Stop Binge Eating - Stop Overeating

Are you sick of your out of control eating? Do you eat in private? Do you hide food and eat it until your stomach is about to burst? Have you tried every diet out there without any lasting success? Have you lose weight only to gain it back? Are you finally wondering How to Stop Binge Eating once and for all?

Well I’m going to share with you 3 tips to quickly stop binge eating and start losing weight beginning today.

Tip 1 - Learn all you can about emotional eating.  Emotional eating is the most common cause of weight gain.  It’s characterized by eating to cope with emotions including boredom, stress, fear or sadness.  You see it in the movies all the time.  A girl’s boyfriend breaks up with her, and she’s so sad, she goes home and binges on that ice cream tub.

While it’s obvious in the movies it might not be so obvious in your life.  To stop emotional eating you must first become aware of your emotional eating triggers.

Tip 2 - Start Journaling Constantly.  I don’t mean writing “dear diary, today Mike said I was a hottie and he was checking out my butt…”, I mean journaling about your feelings, your emotions, what’s behind them, what you worry about, the real stuff.

Here is how you can start.  At the end of a stressful day sit down and think about the 3 top things on your mind, the things you worry about the most and are stressed about the most.  After listing them down start making more notes under each topic.  Decide whether it’s something you can control or not.  If you can control it come up with actions steps you can take to correct the situation.  If you can’t then decide to let it go.

Tip 3 - Exercise.  I gotta admit exercise is a pain in the butt.  Come on, I would rather sleep on my hammock all day like Fred Flinstone than go the the gym.  Or lay down on my couch in front of a TV.  However exercise has many benefits like the following…

• Stress Relief - Exercising is a great way to relief stress, if you don’t exercise you might resort to emotional eating to cope with stress
• More Productivity - Exercising will boost your productivity.  You’ll find you can do so much more during the day when you exercise
• Weight Loss - Exercise will help you lose weight and keep it off.

I hope reading this article helped you answer the question of how to stop binge eating.  Here are some more tips to stop binge eating.

Trying to stop binge eating or to stop overeating is very tough.  You know you need to stop and get your eating habits under control.  I bet you told yourself I wont binge eat anymore.  This is the last time…

But what happens?  You still have a binge eating episode.  And this sabotages your efforts to stop overeating.  I think you need to go easy on yourself and see why overcoming binge eating disorder is a little tough.

Your body and mind are smarter than you think.  Why do we binge eat if it’s bad for us? Did you realize that there is a payoff or a reward you experience from binge eating?

Let me describe a typical overeating episode for me and see if you can catch the payoff or reward…

“I’m coming home from another stressful day at work.  My job is really boring, I kept trying not to fall asleep at my desk this afternoon.  My boss is annoying and I hate working under him.  I wish I could just quit.  Ahh but then I’ll have to go through the job hunting process and that will be a pain. ” - Automatically without realizing it I just walk over to the fridge and can’t stop eating junk foods.  Now I’m feeling numb, I don’t have to worry about my job, and can just relax and watch some TV maybe.

Did you catch the payoff of my binge eating?  It’s not having to face my real problems in life.  Overeating is the best form of distraction from real problems, and tough action steps that one has to take.  It’s a great avoidance method.

By overeating, I don’t have to start looking for a new job, update my resume, call some recruiters and so on.  I can just avoid the problem all together, or at least postpone dealing with it.

A binge eater who resorts to food for comfort, is just like an alcoholic who stops by the bar at the end of a stressful day.  They are both trying to escape their real life problems.

But Does it work?  NO!  Your problem will be there when you wake up the next morning and have another day.  And you wondered why you cant stop binge eating?  Well now that you see the payoff, I’m sure you can be more understanding and go easy on yourself.

Life is tough, overeating is easy.  To overcome overeating you need to understand why you do it in the first place.  Understanding the payoffs of overeating is very important.  Now that you know some of those payoffs you need to ask yourself some questions.

