Putting a halt to binge eating

Putting a halt to binge eating

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A frequent cliché always rings true to our ears: “You are what you eat.”

Indeed, we humans value food as a primordial necessity for survival. And people definitely vary in food preferences, servings, and “dosage.”

In that case, there are people who enjoy simple palatable spoon-size meals, while others are super tasters and want more.

You are what you excessively eat can be suggested to people who overly-appreciate food, and have voracious appetites. This can be seen as compulsive overeating wherein people consume huge amounts of food, tend to lose control of what they’re doing, and feel seemingly powerless to stop.

Binge eating may be comforting for a brief moment, but then reality sets back in, along with regret and self-loathing.

Binge eating often leads to weight gain and obesity, which only reinforces compulsive eating. The worse a binge eater feels about herself, the more she uses food to cope. It becomes a vicious cycle: eating to feel better, feeling even worse, and then turning back to food for relief.

And we already know, this has to stop.

Unlike other diseases which have a single most effective “treatment drug” that promises instant cure, binge eating is way too different. Putting a halt to it may not be as easy as one, two three — but, you can always start and try.

We must develop a healthy relationship with food–one that meets our nutritional needs and not our emotional requirements.

To stop the unhealthy pattern of binge eating, it is important to start eating for health and nutrition. Healthy eating involves making balanced meal plans, choosing healthy foods even when eating out in restaurants, and making sure we get the right vitamins and minerals in our diet. It all starts within us; I share here some tips that may prove useful:

Manage stress. One of the reasons why people binge is when they feel stressed from home, from work, from other personal issues. We need to find alternative ways to deal with stress like exercise, meditation, the use of sensory relaxation strategies, and the practice of basic breathing techniques.

Complete a three-meal pattern each day. We can add snacks in between, but finding the right timing, the quality and quantity of each meals works. Skipping meals often leads to binge eating later in the day. Mothers really know best: Eating breakfast is crucial.

Flee from temptation. We are much more likely to overeat when we have junk food, desserts, and unhealthy snacks in the fridge or lying in the cupboards. High time to throw them into the trash bin. Or give the unexpired items to the homeless.

Disabuse yourself from the idea that dieting works. Mind you, dieting absolutely does not work. The deprivation and hunger of strict dieting can, in fact, trigger food cravings and the urge to overeat.

Instead of dieting, focus on eating in moderation. Let’s enjoy what we have on our plates, without the thought of restricting ourselves from the enjoyment of God-given food.

Exercise. Not only will exercise help us lose weight in a healthy way, it could also counter depression, improve overall health, and help reduce stress. Doing regular exercise releases happy hormones that lift our spirits up.

Keep busy by making ourselves productive. Doing nothing and boring ourselves 24/7 is a surefire way to give us more time to think of food. We need to provide ourselves some kind of distraction by doing something fruitful or productive: Take a brisk walk along the beach, call a sick friend or someone we haven’t seen in ages, read a good book, or take up a hobby such as writing or gardening.

Get enough sleep. When we are tired, we tend to keep eating in hopes of boosting our energy. How about taking a power nap instead or going to bed earlier than usual? Our body could just be exhausted, not necessarily in need of more food.


‘Listen to your body’
. It is best that we realize that craving and the need to eat are two different things. When we are hungry, we eat. When our stomach is full, make time for the cravings to pass.

Keep a food diary.
We can write down our food intake, and anything else related to what we do/what we exert during the week. We may just see patterns emerge that reveal the connection between our daily meals and binge eating.

Seek emotional support. We actually lose the ability to see things from the others’ perspective when we seclude ourselves from the outside world. That is, find a good family or community support. Talking helps, even if it’s not with a professional. Get help from family and friends, join a support group, and when needed, consult a therapist.

Putting a halt to binge eating is not an overnight job. It entails more of a process of discovering things that become helpful to us. It is time to say no to foods that are not helping us anymore. We are what we eat.

John Robert General
[email protected]

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