Binge eating help

veganxpizza

Hi all,
As I know there are already thousands of posts about this, I wanted to create my own personal post of my experience with BED and see if anyone has REAL ways that they overcame it (sorry, but not "drink water and the cravings go away take a walk " etc. because from the deep depths of BED, those things do not work. I feel I should add that I don't have money to see a professional to help and REALLY would like some advice from those that have recovered from BED and helped themselves overcome it. Most people eat a pint of ice cream and go, "wow I feel so bad, I binged last night " But when I binge, it is FAR worse than just a pint. I binge close to three nights a week and feel so out of control like i HAVE to eat or the feeling WILL NOT go away. No amount of water or walks or watching TV distracts me. My typical binge looks like this: A pint of ice cream, sometimes an entire big bag of doritos, a small personal size pizza with vegan ranch (I am vegan I might add but please, I get plenty of nutrients being vegan and I don't really want a lecture about that thank you), a bag of boca veggie chicken nuggets with tons of ranch and ketchup, like... the list goes on. And I just frantically find delicious things to shove in my face until I feel physically ill and like I am about to throw up/my stomach is about to explode. That is the only point in which I feel I can stop - when I get sick. This has been going on for years for me, and followed a couple of years in which I was anorexic/orthorexic and starved myself, and for the past 3/4 years following my anorexia recovery, I have not been able to shake BED. Thanks in advance for any support, tips, or advice.

srv524

You want me to help you with binge eating? Let's share.

In all seriousness...it's willpower. After a couple hours your cravings will go away and you'll be fine. I often do a 24hr water-only fast and after a few hours you're good.

veganxpizza

Yeah I know that when it comes down to it, that's the way to overcome it. It's just super hard to convince myself not to do it in the moment. Often time, the feeling will not go away at all until I've satisfied it.

veganxpizza

Can you explain the water fast? What do you mean by that? You do it after bingeing or do it to help with cravings?

veganxpizza

I'm just ready to get to the point where I don't even have the cravings at all anymore.

srv524

There are different types of fasts - water, juice, veggie, etc. I basically eat nothing and drink nothing but water for 24 hours. Most fasts are crap since your body already does a good job of filtering out toxins and breaking down foods.

Physically, I feel like this allows my body to play "catch up" and digest the food that's sitting in my stomach and then get a chance to rest the digestive process. There's actually research out there pairing fasting with chemotherapy and after a 3-4 days of fasting, your immune system goes through the roof because your body has free time to dedicate to other processes. But in a nutshell, your metabolism does slow down a bit. It also helps to reset your "appetite thermostat" (look it up). Your stomach doesn't shrink or stretch, that's a fallacy. What does change is the more you eat, the more your body THINKS it needs to get full. By fasting, you allow that to reset (OVER TIME) so that it realizes what it truly needs. Hunger cravings are rarely actual food cravings, they're more sugar/sweet cravings.

Mentally, it helps me manage cravings. Once you go a few hours without eating, your stomach settles down and cravings go away. So by managing this for 24 hours of not eating, a normal day of 2-3 hours without eating seems like nothing. It's also helped me build willpower because you realize the things you can accomplish if you mentally try.

Also, sometimes I do it after binging (like after the holiday season I did one, but I used to them 1x a week for a couple months) to let my stomach settle and get back to somewhat normal.

My 2 cents...

veganxpizza

Thanks! That's good advice.

diannethegeek

I would never, ever suggest a fast to help with BED. While I wasn't clinically diagnosed because mine never got that bad, my binges are similar to yours. Thousands of calories in a single sitting. Eating until I'm stuffed and then eating more even though I want to stop because I'm physically in pain. Using food as some kind of self-harm mechanism when I feel bad. In my personal experience, fasting would have made it a hundred times worse, and for many it's going to set up reward/punishment cycles that can devolve into deeper eating disorders.

I did seek therapy for mine, though I was already seeing someone to help with anxiety and depression issues at the time so it was easier for me. Everyone is individual. Some things that helped me were journaling or talking about my feelings around food and eating. Learning more about nutrition and getting rid of beliefs of good/bad foods or "blowing it" when I go off plan. And dealing with the emotional issues that were underlying the binge eating (for me, that was the aforementioned anxiety and depression).

