Binge eating is something most people have heard of, although many are likely not aware that food binging is classed into two broad categories.
1. Binging Followed by Purging (self-induced vomiting)
2. Binge without Purge: The eater does not induce vomiting.
In this article, we will be speaking about type 2 - Binging without purging. Many more people suffer from this problem than you might expect (almost 3% of the adult population).
Binging is an even greater problem for obese adults. If we limit ourselves to this population only, we find the percentages increase to as high as ten to fifteen percent. So as you might expect, binging is much more of a problem for obese people.
Researchers have found that dieting often acts as a trigger for binging. This is not surprising since binging is often closely related to emotional stress. For some people, binging is a form of self medicating-an attempt to reduce levels of frustration and anxiety. Now consider that dieting is quite stressful.
In this regard, it is appropriate to view food consumed for this purpose as an addictive behavior. Like many addictive behaviors, binging creates a nasty and vicious psychological circle.
A person becomes overwhelmed with frustration or anxiety. To gain relief, the person binges on food, this is briefly successful. Then, realizing what has happened, the person becomes overwhelmed with stress about what has just occurred. This is a devastatingly nasty cycle of events.
And around and around we go.
If you are a chronic binger or if someone close to you is, it’s important to realize that:
1. This may not be a problem that can be fixed without help.
2. There are several options for professional help (types of therapy) available these days
However, if you feel that this is something that can be handled alone, consider some of these proven approaches:
1. Avoid very low calorie diets. These tend to create much more stress. Target losing no more than one to two pounds per week.
2. DO NOT cut out all of the foods you like. Figure in a couple hundred calories per day of your favorite foods. This helps reduce frustration and can actually help you lose weight.
3. NEVER go more than 4 hours without food.
4. Work on more of less. Four to six smaller meals a day will go a long way to easing the urge to binge.
5. Research shows that the body likes a schedule. Design a time table and do your best to stick to it.
Remember that binging is related to stress. You need to address this in order to really free yourself from binging. Look into meditation or sports or exercise to help reduce the stress levels in your life. Learning to see things differently; wearing different color glasses so to speak, can help you look at the world in a way that is not stressful. This of course would be the best route.
