Ways to reset after a binge

From 1% to 5% of Americans have binge eating disorder. They are some of the more than 30 million Americans who will have an eating disorder in their lifetime. 1) DON'T BEAT YOURSELF UP! Amy Pershing, the Clinical Director for the Center for Eating Disorders in Ann Arbor, MI says, "One of the things I always tell people is...you're going to binge." She goes on to say,"That's how we build resiliency, it's how we build the ability to course-correct. It's how we learn to stay in recovery." She is also a recovered binge eater. She recommends, " Beating upon yourself is really easy to do. But nothing good ever comes out of self-torture. Instead take time to care for yourself, to "befriend" your body". 2) FIND OUT WHAT WENT WRONG Before a binge, bingers often starve themselves. This sets off a cycle that is sometimes hard to break. Identify and understand whatever it is. This can help you next time. What can really help is recognizing what is happening with the binge. Then taking some steps to move forward from it. This will help you avoid it becoming a weekly occurance. Get right back on track as soon as possible. 3) STICK TO YOUR SCHEDULE To signify the end of the binge, start with brushing your teeth. Start a new commitment to health. This new commitment does not include dieting or not eating. Experts call this "restricting '. It is trying to make up for the binge. This process often leads to more binging. Get back to your normal routine especially exercise. It will help you deal with the stress of a binge. It will help your mood, too. 4) GET OUT AND ABOUT Binging is a disease of isolation. It does not take place in a restaurant or in front of others. It often helps to get out of the house and away form the refrigerator to not have another binge. Take time for something you like to do. Christine Hirsh, an administrative assistant from Cleveland Heights, Ohio explains," Once a person realizes that food isn't the only thing that you can use to take away the loneliness, the pain, the anger, the sadness- that there are so many other really great things to do. Once they realize that and they find another activity or multiple activities, it becomes easier and easier for the person to separate themselves from the food." She knows from experience because she has struggled with binge eating for years. 5) REACH OUT FOR HELP Find people that will help- family, friends and professionals. There are online groups that consist of others who struggle with binge eating that will be there for you. Written by John Donovan