DNA Exclusive! Tips to help reduce craving, fight binge eating disorder

Even before we binge-watched web series, we have known people to binge on food and the reasons for the latter could be multiple.  

Trouble expressing feelings, managing emotions, feeling lonely or depressed, low self-esteem, under-confident of oneself and one's body, boredom, restricted diets that deprive you of the food items you like, long gaps between meals, are only a few factors that could lead to binge eating disorder. For most people, it's a stress-reliever, a sort of distraction from certain emotions or unpleasant thoughts that occupy the mind. 

And once when one gives into relieving those uncomfortable, displeasing thoughts or ideas via picking up something to eat, soon it turns into a habit that isn't easy to overcome. Soon you are struggling with eating small amounts. Then, it’s either everything or nothing, moderation no longer exists. 

"In all my time as a nutritionist, health and transformation coach I have found people who are constantly on a restrictive diet are more likely to resort to binge eating," said Simrun Chopra, a certified nutritionist, lifestyle and transformation coach. 

In order to fight this disorder, and to stop oneself from binge eating and giving in to those cravings, it's important that we understand the why, how and what is critical to breaking this habit. 

So, to get a clear picture on how can one stop oneself from binge-eating, we spoke to Simrun Chopra, who gave her valuable insights and helped us list a few points that might help you in overcoming this disorder.

Take a look.

My flexible-eating protocol

Restrictive diets that tell you what to eat and how to cook are one of the major contributors to binge eating and cravings. We only binge or crave things that are limited to us or we are not allowed to eat. You will be familiar with these narratives, no pizza, no biryani, no sugar, no eating out, the list goes on and depends on the dietician you are with. Usually, such diets justify consumption on cheat days, re-inforcing the restrictions. 

Flexible eating protocol on the other hand focuses on allowing yourself to eat what you feel like. If you crave biryani, all you need to do is think of how do I make this a tiny bit healthier. Can I add a side of cut cucumber, tomato salad? If it is pizza you are craving for, what if you asked for less cheese but double the toppings? 

When you are no longer restricted, there is no sense of scarcity and when food is available, the need to binge reduces. 

Focus on flexibility and moderation than on restrictive diets. 

Schedule your day 

Majority of binge eating episodes are a result of long gaps between meals, low availability of healthier options and the need to eat immediately. Long gaps between meals cause fluctuations in blood sugar levels. When your blood sugar drops, the body demands replenishments instantly. At this point, you will eat whatever you see as quickly as you can. 

Creating a schedule that factors in your meals and snacks, this will go a long way in preventing binges. 

Based on your scheduled create a meal plan that has evenly spaced meals. If you know you will be on the go, carry snacks. Self packaged fruits like apple, pear, guava, banana, oranges etc are easy to carry, need no preparation and can be eaten anywhere. They are nature’s fast food, ready to grab and go. 

Understand boredom and hunger
 
Tuning into body cues and increasing body knowledge is the key to better health. Next time, before sinking your teeth into that inevitable binge, pause and ask your self, Do I just 'feel like' I need to eat something or 'am I hungry? Is my stomach growling?

If you find you just 'feel like eating', pause and look for a healthier option. 

Reduce accessibility 
 
No matter what you try, you just land up in the kitchen cupboard to get that packet of biscuits or deep-fried chakli? What if it wasn’t there? What if you had to get up and go to the store to get it? Would you really make the effort or just eat the next thing you found? 

Removing your trigger foods from the house makes it harder to binge on. 

Can you binge on a tub of ice cream during your midnight movies if there isn’t any ice cream? Well, some food for thought there!

Create accountability
 
Find a friend or family member to be your accountability partner. Someone who doesn’t fear telling you off.  Tell them your goals and strategies and honestly update them daily on how you are doing. When you are answerable for your actions, it helps you in those moments of doubt. Ideally, a trained coach is the best person to help you out here. 

Remove cheat days

If you are no longer restricting, why do you need a cheat day? 

Having a cheat day creates a vicious cycle of binge eating and restrictions. Cheat days turn into justification days of how you deserve to overeat. The more you restrict, the more you will crave and binge. 

On the other hand, slowly working towards flexible eating based on hunger cues will help satiate you and remove the need to binge. 

Start hydrating

Water is the most underrated superfood today. Most of our issues of binge eating, headaches, fatigue. Mood swings can be attributed to mild dehydration. Focus on drinking at least 3 litres of water a day. Multiple people mistake thirst for hunger. Understanding this goes a long way. 

Flexible eating and self-regulation are long term strategies. Expect to have good and bad days as you navigate through this. To conclude, working with a coach will always help but if you can’t, focus on these simple strategies. These are a few in a large bag of options but the best to start with. Experiment to understand what works with you and what truly helps. Build on the successful ones, make them your strengths. Simple, sustainable steps done consistently lead to long term achievements. 

If you believe you have an eating disorder then please reach out to a health care professional to help you through it.