Helpful ways to overcome binge eating
Some helpful tips to overcome binge eating!
Everyone overeats at times especially during holidays, exam times, stressful situations or joyous occasions. Sometimes however, the urge to overeat can get out of control and lead to a disorder called binge eating.
Those who binge eat rely on the food to give them comfort and help them to cope with negative emotions however, overeating often leads to weight gain and feelings of guilt and shame.
Binge eating or compulsive eating can follow different patterns. For example, someone may over eat all day on and off, or typical binges may last a few hours. Feeling anxious and guilty about the behaviour may lead to sufferers hiding food and eating in secret later on, gorging as fast as they can whilst no one is watching.
SOME USEFUL TIPS TO HELP YOU OVERCOME YOUR BINGE EATING DISORDER.
1) Exercise and get fresh air- boosting your mood naturally and eliminating stress or negative feelings this way can help you to reduce the compulsion to over eat.
2) Take control of your grocery shopping- write a list and stick to it. Even ask a friend to accompany you to the supermarket to make sure you don’t deviate away from your list of food. Ask for support in avoiding the junk food aisles and foods that tempt you
3) Eat a little a lot throughout the day so that you are not hungry and at risk of overeating. This may involve making some changes in your routine. For example if you are a person that never eats breakfast, start to introduce a small piece of food at this time to ensure you do not lack energy and crave later on in the morning. It can be something small first thing in the morning to kick start your day and get you into a routine. TRY IT! YOU HAVE NOTHING TO LOSE!
4) Practice positive self talk- emphasis here is on the word practice. This takes time to truly look in the mirror and deliver a powerful message to yourself that you will believe. For example, before you look in the mirror, decide how you are feeling. Do not allow the mirror to dictate your mood! Repeat positive, personal statements. I am unique, strong and ready to embrace the day ahead, what I put into this day, I will get back. I love myself for who I am, my friends love me for who I am.
It is important to be as realistic as possible with these tips in helping to overcome binge eating. If you practice and make small changes in YOUR life, you will see changes, however, it is up to you to put the effort in and ask for support in order to experience these changes.
You can dream of winning the lottery, however, you have no chance of winning if you don’t buy a ticket! Take action and meet your goals half way!
Dani McClafferty
Useful Tools
Tracking binges worksheet
Most of you will be familiar with food journals and diaries as a tool to monitor your daily eating patterns.
The concept is the same here for the Binge worksheet, however the aim is to record solely each BINGE episode and certain situation or trigger that led up to the event. Note as much information as possible from the list of 7 questions below.
For many people, during the exact time of a binge episode, their thoughts are quite automatic and their behaviour is reactive more so than proactive. The purpose of recording each of these steps allows us to visibly pinpoint and connect certain events, thoughts and outcomes or behaviours.
This is a very useful exercise if used each time a binge episode is carried out. When we sit back after the binge and see certain patterns and cycles emerging it helps us to improve and make small changes for the next time in order to minimise harm and begin to take control of our recovery.
Record:
1) Situation
2) Length of eating episode ( 20 minutes, I hour etc)
3) Foods/drinks consumed during binge- be specific, 2 bags of crisps, ten chocolates, tub of ice cream- list exact quantities instead of just the food groups
4) Feelings during eating ( try to connect to the feelings you are experiencing at the time- if you cannot do this at the time, try to record them after the binge)- remember back to what you believe you were feeling at the time or just before the binge.
5) Feelings after eating? Happy? Shame? Sadness? Regret?
6) Small or large binge? ( in your honest opinion)
7) Did you feel out of control?
Dani McClafferty
Binge Eating Disorder
Binge eating disorder typically includes periods of excessive overeating. However, a person with a binge eating disorder does not subsequently induce purging (vomiting), as is the case with bulimia.
Binge eating can occur on its own, or alongside other disorders or conditions, such as Prader-Willi disorder, or a lesion of the hypothalamus gland.
Eating Disorders
People with eating disorders are preoccupied with food and/or their weight and body shape, and are usually highly dissatisifed with their appearance. The majority of eating disorders involve low self-esteem, shame, secrecy and denial.
Anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa are the major eating disorders. People with anorexia live at a low body weight, beyond the point of slimness and in an endless pursuit of thinness by restricting what they eat and sometimes compulsively over-exercising. In contrast, people with bulimia have intense cravings for food, secretively overeat and then purge to prevent weight gain (by vomiting or use of laxatives, for example).
Clinical Director
Mr. John Crimmins is a Trinity College trained Psychotherapist & is accredited with the Irish Association of Counseling & Therapy. John has extensive experience in the area of eating disorders. He has been seeing clients in his private practice at the Kildare Street Clinic since 1999. He has completed specialist training in Eating Disorder Treatment at the Maudsley Hospital Eating Disorder Unit in London.
He was Senior Manager in the Merchants Quay Drug Project for 10 years. John’s Post Graduate training is in ‘The Psychodynamics of Groups & Organisations’ . He has also trained in Group Dynamics with the A.K. Rice Institute, Washington, USA.
John has been involved in Group work for the past twelve years. He has consulted to teams in large organisations, managed multidisciplinary teams in clinical settings & facilitated a broad range of therapeutic Groupwork. He is presently running therapy groups for the treatment of Anorexia & Bulimia at the Kildare Street Clinic of which he is Director & Founder. He is also Director & Founder of the Addiction Training Institute.
