For some, one piece of cake is enough; for others though, enough doesn’t occur until the entire cake has been devoured. This loss of control is referred to as compulsive eating or, “Binge eating.” Binge eating can plague even the most disciplined people and sadly is ever-so-hard to control.
In most cases though, there are reasons in which someone indulges beyond the point of satiation. Reasons such as:
Your Body’s Chemistry is Out of Whack
As crude as that may sound, it very well could explain your uncontrollable desire to stuff yourself beyond satiety. The next time you decide to tear into a pint of ice cream, stop and think about your feelings at that exact moment—sad, angry, frustrated, happy, or a complex cocktail of multiple emotions?
Identifying that key feeling you are experiencing just before taking a bite could be the stepping stone you need to begin recovery. Otherwise, you may need to investigate various binge eating disorder treatment centers, such as Pharmacy RXS, to find an appropriate inpatient eating disorder treatment program.
One way to curb your binging would be to find something else in life that can bring you the same rush of positive feelings that eating does. Instead of eating an entire cake, perhaps baking the cake instead can prove to be enough. Others find that listening to a particular genre of music can bring on those feelings.
Sporadic Blood Sugar Levels
Sugars and grains share one particular thing in common—their composed largely of carbohydrates. Lately, a lot of research has been done exposing a link between binge eating and the consumption of grains and/or foods high in sugar.
The consumption of these particular types of food can create a spike in your blood sugar level. When this happens, stop for a minute and process just what exactly is going on inside of you. What feelings do you have emotionally at that moment? How about a physical response? You may find that your mood shifts or feelings change at times when your blood sugar is high or low.
An amazing thing happens when you consume large portions of carbohydrate-packed foods. For one, the carbohydrates are broken down inside your body into glucose, which is a type of sugar. The increase in sugar results in a blood sugar spike. To combat against the high sugar content, your body pumps out insulin; this disperses the sugar throughout your body. In essence, the insulin does away with the sugar leaving your body with lower sugar content. This is where low blood sugar levels come from.
LOW BLOOD SUGAR = CARB CRAVINGS
With that in mind, you can’t entirely blame your binge eating on your lack of will power. You may owe some attribution to your blood sugar levels. They may be playing tricks on your body, creating false cravings for food when you do not really need it.
Blame it on the Brain
Yes, arguably one of the most important parts of the human body may also be to blame for your uncontrollable eating habits. You see, your brain is composed of millions upon millions of neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine, among others. These neurotransmitters are basically messengers standing between your brain and the rest of your body, sending signals to and from your brain.
Obviously, any deficiencies present in one or more neurotransmitters is going to create some type of disconnect in your body. For most, it is uncontrollable cravings or a failure to reach satiety. Most find that they are overwhelmingly drawn to products high in sugar.
If you or someone you know is experiencing any type of neurotransmitter deficiency, then you should actually start by eating food. Not just any food though, the right food! Every one of your meals should include a serving of protein (animal) that is roughly the size of your palm. The reason I put the word “animal” in parenthesis is because that protein should come from animal meat because it is a phenomenal aid in the development of neurotransmitters.
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