People with bulimia and binge eating disorders eat fast, especially when they binge. Fast eating makes you consume much more calories in a fraction of time. An experiment was done on normal-weight College aged women: they were asked to consume a large bowl of pasta quickly and on another occasion to eat very slowly. The result of the experiment is as follows:
- Eating quickly - consumed 646 calories in 9 minutes.
- Eating slowly - consumed 579 calories in 29 minutes.
- Eating quickly was less satisfying than eating slowly because after eating quickly people felt hungry again in an hour or two, while slow eating brought a much longer satisfaction period and feelings of fullness.
- People also reported that they enjoyed their pasta much more when they ate slowly.
Recommendation from this study is to learn how to eat slowly. Eating slowly for people with bulimia and binge eating disorder could be difficult at first but everything can be improved with training.
Here are 5 basic tips on how to start eating slowly and prevent you from binging your food:
1. Use "the fork down" method. After every bite put your fork down. The longer you hold your fork in your hands, the more you are tempted to keep shovelling it in. Keep it down while you are chewing also, and then pick it up again for the next bite.
2. Chew your food longer. Chew thoroughly and pay attention to texture, taste and substance. The longer and more thoroughly you chew your food the more you feel full and become more satisfied.
3. Drink water or other drinks between the bites. Drinking fills you up and slows you down. Water stops you from racing through your food.
4. After chewing and swallowing each bite stop and make conversation. Talking through a meal, but not while chewing, can make you halt and slow down your eating habits. Sharing a meal with another person and talking will also make you more of a sociable person. Being more social will also help to fight your eating disorder. Withdrawal from others is one of the signs of an eating disorder so the habit of sharing a meal with other people will counteract the withdrawal effects.
5. Meditate before you eat. When you are in a calm mood you have fewer chances of slipping into binge mode. A relaxed state of mind makes you aware of what you are doing during the meal and you will be able to control your behavior easier. Normally it takes up to 5-6 minutes of meditation before meal time to put you in a relaxed mindful state.
Practically, it is nearly impossible to get rid of bulimia or binge eating if you are not willing to develop new eating habits. Healthy eating habits will eventually replace the old unhealthy ones if you persist with them.
Normally it takes 3-5 weeks to develop a new habit. If you commit to eat slowly for 3-5 weeks, at the end of this period you should notice a difference. You should also feel that not succumbing to binging becomes easier for you to do and to eventually become the norm.
Measuring your result is essential and if you have even a small improvement, then that is great and you only need to continue. By slowing down your eating and enjoying the process of eating itself, you actually start to restore your feelings of being hungry and knowing when you are full. Most bulimics and binge eaters have lost their feelings of hunger and fullness or have a very abnormal sense of these, so they can't really tell when they are full or satisfied when they eat: so can't stop eating.
By restoring the feelings of hunger and fullness, people with bulimia and binge eating disorders are able to relate to food in much healthier and more normal way.
To conclude, eating slowly helps to prevent you binging your food. Eating slowly is a habit which you need to develop first and install it in your mind as your normal habit. Initially it may take a lot of will power to develop good eating habits and also a determination to get better. The more you try to follow these 5 steps and repeat them over and over again the easier it will become.
Autor: Irina Webster Irina Webster
Level: Platinum
Dr Irina Webster MD is the 39 years old Director of Eating Disorder Institute one of the Australia leading suppliers of information on eating disorders. ... ...
Dr Irina Webster MD is the Director of Women Health Issues Program. She is a recognised authority in the eating disorders area. She is an author of the book "Cure Your Eating Disorder: 5 Step Program to Change Your Brain" To get this book and learn more about Dr Irina's treatment method of eating disorders go to http://eatingdisorder-institute.com/?page_id=120
Added: August 23, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/
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1 comment:
It is always helpful to choose an eating disorder treatment center that does not only address the physical need of individuals undergoing anorexia bulimia treatment, but one that also provides solutions to underlying issues that might be a factor in the development of any of the eating disorders.
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