Binge Eating Breakthrough

Jane Pilger

The Binge Eating Breakthrough Podcast is for anyone looking to break through the cycle of binge eating, compulsive overeating, emotional eating and food addiction. No matter how long you’ve struggled or how many things you’ve tried, you will learn the strategies, tools and mindset you need to find peace with food.

Whether you're struggling with binge eating yourself or seeking to support a loved one on their journey to recovery, the Binge Eating Breakthrough podcast offers valuable insights, and expert advice to guide you toward freedom from disordered eating habits. Discover the tools, resources, and encouragement you need to break free from the cycle of binge eating and embrace a way of eating that is nourishing, supportive, and sustainable.

Master Certified Coach Jane Pilger's approach is rooted in the science of the brain and body, trauma-informed, and filled with compassion. Tune in every Wednesday for a new perspective you may have never heard of before.

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#203
Wednesday · 25 min
The Difference Between Numbing Out and Resting
From the outside, rest and numbing out can look exactly the same. Sitting on the couch. Watching TV. Scrolling your phone. Reading a book. Even eating. In this episode, we’re looking beyond the activity itself to understand what it’s actually doing for you. I’ll share why numbing isn’t automatically a problem, how to recognize what you actually need, and a recent Monday when I caught myself in a pattern that used to lead to a binge and made a different choice. What You'll Discover: Why rest and numbing can look exactly the same Why numbing isn't automatically a problem How to recognize what you actually need and whether you're getting it How greater awareness gives you more choice in what happens next If you've ever wondered whether you're actually resting or just checking out, this episode will give you a different way to understand what's happening. If you're wondering whether your nervous system might be part of this pattern for you, grab my free guide, Mapping Your Nervous System. Previous Episode Referenced: Why Rest Feels Unproductive (Even When You Need It) Want to know why you struggle with food and what to do next? Start watching The Food Freedom Mini Series today.
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#202
September 16 · 23 min
Why Rest Feels Unproductive (Even When You Need It)
You know you need rest. You might even be exhausted. But when you finally have the chance to stop, you find yourself reaching for your phone, thinking about everything you should be doing, or getting back up to tackle one more thing. In this episode, we're looking at the gap between knowing you need rest and actually being able to take it. I talk about why stopping can feel surprisingly uncomfortable, what staying in motion might be doing for you, and why the discomfort that shows up when you slow down may be useful information rather than evidence that you're bad at resting. What You'll Discover: Why knowing you need rest doesn't automatically make it easy to rest What productivity and staying in motion might be doing for you Why thoughts, emotions, and sensations can get louder when you slow down How to start getting curious about your own relationship with rest If you've ever wondered why you can't seem to relax even when you know how much you need it, this episode will help you look at rest through a different lens. If you're wondering whether your nervous system might be part of what's making rest so difficult, grab my free guide, Mapping Your Nervous System. Want to know why you struggle with food and what to do next? Start watching The Food Freedom Mini Series today.
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#201
September 9 · 24 min
ADHD and Binge Eating: What's the Connection?
Is there really a connection between ADHD and binge eating? Research shows ADHD and binge eating show up together far more than chance would explain, and once you see what's actually driving that overlap, some of your own patterns might finally make sense. In this episode, I'm looking at what the research actually tells us about ADHD and binge eating and, more importantly, how this information might help you better understand your own eating patterns. What You'll Discover: The real research connection between ADHD and binge eating What ADHD explains and what it doesn't How attention and hunger and fullness cues might be connected The question worth asking instead of "is ADHD why I binge?" If you've been diagnosed with ADHD, suspect you might have it, or simply recognize yourself in some of these patterns, this episode is for you. If you would like to explore getting support with your eating challenges, schedule a Breakthrough Call today. If you want to go deeper into the four pillars I mention in this episode, you can find my book, The Binge Eating Breakthrough. Want to know why you struggle with food and what to do next? Start watching The Food Freedom Mini Series today.
