Q. I constantly binge eat when im not even hungry and im trying to lose weight! help!!
A. Sometimes the strongest longings for food happen when you're at your
weakest point emotionally. Many people turn to food for comfort â
consciously or unconsciously â when they're facing a difficult problem
or looking to keep themselves occupied.
But emotional eating â eating as a way to suppress or soothe negative
emotions, such as stress, anger, anxiety, boredom, sadness and
loneliness â can sabotage your weight-loss efforts. Often, emotional
eating leads to eating too much food, especially high-calorie, sweet,
salty and fatty foods.
The good news is that if you're prone to emotional eating, you can
take steps to regain control of your eating habits and get back on
track with your weight-loss goals.
Though strong emotions can trigger cravings for food, you can take
steps to control those cravings. To help stop emotional eating, try
these suggestions:
Learn to recognize true hunger. Is your hunger physical or emotional?
If you ate just a few hours ago and don't have a rumbling stomach,
you're probably not really hungry. Give the craving a few minutes to
pass.
Know your triggers. For the next several days, write down what you
eat, how much you eat, when you eat, how you're feeling when you eat
and how hungry you are. Over time, you may see patterns emerge that
reveal negative eating patterns and triggers to avoid.
Look elsewhere for comfort. Instead of unwrapping a candy bar, take a
walk, treat yourself to a movie, listen to music, read or call a
friend. If you think that stress relating to a particular event is
nudging you toward the refrigerator, try talking to someone about it
to distract yourself. Plan enjoyable events for yourself.
Don't keep unhealthy foods around. Avoid having an abundance of
high-calorie comfort foods in the house. If you feel hungry or blue,
postpone the shopping trip for a few hours so that these feelings
don't influence your decisions at the store.
Snack healthy. If you feel the urge to eat between meals, choose a
low-fat, low-calorie food, such as fresh fruit, vegetables with
fat-free dip or unbuttered popcorn. Or test low-fat, lower calorie
versions of your favorite foods to see if they satisfy your craving.
Eat a balanced diet. If you're not getting enough calories to meet
your energy needs, you may be more likely to give in to emotional
eating. Try to eat at fairly regular times and don't skip breakfast.
Include foods from the basic groups in your meals. Emphasize whole
grains, vegetables and fruits, as well as low-fat dairy products and
lean protein sources. When you fill up on the basics, you're more
likely to feel fuller, longer.
Exercise regularly and get adequate rest. Your mood is more
manageable and your body can more effectively fight stress when it's
fit and well rested.
If you give in to emotional eating, forgive yourself and start fresh
the next day. Try to learn from the experience, and make a plan for
how you can prevent it in the future. Focus on the positive changes
you're making in your eating habits and give yourself credit for
making changes that ensure better health.
weakest point emotionally. Many people turn to food for comfort â
consciously or unconsciously â when they're facing a difficult problem
or looking to keep themselves occupied.
But emotional eating â eating as a way to suppress or soothe negative
emotions, such as stress, anger, anxiety, boredom, sadness and
loneliness â can sabotage your weight-loss efforts. Often, emotional
eating leads to eating too much food, especially high-calorie, sweet,
salty and fatty foods.
The good news is that if you're prone to emotional eating, you can
take steps to regain control of your eating habits and get back on
track with your weight-loss goals.
Though strong emotions can trigger cravings for food, you can take
steps to control those cravings. To help stop emotional eating, try
these suggestions:
Learn to recognize true hunger. Is your hunger physical or emotional?
If you ate just a few hours ago and don't have a rumbling stomach,
you're probably not really hungry. Give the craving a few minutes to
pass.
Know your triggers. For the next several days, write down what you
eat, how much you eat, when you eat, how you're feeling when you eat
and how hungry you are. Over time, you may see patterns emerge that
reveal negative eating patterns and triggers to avoid.
Look elsewhere for comfort. Instead of unwrapping a candy bar, take a
walk, treat yourself to a movie, listen to music, read or call a
friend. If you think that stress relating to a particular event is
nudging you toward the refrigerator, try talking to someone about it
to distract yourself. Plan enjoyable events for yourself.
