Binge Eating

 **Please note that i am not a qualified nutritionist or psychologist, this is just information I have found from personal research. If you find this post does cause a trigger for you, please seek professional help.

Binge eating is one of the biggest obstacle’s women face when trying to lose body fat. Those with binge eating disorder eat at a rapid pace without conscious effort to take in the smells, textures, and taste of food. This usually includes foods that don’t offer nutritional value, to them then stressing that they feel unwell after eating too quick and the wrong foods for their body.

What are some of the factors of Binge Eating Disorder?
1)    Self-Worth
Almost all eating disorders are associated with low self-worth and their self-worth is controlled from being a certain body weight and/or body shape. Low self-worth can be a cause of a consequence of eating disorders. However, what we know is that low self-worth serves to maintain an eating disorder.

2)    Dietary Restrictions and Perfectionism
Women with binge eating disorders typically follow an overly restrictive diet with strict rules (no carbs, no fats, no junk food, etc) which worsens their binge eating behaviors. Often this will be combined with a perfectionist personality trait so when they break a rule they spiral into negative emotions and behaviors. When women follow a strict ‘diet’ plan they tend to be too scared to eat any ‘normal’ foods and portions if they don’t fit their macros or the plan they have been given. Once they have completed their fitness / nutrition plan, they tend to be left with no advice on how to adapt back into reality of foods. From some studies, perfectionism can often lead to depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and self-harm.

3)    Mood Fluctuations
In women that binge their alterations in mood allow them to gravitate towards binging. This could be stress, anxiety, fear, sadness, or any negative emotion that they want to reduce and replace with positive emotion. We notice this the most during our time of the month when our hormones are flying all around the place! These emotions could be love, connection, and security. Through repetition, they learn that food is a rapid and reliable way of changing their mental state and reducing the negative emotion and they continue to use binge eating as a way of changing their state. This tends to lead from a young age when we have done something well, we reward ourselves or if we are upset, we tend to gravitate towards food for comfort. Again, this can become a vicious cycle and without the right support can lead to other issues when it comes to food and eating.

7 Tips for Binge Eating!

1) Firstly, learning to differentiate between physical hunger and emotional hunger. Ask yourself beforehand if you want to eat to change your emotional state. Or if you want to eat because your body genuinely needs food?

2) Know your triggers. What emotions are you trying to change? What feelings bring up the need to binge eat for you. If you know your triggers you can develop an action plan for when that feeling arises

3) It has been shown that as little as 30 minutes per day on social media can negatively impact the way young women perceive their bodies. Unfollow accounts that do not serve you or make you feel like you are not good enough or that promote unrealistic ideas of body perception.

4) Set zones in your house, eating zones, training zones, relaxing zones, study zones, and do not eat in any place other than the eating zone. More importantly, try not to eat in the same place you sleep.

5) A good trick to use when eating is to have a mouthful and then put the fork down between each mouthful to ensure you are adequately chewing and being present and mindful with your food which will help with digestion.

6) Get help. Do not be afraid to speak up and tell someone if this is something you are suffering from. Seek help from your doctor or a therapist who may be able to get you in touch with a psychologist who can assist in your mindset towards food to get you back on the right track.