Binge Eating and Health! - Leora Fulvio

Have you ever stress ate even when you were not hungry at all? Have you finished a whole tub of ice-cream just because you were feeling very emotional or were not in good mood? Or even worst, ate and felt guilty or shameful after having your favorite food? If yes, you have started binge eating. If this is done on a regular basis, like eating just because you are too emotional or feeling stressed or feeling anxious or depressed for some reason, and over-indulge with food more than twice a month, you might be suffering from binge eating disorder. At this time, where we binge-watch on our favorite series or do movie marathons, we tend to binge eat too, without even realizing that we are eating a large amount of food in a very short span which can lead to guilt or shame after the realization of what you did.

People develop this disorder due to many reasons, but most common reasons are stress, emotional breakdown, a distressing pattern with food and sleep, and dehydration. There are many chances that at some point of time in life, the most disciplined person would have also given in to the cravings and binged on certain food. But binging is not a problem if you do it occasionally, binge eating if done at least once a week for 3 months or more, is a sign of bulimia g

or psychological condition of the eating disorder.

It is not possible to just recover from this disorder in a day, with time and proper professional binge eating therapy and some lifestyle changes, urges will be lesser, and you would be strong enough not to give in to these psychological demands.

Adverse effects of binge eating disorder to your system include:

• Weight gain and Obesity.

• Diabetes.

• Depression and Anxiety.

• Digestive problems.

• Cholesterol and Gall bladder stones.

• Heart diseases.

Recovering from this will requires patience and a conscious effort towards improving your lifestyle daily and being in the moment. Even if you binge, stay in the moment and pay attention to every bite and enjoy the taste and flavors. Some of the tips that may help you overcome the binge patterns are:

 Plan your meals and do not skip the meals. Eat less but at regular intervals. Have a fulfilling breakfast so that you do not give into cravings. Hydrate yourself, water cuts down the unnecessary psychological cravings.

 Replace the junk with healthy food, make a mindful effort when you go grocery shopping to buy healthy food. This way you won’t have unhealthy food when you are very much tempted.

 Build a strong and encouraging support system, include people who have faith in you and with whom you can share your struggles and feelings.

 Getting some physical activity done will also curb the instantaneous temptations and can work wonders for your mood as well as your health.

 Figure out what are the triggers for binging and losing control over self. Sit with yourself and pay attention to what feeling or situations pushes you to binge and accept the emotion. There is a very thin line when you have an emotional breakdown if you sit through it and let it pass, you realize the urge to binge in also diminished and you have gained the self-control.

 Distracting yourself from food can also be a game changer. Identify the feeling that triggers the binge eating habit and distract yourself consciously to avoid the urge.

 Stress is a major factor for emotional binging, find a way to let go of the pressures and lean towards techniques like yoga, meditation, healing, breathing exercises, watching a movie, talking to a friend, etc. that lifts your mood and makes you feel better and happy about yourself.

With proper help and guidance and certain tweaks in the lifestyle, it is possible to overcome this disorder and live a healthier life.