Do you frequently eat unusual and large amounts of food without being able to stop? I’m not talking about when you eat seconds and thirds of your birthday cake, I’m talking about when you eat more than usual on a regular basis? If yes, do you feel shame or guilt after eating all that food and possibly end up being overshadowed by negative energy and vibes of regret? I know many of you struggle with excessive over-eating because I get a lot of questions about but the problem is not when it happens every few weeks, it’s when where you feel you have lost control and it turns into a troublesome point for your self-esteem and confidence.
Personally, I binge eat every once in a while but I do have those random moments where I go for a bigger portion than usual because either I honestly feel I deserve it as an indulgence because I have been consistent with my clean and balanced eating habits and everyone knows that one extra portion every now and then will not break the lifestyle if the lifestyle is strong and maintained, but sometimes I get those episodes where I am literally playing the devil with myself and I just start eating what I want and really fast and it continues for a few days of the week back-to-back! It’s almost like a short-lived, 3-day addiction to comfort foods. When I get random, back-to-back episodes, I automatically press the start button to my internal life coach voice.
The trick to stop binging is by improving your mental strength and using your logic to possibly also improve your eating habits and definitions. Let’s start with what binge eating means by definition: feeling a loss of control due to eating unusually large amounts of food in a specific amount of time like an hour, eating even when you’re full or not hungry, eating really fast during those episodes, eating until you feel like you are going to burst and sometimes you do it while you are alone or even in secret. Once you binge and end up having a disorder you might feel depressed, disgusted, ashamed, guilty or sad and upset about your eating habits and this can be a downward spiral. It is up to you to find out what the source of this spiral is so that you can attempt to treat it before it gets even worse.
Studies have shown that one of the main reasons for binge eating is inconsistent eating habits due to frequent dieting that usually never leads to weight-loss or to irregular weight fluctuations. But according to research, the top 5 factors that are said to increase your risk of developing binge-eating disorder (BED) are:
Family and genetics play a big role as you might see a trend in your family such as with your parents or siblings. Some research implies that some people are more sensitive to dopamine, the hormone associated to reward and pleasure having them more inclined to temporarily feel really good each time they binge.
Dieting is the second biggest risk factor as yo-yo dieting and being highly inconsistent with your general diet can affect your balance, hormones and eating habits.
Body image issues are one of the biggest sources for binge eating and food is mentally used similarly to a drug. Dieting has a big role to play here as well as body image issues are also usually the source behind yo-yo dieting. To note though, studies also suggest that women are more inclined to being diagnosed with BED due to the higher levels of stress.
Emotional trauma might trigger binge eating so it important to look out for it after stressful life events such as abuse, death of a family or friend, separation from a family member, car accident or even getting bullied, especially with kids.
Depression, PTSD, phobias, substance abuse and issues with anxiety are all also common sources.
In conclusion, binge eating can be triggered by so many things and have numerous social, genetic, environmental and psychological factors. If you think you have been binge eating a lot or inclined to following that abusive path, your best option is to try to prevent this from happening or from becoming a regular habit by ensuring the following:
1. Observe your eating behaviour and possibly keep a journal of your habits so you can find the triggers or sources, 2. practice mindfulness, 3. reinforce a healthy body image, 4. practice accountability, 5. try your hardest not to diet, 6. do not follow nutrition trends and instead follow a balanced diet, 7. don’t skip meals or apply cheat meals and cheat days into your routine, possibly pre-plan your meals so your mind knows that there are meals coming, 8. try to always feel satiated where you are able to stay satisfied but eventually become hungry again after 2-3 hours, therefore, practice reasonable portion control and try eating 5 small meals compared to 3 large meals, 9. do not play the blame game when it comes to indulging, explain to your mind and body that these food items are not illegal, you should just have small quantities and reassure yourself that these items are always available anyhow, 10. drink lots of water, stay hydrated, eat more protein and fiber and allow yourself to self-indulge exercising that confidence, logic, self-control, mindfulness and accountability, 11. have clean snacks readily available in small quantities around your environment(s) in case you need to opt for a healthier option that will not excite your hormones so much, 12. keep those indulgences out of sight so that they can remain out of your mind, lessen the more risky food products from your home so that you literally have no excuse to grab it, and finally, and 13. if binging, try your hardest to eat slower so that you give your mind a chance to catch up with your full and suffering body. The last piece of advice I can send you off with after this hopefully eye-opening article is to remember that this is all about mental strength and trust me, you are able to overcome binge eating but it takes effort! The next time you binge eat, save that feeling after you’re done, keep it in a file readily on hand when needed. You need to play a game with your mind, you need to show your mind who’s boss, you need to always remind yourself of that suffering you feel and go through post-binging and keep telling yourself that you don’t need to do this and that you can step away for a few minutes to get busy with something else and after a few minutes realise that you didn’t really have that craving and feel good knowing that you did not give in to that false craving. There is a way to overcome binging, but you just need to watch yourself and listen to your body and only then will you realise how you can improve.
* The author is a wellness advocate and influencer @keys2balance.
Reem Abdulrahman Jassim al-Muftah