• Think of the last time you engaged in binge eating, and ask yourself what was the payoff?
• Is it a real payoff or is it just temporary?
• Did overeating really solve my problem?  or did it just postpone me having to take care of it?

The more you ask those questions after a binge eating episode, the more aware you will become of why you binge eat.  This is the first step to recovery from binge eating disorder.

Leave a comment and let me know what you found out from asking those question

Wondering if you’ll ever truly stop binge eating?  Well it’s up to you.  If you are serious about overcoming binging then you can get started on your pass to recovery right now

Before I share this tip with you I would like to challenge your thinking a bit.  Do you think binge eating is a disorder?  I mean I’m sure you have heard the phrase Binge Eating Disorder?  Well I gotta be honest with you.  I don’t like that phrase.

Do you hear of smoking disorder?  or watching too much tv disorder?  or being a lazy bum who does nothing with their life disorder?  No, but how come?  None of those is any different from what they call binge eating disorder.

Binge eating isn’t really a disorder.  I know when I binge eat it’s often to deal with stress, or numb out tough emotions.  It’s just a form of emotional eating.  Many who don’t have emotional eating issues, generally have other dirty habits to resort to.

For some it’s watching tv.  For others it’s going for a smoke.  And for some their whole life is just meaningless.  It’s a combination of laziness, and they really aren’t going anywhere.  Now how come none of these things are disorders?

To be fair, I think therapists call it binge eating disorder, because it’s out of control eating that takes over your life.  I mean binge eating is disorderly when compared to normal eating.  But what I wanna point out is that you shouldn’t be ashamed of your binge eating.  It’s not any worse than watching mindless tv regularly, or smoking, or even drinking alcohol.

Now on to the technique that will help you with overcoming binging.  GAPS.  Yes it’s a simple as that create gaps.  A gap is simply a break in your binge eating process or habit.  Let me explain.

If you think back to your last binge eating episodes, or times you overate, you will start noticing similarites.  Often something gets you to start overeating or resorting to food for comfort.  It could be a stressful event, a tough emotion, an annoying person, some tough news or circumstance and so on.

To avoid binging when that trigger event happens all you gotta do is create a gap.  Alright so let me walk you through this.  Next time you are reaching for food ask yourself “Am I Physically Hungry, or Am I just Trying to Comfort Myself with Food?”  Make it a habit to ask this question evertime you are reaching for food.  This creates a gap, and if you are about to binge eat, you will catch yourself in the act, and stop.

Here are the common signs that you are a binge eater according to Wikipedia:

1. Sometimes can’t control how much of a certain food you
   consume.  For instance, planning on eating one cookie and
   eating 5 instead.
2. Eating unusually large amounts of food at one time.
   Eating more than a normal person would eat in the same amount
   of time.
3. Eating more quickly than you normally would.  This
   is what characterizes a binge eating episode.
4. Sometimes eating until your too full, and your stomach
   hurts.
5. Eating large amounts of food when you aren’t really hungry.
   Like when you eat lots of comfort foods at the end of a
   stressful day.
6. At times you eat alone because you are embarrassed about
   the amount of food you consume.
7. Feeling disgusted, guilty, or depressed after a binge
   eating episode.

To stop binge eating you need to be more aware of why you eat.‭  ‬
Whether you want to stop eating junk foods or stop eating‭ ‬fast food,‭ ‬
it’s all about awareness.‭  ‬Before reaching out for food,‭ ‬make it a habit
to pause and question if you are physically hungry.‭  Start
doing  this every time you are about to consume food to make
it a habit.

Here are the questions you should‭ ‬ask yourself before reaching for
food:

• ‬Am I really hungry‭? ‬if Yes then go on and ask the
  following questions,‭ ‬otherwise do another activity until you are
  hungry‭ (‬go for a walk,‭ ‬take a shower,‭ ‬take a nap‭)
• ‬Is the food I’m about to consume healthy for
  me‭?  ‬or Is it junk food‭?
• ‬What are the long-term effects of the food I’m about to
  consume‭?  ‬If I keep eating this food for the next year how
  will it impact my weight,‭ ‬body size,‭ ‬body shape,‭ ‬confidence,‭
  happiness and satisfaction in life‭?

