Binge eating/over eating

jademarriott94

Can anyone help with how I can avoid binge eating or what I can do to learn to stop. I am trying to lose about a stone, eat very healthily then can't seem to get by a week with out at least one day of full on binge eating. I get so down about it because it eliminates all the hard work I do in the week.
Any advice? Xx

RuNaRoUnDaFiEld

By eating healthily all week do you mean cutting out the things you like? If so that could be the answer there.

I add my calories over a week and quite often have a day where I am well over my daily calories yet I''ll still be under for the week.

markiend

sounds like you are being overly restrictive. thinking of food (fuel) as good or bad doesn't help

No food is off limits, have a little of what you enjoy and start training your will power. You are going to need it just as badly when you reach your goal weight too

jademarriott94

Not majorly no. The thing I don't understand is I don't always binge on unhealthy things that I try not to have much of. Sometimes I can genuinely just eat way too much of the normal stuff day to day and end up well over maintainance for the week!

jademarriott94

Yeah I see where your coming from, it's just been going on for a long time now resulting in a load of weight gain. I suppose it's a habit I just need to learn to crack!

AnnaChanges

According to your stats you are already at a very healthy weight and trying to get to the lower end of bmi . That is what I tried to do last month and for the first time in over 400 days I binged. I binged 1-3 days a weeks for 4 weeks then I realized I shouldn't be losing more weight because to be able to get to a lower weight I have to deprive myself and eat very few calories so my body is responding by asking for so much more food the next day and the cycle continues. I realized I was eating few calories because I was constantly thinking about food and 1200 calories was just not enough for me and I had to eliminate food that I enjoy that just won't fit with those restricted calories. I decided to continue with my maintenance. Maybe your case is different but you are definitely eating less than you should that is why your body making up for that huge deficit.

breathebelievejen

My approach would almost be the opposite to the above advice. Personally, I find it's specific foods that trigger my binges and therefore I don't keep these foods in the house at all or I keep a one portion serving. For me, the trick to staying on track with this is to find several meal and snack options that don't include my trigger foods but that I still enjoy eating (and therefore I don't feel like I'm missing out or banning certain foods.. to me the punishment of being out of control by bingeing is worse than not having a few foods).

To stop myself from buying these trigger foods I also have to shop with a basic meal plan and shopping list and I usually shop online so that I'm not tempted by the look or smells of food. If I do go shopping in store, I don't go down the aisles where my trigger foods are.

I've also found it important to look at why I'm binge-eating and remedying those emotions or environments. For me it's usually numbing myself out watching TV, so I have reduced the time I spend watching TV or I chew gum/ drink tea to keep my mouth busy and keep my hands busy by drawing/ knitting etc.

I've also had to learn some self-soothing and distraction techniques to help me deal with my emotions without using food (google for distress tolerance or DBT skills- here are a few links:
http://www.getselfhelp.co.uk/distresstolerance.htm
http://www.dbtselfhelp.com/html/self-sooth.html
http://healthofmind.tumblr.com/post/22571448384/self-soothing-sensory-kit)

Another thing to consider is whether you're actually eating enough.. if you're restricting your calories too much the urge to binge can be even more overwhelming, especially if you're in a binge, starve cycle. Might be worth adding in a little extra calorie allowance (even if you choose to exercise to gain these extra cals).

I've found several books to be helpful (I've starred my faves):
On Eating- Susie Orbach
*Stop Bingeing!- Le Janogly
Eating Less, Say Goodbye To Overeating- Gillian Riley
*Overcoming Overeating- Jane Hirschmann and Carol Munter
When You Eat at the Refrigerator, Pull Up a Chair- Geneen Roth
*Making Peace With Food- Susan Kano
The Clinician's Guide to Getting Better Bit(e) by Bit(e)- Treasure & Schmidt
*The No Diet Diet: Do Something Different- Prof. Ben Fletcher, Dr. Karen Pine, Dr. Danny Penman

Hope some of this is helpful, mostly based on personal experience. Good luck!

jademarriott94

Thank you everyone for your advice. I will definitely have a look at the links and book recommendations.
I am not over weight in the slightest, i just am under the pressure of having a fit toned body as I am a dancer. It is expected of me to be the lower end of a healthy bmi and at the moment I am the top of healthy bmi.
I used to be 2 stone lighter and that was from majorly restricting calories which I try not to do any more. I'm more interested in the health of my body and what food fuel it properly so I can dance my best. BUT the one problem is still the binge eating.. Which I guess started years ago when I was restricting

cokefloat1

I don't think there's anything wrong with a binge every once in a while. I just counter it with exercise

worstcaster

Make sure you are drinking enough water. Sometimes hunger is actually thirst. Maybe consider a hobby like hiking or bird watching where it can get you out of the house and away from temptation.

