• Put away your scale.
• Dress to feel comfortable.
• Draw attention to parts of your body you are proud of.
• Walk proud.
• Put away your skinny clothes.
• Start the morning with good grooming.
• Recognize that your thinking about your body may be distorted.
• Realize you are not being singled out because you think you have gained weight.
• Be comfortable and familiar with your body.
To Cope with Eating
• Set a routine – eat three well-balanced meals that are satisfying.
• Make menus for a day ahead of time and post them.
• Eat with people who support healthy eating.
• Develop a support system for times when eating is a problem.
• Plan things to do at times when other people are snacking.
• Occupy yourself after a meal.
• Walk away from the table after meals.
• Plan healthy snacks.
• Eat healthy foods instead of junk foods
• Make a date to eat with someone.
• Don’t buy binge foods.
• Make a shopping list and stick to it.
• Make sure to enjoy more about your meal than just the food.
• Stay away from bathrooms after meals.
• Start the day with breakfast.
• Make decisions about eating and stick to them, make meals ahead of time
• If you have trouble knowing when you are hungry, plan to eat regularly.
To Control Urges to Binge
• Work on hobbies and handcrafts.
• Go for a walk.
• Watch a movie.
• Take a risk. Do something different.
• Play with animals.
• Don’t take extra money when you go out.
• Take a nap.
• Clean (for yourself, not for others).
• Talk with someone supportive.
• Avoid the kitchen when you walk in the door.
• Listen to music.
• Take a warm shower or bath.
• Find something else to do.
• Get away from your eating place.
• Talk with someone else. You may or may not talk about your eating behaviors.
• Nurture yourself even if you don't feel like it.
• Try self-talk. Say you do not look any different than you did a few minutes ago.
• Get yourself back on track with routine eating.
To Improve Your Self-Esteem
• Start the morning with self-care, grooming to feel your best.
• Acknowledge your feelings.
• Be creative (crafts, music, clothing, etc.).
• Look back on awards and achievements.
• Display a “brag wall.”
• Keep a scrapbook or photo album handy to review proud moments.
• Make a checklist of accomplishments.
• Learn something new.
• Become an expert at something and talk about it.
• Assert your opinion when you feel confident.
• Ask for help and support.
• Allow yourself to be good enough, not perfect.
• Accept compliments without reservations.
• Take a healthy self-awareness or assertiveness class.
To Tell Yourself You’re Okay
• Set short term goals one day at a time.
• Look at the positives of being away from your symptoms.
• Anticipate good times and how you might handle bad times.
• Forgive yourself.
• Keep a diary and write your good and bad feelings.
• Encourage yourself with self-pep talks.
• Tell yourself that you are normal.
• Tell yourself you need to eat to keep your energy level up.
• Review your strengths.
• Mark a calendar every day you keep symptoms in control and look back at your
own improvement.
• Allow yourself quiet time.
• Get satisfaction from relationships rather than from food.
• Tell yourself your number one priority is your health.
To Deal with Feeling Isolated
• Be a volunteer.
• Go someplace where you can be with people even if you do not want to talk.
• Call a supportive person.
• Join in a group game.
• Join an exercise class.
• Make eye contact with people around you; smile and be open to others
approaching you.
• Plan activities with friends or family.
• Read to someone else.
• Develop a hobby and go to specialty meetings.
• Join a choir or a band.
Information gathered from the University of Wisconsin Psychiatric Institute and Clinic