Game changer for emotional/binge eating

[butterfield9]

I have been having quaterly catch ups with an NHS dietician which has been refreshing in not pushing unrealistic ideas and focusing more on long term strategy,

One of the techniques she has taught me is the 'circuit breaker'. If I want crisps, I can have crisps, but I also need to eat some other food to 'break' the appealing behaviour - the crunching, the texture etc. If left to my own devices I would eat eat several bags. Instead, I get myself a bag of crisps, but I also make another snack plate with maybe some fruit, a yogurt, an oaty bar. Changing the texture after eating the crisps really helps.

The other issue I have is after 30 odd years of deprivation diets is I dont recognise and treat proper hunger cues. So if I feel snacky, she encourages me to eat MORE. So I would still have a bag of quavers if thats what i fancied, but I would also make myself something more nutritious and filling like scrambled eggs on toast and a piece of fruit. That way I have satisfied the hunger properly, and still eaten the snack food I fancied.

Just wanted to share in case this was helpful!

Those are both really useful tips. Thanks for sharing.

So reading this has made me
go ‘ooh I fancy a bag of crisps’, and then at the thought of eating an apple too it’s put me off 🤣

Hahaha, the system works!

Thank you! This is really helpful 😃

Thank you. I certainly need help - not sure if this will work, but I welcome the suggestion.

My concern is I would eat the Quavers, eat the scrambled egg on toast and the banana and then have a family bar of chocolate, another piece of toast, 2 more packets of crisps and then a tub of ice cream...I don't seem to have an off switch anymore once I've started.

I think this is really useful advice. A friend of mine lost weight and told me she stopped binge eating as much by eating when she was hungry. I kind of rolled my eyes and actually she explained exactly what you have done there. If she fancies a snack, she makes herself a big snack plate with the snack food plus makes sure she has all the food groups - so if she fancies chocolate, she adds fibre with an apple and protein with some cheese.

Ditto if she is about to start snacking and actually it's because she's tried to skip breakfast she just eats a proper meal even if it's 11am and before she would have said oh I'll have a snack now and lunch later which actually would have led to a binge. I think it's really helpful.