These questions will increase your awareness.‭  ‬They will
help you stop binge eating before you even start.‭  ‬Or if You
are just trying to stop eating junk foods you will also find these
questions useful.

The key is repetition.‭  ‬Start making it a habit to pause and
ask the questions before consuming food.‭  ‬Also take your
time.‭  ‬If you have been binge eating or eating lots of junk
foods and fast foods,‭ ‬don’t expect to stop overnight.‭  ‬It
probably took you years to develop those habits.‭  ‬Aim for
slow gradual‭ ‬consistent progress.‭

Lets say you want to stop eating junk foods,‭ ‬and you eat‭ ‬3‭ ‬junk
foods a day.‭  ‬Try eating‭ ‬2‭ ‬junk foods a day.‭

‬Once you can do that for a week or two then cut out another junk food
etc.

Whether you want to stop binge eating or stop eating fast food it’s not
a good idea to deprive yourself.‭  ‬You shouldn’t avoid all
junk  foods all together.‭  ‬This will sky-rocket
your cravings for them,‭ ‬and one day you’ll crash eating every junk
food in sight.‭  ‬Depriving yourself isn’t a‭ ‬realistic
approach to healthy eating.‭  ‬Rather eat those foods in
controlled moderation.‭

Controlled moderation is simply controlling your potion
size.‭  ‬Lets say you have been craving chocolate chip
cookies.‭  ‬It’s a bad idea to go to the store and buy a whole
box.‭  ‬Because once you start eating the cookies you might
not be able to stop.‭  ‬Rather buy a single big
cookie.‭  ‬This is controlled moderation.‭ ‬Don’t trick
yourself and say you are disciplined and have lots of
self-control.‭  ‬We all like to think we do.‭

Here are 3 recent videos I made filled with tips on how to stop binge eating.  Binge eating is simply overeating.  It’s when you start eating a certain food and can’t stop.  Often people experience binge eating when consuming junk foods or comfort foods.

Stop Binge Eating - Tip 1 - Do Not Diet

Video Summary:

Do NOT Diet.‭  ‬Dieting doesn’t work.‭  ‬I’ve tried all the diets.‭  ‬I would be able to keep a diet up for a few days.‭  ‬But then I would have a day where I would crash,‭ ‬and binge eat.‭  ‬Rather than trying to diet to lose weight,‭ ‬try to slowly improve your eating habits.‭   ‬Instead of eating‭ ‬5‭ ‬junk foods a day,‭ ‬try eating‭ ‬4‭ ‬for the next‭ ‬2 weeks.‭  ‬Once you have done that successfully then trying eating‭ ‬3‭ ‬junk foods for another 2 weeks, etc.‭

Stop Binge Eating - Tip 2 - Practice Controlled Moderation

Video Summary:

Eat fatty or sugary foods in Controlled Moderation.‭  ‬Do not deprive yourself of foods your crave.‭  ‬Otherwise you will keep increasing your cravings for those foods.‭  ‬One day you will crash and binge on those junk foods and comfort foods.‭  ‬Eat fatty and sugary foods you crave in controlled moderation.‭  ‬Control the portion size.‭

Stop Binge Eating - Tip 3 - Watch out for Off Days

Video Summary:

Watch out for for Off Days.‭  ‬These are the days when you wake up and don’t feel like doing anything.‭  ‬You’re really bored,‭ ‬stressed out,‭ ‬tired,‭ ‬or feeling really lazy.‭  ‬Often to deal with those emotions we resort to eating comfort foods like pizza and ice-cream.‭  ‬When you wake up and are feeling an off day,‭ ‬you need to perform an activity to snap yourself out of this right away.‭  ‬Go for a long walk,‭ ‬watch a motivating video,‭ ‬listen to energizing music,‭ ‬review your goals,‭ ‬visualize some of your dreams, etc.