You can prevent this by only eating when you notice you are hungry. Take an assessment of how your body feels and see if you are hungry. You should also eat a meal or snack as soon as you realize you are hungry. If you wait until you are starving, you may be tempted to binge eat as much as possible.
Instead, drink a glass of water or find a way to stay active. Take a walk, call your best friend, or pick up a new hobby instead of eating.
Instead of deprivation, focus on moderation. If you’re having a craving for peanut butter, have a spoonful of peanut butter with a banana. This will keep you from reaching your breaking point five days later and eating an entire jar of peanut butter.
Eating every 3-4 hours can help you from getting so hungry that you binge later on. [6] X Expert Source Amy ChowRegistered Dietitian Expert Interview. 22 October 2020. Find a way to eat healthy foods that you do love so your meals are nourishing and delicious. This will help you not feel like you’re just making your way through a boring tasteless meal instead of eating what you really want. Keep healthy snacks around the house to eat in between meals. You should eat three distinct meals, but keep around healthy options like fruits, nuts, and veggies to snack on in between meals.
Each meal should have a distinct start and stop. Don’t graze for twenty minutes while you’re cooking your dinner, or snack while you’re cleaning up after a meal.
Those who eat while distracted — watching TV or while working — tend to eat more than those who focus on their meal. [8] X Trustworthy Source Harvard Medical School Harvard Medical School’s Educational Site for the Public Go to source [9] X Trustworthy Source PubMed Central Journal archive from the U. S. National Institutes of Health Go to source You should also not eat standing up, since this will make the act feel disconnected from the eating process.
This will help you avoid overfilling your plate, which may make you more likely to eat more.
Try to spend more of your social time doing activities that don’t involve food. Take a friend for a hike or a walk, or meet your friends at a bar that you know doesn’t serve food. If you’re going to a family party or a potluck that you know will be filled with delicious foods and desserts, set out food limits for yourself. Tell yourself you can only have one plate of food and stick to it. Bring your own snacks to places with tempting snacks. If you know you’ll be tempted to binge eat popcorn at your local theater, sneak in your own portion controlled snacks, such as trail mix or microwave popcorn.
This will help prevent you from binge eating because your food will be preset for each meal. Your dietician can also help you get back to listening to your body’s natural cues on when to eat and when to stop eating, which is important for BED. Be aware that the term “nutritionist” is vague and could refer to someone with a PhD, or someone who has just done a quick course on nutrition — that is, she may not be qualified to give you sound nutritional advice. A registered dietician is considered a health professional with the requisite education and certifications, and is legally allowed to “prescribe” a meal plan or treatment.
If you do have a slip-up and you binge, just try to continue eating your regular meals. Don’t compensate by restricting, because then you’ll end up back in the cycle of restricting and binging. [13] X Expert Source Amy ChowRegistered Dietitian Expert Interview. 22 October 2020.
Reflect on your situation to help with stress. Are there multiple factors in your life that are leading to your stress? How can you minimize these factors? For example, if a major source of stress in your life is living with an unbearable roommate, it may be time to get out of the situation so you feel more mentally sound. Do activities that can help you feel at ease. Try yoga, meditation, or going for long walks. Listen to jazz or classical music. Do what you need to do to feel more in control of your life.
Be honest with yourself. Write down how you’re feeling about all aspects of your life, from your relationships to your relationship with food. You may even surprise yourself. Keep a log of the food you’ve eaten, but don’t let it lead you to obsess over every little thing you eat (logging your food may not be productive for someone with obsessive tendencies). Sometimes knowing that you have to write down everything you eat will keep you from overindulging. If you start to feel a lot of anxiety around logging your food or find that you are being extremely rigid, try taking a step back and a break from logging. You should also write down what you wanted to — but didn’t — eat. This will help you notice trigger foods. [16] X Trustworthy Source HelpGuide Nonprofit organization dedicated to providing free, evidence-based mental health and wellness resources. Go to source This will also help you discuss your binge eating habits with your doctor and therapist so you they can help you change this behavior and notice warning signs.
If you have a craving, don’t give into it instantly. Decide if you are really hungry or if you just want to compulsively eat. If you have eaten recently or if your stomach is not growling, you may not actually be hungry. Try to ride it out — allow time to let the craving pass. [18] X Trustworthy Source HelpGuide Nonprofit organization dedicated to providing free, evidence-based mental health and wellness resources. Go to source
To be considered binge eating disorder, these episodes must occur at least once a week for three months.
An urge to continue to eat even though you are not physically hungry Eating large amounts of food rapidly Needing to eat past the point of being full, causing discomfort Being embarrassed about how much you are eating, causing you to eat alone Being disgusted with yourself, depressed, or extremely guilty after a binge
Secretive eating behaviors, such as eating behind closed doors, in your car, or away from others Stealing, hoarding, or hiding food Cyclical bouts of strict, extreme dieting or fasting in between binges Obsessive food behavior, such as eating only one type of food, not allowing different food types to touch, or excessive chewing Making lifestyle and schedule changes to make time for binge eating Eating constantly throughout the day with no strict meal times Skipping normal meal times or limiting portions of foods at meal times Feeling depressed often or being clinically diagnosed with depression Being disgusted with your body size
Purging includes forced vomiting, misuse of laxatives, or other unnatural ways to get rid of food. [23] X Trustworthy Source National Eating Disorders Association Nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting individuals and communities affected by eating disorders Go to source
Your doctor can also help you find the right therapist to treat your BED. Your doctor may suggest some medications that have been approved for BED, though these will likely need to be accompanied by lifestyle changes and therapy. [24] X Research source If you have a very severe case of BED, your doctor may suggest you check yourself into an inpatient facility where you can receive around-the-clock support.
In these sessions, you will formulate a treatment plan with your therapist, coming up with behavioral strategies and methods for managing your feelings and stabilizing your eating. After this, you will also examine the thoughts that lead to your BED and work to restructure these thought patterns so you have a healthier relationship to your thoughts, feelings, and body image. You will then work on reducing your triggers, maintaining your current progress, and avoiding relapse. This method sets out to get you back to a healthier way of life. You can look for a CBT therapist in your area through an online locator. Look into one that specializes in eating disorders to ensure you get the best care possible.
Mindfulness, which teaches you to control your mind and your thoughts instead of letting them control you. Distress tolerance, which teaches you to cope with emotional suffering in healthy ways. Emotion regulation, which will teach you to validate your emotions, reduce negative thoughts, and increase positive thinking. Interpersonal effectiveness, which teaches you to create beneficial, effective relationships to others that give you what you need emotionally.
You will work on how to approach social situations and how to relate to others, including friends, family, and coworkers.
These groups may also offer you invaluable support when you are going through a tough time. These people have all been there, which means they can empathize with you and help you get through because they have been there too.
