Health & Support

I really try hard to eat smaller meals, more frequently to boost my metabolism and have a healthier eating lifestyle, but because of my binge eating habit, I can't do it! If I started eating, I can't stop, so I am afraid to eat breakfast, or even anything in front of friends for fear that I can't stop. I don't want to binge so badly in the morning that I have to call in sick for work. I'm so frustrated! Help!

While you say you fear eating with friends or family it may be a good idea. If you eat around others, you're probably -less- likely to binge because people are watching you.

Make sure you start your day with a filling, decent breakfast, or two smaller breakfasts a couple of hours within each other (that's what I do, as I know a massive breakfast makes me feel sick). It'll start you off right. [: And portion things! Allow yourself only a certain amount of something and bag the rest or put it in a place where it'll mean effort to get more and eat more. Stick notes to yourself on the fridge or the cupboard door if you can get away with it. Buy things like chocolate bars in single bar servings and so on. It's hard to break, but when you do it'll so be worth it :D I hope this helps!

I think you need to take some practical steps to avoid the problem. One would be to not bulk-buy foods but only to have enough food in the house for the day.  Working on the basis that 'if it's not there you can't eat it'... if you've only got relatively small amounts of food around, you won't be able to binge.  Keep a full fruit bowl and plenty of salads in the fridge.  If you're still hungry, fill up on those.

Also... make your mealtime a finite occasion.  Give yourself 'cues' that mealtimes have a start and a finish and you'll be less likely to keep grazing.   Never eat standing up, or whilst you're doing something else e.g. watching TV.  Set the table with a tablecloth and cutlery.  Make the food.  Sit at the table to eat it.  Take your time.  Then stop, clear the plate, clear the table and walk away. 

You can stop. 

I have struggled with the same thing, and I have confidence that you can gradually make the change.  I'm not sure what your total caloric intake is per day, but if you need to for a while you could even do a larger breakfast and lunch and small dinner until you're more comfortable with breaking the calories into smaller meals (or if this is not an option with your schedule).  For example, if your total daily caloric intake is 1500 for the day, you could do 500 calories for each meal or 600 cal. at breakfast, 500 at lunch, and 400 at dinner.

Another idea is to measure EVERYTHING out ahead of time.  I have to do this with almost everything I eat the day before.  It really, really helps, even now, because some of us don't have a natural idea about portions/quantity.  I could easily eat a large portion and grew up in a house like this, but if I can get it out of sight, then also goes out of mind.  So I basically only buy what I'll eat for the week (literally) and have lots of little containers in the fridge, so that everything is rationed out.  It may sound annoying, but it works really well.