Your Cart is Empty
Binge eating is a two-faced villain. It lures and coddles delicious food and lambasts with guilt and a body you don't want to look at. Its sweet voice says: it's only one slice; it's only one beer – easy to stop, my dear.
No, it's not. It's extremely hard to ignore the impulse to eat when you obsess about food all the time. It’s more like a secret love affair where thoughts about food have become your constant companion.
But you must know, you must realize: binge eating is a mental health condition. It's serious. You need a strategy, or a few, to beat this villain into submission. Now, I'm going to share a few with you. Pick and choose among them. Find what you think may work for you.
If you are the kind of person who questions everything and everybody, then working out what's causing this behavior might work for you. Commontriggers of binge eating are stress, emotional issues, or boredom. I always find that once I understand the why, I can start making plans.
Get your hands on some of the excellent books written on the subject. I know it has been very illuminating for some people and started them on the road to a healthier relationship with food and themselves.
Understand that binging is usually more than a physical issue, rather it can be a consequence of deteriorating emotional or mental health. So, a good idea is to talk to a professional to understand the condition and what's lying behind your behavior.
These professionals have strategies and tools that can help you.
Your body needs consistent nourishment. Research has shown a link between skipping meals and weight gain. Skipping a meal brings you under the misconception that you have decreased your calorie intake, in the meantime, depriving yourself of food can increase the risk of overeating.
Research from 2008 shows that study subjects whoate only one meal per day had higher morning blood sugar levels compared to those who ate three meals a day. They also had higher levels of the hunger-stimulating hormone ghrelin.
A binge eating episode is usually triggered by something – an event, the environment, boredom, emotions, or any of a myriad trigger events.
The need to distract yourself from something or someone, or to relieve a feeling of boredom are common triggers for some people. Finding yourself surrounded by food, such as in a food court, or a supermarket can trigger an overwhelming need to eat until you drop.
Try to discover your triggers and find help to deal with them if you can't do it on your own.
This is probably the best thing you can do for yourself. Food manufacturers use isolated chemicals to flavor food and make it taste better. For instance, food manufacturers add things like salt and fat to make the food taste better, making it harder for people to stop eating it.
Food like cookies, donuts, and cakes are not satisfying because they are not nutritious, which is one reason why you keep eating once you've started. It's not your lack of willpower; it's the food you're eating. Actually, if you are treating these things as regular food, you're mistaken. They are ultra-processed food which has been shown to have astrong association with obesity.
Diets help people to lose weight by eliminating entire food groups or significantly limiting calorie intake. Usually, these kinds of eating patterns are difficult to keep up, leading to intense cravings and the inevitable relapse. As soon as you start eating normally again the weight just comes back. Restrictive eating tends toincrease the risk of binge eating. It leads to intense cravings and an unhealthy focus on food.
Whole foods tend to have fewer calories than processed food, so we are unlikely to eat an excess of calories when we eat whole foods as opposed to processed foods that are more calorie-dense.
Whole foods are high in fiber, which helps toregulate appetite by slowing digestion and creating a feeling of fullness, reducing the amount you eat.
Examples of whole food are:
Meat (not processed)
Fish
Poultry
Eggs
Whole milk and milk products
Fruit
Vegetables
Legumes
Nuts and seeds
You can easily increase the amount of fiber in your diet by taking aplant-based fiber powder.
Protein is themost satiating macronutrient, even more satisfying than carbohydrates or fat. Eating foods high in protein such as meat, fish, poultry, dairy, legumes, and nuts will make you feel fuller for longer.
Research shows that eating more protein canhelp keep weight stable by making you feel fuller for longer because digesting protein increases calorie burning.
An easy way to immediately increase your protein intake and start stabilizing your appetite is to take a high-qualityprotein powder.
A good, solid breakfast that makes you feel full and satisfied is a sure way to keep cravings at bay until lunchtime. The secret is to eat a breakfast high in protein, and fiber. For instance, a breakfast of eggs and lean meat with whole wheat bread, beans, tomatoes, and mushrooms is going to keep you satisfied for hours. Provided you don't prepare it with a lot of fat, you can have as much as you like.
Research evidence indicates aparallel rise in high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) consumption and obesity rates in the United States. Between 1970 and 1990, HFCS consumption increased by 1,000% – a surge that coincided with a significant rise in obesity rates during the same period.
The same study explains that fructose, unlike glucose, doesn’t trigger insulin release or increase leptin – two hormones that help control hunger and body weight. This means consuming fructose may lead to increased calorie intake and weight gain. The conclusion was that drinking high-fructose corn syrup may play a role in the obesity epidemic.
