How to stop binge eating ?
Tags: Self Improvement, Eating Disorder Recovery, Tips, Eating Disorders, Advice

Do you find yourself frequently consume unusually large amounts of food and feel unable to stop ? much more rapidly than you usually do ? large amounts of food when you’re not hungry and feeling embarrassed about it ?

It is called: Binge eating.

Disclaimer: There is nothing to be ashamed of and getting some help is probably the best way to be healthier.

With that being said, here are some tips that I used to get over binge eating.

Ditch the diet

Diets can often be very unhealthy, and studies show that overly restrictive eating methods may trigger episodes of binge eating. They show that fasting or eliminating certain foods from your diet may be associated with increased cravings and overeating.

Instead, focus on making healthy changes. Eat more whole, unprocessed foods, such as fruits, vegetables, and whole grains and moderate your intake of treats rather than excluding them from your diet altogether. This can help reduce binge eating and promote better health.

Eat more fibers

Fiber moves slowly through your digestive tract, keeping you feeling full longer. It can help keep you feeling full to reduce calorie intake and feelings of hunger.

Some research suggests that increasing fiber intake could cut cravings, reduce appetite, and food intake. A study in 10 adults showed that taking 16 grams of prebiotic fiber daily increased levels of specific hormones that influence satiety and significantly reduced feelings of hunger.

Fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains are just a few fiber-rich foods that can keep you feeling full.

Avoid skipping meals

Setting a regular eating schedule and sticking to it is one of the most effective ways to overcome binge eating.

Eating regularly combats two dangerous dieting behaviours that leads to cravings and increase the risk of overeating: delaying eating -such as fasting or skipping meals- and caloric restriction -such as undereating-. Studies have shown that these dieting behaviours can independently lead to many negative health outcomes, including binge eating, psychological impairment, depression symptoms, and anxiety symptoms.

Another study in 38 people found that adhering to a regular eating pattern was associated with a decreased frequency of binge eating episodes.

Adhering to a regular eating pattern reduce the risk of overeating and may be associated with lower levels of ghrelin and fasting blood sugar.

Stay hydrated

Drinking plenty of water throughout the day is a simple yet effective way to curb cravings and stop overeating.

In fact, studies show that increasing water intake could be linked to decreased hunger and calorie intake.

For example, one study in 24 older adults found that drinking 500 ml of water before eating a meal decreased the number of calories consumed by 13% while increasing feelings of fullness during the day, compared with a control group .

The amount of water each person should drink daily depends on various factors. Thus, it’s best to listen to your body and drink when you feel thirsty to ensure you’re staying well hydrated.

Drinking more water can keep you feeling full to decrease calorie intake and prevent binge eating.

Clean out the kitchen

Having lots of junk food or trigger foods in the kitchen can make it much easier to binge eat. Conversely, keeping healthy foods on hand can reduce your risk of emotional eating by limiting the number of unhealthy options.

Start by clearing out processed snack foods like chips, candies, and pre-packaged convenience foods and swapping them for healthier alternatives. Stocking your kitchen with fruits, vegetables, protein-rich foods, whole grains, nuts, and seeds can improve your diet quality and reduce your risk of binge eating unhealthy foods.

Practice mindfulness

Mindfulness is a practice that involves listening to your body and paying attention to how you feel at the moment.

This technique can prevent overeating by helping a person learn to recognize when they no longer feel hungry.

Practicing mindfulness meditation decreases the incidence of binge eating and emotional eating. Try listening to your body to recognize when hunger tapers off. It can help you recognize when you’re no longer hungry, which can improve your eating behaviors. Additionally, try to eat slowly and enjoy food to promote healthy eating behaviors which leads us to the last point.

Hara hachi bun me aka the 80% rule

Hara hachi bun is a Confucian teaching that instructs people to eat until they are 80 percent full. Roughly, in English the Japanese phrase translates to, “Eat until you are eight parts (out of ten) full” or “belly 80 percent full”.

It originated in the city of Okinawa, where people use this advice as a way to control their eating habits. Interestingly, they have one of the lowest rates of illness from heart disease, cancer and stroke, and a fairly long life expectancy.

Eating slowly helps you build a healthy relationship with food. Going hand-in-hand with eating slowly is the habit of eating to “80% full”. When you do, you are better able to pay attention to just how hungry or how full you actually are. Therefor you can make sure that you don’t overshoot how much you eat.

Practice mindfulness

Mindfulness is a practice that involves listening to your body and paying attention to how you feel at the moment. This technique can prevent overeating by helping a person learn to recognize when they no longer feel hungry.

Last advice: find someone to talk to

A good social support system is thought to reduce the impact of stress, which may help decrease your risk of other coping habits like emotional eating. And it helps understading the factors behind your behaviour, it is an important part of changing that behaviour; targeting these factors will have a “flow on” effect in reducing your binge eating episodes.