2450: How I Eliminated Binge Eating Completely by JC Deen of JCD Fitness on Balanced Diet & Calorie Control

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Episode 2450:

JC Deen's article "How I Eliminated Binge Eating Completely" provides an insightful look into the challenges of binge eating within the fitness community. Deen shares his personal journey, transitioning from a restrictive, 'clean eating' mentality to a more balanced approach. He highlights the importance of controlling calories and allowing flexibility in food choices, ultimately finding that a calorie-focused approach, rather than strict food categorizations, was key to overcoming his binge eating tendencies.

Read along with the original article(s) here: https://jcdfitness.com/2009/03/how-i-eliminated-binge-eating-completely/

Quotes to ponder:

"I will never work with a protocol that I dread. Why bother? There are so many ways to become stronger and better conditioned."

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[00:00.000 --> 00:30.000] The love affair event is on at Whole Foods Market, with deals on delicious desires through February 14th, the floral departments in full bloom. So look for savings on double dozen bunches of roses. In the meat and seafood departments, save on animal welfare-certified New York strip steaks and sustainable wild-caught lobster tails to make the night sizzle. Gifts from the wellness and beauty department are always a nice touch. And you have to grab those chocolate dipped strawberries. Make Whole Foods Market your Valentine's Day destination. [00:30.000 --> 01:00.000] This is Optimal Health Daily Episode 2450, how I eliminated binge eating completely by J.C. Dean of jcdfitness.com and I'm your host and narrator Dr. Neal. Hey there, happy middle of the week Wednesday and welcome back to Optimal Health Daily, where I read some of the best health and fitness blogs to you, usually with a bit of my commentary at the end. Now every Wednesday I like to share a little bit of inspiration with you. That's because, in my experience, Wednesday [01:00.000 --> 01:30.000] seems to be that really tough day to get through, where we just need that extra motivation to get through the next couple of days. So with that, here we go. Quote, we can learn nothing except by going from the known to the unknown. Claude Bernard. Alright, and with that, let's get right to today's post and start optimizing your life. How I eliminated binge eating completely, you know, I'm going to get a little bit of a little bit [01:30.000 --> 02:00.000] of reversy by m.C. Dean of jcdfitness.com [02:00.000 --> 02:04.560] First, you have the small group of fitness enthusiasts who have many binges, [02:04.560 --> 02:08.320] and then you have people who experience severe psychological issues with food. [02:09.040 --> 02:13.680] The latter group typically will struggle with the disorder for a prolonged period of time, [02:13.680 --> 02:16.880] and often take drastic measures to compensate for their actions. [02:17.680 --> 02:23.120] If you are hearing this and you're in the second group, I highly recommend seeking professional help. [02:24.080 --> 02:29.520] How I got into trouble. It all started about four years ago when I began counting calories. [02:30.000 --> 02:34.560] I was brainwashed into the whole clean food phenomenon as I was reading [02:34.560 --> 02:39.200] every bodybuilding and fitness related magazine I could get my meat hooks on, [02:39.200 --> 02:43.600] and I was so obsessed with the You Gotta Eat Clean Bro mentality [02:43.600 --> 02:49.280] that I threw all other sanity to the wind. I was immediately obsessed with brown rice, [02:49.280 --> 02:53.600] oatmeal, natural peanut butter, lean chicken breast, and so on. [02:54.320 --> 02:58.800] I was basically consuming most of the foods deemed clean by the infamous [02:58.800 --> 03:04.320] dogma laid in health and fitness community. I somehow adopted the assumption that pizza, [03:04.320 --> 03:11.200] burgers, pasta, white bread, and any other fast or dirty food would only be stored as fat, [03:11.200 --> 03:17.280] and would be sub-optimal in terms of energy needs. This wasn't so bad when on a bulking diet because [03:17.280 --> 03:24.240] I was eating plenty of food and keeping full most of the time. However, I was developing a really [03:24.240 --> 03:29.760] sour relationship with food. I began to look down on others who dined out and those who ordered [03:29.760 --> 03:34.960] pizza instead of cooking a chicken breast and brown rice. I found myself constantly craving the food [03:34.960 --> 03:41.040] I was restricting. The main reasons were because I could not count the calories and because I assumed [03:41.040 --> 03:46.480] it would go straight to my gut. I also began to feel superior to my peers for my