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#200
September 2 · 23 min
20 Things You Need to Know to Stop Binge Eating
In this 200th episode of the Binge Eating Breakthrough Podcast, I'm sharing the 20 things I most want you to understand about binge eating and what it really takes to change your relationship with food. Maybe you're still caught in the binge eating cycle and wondering why nothing you've tried has created lasting change. Or maybe you've already made significant progress but still find yourself struggling with urges, food rules, or trusting yourself around food. Either way, this isn't a list of 20 tips or another plan to follow. It's 20 ways of understanding binge eating, restriction, urges, nervous system regulation, self-trust, food freedom, connection, and progress that may change the way you understand your relationship with food and yourself. What You'll Discover: Why binge eating is a symptom and what your behavior may be trying to tell you How you can be eating enough food and still experience restriction Why an urge to binge and a binge are two different things Why knowing what to do isn't the same as having the capacity to do it Why connection may be one of the most important pieces of ending binge eating If you've ever felt like you've tried everything to stop binge eating and can't understand why you still struggle, this episode offers a different place to start: not with another set of rules, but with a better understanding of what's happening and why. Want all 20 ideas in one place? I've created a free download with all 20 Things You Need to Know to Stop Binge Eating so you can save them, revisit them, and notice which ones might change the way you understand your own experience. Get your free copy at janepilger.com/top20 Want to know why you struggle with food and what to do next? Start watching The Food Freedom Mini Series today.
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#199
August 26 · 24 min
Who Are You Practicing Becoming?
In this episode I'm exploring a question most of us have never consciously asked ourselves: Who am I practicing becoming? Maybe you're still deep in the binge and restrict cycle, waiting for the day it finally stops. Or maybe you've already made real progress and you're wondering why you still don't feel as free as you thought you would. Either way, I break down why the life you want doesn't start with your circumstances changing, and what it actually means to build it from the inside out, one small practice at a time. What you'll discover: Why you're always practicing becoming someone, whether you realize it or not The difference between internal and external when-then thinking Why your nervous system fights change even when you want it What it actually means to build your life from the inside out If you've ever thought your peace was waiting on the other side of losing weight, changing jobs, or someone else finally changing, this episode is for you. If you would like to explore getting support with your eating challenges, schedule a Breakthrough Call today. Want to know why you struggle with food and what to do next? Start watching The Food Freedom Mini Series today.
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#198
August 19 · 32 min
5 Things That Changed My Relationship With Food
What does it really take to change your relationship with food? That's the question I'm answering in this episode, in a very specific way. Whether you're just starting to look closely at your relationship with food for the first time or you've already put in years of work and still find certain moments hard, I'm walking through five specific things that changed everything for me. What You'll Discover: The real reason awareness has to come before anything else A tool I use almost daily to reconnect with my body The one question that replaced years of self-judgment Three forms of courage that might surprise you If you've tried to change your relationship with food through willpower alone and it just hasn't stuck, this episode walks through what will. If you would like to explore getting support with your eating challenges, schedule a Breakthrough Call today. Want to know why you struggle with food and what to do next? Start watching The Food Freedom Mini Series today.
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#197
August 12 · 24 min
The Difference Between Reading About Change and Doing It
In this episode, I'm talking about something I think a lot of us are quietly doing without realizing it. Maybe you're still in it, reading and listening to everything you can find about binge eating and emotional eating, trying to finally understand it well enough that something changes. Or maybe you've already gone through most of what's out there and you're left wondering why understanding it hasn't actually changed anything. Either way, we're diving into the real difference between learning about change and actually doing it, and why staying informed, through books, podcasts, or anything else, can quietly become its own way of staying stuck. What you'll discover: Why understanding something doesn't automatically change it What I call shelf-help, and why it feels so safe What reading actually gives you, and what it doesn't What doing the work actually requires If you've read every book, listened to every podcast, and you're still stuck in the same place with food, this episode is for you. The Book Experience begins August 18 and enrollment is open now. You can also find my book, The Binge Eating Breakthrough, and the companion workbook at janepilger.com/book. Want to know why you struggle with food and what to do next? Start watching The Food Freedom Mini Series today.
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#196
August 5 · 25 min
What You Actually Need to Find Peace With Food
In this episode, I'm talking about what actually creates peace with food, because it's probably not what you've been told. Maybe you're still in it, trying every rule and every plan to stop binge eating or emotional eating. Or maybe you've already tried most of what's out there, from books to structured programs, and you're left wondering why none of it fully stuck. Either way, I'm breaking down the four things that actually get you to trusting yourself around food again, and why more willpower or another set of food rules was never going to be one of them. What you'll discover: Why information and support alone weren't enough The four things that actually create peace with food Why shame keeps people stuck instead of motivating change What it actually feels like to trust yourself around food If you've tried nearly everything to stop binge eating or emotional eating and you're starting to wonder what you're missing, this episode is for you. Check out my book The Binge Eating Breakthrough. Join me for the live Book Experience beginning August 18th. Want to know why you struggle with food and what to do next? Start watching The Food Freedom Mini Series today.
