Do these stories sound familiar? Maybe you have your own particular vice- chocolate, potato chips, cheese and crackers or maybe it is more random and you get into moods where you will eat as much of whatever it is that you can get your hands on.
What I want you to know, is that it IS possible to stop this reckless cycle of over-eating and bingeing- for good. And, it really isn’t that hard to do with some simple shifts in the way you think in your relationship with food
There are so many reasons why we binge eat. Sometimes the idea of eating a whole jar of peanut butter is just too irresistible. Or perhaps the delicious dinner you have just eaten was too good not to have third helpings of.
It can sometimes be a feeling of sadness or loss of control in some area of our life that leads us to mindlessly eating a whole packet of Oreos or Pringles, perhaps in an attempt to feed our emotions rather than feeling them.
Whatever the reason, the outcome is often the same at the end. A feeling of disgust, guilt, shame. It can be scary when you feel like you have lost complete control of you mind and actions, but I assure you that you’re not going crazy and that with some practice, it is possible to reign-in the binge-eating patterns.
1. Whenever you eat, slow down
Start to practice mindful eating where you are both aware and present of every mouthful that is going into your mouth. Really taste the flavour, experience the texture sensations, and receive the pleasure you are seeking when eating that food. Also switch off the TV, remove the distractions and immerse yourself in the experience of eating. I talk more about how to practice intuitive and mindful eating in this blog post.
2. Enjoy your food
Which leads us to actually enjoying what you eat.
Food and eating is and should be a pleasurable experience.
Scoffing down food at a fast pace and without thought is not enjoyable. You need to start taking pleasure in the whole ritual of eating in order to stop the over-eating.
3. Honour your hunger and fullness
Do you actually know how to recognise physical hunger when it appears in your body? Do you know how it feels when you are satisfied and satiated- but not too full?
Get intimate with these feelings, and honour them. I share a downloadable worksheet on how to honour your hunger and fullness in this blog post.
4. Avoid your triggers
We all have a food that we know we cannot resist. I cannot have huge amounts of chocolate around me as I can’t stop at just one small piece.
Know what your trigger foods are and just avoid buying them and keeping them around you. Thinking you can be strong enough not to eat them is ridiculous.
You are setting yourself up for failure and a binge and turning into that person I know you don’t want to be.
The same goes for trigger situations or people. Does hanging out with certain people cause you to have feelings that lead you wanting to binge? Do particular situations cause you to lose all control and stop paying attention to what you are eating? Avoid these people and situations as much as you can, or at least recognise and acknowledge the likely reaction that it will bring up in your so that you can adequately prepare.
5. Don’t diet or limit the food you eat
Most bingeing and overeating occurs when we are putting controls on our body and what we feed it. This leads to us wanting and craving the thing we are restricting, which will then inevitably lead to bingeing out on that thing you are depriving yourself of. Don’t diet or put restrictions on yourself- learn to trust that you know what is nourishing for your body, and what is not, and get rid of the controls.
