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Binge eating is characterized by what seems to be an inability to stop eating or an irresistible urge to eat. We all occasionally gorge out, especially around the holidays or special events. But it is when this pattern of eating occurs with regularity that it becomes a problem.

This eating behavior also frequently happens when you are on a weight loss plan. This is because dieting is not just about changing the foods that you eat, it is also about changing behavior. And for most of us, changing behavior is more than just saying that you are not going to do something anymore.

When dealing with these situations, you first need to realize that eating of this type is almost always a sign of a deeper emotional problem. Some of these circumstances have to do with the lack of control you feel over certain parts of your life, or with you simply not wanting to deal with certain bothersome events in your life. Instead you compensate by eating an enormous amount of food.

Even though you may not be conscious of it most of the time, your behavior is intrinsically linked with your emotions. As such, trying to pull off a major behavior change will be that much more difficult if you do not at least acknowledge that emotions will play a big part in this process. You may not consider your new diet a major change, but if you have trouble sticking to it, then it probably is.

Dealing With Your Emotions to Stop Binge Eating

Here are some steps you can follow to deal with binge eating or those occasional boughts of overeating.

Acknowledge that part of why you are eating is emotional If doesn’t matter if it is out of pleasure or pain, an emotional component is there. Simply acknowledging this fact is your first step in learning how to deal with it.

Identify the triggering events This could be something as simple as being in the habit of eating certain types of foods at certain times of the day, some family problem that is not being dealt with, or that constant thought in your mind of what you are not suppose to eat.

On the other hand, the most effective way of finding the triggers will be to determine the underlying emotional cause that your binge eating is masking, and deal with it. This will require some soul searching on your part and dealing with those issues that you had been avoiding or denying.

Believe you can change Now that you are aware of the triggering events, you must believe that you can change your response to them. Regardless of the triggering event, some people believe that they just like food too much to stop eating. Needless to say, those are just your emotions talking. What is missing is the proper motivation to change this behavior.

If you were told that the food you were about to eat would make you gravely sick, you would have no problem not eating it. The trick is to find at least one reason that is powerful enough to motivate you to eat with moderation without having to believe that it will make you sick. The challenge of this technique is finding a reason that has a greater emotional impact than the desire to binge eat.

Once you have dealt with these causes or at least learned how to reframe them in a manner that is psychologically more manageable, you will feel a greater sense of self-control and your desire to overeat will lessen, if not simply fade away.

Go easy on yourself You probably won’t make these changes overnight, so go easy on yourself when your slip-ups occur. Since your mind works to manifest in your real life what you think about most, it’s important to remember your successes, no matter how small, and not your mistakes.

Yes You Can

In short, no matter how overpowering binge eating may appear to be in your life, you can change. By focusing on the emotional component in addition to the types of foods you eat, your persistence will have you reaching your weight loss goals quicker and easier than you thought possible.

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