1. Recognize Binge Eating Warning Signs
The warning signs that someone is a binge eater include eating secretly, thinking about food even when full, overeating until one feels ill, eating to forget a stressful situation and a feeling of powerlessness to control your eating or to stop oneself from eating even if it is clearly wrong. It is very easy for people to overlook or deny these signs, but the problem will become evident once the binge eater starts to gain weight. It is very important to recognize the warning signs of binge eating in order to be able to stop it from dominating one's life. Any single sign or combination of signs should be a concern.
2. Learn Stress Management Techniques
People who binge eat in order to control their emotions must instead learn new stress management techniques. Take a walk, talk to someone about your concerns, meditate or do anything that helps bring your mind back into focus and reduces your stress level. Whenever the compulsion to eat grows strongest is when binge eaters need to exercise their willpower to overcome the urge to overeat.
3. Talk to Professionals
Communicating with a doctor, nutritionist and/or a therapist can help binge eaters develop the tools they need to prevent future episodes. Therapists can work with binge eaters on stress management techniques as well as help coordinate behavior therapy, which can greatly diminish the condition. Speak to a doctor about antidepressant medications as a possibility, since binge eating is often a result of depression or low self-esteem.
4. Join a Support Group
Often, a great way for binge eaters to understand their condition and deal with it is to talk to others who are going through the same thing. In addition to behavior therapy, therapists will often connect binge eaters with one another so that they can form a network and help one another deal with the condition.
5. Count Calories
Sometimes all binge eaters need is a "reality check." Try counting calories throughout the day, taking note of all of the foods you eat and totaling up how many calories you consumed. If you see you're eating 3,000 or more calories in a day then it is a pretty clear indication you are overeating. As a part of your behavior therapy, it should be a goal to reduce your caloric intake each day and each week by 250 to 500 calories per day until it becomes habit to not eat more than 1,800 to 2,000 calories.
