Eating Disorders Forum - Tips For Not Bingeing / How to Stop Bingeing.

Hello my loves. here are some distractions i use when i feel a desperate urge to binge.

1. make sure other people are around. even them just being there and knowing you cant freely access the kitchen / food helps.
2. do not keep food in your room, and ensure 'binge' food is kept at a minimum. if you are serious, perhaps you could literally ask your parents [if you live with them] to keep them in a locked cupboard if they feel its essential to have cake/chocolate/chips in the house.
3. just WAIT. wait 10 minutes. wait 20 minutes. give yourself a time limit, because sometimes by that time your so frustrated that you havent given in to the urge that you dont want to binge [its unlikely, but test it.]
4. have something to DO after you eat. have this prepared. if you plan to watch a movie, have the movie in sight as you are eating. it will remind you that you are not going to binge. if you are going to do schoolwork, have your diary in front of you. if you are going to do painting, have the paints out.
5. ask yourself where you want to be in a year/month/week. Recover NOW. start your binge/purge free days NOW. you might think "this will be the last time".... remember last time you said that too?

ACTUAL ACTIVITIES:
- Have a shower. you cant eat in the shower.
- do something that [usually] fully engages your mind. Crosswords, puzzles, assignments. have these out BEFORE you start eating.
- change your environment.. get away from food completely. go for a walk somewhere. bike ride [ do not do this to COMPENSATE though]
- craft. this helps me the most. paint, cross stitch, long stitch, work with canvases, soft pastels [use your hands, you cant eat if you are finger painting], collages, drawing, making cards
- make things for the people you love. give you a purpose to not do it for 5 minutes and then go and binge.
- if you are angry and frustrated, find something that you can do to get your anger out. Totem tennis, anyone?
- call a friend or family member and talk
- play an instrument
- redecorate your room / wardrobe
- chat to friends on the internet [post on here!]

essentially, the most effective thing for you not bingeing will be the thing that fulfills the need that you would usually be filled by bingeing. eg. if you binge because you feel isolated, calling a friend will directly fill that need. call friend after friend if need be. if you binge because you feel rejected, call someone you feel accepted by. if you binge because you simply have the house to yourself, make sure you eat with people and have them stick around after the meal! if you binge because you feel worthless and dont feel that you should have eaten the meal, then do something that makes you feel worthwhile - make things for friends, create something, do something productive that you can SEE you are doing something.

make sure you have:
1. a list of people you can call when you feel like you want to binge.
2. a list of things you can do when you do want to binge.
rate both of these activities and people:
eg. Activity: Punching a pillow. Good For: releasing frustrations, initially taking my mind off bingeing.
Activity: Doing an assignment / schoolwork. Good For: showing that i can achieve something.

you really need to make sure you get yourself SUPPORT. no matter if you have been bingeing or struggling with eating disorders for a month or a year, you WILL continue to struggle until you empower yourself and decide that you do not want this life. if it helps write down a list of things you want from life. is bingeing included? er.. no. See a psyc. See family members. See friends. See a team. Art therapist, music therapist.

EMPOWER YOURSELF AND LIFE YOUR LIFE. TODAY.