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#195
July 29 · 40 min
Everything You Wish You Could Ask Your Doctor About GLP-1s
In this episode, I'm continuing last week's conversation about GLP-1 medications, but this time I brought in someone who actually is the expert. Dr. Matthea Rentea, a board certified internal medicine and obesity medicine physician, joins me to answer the questions I'm not qualified to answer myself. Maybe you're on a GLP-1 right now and know there's more to it than what your last appointment covered. Or maybe you're considering one and don't know where to start. Either way, we get into what these medications actually do in the body, who they're really for, and what almost nobody tells you about using them well for the long haul. What you'll discover: Why GLP-1s target a hormonal problem, not a willpower one The warning signs of losing muscle too fast, and how to prevent it Why going without the right support can backfire How to tell if your medical team is helping or hurting you If you've ever wondered whether you're using a GLP-1 the right way, or whether it's the right choice at all, this conversation is for you. Previous episodes referenced: What a GLP-1 Can't Do for Your Binge Eating If this conversation left you with more questions, Dr. Rentea has answers waiting. Her free podcast roadmap lets you search by exactly what you want to know, whether that's a specific medication, protein, fiber, or anything else that came up for you today. You can also learn more at her website. Want to know why you struggle with food and what to do next? Start watching The Food Freedom Mini Series today.
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#194
July 22 · 27 min
What a GLP-1 Can't Do for Your Binge Eating
In this episode, I'm answering a handful of questions that come up again and again around GLP-1 medications and binge eating. Maybe you're on one right now and still working out what it means for you. Or maybe you're considering starting one and aren't sure what to expect. Either way, I get into what these medications can actually do, what they can't touch, and what it really takes to feel at peace with food, whether you use one or not. What you'll discover: Why a GLP-1 is a tool, but never the only one What these medications can quiet, and what stays underneath What determines whether old patterns return when you stop What no medication can touch, no matter how much weight changes If you've ever wondered whether using a GLP-1 means you didn't really do the work, or you're on one and still don't feel at peace with food, this episode is for you. If you would like to explore getting support with your eating challenges, schedule a Breakthrough Call today. Want to know why you struggle with food and what to do next? Start watching The Food Freedom Mini Series today.
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#193
July 15 · 29 min
Who Are You Without the Food Struggle?
In this episode, I'm answering a question your brain may already be asking without you realizing it. Maybe you're still in it, trying to stop binge eating or find some peace with food. Or maybe you've already reached your goal and don't know what to do with yourself, or your life, without the constant food noise. Either way, I explore why the food struggle can quietly become an identity, and what it actually takes to figure out who you are without binge eating or the constant focus on food, diet, and weight. What You'll Discover: Why the food struggle becomes an identity, not just a behavior Why "who would I be without this" is so hard to answer What's actually underneath the struggle How to build an identity your brain can move toward If you've ever felt like food, diet, or weight has taken up more space in your life than you'd like, whether you're in the thick of it or standing on the other side wondering what's next, this episode is for you. Previous episodes referenced: Your Identity as an Eater The Part of You That Hides The Part of You That Checks Out If you would like to explore getting support with your eating challenges, schedule a Breakthrough Call today. Want to know why you struggle with food and what to do next? Start watching The Food Freedom Mini Series today.
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#192
July 8 · 28 min
The Part of You That Checks Out
This episode explores the part that goes numb, zones out, and checks out when things get hard, and what it means that so much eating happens while we're not fully there. I draw on my own experience of surfacing mid-binge and not knowing where I'd been, and look at why eating on autopilot makes complete sense as a protective strategy, and what it actually takes to start building enough safety to stay present. What You'll Discover: Why eating on autopilot and zoning out around food aren't about willpower and what the part doing the checking out is actually protecting you from Why the checking out tends to get harder to interrupt over time and what it costs you to keep not being there What the part that checks out actually needs and why trying to force yourself to stay present tends to make it worse Why the most useful moment isn't when you checked out and everything to do with what was happening right before If you've ever found yourself coming back to awareness mid-binge and genuinely not knowing how you got there, this episode is for you. Previous episodes referenced: The Part of You That Hides Understanding the Part of You That Wants to Binge (Part 1) If you would like to explore getting support with your eating challenges, schedule a Breakthrough Call today. Want to know why you struggle with food and what to do next? Start watching The Food Freedom Mini Series today.
