Weekly Meeting Topic : Stopping the Eat-A-Thon Marathon

Many of us who are overweight or have been overweight aren't this way because we eat three square meals a day.  It is because we more than just that, some of us food was an all day occasion, for some it is done in secret.  We all have reasons why we overeat, and its up to us to figure out what our own reasons are, it is believed that if we don't find out our reasons our weight loss may not be as successful or long term.

There are three categories our overeating can fall into:

1. Food triggers
2. Emotional triggers
3. Environmental triggers

Food triggers which we also refer to as "red light foods" this is usually a particular food or type of food that once you start eating you just can't stop.  I think we all have this trigger, for me I know I can't eat just one bite of chocolate... I have to eat the whole chocolate bar and I will obsess about it until its gone.  The best way to deal with a food trigger is to recognize what that food is and keep it out of the house.  My trigger food chocolate, I tend to have it outside of the home, and share a chocolate bar with someone else so that I've eaten my portion and its gone.

Emotional triggers are exactly what it sounds like.  We eat when we celebrate, happy, sad, mad, angry, tired, bored, stressed out.  Emotional eating is also a very common problem for most of us!  The best we can do is recognize the signs that we are eating to satisfy an emotion and to try to stop.  Not easy is it?

Environmental triggers personally I think this could also include boredom or stress.  There is also only so much of our environment we can control what food is in it.  However, there are places like work, parties, celebrations, and people gifting us with threats.  Its easy to control your home what foods are available and not available.  For me I find the workplace can be a challenge, there are often goodies on offer in the staff room, the main office, and other areas.  Some days I can walk right on by and not touch it.  Some days I can be satisfied with a taste, and other days I have a huge honkin' piece and I feel guilty right away knowing that wasn't a desired behaviour!

Any of these triggers depending on the factors in your life at that time can start a binge.  The best we can do is recognize the signs that we are or have lost control and get back on program right away.  Not in an hour, and not tomorrow morning, but right away.  There are numerous tactics to stop a binge or a potential binge the main one is being distraction.  Call a friend, visit the message board at the WW website, pull out a book, work on your favourite hobby (for me that's stitching), get out of the house and go somewhere there is no food.  Another tactic is to see support, if there is a WW meeting, go to the nearest one, talk to a friend who understands or is sympathetic, read success stories on the WW website.  Finally if you do have to eat, make sure its healthy, filling foods.

My leader finished off with a line I thought was very appropriate "Eating in private always shows up in public".

Do you have any great coping tools you can share when you feel the desire to start a binge?