How to Stop Yourself from Binge Eating

What is binge eating? You may be familiar with it. It’s when you stuff yourself with food, and keep eating and eating even though you’re full. Afterwards you feel terrible and berate yourself for pigging out.

Binge eating is a common problem among a lot of people today. This is because of a number of reasons. First of all, it’s because food is available in abundance whenever and wherever you need it.

However, binge eating is triggered by a lot of mental factors as well. In fact, binge eating can be classified as a mental disorder. Mental triggers for binge eating include depression, poor coping techniques, emotional trauma and food deprivation.

Some people resort to food to bury their emotions. This leads to weight gain and health issues. That’s not all; by binge eating, you aren’t solving any problems. In fact, you are increasing feelings of self-loathing. That’s why it’s important that you know how to stop yourself from binge eating.

How to Stop Yourself from Binge Eating

Here are my 8 takes on how to stop binge eating:

1 | Listen to your body

Learn to truly listen to your body in order to stop yourself from binge eating. Aim towards eating only when you are hungry. Sometimes we mistake thirst for hunger. Other times, we are just bored and want to snack on something. Maybe you need to eat because you have been doing a lot of physical activity and you need to replace lost energy. Find out what it is that your body needs.

2 | Practice mindful eating

We have reached a point in our lifestyles where we always eat while scrolling through our phones. Before you know it, you have finished eating. In fact, sometimes you don’t even remember eating. Put away all other distractions and get mindful with your food. Eat slowly and savor every taste. This will help you to stop yourself from binge eating.

3 | Eat healthier

Introduce more fruits and vegetables to your diet. Have a smoothie for breakfast. Drink a fresh juice at lunch. Some of us never eat fresh fruits and vegetables. As you eat more fruits, you will come to love just how refreshed they make you. This will even stop you from binge eating!

4 | Don’t restrict yourself

We’ve all been there. You decide to eat clean and cut out every undesirable food. However, you end up miserably gnawing on bland veggies and nuts. Soon, you can’t take it anymore and binge on fast food, ice-cream and all that sugary goodness. My advice is; don’t jump in too soon. It’s easy to get used to eating healthy if you first introduce it into your diet slowly. Try eating healthy one whole day. Take it slow from there on.

5 | Look beyond your physical appearance

Let’s face it—everyone on earth cares about their appearance. We all want to look perfect. We want to get rid of all our physical imperfections. A bulging belly, hip dips, jowls, flabby arms. We are constantly aware of how we look. The thing is, that’s not what matters the most. Some of these things can’t even be changed! What matters the most are the intangible things; personality, intelligence, kindness and character. What matters is that we are whole and alive. Love your body for serving you. Don’t hate your body. It’s all you’ve got!

6 | Learn to use better coping techniques

Binge eating is a coping mechanism for stressful emotional situations. You need to adopt better techniques for reducing stress. What’s even better is getting to the root of your emotions and healing yourself. Throw yourself into other activities. Find out what and help you cope best. You can take a walk, pick up a new hobby, try working out, meditate, or read a book. Do whatever it takes to find a good coping technique.

7 | Take a 20 minute break before going for seconds

Studies show that waiting 20 minutes before going for second helping reduces your chances of binge eating. If you want a second helping, keep your plate away, wash your hands and have a glass of water. If after 20 minutes you still want to eat, you can. Chances are you won’t feel like eating anymore. This technique will help you to stop binge eating.

8 | Stay away from your triggers

Triggers are what cause you to start engaging in harmful activities. Reading or watching triggering material can cause you to binge. Identify what made you binge, and stay away from it. Don’t talk to people who make you emotional. Don’t read books or watch movies that trigger you. Instead, engage in productive activities that won’t give you emotional breakdowns. iority