Eating plenty of food is not harmful. If you do it regularly, however, you might have a binge eating disorder. Binge eating comes with risks, such as weight gain and obesity. If your compulsive overeating is always followed by guilt, you might have a problem on your hands. Fortunately, there are practical strategies that you can employ to curb binge eating.
Seek Professional Help
Talking to a close family member or friend can help. However, for best results, it is advisable to seek professional help from a reliable center for eating disorders. If you have deep-rooted emotional issues, breaking the habit on your own can be a challenge. An expert can help you identify the psychological triggers, improving your chances of ending the problem ultimately.
Change Your Environment
Binge eating is compulsive. Most of the time, it happens when you are in a specific environment. If you overeat because you sit near the fridge when watching TV, you should consider moving away from the spot. In case you overeat when preparing food in the kitchen, consider clearing out your kitchen of all junk food. Since changing your lifestyle drastically might be hard, it pays to substitute unhealthy foods with healthy ones.
Avoid Skipping Meals
It pays to set a regular eating schedule and follow it implicitly. In most cases, skipping meals contributes to cravings, which increases the risk of overeating. A regular eating schedule helps avoid the temptation to eat other small meals in-between, usually junk food. Starting the day with a healthy breakfast is essential.
Consider ending restrictive diets as well. Restrictive diets encourage deprivation, which can elicit overeating. If you would like to lose weight, you should not make drastic changes to your diet. If a diet encourages cutting out specific food groups entirely, it might not be right for you.
Increase Your Fiber and Protein Intake
Fiber can help you curb your cravings because it moves slowly through the digestive tract. This ensures that you keep feeling full longer. Some of the foods rich in fiber include whole grains, legumes, fruits, and vegetables. If you stay full longer, you reduce your cravings and calorie intake. Eating protein-rich foods keeps you full longer, just like the case with fiber. It is advisable to include good sources of proteins in your meals throughout the day. These include eggs, meat, seeds, legumes, and nuts. If you must eat a snack, opt for a high-protein one.
Avoid Labels
If you accept the idea that binge eating makes you a bad person, you will be labeling yourself. This makes it difficult to break the cycle. This is because you will most likely let yourself go eventually. It is also important to drop the belief that there are bad foods. If you hold such an opinion, you will always feel guilty each time you eat the food in question. This can trigger overeating afterward.
Binge eating is a common disorder. While this means that you are not alone, you should know that it can affect your physical and mental health. Since stopping the habit is not impossible, you should take action as soon as possible.
