Usually you eat when you are hungry and are just eating for energy. Binge eaters, on the other hand, have a serious problem with overeating and they have no control of it. If you feel like you are a binge eater, you need to know that your problem is actually treatable. There is definitely hope for binge eaters who want to get well. You can stop binge eating by participating in treatment programs and getting support from friends and family about your eating habits.

How to Stop Binge Eating

There are many ways to stop binge eating. Here are a few tips that may help you:

1. Find Your High-Risk Situations

You need to find out the triggers of your overeating are so you can avoid those situations. Do you eat more when you feel depressed? Do you eat excessively when watching TV? When snacking with friends? Find out your trigger situation and avoid it!

Tip: When eating at other people’s houses, for example, bring along a low calorie, low fat dish to share with others so you can have that as part of your meal rather than the higher calorie foods you may otherwise be served.

2. Keep a Food Diary

Studies have shown that if you write down everything you eat in a day, you will lose weight and eat less than if you don’t. Of course you don’t have to write down all the details but don’t miss writing down things you’ve eaten, including the portion size. You might be surprised at what you find out, especially if you record your emotions when eating certain foods at certain times.

3. Eat Small Meals More Often

When we go out to eat, we tend to eat more food. When eating out, don’t choose the appetizers (unless you only want an appetizer as your meal) and instead fill yourself up at the salad bar. Share a dish with others by asking your waiter for one meal and two plates to share with your eating partner. Choose your menu selection as soon as you can and make it healthy. If you choose your selection first, you won’t be influenced by the choices the other diners make when ordering at a restaurant.

4. Use the 10-Minute Rule Before Indulging

If you are starting to feel hungry and are drawn to the kitchen for junk food or if you pass your favorite eating haunt, you should instead ask yourself if you are really hungry or are using food for some other unhealthy reason. Give yourself 10 minutes doing some other activity before making the decision. You may just have a desire to chew or taste, making you have hunger pangs that make you think you are really hungry.

5. Explore Food-Free Ways to Socialize

Eating doesn’t have to be the main focus of a social event. Rather than socializing by going out to eat, choose activities you can share with friends, such as a cycling tour or a walk around the block rather than using food as the focal point of your friendships with others.

6. Look for Other Ways to Feel Good

Binge eaters also tend to be depressed, which leads to excessive eating. You need to search for non-food ways to feel good about your body, such as developing an exercise program. Anything you do that doesn’t involve food will help improve your depression without using food as a crutch for being in a bad mood.

7. Celebrate All Victories and Don’t Dwell over Set-Backs

When trying to learn how to stop binge eating, you need to avoid dwelling over times when you have fallen off the wagon. Learn instead how to be kind to yourself and remember those times when you have been successful in eating correctly. Celebrate each and every victory you have on the path toward wellness. Don’t beat yourself up when you accidentally slip up and move on from that mistake.

8. Put the Focus on What Your Body Can Do

Working out can be something you do to punish yourself for overeating. You’ll only begin to dread the exercising and feel guilty about doing it. This can lead to feelings of failure and more overeating. Do only those things your body is capable of doing and try to enjoy working out as an activity you like to do rather than a punishment for binge eating.

9. Have Positive Support

Don’t hide your binge eating behaviors and instead surround yourself with people who care about you and who can help you get through rough times. Try to stay away from others who binge eat like you do because this can be a recipe for disaster. Instead, talk to a friend or a therapist about your binge eating behaviors because this is how to stop binge eating.

10. Keep It Up with Your Workout Routines

If you are trying to get out of the habit of binge eating, turn to exercise instead. If you are a regular exerciser, you will have less time to binge eat and will have the slip body you are really looking for. Exercise can give you’re the same kind of “high” that eating too much food can give you.