Stopping the binges by eating protein? It works.

Have you ever noticed how when you start eating carby snacks you can’t stop? Betcha can’t eat just one…

Same with fatty treats. Given the chance, I think I could easily eat my own body weight in chocolate.

Protein is different. No matter how I try, I can’t eat too much chicken, or beef, or eggs. It fills me up.

More critically, I’ve noticed the best way to stop the binges, when things look like they’re about to spiral out of control, is to eat protein.

Protein stops a binge dead in its tracks.

Doesn’t matter if it’s a protein bar, or a piece of meat, or some pre-cooked chicken breast. It stops the binge. It kills the cravings and crazy eating.

Give it a try, next time you’re about to work your way through a family sized bag of cookies. Pause, and eat a protein bar instead.

It works. And you won’t need the cookie.

Tracking the little things, ignoring the big things

I track my food on the MyFitnessPal app.

It helps to enter what I eat before I eat it, otherwise I tend to “forget” and not log everything.

Especially the “little things”.

The “little things” are biscuits, ice cream, cake at work morning tea, dressings…and all these “little things” add up. A lot.

Once I started tracking properly, I learned that, quite often, I was eating more calories in the “little things” than I was in my main meals.

This is why you hear OA people say “three meals a day… and nothing in between.”

It’s not usually the meals that cause the problem. It’s the rubbish in between.

For example, one day last week I had my usual smoothie for breakfast, then shrimp and veggies for lunch, and chicken and vegetables for dinner.

All good…and coming to about 1400 calories, which is my goal for a day.

BUT…I then had an ice cream sundae from the corner shop in the evening. Which I estimate at about 800 calories.

One “little treat” ruined a whole day of great eating.

So now I log food before I eat. Especially the “little things”.

That makes all the difference.

Having a plan makes things easier

I have an eating plan these days that works for me. Knowing what I will and will not eat really helps in getting on top of the overeating.

My plan is usually something like this:

BREAKFAST: Two eggs (if I feel like it, often I don’t), and I’ll have a piece of fruit mid-morning instead

LUNCH: A sandwich and a piece of fruit.

DINNER: Meat and vegetables or salad. Tonight I’m having 2 pork riblets and some mixed vegetables.

As well as my food plan, I try to do a reading, and an hour exercise. I’m doing well with the readings – they’re happening virtually every day now – but the exercise is a work in progress.

Finally, I try to listen to a podcast or attend a meeting every day.

Every week I feel like I’m getting a little bit better at all this. Change is hard. But knowing what I should be doing and eating really helps control my behavior.

Having a plan makes me happier too, because my life is more organized. I have a path forward. I feel like I may even succeed! My weight is going down, too, about a pound a week, but what makes the bigger difference is learning that this is not about my weight. This is about my mind, my behavior, and my spiritual wellness.

I’m starting to believe that I will recover from this thing called overeating, and I believe my weight loss will follow as I gain control of my behavior.