Beat Your Next Binge

I never kept the foods that I binged on in the house.  Never.  It’s impossible for me to eat a binge food when I don’t have it.

When Binge Eating Disorder was part of my life, I did not eat breakfast on a regular basis.  Sometimes I would have breakfast and sometimes I wouldn’t.  When I started eating breakfast every single day, no matter what the day’s activities were, it helped jumpstart my day and helped curb my binges because I wasn’t ravenous by lunchtime.

I always kept healthy snacks in my purse when I wasn’t at home.  This helped me to continue my regular snacking without having to find food while I was out.  The times that I forgot to bring my snacks were the times when I would have a fast food binge or eat foods that did not give me the nourishment I needed.

I would get fuller faster when I drank a full glass of water before each meal.  This tended to fill me up a lot so that I didn’t eat as much.

If I had a craving for an unhealthy binge type of food, I would make a healthier version of it at home.  For example, if I wanted a bean burrito, instead of going to Taco Bell, I would make black beans and guacamole at home and put it on a whole wheat tortilla with some salsa.  At least I was not ignoring my craving only to binge on that food later.  Making a healthier version of my craving at home never made me feel deprived and I didn’t give myself the option of ordering a bean burrito plus a lot more food from Taco Bell.

I learned to never buy a binge food in a big quantity.  If I wanted chips, I would buy a small package of single serving chips instead of a whole bag.  If you like chocolate, buy the smallest serving that you can find so that it is gone once you eat it and there is no room for going back for more.

Finally, something that really helped me curb binges was to create a routine of eating that I could stick to for the majority of the time.  This meant that I ate breakfast, sometimes a mid-morning snack, lunch, a mid-afternoon snack, dinner, and sometimes a snack after that.  When I ate every few hours instead of just when I felt hungry, my body felt full and I didn’t binge as much.  The times that I did wait until I felt hungry proved to be disastrous for me.  I would end up eating at least double the amount that I would have if I stuck with my regular routine or I would binge. 

I hope that some of these tricks really prove to be helpful to you and to ending Binge Eating Disorder.

Kristin Gerstley is a former binge eater that now has a very healthy relationship with food.  She is the owner of http://www.endbingeeating.com, which is a site that helps people overcome Binge Eating Disorder.  She also publishes a free newsletter offering encouragement, tips on how to stop binge eating, and regain control of your life.