Distraction can help if your impulse to binge is pretty mild and is spurned on by boredom. But if there are deep dark feelings under there distraction will not help. In fact, if you distract yourself for a while the impulse might come around stronger later.
Something you need to understand about binges is that they are a way to step outside of our feelings/problems and not feel them for a little while. Of course it doesn't work in the long run but in the short run it does, especially if we have conditioned ourselves to reach for food in an emotional way. The true answer to not binging is to deal with those emotions head on, not by distracting yourself from them. If you've binged for a long time the process of throwing your problems under a rug and turning to food is completely seamless and you may not even realize you're doing it.
The key to dealing with your feelings is to deal with them when they first start to nag you. As you progress through the day with those uncomfortable feelings they get stronger and stronger. Rate that discomfort on a scale of 1-10. If you are 7 or over in intensity you cannot bring yourself away from the binge. It's too late. It's like a volcano, there's no turning back. So go ahead and eat but make sure you stay kind to yourself and not plague yourself with guilt. After all, you're turning to the only source of comfort that you know, there is no reason to berate yourself for that. Just use it as an opportunity to expand your database of solutions.
The impulse to binge is a powerful signal that there is an emotion you'd like to not feel. At the time it may seem like the emotion is too strong or unpleasant but if you do start to let yourself feel it then you'll realize that it wasn't so bad as you thought. There are many techniques to dealing with the emotion. First, realize that your desire to binge is not hunger, not real hunger anyway. Instead try to think about what niggly thoughts are behind the binge. Sometimes they're big but sometimes we can get derailed by stupid little negative thoughts! For example, Ive had the urge to binge the past few days and I realized that my true gritty feelings were jealousy. I have been seething with jealousy over a friend because his career is so much more prestigious than mine. The jealousy has been masked by my utter joy in seeing him again (he's visiting for a few days), and my true happiness for his successes! But underneath it all seeing him has made me feel low on myself, like I'm not good enough and that I'll never be as good as he is blah blah blah. It's gotten me pretty down but the reality is that I don't believe that jealousy is an emotion I should feel. I think jealousy is petty, immature and a sign of weak character. So instead of letting myself feel some harmless jealousy I've been turning to food. Now that I have realized it I can fix it.
Ok this is getting long I'm sorry but I wanted to give you some tips on what to do to actually FEEL your emotions rather than turn to food.
1. Realize that the urge to binge is a sign that there is some emotional turmoil. It's not real hunger. You tube has some info about the difference between emotional hunger vs. physical hunger, check some of these out!
https://www.youtube.com/results?sear...hysical+hunger
2. Rate the intensity of your discomfort on a scale 1-10. If your discomfort is 7 or over go ahead and eat. But after you do don't berate yourself! Instead, try to analyze what happened. Sometimes after we binge it becomes disturbingly clear what the source of our emotions was. Think about it without judging yourself.
3. If you do identify the source of your discomfort then find a way to deal with it in a constructive way. The usual culprits of discomfort are low self esteem, anger, frustration, stress/anxiety, fear, jealousy, confusion, sadness.
4. Remember that binging is not a sign of weakness. It is an indication that you are trying to take care of yourself the best way you know how. You are trying to comfort yourself without imposing yourself on others by lashing out in anger or asking for help. Food has brought you comfort and there is nothing wrong with that. You probably would like to find other ways to comfort yourself though, we shouldn't be turning to food every day. It might comfort you for a while but it doesn't help you deal.
What to do instead of eating?
1. Sit with your feeling - Literally sit down without distraction, no tv or smartphone. Sit and think about what's bothering you. Really allow that emotion to completely take over you. Wallow! Hear it out, don't suppress it. Do this for 10 minutes or as long as you're comfortable.
2. Write in your journal about it - it's a helpful way to sit with the feeling and give it a voice.
3. Talk to a counselor, trusted family member or friend. Choose someone who will just listen to you, not subdue you or tell you to get over it.
4. Meditate - studies show that even a few minutes of meditation every day have a powerful effect on our stress levels and overall health.
5. Learn to distinguish between physical hunger and emotional hunger. Intuitive Eating has helped me tremendously.
6. Distraction (if your discomfort is low) by walking, getting a massage, going out for coffee with a girlfriend, watching a movie etc. Sometimes a distraction is all you need to get yourself in a calmer state. Beware of emotions coming back though.
Sorry for the long post, I just think it's important to really get to the bottom of binges rather than try to willpower our way through them. They are behavioral patterns that indicate some important stuff. It really has nothing to do with food, focusing on food and diet and nutrition will do nothing but interfere with a coping mechanism that has worked for you for a long time. We need real solutions to stop binging, we can't make it go away with a few salads and a mani pedi.
Another binge thread
What helps distract you when you want to binge? I need to find a way to say no, and resist.
x
