An Experimental Binge

Binge-eating, it's the worst thing ever. It's just too easy to mindlessly plough through an entire pack of biscuits or a box of chocolates because - you tell yourself - "it's open, I might as well eat it". I don't recall ever having some sort of emotional issue in my childhood that would have me replacing happiness with food, and to be honest I don't believe in all that mumbo-jumbo psychological stuff either. All it is is a combination of greed, boredom and the naughty stuff being too tasty.


I know it's absolutely nothing to do with hunger because I performed a very scientific experiment. On one day I tried to binge on vegetables, and on another day I tried to binge on salad. Neither of these were in any way successful. I either reached a point where I just didn't want to eat any more (also known as "being full") or I got jaw ache from chewing on lettuce.


I then performed the same experiment with jaffa cakes (a major culprit in the binge-eating crime underworld) just to check that I was a good test subject, and this particular experiment was a resounding success. So successful in fact, that I was glad I only had the one triple-pack.


After an afternoon session of tea and cake on Sunday, I realised that it wasn't just naughty snacks that gave me the binging mentality. Fuelled by guilt of excess cake-eating I stormed home, set up the turbo trainer in some sort of maddened frenzy, and set about on an exercise binge. This wasn't any turbo session, the mindless binge meant I did thirty minutes of absolute physical suffering - with Liz sneaking in at the end to check I was alright after hearing various grunts and groans from behind the kitchen door.


I realised how much better the training was and how much harder I worked when I was doing it "because I had the urge" rather than it being something on a plan that you have to follow. Of course, these urges can't be relied upon entirely, otherwise my life would consist of cycling when the sun shines and then eating copious amounts of Ben and Jerrys but I think it's important to make the most of them when they do arise.. and if it takes a whole chocolate cake to create that urge, then so be it.