Who doesn't love snacking? Actually, if you do it right, snacking between meals can help you lose weight. But you need to be smart about the type of snacks. A review of several studies concluded that eating snacks between meals has thepotential to promote satiety and prevent overeating at the subsequent meal. These studies concluded that whole food snacks high in protein, fiber, and whole grains, such as nuts, yogurt, prunes, and popcorn help you feel full so you're not so hungry at the next meal.
I can attest to this strategy. A healthy snack in the afternoon definitely dampens my interest in food in the evening. My go-to is a small bowl of nuts, seeds, and cheese cubes.
Natural foods like those derived from ruminant animals (cows) do contain trans fats. But these are only present in minute amounts and so, most of these trans fats are present in processed foods.
Trans fats are created by introducing hydrogen molecules into vegetable oils, which turn them into a solid. This is what margarine is, which is used in commercial baked goods and other processed foods because butter is expensive and doesn't last as long.
Trans fats are unhealthy because they raise bad cholesterol and lower good cholesterol, which is why the recommendation for trans fats is“as little as possible”.
If you carry weight on your abdomen you might want to take note of thisresearch that found monkeys fed trans fats gained significant weight in particular, belly fat.
Examples of trans fat-containing foods to avoid:
Fried foods (e.g., fried chicken, French fries)
Baked goods (e.g., pastries, cakes, cookies)
Margarine and shortening
Packaged snacks (e.g., chips, microwave popcorn)
Frozen meals (e.g., frozen pizza, ready-to-eat meals)
Non-dairy creamers
This stuff is unhealthy and they pack on the pounds – if you're going to binge eat, at least don't let it be something containing trans fats.
If you love sweets, this is the most difficult part of tackling binge eating. It's difficult because sugar has a way of making you want more. The usual advice is to eat fruit to get your sugar fix, but I have another suggestion for you that works for me.
Sugar cravings may just mean you are hungry. Try to satisfy this craving by eating a meal or snack rich in fiber and protein. This may do the trick! But remember no sauces, condiments or sugar.
After eating, wait a few minutes and you won't want anything sweet. Rinse and repeat.
The definition of binge eating includes two aspects: (1) Eating a large amount of food and (2) In a short time. Overcoming binge eating involves eating less and eating slower.
Eating slower can help you prevent a binge eating episode because of how digestion works. When you eat fast, your body doesn't have enough time to signal fullness. Eating fast prevents your body from properly registering that you have eaten and are full, so you keep eating. It takes about 20 minutes for the brain and stomach to register a feeling of fullness.
Drinking water can help you to eat less. It’s because water fills up space in your stomach, stimulating it to send signals to your brain that it's full and for you to stop eating.
Research evidence supports this tactic. Two studies from 2014 and 2013 concluded that drinking water helps with appetite suppression and weight loss. In the 2014 study, overweight females who drank500 milliliters of water 30 minutes before breakfast, lunch, and dinner in addition to the water they normally drink, experienced a smaller appetite and lost weight and body fat.
I know not everybody has the time or inclination for exercise, but it helps if you just get moving something that you enjoy. Physical movement helps to keep weight in check by burning calories, but that's not the only benefit.
Exercise is relaxing in the sense that it takes up your attention, giving you a break from troubling thoughts. Whether you're running outside, playing a game of tennis, or doing pilates at the gym, your body releases chemicals that reduce stress. This helps bring a general feeling of well-being – an unlikely state of mind for binge eaters.
If you have it in the house, you'll eat it. Avoid temptation. Clear out your kitchen cupboards, your fridge, and your freezer. Remove surplus food, so there isn't heaps of it ready for you to eat.
If your pantry and fridge are stocked to the brim with every kind of snack or ready meal you might crave, you're setting yourself up for binging at any time.
On the same topic - if you habitually do bulk shopping for food, you might benefit from not doing it and buying fewer supplies so you don't have a freezer with gallons of ice cream at home every time you feel like a treat.
Rather splurge on healthy options, so when you are tempted to have an eating fest, at least you will be eating food that you'll be unlikely to overeat.
Binge eating disorder is not easy to overcome. Even with all the tips in the world, you might be facing a constant battle. Scientists are continually researching all kinds of eating disorders and they need volunteers for clinical trials.
Your participation can provide doctors with vital information that can result in new treatments for binge eating. The aspects of binge eating doctors are currently studying, include:
Finding ways to prevent binge eating disorder
Effective treatments
Genetic links to binge eating disorder
The relationship between binge eating disorder and obesity
Find outhere if you qualify to be a trial participant.
Binge eating can be extremely distressing, eating away at your self-esteem and self-respect. But you can overcome it. If you can implement one or two of these tips, you have opened the door to a healthier relationship with yourself and food.