The Beautiful Balanced Woman's World

Have you ever eaten long past being stuffed, but were somehow unable to control yourself? I know the feeling. I binge ate whenever I felt lonely, depressed, or helpless. But I’m going to show you how to stop binge eating with a simple emergency technique that will help you get control of your emotions long enough so you can discover what is driving the behavior and exercise your faith to handle the emotion.

You might have heard about the principle of cause and effect. In order to change an effect, you need to isolate the cause. So your first step to end compulsive overeating is to examine the behavior. You need two tools to do this: a Pattern Interrupter and a small notebook.

Keep this in mind: Every time you engage in binge eating, it is like a computer program being triggered in your brain. In order to stop long enough so you can examine the cause, you need a technique to interrupt the program. That’s a Pattern Interrupter.

1. I recommend that when you find yourself overwhelmed with the urge to eat, stop at that very moment and hug yourself.

Yes, I know it sounds strange, but you want to hug yourself for two reasons. First, the number one need that human beings have is the need for unconditional love. By hugging yourself, you are communicating self love and acceptance in that moment. When you are feeling unlovable is when you need love the most. Secondly, when you receive a hug, the brain produces “feel good” chemicals called endorphins. Also responsible for “runner’s high,” endorphins are the body’s natural pain relievers. Many times, you binge to relieve emotional pain. So hugging yourself is one way that you can comfort yourself in the moment.

As you are hugging yourself, take a moment to breathe slowly, in through your nose and out through your month to calm yourself down. Close your eyes and concentrate on your breath. Your goal is to center yourself and bring yourself into the present. Commit to giving yourself enough time to calm down. Most people can calm themselves within 10 minutes.

2. After you calm yourself, ask yourself, “Is my body hungry?” If the answer is yes, then get a small plate and fix yourself something to eat. Eat your food slowly, deliberately, in calmness. Keep eating mindfully until you have satisfied your hunger. Write about the experience in your notebook/journal.

If the answer to the “Is my body hungry?” question is “No,” then you will also need your notebook or journal. Write the following statement: “My body is not hungry. What am I feeling now that makes me want to eat?” Write down the answer in detail. Commit to telling the absolute truth in the journal. Be honest about any anger, depression, loneliness, boredom, or frustration you are feeling. Whatever the emotion, you will need to confront it and deal with it, otherwise you will be unable to conquer it and learn how to stop binge eating. One of the most powerful weapons you have to deal with negative emotions is faith. Through the use of prayer, you can ask for Godly wisdom to help you regain self control and establish a right relationship with food.

You can also renew your mind in this area with the following scripture and focus on sources of peace and joy in your own life:

Romans 14:17 for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

It also helps to have someone to assist you through this process. You can either confide in a trusted friend or wellness coach to help you identify the emotions and devise effective alternatives to deal with them rather than turning to food.

The bottom line is that there is hope. With consistent action and a lot of faith, you can stop binge eating and regain a healthy relationship with food and with yourself.

Kimberly Floyd is an author, certified wellness coach, and the CEO of Take Back Your Temple, which offers books, multimedia, seminars and wellness coaching to help others reach their perfect weight using Christian weight loss principles. Once 240 pounds and a size 22, Kim lost 85 pounds and went from a size 22 to an 8 so she knows about weight issues from the inside out. Her story has been featured in Prevention Magazine, Essence Magazine, and on CBN’s The 700 Club. She is the author of the eBook ‘Take Back Your Temple: How to Achieve Healthy Weight Loss God’s Way’ and ‘MoneyWise Weight Loss: The Faith-based Plan for Building a Better Body on a Budget’.

Go to http://www.takebackyourtemple.com now to get your FREE Report: 7 Steps to Overcoming Emotional Eating.

Notebook Journal
Notebook Journal
Notebook Journal

binge eating, diary, journaling