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#191
July 1 · 26 min
The Part of You That Hides
Does it ever feel like you are living a double life? Where you eat one way around other people but a completely different way in secret? Do you have a part of you that wants to hide your eating behaviors but don't understand why you do it or how to stop? In this episode, I share from my own experience of hiding my binge eating for years, including a memory of sneaking food as a young child, and explore why secret eating and hiding food make complete sense as a protective strategy, and what it actually takes to begin stepping out of it. What You'll Discover: Why secret eating and hiding food aren't character flaws and what the part doing the hiding is actually trying to do Why the hiding tends to increase the shame over time and what living a double life around food costs over time What the part that hides actually needs and why forced accountability tends to backfire Why the first step out of hiding has nothing to do with telling anyone and everything to do with how you see yourself If you've been carrying this alone, whether no one knows at all or the people in your life only know part of it, this episode is for you. Previous episodes referenced: How to Talk to Your Loved Ones About Your Secret Eating Understanding the Part of You That Wants to Binge (Part 1) If you would like to explore getting support with your eating challenges, schedule a Breakthrough Call today. Want to know why you struggle with food and what to do next? Start watching The Food Freedom Mini Series today.
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#190
June 24 · 26 min
What Does It Mean to Feel Safe in Your Body?
If the idea of feeling safe in your body sounds unfamiliar, or even a little strange, you're not alone. In this episode we explore why so many people disconnect from their bodies in the first place, why that disconnection makes complete sense as a nervous system response, and what safety in the body actually feels like when you begin to find it. You'll also get a short guided experience to help you recognize that feeling for yourself, and one simple daily practice to start building it. What You'll Discover: Why disconnecting from your body is a nervous system adaptation, not a character flaw How the two-way communication between your brain and body shapes your relationship with food What feeling safe in your body actually feels like, and how to begin recognizing it Why this work is often hard to do alone, and what co-regulation makes possible If you've ever wondered why you reach for food even when you're not hungry, or why being still and quiet feels unbearable, this episode may answer questions you didn't know you had. Want to go deeper? Explore The Gathering, a monthly guided experience to learn how to trust yourself. Book a Breakthrough Call. Want to know why you struggle with food and what to do next? Start watching The Food Freedom Mini Series today.
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#189
June 17 · 24 min
When Giving Yourself Food Freedom Backfires
You did the work to let go of the rules, challenge the rigidity, and give yourself permission to eat freely. And then the pendulum swung in the other direction, and the freedom didn't feel like freedom at all. This episode is for anyone who has experienced food freedom and found it more complicated than expected, and for anyone holding tightly to restriction because the other end of the pendulum looks too frightening to risk. This episode explores what's actually happening when food freedom feels like it's working against you, and what it looks like when the pendulum finally stops swinging in either direction. What You'll Discover: The difference between food freedom and body connection Why the pendulum swing happens and what's actually happening in the body when freedom feels out of control What real food freedom feels like and how to start imagining that for yourself A question to sit with to begin developing your own definition of food freedom If you're wondering what it looks like to do this deeper work with support, schedule a Breakthrough Call today. This is the third episode in a three-part series on what happens when the old strategies stop working. Listen to the first two episodes here: How to Measure Success Beyond the Scale What If I Need to Lose Weight for My Health? Want to know why you struggle with food and what to do next? Start watching The Food Freedom Mini Series today.
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#188
June 10 · 26 min
What If I Need to Lose Weight for My Health?
This episode comes directly from a listener question, one I hear in some form regularly. What do you do when your doctor has told you that losing weight is medically necessary, but everything you've tried has kept you stuck in the same cycle? With her permission, I share a message from a listener who has been in the binge and restrict cycle for over 45 years and is navigating real health consequences. We discuss why restriction, even for medical reasons, keeps the cycle spinning, and what it actually looks like to work toward health when the scale has been the only measure you've ever known. What You'll Discover: Why restriction backfires even when the medical reason for it is real and serious How to hold both truths at once: your doctor's concern is valid, and another diet is not the answer What to focus on instead of body size and why these behaviors directly support the health markers that matter Why what you focus on expands, and how shifting from "what to lose" to "what to add" changes everything If you've ever felt caught between a medical recommendation and the knowledge that dieting makes things worse for you, this episode is for you. Previous episode referenced: Supportive Structure If you would like to explore getting support with your eating challenges, schedule a Breakthrough Call today. Want to know why you struggle with food and what to do next? Start watching The Food Freedom Mini Series today.