Even if you can't pay for professional help, do see out a professional opinion. There are a lot of free resources on the internet these days and getting opinions from random internet strangers is likely to be counter-productive.

http://myfitnesspal.desk.com/customer/portal/articles/1575987-eating-disorder-resources

veganxpizza

Thank you so much!

veganxpizza

I really know so much about nutrition and health but my mental issues with food and having an unhealthy relationship still leads me to thoughts like "if I eat that, I will gain weight" and "well I already blew my eating for today, time to binge" even though my rational mind knows those things are not true or productive. I really want to just enjoy food without guilt and have a normal stopping point with each meal.

hortensehildegarde

there are vegan doritos? Hm. Learn something new every day!

But more on topic, I have not ever had a diagnosis and no idea if I had/have BED, but I definitely have had many a time where I never feel full and eat and eat and eat. Like the kind of eating where you go from drive-thru to drive-thru, eating the purchase as you go to the next stop then go home and eat some more. I have had many 3, 4, 5 thousand calorie plus eating sessions, and so on and so forth. There have also been a lot of times where when selecting what to eat I will pick the most calorie dense option available, because I am going to "get on track" soon so I'd better have one last hurrah.

I found for me the "I already blew it" type thinking (even though, like you I rationally know this is ridiculous) and the bingeing in general was just a form of self-harm, same as cutting, etc. When I take care of myself and feel mentally well, the desire to eat like that is so very different. I also find it important to keep a level of physical activity, not to distract from wanting to binge, but before I get to wanting to binge. The more active I keep the less the binge-y feelings take hold.

I know it's crazy because I can be totally fine and then the need to eat-all-the-foods can come out of nowhere, but I have learned that is also part a function of things like not regularly eating enough, hormone fluctuations, etc. When I know it's going to be a time where I seem to have insatiable hunger I try to allow myself more calories as my goal that day so I can still "meet goal", which mentally seems to help keep me on track.

Lastly I have learned that sometimes I am just going to feel like poop and that's ok. I don't have to feel positively all the time. Once I know I have eaten enough calories to fuel my body I just can sit in my feelings of crazy hunger and ride it out. Plenty of people manage to endure far worse. Eventually I'll have to fall asleep, after all.

JLG1986

Add me if you'd like - I struggle with this too. Might be nice to have someone to message when the urge strikes!

Not sure I have any magic solution...but something that helps me is being emotionally aware of the urge to binge and either writing down or saying out loud the things that are causing anxiety/boredom/fear (whatever situations/emotions that make you want to binge). For me, I'm usually worried about something and I'm "sedating" myself with food, but it's different for everyone.

And this might sound kooky, but sometimes if I know I've eaten my calories for the day, but I'm feeling an urge to binge, I sit down and ask my body what it wants...and I don't eat unless I feel a specific need for a certain food. I think sometimes that overwhelming urge is an un-targeted quest for a certain nutrient.

I don't want to sound like I have this thing totally under control...I think I'll always deal with bingeing and overeating...but I've made alot of changes in the past year, and feel so much more under control. Hope that's encouraging

veganxpizza

hortensehildegarde wrote: »

there are vegan doritos? Hm. Learn something new every day!

But more on topic, I have not ever had a diagnosis and no idea if I had/have BED, but I definitely have had many a time where I never feel full and eat and eat and eat. Like the kind of eating where you go from drive-thru to drive-thru, eating the purchase as you go to the next stop then go home and eat some more. I have had many 3, 4, 5 thousand calorie plus eating sessions, and so on and so forth. There have also been a lot of times where when selecting what to eat I will pick the most calorie dense option available, because I am going to "get on track" soon so I'd better have one last hurrah.

I found for me the "I already blew it" type thinking (even though, like you I rationally know this is ridiculous) and the bingeing in general was just a form of self-harm, same as cutting, etc. When I take care of myself and feel mentally well, the desire to eat like that is so very different. I also find it important to keep a level of physical activity, not to distract from wanting to binge, but before I get to wanting to binge. The more active I keep the less the binge-y feelings take hold.

I know it's crazy because I can be totally fine and then the need to eat-all-the-foods can come out of nowhere, but I have learned that is also part a function of things like not regularly eating enough, hormone fluctuations, etc. When I know it's going to be a time where I seem to have insatiable hunger I try to allow myself more calories as my goal that day so I can still "meet goal", which mentally seems to help keep me on track.

