Jayne Scott
Member
I often get calls from people asking me for advice on how to stop binge eating. So today I've decided to share my experience on this topic.
But first…
What is binge eating?
From my experience, binge eating is a compulsive eating disorder whereby a person would eat large amounts of food usually in short spells. Binge eating is often done in private and most people suffering from this problem acknowledge that they have an issue, but feel that they can't control their urge to just eat even when they are not really hungry.
The fact that most people that suffer from this problem tend to keep their eating disorder private, is a clear sign that they do know that binge eating is not a normal thing to do, but they can't control or stop their actions anyway.
What triggers binge eating?
What triggers binge eating in an individual may vary from person to person.
However, one common denominator in most sufferers is depression. Depression is a mental illness that can cause a person to react in a number of different ways and binge eating disorder is one of such reactions.
What steps can I take to stop binge eating?
#1. Seek professional help:
The first thing you need to do is to get professional help. Book an appointment with a psychologist. You need to find out the root cause of your binge eating disorder.
Once you do, you will be on course in dealing with the problem. There is no quick fix when it comes to binge eating. You will need to take baby steps towards getting control of your impulses and a professional can help you in this regard.
#2. Don't classify food into good or bad:
After you have sought out professional help, you still need to take action in order to overcome your addiction to eating. One way to do this is by not classifying food as either good or bad. Know that food is just food. Of course some foods are much healthier than others, but at the core they are all classified as food.
When you stop classifying food as either good or bad, you lose up a bit and you are not on edge whenever you need to decide on which food to eat. You just eat because you need food to survive or you also need food because it tastes good whether it's a high nutrient food or not.
#3. Don't make hard work of what food to eat:
It is not uncommon for bodybuilders to restrict their diet based on their need to stringently stick to a particular meal plan. While meal plans are great for achieving bodybuilding goals, you also need to enjoy eating and not see food/eating as a chore.
When you are very strict on the food you eat during a workout regime, you may lose control when that regimen comes to an end even if its just over a weekend.
Balance is important when you eat. There's nothing wrong in chowing down on a nutrient-poor meal from time to time. When your mind is not trained to see food as either good or bad, you tend to better recognise food for what it is.
What you need to do is to be more modest with your calorie target during the week of training. Eat different types of food that helps you achieve your calorie target while still allowing yourself to enjoy eating food. Avoid over restricting the food you eat during the week.
#4. Always eat breakfast:
The old cliché that breakfast is the most important meal of the day holds true. You need to provide your body with the nutrients it needs to start your day on a sound note and having breakfast is the best way to go.
If you skip breakfast for whatever reason, you may find yourself feeling hungry later in the day. This may result in binge eating as you munch down on whatever is available at home to satisfy your cravings.
#4. Eat bigger meals in general:
You can stack up your meals with more protein and vegetables to keep you feeling full for much longer throughout the day. Scaling down your meals to control body fat can cause you to feel hungry more often than you would probably like. And this can lead you to binge eating.
#5. Give yourself time and space:
The final step to helping you stop binge eating is a way of gaining control of your compulsive urge to eat. What you need to do is to time yourself whenever you have the urge to binge.
If you often have the urge to binge say every couple of hours or so, find something else to do. Go for a walk, go cycling, go mow your lawn, just do anything other than eat at the time you have the urge to binge.
When you get back from your activity (at least after about half an hour) and you still feel like eating, you can now treat yourself to some food. The difference here is that at the point when you were in the mood to binge, you took control by doing some other activity.
You were not controlled by your urge to eat at that point in time, so now that you are done with whatever you went out to do, you can allow yourself a snack or two if you want to.
The difference now is control. The table has turned and you are now in control of the situation. With time you will be able to control when and how you eat which is what it's really all about.
The good news is that the more you practice this technique, the better you get at controlling your eating habits.
So that's that folks.
Remember that if you find yourself eating compulsively and your habit is out of control, you need to seek the help of a professional. Do not be shy to admit that you indeed have a problem that needs resolution.
