FitSugar

Do You Binge Eat When You're Depressed?

FitSugar — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 16:55:42 PST

America's favorite talk show host Oprah Winfrey has never hidden the fact that she's an emotional eater. In an outtake from the upcoming debut of Piers Morgan Tonight, Oprah stated that the box office failure of her movie Beloved made her so depressed that she drowned her sorrows in mac-n-cheese - about 30 pounds of it.

I've had my run ins with cookies when sad, and an occasional second piece of chocolate cake when the world seems a dark and dire place. But I am not sure I would call that binge eating. What about you?

Weigh In: Stopping Late Night Snacking

Fit Community — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 03:31:13 PST

FitSugar reader kimmyk10 from our Weight Loss Support group needs your help. Can you offer her any advice on how to manage her late night snacking habit?

So I have been trying to eat better and count my calorie input/output for the past month or so; I am even keeping a food journal. I am usually pretty good throughout the day . . . that is until about 8 p.m. rolls around. I become this ravaging, hungry lady who will eat anything sweet in sight. I will sometimes undo my entire days worth of diet and exercise because my sweet tooth is so bad.

So I was wondering if you guys and gals have any pointers that you all use to avoid late night snacking? Or do you have any low-cal snacks that won't have me working out extra hard the next day to make up for my late night binging?

Are you also trying to shed a few pounds and need advice from fellow readers? Join the Weight Loss Support group for a community of folks - like kimmyk10 - who are facing similar daily challenges. Offer advice, healthy recipes, or ask a question - we're all here for you!

Health Headlines: Stuttering, Binge Eating, and Death by Boredom

FitSugar — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 03:00:14 PST

Unlocking a Medical Mystery: Stuttering - CNN
Experts believe we have been stuttering as a species for as long as we have been talking - there is even an Egyption hieroglyph for stuttering. The speech disorder appears to be caused by a genetic mutation that interrupts a cell's ability to process waste material. Previous studies pointed toward a genetic component, but now there are three specific mutations pegged for further research.

Binge Eating Officially Defined as a Mental Disorder - NPR
The American Psychiatric Association released a draft of the latest version of its diagnostic manual and a new addition appears on its pages; binge eating is now classified as an eating disorder. The APA believes there is now enough evidence to label binge eating as a mental disorder, and it joins anorexia and bulimia in the eating disorders group.

To learn if boredom can kill you,

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Chronic Boredom May Bring an Early Death - Cleveland Leader
According to a survey of 7,500 British civil servants, boredom is linked with an early death. Survey participants who answered that they were bored at work in the previous month were two and half times more likely to die of heart problems than their co-workers who found work interesting. No, boredom won't kill you, but it can lead to unhealthy behaviors like drinking, smoking, and using drugs.

How Monica Seles Smashed Her Eating Disorder

FitSugar — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 06:00:00 PDT

At age 16, tennis pro Monica Seles became the youngest winner in French Open history, so we were all stunned in 1993 when she was stabbed in the back during a match in Germany, and forced to leave the game for two years. She eventually healed, but was gripped by emotional trauma as she slipped out of the number one ranking and into a depression. In her new book, Getting a Grip, Monica reveals how the sad series of events led to her eating disorder. She says, "I turned to food for comfort. Food became my best friend. When emotionally I got down, depressed and had anxiety, I found comfort in food."

Monica was training six hours a day, but was also secretly binging late at night. It led to 37 pounds of weight gain, which translated to criticism by her trainers, nutritionists, and the media. To hear more about how Monica tamed her eating disorder

After a debilitating injury in 2003, Monica's foot was in a cast for three months, so she was forced to take time off. That's when she made some big life changes. She fired her trainers, coaches, and nutritionists when she realized she was using them to fix her problems on the outside. It was her emotions, though, that were causing her to binge, so she needed to get those settled if she was going to control her eating habits and make any progress with her body. She said,

I threw out every single diet notion I’d learned. I allowed myself to eat every single food group. My extreme cravings went away. I allowed myself to have cookies or pasta. I stopped dieting and I started living life. That’s how I lost 37 pounds.

