Binge Eating Treatment and the Holidays

You probably find the holidays incredibly daunting if you have a history of binge eating. Unlike other addictions, food is everywhere, and you must consume it to survive. If you have a binge eating disorder, you know how quickly you can feel out of control.

But the holidays don’t have to be your downfall during binge eating treatment. Instead, you can make strides by implementing a few tips and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) strategies.

Why are the holidays so difficult?

The holidays are complex and challenging during binge eating treatment and recovery because triggers surround you. Every commercial, billboard, sign, advertisement, and movie features food. You will be invited to parties with food as the main event. Unfortunately, once you navigate your way around these triggers in public, you may find yourself fighting the feeling of deprivation and bingeing once you are alone.

Find an accountability partner that can help you after the events and parties. You need someone you can call, text, video chat, or speak with face-to-face after being surrounded by triggers. On those days, send them a record of your food and plan for activities afterward to keep your mind distracted from the pantry.

Common Eating Disorders

The National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders estimates that as many as twenty-eight million people in the United States will have an eating disorder during their lifetime. That is nine percent of the population. In addition, eating disorders can contribute to or worsen other mental health disorders like depression and, if left untreated, can lead to death.

We often have a clue that our behavior reflects an eating disorder. Still, we may be unable to overcome compulsive behaviors as quickly as we would like without professional help. As you read through the list of eating disorder symptoms, if one sounds a bit too familiar, contact a therapist today for a consultation and possible treatment.

Fighting an eating disorder is not something you should do alone. Seek help. An estimated 10,200 people die yearly from eating disorders, and around 26% of sufferers attempt suicide. Getting help can keep you from being a statistic.

Binge Eating

Consuming large amounts of food in a short period, like two hours. You may eat beyond full until you are uncomfortable and in pain.

Anorexia

Starving yourself and eating very little for fear of gaining weight. You may overexercise to control your body size.

Bulimia

Purging after eating a meal. You may eat normally or overeat but then purge the food by overexercising, vomiting, or taking laxatives.

Overeating Disorder

Naturally overeating consistently. You may be unaware of how much more you eat or never feel satisfied with an appropriate serving.

Tips to Avoid Binge Eating This Holiday Season

Whether you have started binge eating treatment or not, you can implement the following tips to change your thoughts about food and create new habits. These strategies will take practice, so finding an accountability partner, support group, or therapist is beneficial to overcoming binge eating disorder.

Write new and helpful thoughts

What you focus on seeps into your mind and becomes your belief. You can change the way you think about food and yourself. What stories do you tell yourself? Do you believe you are too weak to overcome binge eating? Do you shrug off the behavior while bingeing, then feel enormously guilty after the binge?

It may help to write down each of these stories and negative thoughts on index cards. After you have them all written, clarify what you can say to negate their power. For example, if you think trying to change your behavior is too hard, remind yourself that you can do hard things and are worth the effort, hard work, and health.

Next, write out why you want and need to change your behavior. Read this list often to reinforce the new positive thoughts and defeat the thoughts of a binge.

Track food

During a binge, we lose all calories, nutrition, quantity, and quality concepts. In addition, a binge makes it seem as if your stomach is a bottomless pit, and you continue eating past full to the point of pain. Do you binge often? Do your binges last an hour or two, during which you consume hundreds or thousands of calories?

To help counter a binge, record the food as you eat it to the best of your ability. You might be wondering why tracking your binge will help. Seeing a record of the foods you ate during a binge could help you realize your consumption before it gets out of hand and leads to feelings of shame and disappointment.

It may also pinpoint the thoughts and emotions you felt before the binge. For example, were you stressed from work or after talking to a particular person? Are you feeling depressed or anxious?

Acknowledging and confronting your behavior can motivate you to change. It may also uncover patterns in your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors that motivate the binge in the first place.

Use smaller plates

We are visual creatures. When given a large dinner plate, do you tend to fill it until it runs over with food? Even when we are not hungry, it can seem odd not to fill a plate or bowl with food. To counter this, purchase smaller bowls and plates for your typical meals.

Research into the size of families’ bowls from the 1950s through the 1970s shows that the serving ware was much smaller than what we use today. To understand the portion sizes, visit a thrift store and locate some smaller plates. Even the coffee cups and glasses were smaller than we use today.

We have become accustomed to more significant portions, which feeds our urge to binge because we feel shortchanged when given an appropriate serving. Choose smaller plates, bowls, and cups in pretty patterns or colors. You can find some fun Christmas-themed patterns before the holidays to feel like you are still being festive while controlling how much you consume.

Dine instead of dash

When we eat on the run, we have no idea how much we have consumed. Our brains are busy processing information and may not register that we are full. Try dining as people did in the past by sitting down to eat meals.

Choose dishes that reflect your personality and set the table if you are at home. How does your place setting look during the holidays? Why only reserve that for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter?

Set the table even if you live alone. Play some soft music in the background and enjoy the experience. Practicing intuitive eating can help us tune into our body signals of hunger and fullness, which helps to prevent overeating, especially during the holidays, when we are bombarded by distractions, such as talking to family or friends or watching The Christmas Story on TV. You may enjoy cooking and slowing down for a few moments throughout the day. Make it a rule only to eat if you can dine.

You are valuable and should enjoy dining on meals instead of dashing around to places with food in your mouth. Yet, we often find ourselves in cars commuting to work, appointments, sports practices and games, and recitals. When this happens, pack your meal in a smaller container to eat in the car.

If possible, arrive at your destination twenty minutes early to eat. You want to be able to focus entirely on your meal and the sensation of fullness in your stomach. Plus, it is dangerous to try to eat while driving.

Do you need binge eating treatment this season?

Perhaps you suspect you have a binge eating disorder but have never been diagnosed. Now is the time to reach out for help. A therapist can get you started with binge eating treatment while teaching you how to think differently, control emotions, and change your behavior.

Call our office today to schedule an appointment with a therapist specializing in eating disorders. We would love to speak with you. It is time to take control and learn new skills during your binge eating treatment.