A lot of us mindlessly munch our way into food comas when we’re watching TV, but I’ve found five great tricks to help us stop.
How to STOP Binge Eating
Don’t deprive yourself all day!
Skipping meal times or forgetting to eat is a recipe for binge eating because when you’re deprived, it’s really easy to overeat. Come on, admit it, we’ve all plowed through a box of cookies when we’re starving even though we only intended to have one. Avoid the binge by aiming for three meals plus snacks and even a small mindful treat like my favourite almond and dark chocolate biscotti.
Choose a satisfying snack.
Skip fried foods and seek out snacks with that same satisfying crunch but with fibre and protein – like whole almonds. You want to make sure you’ve got something satiating so you don’t have to get up in the middle of your TV marathon to replenish an unsatisfying snack like potato chips or candy. This will definitely help curb that binge eating.
Get busy.
Okay, I know that sounds a little suggestive, but the point is to keep those hands, mouths and other body bits busy while you watch TV. So why not use those fingers to comment on my YouTube video, tweet, drink herbal tea, do a paint by number- whatever! Just do anything that will stop your TV binge from becoming binge eating.
Portion out your snack and savour.
Get your hand out of that family size bag and put your snack into a small bowl. I play a game where I only eat during the TV commercials when I’m not distracted by what I’m watching and more apt to shovel food into my mouth. This way, I can pay better attention to the delicious flavour, texture and smell, and mindfully enjoy each bite.
Go brush your teeth.
Tooth-paste flavoured cheese-puffs are super gross so this is a great way to curtail a binge. And go all out with the floss and mouthwash too – I’m talking about a full-blown dental hygienist-style cleaning (but without the terrible scraping!). Trust me- you won’t be wandering to the fridge to start binge eating.
I’d love to hear your Snack Confessions- this is a safe place – I promise I won’t judge! Leave me a comment or upload your stories and share them on social media with the hashtag #SnackConfessions. You can also check out my fun-filled video with all of these tips (and lots of Abbey humour) here that will help you quick binge eating for good!
Abbey Sharp is a Registered Dietitian (RD), regulated by the Ontario College of Dietitians. She is a mom, YouTuber, Blogger, award winning cookbook author, media coach specializing in food and nutrition influencers, and a frequent contributor to national publications like Healthline and on national broadcast TV shows.
Kayla @ Blondes have more run says
All great ideas here! I have to Keep busy with something else when im watghing tv, or else ill snack!
Abbey Sharp says
me too!!
Allyson says
Brushing your teeth is such a good idea. i do that to myself all the time.
Abbey Sharp says
im about to do it now lol
Jill Conyers says
Great tips abbey. SO happy I’ve finally broken the cycle that always ended with binge eating 🙂
Abbey Sharp says
so happy to hear that
Kristin says
I have a problem with almost all of these! I sabotage myself with not eating enough and then going crazy, and I really want to get better at portion ingredients snack foods and staying busy so I don’t end up vegging and SNACKING. Great tips!
Abbey Sharp says
thanks Kristin
chrissy says
I’m a grazer too. I try to shoot for the 3 meals and 3 healthy snacks a day. I’m also one to pop in some gum or definitely will go brush my teeth. Don’t want to dirty up those sparkling clean teeth1
Abbey Sharp says
ahah yes chrissy!
Ilka says
Little whole food snacks throughout the day help me not to go overboard. I think depriving yourself too much leads to destructive eating patterns.
Abbey Sharp says
absolutely.
Kerri McGrail says
As a future dentist of course i use the brushing your teeth tip. I am a little concerned about the title of this post though since binge eating is more of a serious eating disorder, not just mindless snacking or over eating- still a great post nonetheless!
Abbey Sharp says
thanks Kerri. And yes, you’re right. it can become a disorder, but it often starts as a bad eating habit.
Kim says
I love snacking. These are some great ideas to get my snack on without too mucH guilT.
Abbey Sharp says
absolutely.
Deborah @ Confessions of a mother runner says
I’ve tried chewing gum but brushing your teeth is a good one too
Abbey Sharp says
yes!!
Sarah Grace Spann says
haha your pics crack me up Abbey! But amen to these tips! So many people I work with don’t know how to quit binging, and the first question I ask is, are you eating enough during the day or depriving yourself? That is one of the major causes I feel!
Abbey Sharp says
absolutely agree!
GiGi Eats says
I eat copious amount of protein. high quality protein. and this keeps me fulllllllllll! So much so that i never ever snack.
Abbey Sharp says
great idea!
Bri says
When i feel like binge snacking i reach for water first. If im still hungry i have a haNful of carrOt sticks and that usu helps!
Abbey Sharp says
good idea!
Elizabeth Friesen says
So many great tips! Brushing my teeth always works for me! 😀
Jacqueline Man says
Thanks for the awesome tips!
lori3kids says
I;ve always found that brushing my teeth makes me less likely to keep going!