Binge eating

Shinwasha
Shinwasha Posts: 32 Member
edited November 13 in Health and Weight Loss
I've noticed today that part of the reason my weight loss isn't going as well as I'd hope is that I tend to binge eat. I'm not eating because I'm hungry but because I feel the urge to want to eat. Anyone else going through this or have gone through this that can give advice on what to do?

Replies

  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
    edited February 2015
    What is your weight loss goal? Sometimes if it is too aggressive you maybe more likely to binge.
  • PoisonIvy088
    PoisonIvy088 Posts: 107
    Mm. I don't know if this will help you. Its a bit wacky. But a while ago I started setting alarms on my phone for meal and snack times to keep me from mindlessly eating. If the alarm hasn't gone off, I'm not allowed to eat and only allowed to drink water/coffee/tea. Its helped me.
  • dandayatra
    dandayatra Posts: 53
    i am facing the same problem too pls help
  • uvi5
    uvi5 Posts: 710 Member
    PoisonIvy088 wrote: »
    Mm. I don't know if this will help you. Its a bit wacky. But a while ago I started setting alarms on my phone for meal and snack times to keep me from mindlessly eating. If the alarm hasn't gone off, I'm not allowed to eat and only allowed to drink water/coffee/tea. Its helped me.

    Hey that's clever. What a good idea. I so far (only 1.5 weeks in) have not had an issue with this, but if I start to I will remember this:)

  • uvi5
    uvi5 Posts: 710 Member
    Oh, but when I was not on my fitness plan for the past few months and eating "whatever", I was ravenous constantly.
  • PoisonIvy088
    PoisonIvy088 Posts: 107
    uvi5 wrote: »
    Oh, but when I was not on my fitness plan for the past few months and eating "whatever", I was ravenous constantly.

    Eating more protein and fat has kept me full. :) I realized that bread/rice/pasta/oats (and some other carby things) don't keep me full. So even though I love them, I now eat less of them. They are treats.
  • Shinwasha
    Shinwasha Posts: 32 Member
    edited February 2015
    queenliz99 wrote: »
    What is your weight loss goal? Sometimes if it is too aggressive you maybe more likely to binge.

    I'm looking at going from 315 to 260. I'm down to 297.4 since right after Thanksgiving.
    PoisonIvy088 wrote: »
    Mm. I don't know if this will help you. Its a bit wacky. But a while ago I started setting alarms on my phone for meal and snack times to keep me from mindlessly eating. If the alarm hasn't gone off, I'm not allowed to eat and only allowed to drink water/coffee/tea. Its helped me.
    The setting alarms sounds like a wonderful idea. I've figured it out before going from 365 to 270 in 9 months at one point. But I think I'm going to try the phone idea. I'm starting to drink tea instead of coffee to cut my milk and sweeteners out.

  • andreamaym
    andreamaym Posts: 179 Member
    PoisonIvy088 wrote: »
    Mm. I don't know if this will help you. Its a bit wacky. But a while ago I started setting alarms on my phone for meal and snack times to keep me from mindlessly eating. If the alarm hasn't gone off, I'm not allowed to eat and only allowed to drink water/coffee/tea. Its helped me.

    I'm actually going to start setting meal times throughout the week (mostly for the 9-10 hours I'm at work) because just recently I'm noticing I'm eating a lot during work hours.
  • atypicalsmith
    atypicalsmith Posts: 2,742 Member
    I usually decide what I am going to eat each day. I eat a lot of the same foods (breakfast is usually yogurt and V8 juice, plus maybe a banana or a boiled egg) and stick to my menu for the day. I do eat different things for lunch and dinner, such as sandwiches, an energy shake, omelet, salad with lots of avocado, etc., but I think setting a menu for the day has helped me tremendously.
  • 2snakeswoman
    2snakeswoman Posts: 655 Member
    I'm struggling. I don't know if it's binge eating exactly. I've never been the person to eat an entire half gallon of ice cream or family size bag of chips, but I pick-pick-pick all day if I'm not struggling to control myself. It's like a pinch of trail mix, a handful of roasted nuts, half a bagel with cream cheese, a handful of chips - on and on and on all day; one little munchie after another (about every 45 mins to an hour apart). Right now I've got myself on a schedule of 4 meals per day plus a small bedtime snack. I've really got to conquer that picking habit.
  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
    Shinwasha wrote: »
    queenliz99 wrote: »
    What is your weight loss goal? Sometimes if it is too aggressive you maybe more likely to binge.

