I can't stop eating. What do I do?

Adding a few healthy habits in your routine can help you come out of binge eating.

A binge eating episode can last over an hour, though it may be much shorter or longer. Binge eating may be a planned activity and other times it is not. Most binges involve the consumption of more than 1,000 calories, with a quarter of binges exceeding 2,000 calories.

One of the most common reasons for binge eating is an attempt to manage unpleasant emotions such as stress, depression, loneliness, fear, and anxiety. When you have a bad day, it can seem like food is your only friend

These are things you can do to get back on track ;

(1) Drink water

Drinking water is essential for your overall health and also key to maximising weight loss and keeping your weight under control.

After a few days of binge eating, keep yourself hydrated throughout the day.

According to studies, drinking approximate 5 litres of water daily combined with a low-calorie diet increased weight loss by 44% rather than just going on a low-calorie diet.

(2) Do not Skip Meals

After binge eating, one must be thinking that skipping meals is now the ideal thing to do. Skipping meals may actually slow your progress and enhance further cravings.

Have 3 healthy meals a day schedule.

Keeping to this regular eating pattern is associated with less binge eating and also prevents other adverse effects on health, including higher fasting blood sugar and delayed insulin response.

(3) Eat more vegetables

Adding more vegetables to your meals. They are rich in nutrients that include important vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.

Vegetables are high in fibre. Increasing your fibre intake can help regulate your weight by influencing you to eat less.

(4) Sleep (7-8 hours)

Lack of sleep has been associated with an increased appetite. Sleep deprivation affects the two important hormones in hunger and appetite regulation. (Ghrelin & Leptin).

Studies have found people who slept for 4 hours consumed 22% more calories the next day as compared to those who slept for 8 hours.

7-8 hours of sleep is necessary for the healthy functioning of the body.

(5) Increase Your Protein intake

Increasing your protein intake can have a powerful impact on your appetite, feeling of fullness and hunger in general.

One should make sure they’re fitting a healthy source of protein in their daily meals, having adequate protein has shown to improve fat burning and also has increased concentrations of GLP-1 hormone, which is associated with appetite suppression.

(6) Stay active

Make exercise a regular part of your routine.

Exercise regulates your appetite to help keep your food intake in check and prevent overeating.

Incorporating exrcise in your daily routine can also improve your mood and reduce stress levels, which will help and reduce the tendency of emotional eating.