Lastly I have learned that sometimes I am just going to feel like poop and that's ok. I don't have to feel positively all the time. Once I know I have eaten enough calories to fuel my body I just can sit in my feelings of crazy hunger and ride it out. Plenty of people manage to endure far worse. Eventually I'll have to fall asleep, after all.

Yes! Spicy sweet chili doritos are vegan and SOOO good.
But thank you, that all makes total sense.

veganxpizza

JLG1986 wrote: »

Add me if you'd like - I struggle with this too. Might be nice to have someone to message when the urge strikes!

Not sure I have any magic solution...but something that helps me is being emotionally aware of the urge to binge and either writing down or saying out loud the things that are causing anxiety/boredom/fear (whatever situations/emotions that make you want to binge). For me, I'm usually worried about something and I'm "sedating" myself with food, but it's different for everyone.

And this might sound kooky, but sometimes if I know I've eaten my calories for the day, but I'm feeling an urge to binge, I sit down and ask my body what it wants...and I don't eat unless I feel a specific need for a certain food. I think sometimes that overwhelming urge is an un-targeted quest for a certain nutrient.

I don't want to sound like I have this thing totally under control...I think I'll always deal with bingeing and overeating...but I've made alot of changes in the past year, and feel so much more under control. Hope that's encouraging

Thank you! Very encouraging!

fiddletime

If I just don't eat the first one, I usually don't eat the following twenty. Saturday I was at an event and they had s big box of fancy chocolate covered cookies. I ate one. By the time I was done I'd inhaled 20. Last night I was at an event and ate my first donut in over s decade, and 900 calories worth of cheese puffs.

Both times I was out. I am working on not eating the first one, if I'm not hungry. I'm eating bigger meals and regular snacks. I can be full and binge, but it seems that I often won't start when I'm full. It's a constant battle but by keeping the yummy foods out of the house, I've made progress. I never binge on meat, just carbs.

veganxpizza

Carbs are life i feel you

FlabFlexFit

I was diagnosed with BED in April 2015. I was hiding fast food wrappers in the neighbors garbage cans so my husband wouldn't see them, eating thousands of calories in 30 minutes. It was disgusting and it was so embarrassing when I finally had to admit it to everyone. I did go to the doctor and she eventually came to the conclusion that I was REALLY depressed and that is what caused the bingeing. I was in denial at first but then realized that she was right. I had gotten down to my lowest weight in years in January 2015 but then realized that I still wasn't happy being "skinny". My friends were losing weight and happy but I wasn't. My husband got a new job that sucked and my life just fell apart. That's when the bingeing started. I've always had an overeating problem but it got really out of control. Once I got on antidepressants, the bingeing kind of stopped BUT I gained 20lbs on the meds in just a few months. The carb cravings were REAL. All I wanted was french bread with butter. So good but so bad too. I had to take a break from food for awhile. Just focus on making me better emotionally. That's my story. Drinking water didn't help. But what did help was this 1) not being alone at night, (I was always alone when I binged) 2) setting goals one day at a time (1 day binge free, 3 days binge free, 5 days binge free etc) 3) Like previous posters mentioned, willpower. Say no when you really want to say yes. Don't make excuses for yourself. 4) Get a new hobby. Something that will distract you and keep you busy... Those are things that helped me. I know what you're going through. Hang in there. You can beat this!

veganxpizza

FlabFlexFit wrote: »

I was diagnosed with BED in April 2015. I was hiding fast food wrappers in the neighbors garbage cans so my husband wouldn't see them, eating thousands of calories in 30 minutes. It was disgusting and it was so embarrassing when I finally had to admit it to everyone. I did go to the doctor and she eventually came to the conclusion that I was REALLY depressed and that is what caused the bingeing. I was in denial at first but then realized that she was right. I had gotten down to my lowest weight in years in January 2015 but then realized that I still wasn't happy being "skinny". My friends were losing weight and happy but I wasn't. My husband got a new job that sucked and my life just fell apart. That's when the bingeing started. I've always had an overeating problem but it got really out of control. Once I got on antidepressants, the bingeing kind of stopped BUT I gained 20lbs on the meds in just a few months. The carb cravings were REAL. All I wanted was french bread with butter. So good but so bad too. I had to take a break from food for awhile. Just focus on making me better emotionally. That's my story. Drinking water didn't help. But what did help was this 1) not being alone at night, (I was always alone when I binged) 2) setting goals one day at a time (1 day binge free, 3 days binge free, 5 days binge free etc) 3) Like previous posters mentioned, willpower. Say no when you really want to say yes. Don't make excuses for yourself. 4) Get a new hobby. Something that will distract you and keep you busy... Those are things that helped me. I know what you're going through. Hang in there. You can beat this!