    I'm looking at going from 315 to 260. I'm down to 297.4 since right after Thanksgiving.
    PoisonIvy088 wrote: »
    Mm. I don't know if this will help you. Its a bit wacky. But a while ago I started setting alarms on my phone for meal and snack times to keep me from mindlessly eating. If the alarm hasn't gone off, I'm not allowed to eat and only allowed to drink water/coffee/tea. Its helped me.
    The setting alarms sounds like a wonderful idea. I've figured it out before going from 365 to 270 in 9 months at one point. But I think I'm going to try the phone idea. I'm starting to drink tea instead of coffee to cut my milk and sweeteners out.

    Oops, I meant weight loss goal per week?
  • Shinwasha
    Shinwasha Posts: 32 Member
    queenliz99 wrote: »
    Shinwasha wrote: »
    queenliz99 wrote: »
    What is your weight loss goal? Sometimes if it is too aggressive you maybe more likely to binge.

    I'm looking at going from 315 to 260. I'm down to 297.4 since right after Thanksgiving.
    PoisonIvy088 wrote: »
    Mm. I don't know if this will help you. Its a bit wacky. But a while ago I started setting alarms on my phone for meal and snack times to keep me from mindlessly eating. If the alarm hasn't gone off, I'm not allowed to eat and only allowed to drink water/coffee/tea. Its helped me.
    The setting alarms sounds like a wonderful idea. I've figured it out before going from 365 to 270 in 9 months at one point. But I think I'm going to try the phone idea. I'm starting to drink tea instead of coffee to cut my milk and sweeteners out.

    Oops, I meant weight loss goal per week?

    1-2 lbs a week.
  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
    Maybe if you dial it down a little, so MFP gives you more calories per day. Make your goal more like only one pound per week. This helps with feeling a little less hungry. This is a lifestyle that you want to do for the rest of your life, not a diet where you are doomed to binge. This is not a race, make it easy for yourself. You can do this!!
  • Shinwasha
    Shinwasha Posts: 32 Member
    queenliz99 wrote: »
    Maybe if you dial it down a little, so MFP gives you more calories per day. Make your goal more like only one pound per week. This helps with feeling a little less hungry. This is a lifestyle that you want to do for the rest of your life, not a diet where you are doomed to binge. This is not a race, make it easy for yourself. You can do this!!

    I've thought about that. I also realize it's very likely that I'm losing more than .5 lb of fat a week, because I am also weight training at the same time. I just got to start hitting the cardio harder. No more soccer at the gym where I spend a lot of the time walking. I just got to be more aware of what I am eating.
  • atypicalsmith
    atypicalsmith Posts: 2,742 Member
    Shinwasha wrote: »
    queenliz99 wrote: »
    Maybe if you dial it down a little, so MFP gives you more calories per day. Make your goal more like only one pound per week. This helps with feeling a little less hungry. This is a lifestyle that you want to do for the rest of your life, not a diet where you are doomed to binge. This is not a race, make it easy for yourself. You can do this!!

    I've thought about that. I also realize it's very likely that I'm losing more than .5 lb of fat a week, because I am also weight training at the same time. I just got to start hitting the cardio harder. No more soccer at the gym where I spend a lot of the time walking. I just got to be more aware of what I am eating.

