Ways to Stop Binge Eating

Binge eating is not only the biggest contributor to weight gain, it is also the biggest detriment to losing weight. The bad news is that studies show that our bodies are wired to binge. The good news is that we can rewire our thinking when it comes to our eating patterns.

According to Lifescript: Healthy Living for Women, our bodies are wired to eat as much food as it can when food is available and wired to slow down eating when the food is not available. According to Susan Roberts, Ph.D, co-author of The Instinct Diet: Use Your Five Food Instincts to Lose Weight and Keep it Off (Workman Publishing), seeing or smelling our favorite foods sets off signals in our brain that make it virtually impossible to pass them up.

David Kessler, MD, author of The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite, says that brain scans of overeaters reveal "that their brains are excessively activated by fat, sugar and salt". Eating those food activates the brains pathways and as a result, people continue to overeat when around certain triggers.

How can we rewire our brains to avoid binging? There are a few things we can do.

Eliminate the triggers that cause us to overeat. If we have cookies, chips, and other trigger foods readily available around the house, then our brains are going to continue to tell us to eat them. However, if we remove those trigger foods from sight, we are more likely to pass them up and eat what is available to us.

I can think of times when I have been hungry and wanted to eat something unhealthy like cookies or chips, but those foods were not around. I was perfectly happy to eat an apple or some almonds. Yes, I could have driven to the store and purchased the junk food, but I didn't. I ate what was around me.

Load up on protein and fiber. Another way to avoid binge eating is to avoid getting very hungry. Protein and fiber will stay in your system for a longer period of time, helping you to feel full.

When I increased my fiber and protein intake, I was amazed at how satisfied I felt throughout the day. It really did help to eliminate my need to binge.

Don't be afraid to snack. Snacking between meals is important because it helps to keep our metabolism and blood sugar from plunging. When planning out your meals and calories throughout the day, leave room for at least 2 snacks of approximately 100-200 calories each.

I grew up believing that snacking was detrimental to anyone trying to lose weight. This was good news to me when I found out that snacking is helpful. I just needed to learn how to eat healthy snacks.

Retrain your brain. Start telling yourself that sugary, fatty foods are no good for you. Instead, tell yourself that lean meats, fresh fruits,vegetables, and whole grains are good for you. The more you tell this to yourself, the more you will begin to rewire your brain into actually believing it.

Allow yourself a favorite treat. Each day allow yourself a small portion of your favorite food. Keep the calorie count at 150 calories or less. By doing this, you will not feel so deprived. Just be careful not to allow a taste of your favorite treat to cause you to binge. Tell yourself that you can have another treat tomorrow...and that there is no reason to eat more.

By following these tips, you will find yourself on the path to weight loss success.