* Tastelife is a UK Charity helping young people understand eating disorders and how to prevent them, within the context of faith in God *

Question: Do you have any practical advice for recovering from Binge Eating Disorder?

I want to start by saying that I understand where you're coming from, as I'm someone who's struggled with Compulsive Overeating for most of my adult life, and I continue to walk my journey of recovery one day at a time.

I hope the tips and information I share below will be helpful to you, alongside all the good content and support you’re receiving through the tastelife Recovery Course.

Just to note that what I’m sharing comes from my own personal experience and what I’ve learned through being part of tastelife. This isn’t official advice from tastelifeUK, but rather what’s helped me personally and might help you too. Here are your three questions below, and my responses.

1. Do you have any examples of baby steps for someone who binge eats/overeats? e.g reducing the number of binges? Or reducing the amount involved in a binge?

The key to combating binges, for me, has been learning to identify why they’re happening and what’s led up to that moment. If I’m completely honest, once the urge takes hold, it can feel almost impossible not to binge. That’s why I now put most of my time and energy into avoiding the binge in the first place.

These days, when I feel the early signs of an urge or compulsion, I try to pause, even just for a few minutes, to sit quietly and really listen to what’s going on inside me.

I ask myself questions like:

Am I anxious about a phone call I need to make or an email I’ve been putting off?
Has something a family member said or done upset me?
Am I feeling low?
Have I forgotten to take my antidepressants?

Once I’ve identified what’s actually going on, I can usually figure out some small action points or practical steps to help deal with it. Even if I can’t fully resolve the issue, just acknowledging it and doing something about it often makes the urge to binge disappear or shrink significantly.

But when I ignore those underlying things—and they build up through the day—and then I’m tired and it’s 10 pm… that’s when I find myself binging.

That’s where the real work is, not just with the food, but with what’s driving the need for it.

2. How do small steps progress to becoming recovered? Is there a time for how long this can take?

This is such a good question, and the honest answer is: there’s no set timeframe for recovery. Everyone’s journey is unique.

During the 8-session Recovery Course, we celebrate every single step towards recovery, no matter how small, because we believe in meeting people where they are. But once you get the hang of them, you’ll likely find yourself taking more and more steps without even realising it.

How long that takes varies hugely and depends on things like:

Your personality and character traits
How determined or ready you are to change
How long you’ve been struggling
The support systems you have in place
Life circumstances, health, and other individual factors

I’ve seen people make amazing progress within a year of doing the Recovery Course, and well on their way to full recovery.

Others may still be at the beginning stages, and that’s okay. Also, it’s really important to say this: relapse is a part of recovery. It doesn’t mean failure. It’s a sign that there’s more to explore and that it may be time to revisit some of the basics.

The key is learning how to pick yourself up, be kind to yourself, and keep going. So with all of that in mind, no, I can’t say how long recovery takes. But I do know that every small step counts, and the journey is always worth taking.

3. What does a recovered over-eater/binge eater’s life look like then and now? Do they still binge & overeat? Is it considered a failure if they still get the urge to binge? Do they still have food and celebrate with it, i.e. at Christmas/birthdays, or do they stay abstinent?

At tastelife, we truly believe in and have seen full recovery. That includes physical, mental, and spiritual recovery. For someone who has reached this stage, it can almost become hard to remember what it was really like to live with an eating disorder. The tools and techniques learned along the way become a natural part of their lifestyle. Thinking, feeling, and behaving in new ways means they’re not regularly placing themselves in situations where they’re tempted to binge or overeat.

In many ways, a recovered binge eater’s life starts to look like anyone else's, a ‘normal’ life, free from the grip of disordered eating.

That means:

Yes, they celebrate with food, like anyone might at Christmas, birthdays, or on holiday.
Yes, they might eat a little more during those times, and then naturally return to a more balanced rhythm afterwards.
And yes, they may eat less at other times—when feeling unwell, in hot weather, or during busier seasons of life—just like someone without an eating disorder would.

But here's the important caveat:
Even in full recovery, there’s often a lasting self-awareness. A recognition that, in times of stress, sadness, or crisis, the old coping mechanisms may try to resurface. For example, if someone has been well for years but then experiences a sudden and deeply upsetting bereavement, it's good practice for them to remain mindful. They may need to revisit the techniques that helped them recover in the first place.

It’s a bit like any other physical or mental vulnerability:

Someone with asthma may take extra precautions during flu season.
Someone with dental issues won’t miss a check-up.
And someone in recovery from an eating disorder remains self-aware and kind to themselves if old feelings emerge.

It’s not failure to feel the urge to binge again. As I mentioned, relapse is widely recognised as part of the recovery journey. In my opinion, the only true failure would be giving up entirely and surrendering to the eating disorder without trying to fight it again.

Recovery is possible. Full recovery is real. But it's also a journey that may require ongoing care, selfcompassion, and a toolbox of strategies to return to if needed. These are the tools we give you.

I truly hope these top tips and insights from my personal experience are helpful to you. Wishing you all the very best for the rest of the tastelife Recovery Course and in your ongoing journey of recovery.

- Marie