just for kids

february 99

If you read the article in this issue of our magazine on adolescents, and the epidemic of type 2 diabetes, you now know that there be many reasons for the rise of incidence of diabetes in our adolescents. One major reason is obesity and one problem that some obese people face is binge eating, although this behavior is not limited only to the obese as physicians have known for some time. The trouble with our adolescents who binge eat at home alone is that this is often left untreated and with time it can become more serious, disrupting their lives and finally the lives of those who care for them. When a person binges, he or she eats an unusually large amount of food in a relatively short period of time. One cornerstone of binge eating is a reported ‘total lack of control’ that occurs while the process is going on. When the process becomes ingrained, a specialist in eating disorders may be needed to stop the process. If you know someone who you think is having this problem we want to share some strategies and techniques you might discuss with them to bring their behavior back into control. Your help may be just what the doctor ordered if the process is at a beginning state. Sit down with your adolescent and share these with him or her. No value judgment is necessary, as we all know that opening a conversation with recriminations or a sense of ‘what have you done wrong, again?’ can and will turn anyone off. Professionals suggest starting with a straightforward method of what you have observed, how the behavior is impacting the adolescent, and then asking if you can offer some suggestions. If the answer is ‘yes’ start slowly but don’t give up. If the answer is ‘no,’ you can bring books into the house for your child to read on their own, talk to his or her physician, and then make an appointment for your adolescent, and be there for the point in time when they reach out to you. Just don’t give up. Read the suggestions below and use some of them yourself in conversation and make sure you do not abet the problem by your unwitting complicity. Try to avoid temptation or vulnerability. Minimize the availability of those foods that trigger bingeing. This begins at the supermarket. If you notice jars of peanuts missing, then don’t buy them. If you know your child is bingeing on food that others like, then don’t leave them where they usually are found -- out of sight may be out of mind. Buy substitute foods for your overeater. For example, low fat chocolate frozen pops instead of rich chocolate ice cream, small packages of candy rather than larger boxes or candy bars, changing the brands of food that are not exactly what they like to eat, all of these tactics may not start a binge. You will need to change brands and substitutes so that they will not get used to the new tastes, but this is a good way to curb over-indulging. Evaluate the situations that allow for bingeing with your adolescent and then help him or her prepare for those times. Look at the moods that prime them for stress and preplan with them. Try to help them separate the idea that certain situations and bingeing go together, as this is faulty thinking. For example, what can they do if they don’t get the grade that they want in a test, besides eat a pizza before supper. Help your child to wait 10 minutes before bingeing on a certain food. Teach him or her to distract themselves. They can go for a walk, call a friend, or begin an activity. Preplan these interventions with your teen so that if you are not there, they will know what to do to interfere with their usual behavior. The impulse to binge may be gone before the need to eat. If your adolescent must eat a food that triggers a binge, make sure that there is only a small portion in the house, and try to use these as a special treat. Teach your teen to eat this treat slowly and savor every bite. Many people who binge do not taste their food after the initial few bites, and they eat quickly as this is seen as a forbidden act. Try to get your adolescent to eat with others -- not as a secret, thus changing the process. Get your child involved in enjoyable activities such as hobbies, music, journaling, reading, sports, walking, hand work, etc. Usually, something that you find satisfying, that occupies your attention will work best. Sometimes running errands, do things around the house, being part of projects can be enjoyable options. Make sure that they have chores and activities to do, and don’t have excessive time to loaf in front of the television with food. If your child does find himself/herself bingeing, establish ground rules to follow. Share the process with others, do not eat alone, eat slowly, and enjoy the process. Stop eating when you can’t taste the food. Then, leave the room. Identify those foods which are ‘stop’ foods. An apple or a glass of water may become a signal that the eating is over. Talk these over with our adolescent and let them decide on the food and what works for them. Some people brush their teeth to make sure the process is ended. Before indulging in binge eating have your teen ask themselves ‘What made me dissatisfied today?’ and the ‘What can I do about it?’ Sometimes binge eating is used as a coping mechanism for emotions and others stressors. Help your teen confront and deal with emotions in a more constructive way. Being productive may help the urge to binge disappear. After a binge, your teen may feel guilty which may keep the process in a cycle of eating, guilt, and then more eating. Have them think of something constructive to break the cycle and replace the guilt or shame with sense of accomplishment. This can be anything, from taking a walk to finishing a project or homework, to calling a friend, or doing something nice for some one in need. What is important here is to lower the level of stress and to leave the area where the bingeing occurs. If it’s in front of the TV, then get out of that room. Get a new mind set. When your teen feels out of control, help him or her to regain control by planning his or her meals realistically, not starving or fasting, no over exercising, no extremes, just more positive thinking. Have your teen think about the next time and what to do rather than dwell on how they failed. Failure leads to more failure and negative thinking and behavior. Help them think of alternatives and look at their successes. Remember that success can be frightening if all you think you have known is how to fail. A journal can help here as can a buddy who will help in pointing out successes to overcoming being a couch potato who binges. Visiting the doctor for education about the hazards of obesity or a dietitian for nutrition education may be of benefit. Help your teen to look at the benefits of food and eating in a positive light. The trouble with some of us is that we begin to think of food as the enemy. Challenge your teen to understand how many calories they need a day so that they don’t undereat for a prolonged period of time to overcompensate for past bingeing. Undereating may lead right back to bingeing. Help your child to see the benefits of eating more calories and losing weight slowly rather than cutting calories so low that bingeing begins to become appealing. Don’t allow your child to give up favorite foods, as feeling deprived may also lead them back to bingeing. Help them with portion sizes and setting boundaries so that favorite foods are part of what they eat. Teach moderation and practice moderation in your menu planning and eating. Help your adolescent plan to eat every four to six hours to keep blood glucose levels stable. A drop in blood glucose levels can start a binge. Those of us with diabetes and who cope with hypoglycemia can attest to this. Low blood sugar can make us ravenous, but we all know never to over eat a hypoglycemic attack, Our teens don’t know that fact. Don’t withhold fat from your teen’s diet . A little fat (5 grams minimum) will last for five to six hours and make your teen feel more full, longer. Serve foods that are a mixture of protein, carbohydrate, and fat at each meal for the best long term blood sugar levels. What we are saying here is prepare meals for your teen according to the food pyramid guidelines. They will be less likely to become overly hungry between meals and binge. Avoid allowing for that old ‘all or nothing’ thinking in your adolescent when you see it occurring. That is, step in when you see the starvation and deprivation periods, because you know that bingeing can not be far behind. Help your teen understand healthy eating and living styles and model it for them. Finally, get your teen moving and away form the TV. Get him or her involved in sports, after school activities, drama, art, helping others, extra academics or what ever will make their sense of self soar so that food becomes less of a soother for the daily disappointments that they must face and cope with to make it through adolescence. We have shared experts’ advice on many ways to do this in this magazine over the last year. Don’t be afraid to talk to your child and share your concerns. The worst thing that happens is that you and your child have to examine what will need to happen to make your family one that works a bit better for all members. Change is slow, and often difficult, but allowing our children to retreat from reaching independence and forming healthy senses of who they are and ways of gaining adolescent goals does not to lead to health of any kind. We, as adults, must take the lead. We have shared techniques to help form healthy eating patterns and to stop binge eating. Select the ones that work best for your family. Remember that awareness and problem-solving are important components of strategies to overcome eating problems. Finally, if your efforts meet with failure, get help from an eating disorders specialist. There are doctors out there who can help.