Mortal Coil
August 25th, 2012, 06:53 AM
Episodes of binge eating are present in several eating disorders: Binge Eating Disorder (BED,) Bulimia, and even the binge/purge subtype of Anorexia.
There are a few theories as to why binge eating episodes occur: low levels of serotonin, incorrect signals being sent from the hypothalamus (a part of your brain,) and parents having used food in the past to comfort or reward their children.
No matter what the cause of your binge, there are steps you can take to prevent binges and minimize the aftereffects, namely of guilt and depression.
Prevention:
In the long term, the most effective way to prevent a binge is to eat regular, small meals. Try to take in a lot of fiber, which keeps you full for longer. Avoid junk food as much as you can. Binge eating is an addiction, and while this particular “drug” is necessary for your survival, junk food is not. If you eat mainly healthy, nutritious, whole foods, it will greatly decrease the likelihood of a binge craving.
Protein is also an important anti-binge nutrient, and magnesium has been shown to reduce chocolate cravings.
However, long-term prevention is not always practical. Short-term ways to overcome a craving include:
Counting to one hundred, with a sip of water in between each number.
A short bout of intensive exercise, such as jumping jacks, burpees or sprinting. (Emphasis on short. This is pro-recovery, not pro-compulsive exercise.)
A long, hot shower. This is not always practical, as I personally begin to crave when I am out, but it can be useful.
Meditation. It takes some time to get used to the idea, but if you can successfully clear your mind and relax, then you will stop thinking about food and your serotonin levels will rise.
A cup of strong coffee or tea. Coffee especially will satiate your taste buds.
Doing that homework you still need to finish.
Remember the last time you binged? How awful you felt afterwards? Think about that for a second. You don’t want that.
Damage Control:
So, you binged. Now what?
After binging, it is important not to feel too guilty. Some guilt is inevitable, but guilt to the point where you try to purge or over-exercise to compensate is neither healthy nor practical.
The most important thing is not to purge. It is difficult, especially since after binging one is usually full to the point of nausea and severe discomfort, but instead of purging, some light exercise such as walking will help to increase blood flow and get the food digested sooner. If you incorporate rosemary into your binge somehow, it will cause the blood vessels near the stomach to dilate, also increasing the speed of digestion.
After binging, you may feel “dirty.” One of the best ways to prevent from purging is also a glaringly obvious solution: brush your teeth! You won’t want to ruin your clean mouth with the unpleasant taste of laxatives, or worse, stomach acid.
Prevention of over-exercise and fasting in the aftermath of a binge is slightly more difficult, but it is best to take things one day at a time. You do not need to “make up” for anything the next day; in fact doing so can result in a vicious circle—first you binge, then you feel guilty, so you fast, which results in binge cravings coupled with the remaining guilt of the previous binge, so you binge again…
Over-exercise, while it generally doesn’t make you as hungry as starving, can be just as bad. It tires you out, wears you down, and raises cortisol (stress hormone) levels, which then cause more cravings.
No matter what eating disorder you are struggling with, I wish you the best of luck on your way to recovery.
There are a few theories as to why binge eating episodes occur: low levels of serotonin, incorrect signals being sent from the hypothalamus (a part of your brain,) and parents having used food in the past to comfort or reward their children.
No matter what the cause of your binge, there are steps you can take to prevent binges and minimize the aftereffects, namely of guilt and depression.
Prevention:
In the long term, the most effective way to prevent a binge is to eat regular, small meals. Try to take in a lot of fiber, which keeps you full for longer. Avoid junk food as much as you can. Binge eating is an addiction, and while this particular “drug” is necessary for your survival, junk food is not. If you eat mainly healthy, nutritious, whole foods, it will greatly decrease the likelihood of a binge craving.
Protein is also an important anti-binge nutrient, and magnesium has been shown to reduce chocolate cravings.
However, long-term prevention is not always practical. Short-term ways to overcome a craving include:
Counting to one hundred, with a sip of water in between each number.
A short bout of intensive exercise, such as jumping jacks, burpees or sprinting. (Emphasis on short. This is pro-recovery, not pro-compulsive exercise.)
A long, hot shower. This is not always practical, as I personally begin to crave when I am out, but it can be useful.
Meditation. It takes some time to get used to the idea, but if you can successfully clear your mind and relax, then you will stop thinking about food and your serotonin levels will rise.
A cup of strong coffee or tea. Coffee especially will satiate your taste buds.
Doing that homework you still need to finish.
Remember the last time you binged? How awful you felt afterwards? Think about that for a second. You don’t want that.
Damage Control:
So, you binged. Now what?
After binging, it is important not to feel too guilty. Some guilt is inevitable, but guilt to the point where you try to purge or over-exercise to compensate is neither healthy nor practical.
The most important thing is not to purge. It is difficult, especially since after binging one is usually full to the point of nausea and severe discomfort, but instead of purging, some light exercise such as walking will help to increase blood flow and get the food digested sooner. If you incorporate rosemary into your binge somehow, it will cause the blood vessels near the stomach to dilate, also increasing the speed of digestion.
After binging, you may feel “dirty.” One of the best ways to prevent from purging is also a glaringly obvious solution: brush your teeth! You won’t want to ruin your clean mouth with the unpleasant taste of laxatives, or worse, stomach acid.
Prevention of over-exercise and fasting in the aftermath of a binge is slightly more difficult, but it is best to take things one day at a time. You do not need to “make up” for anything the next day; in fact doing so can result in a vicious circle—first you binge, then you feel guilty, so you fast, which results in binge cravings coupled with the remaining guilt of the previous binge, so you binge again…
Over-exercise, while it generally doesn’t make you as hungry as starving, can be just as bad. It tires you out, wears you down, and raises cortisol (stress hormone) levels, which then cause more cravings.
No matter what eating disorder you are struggling with, I wish you the best of luck on your way to recovery.