Binge Eating Disorder

lewispwest

Hey everyone,

During 2014 I was really successful on MFP, lost 75lbs (from 264lbs in April) no problem as I had absolutely cut out all sweet things (cake/chocolate bars/fizzy drinks etc) and had no cravings for them.

Since christmas, when everyone brought in chocolate virtually every day, I've been struggling with my binge eating habits resurfacing, doing some really shameful things such as eating 3 whole 6-portion cheesecakes in a single day (on top of meals), not through choice but lack of control. There are more but I won't get into that.

I'm slowly getting a grip on myself again by cutting everything out but was wondering what others going through it had done to handle BED? I've made healthy snacks available to myself to eat when I do get urges but I still get that little voice that says "go get a cheesecake, you've earned it".

Thanks all.

TheLittleFangs

Hi. There are some groups on here if you search for them to support you in recovery. However this is just a forum and you need some medical support so please see a doctor

robyngrant739

Good luck to you

PearlAng

Good luck in your recovery. I too would recommend seeking professional help. It might be hard not to get frustrated with yourself, but I think you will be a lot happier when you can come to peace with yourself.

adamitri

I had to get professional help to get over my BED. It's like a monster that will never go away but I'm learning how to deal with it. First thing my Dr. told me was to stop using food as a reward.

lewispwest

@adamitri‌ So how did the professional help work if you don't mind me asking? Was it just discussing or did they give you proper mental exercises to do?

UnicornAmanda

There is a private overeaters anonymous group on mfp. You should check it out. Definitely dont ever hesitate to message me if you would like to talk about this. As you know BED consumed my life for over half my life and ive been in recovery for just over a year.

adamitri

It was more finding out why I was bingeing. The underlying cause of it. Noticing when I'm going on a binge and how to pull back. I used to think I was like a robot, tuning out during the binge until it was over. But now that I'm picking up the signs I defer to something else and step away from the food. So more like diversion tricks and noticing the signs.

lewispwest

@adamitri‌ See mine is that I start to feel that I can phase chocolate back in to my diet and then I lose control so easily and start shovelling it in like I used to. Took a good couple of weeks of promising myself I'd stop before I finally did, thanks to a cheesecake I had very late at night that made me feel incredibly ill and made me stop.

@amanda091990‌ I'll have a look, and thank you

adamitri

lewispwest wrote: »

@adamitri‌ See mine is that I start to feel that I can phase chocolate back in to my diet and then I lose control so easily and start shovelling it in like I used to. Took a good couple of weeks of promising myself I'd stop before I finally did, thanks to a cheesecake I had very late at night that made me feel incredibly ill and made me stop.

@amanda091990‌ I'll have a look, and thank you

I was like that for a long time. I used to eat about 20 - 30 clementines in a sitting. For me it didn't matter what the food was as long as it was going in me. There were days where I would bring a blanket with me and sit on the floor beside my fridge and just eat straight form there. Days where I would take stock from it and hoard it in my room so no one would notice the extent of my eating. That ill feeling was what made me stop too. Sometimes I would eat until I was so ill there was nothing left for me but to throw up. It's hard thing to solve really. Everyday is a fight not to binge, not to binge. And not to hate myself if I do.

Asher_Ethan

@adamitri Reading your posts and that describes me completely. Wow. Did you feel like the professional really helped you? I may have to go and see one. Thank you for your posts on here.

VintageMisery514

Someone else mentioned this, but for me, it was all about discovering what was causing the bingeing. I could eat nonstop, truly. I never felt full, I compared myself to a bottomless pit, and I was severely depressed, to the point of wanting to give up on life. I got professional help, and he really helped me out. He had me keep a very detailed journal about everything -- what I ate, when I ate it, where I was, how my day had gone, just every single boring detail. I hated it, I'm not going to lie. But it really helped me start to see patterns and what was causing me to feel like food was a drug that I needed, and then we dug deeper to work on those issues that were the root cause of it. That was several years ago, and I still struggle sometimes, but I'm much more in control.

Also, there's a GREAT Facebook group I highly recommend. It's completely private, so none of your friends will be able to see that you post there or even that you're a member of it. It's called "Binge Eating Disorder" and I think it's at around 3000+ members right now. I can't recommend that group enough, they're so helpful and awesome.

margolinville

lewispwest wrote: »

Hey everyone,

During 2014 I was really successful on MFP, lost 75lbs (from 264lbs in April) no problem as I had absolutely cut out all sweet things (cake/chocolate bars/fizzy drinks etc) and had no cravings for them.

Since christmas, when everyone brought in chocolate virtually every day, I've been struggling with my binge eating habits resurfacing, doing some really shameful things such as eating 3 whole 6-portion cheesecakes in a single day (on top of meals), not through choice but lack of control. There are more but I won't get into that.

I'm slowly getting a grip on myself again by cutting everything out but was wondering what others going through it had done to handle BED? I've made healthy snacks available to myself to eat when I do get urges but I still get that little voice that says "go get a cheesecake, you've earned it".