When Monica was upset and got the urge to eat, she'd go for a walk instead to calm her down. She's also big into journaling to get her thoughts and emotions on paper, and it's helped with her recovery tremendously. Reading through old journal entries helped her realize she didn't ever want to go back to that place. It became clear that it was time to end her love-hate relationship with food and turn it into a positive relationship, so she could in turn "have a love relationship with her body."

Source

Healthy Dose Link Time

FitSugar — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 11:45:00 PDT

diet blog has a primer on preventing binge eating.

That's Fit wonders if aspartame is a good sugar alternative or not? Me? I don't like the taste of it.

HealthBolt reports that a German woman finally has a pencil removed from her skull after living with the object in her head for 55 years. Needless to say, her headaches have decreased.

About: Yoga teaches you the One-Legged King Pigeon. Talk about an amazing stretch and beautiful pose.

The Skinny Website ponders Janet Jackson's quick weight loss.

Mark's Daily Apple believes that vegetarians and carnivores can agree that factory farms stink!

Leslie at The Weighting Game dishes and reviews so many energy bars. Learn from her mistake and drink water with those bars.

iFit&Healthy investigates the Victoria Beckham diet.

Fitness Fixation finds the restaurant industry eeevvviillllll, primarily Cold Stone Creamery.

Back in Skinny Jeans exposes 8 diet foods loaded with high fructose corn syrup!

Since coffee might actually be good for you, don't forget to enter YumSugar's espresso machine giveaway!

Net Sweat reports that flip flop injuries are soaring.

Binge Eating: The Lesser Known Disorder

FitSugar — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 03:00:17 PST

Did you know that binge eating has now become America's most common eating disorder, affecting one in 35 women, making it three times as common as anorexia nervosa? I honestly didn't know until I was watching CNN and saw the story of a young lady who suffered with binge eating.

Binge eating is a relatively unknown disorder since most people think that eating disorders are about not eating, rather than overeating. The reason it has been so unknown is because there seems to be a greater stigma attached to binge eating than to anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa, so people are less likely to admit to the problem. Natalie, the woman featured on CNN, revealed that her binges would include: a sleeve of Ritz crackers with peanut butter, Triscuits, some cheese from the refrigerator, maybe some cream cheese straight out of the carton, maybe some mayonnaise right out of the jar. Natalie, like others with this disorder, experience a food high and addiction like you would from a drug. Binge eaters keep their eating a secret and some avoid weight gain by exercising excessively.

Why is it bad: The major complications of binge eating disorder are the diseases that could accompany obesity (Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, gallbladder disease, heart disease and certain types of cancer). Furthermore, people with binge eating disorder can be extremely distressed by their binge eating. Some people miss work, school, or social activities to binge eat. Obese people with binge eating disorder often feel bad about themselves, are preoccupied with their appearance, which can lead to avoiding social gatherings. Like most eating disorders, binge eaters try to hide their problem so that close family members and friends don't know what they are doing behind closed doors.

Binge eating is more than pigging out on pizza on a Friday night, a binge has two main components. One is eating an abnormally large amount of food in a short period of time and the other is having a sense of loss of control of the eating. Worried that you or someone you know may be a binge eater? Take the quiz on Overeaters Anonymous.

Fit Philosophy: Ginnifer Goodwin

Michele Foley — Tue, 22 May 2012 00:02:27 PDT

Happy birthday, Ginnifer Goodwin! The Once Upon a Time star turns 34 today, and to celebrate we're taking a look at how Ginnifer stays active and fit in her daily life.

Always on the go: Ginnifer often credits living in health-conscious LA for her active lifestyle. Whether she's going to Ballet Body or The Bar Method, her workouts gravitate toward leotards, the barre, and pliés. She also turns everyday excursions into an excuse to power walk, "I'll speed-walk a couple of miles, get a cup of coffee, speed-walk back. It’s so easy. Just break a sweat for 30 minutes and you’re fine."

It's a lifestyle not a diet: An outspoken fan of Weight Watchers, she credits the diet program for helping her maintain a healthy weight in realistic ways. She told People, "It takes time because you lose the weight slowly . . . You don't have to go through that horrible yo-yo cycle of binging." Even when counting points, Ginnifer can indulge in treats like her favorite dark chocolate or a pasta dinner. Ginnifer maintains a sense of balance when it comes to eating, so she never has to feel deprived.

