According to the National Eating Disorders Association in the US, hotline calls related to eating disorders are up 70-80% in the last several months of the pandemic. while research on eating disorders in Australia is limited according to eating disorder Victoria. But from my experience as a leading wellness expert in Sydney, binge eating disorders are spreading like wildfire.
Staying involved and connected with friends and loved ones is important for everyone. The coronavirus has made this more difficult. In turn, this can lead to feelings of isolation, anxiety, and, ultimately, depression.
And as the nature of our minds, they are created to seek pleasure and avoid pain, and as people are stuck at home around food all of the time, and due to the spike in prices, people don’t have the luxury to buy healthy food for their families and that’s why they end up buying non-perishable food, which is often highly processed, calorie-dense, and devoid of essential nutrients. These foods are very palatable and often trigger overconsumption of calories even when people feel full.
And we cannot overcome the truth that Dieting as the conventional way to control weight, is the single most important risk factor for developing an eating disorder according to eating disorder victoria. In addition to several shocking, long-term studies on how dieting is related to eating disorders,
Even more importantly, the 1944 Ancel Keys Semi-Starvation Study – one the most famous and respected studies of the effects of food restriction on humans – also came to the conclusion that dieting does a lot more harm than it does good.
As surprising as it may seem, a simple diet can truly destroy one’s life.
As a survivor of binge eating disorders, and a revert of yo-yo dieting after 20 years. I became an Anti-Diet revolutionist. And I can proudly share simple yet practical tips that will help people challenged by binge eating disorder to finally find peace around food and tap into the real joy of life.
1- question your self-belief:
Because of years of diet failure attempts, a lot of people lost faith in themselves and in their capabilities to finally be able to find peace around food and can consume everything in moderation. So it starts with shifting your belief system that you are not a food addict, breaking the chains the diet culture is claiming around you. You deserve to live and eat and enjoy life while having a healthy body and healthy relation with food.
2- Establish a new reward system:
We are strongly wired to love food, since we are little babies. We have been always rewarded as little kids with lollies and cookies, so we are emotionally attached to these foods. That’s why when we go on a diet, we simply cannot sustain the meal plan because of our love for food and this is the main reason we fall off the wagon. So it is the time to reward ourselves by simple little things that will not cost you.
Talking with your loved ones either family members or friends, will increase Dopamine. Also known as the “feel-good” hormone, dopamine is a hormone and neurotransmitter that’s an important part of your brain’s reward system.so why don’t you spend 10 mins a day checking on a friend on the phone.
3-Plan your meals ahead:
Try plan out the whole week plan layout, and make the kids involve so you can actually cook things they love, then write a shopping list before grocery shopping, this will make your life really easy, because you will save money when you stop buying things you don’t need, and you can at least what the things you have access to in the kitchen,
4- self-awareness cures:
As an NLP practitioner and hynothyribist, I know that our behaviour is driven by our subconscious mind, and the conscious mind only controls 5-10% of our decisions and behaviour, that’s why willpower has no place when you want to overcome eating disorders. Instead we want to work in harmony with our subconscious and the first step i like to encourage people with binge eating, is to start journaling.
Journaling will give you a crystal clear idea of your eating pattern especially if you start writing down your emotions, you will get to know your triggers and from here we can start work on the root cause not the symptoms.
5- Manage your emotions not your body:
We are emotionally driven creatures and our emotions actually are our driving forces. With all of the stressors of today can be overwhelming and lead people into unhealthy patterns. Eating gives people a sense of control when many other aspects of their life may seem out of their control. As we always say, we eat our emotions. So to manage your emotions and to cool down your stress. Simply practice mindful eating, even if you want to eat this bag of chips or bar of chocolate.
Banning yourself will result in overeating, it will not help you stop eating. So the solution leys in finding peace with food. And this could be done by practicing mindfulness. First get rid of food shame and stop labelling food healthy or unhealthy.
Focus on the smell, the texture and how it really tastes. When the mind is busy in a sensory investigation, the mind shuts down all the open tapes which will help massively in managing your stress.
6- Practice gratitude:
Where the mind goes the energy flows The connection between gratitude and happiness is multidimensional. This natural antidepressant helps our brain release dopamine and serotonin, the two crucial neurotransmitters responsible for our emotions, and they make us feel ‘good’. 5 minutes a day of practicing gratitude could be life changing for a lot of people. But still people underestimate the power of this 5 min, because most people think they need to make drastic changes to see results, not at all. Truth is we just need to do a little bit better than what we did yesterday. Over time when you constantly practice gratitude you will be really grateful for health, for your body, for the availability of food you have. You will start to unconsciously be mindful about what you put in your body without following a restrictive diet.
And the easiest things to do are always the easiest things NOT to do.
7- Ditch exercise and start movement:
you don’t have to beat yourself up to exercise. We have conditioned for so many years that No pain no gain, and that is the reason we throw ourselves in a bootcamp, not only we could injure our body, but also we get sore muscles which will make the subconscious escape exercising because it was painful and runs toward pleasure which is comfort food, that is the exact reason people are stuck with obesity. So now we need to start a healthy relationship with movement based on what suits you, anchoring health with movement could really help you choose a sustainable way of movement that you enjoy..
Like walking 20-30 min in the park, 3 days a week.
Could be doing some stretching for 5-10 mins 5 days a week.
And a great way to be consistent, ask a friend or even your kids to hold you accountable,
8- Social smart:
Unfollow the fake social media influencers who are promoting fake unrealistic body and diet expectations, the relation between social media and body image is always complicated. You might consider social detox during this lock down and focus to practice some forms of spirituality to heal your negative self-talks and worries.
9- Seek help:
There are a lot of places to seek help from, from hotlines you can call, to therapists who offer online sessions or over the phone. and also there are different techniques that are scientifically proven that can help you overcome your anxiety, depression, negative body image and definitely emotional eating, like hypnosis, grounding, affirmation, EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique)
Buttom line:
Always remember that nothing seems to be continuous and the pandemic sure will end, even if it is uncertain now, definitely there is a light in the end of the funnel. So we just need to see the gift and the blessing out of the challenge.