Tips To Stop Binge Eating

~ Ask yourself why you want something to eat?

- Did you come up with a plausible reason?

~ Look for your trigger points.

- Anger toward a loved one

- Problems at work

- Boredom

- Dissatisfaction with your day, week, life

- To fill a void

- Because the food is so good

- Parties or holidays with yummy foods

~ Tell yourself that you deserve not to eat.

- Overeat that is, picture food for what it’s truly intended for. Food is intended to nourish and replenish the body, not overstuff the body.

~ Tell your friends and family at functions that you will not be partaking in over snacking.

- This will be difficult for many of your friends and family to understand. They may even take offense when they have prepared an unhealthy dish. Don’t worry about them, they will get over it. You must do what is right for your body.

~ Fill your house with foods that you are not likely to binge on.

- Carrot sticks, celery, all vegetables really, fruits, lean proteins.

~ Make a list of how you would like to look and feel. Then hang it on the fridge, next to your vanity mirror, by your closet, and any other place you feel may help.

~ Find pictures of what you would like to achieve for yourself. The pictures can be old pictures of yourself, or pictures you have found in a magazine.

~ Do something, anything else.
- Take a walk, if it’s raining, take a walk in the rain, play a game, catch up on phone calls, prepare food that will take hours to be finished and don’t snack while cooking, read a book, cruise the internet.

~ Give yourself permission to relax.
- If you are tired and want to do absolutely nothing, but be a couch potato, well then do nothing. This means that you will not be munching while being a couch potato, you will be vegging. If you can’t stand relaxing in front of the T.V. without eating, then try allowing your mind to relax through meditation. You literally get into a comfortable position and let your mind go blank, how great does that sound?

NOTES:
How to meditate: You can take as little time as three minutes or you can take an hour or longer, whatever fits. Relax your body into a comfortable position and focus on your breathing. Let your breathe flow freely into and out of your body. Everytime you feel your thoughts drifting gently bring your focus back to your breathe. This is more challenging than it sounds as the mind has a way of wondering. Don't get discouraged, if you can only concentrate on your breathe for one minute, be happy with that one minute. Practice as often as possible. During your break at work take five minutes to sit quietly and listen to your breathe, or take a break from cooking dinner, have someone watch your children for a few minutes. My point is there is always a way to be happier and healthier, please make time for yourself.

Forming Habits: This will be a challenge as it takes approximately two weeks to form a habit. And you will have to reestablish this habit after each time your new lifestyle has been compromised. After a bad day, after the holidays, after a good day, well your whole life really. If you slip into a binge, don’t make it worse. Once you notice a binge is in effect don’t beat yourself up, just stop it.

Get help: If you need further assistance in your nutrition program, and almost everyone does at some point, then come see me for a consultation. The time to make your body and life into your dream body and life is now, don’t wait for the perfect time, for the perfect time is now!

Albany Massage & Wellness by Jill Wells