Happy bodybuilding!!
But first…
What is binge eating?
From my experience, binge eating is a compulsive eating disorder whereby a person would eat large amounts of food usually in short spells. Binge eating is often done in private and most people suffering from this problem acknowledge that they have an issue, but feel that they can't control their urge to just eat even when they are not really hungry.
The fact that most people that suffer from this problem tend to keep their eating disorder private, is a clear sign that they do know that binge eating is not a normal thing to do, but they can't control or stop their actions anyway.
What triggers binge eating?
What triggers binge eating in an individual may vary from person to person.
However, one common denominator in most sufferers is depression. Depression is a mental illness that can cause a person to react in a number of different ways and binge eating disorder is one of such reactions.
What steps can I take to stop binge eating?
#1. Seek professional help:
The first thing you need to do is to get professional help. Book an appointment with a psychologist. You need to find out the root cause of your binge eating disorder.
Once you do, you will be on course in dealing with the problem. There is no quick fix when it comes to binge eating. You will need to take baby steps towards getting control of your impulses and a professional can help you in this regard.
#2. Don't classify food into good or bad:
After you have sought out professional help, you still need to take action in order to overcome your addiction to eating. One way to do this is by not classifying food as either good or bad. Know that food is just food. Of course some foods are much healthier than others, but at the core they are all classified as food.
When you stop classifying food as either good or bad, you lose up a bit and you are not on edge whenever you need to decide on which food to eat. You just eat because you need food to survive or you also need food because it tastes good whether it's a high nutrient food or not.
#3. Don't make hard work of what food to eat:
It is not uncommon for bodybuilders to restrict their diet based on their need to stringently stick to a particular meal plan. While meal plans are great for achieving bodybuilding goals, you also need to enjoy eating and not see food/eating as a chore.
When you are very strict on the food you eat during a workout regime, you may lose control when that regimen comes to an end even if its just over a weekend.
Balance is important when you eat. There's nothing wrong in chowing down on a nutrient-poor meal from time to time. When your mind is not trained to see food as either good or bad, you tend to better recognise food for what it is.
What you need to do is to be more modest with your calorie target during the week of training. Eat different types of food that helps you achieve your calorie target while still allowing yourself to enjoy eating food. Avoid over restricting the food you eat during the week.
#4. Always eat breakfast:
The old cliché that breakfast is the most important meal of the day holds true. You need to provide your body with the nutrients it needs to start your day on a sound note and having breakfast is the best way to go.
If you skip breakfast for whatever reason, you may find yourself feeling hungry later in the day. This may result in binge eating as you munch down on whatever is available at home to satisfy your cravings.
#4. Eat bigger meals in general:
You can stack up your meals with more protein and vegetables to keep you feeling full for much longer throughout the day. Scaling down your meals to control body fat can cause you to feel hungry more often than you would probably like. And this can lead you to binge eating.
#5. Give yourself time and space:
The final step to helping you stop binge eating is a way of gaining control of your compulsive urge to eat. What you need to do is to time yourself whenever you have the urge to binge.
If you often have the urge to binge say every couple of hours or so, find something else to do. Go for a walk, go cycling, go mow your lawn, just do anything other than eat at the time you have the urge to binge.
When you get back from your activity (at least after about half an hour) and you still feel like eating, you can now treat yourself to some food. The difference here is that at the point when you were in the mood to binge, you took control by doing some other activity.
You were not controlled by your urge to eat at that point in time, so now that you are done with whatever you went out to do, you can allow yourself a snack or two if you want to.
The difference now is control. The table has turned and you are now in control of the situation. With time you will be able to control when and how you eat which is what it's really all about.
The good news is that the more you practice this technique, the better you get at controlling your eating habits.
So that's that folks.
Remember that if you find yourself eating compulsively and your habit is out of control, you need to seek the help of a professional. Do not be shy to admit that you indeed have a problem that needs resolution.
Happy bodybuilding!!
