If you’ve been around you probably know something about binge eating somewhat. In the western hemisphere, especially in the United States, Binge eating disorder has been termed a major problem that’s not the easiest to deal with. The disorder is manifested by consumption of rather huge amounts of food even when a person isn’t hungry. It’s deemed to be highly damaging to human health and mentally leaves people ashamed about themselves, especially if they gained weight, and guilty.
If you feel you’ve been binge eating, gaining weight or feeling guilty about it you can ditch the habit. Here’s how.
Are you on any diet currently? Studies around the world have shown that those who use certain diets and eliminate some type of foods from their daily servings usually suffer incontrollable overeating episodes and cravings. A good example is intermittent fasting, or fasting of any kind popular with teenagers. Studies have shown that those who abstain from some type of food end up with the riskiest forms of binge eating and overeating. Rather than cut certain meals focus on consuming healthy meals such as whole grains, vegetables, fruits and other unprocessed foods; they leave you healthy and without the desire to overeat.
If you didn’t know, one of the ways to end up in unexpected binge eating is to skip certain meals. It can be lunch, breakfast or dinner, which in turn makes you crave food and risk over consuming meals. Studies actually show that those who eat one main meal on a daily basis stimulate ghrelin, a hormone that stimulates hunger, more than those who spread their meals three times in a day. In another research, it was found out that those who follow a specific regular meal pattern have very few binge eating episodes if any. Simply put, don’t regular skip a meal.
If you’re not taking sufficient water you could find yourself overeating and unable to fight off cravings. Hydrating yourself throughout the day is important. Studies have indicated that those who take more water actually lower their calorie intake and don’t get hungry a lot. Other studies have supported drinking lots of water; lowers weight gain and boost metabolism as well as decreasing a feeling of hunger and lowering intake of calories if a person took a glass of water half an hour before a meal.
Lack of sufficient fiber in your body could be the reason you’re binge eating. Those who eat more fiber hardly feel hungry often as it moves across the digestive system really slowly. In the process, a person remains full for a long while. Studies have shown that increased fiber intake actually reduces food consumption, lowers appetite and destroys unnecessary food cravings. Boost your health and lower binge eating by consuming whole grains, legumes, healthy vegetables and fruits; they’re all rich in fiber.
If your fridge and kitchen cupboard is full of junk food it’s no brainer that you will overeat and fuel cravings. Rather, throw them away and replace with healthy foods and fruits to lower emotional eating patterns. Snacks such as candy, crisps and pre-packaged food items need to be removed. Re-stock with nuts, seeds, protein foods, fruits, whole grain treats and fruits to avoid overeating unhealthy foods. Removing junk food items and replacing with healthier ones actually doesn’t make you feel ashamed and guilty even when you eat a little too much.
If you don’t exercise chances are that you’re incapable of avoiding binge eating and over consuming food, gaining weight and feeling guilty about it later. If you added a few workouts in your daily routine this could change. Studies show that increasing weekly workouts actually ends binge eating by over 80 per cent. Since exercise actually improve mood and lower stress levels you won’t have to engage in emotional eating. Find a sport to keep yourself busy, bike around the neighborhood, swim, run, and jog or walk as much as you can and there will be tremendous change in the way you eat.
Studies have ascertained that lack of sleep actually affects appetite and the level of food you consume. Those who’re sleep deprived always find themselves overeating. In a study of people suffering from binge eating disorder, it was found out that almost all of them were insomniacs to some extent. Also, those who slept few hours were found out to have high ghrelin hormone levels, which promote hunger in the body, than leptin, a hormone associated with making person feel full. In fact, less than eight hours of sleep every night has been found to increase body weight. The best solution? Aim at getting a minimum of eight hours of sleep every night.