7 Tips for binge eating

 

Binge eating is one of the biggest obstacles women face when to lose body fat. Binge eating disorder is a loss of control with the idea that you can’t stop eating. Those with binge eating disorder eat at a rapid pace without conscious effort to take in the smells, textures, and taste of food.

3 Factors of Binge Eating Disorder

1)    Self-Worth

Almost all eating disorders are associated with low self-worth. And their self-worth dictated from 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 disorder typically follow an overly restrictive diet with strict rules (no carbs, no fats, no junk food, etc) which actually exacerbates their binge eating behaviours. And often this will be combined with a perfectionist personality trait so when they break a rule they spiral into negative emotions and behaviors. We know from the literature that perfectionism can 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. Which 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.


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 aren’t 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. And do not eat in the same place you sleep!

5)    Breathing and meditation can help bring the body back to rest and digest the state from a fight and flight state. We also need to be in a rest and digest state to digest food so this will enhance digestion and assimilation of food

6)    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

7)    Get help! Do not be afraid to speak up and tell someone if this is something you are suffering from. Find a qualified psychologist who specializes in binge eating disorders and work with them alongside a nutritionist to get you on the right track!