Binge Eating Recovery and Prevention of Binge Eating Disorder

What is Binge Eating Recovery?

Not sure where to go for treatment of binge eating disorder? Did you know binge eating disorder is the most common eating disorder in the United States? If you or a loved one are suffering from this terrible illness, look no further for binge eating disorder treatment.

Binge eating disorder treatment will likely involve a team including your Registered Dietitians, therapist, and primary care doctor. Support groups, art therapy, and psychology appointments may also be helpful if recommended.

Did you know that going on a diet can be a trigger that leads to Binge Eating Disorder (BED). This is what the diet industry isn’t telling you. If you have the genetic predisposition for binge eating and start a diet, this can eventually lead to a cycle of binge eating and dieting that will never be sustained.

Binge Eating Recovery Starts Here

If you are looking to prevent binge eating disorder while focusing on health and weight concerns we have the solution. It’s time to rebel against dieting!

Steps toward Binge Eating Recovery

Step 1: Resist diets

Here are the facts.
• 55% of adults in American are on a diet right now.
• 60.9 billion dollars are spent on diet products each year.
• 95% of the weight lost on a diet is regained in 5 years.
• Dieting is a predictor of weight gain: 66% of people on a diet regain the weight, and more, after stopping the diet.
• Young girls and boys who diet are respectively 12x and 5x more likely to binge eat compared to those that didn’t diet.
Diets do not work. They are not sustainable because even one day on a restricted diet can decrease your metabolism by 15-30%. It would be helpful to think about your weight and diet history and see what did or did not work for you.

Step 2: Look at eating as a way to care for yourself

Take down the labels of looking at food as “good” or “bad” and start to incorporate all your favorites into a varied, balanced way of eating. Your dietitian can help you plan out new meals to try and structure your meals for fullness and satisfaction. Preparing a meal for yourself is a great way to practice self care. Start thinking about foods that you enjoy and how they make you feel and plan your meals around your favorites. Food is supposed to be pleasurable.

Step 3: Build confidence in your eating as a key to Binge Eating Recovery

Instead of just focusing on what you are eating, we also like to think about when, why, where and how you are eating?

When- Are you able to recognize hunger and fullness cues? Do you make it a priority to eat breakfast before your day starts and take a break for lunch?
Why- Sometimes boredom, stress, anger and other emotions can trigger eating in the absence of hunger. It is helpful to recognize these triggers and fill your toolbox with other things that can help get you through these difficult times.
Where- Are you eating in your car, while watching TV, or while doing work on your laptop? How does this affect the enjoyment and taste of your meals?
How- Taking the time to savor each bite of food can make a huge difference on the satisfaction of your meals and the ability to recognize fullness. It can take 20-30 minutes for you to feel full after eating so eating dinner quickly in 10 minutes can definitely leave you wanting more. The next time you sit down to a meal, try to focus in all of your senses and make sure to taste each bite.

Step 4: Empower yourself

It is time to clear your mind and surrounding space and get rid of the negativity and diet paraphernalia. It is everywhere- in magazines, on the radio, on our Facebook news feed. Take steps to replace the negative with some positive books, social media sites and audio books that are empowering!

Step 5: Live joyfully

Practice acceptance of yourself each and every day. Don’t wait for your life to start when you lose weight or recover from Binge Eating Disorder. Sign up for something new or tackle one item on your bucket list. The time is now!

Binge Eating Recovery takes time, patience and a strong network of professionals to help you find freedom from Binge Eating Disorder.

More Binge Eating Recovery Tips:

Step 6: Identify your Triggers

Stress, boredom, fatigue, can all be triggers that can lead to emotional, binge eating. A good first step is to start journaling and identify trends. Remember not to be judgmental this is just to practice awareness. Pay attentiont ot what stresses you.

Step 7: Practice Forgiveness

Along the same lines, the road to recovery is never a straight line. There are going to be bumps in the road and forgiving yourself and moving forward will help you keep going.

Step 8: Normalize Eating Patterns

Eat balanced meals including carbohydrates, protein and fat to help keep you full and satisfied. It is also helpful to eat every 3-4 hours to keep your blood sugars stable and prevent you from getting over hungry.

Step 9: Plan Ahead

In order to do this try thinking of your meals one day at a time according to your schedule. Will you need to pack snacks or lunch? If you are working late is there a 10 minute meal you can make when you get home or purposely make extra for leftovers the night before?

If you are struggling from binge eating, compulsive eating, stress eating, night eating, we are here to help in a compassionate, supportive way.