MOST of us will have overeaten at some point in our lives. Whether it be an excess of food at the weekend with friends, or going overboard on the film snacks.

And whilst overeating might leave us feeling a little sluggish and bloated, we don’t tend to overthink it and instead move on with our day.

Binge eating however is classed as a mental health disorder and involves uncontrollable eating, triggered by emotions. 

According to the eating disorder charity, BEAT, 1.25 million people in the UK suffer from an eating disorder, with binge eating accounting for 22 per cent of these cases.

“Binge eating is uncontrollable eating where you feel so consumed and overwhelmed by the desire to eat that when you start, you can’t stop, eating large amounts of food in rapid time often even when you’re not hungry,” explains Emily Hall, Hypnotherapist and founder of Fresh Forward (fresh-forward.co.uk).

Although overeating is a key characteristic of this eating disorder, the mind plays much more of a role than it would if you were to eat too much food at dinner on a Saturday night for example.

Emily explains the food consumed by binge eaters can often be sugary, sweet foods that leave you feeling bloated and rotten afterwards with self-loathing and shame because of your actions.

“Sufferers generally have no idea why they do it and even less idea how to stop it; they feel powerless over food.”

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What causes a binge?

“Binge eating is absolutely tied to emotions,” says Emily. “Feeling stressed, sad, upset, lonely, or even bored, can all trigger binges.

“A huge trigger for binge eating is stress because it releases more cortisol (the stress hormone) and the mind then needs to counterbalance that with serotonin (the feel-good hormone). 

“One of the quickest and easiest ways to do that is with food as it gives that instant ‘fix’.”

Because of this, reducing stress is paramount to help avoid food urges.

Emily reveals that other causes of binge eating include low self-esteem and having a poor relationship with yourself, as again, the stress hormones are triggered by your negative thoughts, so you eat to feel better.

“However, the self-loathing kicks in afterwards and so you need food again to take the pain away – and the circle of destruction continues.”

What are the signs of a binge eater?

Whether you suspect you are suffering from this eating disorder, or whether you suspect a friend or family member is suffering, there are some signs to look out for.

“The most obvious sign is someone eating a large amount of food in a short amount of time, but a lot of binge eaters will hide their issue and eat in secret,” says Emily.

Other signs include buying lots of unhealthy foods such as sweets, cakes, chocolate and crisps, being unhappy, depressed or anxious, irritability, skin problems and bloating.

“Binge eaters won’t generally eat in front of others because they’re saving the calories for a binge, plus they often avoid social situations especially where food is involved.”

Although you might think binge eating would lead to weight gain, Emily says this isn’t always the case.

“You can still have a binge eating issue and not be overweight. 

“Some binge eaters will have a binge and then starve themselves in between so as not to put on weight.”

How to stop binge eating

It’s not your body that craves unhealthy food, it’s your mind, so you have to work with your mind first in order to overcome a binge eating issue.

A chaotic mind equals chaotic eating so improving your relationship with yourself and reducing stress are both key.

Connect with your emotions

This will help you to unpick what’s driving the behaviour.

“When you have a binge episode, write down everything you felt before that binge so you can start to process and reframe what’s coming up for you,” says Emily. A feel-good list can also help.

“Low self-esteem can lead to comfort eating to feel better so write down a list of 20 things that make you great.

“For example, write: ‘I’m smart, I’m funny, I’m kind,’ then print the list off and have it where you can see it and check in with it every day,” recommends Emily.

Stop beating yourself up

“The mind hasn’t moved on for thousands of years and it will always move us away from pain towards pleasure in order to protect us,” says Emily.

So, when you have a terrible dialogue with yourself and tell yourself on a daily basis how awful you are, the mind is hardwired to move you away from this pain towards pleasure.

“And what gives instant pleasure? Food! So, stop with the beating up of yourself and begin treating yourself the same way you’d treat your best friend.”

A study has even found that consistently repeating positive self affirmations activates positive reward centres in the brain, making you feel happier.

Avoid ‘good’ and ‘bad’

Using these words around food can lead to a circle of guilt.

“When you use words like this and you have a ‘bad’ food day, your mind will take you down the guilt road and when you go down that road you can end up feeling like you’ve failed, self-esteem plummets so you head for something to make you feel better,” says Emily.

Limit social media

“We all know at an intellectual level that a lot of things on social media aren’t real, but when you don’t feel good about yourself it can be difficult to see this,” says Emily, who explains it can lead to feelings of inadequateness, which will easily trigger a binge. 

One study found this social comparison can lead to low self esteem and activate negative emotions.

Hit pause

Many of us have packed agendas, whether it be through work, social or family life. So it’s important to avoid spreading yourself too thinly.

“If you’re asked to do something or go somewhere, respond by saying “I’ll check my diary and get back to you”. 

Then really think about whether you’ve got the space and energy for that commitment, and do you actually want to do it?

“If the answer’s ‘no’ then politely say sorry but you have other plans,” explains Emily.

“When you say yes to things you don’t want to do, your thoughts become resentful, triggering stress hormones which can lead to overeating to quieten the negative thoughts.”

Give yourself choice

It’s easy to ban yourself from certain ‘trigger’ foods, however this can have the opposite effect of what you’re trying to achieve.

“Don’t tell yourself, ‘I can’t have that’ when it comes to food. 

“Use sentences like, ‘I choose not to have that; I could have it if I want but I choose not to’,” says Emily.

“When you give your mind a choice, it’s much more accepting. Just think if you were telling someone else, ‘You can’t have that’, they’d want it all the more!”

It’s also important to avoid depriving yourself of food. 

Food is fuel and we need it to survive, plus the minute you deprive yourself of anything, is when the mind wants it more!

For more free advice and support, visit www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk.

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