abstinence of [03:46.480 --> 03:53.440] unhealthy food. It only got worse. As I said, the binging wasn't too much of a problem when [03:53.440 --> 04:00.160] on a bulking diet. On a fat loss diet though, it was my worst nightmare. While I found myself [04:00.160 --> 04:07.200] severely restricting my intake, I decided to allow one cheat meal per week. This was an absolute [04:07.200 --> 04:14.160] disaster. I would eat clean all week long and end up almost completely reversing my previous [04:14.160 --> 04:21.440] week's efforts on Sunday. It would start with a breakfast of lots and lots of bacon, eggs, and [04:21.520 --> 04:28.480] hash browns soaked in grease. Then for lunch, I would pig out on whatever was around, maybe [04:28.480 --> 04:35.200] some peanut butter and jelly, cookies, or whatever I could find that was dirty. Then for dinner, [04:35.200 --> 04:41.040] it was usually a race to see how sick I could make myself. I would eat an entire pizza, [04:41.040 --> 04:46.080] then I would top it off with ice cream, brownies, cookies, and anything else sugary I could get my [04:46.080 --> 04:52.320] paws on. I literally ate myself sick on many occasions. The next few days were often filled with [04:52.320 --> 04:59.040] over-exercising, calorie restriction, and feelings of guilt and anxiety. The mirror wasn't flattering [04:59.040 --> 05:05.280] as I usually was holding a ton of water and the scale always revealed an 8 to 10 pound weight swing. [05:06.240 --> 05:11.440] What did I do? I went to a therapist, found religion, and joined a convent. [05:12.240 --> 05:17.440] I kid. I did, however, seek help, although not through traditional methods. [05:18.160 --> 05:23.920] I sought help through self-study and personal research. I knew that what I was doing was unhealthy and [05:23.920 --> 05:29.520] could not be maintained long term. I began seeking out those in the field who were smarter and more [05:29.520 --> 05:36.240] experienced than I was. I looked to Lyle McDonald for the science behind nutrition and macro composition. [05:37.040 --> 05:42.720] Everything I could read about science-based nutrition, I read. I soon found that, in theory, [05:42.720 --> 05:48.000] the calorie is just a calorie. If calories can be controlled, it doesn't make an iota of [05:48.000 --> 05:52.640] difference as to what effects they will have on body composition. When I say calories, [05:52.640 --> 05:58.080] I'm more so referring to energy calories, such as carbohydrates and fat. Of course, protein is [05:58.080 --> 06:03.680] required to maintain lean body mass, but once a certain minimum amount of protein is met, [06:03.680 --> 06:08.960] the other calories are simply used for energy. So I had to make a decision. I could believe all [06:08.960 --> 06:15.440] the old school dogma that was leading to my binging, or I could adopt a new mindset and belief system [06:15.440 --> 06:22.560] around food and change my life for the better. My experiment. I began controlling my calories, [06:22.560 --> 06:28.960] but allowing myself to eat the foods I was craving more often. For instance, instead of a boring [06:28.960 --> 06:33.840] chicken breast and brown rice, I had a few slices of pizza and then a protein shake to meet [06:33.840 --> 06:39.040] my protein requirements. For breakfast, I would eat the same amount of carbs in the form of [06:39.040 --> 06:45.040] sugary cereal as opposed to plain oatmeal. I did this for a couple of months to gather my thoughts [06:45.040 --> 06:50.480] and collect data. What did I discover? Food choices do not make a difference at all, [06:50.480 --> 06:56.560] as long as calories are controlled. A calorie is a calorie. I also lowered my meal frequency to [06:56.640 --> 07:03.360] about 2 to 3 meals a day instead of 6 to 8. This allowed for more satiety with each meal. [07:03.360 --> 07:10.000] I found that I no longer had the urge to binge anymore. How to eliminate binge eating in three [07:10.000 --> 07:17.920] easy steps. 1. Make a choice. Decide you want to stop this behavior and make a plan to do so. [07:18.560 --> 07:24.800] Decide the route you're going to take. Plan your work and work your plan. Do not give up if you [07:24.800 --> 07:30.400] fail at first. You will not conquer this habit overnight. 