How to avoid binge eating: 6 steps to get there

Binge eating consists, according to DSM 5, in the ingestion, in a given period, of a quantity of food that is clearly higher than what other people tend to eat under circumstances Similar.

Its main features include loss of control, a high rate of intake and a feeling of discomfort, including feelings such as shame, guilt, or even self-loathing after the binge. It is for this reason that it is usually hidden from other people, and can sometimes be kept secret for years. Binge-eating usually occurs on "forbidden" foods that the person tries to avoid.

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Triggers for binge eating

The main triggers of binge eating are as follows:

• Diets: especially if they are rigid or strict, and are carried out for long periods of time.
• Alcohol consumption.
• Unpleasant emotions.
• Lack of eating habits or routines.
• Being alone: ​​most binge eating occurs in secret.

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How to avoid binge eating in 6 steps

These are the guidelines to follow to combat the tendency to binge food.

1. Be conscious

Stopping bingeing is not an easy task; It requires a lot of effort and dedication, and in most cases it also involves making a change in our routines. Therefore, the first question we must ask ourselves is: Are we willing to make this change? Is it worth it right now to invest my efforts and energy to stop bingeing? If the answer is yes, we can move on to the next steps.

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2. Start eating regularly

Some of the main triggers for binge eating are strict diets, feelings of hunger, and lack of planning. That is why a planned, satiating and regular diet is necessary.

Eating regularly involves setting schedules that include 5 meals a day: breakfast, mid-morning snack, lunch, snack and dinner. Try not to leave more than four hours between meals and snacks.

Faced with these types of problems, the type of food eaten is not important, but it is that you eat enough not to be left hungry. You may feel a bit cramped at first, especially if you are used to eating fewer meals at a time. day, but it is important not to compensate for this in any way (self-induced vomiting, laxatives, excessive exercise, etc.). You will see that in the long term the results are worth it.

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3. Finding alternatives to bingeing

When one begins to eat regularly, the urge to eat between meals is common.

For these cases, we will draw up a list with alternative activities to binge-eating, which we will start at the moments in which we detect these impulses. Some of these activities can be going for a walk, calling someone you trust or taking a bath. The activities that are chosen must be active, enjoyable and realistic. As long as these criteria are met, virtually any activity we can think of will do.

The important thing is that time passes so that the urge to eat decreases, which will be more intense during the first hour but will decrease later. That is why we will look for activities that distract us during this period.

4. Develop problem solving strategies

In most cases, binges are triggered by unpleasant emotions, in many cases related to problematic situations of a sentimental or work nature, stressful events or emotionally painful circumstances.

Therefore, developing problem-solving strategies will be one of the fundamental points to avoid binge eating. In this sense, various psychological studies identify six phases of effective problem solving:

• Identify the problem causing discomfort as soon as possible and define it precisely.
• Think about the possible solutions that we can choose from in the face of this problem, and what each of them implies.
• Choose the solution that best suits what we need and the resources we have, or the best combination of solutions.
• Take action by putting into practice what we have chosen to do.

These phases can be applied to solve practically any type of problem in an efficient and structured way.

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5. Analyze the results

At this point, it is time to stop and take stock of efforts and results. It is important to find out if the efforts we are making to eat regularly, seek and put in practice alternative activities to bingeing and solve the problems that trigger them, are giving their fruits.

At this point we should already notice a significant decrease in binge eating, or in some cases its complete disappearance.. If this is not the case, we must ask ourselves if we are correctly fulfilling the previous steps.

If we have decided to skip any of the steps, for example, and at this point we do not notice results, it is time to recapitulate and re-enter it. On the contrary, if we are really striving to follow the steps above to the letter, but we notice no changes, it may be time to consider asking a professional for help.

Perhaps our problem is too serious to deal with alone, or there are factors that get in the way of recovery that we have not been able to properly identify. In any of these cases, consulting with a professional can help to unblock the situation.

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6. Maintaining progress and coping with relapses

This phase consists of maintaining over time those steps or strategies that until now have been useful to end bingeing.

Relapses are frequent during the weeks or months after these eating problems have been overcome. Sometimes they can also appear years or even decades later. That is why we must have a plan to cope with relapse, even if it does not initially seem necessary.

It is important to remember that relapses are part of the recovery process, and therefore they do not mean that we are going to start from scratch: the learning that we have done so far will help us to cope with relapse in a much faster and more efficient way than on previous occasions, to return to the normal.