When you are trying to diet and have decided to eat healthy foods, you might find it hard to resist the urge to binge. Binges affect women differently, but more importantly is how we deal with these urges to “pig out” that has the biggest effect on our lives. Binging has many disadvantages especially when it means eating foods that are unhealthy or gobbling up an overabundance of food.
Eating unhealthy foods can cause stomach disorders, weight gain, bloating or cause blood pressure or sugar levels to rise. Overeating can result in a distended stomach and done repeatedly will cause your belly to grow larger and stretch to accommodate these occurrences. Prolonged binge eating can cause many other physical ailments but the underlying emotional damage is sometimes even more dangerous.
When you overeat, you are eating out of control. Anytime we aren’t totally in control of our lives, we can become emotionally distraught or depressed. Looking for the reasons behind the need to binge will help you to overcome these symptoms but if you have been suffering from this ailment for a while, you might want to consult a medical professional.
Binging as a result of dieting is something different than binging to fill an emotional void. In this article, I am referring to the urge to binge on foods that you are trying to avoid. Many times when starting a new diet, we find ourselves overcome with cravings for the very foods we have sworn to abstain from. If this happens, it’s better to give in a little than overcome with the need to binge.
A great way to overcome the urge to binge is by eating 5 meals a day instead of just 3. If you just add 2 snacks a day, you can keep your body satisfied and vary the types of food that you eat. Maybe you love a milk shake but have decided that the saturated fat content and calories are just too much to allow in your diet. Try substituting with yogurt and fruit for a fruit smoothie. Make it a smaller portion and enjoy it between meals for a healthy snack. This alternative will satisfy your emotional and physical needs when you are craving a comfort food that is sweet and creamy.
Be creative with your meals and plan them ahead of time. The less uncertainty there is in your diet the less chance you will fall to cravings and urges to binge. Hang your day or week meal plan on the refrigerator along side of a picture of what you want to look like. Little steps like this will help to keep you inspired and help to make your diet a success.