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#187
June 3 · 20 min
How to Measure Success Beyond the Scale
If the number on the scale has been your primary way of knowing whether things are going well with food, this episode is for you. A conversation with a new client, who is literally a scientist, sparked something I knew I had to bring to the podcast. You can be making real progress, feeling calmer around food, binging less, feeling more connected, and still find yourself on the scale waiting for the number to confirm what you're already experiencing. And when it doesn't? All that real progress disappears. In this episode, I talk about why the scale is measuring the wrong thing entirely, what it actually means to track success in your relationship with food, and what I've seen in my own experience when a number became the thing I was chasing. What You'll Discover: Why chasing a number keeps you in monitoring mode rather than in connection with yourself What the scale can't measure and why that data matters more than the number My own experience with using the scale as a measure of control, and what I can see now that I couldn't then What to do with the scale if you're not ready to put it away entirely If you've ever felt like you were making progress, only to have the scale talk you out of it, this episode will give you a different way to measure what's actually happening. If you want to know what it would look like to explore this with support, schedule a Breakthrough Call today. Want to know why you struggle with food and what to do next? Start watching The Food Freedom Mini Series today.
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#186
May 27 · 22 min
What Self-Trust Around Food Actually Means
"I just don't trust myself around food." If that sentence is familiar, this episode is for you. Today I'm unpacking what self-trust actually is, and what it isn't, because most people are working toward a version of self-trust that was never achievable to begin with. And that definition might quietly be keeping you stuck. What You'll Discover: Why the most common definition of self-trust sets you up to fail before you even begin What self-trust actually is The difference between self-monitoring and self-awareness, and why one creates more shame while the other creates real change Why respect is often more accessible than love, and how practicing respect with your body builds the safety that self-trust actually requires If you've ever dismissed your own progress because you didn't get it perfect, this episode will give you a different place to stand. Mentioned in this episode: The Gathering is a monthly guided experience for women who want to slow down and learn how to trust themselves. Each session, I bring the topics I'm personally working through and the patterns I keep seeing in my clients, and we go there together. Our most recent session was a full conversation on self-trust, self-respect and self-love. Replays are available for one month until the next live call. What to Do After a Binge: your 5 step guide to return to yourself after a binge or out of control moment with food. Want to know why you struggle with food and what to do next? Start watching The Food Freedom Mini Series today.
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#185
May 20 · 27 min
Your Food Struggles Might Actually Be a Transition Problem
If you've ever wondered why binge eating or emotional eating seems to happen at the same times of day, after work, after lunch, on Sunday nights, or when you get home from a trip, this episode is going to reframe everything. The answer might not be about food at all. It might be about transitions. In this episode I break down what transitions actually are, why the brain finds them so hard to navigate, and how so many binge eating triggers are really just transition moments your nervous system didn't know how to get through. Whether you're dealing with the small daily transitions that fly under the radar or a bigger life change that's been quietly driving your eating, this episode will help you finally understand what's happening and what to do about it. What You'll Discover: Why your brain treats transitions as a threat and how that drives binge eating and stress eating urges The daily transition moments most people never recognize and how to spot the ones that are hardest for you How to tell if a big life transition is behind your current food struggles and the question to ask yourself right now How to minimize transitions where you can — a nervous system strategy that also happens to be a productivity strategy A practical framework for navigating the transitions you can't avoid so food stops being your brain's default relief valve If you've ever found yourself reaching for food after work, during a stressful season, or at the same time every day without knowing why, this episode will help you finally connect those dots. Binge eating triggers aren't random. And understanding them is the first step to changing them. Do you want help navigating big or small transitions? Schedule a Breakthrough Call today. Want to know why you struggle with food and what to do next? Start watching The Food Freedom Mini Series today.
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#184
May 13 · 24 min
What Happens When You Can't Keep Busy Anymore
If you struggle with binge eating and feel like you're holding it together on the outside while something quietly unravels on the inside, this episode is for you. A contestant on the survival show Alone had everything he needed to win and tapped out on day eight anyway. Not because of anything going wrong on the outside. Because of everything he had never learned to be with on the inside. His story reveals something important about why binge eating happens and why willpower will never be the answer. What You'll Discover: Why high-achieving people who struggle with binge eating often don't recognize their own coping mechanisms What binge eating and emotional avoidance have in common — and what the body is actually reaching for The difference between a willpower problem and a capacity problem — and why it changes everything about binge eating recovery Why building capacity to be with difficult emotions is hard to do alone — and what support actually looks like If you've ever wondered why you binge eat even when life looks fine from the outside, or why staying busy feels easier than slowing down, this episode will help you understand what's actually going on underneath. If you're ready for support with your relationship with food, schedule a Breakthrough Call today. Want to know why you struggle with food and what to do next? Start watching The Food Freedom Mini Series today.
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