The first mistake that all binge eaters make is thinking that you have to set up a lot of restrictions with your food choices in order to lose weight and stop binge eating.
We tend to think that if we only allow ourselves certain foods to eat, we will follow those rules forever, or at least until we lose the weight we want and then all of our problems will go away. This is why we get all excited and pumped up about a new diet plan that we stumble upon. Generally, your new found plan will dictate exactly what foods/food groups you can choose from and what foods you must stay away from. Because we don't trust ourselves when it comes to food choices, the new instructions make us feel safe and in control. Someone else is dictating how we need to behave around food and so the pressure is off us to decide how to eat; but the pressure is on us to see how long we can follow those rules.
Instead, you would be much better off following a food program that actually allows you the option to eat every food on the planet so that you will never feel deprived. Almost all plans restrict the food groups you can eat to lose weight on their plan. Once you have had to go without a certain type or types of food for a period of time, it is inevitable that you will binge on those foods. We as a species are always seeking pleasure. When there is a disconnect between what we can eat on a given plan and what we want to eat that is not on that plan, our inner strength can only hold up for so long before we cave into what our deep desires dictate for us to do and that is to give in to the forbidden foods.
Allowing yourself the option of eating any and every food sounds scary to the binge eater. It is counter intuitive to think we should be able to eat all the food we want. We have become programmed to think that we need to restrict our choices in order to lose weight. But what we really need to do is give ourselves permission to learn how to incorporate all the foods we enjoy into our lives so they are no longer forbidden and thus we have no need to binge on them. It's much easier than you could imagine to learn how to enjoy your favorite foods in moderation. You can even stop your binge eating in a single day once you try this.
This brings me to the second mistake all binge eaters make which is to ignore the physical, emotional and sensory signs your body is trying to tell you.
You need to listen to your body and let it tell you what you really want to eat. As binge eaters, we eat mindlessly without ever taking into account what our bodies are asking for. We don't even know whether we want is something salty, sweet, juicy, etc. We may think we are hungry but in fact are really thirsty. We go from food to food aimlessly until we are stuffed... oftentimes not even satisfied. The reason this happens is because we didn't stop to ask ourselves what we are in the mood for. The process of binge eating becomes unconscious. It's as though there is a force outside of you telling you to eat, compelling you to eat the things you know will make you fatter and unhealthy.
When you eat what you really want, and the foods that have the nutrients your body is asking for, you become satisfied much more quickly, which in turn allows you to feel satiated without an urge to keep stuffing yourself. It's good to stop and ask yourself what you really feel like eating and not eat anything until you know the answer to the question. Trust me, even if you don't know right away what you want, in short order the answer will come to you.
And lastly, the third mistake is setting lofty goals that you just can't maintain long-term.
How often do you start a diet and make a decision that you will never cheat on the plan or that you are going to commit to going to the gym and work out for an hour 5 days a week? Our intentions are great when we get started, they really are. But if you are a person who doesn't like to exercise what on earth would make you think that you will put yourself through torture 5 days a week every week? It's just incongruent and sets us up for failure when we set goals or rules for ourselves that are inconsistent with who we really are.
On the other hand, choosing to engage in less threatening activities or scaling down the requirements we are putting on ourselves goes a long way to being successful in your weight loss journey and with your ability to end the binge cycle. For example, deciding to walk for 10 minutes a day a few times a week may be what you are willing to do and feels doable for you long term. It may not seem like much and you may begin to wonder if that is going to help take the weight off quickly enough. But it's the small things that are easy to do (but are also easy not to do) that make all the difference when it comes to long term success.
When we think too big, our results seem to come up very short. But when we take very little steps and realize that we are looking for progress instead of perfection, we have a must better chance of success. Each little step we take may not make a noticeable difference right then and there that day or that week, but it is just amazing how these little positive choices we make add up so quickly and they turn into lasting success. But the key is to choose the small steps that YOU want to take. Then you feel inspired instead of obligated.
If you want to learn how to conquer your binge eating for good, even though you think you have tried everything, please go to http://www.endfoodaddiction.com to see how within minutes of downloading my e-book entitled "Stop Binge Eating and Start Living Again" you will be on your way to a happier and slimmer you. Learning to overcome compulsive overeating gives you a life with unlimited possibilities
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