Most people have heard of binge eating. However, many are not aware that there are two major categories of binging.
1. Binge and Purge: The eater induces vomiting after binging.
2. Binge without Purge: The eater does not induce vomiting.
It is this second type of binging we will be discussing in this article (Binge without purge). With 3% of adults suffering from binging, this problem is more common than many realize.
If you limit your view to only obese adults, the percentages climb to 10% to 15%. Clearly, this is more of a problem for obese people.
Researchers have found that dieting often acts as a trigger for binging. This is not surprising since binging is often closely related to emotional stress. For some people, binging is a form of self medicating-an attempt to reduce levels of frustration and anxiety. Now consider that dieting is quite stressful.
Food used in this way matches exactly the definition of an addiction. A common characteristic of addictions is a circle of relief and pain.
We binge because we feel bad, then we feel bad because we binged. The sufferer ends up caught on a treadmill with no off switch. This is a state of affairs that can be truly devastating.
And here we are, caught on the merry-go-round.
If you or a loved one is a chronic binger take note of the following:
1. This may not be a problem that can be fixed without help.
2. There are several therapy options available today for this type of problem.
If you are going to tackle the binging problem on your own, here are some actions that have proved effective for others.
1. Stay away from aggressive calorie reduction. Aim for a maximum loss of 1 to 2 pounds per week.
2. To make your diet more enjoyable and reduce stress, budget two hundred calories a day for foods that you really like.
3. Make sure that you don’t go longer than 4 hours without food.
4. Keep the food coming! Distribute your daily food intake over four to six meals every day.
5. Research shows that the body likes a schedule. Design a time table and do your best to stick to it.
Exercise, some form of sports, meditation and other such activities can help to reduce the effects of stress. Another approach is reframing. In this approach, you learn to view events differently so that in the end, you don’t have the same emotional response. In other words, you can learn to view the world in a non-stressful manner.
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