This is quite common for most of us, especially during the holidays.  I can tell you from my experience in the competitive Body Building and Fitness Industry; I know many binge-eaters that are actually in great shape.

Before a contest, competitors will diet and train hard on a regimented schedule and then after their contest is over, they will have an assigned length of time to go on a binge.  Sometimes it’s just the night of the competition after everything is over or one day to one week of eating whatever they want and then they will get back to a balanced eating and training program that is sports specific.

I have personally had many binge parties after a dieting for my TV Show or special DVD shoot as well as competitions in the past.  I found it extremely detrimental to my fitness and overall well-being until I figured out which Acceptable Foods to binge on.  In the early years of my competition, I binged on anything sweet, gooey, salty and crunchy. I love a variety of textures when I eat.

There was this one appearance I had to do in London...  I had trained for weeks before I got there.  I was doing Dance Training Presentations and promoting a new TV Spot I had made with an Athletic Shoe Company.  I had an exciting and wild group waiting for me when I arrived. It was one of the most eclectic and incredible groups of fitness and dance trainers I had ever been touched by.  They came to see me, yet I was the one who was blessed by their outrageously enthusiastic participation.  We danced our A** off!!

I loved all the different hairstyles, crazy clothes and languages.  There were people from all over the world at this event.

After I was finished with the entire event, I decided it was time to eat whatever I wanted with no guilt attached.  My crew and I took to the streets and walked and ate for what seemed like forever. 

We decided to grab food at various places that were tourist friendly as we took in the culture and amazing architecture.  A strange thing happened though.  My assistant would buy food and hand it to me because I was visiting with local dancers and trainers who joined me for the evening. 

We walked and ate and laughed and then we sat for coffee and hot drinks and before I knew it, it was time to go to our hotel and rest up before our flight out the next day.

I got up the next morning feeling great.  I was puzzled.  Usually after a binge I would wake up with the puffy eyes, swollen belly, overstuffed feeling. I had none of those symptoms this time.  It turns out that my assistant had purposely ordered me foods that were low carb, which did not negatively affect my blood sugar or make me puffy and tired.  That was the beginning of my ability to eat more than normal and not gain weight, get puffy or the dreaded swollen belly.

Battle of the Binge Effects

Marciella, when you have a binge attack and engage in an episode of non-stop eating, you have usually metabolically starved yourself throughout the course of the day leading up to it. When nighttime comes, your hormones are out of whack, which will often lead to a sugar cravings (or salt/fat craving).

Since binge-eating follows a regular pattern of "eat a bunch," and then "starve yourself the following day due to guilt", the cycle will continue, and will eventually prove to be very detrimental to your well-being, digestive system, and overall level of fitness

Metabolic Nightmare

When excessive eating of carbohydrates occurs, the carbohydrates are converted to a form called glycogen, and stored in the muscles, and liver.

If the liver and muscles are filled to their maximum capacity with glycogen, then any excess carbohydrates which are consumed, will be stored as fat. In order to keep your weight in check, you should completely avoid binge-eating altogether. There are many things to consider from why you binge to what to do once you do binge.  Here are some Insights and solutions, both emotional and physiological.

Let it Go

Forget the Guilt, it’s over and move on.  Get to fixing it and using it to grow and improve.

Here are some thoughts about the emotional side of the war with food and suggestions for holding your turf between food and a self-imposed feeding frenzy.

Internal Focus

Women who struggle with binging, more often than not have an overly driven nature.  They are super achievers and do nothing half way.  They jump in fast and furious and will usually end up at an emotionally drained crash and burn graveyard.

This personality type calls for a more focused, deliberate, plan each day, week and month in order to stay sane and focused on their eating and workout plan.

Food is Not the Enemy

Food plays a part in an obsessive person’s life. Over eating becomes an issue that distracts and diverts attention from the real issues or struggles with in a woman’s life. Her longing for food is a longing for the divine emotional and spiritual nourishment that comes from above. Our job is to search deep and allow God to fill us with Love and then we can work on the empty places we are trying to fill with food.

Divine Relationship

When we are disconnected from God we are disconnected from our true identity.  We cling to our relationships with others in an unhealthy almost desperate way, hoping to get the attention, love and support we are not able to get. If we are ever to experience freedom from dis-ordered (binge) eating, we must maintain a balance between her need to be in relationships with others and our need to be in a relationship with our God.

Physiological Solutions

Here is how to recover if a binge does occur, you can reduce the guilt you feel, by taking immediate positive action to reverse the effects and get your body back into a fat burning state.

Cut the Carbs Immediately

If you overeat (particularly with carbohydrates), eliminate carbohydrates from your breakfast the following morning. You have to burn off some of that stored glycogen before you start to overflow your body with excess carbohydrates.

You must eat the next morning so that you do not begin another cycle of starve and binge. Just make sure you eat the Perfect Acceptable Food (see my Quick Start Energy Program for those food choices)!

Empty Out the Evidence Right Away

If your stomach is filled with a surplus of food from the day before, try to exercise in the morning before you eat anything.  Drink warm tea for breakfast to help you go to the bathroom to unload some of the food in your digestive system before you start overloading your body with excess calories to be stored as fat.

Go Green

Eat unlimited amounts of green vegetable and green apples at each meal the day after the binge.  The next day continue with vegetables at each meal and protein (chicken breast, turkey breast, egg whites, fish, etc) instead of carbohydrates with each meal for a total of five days to get your body back on track. Burn up some of that stored glycogen right away.

Water

Drink one gallon of water to flush out your digestive system and your liver.  Water is an excellent way to detox and raise your metabolic rate.

Exercise

Do some sort of long-term cardio for the next three days in a row.  This will stimulate your metabolic rate and burn up the stored glycogen.

Marciela, you now have everything you need to figure out why you binge and how to win if you do it again. 

Have an awesome holiday season. God Bless and make it the Best Week Ever!


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