Binge Eating. It’s the dirty little secret none of us like to admit we do. What I consider binge eating, and what you consider binge eating may be two different things, for me, and I am happy to openly admit it is something I struggle with, walking past an off license or somewhere that sells something of the chocolate variety, walking in making a purchase, for no particular reason, consuming and telling myself it’s okay I trained hard today. For me, that is binge eating and something I do FAR too often. For others it could be classed as eating late at night or going mad at the weekends having starved yourself Monday to Friday. Whatever it is, it is a behaviour many of us have.

There are probably multiple factors as to why you and I ‘binge eat’. You might actually not be eating enough throughout the day, you might not give a shit about the additional calories, or you might have a mild addiction to the feeling binge eating gives you for that very short period of time. Whatever it may be lets look at the most likely cause and what we can put in place to reduce the amount we ‘binge’.

So what’s the deal with this uncontrollable desire?

Whether its drinking, eating, shopping, different binge behaviours actually have similar causes and unbeknown to us all there are a multitude of factors causing us to do so.

It’s definitely deeper than just eating something, our brains release a chemical called dopamine when we eat something that is palatable and tasty. And non-surprisingly it feels really good, so much so we do it again, and again until its becomes so ingrained in our behaviour we barely notice it. Unfortunately the same cannot be said for our waistlines.

Its this daily feel good hit of dopamine we essentially become addicted to. And looking at the bigger picture, it can be this small daily decision you’re making that might also be inhibiting you from losing weight/fat if that is your goal. And if weight-loss/fat-loss is your goal then you shouldn’t be consuming refined high fat high sugar foods anyway.

On top of this small feel good hit many of us have to deal with the daily stresses and pressures of life, providing for a family, working long hours, dealing with people in the office you cant stand the sight of. All of these factors can lead to behaviour that becomes harder and harder to control.

What can you put in place to help?

1. Adequate calories. You might not actually be eating enough throughout the day. So have a look at your main meals and do they contain an adequate amount of protein. If you aren’t consuming enough calories of lets say decent nutritious food the the likelihood of eating something high in fat and sugar will be higher.
2. Breaking the habit! Try a different route that is less likely to take to past something you potentially might walk in. It sounds silly, but you might not even be aware of how habitual this behaviour has become and what triggers you.
3. Make a better choice. Rather than buying something deemed unhealthy maybe buy some fruit. Pineapple or mango both taste sweet and might do the job of something wrapped or packaged.
4. Stay disciplined. Find a reason as to why you want to prevent or reduce your current binge behaviour. Summer is almost here and with the recent heat wave I have already witnessed a mass panic. Use it to your advantage.
5. Make a better decision. You don’t have to walk far to find something free of something, gluten free, low calorie, vegan. Its out there and accessible find out a few options that will help you with whatever it is you want to achieve.

Indulging is fine and training hard certainly gives me more freedom with my food choices. Overindulging and sitting on your arse all day in and office though is not something I would recommend.

Ultimately like anything your level of discipline and adherence will be the determining factors but implementing the above might help you stay on the straight and narrow.