Stuffed! How to Stop Binge Eating

In addition, some people may be particularly vulnerable to junk food. Mary Boggiano, PhD, an associate professor in the department of psychology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, discovered that all her lab rats ate about the same amount of their standard bland chow, yet when presented with Oreos, some weren't particularly interested, and others just couldn't stop. Boggiano has also found that a junk food binge in these animals set off the same pleasure receptors in the brain that get stimulated when drug addicts take opiates. "Patients think they don't have discipline, willpower," says Boggiano. "But you're fighting biology, and it's therapeutic to know that junk food can trigger this reaction. The knowledge may make it easier to abstain."

Getting Help
A number of approaches—especially in combination—can bring runaway eating under control. Cognitive behavior therapy, the short-term treatment that focuses on changing dysfunctional thought patterns and habits, has been shown to be effective. Another option involves working with a weight loss specialist to get on a structured, healthy eating plan. Bingers must break the cycle, Bulik says, where they wake up with such a food hangover from the previous night's spree that they skip breakfast, have only a minimal lunch, and then are set up perfectly for another evening of free-fall gorging. A third option many people swear by is Overeaters Anonymous. But because it asks members to acknowledge that they are powerless over food, the 12-step program is controversial among therapists, who usually want to help patients feel they are in control of their behavior. Drugs may also be useful. Antidepressants such as Prozac have been shown to reduce bingeing episodes, and Topamax, an anticonvulsive medication, appears to dim the desire to overeat, although it's not FDA approved for this use.

Barbara Luebbers finally found relief by working with Ellen Shuman, a specialist in eating disorders and founder of the Cincinnati program A Weigh Out, a therapy-based approach. Through weekly sessions, Luebbers has come to realize that "when my emotions got too intense, I would disconnect and stuff myself. Ellen has taught me to be mindful of these moments and at least make a conscious decision about eating." More often than not, when Luebbers recognizes that the choice to binge is hers, she can resist.

Recently, driving home after a bad day at work, Luebbers automatically thought of consuming everything she had in the fridge and cupboards, including the entire pie she was planning to serve for dessert. But suddenly her coaching kicked in: "I said to myself, 'What good is this going to do? I can't change other people, but I can change my own approach, my feelings.' By the time I got home, I had soothed myself." That night she had a normal dinner and a single slice of pie.

The author of Crave: Why You Binge Eat and How to Stop has more solutions for BED