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Control Binge Eating Without DeprivationYou've heard me talk a lot about different strategies and approaches to control eating. One thing that I think we all agree on is: dieting causes deprivation, and feeling deprived over a period of time causes binge eating. 
Deprivation feeds desire and thwarted desire leads to overeating at the first opportunity. No matter how often you tell yourself that you are not going to overeat at a party, a voice will simply take over and give you excuses and reasons why you deserve to eat whatever you want. And you will, if you have been depriving yourself.When you hold yourself back from indulging in the foods you love and crave, eventually you will end up bingeing on it. In any case, trying to control yourself destroys any feelings of ease around food. Your ideal self would be comfortable, not stressed and anxious when food is around. Could you say, "I know I can have it, but do I really WANT it?"
"Controlled Indulgence" stops binge eatingA strategy for dealling with "demonic food cravings" that works well for me is to give myself small portions of every forbidden food I love and crave! Some people wonder about this, because if they think they even START eating a forbidden food, that they will never stop eating. I find that the philosophy of controlled indulgence works for all occasions in which I might otherwise be tempted to overindulge. It works simply because I don't overeat the foods that I know I can have all the time. It removes the "forbidden" quality about the food, and I can slow down and enjoy it without guilt and self-recrimination. When I can ENJOY the foods I love, I glean every ounce of satisfaction from eating it, rather than feeling fuilty and wolfing down the food (as if no one will notice that I've eaten it if it disappears quickly)! Really the most important question you can ask yourself is "do I really WANT it?" (This food...this additional portion...this taste in my mouth...whatever it is you are contemplating.) Knowing that OF COURSE you can have it if you really do want it, and it will satisfy your desire for that particular item, YES! go ahead and eat it. It will never be forbidden to you again. But, slowing down enough to ask yourself the question "do I really want it?" allows you to observe your reaction to the next question: "Do I want to achieve my weight goal...ideal body...feeling thinner...light, lean and lively...feel good about myself for staying on my self-improvement plan...? What seems more important in this moment? Eating the food or feeling good about yourself by passing on it? You make the decision, you take back your power from the craving and the food, you determine your next course of action from a place of positivity. Developing the sensitivity to yourself so that you know what you're feeling and needing is an important part of this system...you give yourself what you need when you need it, whether it is a hug, some food, a hot bath, being assertive, crying, going for a walk or getting a massage. Not using food as an all-purpose curative for whatever is bothering you.
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