fight binge eating

Regain control of your diet with tips from the X-Weighted experts

Anyone who’s tried losing weight through dieting has probably been sideswiped at some point or another by one of the sabotage twins: emotional eating and binge eating. Use these tips from the X-Weighted fitness team to fight back.

Emotional Eating
It’s a fact of life that our bodies react with feelings of reward when fed certain substances. Think of how alcohol depresses the central nervous system, the respiratory rate, and the heart rate and in the process relieves anxiety and reduces inhibitions. Or how chocolate triggers the release of mood-brightening opiates. Or how eating sugary, high-fat foods actually signals our stress-fighting hormones to settle down.

But like alcohol, chocolatey, sugary, and fatty foods are merely short-term coping strategies to relieve stress and boost our mood. If we repeatedly lean on them to get us past those emotional dips, we will certainly pack on unhealthy amounts of fat.

To avoid being broadsided by emotional eating, try some of the control tactics of problem drinkers:
1. Keep unhealthy foods out of your environment. Don’t go there and don’t let them come to you. Recognize the situations that trigger your cravings.
2. Be ready with a substitute for those situations, such as an activity, a healthy snack, or a distraction.
3. Tackle the feelings beneath those cravings. Make it a priority to relieve stress or deal with anger or anxiety.
4. Emphasize healthier behaviours the better part of the time. Eat a balanced diet so you’re not hungry, eat at consistent intervals, and exercise regularly.
5. Give the urge for an emotional face-stuffing a little time to pass. Ask yourself if it’s a need or a habit, then wait for meal or snack time.
6. Practise saying “No.” Start with once a day and work yourself up to as many times as it takes for the habit to stick.

Binge Eating
Some questions to ask if you suspect you might be a binge eater:
1. Do you have repeated episodes of eating quickly and uncontrollably when you’re not really hungry?
2. Are these triggered by such emotions as anger, anxiety, or boredom?
3. Do you then eat until you’re uncomfortably full?
4. Do you hide and/or hoard food and feel disgust and guilt during and after these episodes?

The U.S.-based National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disorders estimates that 10 to 15 per cent of people who are mildly obese have binge eating disorder. Among the severely obese, the percentage is higher. Many also have symptoms of depression.

If you recognize yourself in this description, consult a doctor and/or psychologist to understand the reasons for your behaviour. Treatment can be as basic as tracking your eating habits and developing new strategies to deal with your moods, and as beneficial as triumphing over depression.

Written by: The X-Weighted Fitness Team