While many people are aware of what food binging is all about, some may not be aware that binge eating is divided into two groups.



1. Binging Followed by Purging (self-induced vomiting)

2. Straight Binging: (no self-induced vomiting)

It is this second type of binging we will be discussing in this article (Binge without purge). With 3% of adults suffering from binging, this problem is more common than many realize.

Of course the percentage is much higher if we look only at the obese portion of the population. Among these people, 10% to 15% suffer from binging.

A discovery that has turned up in research is that dieting is often the trigger for binging. Binging is one way in which some people try to reduce stress. Dieting certainly qualifies as a stressful event. For some people, binging is a way of self-medicating in an effort to relieve feelings of frustration and anxiety.

When food is used in this way, it becomes a type of addiction. Unfortunately, like most addictions, binging carries the sufferer through a circular nightmare.

A person becomes overwhelmed with frustration or anxiety. To gain relief, the person binges on food, this is briefly successful. Then, realizing what has happened, the person becomes overwhelmed with stress about what has just occurred. This is a devastatingly nasty cycle of events.

And here we are, caught on the merry-go-round.

If you or a loved one is a chronic binger take note of the following:

1. You/they may not be able to cope with this problem without outside help.

2. Professional help is available.

If outside help is not an option, or does not appeal to you, consider some of the following approaches. They have proven to work well for many:

1. Do not try to lose more than 1 to 2 pounds a week. Severe calorie reduction is much more likely to trigger binging.

2. To make your diet more enjoyable and reduce stress, budget two hundred calories a day for foods that you really like.

3. Make sure that you don't go longer than 4 hours without food.

4. Work on more of less. Four to six smaller meals a day will go a long way to easing the urge to binge.

5. Research shows that the body likes a schedule. Design a time table and do your best to stick to it.

Exercise, some form of sports, meditation and other such activities can help to reduce the effects of stress. Another approach is reframing. In this approach, you learn to view events differently so that in the end, you don't have the same emotional response. In other words, you can learn to view the world in a non-stressful manner.