Don't keep unhealthy foods around. Avoid having an abundance of
high-calorie comfort foods in the house. If you feel hungry or blue,
postpone the shopping trip for a few hours so that these feelings
don't influence your decisions at the store.
Snack healthy. If you feel the urge to eat between meals, choose a
low-fat, low-calorie food, such as fresh fruit, vegetables with
fat-free dip or unbuttered popcorn. Or test low-fat, lower calorie
versions of your favorite foods to see if they satisfy your craving.
Eat a balanced diet. If you're not getting enough calories to meet
your energy needs, you may be more likely to give in to emotional
eating. Try to eat at fairly regular times and don't skip breakfast.
Include foods from the basic groups in your meals. Emphasize whole
grains, vegetables and fruits, as well as low-fat dairy products and
lean protein sources. When you fill up on the basics, you're more
likely to feel fuller, longer.
Exercise regularly and get adequate rest. Your mood is more
manageable and your body can more effectively fight stress when it's
fit and well rested.
If you give in to emotional eating, forgive yourself and start fresh
the next day. Try to learn from the experience, and make a plan for
how you can prevent it in the future. Focus on the positive changes
you're making in your eating habits and give yourself credit for
making changes that ensure better health.
what kind of mentaL illness do I have?
Q. I've been waiting for my ex bf to take me back for 2 years now. I stopped taking a shower,socializing,brushing my teeth,working and excercising and started binge eating when he broke up with me.
A. that sounds very much like depression to my ears.
try googling a basic depression test, it may give you some clues.
if you think you do have depression try talking to your local doctor to get some help.
try googling a basic depression test, it may give you some clues.
if you think you do have depression try talking to your local doctor to get some help.
Does being a vegetarian make you eat more?
Q. i don't know what's wrong with me! i've been a vegetarian(still eat diary and eggs) for two months now and i noticed that not only i'm eating more, i tend to overeat sometimes or binge eat. this wasn't happening before.
i'm not eating too much carbohydrates and i have in every meal veggies or fruits. i've gained almost 4 pounds! i don't wanna gain more... why am i binge eating all the time? i don't wanna stop being a vegetarian, so can you tell me what i'm doing wrong?
i'm not eating too much carbohydrates and i have in every meal veggies or fruits. i've gained almost 4 pounds! i don't wanna gain more... why am i binge eating all the time? i don't wanna stop being a vegetarian, so can you tell me what i'm doing wrong?
A. Hi, binging is our bodies way of telling us we're missing out on something vital. This can be a specific nutrient or sufficient food in general. You certainly don't need to start eating meat again, since whatever you're missing out on can be obtained from vegetarian sources.
Does your daily intake meet the recommended calorie allowance? Restricting calories too low can cause us to feel deprived thus leading to binging.
You mention that you don't eat much carbohydrate. That could be an issue. Basing each meal around complex carbs is actually recommended and it's a myth that they cause weight gain. Maybe try to include more grains and potatoes in your diet? These also have the advantage that they keep you feeling full for a long time which'll decrease the urge to binge.
It's also a good idea to eat a wide variety of foods. Eating a lot of vegetables isn't the same as eating a wide range of vegetables. By getting a lot of variety in your diet you'll be more likely to be getting all the different nutrients.
It might be worth having a blood test to identify any particular vitamin etc that your diet may be lacking. That way you can easily fix the problem by finding a vegetarian source of that vitamin.
X
Does your daily intake meet the recommended calorie allowance? Restricting calories too low can cause us to feel deprived thus leading to binging.
You mention that you don't eat much carbohydrate. That could be an issue. Basing each meal around complex carbs is actually recommended and it's a myth that they cause weight gain. Maybe try to include more grains and potatoes in your diet? These also have the advantage that they keep you feeling full for a long time which'll decrease the urge to binge.
It's also a good idea to eat a wide variety of foods. Eating a lot of vegetables isn't the same as eating a wide range of vegetables. By getting a lot of variety in your diet you'll be more likely to be getting all the different nutrients.
It might be worth having a blood test to identify any particular vitamin etc that your diet may be lacking. That way you can easily fix the problem by finding a vegetarian source of that vitamin.
X
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