Binge eating can destroy a low fat diet plan. The behavior often results from emotional disturbances. Depression brought on by stress at home or in the workplace could be a major factor. Feelings of pressure can lead to bouts of eating that offer a few moments of pleasure to relieve the pain of overwhelming stress. Binge eaters will partake in this unhealthy eating habit despite the consequences of weight gain, increasing cholesterol levels and the risk of heart attack.

When Self Control Breaks Down

Binge eating often starts with the efforts to control over eating. At some point, dieters find themselves unable to sustain the self-control needed to stop overeating. At some point, they give in to the desire to overeat in a big way, partaking in a binge. These short bursts of over-indulging in food result in increased calorie intake, beyond those a person can burn each day.

Binge eating gives its victims temporary peace of mind. Letting down the barriers they put up to resist food urges sets them free from the limitations they have set for themselves. While they eat, they focus on the pleasure of eating, rather than boredom, depression, loneliness or anger that inspires the desire to over eat in the first place. Because these negative feelings are rooted in self-imposed discipline, rebelling brings a brief moment of genuine peace.

The joy of binge eating is in the present moment. The victim can worry about excessive weight gain later, because the ice cream tastes good right now. If there are few avenues of self-fulfillment or relief from stress in a person’s life, binge eating can be tempting; especially if it has been shown to give comfort in the past.

Consequences of Binge Eating

There are nasty consequences to binge eating; not only the prospect of gaining weight. Following a spell of binge eating, the victim feels ashamed of the behavior and becomes filled with self-disgust. In spite of these strong feelings, any memory of these after-effects is pushed aside when the temptation to escape stress with binge eating arises next time.

An interesting aspect of binge eating is that not every binge eater becomes depressed about the resulting weight gain, even if it leads to serious obesity. Some simply place no importance on a healthy or attractive figure.

Taming the Binge Beast

Repetitive binge eating often alerts the victim to the problem but is rarely enough to break the cycle. Compulsive binge eating will only stop after the victim recognizes the feelings and thought patterns that trigger the behavior. Breaking the binge eating pattern relies on setting up a series of small but life-changing routines.

One particular style of preparation can help a binge eater break the behavior. This behavioral tactic works with all problems related to self-control. The trick is to find a distraction that takes the mind off of food. Finding another activity that involves repetitive motions can be a big help. Activities such as knitting, crochet, paper folding and other crafts can allow binge eaters to keep their hands busy on other projects instead of reaching for food. The creative aspects of these activities offer outlets for stress that can eliminate the need for binge eating in the first place.

Some simply lack discipline in general and can benefit from regular meal times and set portion sizes. Keeping a lot of food eaten during the day, displayed in a prominent place, such as a refrigerator, can help eaters keep their daily food intake in perspective.

Journaling

When other methods fail, journaling usually prevails. While it requires the greatest time commitment, it is also the most effective at helping binge eaters identify the source of the problem and find other ways to cope with it. Journaling also prevents dieters from fooling themselves about their eating habits.

Dieters should write down what they ate and how they felt just before eating, how hungry they were that day and the daily stressors affect that day. Over time, they can chart these factors on a graph and note similarities in days or times of day when binge behavior occurs. Writing the information down externalizes the events, allowing the dieter to see the events as if they were happening to someone else, making it easier to recognize patters and change behaviors.

Some people seem to have the knack of easily maintaining a healthy weight. Others diet and exercise without achieving the level of weight loss they are looking for. The difference is in the metabolism. Metabolism is a name for all the processes that take care of generating and burning up fat cells, besides turning calories into energy.

Factors Affecting Metabolism

The difference in the rates at which fat burns can be affected by time of life, whether the person watches what they eat, how much exercise they do, whether they drink coffee or alcohol, and many other diet and lifestyle factors. While some products on the market claim to help with burning fat, some simple changes to what you eat and the kind of exercise you do will help to speed up your metabolism without pricey supplements.

Nutrients that Boost Metabolism

Some types of proteins, fats and carbohydrates help to burn fat. Organically fed beef and poultry provide proteins that help increase the metabolic rate. Up to one third of a person’s diet should consist of protein. Fish also helps but tuna and the other large fish could possibly contain heavy metals, so it would be best to stick to anchovies, clams, sea bass, halibut, herring and salmon.

Foods with a low level of carbohydrates also help the body to expend fat. The average diet should only contain about fifty grams of carbohydrates. That is not to say that you would benefit by eating less carbs than that. Carbohydrates help with maintaining energy levels and mental alertness. Somebody attempting to maintain a healthy weight should get their carbohydrates from food that is rich in fiber. This will release the carbs into the system at a reasonable rate without creating a spike in the blood sugar level. Spinach, peaches, nectarines, pears, celery, bell peppers, cherries, strawberries, apples and blueberries are all healthy foods that contain carbohydrates.

Healthy Fats

There are also good fat foods. These incorporate polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats that help the body to absorb vitamins and promote healthy functioning of the immune system. They also help to reduce the risk of heart attacks by lowering cholesterol levels.

Fish such as mackerel, tuna and trout are high in good fats, bearing in mind to limit eating fish that contain mercury to once a week. Black cod, oysters, anchovies and halibut contain monounsaturated fats. There are oils that contain good fats: hemp seed oil, grape seed oil, flax seed and olive oil are all good. Hazelnuts, cashews, peanuts and almonds are sources of good fats. Sesame, pumpkin, chia and sunflower seeds are also rich in good fats.

How Much You Eat Influences Metabolism

While there are certain foods that are good for maintaining a healthy weight, your metabolism can actually be influenced by how much you eat, and when. A good supply of energy is maintained throughout the day by eating six small sized meals three hours apart. It is very important that one of these meals is breakfast because the energy boost it provides will help your metabolism work at a higher rate.

Sleep is a very important factor in speeding up the metabolism, as it helps renew brain cells. Deep sleep induces the manufacture of growth hormone, which helps calories burn faster.

Exercise that accelerates the heart rate, and maintains that rate for some time after is known as cardiovascular – or cardio – exercise. Mild cardio is necessary every day to speed up the metabolism and burn calories. Most people who lead busy lives can easily get this kind of exercise from walking.

The task of speeding up your metabolism isn’t something you can do simply by popping supplements. But several simple life changes, including six small meals, a good amount of sleep, a daily walk, and some adjustments to your diet are the building blocks of a fast metabolism.