2. Experiment. [07:31.360 --> 07:34.560] Try new approaches until you find something that works for you. [07:35.280 --> 07:41.920] Manipulate your energy macros. If carbs tend to make you ravenous, switch to a lower carb diet [07:41.920 --> 07:47.360] and eat more protein or fat since both are known to be more satiating. If you like to [07:47.360 --> 07:52.880] pick out on fatty foods, switch to a higher carb diet with most of the energy coming from fruits [07:52.880 --> 07:56.320] and veggies. Try different strategies until one sticks. [07:57.360 --> 08:03.680] And 3. Seek accountability. Make sure others know what you are doing and what your goals are. [08:04.400 --> 08:09.200] Tell your friends that you're committing to this. Ask them to check up on you every so often. [08:09.200 --> 08:14.800] Write in a journal daily or start a blog to document your progress. Many have started [08:14.800 --> 08:20.240] weight loss blogs for nothing else but accountability. If all else fails, get help. [08:20.240 --> 08:22.480] There is no shame in asking for help. [08:26.880 --> 08:31.440] You just listened to the post titled How I Eliminated Benjading Completely [08:31.440 --> 08:38.160] by J.C. Dean of jcdfitness.com and I'll be right back with my commentary. We're driven by the [08:38.160 --> 08:43.600] search for better. When it comes to hiring, the best way to search for a candidate isn't to search [08:43.600 --> 08:50.320] at all. Don't search. Match with Indeed. Indeed is your matching and hiring platform [08:50.320 --> 08:56.720] with over 350 million global monthly visitors and a matching engine that helps you find quality [08:56.720 --> 09:02.720] candidates fast. Ditch the busy work. Use Indeed for scheduling, screening and messaging. [09:03.360 --> 09:09.760] 93% of employers agree. Indeed delivers the highest quality matches compared to other job sites. [09:09.760 --> 09:14.160] One of the things I love about Indeed is that it filters out incompatible applicants. [09:14.160 --> 09:19.200] So when you're hiring, the process is much faster and you only have to consider applicants [09:19.200 --> 09:24.800] that are already likely to be a great fit. And listeners of this show will get a $75 [09:24.800 --> 09:31.520] sponsor job credit to get your jobs more visibility at Indeed.com slash health. [09:31.520 --> 09:37.760] Just go to Indeed.com slash health right now and support our show by saying you heard about [09:37.840 --> 09:44.000] Indeed on this podcast. Indeed.com slash health. Terms and conditions apply. [09:44.000 --> 09:50.320] Need to hire? You need Indeed. The love affair event is on at Whole Foods Market with deals [09:50.320 --> 09:56.000] on delicious desires through February 14th. The floral departments in full bloom. So look for [09:56.000 --> 10:01.520] savings on double dozen bunches of roses in the need and seafood departments. Save on animal welfare [10:01.520 --> 10:07.040] certified New York strip steaks and sustainable wild caught lobster tails to make the night sizzle. [10:07.040 --> 10:12.400] Gifts from the wellness and beauty department are always a nice touch. And you have to grab those [10:12.400 --> 10:17.120] chocolate dipped strawberries. Make Whole Foods Market your Valentine's Day destination. [10:17.760 --> 10:24.240] Dr. Neal here for my commentary. Now, JC provided us with three steps that worked for him when it [10:24.240 --> 10:30.000] came to reducing his binge eating. But again, as JC said, if you or someone you know has been [10:30.000 --> 10:35.760] struggling with binge eating or you suspect they may be experiencing it, I highly recommend having [10:35.760 --> 10:41.920] a conversation with a healthcare professional sooner rather than later. I remember days when I was [10:41.920 --> 10:47.840] just getting into resistance training and trying to bulk up and build lots of muscle. And just like [10:47.840 --> 10:56.000] JC, I read that I needed to eat more to build more muscle. So I would eat a whole medium pizza. [10:56.000 --> 11:01.600] Then I would have a 1200 calorie chicken bowl and a glass of milk before bed. I didn't think of it [11:01.600 --> 11:06.240] as binge eating at the time, but I do wonder if I would have met the criteria at that time. [11:06.960 --> 11:14.640] Now I didn't make myself sick, but I did feel really full. Anywho, here's where all of that food [11:14.640 --> 11:22.640] left me. A waste that went from 30 inches to 34 inches and blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels [11:22.640 --> 11:28.720] that looked horrible. Basically, I increased my risk for cardiovascular disease by eating like that. [11:29.360 --> 11:34.800] So I then had to refocus my attention on losing those inches around my waist and bringing my [11:34.800 --> 11:41.680] cholesterol and triglycerides back down to earth. So if you want to build bigger muscles, [11:41.680 --> 11:48.480] don't worry too much about bulking up and eating more food. There are other ways to go about it [11:48.480 --> 11:54.240] that are actually healthier and safer. Alright, that'll do it for today. I hope you have a great [11:54.240 --> 11:59.920] rest of your day, and I'll see you back here on Tomorrow's Show, where your optimal life awaits. Transcription results written to '/home/forge/transcribe2.sonicengage.com/releases/20240205230933' directory