How to Stop Binge Eating
Until recently, very few diet programs have dealt with the issue of how to stop binge-eating or emotional eating. Most diet book authors and personal trainers make it sound very simple. . . just eat what is recommended, do the required amount of exercise and then you will lose the weight. But the books don’t discuss how to stop binge-eating when it’s more about your emotions than it is about hunger.
(This article does not address the eating disorder known as “bingeing and purging”. Please consult a physician if you feel that you are suffering from any eating disorder.)
Many people are overweight because of emotional eating. It’s not because they don’t understand nutrition or the role of exercise but because they eat to feel better about themselves or deal with difficult emotions.
Most of the time emotional eating has nothing to do with the food itself. People who eat for emotional reasons just don’t know how to properly handle their emotions. Food is used as comfort for emotional pain or stress.
Sometimes we engage in binge eating because we are stressed, bored or depressed. And sometimes it’s just plain old hunger! To figure out how to tell the difference, the book “You:On a Diet” has a helpful scale that will help you learn to judge your hunger and fullness:
Empty Tank – Really, really hungry
1/2 Tank – You can go a little while but not too long before you eat again.
3/4 Tank – Satisfied and can go much longer without food.
Full Tank – Full and satisfied, right after a good, healthy meal.
Overflow level S – Stuffed.
Overflow level OS – Overly stuffed
Overflow level BP/O – Button Pop/exploding. You actually feel sick you are so full.
The author recommends that you stay in the 3/4 to full tank range at all times. Everytime you reach for something to eat, rate your hunger. If you are not in the hungry category, stop and think about the circumstances that you are in at the moment you are reaching for the food so that you can deal with your emotions properly and not eat for the wrong reasons.
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