A lot of people experience binge eating in their life and a good majority of those people feel terrible after it happens. It is possible to experience binge eating once in awhile and that would not be classified as a Binge Eating Disorder. whether or not you have a binge eating disorder, it is still important to have a plan after you experience a binge.
In the new year, eating healthier is on the forefront of a lot of people’s minds. Some people set unrealistic goals that they will eat healthier, small portions for every meal. This is really hard to sustain for every single meal if that is a big change to your eating habits.
In America, we have huge portion sizes. It is likely that if you are socializing with friends and/or going out to eat at a restaurant then you may experience a binge. sometimes after someone binge eats, they feel out of control and that they need to take control by punishing themselves for this mistake in some way. However, this will not help create healthier habits.
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After you binge eat, you may experience feelings of:
Guilt
Remorse
Sadness
Low self-esteem
Loneliness
Out of control
Failure
While these feelings are common after a binge, you want to try to acknowledge them and then take action to feel better. Below are ways you can take a healthier approach after you binge eat:
Do not beat yourself up!
This is very important. Usually after you binge eat, you belittle yourself and say really mean things about yourself in your mind. You want to ease off of these terrible self-hate comments. Hating on yourself is not going to make anything better.
Instead, you should lift yourself up. Go easy on yourself. Remind yourself that you’re only human and all that happened is you ate too much food at this moment. Maybe you were feeling emotional, socializing with friends, eating at a restaurant, or eating mindlessly. Notice what caused you to binge eat and work on sorting through that so that the next time you can be a little more mindful before overeating again.
track your behavior
I recommend keeping track of each time you binge eat. Write down what you are feeling and thinking before the binge. Try to note what caused each food binge. Then you can write down why you felt it was hard to stop eating. Next, you will write down what you did after you binge ate and how you felt. By analyzing your experience around your binge, you will become more self aware. You can then notice any patterns in your behavior. Once you notice a pattern that you want to change, then you have something specific to work on. If you find that it is hard to make this change yourself then reach out to a Cognitive-Behavioral Therapist or a dietitian.
be more mindful
One way to truly help with binge eating is to become more mindful. Once you are more mindful of your emotions and thoughts that may lead to binge eating then you can sort through them before automatically reaching for food to help you cope. While you are eating food, you can become more mindful of how full you are feeling before you eat and throughout eating. This will then help notify you of when you become full and when you should stop eating. Journaling can help you sort through all of this easier.
Do not restrict food after
This is probably the most important thing to remember. After someone binge eats and feels bad about it then they want to take control over their food consumption. This sometimes leads people to then restrict their food intake the following meal or the following day. It is not healthy to overly restrict your food intake. You want to find balance with your food consumption. If you do find yourself overeating and overlly full then you may not feel hungry for some time. But once you do become hungry again, then you should have a normal sized meal. Maybe you reach for a healthier meal that contains greens and protein and less carbs to keep the balance if you consumed a lot of carbs before that meal. But you do not want to starve yourself as punishment for overeating. This causes very unhealthy eating habits.
Do not over exercise
Another thing that people commonly do after a binge is that they punish themselves by over exercising. It is similar to restricting your food intake after a binge. It is not healthy behavior. You should try to find that balance. You can exercise a day following a binge, but do not over exert yourself. If you usually work out for 1 hour then you should not be exercising 3 hours the day after a binge. You should get back on track to your healthy, balanced lifestyle.
You must remember to be kind to yourself and your body even after a binge. You are only human and you are working on it!
There are many causes to binge eating and it is very common in Americans because of our huge portion sizes, constant food marketing, and culture of socializing with food. It is not easy to make a change on your own. If you find yourself wanting to binge eat less and need some assistance then I recommend reaching out to a mental health professional and a dietitian.
Courtney Glashow, LCSW
is a licensed psychotherapist practicing in Hoboken, New Jersey. She specializes in helping teens and adults with anxiety, depression, and life transitions through counseling. Courtney can help NY or NJ residents through telehealth (video/phone) therapy sessions as well.