Thanks all.

Start reading about how your body works!
Get educated about kidneys, liver, pancreas..
Learn everything you can! Food is used by these organs and more! Know about you! This is you!
This is us!

dbmata

be a good idea to get pro help.

adamitri

Asher_Ethan wrote: »

@adamitri Reading your posts and that describes me completely. Wow. Did you feel like the professional really helped you? I may have to go and see one. Thank you for your posts on here.

Professional help is helping lol. Like others have said getting to know why you're bingeing is the first part. I was and sometimes still am severely depressed. It's a vicious cycle but I'm glad I talked to someone. Someone who doesn't judge me and seems to understand what's going on.

lewispwest

VintageMisery514 wrote: »

Also, there's a GREAT Facebook group I highly recommend. It's completely private, so none of your friends will be able to see that you post there or even that you're a member of it. It's called "Binge Eating Disorder" and I think it's at around 3000+ members right now. I can't recommend that group enough, they're so helpful and awesome.

Thanks, I'll look into it

lewispwest

dbmata wrote: »

be a good idea to get pro help.

I'm 12 days "sober" as it were, but the way I was talking to @cmfougere‌ about it earlier she was saying it's like an alcoholic with whiskey. I might never be able to have certain things again as it is a trigger, I have to learn to accept that, as miserable as that may be.

MolassesCoveredTurtle

Hi, Lewispwest. Only responding to your OP.

I am a self-diagnosed emotional eater. I have made great progress with my awareness of my attitudes towards food and eating by 1) Listening, relating to and practicing many of the concepts from the audiobook "Intuitive Eating" by Tribole and Resch and 2) Coming to the understanding that emotional overeating was a coping mechanism for me from childhood that I carried over into adulthood and what was once useful is now harmful. I see a cognitive therapist for my childhood issues. We don't focus specifically on the eating, as that is working itself out as I realize it is a symptom of my main issue.

I really cannot recommend the audiobook more highly. I think they also have a workbook but I cannot speak for that.

http://www.amazon.com/Intuitive-Eating-Practical-Yourself-Chronic/dp/1591796822/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1424795643&sr=8-5&keywords=intuitive+eating

I first listened to it 3.5 years ago and it's been a go to resource when I feel like continuing to build on progress I made.

Best to you!

~M.C. Turtle

Raynne413

lewispwest wrote: »

Hey everyone,

During 2014 I was really successful on MFP, lost 75lbs (from 264lbs in April) no problem as I had absolutely cut out all sweet things (cake/chocolate bars/fizzy drinks etc) and had no cravings for them.

Since christmas, when everyone brought in chocolate virtually every day, I've been struggling with my binge eating habits resurfacing, doing some really shameful things such as eating 3 whole 6-portion cheesecakes in a single day (on top of meals), not through choice but lack of control. There are more but I won't get into that.

I'm slowly getting a grip on myself again by cutting everything out but was wondering what others going through it had done to handle BED? I've made healthy snacks available to myself to eat when I do get urges but I still get that little voice that says "go get a cheesecake, you've earned it".

Thanks all.

For me, if I keep my fats up, don't work out too much, and get enough sleep, that really seems to help. I also have to make sure I am eating enough calories for my activity level. I tend to eat around 2000-2500 calories a day, with 35-40% fat.

tysbobo

I have the same issue with chocolate. I would start out with one serving and end up eating an entire box of Hershey s, chocolate covered nuts or fruit, etc. I would wake up the next morning, tell myself I lost control and will be on track today only to fall off the Wagon an hour later. What has helped me is paying attention to how my clothes feel and refusing to buy bigger sizes thus forcing me lose. I am I'm this journey with you. Remember, we can learn from the past but it is just that - the past. Time to start now with the future. Best of luck!!!

SamanthaJubilee

VintageMisery514 wrote: »

Someone else mentioned this, but for me, it was all about discovering what was causing the bingeing. I could eat nonstop, truly. I never felt full, I compared myself to a bottomless pit, and I was severely depressed, to the point of wanting to give up on life. I got professional help, and he really helped me out. He had me keep a very detailed journal about everything -- what I ate, when I ate it, where I was, how my day had gone, just every single boring detail. I hated it, I'm not going to lie. But it really helped me start to see patterns and what was causing me to feel like food was a drug that I needed, and then we dug deeper to work on those issues that were the root cause of it. That was several years ago, and I still struggle sometimes, but I'm much more in control.

Also, there's a GREAT Facebook group I highly recommend. It's completely private, so none of your friends will be able to see that you post there or even that you're a member of it. It's called "Binge Eating Disorder" and I think it's at around 3000+ members right now. I can't recommend that group enough, they're so helpful and awesome.

Thank you. I will check out that group.
I binge/stress eat when I start to get compliments on my efforts.
Being sexually abused and and such I have identified being "skinny" as a negative but I hate having so much fat. Therapy hasn't helped but I think that is because I haven't found someone who understands what I'm goings through.

dbmata

lewispwest wrote: »

dbmata wrote: »

be a good idea to get pro help.

