Don’t throw in the towel. Use these 10 steps to put the binge behind you and move on to a healthier life.
Don’t allow binge eating to define you. Get perspective and keep striving for balance.
1. Do a reality check
As full and heavy as you may feel, the numbers don’t lie. It takes 14 700 kilojoules to gain 0.5kg of body fat. So unless you ate six slices of cake and drank eight glasses of wine, you’re in the clear.
2. Get enough H20
Drink 8 – 10 cups throughout the day to flush out any excess sodium that could cause water retention. “Have water in between as well as with your meals. This will ensure that you reach that “full feeling” sooner without overeating,” says dietitian Cia Meiring.
3. Restock your kitchen
Clear your kitchen cupboards and fridge of any treats, leftovers or other high-kilojoule foods waiting to sabotage your weight-loss efforts. This will make room for healthy foods that will satisfy and fill you up. Add fruits and vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy, beans, fish and chicken to your shopping list. Plan ahead, too, by freezing some now for the busy week days to come.
4. Enjoy your food
Starving yourself often backfires, slowing your metabolism and setting you up for another binge later on. “Eat balanced meals and eat them slowly – be actively aware of every bite and concentrate on tasting the food rather than scoffing it down until you’re full,” says Meiring.
5. Fill up on fibre
Consuming too much of the wrong foods can lead to short-term constipation and bloating. Keep your digestive system humming with fibre-rich foods like black beans (15g fibre per cup), artichokes (10g fibre for a medium one), raspberries (8g fibre per cup) and barley (6g fibre per cup).
6. Work up a sweat
Stay on the stair climber for 15 extra minutes or park far from your office and walk the distance briskly – you’ll burn up to 483 additional kilojoules.
7. Plan your cheats
“Being too restrictive with your weight loss plan will cause binge behaviour due to excess hunger or feelings of deprivation. Rather have a manageable plan with scheduled ‘cheats,’” says Meiring.
8. Divide packet portions
Most portion sizes today exceed serving size standards – and the larger the package the more people eat. Make portion-friendly snacks by dividing up the contents of a large packet into several smaller containers.
9. Take away half the meal
Restaurant meal portions have increased over the years with an emphasis on getting more food for the money. The next time you’re out, split your starter with a friend or ask the waiter to pack half your main meal in a “doggie bag” before it’s even brought to the table.
10. Don’t eat in front of the TV or computer
A study from the University of Bristol separated 44 participants into two groups. The one group ate lunch while playing computer games and the other without interruption. One and half hours later they served biscuits. It was found that participants, who ate lunch while playing computer games, ate twice as many biscuits than the other group.
Low-kJ cheat treats to try:
Nestle Milo ice cream (434 kJ per serving)
Choc & Oats Bettasnack digestive biscuits (530 kJ per 2 biscuit serving)
Solero Red Berries ice cream (415 kJ per serving)
Marcel’s Frozen Yoghurt – any flavor (466 kJ)
Woolworths Slimmer’s Choice frozen yoghurt (490 kJ)
Woolworths Crème Caramel dessert (490 kJ)
Cadbury’s Dairy Milk chocolate 30g (648 kJ)
Ola Moo ice cream – strawberry or chocolate (381 kJ)
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