Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 3: Stay mentally strong
• Method 2 of 3: Live healthy
• Method 3 of 3: Respond appropriately after binge eating
• Tips
• Warnings

Binge eating means you have an eating disorder characterized by compulsive eating that makes you feel powerless. A binge can last from half an hour to a whole day and someone who has a binge cannot stop, does not pay attention to what he / she eats, and continues to eat even if he / she has been full for a long time. Binge eating can make you feel sick, guilty and totally powerless. If you want to know how to avoid binge eating, follow these steps.

To step

Method 1 of 3: Stay mentally strong

1. Control your stress. Stress is a common cause of binge eating. Whether you are aware of it or not, it is very likely that you are binge eating because you are concerned about another aspect of your life, such as your job, personal relationships, or the health of a loved one. The easiest way to change your eating habits is to control the stress in your life so that you don't reach for a bag of chips to deal with a stressful situation.
   • Reflect. Are there multiple factors in your life that contribute to stress? How can you minimize these factors? For example, if living with an insufferable roommate is a major source of stress in your life, it's time to change that situation so that you feel mentally stronger.
   • Do activities that help you relax. Try yoga, meditation or go for a walk. Listen to jazz or classical music. Do whatever you need to to have more control over your life.
   • Try to get up and go to bed around the same time every day, and get plenty of rest. You feel much more able to deal with stressful situations when you are rested.
2. Keep a diary. Keeping a journal of your thoughts, cravings, and past binge eating can help you get in touch with your feelings. Taking time every day to reflect on your actions and feelings can have a major impact on your life.
   • Be honest with yourself. Write down how you feel about all aspects of your life, from your relationships to your relationship with food. You may be surprised at yourself.
   • You can keep a log of everything you've eaten, as long as it doesn't lead to an obsession with every little thing you eat. Sometimes it can help if you know that you have to write down everything you eat, because then you will not eat too much.
3. Listen to your body. Take the time to connect your mind and body. If you know what your body is telling you, you will know better what leads to binge eating and you can better control your eating behavior. Take the time to listen to your body during the day so that you know better what your body really needs or wants.
   • Follow the ten-minute rule for snacking. If you feel hungry, don't give in immediately, but give yourself ten minutes to step back and see what really happens.
   • Ask yourself if you are hungry or just hungry. If you are hungry, you should eat something before the cravings get worse. If it's just a powerful craving, while you are actually still full, you need to find a way to deal with this feeling, like take a walk or do something else to divert your attention from the craving.
   • Ask yourself if you want to eat because you are bored. Are you peeping into the fridge because you actually want something to do? If so, drink a glass of water and find a way to stay active.
   • Allow yourself a treat every now and then. If you have an uncontrollable craving for peanut butter, have a tablespoon of peanut butter with a banana. This ensures that you don't eat a whole jar of peanut butter after a while.

