Don’t you hate it when you find your hand in the cookie jar…for the fourth time in one night? Or when you open a bag of chips/pretzels/cookie dough, and the next thing you know, its all gone?
Binge eating sucks. But what drives us to do that? And how we can stop it?
There is no better common-sense tip for avoiding binge eating than…
Keeping the junk out of the house.
Here’s a photo of Bally inspecting the fridge ==>
Easier said than done in most homes, I know, and heck, when I take Bally The Dog to Grandma’s, I find myself with my hand in the cookie jar more than I’d like. But hey, how else am I going to eat ice cream other than by making home-made ice cream sandwiches?
So do your best on that one, but if you can’t keep ALL the treats out of the house, here are some more tips…
This is another superficial one…but you just need to stay active and find something else to do besides look through the cupboards for the 3rd time this evening.
Don’t use food as a reward or just something to do out of boredom.
Go for a walk. Run some errands. Treat yourself to a bath or download some tunes. Buy a punching bag. Put on some music and dance.
And a couple of other practical tips…if you are going to binge, do so by overeating fruits and vegetables. And also, when you are done eating, brush your teeth, makes eating less appealing for a while.
Okay, those are good, but it is time to get a little deeper.
You are probably binge eating for some emotional reason.
One person on our TT Facebook page recommended keeping a diary and writing down how you feel when you eat. I think this is great advice that most folks should do even if they don’t binge eat. Just do this for a week and you’ll get a really good understanding of why you are eating.
Were you hungry? Bored? Tired? Stressed? Anxious?
Men’s Health magazine reports that anxiety causes many people to overeat sugar. If that is the case with you, then you need to find a way to deal with the anxiety…and that will take care of the overeating.
Tracking your mood when you eat is a great way to identify the source of your binges, and you’ll be able to build some powerful routines and possibly overcome binge eating.
Some other “deep” responses I received on twitter had to do with the relationship we have with food. How do we view food? As a fuel? As something to be enjoyed with others? As a necessity? Or as one of the major comforts and joys in our lives?
Do we have the POWER over food or does food have the power over us?
Do we practice extreme self-denial that ends up being counterproductive because it leads to binge eating? And if so, then how can we get into a balanced eating lifestyle that allows treats but without binge eating all the time?
And if you have any tips on avoiding binge eating, please let me on our TT Facebook page here.
Wishing you healthy eating,
Craig Ballantyne, CTT
Certified Turbulence Trainer
PS - Here's more harsh truth!
Calorie counters on cardio machines are the biggest fraud in fat loss exercise today. Avoid the cardio confessional...pointless! You can't "burn off" Thanksgiving feasts and calorie binges with 30 min of cardio. Stop living that mindset & free yourself from the guilt. Focus on whole, natural foods and short burst workouts 90% of the time and enjoy yourself the other 10% - Guilt-free and boring cardio-free.
PPS - No matter what...
...do NOT quit!
Watch my new video called "No Quitting" here
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