BINGE-AHOLIC... Is this you?

When i first started blogging back in October, I never envisioned that it would lead to me mentoring so many girls with their nutrition. I am overwhelmed by how many people have connected with my story and yet for so many years i believed i was the only one with issues!

Binge/emotional eating and Hemorrhoids seem to have a common place in many peoples' lives. And the hot question of the month for me has been how did I overcome binge eating? Well i cant admit yet that i have overcome it, but i do feel like i am on the home straight. I believe by this time next year i will be FREE. Emotional eating for me now is becoming less and less frequent......BUT:

I did have a mini incident ( yes i am accountable to ya all) on thursday that disrupted my 5-6 week winning streak. It'd been a big week, stinking hot, very tired, and i was frustrated by only being able to cycle on that damn exercise bike...fuckin boring it you ask me. (love-hate relationship here =)) I am dying to pick up some dumbells, you have no idea. And well, i had some quite a lot of icecream and some gluten free bickies. I was ready to throw in the towel and say fuck it what can a little more hurt BUT NO i didnt.. I decided to do somthing that i had never done before.... Be accountable to a couple friends, Steph and Sidey.

Steph told me that, " Most people who struggle with binges are in denial and justify their overeating to themselves so of course keep doing it. So this shows its very out of the ordinary behaviour for you now. The best thing you can do is to stay positive and never keep eating just cos you've started and 'ruined' your good run".

And Sidey reminded me that, "It is ok. We after all are only human and that it is ok to enjoy a treat once in a while and not to be too hard on yourself".

So i immediatiely realised that ok, its happened, but the past is the past so i just let go and moved on and had my tofu and green beans for dinner.

Anywho, i really wanted to summarise and share my thoughts on emotional eating/binging and strategies to help overcome it. Now my writing may not be quite clinically correct, but this is an accumulation of knowlege that i have pooled together from dicussions with my therapists (mainly my GA and chiro) over the years. The latter is predominantly a reflection on myself but i'm sure most of you'll be able to relate.

Bingeaholism is an issue/problem/disorder resulting from continuous consumption of food beyond the point of a satisfied tummy or beyond the recommended portion size. And from what i hear, it is becoming more and more common. It generally arises as a physical response to emotional issues such as stress and depression. Its a way to take the edge off what is actually going on. The food temporary numbs the pain and allows a release of serotonin, the feel good hormones from the brain. Its typically the high sugar/fatty foods that are eaten at this time, and they give us that warm fuzzy feeling and we just want more and more and cant stop. If only we would turn to brocolli and celery, i'm sure after a few cups you would definitely stop! Now i am by no means condoning 'junk' food. No one is 100% perfect, so a little bit here and then is a ok but when its eaten regulary and/or outside scheduled cheat meals it is not a good thing.

1. Not good for the waist line... though i do have a thai friend that binges on ridiculous amounts of food and is still underweight! but thats another story and she is an exception to the norm!
2. All the refined sugars and saturated fats are totally bad for your blood profile too.
3. For all of you out there with excess padding, i want you to realise that it is 99% likely due to your diet and not to your exercise program. You cant out train a poor diet!.. I have tried and sorry to say it does not work! So suck it up and get your nutrition on track!... TOUGH LOVE =)
The fact of the matter is that we are trying to supress emotions instead of deal with them. Emotional issues need to be dealt with at an emotional level and not a physcial one. At the end of the day, food is never gonna satisfy the physical pain and will not make you happy. Just ask yourself what would you like more:

1. a sexy beach body?
2. icecream and chocolate?

I believe that the first step in overcoming binge eating is to love and accept who you are as a person. Only then can we let go and move on. We then need to understand that we don't need ANYONE elses approval except our own. Trying to impress or be accepted by the Hemorrhoids in our lives will never make us happy. There are always gonna be negative people who will do their best to knock your confidence, and drain the positivity out of your soul. But you know what??  YOU are stronger than them. They are doing so to make themselves feel better. YOU can overcome any challenge that arises. They are never gonna change their ways, so you just need to LET GO. You need to stop getting emotional about these situations, because its our minds that will then play tricks on us. You then overthink stuff, and in turn you get so worked up that you take your frustrations out on food....Sound familiar?? But we are in control of our own mind. Its just a matter of thinking in the positive and telling yourself that NOW is the time to move forward, cos tomorrow will never come.

Only half an hour ago, Hemorrhoid had the nerve to tell me, " Geez your stomach is protruding!" What sort of fuckin random comment is that???? ....Protruding my arse, i think her brain is protruding outta her fuckin head! ....Anyway i nearly got angry, but i decided best not to say a word, and made myself get over it right away...without food =)

So with the emotional stuff in check you need to work on the physical. Eating 5-6 healthy meals a day with lean protiens and tonnes of vegies is also gonna help balance your blood sugar. When that is in check, you are less likely to overeat on junk. Skipping meals and convincing yourself that you are saving calories will backfire in the end. This will cause your metabolism to slow down allowing yourself to store more fat!  We are surrounded by food pusherers: Family, friends, work colleagues and partners will be there tempting you with all sorts of crap, but you just gotta learn to say NO. That's right. Don't feel guilty either. Its your health and not theirs. They just have to get over it.

Well i think i have rambled enough, but i do just wanna say that it is the most satifying feeling knowing that through my writing i am able to inspire people and change their lives for the better. Nutrition is my passion and i will be helping people for the rest of my life.

Until next time,

SMILE =)