If you’ve done the work to stop counting calories, tossed out the diet apps, and started allowing more freedom with food—yet you still find yourself bingeing—you’re not alone. One of the most frustrating parts of healing your relationship with food is realizing that restriction isn’t always obvious. It can show up in subtle, sneaky ways that still keep your body and brain in survival mode.

Here are a few common reasons you might still be struggling with binge eating, even if you think you’re not restricting:

1. You’re stuck in an “All or Nothing” mindset.

If you’ve ever found yourself thinking,
“I already ate one, so I might as well eat all of them,”
or
“I was already ‘bad’ today, so might as well say f* it,”**
—then you know the power of black-and-white thinking.

This mindset is incredibly common when you’re trying to unlearn diet rules. You may have given yourself permission to eat more freely, but without true psychological permission, you might still feel out of control around ...