ASK THE "DON'T DIET" DOCTOR

Dear Dr. Dorie:
I have an emotional attachment to food, and find it difficult to stop eating once I start.  I try to put off eating for as long as possible, often skipping breakfast and eating a tiny lunch, but then I usually end up binge eating at the end of the day.  How can I break this cycle?
- Binge Eater 

Dear Binge Eater:
As an emotional eater, food can feel like your best friend and also your worst enemy.  Food can provide a sense of comfort and security, which offers temporary relief from stress, anxiety, frustration or other emotions.  However, an emotional attachment to food can lead to a compulsive drive to eat, resulting in frequent episodes of binge eating.  These periods of overeating can cause nausea, bloating, cramping, excessive weight gain and other consequences.

To reduce your emotional attachment to food, get some insight into the reasons why you may be turning to food as a means to cope.  Take note of your thoughts and feelings several times throughout the day.  Try to identify the feelings that you have right before starting a binge, by asking yourself, ‘What is going on for me that I want to eat right now?  What feelings am I trying to numb or stuff down?’  Once you can identify your feelings, the next step is to find non-food methods for dealing with your feelings.

In part, you may find yourself binge eating at the end of the day because you have become overly hungry.  If you skip breakfast and only consume a small lunch, you are in effect fasting during the day which sets you up for feasting in the evening. Develop a list of ‘safe foods’ which you feel you can enjoy without overeating.  Try to eat these ‘safe foods’ at both breakfast and lunch, and see if your evening binge episodes decrease.

Your binge cycle may seem hard to break because you could have ‘binge eating disorder.’ Typically, the public hears about two other types of eating disorders, anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa.  However, binge eating disorder is also a serious condition which can show dramatic improvement with proper diagnosis and treatment.  My philosophy is that complete recovery from any type of eating disorder is possible.  The first step is to obtain an assessment by a mental health professional who specializes in eating disorders.

Binge eating is often a sign that you have emotional needs which are going unmet.  Take steps to nourish your body with regular meals throughout the day, and learn how to separate your eating from your emotions.

© 2006 Dr. Dorie McCubbrey, all rights reserved.  As one of America's leading experts on obesity and eating disorders, Dr. Dorie is the author of How Much Does Your Soul Weigh? (HarperCollins, 2003).  Visit www.DrDorie.com for more diet-free solutions to your food, weight and body worries.

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