I have tried to change my evening routine recently and so at 10pm I take myself off to a quiet room and meditate for ten minutes, write in my journals and the have a wash and brush my teeth, as well as doing something nice like massaging my feet, it’s half an hour just for me and has broken the cycle of binge watching tv. I have also taken up knitting, which keeps my hands busy and is quite addictive, I don’t want to interrupt my flow by getting up and snacking. It’s not necessarily about looking at what you consider to be a bad habit but incorporating a new good habit instead, one which you enjoy and which is distracting and keeps your hands and mind busy but without being too stimulating in the evening. Starting small was the trick for me, rather than trying to change everything at once, then adding to it.
Binge eating is not a disorder or a disease but it is definitely a habit . You can change your habits by adding another habit at it’s place ! I recently stopped eating packed food (chocolate, chips and any other processed food) And to be honest , i was obsessed and maybe even addicted to sugar. I knew that this was effecting me in the bad way and I should stop eating these kinds of food so i tried to replace them . But not with another food of course. When i actually felt like eating , i drank a cup of water SLOWLY! That’s an actual method for smokers to quit but it’s also effective when a food craving hits you. So you can try that . But never forget to be patient. Because changing habits takes time. Now encourage yourself to be at your best and give yourself some self love . I know you can do this !
Hello Fabulous! To be honest, this is a weird habit, but here are some solutions that I will mention, which you probably have heard of; anyway, 1) make it a goal. Write it somewhere (a paper, preferably) and stick it somewhere that you can look at everyday. For instance, I want to learn a choreography, so as my 2019 goal, I will write “choreography” and stick that paper on my door, so I can always look at it when I am entering and leaving my room. 2) Tell someone about it, so they can remind you (personally, I think people telling me something is better than putting a reminder). 3) Learn the side effects; knowing the dangers to something helps a person in turning away from it, especially if the side effects have already been placed on your body; that way it is as if you are being forced to stop doing it. Consult a doctor to check if the side effects have settled on your body, and make it your 2019 goal; or six months goal. I wish you the best in changing your bad habits to good ones!
Like you said, it’s not working YET! I think you should give it some time. If it doesn’t work I would just get a lock for your pantry and don’t unlock it until morning. I’m no expert but I hope this helps
Accept it. It’s not your fault. You are perfectly fine just the way you are. And it doesn’t mean you have to stop trying to change but the reason why changes too be out of self love. You have built a habit and the easiest way is to replace it with a good habits. First you need to recognise it as a habit and identify the trigger, the action and the reward. The trigger could be putting your kids to bed, the action is watching and eating but the reward only you can identify. It could be the taste and rush from eating but it could also be the feeling of getting some rest and peace of mind. Or something else entirely. Once you have identified the three requirements for a habit you can start to replace the action and the reward based on your findings. There are helpful guides on Google that can explain it way better than I. Good luck, you can do it
I had the same problem of binge eating at night. So I started a habit that tells my body - that’s it for today. Drinking a hot cup of herbal tea. Not in the kitchen. Afterwards, the need to binge decreases, and it also soothes you towards sleep. It shouldn’t necessarily be tea - I think you can choose any symbolic act, as long as you train your brain that this is a signal that it will not get any more food today. Also, brushing my teeth helps. Having that strong mint taste in my mouth, the appetite decreases and I’m also too lazy to have to brush my teeth again later.
Please if you find the answer to that, let me know! So one thing is for sure. You are not alone. I also try to establish good habits at night instead of binge eating and watching tv. I find it easier to avoid that when I had something good going on for me during the day, like time for myself. Good luck to us both.
Use fresh nicely cabbage as a binge food, or fresh carrots. When I really need to do something I bribe myself, or reward, depends of the point of view. I say and pledge to myself, if I do certain amount of work I can watch one episode of my favourite TV show a week. If I stick to healthy eating I can eat one smaller bag of chips once a week. I try to put the plans in the schedule and create also a holes of time for myself, for relaxing, doing something different and it helps me to feel better and fresher for new goals
I have an alarm set on my phone to tell me when it is time to turn off my tv. At first i ignored it, i won’t lie, but now it helps a ton!! As for the late night binging, i make sure it’s s cookie tui get a snack, that way i can’t just subconsciously just grab a snack. If you are going to grab something, peanut butter is a great snack!! Grab an apple or celery to cut up and eat it with. Good luck!!!
"He who has a 'why?' can tolerate any 'how?'." - Friedrich Nietzsche Find reasons for stopping your bad habits, figure out WHY you want to get better, and you’ll tolerate any way to get better. If you aren’t convinced that getting rid of those habits is important, then menial and unconvincing reasons to resume your life with the bad habits will emerge from "the impulsive child" as fabulous puts it. Reasons such as "well I didn’t eat yesterday" (which is your fault) and "well this is the last time" (which it isn’t). The point is, you MUST find the drive and purpose behind your change if you want it to carry importance within your life: this importance will enable you to execute on any 'how?' to move forwards towards any goal, not just yours. I wish I could say there were an external blueprint for executing on your plans, but it’s ultimately up to you and so you need to convince yourself that you’ll help yourself and family by ridding yourself of bad habits, and if you’re headed towards the fridge, (or whatever the fridge may be in the fabulous community’s case) VISUALISE. Every day I get up at 5:55 no matter what, and man are there days when it seems impossible, but right when I’m drifting off to sleep I picture basketball players waking up and putting in work at the gym (I’d like to play professionally) and that motivates me to wake up because basketball is my motivation. In your case, picture, so imagine their faces, smiling from ear to ear as you tell them that you’ve quit your habit and have been binge free for a week, a month, or a year. If that’s not good enough motivation to turn back from the refrigerator, or the cigarette, or the syringe, then I’m not quite sure what is. Cheers from your friend Nelson Jr.
Answers reflect the personal experiences of Fabulous community members. They are not medical or professional advice — for guidance about your health, talk to a qualified professional.
