Binge Eating? Help…
Just to be clear up front – I’m not talking the binges that lead to purging that equals bulimia. PLEASE don’t do this to yourself – and if you find you are – please find some binge eating help – it’s a google search away. I don’t know how to help you – but there are people there that have devoted their life to it – find them! They want to help too.
The less serious (but still harmful, especially to your waistline and weight loss goals) issue of binge eating sans the purging, is one I might have some tips for. Binge eating is emotional eating, and that’s something tough (NOT impossible) to stop. Being aware of your triggers is a huge first step. Boredom is mine… working at the computer, all of a sudden I’m at the fridge. Where was the consciousness there? Fleeing the boredom, that’s for sure. For a long time, kicking off just one shoe when I wanted to be working was wonderful – Walking with one shoe is awkward! And then I’d realize I’d gotten bored and was walking to the fridge again. So in that case, it wasn’t mental hunger OR physical hunger… it was just a habit, a routine to go to the fridge. If you have experiences like that, find a different way to satisfy the urge to do something/anything else! Koosh ball or silly putty at the desk is also a way for me to temporarily get my head out of the work I’m so bored in (when I changed my job, most of my ‘whoa, how’d I get here, fridge?’ moments went away).
Stop cravings with a plan that lets you eat LOTS!
For times when it FEELS like you’re hungry and just have to eat something, find another way to avoid the indulgence. Drink lots of water, fast, and wait a few minutes (lots = 12-16 ounces – enough to physically fill your stomach for awhile). Also eating a few nuts along with the water can help allay your body’s insistence that it NEEDS FOOD! You know when you need food, you’ve planned it out for yourself (right?).
Brushing your teeth can be another way to convince binge eating cravings to go away… I’ve never found it to help with chocolate (“oo i love chocolate-mint things!” always a regret anyway though) but many things are going to sound completely unappetizing after you’ve polished your pearly whites. It’s been even more effective since I switched to baking powder toothpaste – after you get used to the taste of the toothpaste you don’t mind it, but it’s even better then mint for convincing you that other things would be gross.
If you seem very prone to binging, finding a structured diet plan that seems like it would work for you might help curb the impulse to binge eat. Keep track of every day you follow the plan – write it down – and don’t break the chain! Avoid your trigger foods – but if your diet plan includes a ‘cheat meal’ or ‘cheat day’ (and nearly all the ones I find to be realistic and effective do) take advantage of it! Enjoy the food then.
If you haven’t managed to stop yourself getting into a flurry of binging… try to remember that NOW! would be the right time to stop eating. Doesn’t matter how much you’ve eaten already, a little more is going to make a difference. You can feel good about halting the binge mid-stream, and then go about repairing the damage. No drama, please. 
it’s ok – count it as your cheat day for the week and forgive yourself. Think of it as temporarily boosting your metabolism (because that’s a very real effect – not likely to burn off all you ate, but keeping you more efficient over the next few days), forgive yourself, move on – and try not to let it happen again. Best of luck!
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