Binge eating leads to weight gain and it may also set the stage for health problems over the short or long-term.
If you’re someone who “binge-eats” a lot, or even now and then, you may be wondering how to break the cycle forever or how to become an anorexic. The secret of how to stop binge eating is getting a handle on why you do it in the first place.
In most cases, it’s less about appetite than it is about emotions. To binge-eat is to bury emotions via mindless eating.
In other words, when we’re putting a lot of food into our mouths, we’re usually not thinking about our biggest problems, our darkest emotions and our most painful experiences and memories.
As you can see, binge eating is an escape. If you eat to escape, you probably already sense that you’re doing it in order to forget about your problems for a while, or to soothe yourself when you’re feeling a lot of unpleasant emotions.
Most people do understand the strong link between emotions and binge eating.
The central problem is emotional eating (eating because you feel stress, sadness, anger or other emotional pain) and it’s one which may be solved, as long as you’re willing to look inward and also discipline yourself.
How to Stop Binge Eating Forever
Unfortunately, the mind-numbing benefits of binge-eating don’t last very long. You may liken these benefits to those that a drug addict experiences after getting a hit. The feeling is good for a little while and then it’s gone and the addict is left wanting more.
While addiction often seems harmless (and even fun!) at first, it soon takes a turn and the addict inevitably becomes enslaved by it. When you binge-eat, you’re indulging in addictive behavior, just as the drug addict (or alcoholic or sex addict) does.
Food is your preferred drug and savoring it in “binge” quantities is something that you do in order to enjoy yourself while the binge lasts…and in order to push your fears, doubts and worries away, until the binge is finally over. Most binges last about two hours.
Naturally, once the binge ends, things get worse. You probably feel ashamed, bloated and angry with yourself. You may have a sick stomach or digestive difficulties, too.
This is the downside of addiction, no matter what a person is hooked on. There is always a flip side to indulging in addictive behavior. Almost always, it causes more problems than it solves.
The key to stopping is to look within. It’s not about fad diets or meal tracking plans or Fitbits. It’s about finding healthier ways to handle your emotions. If you substitute other stress management techniques for binge-eating, you’ll be able to soothe your feelings and worries without the weight gain and health risks of binging.
While you’ll always need to guard against the urge to binge, finding the right stress management methods will give you more strength to resist binging over time.
One great option is meditation. It will cleanse and purify your mind and soothe your body and spirit. It’s possible to get health and stress-relief benefits by meditating for just ten minutes per day. It’s also very easy to learn. Other effective substitutes for binge-eating include swimming, saunas, massage, Yoga, and therapy.
Use one or all of these techniques in order to master your own mind to overcome this eating disorder.
How to Stop Binge Eating: Face Up to Problems
Every time you have the urge to binge-eat, check yourself. Instead of reaching for chips, cookies or fast food, ask yourself, “What is really bothering me right now?” Focus on finding a solution, rather than burying your worries by eating unhealthy quantities of food.
If you need professional support to overcome this common problem and find the help you need on how to stop binge eating, consider rehab for food addiction or a support group.