    MFP seems to underestimate my calories eaten, and overestimate my calories burned. Exception: Name brand foods, such as Dannon Greek Yogurt. I really don't think a Western Omelet at a restaurant is only 350 calories. I've created a food category called, "Generic - Miscellaneous" where I plug in the number of calories I think MFP has underestimated. Also, I usually under-report the amount of exercise I do. An hour of Zumba? I put in 50 minutes. Sometimes I do half an hour on my exerbike and don't log it in at all. I'm feeling better than ever, exercising more and more strenuously, and best of, am losing weight! MFP is a great help, but it doesn't really know exactly how many calories you actually ate or burned. It's pretty generic. My "sedentary" exercise could be someone else's "intense" exercise.

    Use MFP as a tool and temper it with common sense. Good luck!
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
    Are you getting enough protein and fat? I notice I'm more sated when I do.
  • Shinwasha
    Shinwasha Posts: 32 Member
    Liftng4Lis wrote: »
    Are you getting enough protein and fat? I notice I'm more sated when I do.

    I'm not sure, I'm trying to get more protein but it's really hard to get a lot of protein as a college student. I'm starting to eat a lot of chicken.
  • samcou90
    samcou90 Posts: 43 Member
    Shinwasha iv the same problem.. its in my head im like craving chocolate allnthe time i could actually eat a full bag of chocolate peanuts, multipack of 3/4 kitkat chunkys or family size chocolate bar. Wouldnt blink twice at crisps or anything just chocolate and energy drinks. I honestly dunno how to control it other than send someone else to shop. Iv been like this even before myfitness pal! Annoying.. the only thing i could compare it with is a gamblers addiction, when they have money they have cravings and erges to go and spend it!

  • CoffeeNBooze
    CoffeeNBooze Posts: 966 Member
    You could try eating your food consciously at a slower pace. I find when I do this I tend to notice the taste and enjoy my food more. This can be hard to do but so worth it! Also, binges happen for me if I restrict too much, or tell myself I "can't have" a certain food. I think it's important not to do that unless you have a medical condition that says otherwise. Best of luck, I know binging during and after sucks!!!
  • totaldetermination
    totaldetermination Posts: 1,184 Member
    you could check out the binge eating support group:
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/726-binge-eating-support-group

    Good Luck !
  • elisabeisme
    elisabeisme Posts: 308 Member
    I am a binge eater too. Like you, I get the urge to eat, but it's not actual physical hunger. It's more of a want to put something in my mouth / chew something / feel food in my throat want.

    For me, it's been an "ah-ha" to figure out that the urge to binge feels different than actual hunger. That meant the nutrition solutions (eat more protein, balance cals, etc) don't work for me. I have to do a mental fix. I've identified that I binge when I'm avoiding something and when I'm tired, but most often from work and family frustrations. For me, the solution is another self-soothing activity: a bath, a workout, a manicure, engaging in one of my hobbies, playing with my cat, buying something online, or even organizing something in my house to make me feel in control.
  • kateangel2312
    kateangel2312 Posts: 242 Member
    I'm really suffering with binge eating, just the past few months. Feel like I'm stuck in a big hole and I can't escape. I eat to the point of being uncomfortably full :'(
  • kateangel2312
    kateangel2312 Posts: 242 Member
    uvi5 wrote: »
    PoisonIvy088 wrote: »
    Mm. I don't know if this will help you. Its a bit wacky. But a while ago I started setting alarms on my phone for meal and snack times to keep me from mindlessly eating. If the alarm hasn't gone off, I'm not allowed to eat and only allowed to drink water/coffee/tea. Its helped me.

    Hey that's clever. What a good idea. I so far (only 1.5 weeks in) have not had an issue with this, but if I start to I will remember this:)

    Great tip, I will try this
  • brookekato
    brookekato Posts: 6 Member
    I understand completely! I do the same thing. I had lost so much weight, and after the beginning of the year, I gained all of it back (all 15 pounds! plus some!). I'm always so upset and angry at myself but I always say "tomorrow is a new day" so I can just start fresh the next day.
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