So you know that part of starting a new workout routine where you’re all “oh yeah, I got this. I ROCK! I”m not even sore!”, and you puff out your chest and think you’re such a bad-ass…

… and then you wake up the next morning?

Holy crap, I am sore! I can’t tell you how appreciative I am of all your positive comments on my Jillian Michaels Body Revolution post. I’m going to need all the virtual cheerleaders I can get over the next 90 days!

Without even realizing it, I hit a pretty big (okay, really big. Epic big.) milestone recently.

I am officially six months binge-free.

Woah. Talk about a huge shift in my life.

My Life of a Binge Eater series is primarily focused on how I developed and live with BED, but I don’t talk a lot about my current successes with recovery. I’m not sure I have the adequate words to describe how great I feel at this six-month mark, or even how I got here.

I still make mistakes. I still have moments where my emotions drive my “hunger”. But the biggest difference between now and then … I am armed with knowledge. Knowledge of my disorder and of my deeper issues.

A few of you have emailed that you’d like to hear some tips on how to stay binge-free. While I know that I don’t have the expertise to dole out “100% will work for everyone” advice, I can definitely tell you how I got started on the path to recovery.

It’s all about setting up a foundation to prevent a binge in the first place. I’ll chat about what to do when you’re right in the middle of a binge-state at a later time.

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How To Prevent a Binge

1. Keep your purse/wallet in the trunk of you car. I know this sounds a little silly, but it’s honestly the first thing I started doing and the first piece of advice I always give. The idea is to make your money hard to get to. You better believe there were days where I wanted to drive through Mc Donald’s and stuff my face with four double cheeseburgers. Am I really going to stop the car, get out, open the trunk, get out my debit card, get back in the car, and THEN drive through (or head inside)? Hell no. First off, because I’m too lazy. Secondly, and most importantly, it forces you to s l o w  d o w n and think about your actions. This helps. I also want you to leave your purse in the trunk (or at least your cards and checkbook) when you get home. It may not help much, since most delivery services now store your card info online, and it could be a short walk to your garage, but again … the idea is to slow you down. Breathe. Think.
   
2. Identify your triggers, and commit to getting rid of them. I’m not going to tell you to throw away all your ice cream and frozen pizzas. But, if those are items that you cannot control yourself around, stop buying them. Just. Stop. When a binge comes on and you want to shove an entire bag of Doritos in your mouth, you’re gonna have to drive your butt to the store. Make it hard for yourself. Know your weaknesses! For me personally, I’ve completely stopped buying my triggers: pasta (unless it’s just one box for a dish), goldfish crackers, chips, frozen pizza, and pop. On the other hand, we have “junk food” like chicken nuggets, chocolate, and ice cream because those things can stay in my house for months untouched by me. You can’t binge on something if it’s not there.
3. NEVER skip meals. Never, ever, ever skip meals. It wrecks your metabolism, leaves you incredibly cranky and irrational, and makes your body think it’s going into a period of famine. This is a perfect storm for a binge. Many people will tell you to eat on a certain time schedule (every four hours is a popular recommendation), but I’m just going to make it simple: eat when you’re hungry. I know this can open a massive can of worms, and it’s still something I’m trying to learn. Learn to listen to your body’s cues for hunger. Eat with a clear mind, and eat clean food. Processed food dull of sugar and salt will only make you crave more.
4. Stay hydrated. Many (many) times I have felt *OMG SO DAMN HUNGRY*, when really, I was just thirsty. Sometimes we misread our hunger pains; thinking we really really need that piece of chocolate cake (and NOW) when our bodies were crying out for water! Invest in a good water bottle, and keep that sucker filled. I use the “drink half of your body weight in ounces of water” rule, meaning for me (at 274lbs) I try to drink around 137 ounces of water daily. This sounds like a lot, but build up slowly. You’ll be surprised at how staying properly hydrated will level your satiety.
5. Find a support partner/resource. Identify people in your life that may be open (and willing) to give you support. Not everyone will, and it’s important to understand that. Have someone you can shoot a quick text to if you’re having a bad day. Someone that will hold you accountable, not give you a free pass. This could be a family member/friend, your spouse, a twitter or Facebook friend (HELLO, TWEET / MESSAGE ME! ), or even a group forum that you can shoot a quick post on. If you’re not ready to reach out and interact with someone, you can make an inspiration board  full of pictures that remind you why you’re on this journey. I have a private one full of pictures of my daughter, myself when I’ve been super happy, my family, and other goal-type pictures. There are a million ways to reach out – don’t waste anymore time!

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This is what I did, and still do, to help prevent a binge. While these may be helpful to you (and I hope they are!) please know that they will not fix your problem. These are merely band-aids, little tips/tricks to get you started. The real progress to recovery happens with an immense amount of self-exploration with therapy and research. I know that those things can be overwhelming, so it helps to have little things like this to work on first.

Here’s to you!