The simplest steps are often the most effective. CalorieKing.com member Amanda says the word "mindfulness" sums up what it takes to stop her from going through with a binge: “Being mindful means thinking about why I'm bingeing, how it will affect me tomorrow physically and mentally, what purpose I'm using the food for. Just thinking about the binge itself – what to eat, how to hide it from others – won’t stop me. But being mindful will.”

Next time you’re about to binge, stop for a couple of minutes and ask yourself Amanda's three key questions:

• Why am I bingeing?
  
• How will it affect me tomorrow?
  
• For what purpose am I using the food?

Use your journal if you like, but be careful as it can be upsetting and counter-effective for some people. Amanda explains that, for her, writing in a journal delays binges but doesn't always stop them. “It does distract me but sometimes I get myself worked up writing about something that makes me upset and that reinforces the harmful feelings, so I still end up bingeing.”

You can’t binge when you’re busy doing something else. Many people successfully beat binges by having a few positive diversions ready for when the urge to overeat hits. Every time they feel they’re about to binge eat, they respond with a planned alternative behavior.

For example, you might promise yourself that every time you’re about to binge, you will work in the garden instead. Although it will be hard to follow this diversion through at first, if you practice it enough you may find that you “think binge, do gardening” almost automatically.

Other good ideas for diversions:

• Take a bubble bath
• Go for a walk
• Go out to a movie
• Clean out a cupboard or drawer
• Get online or phone a friend