When I was doing the Atkins (it went really well if you're asking, I lost everything I wanted to and really feel great about my bod now), or any other diet, I got these really crazy urges to stuff my face with all the stuff I wasn't supposed to eat. I gave in once or twice, eating up to 2000 calories in one meal (don't stop till you drop), but then I got a lot wiser.

Binging, out of control emotional eating, got me down a couple of times, just because someone said something nasty to me, I was lonely or feeling unworthy. But the thing is, once you recognize these things, you can keep them under control.

It's funny, but a person can really learn a lot from dieting, and I can proudly say I know these things do really prevent binge eating:

1. Clean the house of off limits goodies in the first hour of your diet. It will be very purifying, and you can't eat what's not there. Don't give a rat's ass for other people living with you - they will just have to cope. If they are stubborn, be mean and ask them why don't they love you. Make a deal with them to eat all the things you can't outside.

2. Make a shopping list and calculate how much money you need, get the exact cash and leave your plastic at home. You will simply have no money to buy double chocolate chip cookies.

3. Buy really expensive clothes, in a smaller number. I got myself a $500 dress and left it hanging on my wardrobe doors - it was a real torture not being able to wear it, but it kept me going right through the size I wanted.

4. Drink no cal no sugar diet sodas when you are craving for something sweet. If you want sweetness, no amount of any other food will make it better. I drank around 70 oz of it per day at the beginning of my diet. I consulted my doctor and he said it was fine, and it also constituted as liquid, so I didn't have to drink so much water.



5. Keep approved binge food ready - it could be no sugar chocolate (maltitol, sorbitol, mannitol, lactitol, xylitol are all sugar alcohols that you can eat on low-carb) or a twelve-pack of diet chips, but if you really eat the whole package and can't stuff any more of it down your throat, you'll just make a half of the damage you would if those were regular products.

6. At the moment you get your urge, call a friend, go out of the house or just do something, like writing your tax return or cleaning. Keep yourself occupied and wait for it to pass. If after 20 minutes you're still craving food, eat from the approved binge food list.

7. Go sleeping early, as we all know the worst binges happen during night. I also considered getting a time lock for my fridge and cupboards, but it apparently needs a lot of technical skills and $$.

8. Try to organize your friends, boyfriends or husbands to diet with you. This way you're all sharing one and the same destiny, and you can compete or put down the person who doesn't give his best. We also used to bet about how much we are going to lose in a week. Trust me, when it hurts your wallet, it hurts your heart.

9. If you do binge eat, don't make a drama out of it. Write it down and forgive yourself, start over in the morning.