The cause of binge eating and how to get past it.
What is binge eating? Binge eating is defined as the consumption of an unusually large amount of food in a short period accompanied by a sense of loss of control. An eating disorder can lead to obesity, depression, hypertension, and many other physical and mental problems.
Overweight people give various reasons for their weight gain like having heavy bones, bad genetics or some unique disease which is limited to them but they never admit that they are binge eaters.
The Causes of Binge Eating
Self-judgment
A negative self-image is largely based on one’s shape, weight, and self-control. When an individual starts believing that they can never lose weight and get in shape, they start to take comfort in binge eating.
Mood Fluctuations
The more volatile your mood, the more you’re prone to binge eating. The reason for this is that eating highly palatable foods makes us feel better during that brief moment of sadness, happiness, loneliness, frustration. Binge eating also serves as a temporary distraction from negative emotions.
Many people also fall upon binge eating because eating acts as an escape from their current situation. Finally, there are some people who can’t tell the difference between being hungry and being bored.
Following a Barbaric Diet
There is a high probability that you know someone who got in shape for a brief period before returning to their old selves. These people can’t keep the weight off because they follow too strict a diet to achieve their goal. Once their program ends, they tend to eat everything they can get their hands on.
Overcoming Binge Eating
Eating Small and Frequent Meals
If your goal is to lose weight, you should consider switching to a diet plan where you eat 5-8 small meals in a day as compared to the usual three big meals. These meals should come at a gap of three hours.
Eating frequent meals will not only limit your chances of binge eating by keeping you full throughout the day, but it can also help you in your weight loss journey by spiking your metabolic rate. It means that you’ll be burning fat even while you’re Netflix and chilling.
A Little of Everything
While on a diet, many people make the mistake of having a forbidden food list. These foods turn into “trigger foods” in that their consumption can cause considerable anxiety and can prompt binge eating.
Instead of going cold turkey on them, you should limit them to cheat days or a couple of days a week – if your diet plan allows. Once there are no forbidden foods, you don’t have to worry about random binge eating encounters.
Join a Physical Activity
Don’t worry, we’re not asking you to get a gym membership or train for a marathon. Research shows that working out for at least three days a week can help improve and maintain your health.
When you put in the effort to improve your physique, you’re less likely to let that hard work go to waste by picking up a donut with the coffee. Make a list of physical activities that bring you some pleasure and follow them for at least three days a week.
What is your favorite cheat meal? Let us know in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook and Twitter.