3 Ways to Decrease Binge Eating
Do you feel like once you start eating certain foods, you simply cannot stop? Are you sick of feeling out of control and not trusting yourself around food? Are you tired of feeling bloated, ashamed, and guilty following a binge? You are not alone, and a different way is possible. After working in the eating disorder field for almost six years, here are my top three tips for reducing binge eating.
1 - Eat Enough!
Okay, I know what some of you are thinking: “I already eat enough, lady! The problem is that I eat TOO MUCH, remember?” But I cannot stress the importance of this enough. Most people think they are eating enough for their age, size, and activity level, but in reality they are not!
So many of the clients I work with eat very little throughout the day, and then wonder why they lose control with food at night. Not eating enough throughout the day is a surefire way to binge eat later on, and it’s not due to a lack of willpower. It’s actually our body’s natural biological response to want to overdo it with food when we didn’t get enough to eat previously. Your body is trying to protect you and make sure you are nourished!
I know increasing the amount you eat throughout the day may sound scary, but you can start small by making sure that you have something to eat every 3-4 hours. I recommend working with a registered dietitian to nail down some goals.
2 - Allow All Foods
Similar to the last tip, this one might sound counterintuitive. However, it’s actually really important to eat your binge foods and allow them into your day-to-day diet. Once you give yourself unconditional permission to eat these foods, you may find that you overeat them at first. I know this is scary and uncomfortable, but I challenge you to keep at it, because eating your binge foods whenever you crave them takes away their power! For example, if you let yourself have ice cream after dinner every single night, it’s going to become less alluring over time, and you will probably find that you no longer have the urge to have a massive ice cream binge every weekend.
In other words, the more you allow yourself to have your off-limits foods, the less “special” they become, decreasing the urge to binge. This process is called “food habituation” and I recommend starting with one binge food at a time. Again, I highly suggest you work with a registered dietitian to help you in this process.
3 - Cope With Your Emotions Without Food
Life is HARD, and it makes sense that you might reach for comforting foods during stressful times. Some might consider this a hot take, but there is no shame in eating for emotional comfort. Food is so much more than just food - it is comforting, nostalgic, cultural, connective, and good for the soul! The problem occurs when eating is our ONLY coping skill, and we don’t know how to handle our emotions without food.
If this sounds like you, I encourage you to get in touch with your emotions via journaling, meditation, connecting with a loved one, or speaking to a therapist. Maybe the next time you binge eat, you can reflect on what you were feeling beforehand, and why you may have turned to food. Understanding your own emotional triggers is key.
It’s important to develop strong coping skills outside of food. Next time you feel the urge to binge eat, try meeting your emotional needs in another way- you could call a friend, cuddle your pet, have a good cry, or make some art. It takes time to strengthen new coping skills, so be patient with yourself.
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Above all, treat yourself with kindness if you do slip up and binge. Decreasing binge eating takes a lot of time and effort, and the emotional and physical pain that follows a binge is already hard enough. Don’t make it worse by beating yourself up!
If you are ready to stop binge eating for good, send me an email at eada@morningbirdtherapy.com!