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Because of elevated insulin levels and struggles with weight and body image, it is
very common for women with PCOS to engage in binge eating. A binge is
defined as eating (within a two hour period of time) an amount of food that is
definitely larger than most people would eat during a similar period of time and
under similar circumstances, and having a sense of lack of control during the
episode. While bingeing once a month or less is not terribly serious, bingeing
weekly is dangerous as it can contribute to weight gain, eating unhealthy foods,
and can affect your physical and emotional health.
If you feel your eating is out of control, the following are some suggestions that
may be helpful to you:
Be mindful.
People who are conscious when they eat are more satisfied with
their meals and less likely to want to binge or overeat. Conscious or mindful
eating involves being in tune with your body and recognizing signs of hunger and
fullness. Often times I will have my clients keep food journals in which they not
only write down what foods they ate and when but also rate how hungry they
were before they ate and how satisfied they were after. You can practice this
yourself by using a rating scale from zero to 10 with zero being completely
starving and 10 being the opposite extreme-thanksgiving dinner stuffed. Check in
with yourself before a meal to see how hungry you are and throughout the meal
to see how full you are. The idea is to stop eating when you think you have eaten
enough food to get you though until the next meal or snack. Sitting down to
meals and eating slow can help you do this.
Eat often.
This means eating every three to five hours or eating 3 small meals
and 2 to 3 snacks. The reason for this is to keep your insulin levels stable
throughout the day. It is also important to add protein to all meals and snacks to
fill you up and slow down the rate that carbohydrates are released in your
bloodstream. Eating often can help keep you from getting too hungry and
bingeing.
Pre-plan meals.
We all have To Do lists where we write down our appointments,
important dates, and schedule for the day yet few of us take the time to plan for
our meals resulting in the repetitive "what's for dinner" dilemma. Pre-planning
your meals and snacks takes the stress and pressure off deciding what to have
and can prevent overeating. It can also help you to stick to eating more
healthfully. How many times have you found yourself stopping for fast food or
buying unhealthy meals because you have nothing planned at home to eat or
have not packed yourself a satisfying lunch? Instead, take some time maybe on
a Sunday or the night before to think about what you will eat the next day,
remembering to plan in snacks that include protein.
Make a list.
If you are checking in with yourself and know that you aren't hungry
but still want food, it's probably for emotional reasons. I often give the metaphor
of urges to binge being like waves in the ocean. The wave (or urge) starts
building and building until it reaches a peak and then goes away. The idea is to
'ride the wave' knowing that the urges will subside. To do this, it may be helpful
to make a list of things you can do instead of eating like taking a bath, surfing the
internet, calling a friend, ect... When you find yourself wanting food, try and pick
something from the list to do instead and see if the urge goes away.
Shop often.
If grocery shopping is limited to once a week food tends to spoil
because we tend to buy more to last us (we hope) through the week. Or, it could
also result in having limited amounts of lean proteins (skinless chicken, fish, tofu)
and healthy fruits and vegetables at hand. Having an adequate daily intake of
fresh fruits and vegetables is important because it helps to keep blood pressure
low, fills us up at meals, and provides important vitamins and minerals that can
help fight cancer and heart disease. Try and make it a point to go to the grocery
store twice a week to pick up fresh produce and other foods. This will also make
planning your meals and snacks easier.
Seek support.
Sometimes it can be very difficult to overcome binge eating on
your own, especially if it has been going on for many years. Meeting regularly
with a nutritionist who specializes in PCOS and eating disorders can help you to
become a more conscious eater and support you in making changes to your
eating. Because food is sometimes a way of coping with intense feelings in an
unhealthy way, it could also be helpful to work with a therapist who specializes in
eating disorders.
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