I'm 12 days "sober" as it were, but the way I was talking to @cmfougere‌ about it earlier she was saying it's like an alcoholic with whiskey. I might never be able to have certain things again as it is a trigger, I have to learn to accept that, as miserable as that may be.

truth, but alcohol is something you can opt into and out of. Food is something we all have to intake.

I fall back to my original position, get some pro treatment if you can. It will serve you well long and short term.

maillemaker

What is the link to the facebook page on binge eating?

greenfirearm

I'm getting this way with cake again, but (and I don't know if this makes it better or worse) my binge eating tends to replace the 'real' eating. So, so far, today, I've felt depressed, done nothing, and ate a bag of squashies (these like little sweet things...) and a small white chocolate buttercream and strawberry cake to myself. As well as a litre of Ting!

Point is, I've not eaten anything else. But idk if that's bad or not considering I'm just denying myself proper food and proper nutrients. That also being said, I have no money to buy my own food and my boyfriend's parents are firstly boring and b) do not generally have anything more than bread, eggs and cheese in the house for me to eat (we do pay them room and board, you know, we're not just mooching).

lewispwest

maillemaker wrote: »

What is the link to the facebook page on binge eating?

https://www.facebook.com/groups/195815140540665/

lewispwest

tysbobo wrote: »

I have the same issue with chocolate. I would start out with one serving and end up eating an entire box of Hershey s, chocolate covered nuts or fruit, etc. I would wake up the next morning, tell myself I lost control and will be on track today only to fall off the Wagon an hour later. What has helped me is paying attention to how my clothes feel and refusing to buy bigger sizes thus forcing me lose. I am I'm this journey with you. Remember, we can learn from the past but it is just that - the past. Time to start now with the future. Best of luck!!!

Yeah, I must've said "I'm determined to stop" about a dozen times during the relapse period, it was only a particularly awful cheesecake I ate at 2am after a night out that stopped it once and for all.

But yeah, a stone made a huge difference to how my clothes felt and I've bought all new clothes for my new size so I will not go back to being big!

lewispwest

dbmata wrote: »

lewispwest wrote: »

dbmata wrote: »

be a good idea to get pro help.

I'm 12 days "sober" as it were, but the way I was talking to @cmfougere‌ about it earlier she was saying it's like an alcoholic with whiskey. I might never be able to have certain things again as it is a trigger, I have to learn to accept that, as miserable as that may be.

truth, but alcohol is something you can opt into and out of. Food is something we all have to intake.

I fall back to my original position, get some pro treatment if you can. It will serve you well long and short term.

I'll see if my insurance will cover it, thanks for the advice.

laurajo521

Therapy if you can afford it (or your insurance will pay for it, which it probably will). I find that my low dose of anti-depressants help as well, but you should discuss that with your doctor. OA helps too. It has taken several years of therapy, but for the most part, I have a healthy relationship with food these days.

laurajo521

SamanthaJubilee wrote: »

VintageMisery514 wrote: »

Someone else mentioned this, but for me, it was all about discovering what was causing the bingeing. I could eat nonstop, truly. I never felt full, I compared myself to a bottomless pit, and I was severely depressed, to the point of wanting to give up on life. I got professional help, and he really helped me out. He had me keep a very detailed journal about everything -- what I ate, when I ate it, where I was, how my day had gone, just every single boring detail. I hated it, I'm not going to lie. But it really helped me start to see patterns and what was causing me to feel like food was a drug that I needed, and then we dug deeper to work on those issues that were the root cause of it. That was several years ago, and I still struggle sometimes, but I'm much more in control.

Also, there's a GREAT Facebook group I highly recommend. It's completely private, so none of your friends will be able to see that you post there or even that you're a member of it. It's called "Binge Eating Disorder" and I think it's at around 3000+ members right now. I can't recommend that group enough, they're so helpful and awesome.

Thank you. I will check out that group.
I binge/stress eat when I start to get compliments on my efforts.
Being sexually abused and and such I have identified being "skinny" as a negative but I hate having so much fat. Therapy hasn't helped but I think that is because I haven't found someone who understands what I'm goings through.

Ask your insurance to recommend a therapist who works with people with eating disorders or other people in recovery. My therapist is awesome. She's even gone to meetings with me!

lewispwest

laurajo521 wrote: »

Therapy if you can afford it (or your insurance will pay for it, which it probably will). I find that my low dose of anti-depressants help as well, but you should discuss that with your doctor. OA helps too. It has taken several years of therapy, but for the most part, I have a healthy relationship with food these days.

I have actually been on citalopram since about a week before I started my diet in March so perhaps that has helped up until now. I will look into it though.

Slacker16

lewispwest wrote: »

(...) eating 3 whole 6-portion cheesecakes in a single day (on top of meals), not through choice but lack of control. There are more but I won't get into that. (...)

I think you need more help than an online forum or calorie tracker can provide.

You could open your diary if you want opinions on your diet, though.