Overcoming Binge Eating Disorder

JUST FOR TODAY:  If you have the desire to binge eat, try to delay your impulse for a few minutes.  Sometimes that delay can prevent a binge altogether.

The urge to binge eat can be overwhelming.  You might be totally preoccupied with thoughts about food, unable to focus on anything else.  In those moments, it might seem that a binge episode is your only option.  You figure that you just need to "get it over with."  Rather than acting on your impulse to eat, distract yourself for a few minutes.  Deliberately delay your binge for at least 5 minutes.  The intensity of food cravings can diminish significantly in that span of time.  If you do still have a desire to binge after waiting for a few minutes, you'll probably consume less food than you usually would.  With brief impulse control, you may find that your desire to binge eat is completely gone!  

©2009 by "Dr. Dorie" McCubbrey, M.S.Ed., Ph.D. – Eating Disorder & Obesity Treatment Specialist –  Denver, Colorado