How I Overcame Binge Eating

Courtesy of Angela from Oh She Glows

The often unspoken issue that millions of people struggle with every day: Binge eating.  Like other eating disorders, there are varying degrees of binge eating. For some it is extreme in the amount of calories that are consumed as well as the debilitating effect it has on their life. For others, it is a pesky problem that causes emotional upset but does not severely impact their life.

At any rate, binge eating leaves its sufferers shameful and guilt ridden. 

I was talking to a fellow reader of Oh She Glows, and I admitted to her that I had some anxiety over disclosing the fact that I had struggle with binges at times in my past. I think that is because binge eating, along with bulimia (which I have never suffered from), have a huge amount of shame associated with them. This makes it hard for women to reach out and seek help from others. 

Here are just a few of the emails that I have received on binge eating:

“I feel like I may be going through some of the same stuff that you did and others who read your blog currently are. For the most part, I eat very healthfully. I don’t know what the problem is…I exercise everyday (sometimes I take a day off), I follow a healthy diet (oatmeal for breakfast, fruit mid-morning, lunch of salad/sandwich, yogurt, veggies, granola bar or something for afternoon snack, healthy dinner of chicken or fish or veggie “stir fry”, brown rice, you know the deal. I usually have a “dessert” too-Kashi Go Lean Crunch with raisins or yogurt, nuts, peanut butter on a slice of bread–something like that. Sometimes though, I find myself overeating. I have never had a weight problem. I’m thin (would like to be a bit more toned!) but sometimes I feel like I just go on these binges for no reason. Sometimes I am hungry, but what I eat ends up being excessive. Often, during the binge, I realize I’m doing it but don’t stop. I’ve been better about that type of binge lately and don’t really do that anymore. I feel like the latest thing is secretive eating. I will wait until I’m alone until I prepare snacks or eat them. This has been especially problematic when I’m at my boyfriend’s house. His mom keeps the cabinets/fridge STOCKED with loads of food (some healthy, some not). I don’t like sneaking around and was wondering if you have any advice for this? I feel like I eat enough, but maybe my body is feeling deprived? I don’t know. I just try to eat healthfully and naturally (whole foods). I really want to resolve this issue though.”

“How did you stop the binging? I know that my issue is that I don’t seem to be balancing my meals (also feel deprived) and may be over exercising then I over eat, over exercise, etc.”

“Hi Angela!  You said in your blog tonight to email if we need to vent! So…here goes:   I’m trying VERY hard to overcome binge eating. I know you said you’ve dealt with that in the past. I know this is something that a lot of women deal with. Is there anyway that you could put a blog up about overcoming binge eating, how you did it, tips, etc….I think that would be super helpful. I know I’d appreciate it. I think this is an “unspoken” issue that is far more prevalent that we all realize.  Keep up the great work!”

All of these are wonderful and honest questions and I appreciate that. 

The experience I have had with binges are that they usually stem from one or more things:

1) A mental deprivation

2) A physical deprivation

3) Stress

4) Habit

5) A combination of the above

An example of a mental deprivation would be feeling like you are denying yourself foods that you are craving, even though your diet may be 100% healthy.

As in the case with comment #1, it sort of sounds like the commenter has a very healthy diet, however I question whether she is truly allowing herself some indulgences that she craves now and then. Of course, I have no idea and so this makes it hard to answer these questions, but I can of course give my own experience here.

From my experience, when I have had what seemed like a perfect & healthy diet, I still struggled with binges and over eating. My indulgence was some fruit after dinner or something fairly safe, however what I may have wanted was just a chocolate bar! I felt mentally deprived because I wanted something a bit exciting and off the beaten track now and then and my healthy diet, while balanced, did not give me this. So even if you are eating enough calories and the right food groups, sometimes your mind just wants a little fun. And for me, when I didn’t give it that once and a while, binges and over eating would happen. Only you can be the judge of what is a good balance for yourself, but if you are indeed experiencing binges then something is not working.

An example of a physical deprivation would be that your body is literally lacking certain nutrients in your diet and is making you binge to try and get these nutrients.

For example, if someone with an eating disorder is calcium deprived, they may find themselves binging on cartons of ice cream and not know why.  In this case, it is very important to assess whether your diet is giving you the right nutrients that it needs to function properly. 

