Stop Binge Eating

(Say, "Hi Rachel!")

I eat when I'm happy.
I eat when I'm sad.
I eat when I'm bored.
I eat when I'm mad.

I know when a binge is coming on, because I plan for it. I think of everything I want to eat and get myself worked up into a feeding frenzy.

I need to do several things to avoid a head-on collision with a New York Cheesecake or a pint of Haagen Daz pecan praline ice cream.

Find out what has unhinged a binge

I distract myself. That usually means getting myself physically away from food. I leave the house. I go for a walk or a drive with no money or credit cards to buy food. Just because I'm not near the kitchen doesn't mean I stop thinking of the foods I want to binge on. While I'm out, I try to focus on what has triggered this need for food. Sometimes I can pinpoint it, sometimes not. If not, I blame it on hormones. That always works. I don't go back into the house until I've talked myself out of the foods I'm craving long enough to do this next thing.

Have a meal heavy on protein with some complex carbohydrates

Once I allow myself back in the kitchen, I have something to eat that I know will make me feel full. If I'm hungry, there's no way I will ever keep myself from binging. I usually have protein, like chicken, in the fridge. I put a decent size piece on a plate, heat up some rice, potato or sweet potato to go with it and eat. If I feel like I'm starving, I have a big bowl of salad with oil and rice vinegar dressing. It takes a while for the protein and carbs to kick in, so I get out of the kitchen and go do this next thing.

Brush your teeth with strong minty toothpaste

Anything I eat after brushing my teeth tastes terrible. I don't ever brush my teeth to avoid eating, though. I eat the proteins and carbs first. I usually have to force it down because I want something else really, really bad. Then I brush my teeth.

Distract yourself with the computer, knitting, cleaning, anything to keep your hands busy!

Keeping my hands and mind busy usually gets me past the crisis point. I know why I want to eat, my tummy is full, my mouth tastes like mint, and I have something I'm in the middle of and don't want to stop. As insurance for not wanting to go back to the kitchen, because I can eat even if I feel full, I do the following:

Drink ice water

Room temperature water doesn't do it for me. I don't even like water. If I drink ice water, it makes me feel a little queasy, which puts me off wanting to eat. I know that if I take one bite of my favorite binge food, it's gone. Binge eaters can't satisfy themselves with one bite, or even one serving, so they have to avoid even the smallest taste when they're in "binge mode".

To stop binge eating, the best way is not to start. If you are already in the middle of a feeding frenzy, guzzle a glass of ice water or go brush your teeth. Force yourself to do this or you'll continue to binge til you burst.

One last tip. I have binge buddies. Not people who eat with me, but people who stop me from binging. One is my son, the other is a friend I can call on the phone or email to say I'm wanting to binge. Between the two of them, they talk me through the crisis point. Binge eaters normally won't binge in front of other people. It's something we do on our own. We can't always surround ourselves with people, so having someone to contact is the next best thing.

It might sound funny to those who don't have these cravings to eat massive amounts of sweet foods or salty foods or alternate between the two, but it's a real problem that I've had to learn to control. These things work for me and I hope you find what works for you and take control of your binges.

Source:
Personal Experience

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