June 2009 Archive
How can you prevent binge eating?
06.13.09
Having resources in your back pocket can be an integral way to stop binge eating and help yourself feel in control. As I have mentioned before I work specifically with people to identify ALL triggers that contribute to binge eating. We then identify ways of coping and delaying bingeing. Here are some tips. Please share ways that help you as well, the community can benefit from your recovery experiences!
TECHNIQUES TO PREVENT BINGE EATING
* Eat lots of protein! Tell yourself protein is important! Protein helps you feel full, balances blood sugar and aids in tissue repair.
* EAt the foos you want. This is normal eating- being flexible and honoring your cravings. Deprivation can prime yourself for a binge, setting up food to be “good” and “bad.”
* Portion out servings into a bowl or a plate. Do not eat out of bags or boxes.
* Eat at the table- not in front of the TV, standing up, in the car. Pay attention to hunger cues. Appreciate the taste, smell and sound of your food while you are eating.
* Don’t drink your meals.
* Eat every 3-4 hours. If you wait too long you will set yourself up to binge.
* Know your triggers. Avoid them or develop ways to prevent them from happening.
* When you are tempted to binge ask yourself how you are feeling. Are you hungry? Sad? Bored? Angry? Happy? Lonely?
* Go for a walk, check your e-mail, call a friend
* Do things that engage your senses. Listen to music. Touch your pet. Take a bubble bath. Light a candle. Drink some herbal tea.
Food Addiction?
06.11.09
Can I become Addicted to Food?
There has been a great deal of debate by professionals and those suffering from disordered eating about the possibility of being addicted to food. The following is a compilation of information provided by formal and informal dialogues with colleagues, research and clinical practice. The aim of the information is to increase understanding of common difficulties reported by those experiencing disordered eating. It is with understanding that behaviors can be addressed and ultimately modified.
FACT: The most common targets of food cravings and addictions are energy-dense foods that are sweet, high in fat, or both. (People often refer to a sugar-fat-salt combination).
WHY DOES THIS HAPPEN? In clinical studies, eating sweet, salty and high-fat foods has been found to stimulate the brain to release dopamine (the neurotransmitter associated with the pleasure center.) Over time pathways in your brain associate pleasure with these foods. You can start craving them simply by seeing them, thinking about them or being exposed to them without feeling hungry. Once you eat them, dopamine is again released and you feel emotional relief. A biological predisposition may make some more sensitive to sugar than others.
When you eat sugary, salty, and high fat foods chemicals are sent to your brain that make you feel good making you crave more. Over time your brain associates these foods to feeling good.
DOES THIS MEAN I AM ADDICTED? No. There is no evidence that sugar and fat permanently impact the neurobiology of your food preference.
Just because it tastes good and feels good to eat these foods does not mean you are hardwired to constantly crave more.
WHAT FACTORS CONTRIBUTE TO FEELING OUT OF CONTROL EATING CERTAIN FOOD? Dieting! Restricting certain foods heightens the way your body perceives and responds to food. By restricting you become more preoccupied with food and can prime yourself to binge. Beliefs about “good” and “bad” foods contribute to these patterns because it sets up all or nothing thinking. These foods are not eaten to relieve hunger suggesting the presence of emotional reasons underlying cravings. In studies with rats (Mary Hagan), rats only binged on their chow after three conditions were met: they had been on a diet, they were stressed, and they sometimes had access to Oreos.
OKAY, SO WHAT CAN I DO? You can rewire your brain’s response to food and develop peaceful relationships with food, eating, and weight. It is a process of re-learning new skills. Shift your perception by challenging the way you see food. Rather than perceiving French Fries as a guilty pleasure, eat because you are hungry. View food as nurturance and energy your body needs. Do not eat for reward or punishment or as a means of self-soothing. Develop alternative ways of coping and addressing your feelings. Eat small portions of the foods you crave. Increase your body’s movement. Pay attention to your feelings- MANY cravings stem from not getting emotional needs met, feeling deprived or believing you should be deprived.
When you are not getting your needs met elsewhere seeking food as a pleasure or reward becomes more important.
HOW TO REINTRODUCE FORBIDDEN FOODS: Set your own pace and determine for yourself what feels safest (i.e. bring home small packages of an item until you see you are in control, identify which foods you want to reintroduce). Practice mindfulness. If you have some cake and ice cream balance it out with low glycemic foods (fruit, veggies, legumes, grains). This promotes physical and emotional harmony and balance. Identify other activities that make you feel good that do not involve food. Most cravings last for 30 seconds. What can you do to feel good during this time period?
Writing for Recovery!
06.09.09
As a follow up to my post earlier this week, I am sharing more journaling prompts. Often it is difficult to start the journaling process. People say they feel stuck, unsure where to start. I hope these prompts lift early writer’s block.
Ask yourself the following questions. Put pen to paper and allow the answers to come.
* How am I feeling today?
* What am I grateful for? Generate a gratitude list.
* What can I ask of my higher power today?
* What is my recovery goal today?
Exercise for Recovery
06.07.09
I always encourage my patients to journal, journal journal!
Journaling serves several functions. It is a great stress reducer, outlet for feelings, and activity to replace binge eating or purging. Early in recovery I encourage my patients to delay their binges for as long as they can. When they feel the urge to binge or purge I ask them to delay and journal. At first it may be for only 5 or 10 minutes. That is okay. As they are journaling I ask that they write about whatever comes to mind- no censoring! This is often a very helpful technique. It not only encourages a way of coping that does not involve eating disordered behavior it also promotes new self awareness about possible thoughts and feelngs that may be underlying eating disordered behavior.
Try it and see how it works! I am open to hearing your feedback and will also include other journaling prompts in upcoming posts.
As always, best of luck in your recovery. Recovery can be tough but it is possible!