I highly recommend seeing a Registered Dietitian for an assessment if you think you may be lacking nutrients. I saw one during university and it was one of the best things I ever did!

An example of stress binging is fairly obvious. This is the time when you are going through a chronic (a family member is ill) or acute (You failed an exam) stressor in your life. Your body is cranking out adrenaline and cortisol. Cortisol increases your appetite for fatty and sugary foods. If you are depressed, your body will also use the food as a way to temporarily increase the endorphins in your brain.

Yes, food gives you endorphins- it is an evolutionary function so that humans desire to eat and find eating pleasurable. In fact, many of the ‘feel good’ human experiences (e.g., eating, drinking, sex, love) are adaptive because if they weren’t pleasurable we would all die out and have no interest in them.   So eating makes you feel good. We know that, the thing we have to do is figure out other adaptive ways to make ourselves feel good and to increase the endorphins in our brains.

So if binges are a way that the body copes with stress and negative emotions, how do we stop it? Well, we can find ways to release feel good chemicals (endorphins) via means other than through eating sugary and fatty foods.  Here are some practical and easy ways to release endorphins in your brain. Soon you will be on your way to feeling good and will suffer no energy crash and emotional roller coaster like from binges.

1) Exercise

Yup, there is no way around it. Exercise is one of the fastest ways to turn a sour mood around. As little as 10-15 mins. of light activity (e.g., walking) can release endorphins and increase your happiness.  When I was trying to break the habit of over-eating binges, I would lace up my sneakers and head outside for a walk. Even if it was freezing cold outside and the middle of winter, I would bundle up and head outside. A brisk walk around the block (sometimes only 5-10 mins) would be enough to snap me out of the mindset I was in prior.

Also, consistent and regular planned exercise does wonders for the body as we all know. For the past several years, I have started my day on the right foot by exercising first thing in the morning. Research shows that you will be less likely to overeat later in the day if you remember how hard you worked out earlier in the day.

Just be sure not to overdo it with the exercise. If you are working out too much you are actually doing yourself a disservice. When your body believes that it is in danger (e.g., becoming exhausted from too much exercise and not enough energy intake) it will fight back. Over exercising will often result in binges as your body panics and trys to get a large amount of calories to fill its’ reserves.

2) Sunlight

I know, I know it’s winter. Trust me, I know. Sunlight does cause endorphins to release in our brains. Neat, eh? Even though it is cold out there, on days that it is sunny out, try to get outside even for just 5-10 mins. Go outside on your lunch break and use it as a reason to go to the bank or pick up a few groceries.  Many people suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder in the winter time and this can cause binges. Try to get as much light during the day as possible. You may also want to see your doctor if you think you are suffering from SAD.

3) Listen to Music

Music releases endorphins too! Pretty cool, right? Whether it is fast & upbeat music or soothing and slow, play whatever tickles your fancy. Just 30 minutes of listening to music can leave you feeling calm and happy. Next time you feel a binge coming on, play 30 minutes of your favourite tunes. After 30 mins. see if you still have a desire to overeat.

4) Reach out to others

Whether it is in person, on the phone, or over the WWW, reaching out to others will boost your mood. Email me- seriously! ohsheglows@gmail.com Even if you don’t feel like talking about your problem, sometimes just connecting with others (e.g., Wii anyone?) can release some feel good chemicals in your brain and lift you up. If your stressors are fairly pervasive I highly recommend seeing a psychologist or counsellor to talk to. Through a stressful period in my undergraduate career, I saw a counsellor and it was a wonderful weekly release of pent up feelings and emotions.

5) Laugh & Play

Do your days seem to be more work than play? Eventually something needs to give! Make sure you schedule in plenty of ‘you’ time into your day. Yes, exercise can count as ‘you’ time, but also make sure that you have some actual down time too, to read, play your favourite games, or just watch a favourite TV show. Doing things that you enjoy will release endorphins and make you feel balanced after a long work or school day. I absolutely love Thursday night- when The Office comes on- because I know that I will be provided with a half hour of laughing and downtime. I just had it in fact!

6) Play with your Pets

Animals are a huge stress release! This is why you will often find dogs in children’s hospitals or Senior’s complexes. Simply petting an animal will reduce the stress hormone cortisol that is being released into our body.

These posts were originally published on On She Glows as The Unspoken Issue (Part I) and The Unspoken Issue (Part II).