Stress bingeing- How do you avoid it?

irishdancer23

Hi everyone! I'm 21 years old and just starting my senior year of college. I've had a binge eating problem since high school, and it's only gotten worse since then. My biggest issue is bingeing when I'm stressed. If I ever don't want to do something that I know I need to do (like homework), I turn to food. I'm so busy this year with school, activities, and job interviews that I often tell myself that I don't have time to procrastinate or take a small break to relax. This always backfires, and I end up spending hours binge eating and then moping about what I've done. I've talked to a lot of fellow binge eaters with the same problem. Does anyone have a solution as to how to overcome this? I'm getting desperate!

callsitlikeiseeit

honestly, i would go talk to a therapist. they can help you identify triggers (even some you may not realize) and help you find solutions to reducing your stress levels or finding alternatives.

urloved33

yoga. yin yoga.

SueInAz

irishdancer23 wrote: »

Hi everyone! I'm 21 years old and just starting my senior year of college. I've had a binge eating problem since high school, and it's only gotten worse since then. My biggest issue is bingeing when I'm stressed. If I ever don't want to do something that I know I need to do (like homework), I turn to food. I'm so busy this year with school, activities, and job interviews that I often tell myself that I don't have time to procrastinate or take a small break to relax. This always backfires, and I end up spending hours binge eating and then moping about what I've done. I've talked to a lot of fellow binge eaters with the same problem. Does anyone have a solution as to how to overcome this? I'm getting desperate!

It sounds to me like you already know at least part of what you need to do... don't let your stress level get so bad that it triggers a binge. Take a few minutes to relax during study sessions, get up, take a short walk. Call a friend and set a timer for as long as you can spare to be away from your work. Or watch a half hour TV show and then get back at it. Make sure you're also getting enough sleep.

I work full time and take classes online, I get stress. I live with stress every day but I've learned to not let it get the best of me. Some stress is healthy but too much is not. It does terrible things to your body and hinders your weight loss. There has to be some balance, you'll figure that out eventually and you'll figure out your best way to handle it.

Until you get a handle on the stress that's causing the binges do things to ensure you can't binge. For example, if you don't have the foods to binge on in your apartment/dorm, you can't binge on them, right? Stop buying the foods you normally binge on and don't let yourself leave if you feel one coming on. Remind yourself how awful you're going to feel after, not to mention how much money you're wasting on food you don't really want or need.

WBB55

Stress do-other-coping-mechanisms instead. Food isn't love. Food isn't the solution. If you feel stressed and eating to cope, when you realize it stop in that moment, think about what triggered it and what your next thought was that led to eating. Imagine yourself doing something different next time.

Next time it happens, do the above again. And again. Until you catch yourself BEFORE you eat as a coping mechanism. Then go do the other thing you imagined yourself doing.

Some ideas:
-Hug someone you like to touch
-Call someone you like to talk to
-Make someone else smile
-Pet a domestic animal
-Go for a walk
-Breathe deeply 10 times
-Picture yourself in a happy place
-Make tea
-[insert your new coping mechanism here]

Bowsergirl

Therapy has really been helping me with my binge eating problems.
It took a couple tries to find a counselor that was the right fit for me, but now I wish I'd tried harder years ago.
You could also read up on the practice of Mindfulness.

blinky5454

I completely understand where you're coming from. I was always a binge eater when stressed (or depressed) and college really killed me. My senior year I gained more than 60 pounds just from stress eating. When I stepped on the scales and found myself over 300 lbs, I knew I had to change. You're a senior in college, stress is normal and pretty much unavoidable. It might help to see a therapist, but I found that preparing myself better for the bingeing was really helpful. Ever tried bingeing on vegetables? It sucks, but it works. When I mindlessly need to munch on something, carrot sticks have always been really helpful. I also started studying in the library or on campus or anywhere away from food and out of my dorm room. By putting myself in places where I didn't have a ton of food readily available, I was able to curb the bingeing. I also started making myself take exercise breaks during studying. Nothing insane, usually just a quick walk for some fresh air but it really helped. I was able to lose 100 pounds in about a year just by changing my behaviors. Good luck!

pstegman888

Your school will likely have counseling or referral services. I'm sure they see a lot of students who handle stress in various counterproductive ways. Please consider taking advantage of any available services to learn some coping mechanisms early in the school year, before things REALLY get stressful in your last semester.

ncboiler89

irishdancer23 wrote: »

Hi everyone! I'm 21 years old and just starting my senior year of college. I've had a binge eating problem since high school, and it's only gotten worse since then. My biggest issue is bingeing when I'm stressed. If I ever don't want to do something that I know I need to do (like homework), I turn to food. I'm so busy this year with school, activities, and job interviews that I often tell myself that I don't have time to procrastinate or take a small break to relax. This always backfires, and I end up spending hours binge eating and then moping about what I've done. I've talked to a lot of fellow binge eaters with the same problem. Does anyone have a solution as to how to overcome this? I'm getting desperate!

Get a boyfriend...or a girlfriend...or just don't do it.

PinkPixiexox

You know what I do when I want to over-eat? I come on here. Sometimes just sitting and reading other people's success stories or writing out advice to someone who is struggling can really help you remember why you are doing this and what is important in the long run. You've probably noticed I'm on here a lot - but I am losing weight and feeling a lot more content

Another thing you can do is find out what you enjoy doing that you can have access to in your home, for me - it's reading. I'm a huge book-aholic. I can happily get lost in a book for an hour and that definitely helps me forget my urges.

If these straight-forward ideas aren't helpful and you still have the urge to binge, I would suggest speaking to a doctor and seeing if they can help you address the problem. Having a healthy relationship with food will really make this process more sustainable and a lot more straightforward. Wishing you the best of luck

Orphia

irishdancer23 wrote: »

Hi everyone! I'm 21 years old and just starting my senior year of college. I've had a binge eating problem since high school, and it's only gotten worse since then. My biggest issue is bingeing when I'm stressed. If I ever don't want to do something that I know I need to do (like homework), I turn to food. I'm so busy this year with school, activities, and job interviews that I often tell myself that I don't have time to procrastinate or take a small break to relax. This always backfires, and I end up spending hours binge eating and then moping about what I've done. I've talked to a lot of fellow binge eaters with the same problem. Does anyone have a solution as to how to overcome this? I'm getting desperate!

Stop telling yourself not to relax. Treat yourself with respect. You deserve regular breaks doing nice things. Stop doing something that just makes you more stressed. Why would you give yourself permission to do something so stupid?! You need to stop regretting the bingeing AFTER you've done it, and instead hate the bingeing BEFORE you even consider it.

If you really can't do this on your own, you need therapy. Therapy is good. Don't be afraid or ashamed of it. It's a wonderful thing.