End Binge Eating Newsletter

From the desk of: Kristin Gerstley
Date: January 30, 2007

Hello friends!

In this edition of my newsletter I want to talk about something a little different than just binge eating.  I know that binge eating is a big problem for many people, but I’ve also been receiving emails from people that have beaten this disorder but realize that the weight does not miraculously fall right off.  How true this is!

Initially, I thought that once I stopped bingeing all of the added weight I had gained would just fall off.  I mean, I wasn’t eating poorly and in huge quantities anymore, so why wouldn’t it?  Unfortunately, that is not the case.  While I seemed to gain weight very easy and fast when I was bingeing, it doesn’t come off without any work on your part with diet and exercise. 

Since December 1, 2006, I have lost 24 pounds.  What have I done to do that?  The first thing that I did was just to decide that I wanted to get healthier.  I felt that I was in a good place and have been successful in not bingeing for over 2 years.  The key point here is that I wanted to be healthy.  I did not set out my goal to become skinny. 

What’s the difference?  Well, in the past I have yearned to be skinny.  Model-skinny.  The healthy aspect did not play any role to me.  I didn’t think about heart disease or high cholesterol.  Instead, I thought about fitting into a size two jean and how skinny would automatically make me feel better about myself (which we know is not true).  When you become honest with yourself and face up to the fact that being thin does not translate to being happy, things will change. 

When I focused on becoming healthier, I started reading as much information as I could.  I discovered great magazines such as Woman’s Health, Fitness, First, Shape, and Self just to name a few.  I always knew those magazines were out there, but I didn’t have an interest in them before.  I discovered great websites that gave me simple ideas to change in my life for the better.  When you look for things, they will appear!

Another thing that I have done is to weigh myself every morning on the scale.  I know that I could get a lot of flack for saying this, but it has truly helped me.  I would not recommend doing this until you have recovered from binge eating disorder, as this could add more stress to your life and trigger a binge.  For me, weighing myself every morning keeps me going.

If I gain 0.5 pounds one day, I know that it is OK – weight does fluctuate.  I have found that by becoming more aware of my weight, I am more aware of the foods that I choose to eat.  Awareness is key.  Had you asked me 2 years ago what I weighed, I would have told you that I had no idea.  Truth is that I didn’t want to know what I weighed.  If I could keep a number out of my head, then I could eat more and not worry about it.  Ever heard the saying, “Out of sight, out of mind”?

Something else that I have done is to not deprive myself of anything… and I mean anything.  If I want pizza, I eat pizza.  If I want chips, I eat chips.  When I deprived myself of certain foods in the past, I craved it more and when I gave in and ate it, I ate A LOT of it.  Now, I eat what I want in moderation.  Moderation is a very good thing!  The greatest part is that I can eat just about half of a thin crust cheese pizza and I do not gain weight.  The scale goes down. 

Also, I found that you don’t want unhealthy foods as much when you have the mindset that you can eat anything that you want.  I do not follow any kind of a “diet” per say.  I am doing my own thing.  I don’t count calories, fat, or carbs.  I do not starve myself.  I am healthy.  I find myself eating a lot of fruit, whole grains, salads, beans, cottage cheese, and more!

I do not eat meat of any kind (solely for the cruelty of animals).  Since writing my eBook, I have become a vegetarian.  I feel better after eliminating meat from my diet, but even if you do not choose the vegetarian lifestyle, you can still make simple changes to your life to become a healthier person. 

Finally, let’s talk about exercise.  I’m sure that you’ve heard sometime in your life that when you do what you love (to make money), it does not seem like work.  Same goes with exercise.  Seriously.  When you find exercises that you love, you won’t feel like you are exercising at all.  This is the greatest thing! I find so much joy in exercising and it’s like I just cannot wait to do it.  I am proud to say that I actually look forward to exercising! 

Two fun things that I recommend are Dance Dance Revolution (DDR) and Eyetoy, Kinetic.  These are both played on Playstation 2.  They are interactive games for fitness.  Now you might be wondering if these two games really can get you fit and make you sweat….  The answer is YES! 

DDR is a dancing game.  You have a dance pad and follow arrows on the screen to create dance moves.  This is purely a cardio exercise.  There is a workout mode, which counts calories for you.  There is also fun music in the background while you dance.  Another plus to this is that you do it in your own home, so even if you aren’t the most coordinated person, you can learn at your own pace. 

Eyetoy, Kinetic is a fitness exercise that incorporates aerobics, dance, martial arts, kickboxing, tai chi, yoga, and much, much more.  There are twenty-two different games that can be played.  I guarantee that you will get a great workout after this.  You use your whole body and will definitely feel it the next day.  Eyetoy is a little camera that you plug into your PS2 and this allows you to see yourself on your television while doing the moves.  Maybe some of you wouldn’t want to see yourself, but personally, I think that it is fun to watch myself on there. 

I have a ton of other exercises that I love, but these are the most fun for me right now.  Just think about what you like and go from there.  Create a workout schedule for yourself with activities that give you the most joy.  Pretty soon, you’ll be like me and find yourself wanting to exercise numerous times through out the day!

So just remember:

1. Make a decision to become a healthier person.
2. Raise your awareness.
3. Moderation is a very good thing.
4. Do whatever you can to make exercise enjoyable.

As always, if you have any questions or comments, feel free to contact me.

I wish you the very best!

P.S... I'd love to hear your success story!  If you purchased my ebook, please contact me and let me know how your life has changed because of it.   Have you lost weight?  Have you stopped binge eating completely?  What do you still struggle with?  Let me know!  Click here to contact me.

P.P.S... If you have not purchased my ebook and you want to truly end your binge eating disorder, you can order your copy today by going to: http://www.endbingeeating.com.