I think the strategy of replacing the desire to binge with alternative activities is a great one, and I find chewing gum, doing my nails, working on the computer, reading a good book, brushing and flossing my teeth for the night, going upstairs (away from the kitchen), and exercising all good alternatives; however, the thing that works the absolute best for me is to get my head in the right place first. When that happens, no temptation in the world can be stronger than my desire to "be good."
Getting that feeling and keeping it is like finding and keeping gold. Sometimes it's fleeting and other times, it hangs around for weeks and weeks.
The one phrase that seems to work best is something I read in a book called
100 Days of Weight Loss by Linda Spangle. In her book, the author asks, "Are you interested in losing weight or are you committed to losing weight?" I find that to be very powerful! Being interested means that you're there until it gets hard or until something that sounds better comes along. Being committed means that no reason is stronger than your desire to reach your goal! You can read more about it here if you want:
http://www.easy-weightloss-tips.com/...ight-loss.html. I hope this helps...Gail