Alana Champion for Galore Magazine
How to STOP binging
I used to struggle a lot with binging, but have been able to stay binge-free for a month now. There’s no guarantee I’ll keep it up, maybe I’ll binge a day here and there, but at this point I don’t see myself going into another binge-restrict cycle. So, here are 20 tips and tricks for how you can stop binging as well. If I can do it, so can you!
General tips:
1. Don’t keep junk food in the house.
2. Make a budget for how much money you can spend on food per week, and only keep that amount on your chequing account/cash in your wallet. That way you can’t just spontaneously go out and buy binge-food.
3. Remember that you will NEVER feel good after a binge. If you’re eating to make you feel better, I promise you that won’t happen if you binge. You’ll feel so much worse.
4. Binging always leads to: guilt, hopelessness, shame, embarrassment, self-hate, and it might trigger purging, self-harm or trying to compensate with laxatives and/or over-exercising.
5. Don’t bring money to school/work so you can’t buy binge-food on your way home.
6. You will never hit a target you’re not aiming at, so when you binge, you’re deliberately missing your goal of losing weight.
7. If you’re hungry, eat something. It doesn’t have to be a binge.
8. Don’t restrict after a binge! That will only keep the cycle going. Eat normally the day after a binge.
9. If you struggle with binging, don’t do fasts longer than 16 hours.
10. Always plan exactly what you’re going to eat for each meal.
Things to do when you feel like binging:
1. Go for a long walk and don’t bring any money.
2. Drink green tea (or any tea). It’s warm and nice and it fills you up.
3. Put on tight/short clothes. This really helped me because when I wear sweats when I’m chilling at home, I don’t realize how fat and gross I am. Putting on something tight makes me not want to eat at all.
4. Lie down, close your eyes and listen to your favourite upbeat song (something that makes you happy). Listen to the entire song with your eyes closed, and focus on your breathing.
5. Take a bath or shower.
6. Look at thinspo.
7. Put on some fun music and dance around in your room.
8. Call a relative or a friend with whom you always talk for a long time.
9. Chug water.
10. Count all the calories of what you’re planning to binge on. I’m sure you don’t want to eat all that now.