Matt_Wild

Change your mindet.

At the moment you probably see the food as what you cannot have.

See the food as food you can have, but choose not to have because you have a goal in mind and wish to achieve it.

Restricting your view and thinking you cannot have anything, makes you want it more. Its normal human perception.

Once or twice a week, have a little of something you like - not because you deserve it, not because you've earned it, just you can have it and will have a little bit.

Simply a matter of perspective.

mistikal13

Up your cals a little at a time until you feel like you are not deprived. Also incorporate the foods that you love into your normal diet. Good luck!

ActiveApril

Even though I agree that you are at a healthy weight, I understand the desire to be at the lower end of the healthy BMI range for your dancing. I want the same thing for myself - another athlete and I were discussing this when our husbands countered that we were not overweight... She and I both agreed that no - we were not overweight. But for both her and myself athletic performance and presentation is better/easier when we are on the thinner side of average.
I agree with what others are saying... Drink a lot of water. Don't keep foods that you would typically overeat in the house, if you can avoid it. For those treats are in the house, portion them out into single serving containers. Make a plan (even if it's a general plan) for your meals and treats so that the treats don't feel so off limits and special. Keep a lot of fresh veg and fruits in the house so that it's easier to grab those instead of less nutritious options. Make sure you are eating enough so that your body doesn't panic. If a binge happens, don't think of it as 'bad' - it's just a behavior or a habit and you have the power to change it. Those links posted above also look helpful - I'm going to have to check those out myself.

melimomTARDIS

My binge eating is rooted in anxiety. Its a f*cked up coping mechanism, like smoking, or binge drinking. I try to color mandalas, do yoga, and journal. Other times I give in to the binge, and then dust myself off and try again at the very next meal.

I have also tried playing around with my macros, and I find eating more fat is helpful in preventing binges, which is tough because my natural inclination is to go for ultra-low fat eating. I conciously have to add fat in throughout the day.

I also find it helpful, and theraputic, to log my binges. If I cant remember what all I ate, I will quick add 2,000 calories under the title "binge". I may also include a note as to what triggered it that day.

ahoy_m8

I totally understand the reality of dancers needing to be lower in the BMI range. The things that prompt overeating for me (in order of severity):

1) 3+ hrs short on sleep-rarely happens but always overeat the following day (>gherlin+<leptin=hungry all day)
2) >2 glasses of wine in <2 hrs (lowers inhibition & blood sugar at the same time)
3) eating 1200 >5 days in a row

Thus, the easy things I would recommend are safeguarding sleep and avoiding alcohol. Finding the TDEE you can sustain while maintaining optimal dancing weight might be more difficult. FWIW, I would like to eat more than I do just about every day. I'm 50 and low BMI, so my TDEE is lower than I would prefer, but it's what I choose in order to maintain my preferred weight.

You look great. Best of luck!

jademarriott94

Thank you all for your support, really feeling positive about getting this sorted and back on track! All very helpful!!!

LadyTLaine

I have found that the best way is not to eliminate the desired foods. Eat anything that you want. (AS LONG AS NOT ALLERGIC) just do so in the correct increments. If you want some chocolate ok eat a small piece of a bar at different times throughout the day or over a few days. Smaller amounts of some foods and greater amounts of other foods in addition to exercise is a great way to loose weight.

dopeysmelly

I've been finding it helpful to think about what the causes of my bingeing are.

For me, it's never about food, it's just my brain trying to search for calm and release when I'm really stressed and, usually, tired. If it wasn't food, it would be alcohol or something else like smoking. The food just happens to be there, and really, like OP, it could be anything. High fat-high sugar combos seem to be what I naturally reach for, but I've binged on "healthy" things too.

I found it really helpful to write down how I felt before the binge, how I felt during and then after. By breaking it down, and writing it down in a non-judgmental way (almost like two doctors discussing medical symptoms) it has made such a huge difference at least to how I think about my bingeing - it's an unhealthy behavior in my case, nothing to do with restriction and everything to do with my mental state.

Next up is actually trying to stop!!

FatFreeFrolicking

Binge eating is an eating disorder and can only be treated by a professional. Seek psychiatric help from a therapist specializing in eating disorders (particularly binge eating, if possible). The problem is not food; the problem is your mind. Therapy will help that.

jademarriott94

I have definitely noticed that it happens when I'm not busy and home alone. I always try to keep busy when I'm not at college or work because I hate staying in the house as I worry that I will have a day or over eating..