Bingeing - A Llittle bit of what you fancy....

If you binge regularly try to identify what causes the problem and do something about it.  One slimmer loved crusty  bread and would munch her way through the whole loaf!  She worked the bread into her diet at lunch time (not the whole loaf) and found that because she enjoyed the crusty and tasty bread she didn’t need to use a spread, just a filling i.e. slice of ham and lots of salad and low-cal mayonnaise.  Another member liked ginger nuts, so she had them as her treats.  After a while she started to lose her sweet tooth and found that she didn’t enjoy them so much after all. 

Stock up with low-calorie snacks.

Often binges start with a small beginning.  You fancy something to nibble, then remember that there’s a packet of peanuts at the back of a cupboard.  You start with just a small handful, but can you stop, NO!  Before long the whole packet has disappeared, guilt sets in and it’s goodbye diet!  Wanting to nibble doesn’t make you a bad dieter, it makes you a very normal eater.  So it pays to have some low-calorie snacks available.  If the weather’s cold try a bowl of home-made vegetable soup with herbs and seasonings.  Or perhaps something crunchy, like raw vegetables and a low-fat dip.  If you feel the need for something sweet, try mixing a low-calorie chocolate drink with fromage frais and dipping fruit slices in it.  Plan some low-calorie nibbles that you can fall back on if the need arises and don’t feel guilty if it does.

Out of sight, out of mind.

Make sure you aren’t faced with temptation every time you open the fridge.  If the family like chocolate biscuits, ask them to keep them out of sight.  Avoid temptation when you’re out and about.  If you can’t resist the smell of fresh bread and cakes at the bakers, take a different route.

Get off your butt!

Do you feel the need to binge just because you feel somehow ‘not right’ or bored.  Then you’re looking for something to make you feel better, something to make you feel good.  Try the get off your butt solution and do something.  Go for a walk, do some gardening, try skipping.!  Skipping is a wonderful way of burning off calories.  The exercise will give you a boost and you won’t feel like going for a binge.
Lastly, think positive.  You will only stop that binge if you can and take action not to!