How To Ditch Your Binge

You come home from work, look in the fridge and before you know it you "wake up" and realize you've just consumed the entire head of lettuce, half a head of cabbage, the milk and are currently chewing on the cardboard milk container. And you realize "OMG, I just binged!! What do I do?!?"

The first thing in such a moment is relax a little and try to absolve yourself of the guilt you probably feel associated with "blowing your diet". As I said many times earlier, you need to be patient with yourself and realize that it takes time to change old habits.

When you've relaxed, think back a little and try to understand what prompted this behavior. Was this a bad response to a particular emotion? Perhaps you've had a really bad day and desperately needed something sweet to "make it better"? Again, sometimes just being aware of your issues can help you figure out how to self-correct.

Also, what have you eaten during the day? Have you been sure to eat a reasonable amount of calories (at least 1200 if you're a gal, 1500 if you're a guy), and tried to make certain to eat about 25% of your calories from protein and 25% of your calories from fat? If not, the binge may have been your body desperately trying to make sure you get the nutrition and calories you need. In that case, change your diet to make sure you're getting enough of all the necessary nutrients - you can do this using our Menu Analyzer.

If neither of those two issues really apply, or you simply can't get control of your binges, you may have Binge Eating Disorder. Check this post for some interesting information on binge eating disorders - or, even better, see your doctor to get help.

One way or the other, it's important to remember that if you did binge the night before, you should not attempt to compensate by eating less today. What you did yesterday is over. Book closed. Just do your best today, and make sure to eat a reasonable number of calories.