Binge Eating Disorder

Home Treatment

Continuing healthy habits at home can improve binge eating disorder.

• Develop a plan for eating a balanced diet. A registered dietitian can help you with this. For more information, see the topic Healthy Eating.
• Become more physically active. Talk with your doctor about how to increase your activity. For more information, see the topic Fitness.
• Take care of yourself. Pace yourself, and try to spend time with other people who care about you.

It is helpful when family members are supportive of their loved one with binge eating disorder. Learning about the disorder will be useful for the entire family.

In many cases, eating disorders are associated with poor body image and low self-esteem. Parents can help reduce the chances that their children will develop an eating disorder by teaching them to have:

• A healthy view of themselves.
• Healthy attitudes about eating and exercise.

For more information, see the topic Healthy Eating for Children.

Other treatment

Other treatments can be helpful to reduce binge eating.

Self-care programs. These are organized programs that provide self-help materials such as manuals or computer-based activities that can be useful in treating eating disorders. But most people who have an eating disorder also need counseling and possibly medicine.

Stress management techniques. Many people report that their binging episodes are triggered by feelings of anxiety or tension. Although not part of the treatment of binge eating disorder, relieving stress can help during recovery and can improve quality of life. Techniques to reduce stress include:

• Exercising. Regular physical activity is one of the most effective stress-management techniques.
• Writing. Research shows that expressing yourself in writing can be a very effective way to reduce your stress level.
• Expressing your feelings. Talking, laughing, crying, and expressing anger are normal parts of the emotional healing process.
• Doing something you enjoy. A hobby or other healthy leisure activity that is meaningful to you can help you relax. Volunteer work or work that helps others can be a powerful stress-buster.
• Body-centered relaxation. This includes breathing exercises, muscle relaxation exercises, massage, aromatherapy, yoga, and traditional Chinese relaxation exercises such as tai chi and qi gong.
• Mindfulness activities. These include learning how to relax your body through self-hypnosis, meditation, or imagery exercises or listening to relaxing music or using humor to reduce stress.

For more information on stress reduction, see the topic Stress Management.

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Author:	Jeannette Curtis	Last Updated: September 24, 2007
Medical Review:	Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine W. Stewart Agras, MD - Psychiatry
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