Stop Binge Eating - Stop Overeating

Are you sick of overeating? Your late night eating? Do
you want to jump on the path to recovery from binge eating disorder
yet you don’t know where to start?

In my initial recovery stages one technique that really
helped me is awareness journaling. Awareness journaling
is a a little different from regular journaling.

Awareness journaling is NOT simply recording your days
events or keeping a diary.  Awareness journaling is about
breaking down your thoughts and emotions in real time.

This really helped me with my recovery from Binge Eating
Disorder.

Awareness Journaling Tools:
—————————
A pocket sized pad and a pocket pen.  The pad and pen
need to be tiny enough for you to carry in your pocket
at all times wherever you go.

Awareness Journaling Rules:
—————————
- Don’t judge what you are writing
- Don’t think too much about what you are writing
- Write freely
- Write whether or not you feel like it
- Review your notes often

Awareness Journaling Techniques:
———————————

* Question Any Feeling or Thought of hunger or food

Example: “I’m hungry”, when you feel or think this, record
it down in your journal and question if you are physically
hungry or if you just want to eat for pleasure? record
the answers in your pad.

* Question Emotions and Come up with Action steps

Example: “I’m stressed out”, when you feel or think this,
record it down, and also
ask yourself what’s stressing me out? Is it something that
I can control? If so What are some action steps I can
take to deal with it?  If you can’t control it, then decide
to let it go and not worry about it anymore. Record all
of this down in your pad.

* Record past flash-backs in your pad. Record past events
situations that you randomly remember, especially if you
think they might be significant.

Example: I remember the one time I locked myself in my
school’s bathroom stall to overeat in private. After
coming out of the stall, a guy who was using the bathroom
informed me that there was a cafeteria down the hall. I
already knew this and felt very ashamed.  (this really
did happen to me).  After this incident I started
wondering if I have an Eating Disorder.

* Record any good ideas or techniques you learn & want
to try out.  This will help you stick to your Recovery
efforts.

* Record how you feel after eating a meal.  Whether it’s
healthy or was a binge, you need to record how you feel.
Example: “I ate a good sized meal, I feel satisfied, light
and energetic” or “I just binged on (list foods) and now
I feel stuffed, my stomach hurts, and I don’t feel like
doing anything else for the rest of the day.”

How Awareness Journaling helps your Recovery From Binge Eating Disorder
———————————————
Bingeing and overeating are usually mindless activities.
Becoming more away of your thoughts, emotions, and actions
will help you start controlling your eating habits.
It will help you gain power over food. When you review your
pad, you will learn more and more about yourself and
your eating habits.

This entry was posted on Monday, September 8th, 2008 at 6:36 pm and is filed under Binge Eating Disorder.