Some people are not going to be able to handle this, but in most cases I believe that we can all learn to eat small, controlled quantities of trigger foods given some practice.

In an effort to do this I’ve identified the following trigger foods that I used to enjoy when binging or simply over eating:

• ice cream
• caramel cashew clusters
• apple fritters/donuts
• chocolate (dove or Hershey’s + toffee)
• Tres Leches
• Carrot Cake
• coconut chocolate chip cookies
• pretzels + almonds

The goal with this exercise is to build momentum and control by practicing eating a single serving  of these foods without binging.

This method involves the following steps:

• list your favorite foods from worst to best - we’re going to work our way up to the more difficult choices.
• you must eat the item at the kitchen table, and preferable while someone else is there initially.
• eat a single serving, portioned out (i.e. no “estimates” of what a single serving is while your hand is plunged down the 24oz bag of potato chips)
• eat slowly and mindfully, and think about how the food makes you feel
• binge eaters frequently misidentify thirst for hunger, so drink a glass of water (yes WATER) before and after.
• start with the easiest food, and practice once a day three times a week until you feel that you are in control with this food. Take as much time as you like, and you can practice less frequently than every other day if you want to.

The key with this exercise is to build confidence and capability, and therefore developing a positive track record is highly desirable. This exercise is difficult and may cause you to slip and stumble a few times, but the goal is to start out in a very controlled environment and then branch out.

Variations can include:

• eating in other locations
• eating at different times of the day
• eating when you’re a little more stressed or had a bad day
• eating by yourself