Health is more than just weight loss: For Ginnifer, being healthy means being confident, feeling less stressed, and maintaining a well-rounded perspective in her life. She told Health, "Healthy is beautiful. Because what comes with health is a clear mind and a high spirit. When I’m not healthy, I can’t think straight, and I’m unhappy. I’ll realize that I’m an emotional mess, and it’s because I’m dehydrated. Or I’m cold and cranky, and it’s because I’m not exercising and my circulation is poor."

6 Dieting Rules You'll Love to Follow

Jenny Sugar — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 01:14:17 PDT

Don't eat this, stay away from that - following a diet can seem like a total killjoy. If you're feeling depressed about how restrictive your diet is, here are some proven weight-loss rules you'll welcome with open arms.

Dig into a big breakfast: Skipping breakfast to save calories? That's a big mistake because eating breakfast actually jump-starts your metabolism. Your first meal of the day should include protein to reduce sugar cravings, and fiber to satiate your hunger. A veggie omelet, fruit smoothie with spinach, oatmeal with fruit and nuts, or Greek yogurt with fresh fruit are excellent choices.
Say yes to carbs: Before you get all excited, I'm not talking about bagels, regular pasta, and pretzels. Simple carbs made from enriched white flour offer little nutritional value and more calories than you need. Stick to complex carbs like quinoa, brown rice, and oats, as well as foods made from whole grain flour such as pasta and crackers - the least processed and as close to nature as possible. (Of course, you still need to be mindful of portion sizes.) Complex carbs are not only full of fiber that keep hunger at bay, they also contain valuable vitamins and minerals your body needs such as vitamins B6 and E and iron.

Keep reading for four more weight-loss rules you'll love following.

5 Tips to Feel Slimmer by Tomorrow

Laura Marie Given — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 01:19:29 PDT

Sometimes - especially during bikini season - plans come up at the last minute, and you wish you could feel thinner in a snap. While there aren't any instant fixes, there are definitely a few ways to feel leaner fast. If you're hoping to get slim quickly, follow these five steps to feel better by tomorrow:

Skip the salt: Avoid that puffy, bloated feeling by steering clear of the saltshaker. Feel like you're retaining water? Try these tips to cut down on salt and choose seasonal Spring foods that naturally detox. That swollen sensation will be gone in no time.
Catch plenty of z's: If you're tired and dragging, you won't have the drive to exercise. Sleep deprivation also stimulates the appetite - ever noticed that you eat more when you're worn out? Avoid an unnecessary binge and stay energized by crawling into bed a bit earlier and getting a good night's rest. To help you have a restful night, check out these tips for getting quality sleep.
Get moving: A good sweat session can definitely help your body detox, but on top of the physical benefits, there's the immediate post-workout confidence boost. Whether it's a quick walk or long jog, fitting in some exercise is a surefire way to feel leaner.
Sip some H2O: Water does wonders to beat belly bloat, so swap out sodas and sports drinks for a tall glass of H20. Looking for some extra flavor? Toss in some sliced fruit or fresh mint to give your slim-down drink better taste without too many calories.
Cook at home: When you dine out, it's tough to know exactly what's on your plate - not to mention the heaping portion sizes. Do your body a favor by stepping into your kitchen for a home-cooked meal. That way, you're sure of which ingredients are used, and it's easier to stick to smaller portions.

Foodie Friday Link Time: Refreshing Quinoa Salad

Susi May — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 08:32:43 PDT

Holy whole grains! Try this refreshing quinoa salad - Vegetarian Times
Sneaky signs that your alcohol consumption is becoming problematic - Prevention
Are green coffee beans the next dieting miracle? - Blisstree
What in the world is oral allergy syndrome and do you have it? - Self
Celebrate Spring with this tasty and light fava bean recipe - Health
Straight talk about binge eating and how to conquer it - Daily Spark
Does almond milk yogurt live up to the hype? - Fitnessista
Break these diet rules this weekend without guilt or waistline woes - Fitness
Prep these meals in five minutes and then congratulate yourself on home cooking - Shape