Imagine...
You come home from work after a long, stressful day at the office. You have been basically starving yourself all day with this latest fad diet. You know, the cranberry juice cleanse. It's supposed to make you lose 10 pounds in 10 days...and you really want to put on that cute bathing suit for spring break. When you open the fridge, all sorts of emotions run through your brain, but the only thing you can think about is the growling of your stomach. You have a big glass of the gross sugary cranberry juice that you have been chugging for the past 3 days and look longingly at the chocolate cake waiting to be eaten. So you eat a bite. Then another. Then another. Pretty soon, you are eating everything you see, and can't stop. It feels as if you lost control over what you put into your mouth and what you are eating. As you realize what is happening waves of guilt wash over you and you wish you could have a re-do. Can't we start this day over again?
Does this sound familiar? Maybe it does, maybe it doesn't. But if it does sound familiar, you're not alone. This probably happens to more people than you think.
So lets talk about this. What I was describing above is binging. Binging is different from overeating. Many of us overeat on occasion, for instance when we go out to a restarant with huge portions, or when we are going to a party with so many tantalizing treats. Binging is when you eat more calories in one sitting than one person should be eating in one day, or in some cases more calories than one person should eat in two or three days. It is when you completely lose control and feel like you need to eat everything in sight. All those foods that you have deemed "off limits" are right there staring you in the face and you deprived yourself of them for so long that you eat much more than you ever normally would in one sitting.
Binging can be caused by a number of different things. But if you break it down to the core, most likely the cause is somehow emotional. A loss of control, a need to feel in control, the list can go on and on. It makes sense if you think about this logically. Most likely the start of a binge is a result from denying yourself certain foods, or food altogether for an amount of time. Being deprived of certain nutrients can change and alter your brain chemistry making you not think as clearly as you would otherwise. Then seeing the delicious-looking food you have been telling yourself not to eat can cause your emotions to go haywire. The result? A binge.
Binging is very difficult on your body. The huge amount of calories being ingested during a binge is especially hard on your digestive system. Somehow, your small intestines have to break down this enormous amount of food and send it to your cells or get rid of it, all in a very short amount of time. And don't kid yourself, there is no way your body can utilize all of that energy. Most of it will probably end up as storage - fat cells.
So, understanding this is an emotional problem, what can we do to help prevent binging? A role model in my life has a very good saying that I think applies perfectly to this situation: "Check yourself before you wreck yourself". A great way to think about this is just to be more mindful. Do you feel out of control right before the binge? Have you been feeling out of control all day? Have you been depriving yourself of a certain food? Have you been depriving yourself of all food? Do you find comfort in certain foods? Do you find comfort in eating food in general? It is perfectly alright if you answered yes to any one of these questions, or all of them for that matter. I believe it is human nature to have some sort of emotional connection to food. However, I also believe this emotional connection should not be harmful or hinder you in any way. Once the emotional attachment becomes detrimental, the behavior needs to change. A person should never binge. If you are a person who binges, that behavior needs to change.
Stop depriving yourself of great food that you love to eat just because it isn't the "healthiest" food you could be eating! Eat a few bites of that chocolate cake, but know that after those first few bites, you have probably crushed the biological craving and you are entering emotional eating territory. Stop after a bit or two and think about how you feel. Take a deep breath and have a few sips of water and wait. The craving will most likely have passed and you were able to have your chocolate cake without binging and eating the whole thing.
Just keep remembering to check yourself before a potential binge could happen. You don't need to feel as if eating can take away all your negative feelings. Food can't hug you goodnight, food can't comfort you when your sad, food can't wipe away your tears. Its just food. You are a mature adult, take responsibility. No one should be blaming the food for being put in front of you as your eating it. You are the one putting it in your mouth.
On the other hand, don't beat yourself up if you do binge. True, binging is very difficult on your body, but we all make mistakes. Pick yourself up and move on. Take the opportunity to learn from the situation. What were you feeling, what foods did you feel out of control with? These can be valuable the next time you find yourself in a similar situation and could potentially prevent another binge from happening.
Some foods naturally flush water out of your system when you feel bloated from overeating or binging. Cucumbers are a natural diuretic, and this fresh cold salad is perfect for hot, humid days when you feel not only bloated but sweaty and uncomfortable
Cool Cucumber Salad
1 medium cucumber
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp chopped fresh dill
1 tsp honey
1 tsp lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
- Peel and thinly slice the cucumber. Put slices in a bowl and set aside.
- In a seperate bowl, whisk together the vinegar, dill, honey, and lemon juice. Pour over the cucumbers and toss to coat. Season with a little salt and pepper.
- Cover with a lid or plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to chill and incorporate the flavors. Enjoy this salad cold.
Serving Size = 1 Salad
Total Kilocalories: 100
Carbohydrates: 18g
Protein: 1g
Fat: <1g
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