not getting enough sleep

Can increase feeling of hunger and also physical exhaustion makes it harder to cope/regulate.

19. Feeling controlled/ suppression (by others or yourself)

Binges become a way of rebellion or release.

20. Loneliness or lack of connection

Food becomes company. Eating in secret becomes your “friend”.

An Important Reminder:

Binges are responses, not failures.

It is your body and nervous system reacting to deprivation, stress, or unmet needs.

Understanding and knowing your triggers is the first step to breaking the pattern.

First we need to understand why and when it is happening and then if possible reduce these triggers and build new ways to respond to them.

If binge eating is impacting your mental health, relationships, or daily life, you don’t have to navigate it alone.

I work 1:1 with clients to:

• Identify personal binge triggers

• Reduce restriction (mental and physical)

• Build consistent, satisfying eating patterns

• Learn emotional regulation skills

• Create a safer, calmer relationship with food

👉 Learn more about my 1:1 program here