Method 2 of 3: Live healthy

1. Eat three healthy meals a day. This is the easiest way to avoid binge eating. If you don't eat anything for half a day, it makes more sense that you will have a binge. The trick is to find a way that you also like healthy food so that your meals are nutritious and delicious, instead of feeling like you have to work your way through a boring, bland meal. Here's how to do that:
   • Make sure you eat your meals at the kitchen table or other suitable place.Don't eat in front of the TV or computer, even while on the phone. You have to focus on what you eat or you won't enjoy it and you won't know when you're full.
   • Give yourself 20-25 minutes to eat each meal. This may seem like a long time, but it ensures that you know when you are full. There is a delay between when your body is really full and when you feel full, so taking smaller bites and chewing better will make you more aware of how much you ate.
   • Every meal must have a clear beginning and end. Don't sniff while you cook, or snack while you clean up.
   • Make sure you have healthy snacks at home. You should eat three meals, but make sure you have healthy snacks such as fruits, nuts and vegetables to snack on in between.
   • Eat your meals and snacks on smaller plates with smaller cutlery. The smaller the plates, the more you seem to be eating, and the smaller the cutlery, the longer it will take.
2. Keep social eating in check. When you eat at a party or when you go out to dinner, it is natural that the tendency to overeat increases because you have less control over your environment and your eating options. Still, it doesn't mean indulging in a binge when eating out is okay and you can avoid it even though you're in a social setting or surrounded by delicious food. Here's how:
   • Eat something small before you go out. Have a piece of fruit or half a cup of chicken soup so that your appetite is subdued when surrounded by food.
   • If you're in a place with unlimited access to snacks, keep your hands busy. Hold a small plate of vegetables so you don't grab things you don't actually want.
   • If you're in a restaurant, scan the menu for healthy yet filling options and order first so you're not tempted by what your friends are ordering.
   • If the basket of bread is a big deal for you, just learn to say no to the bread, or have a peppermint until your food is on the table.
3. Avoid temptation. Another way to avoid binge eating is to keep yourself away from situations that can lead to binge eating. Taking measures to prevent binge eating both inside and outside your home can help you tackle your cravings. Avoiding temptation means learning to recognize high-risk situations and developing a plan to deal with them. Here's what you can do:
   • Try to do more activities that don't involve eating. Go for a walk with a friend, or meet at a cafe that doesn't serve food.
   • If you are going to a family party and you know there will be a lot of tasty but unhealthy food, bring some healthier snacks yourself.
   • Bring your own snacks to places where there will be enticing snacks. If you know that popcorn in the cinema will make your mouth water, bring your homemade popcorn without sugar, or a bag of grapes or nuts.
   • Try not to get too close to the snacks at a party.
   • If you have to, change your route to or from home. If you can't drive past that ice cream shop without buying anything, take a new route.
   • Don't keep unhealthy snacks around the house, or keep a small emergency supply somewhere in case you get to indulge yourself. You do not have to all get rid of unhealthy snacks if it means going to the night shop in the middle of the night. #Find a fun sport. Exercise not only makes you healthier, it also makes you stronger mentally and you feel that you gain more control over your body. The trick is to find something you really like, instead of just exercising to compensate for your binges. Exercise should be fun, not torture.
   • Don't do anything you don't like. If you hate running, go for a walk or bike ride.
   • Try something new like salsa, Pilates, or volleyball.
   • Find a buddy to exercise with. That makes it more fun and you are more motivated.

Method 3 of 3: Respond appropriately after binge eating

1. Reflect after a binge. Rather than punishing yourself or feeling like the worst person on the planet after a binge, take time to think about why it happened so you can prevent it from happening again. Once you are back in control a few hours after the binge, or the day after, you should take a step back and think about the feelings or actions that led to the binge. You can make notes in your food diary. Here are some things to ask yourself:
   • What did you feel just before the binge? Were you tense because of your work or a personal relationship? Or were you just bored and looking for something to do? If you were tense, ask yourself what you can do to better handle that stress. If you were bored, learn such cravings by recognizing boredom and find ways to combat it.
   • What did you eat before you had the binge? Were you hungry for hours, or just hungry again after having a meal a few hours before? If you were really hungry, it is important to recognize this so that you can prepare a healthy meal or snack. If you were just hungry because your last meal wasn't that interesting, find a way to spice up your meals.
   • Have you violated food that you have been craving all week? If you had been thinking about chocolate for days, it would have been better to have a small piece of chocolate for dessert after a healthy meal than to crave it so badly that afterwards you would have to get rid of half a kilo of chocolate chip cookies.
2. Just continue with your normal routine. Don't try to compensate for the binge, it will only make you feel worse. While it may be tempting to skip the next meal (s) or hit the gym for two hours after a binge, it will only unbalance you and increase the chances of another binge. You can focus a bit on making healthy post-binge choices, but you shouldn't drastically change your routine.
   • Instead of going to the gym an extra hour and overwork yourself, take a walk.
   • Just continue with three meals a day, and when you get hungry again, have a healthy snack instead of starving yourself for punishment.
   • Don't say "I've been bad, but I'll be very good for the next week." As a result, you get in trouble with yourself.
3. Know when to seek help. If you feel like you've tried everything and you still can't control the binge eating, you may not be able to cope with the problem on your own. If you have daily or weekly binge eating that makes you feel guilty, helpless, and powerless, it may be time to seek help.
   • Take a look at the website of Stichting Jij. You feel better when you know that you are not alone. http://www.stichting-jij.nl
   • See your doctor or a dietitian with your problem to understand how your thought patterns change and to control cravings.
   • Go to a friend or family member. Just talking about your problem can make you feel better.

Tips

• Do not diet. Dieting only makes you feel limited and obsesses over food. Focus on a healthy diet.
• Fill yourself up with healthy food first. If you're at a party, start with some healthy snacks to dampen your appetite so you're less likely to indulge in unhealthy snacks.
• Learn to limit your portions. Don't eat anything straight from a bag or box, because then you won't know how much you are eating.
• Never eat standing. Take time to sit when you eat and focus on your food.

Warnings

• If you find yourself wanting to throw up after a binge, you should seek help for bulimia.
• If your life is dominated by binge eating and you often feel guilty about what you ate, seek help immediately.