This is very inspirational! You've come a long way! Thank you.

GogoGirlBA

I've developed BED after juice fast several times, so I don't recommend fasting to curb the cravings unless you have strong willpower. I am also a vegan and have stayed on it for 4+ yrs. After finding out my BED problem, I stop buying "junk" food. If those foods are not surrounding me, I am fine. I start to store low calories fruits and veggies just in case I want to dig something out of my fridge (usually at night after dinner). Also, I drink green tea and find it is better than water to curb cravings.

SaraAhmad117

I never really considered whether or not I had an issue with binge eating until recently. When I think about it, throughout high school I was sort of a loner. I would come home from school and while my brother was out skateboarding or practicing drums, I would grab a snack and sit down in front of the TV. A sandwich would turn into a sandwich and a large bag of chips. When the chips disappeared I would be craving something sweet and end up eating almost an entire box of cookies or half a carton of ice cream. Then I would make macaroni and cheese and eat the entire box. Then my mom would come home or my brother would get hungry, and since no one saw me eat all that food, I would have a big dinner too. And dessert. It seemed like no matter how much I ate I was never full or satisfied. I would never eat a lot in front of other people though.

When I finally started working out in my 20's and got my diet together, I would give myself 1-2 "cheat days" throughout the week. I thought this was a normal thing, and for many people it is. Except their "cheat days" consist of eating a different dinner or having a couple of drinks. I would go to the grocery store and buy EVERYTHING I had wanted to eat throughout the week. Lots of bread, cheese, meats, chocolates- anything. I would order Chinese food and/or pizza and eat the entire pizza or enough Chinese food to feed three to four people. I would stay home alone and enjoy it all. I didn't pay attention to the calories, but I'm positive it had to be around 4,000-5,000 a day easily. It didn't matter much to me because I would just get back on my diet and workout after the weekend.

Now I'm living in India, in a different culture, working from home for the first time and without a gym membership for the first time since about 2006. I gained back 30 lbs that I had lost before moving here a year ago, and I'm really reflecting on my eating habits because I don't have the option to go and burn off 1,000+ calories at the gym everyday. I've been back on my healthy eating routine for 17 days. In the last 17 days I really slipped up bad once. I wanted to "relax" after over a week of doing well. I ordered a medium pizza and asked my husband to get me a box of chocolate marshmallow pies (6 total in a box). I thought I would just have a few slices and a pie, but I ate the entire pizza in a couple of hours, and finished all six pies. Then my husband ordered his dinner out and I ate a plate of his mutton biryani (greasy Indian rice with meat). I would have eaten two spring rolls too and a chocolate bar but (thank God) the restaurant was out of rolls and I didn't have any chocolate left in the apartment. I woke up the next day and was going to just ignore it, but I thought it would help to see the damage I had done, so I logged all of the food. It was nearly 5,000 calories. That was kind of a wake up call. I think I may actually have this problem. Since that day, I've had just one other little slip which was no where near as bad, but still I could have avoided it. I ate three pieces of fried chicken with cheese, 5 vegetable momos (steamed dumplings), and two scoops of chocolate brownie ice cream for lunch, knowing full well that I had to go to a birthday dinner party where there was a LOT of fried food later that night. I guess it was almost as bad- I consumed more than two days' worth of calories in one. The next day I wanted a pizza so bad, but I just sat on the MFP forums all afternoon and distracted myself by reading what other people are going through in their weight loss, diet, and exercise struggles. It helped.

My main motivation not to binge right now is that I know I won't ever work out as hard at home as I would in the gym. I guess I don't really have any advice for you that you haven't heard before, but for me, seeing that so many other people face these issues and are struggling with them too is inspirational in its own way, and hopefully reading my very long story helps you by just knowing there's another person out there facing the same kind of problems.

toe1226

A few things,

I wholly support veganism- especially if it is for political / ethical reasons, and if that is your reasoning - more power to you, but I will also state

- one of the most helpful things in eliminating binge eating for me, was stopping the demonization of any food, food group, or food type. NO BAD FOODS, ONLY BAD FEELINGS. that was HUGE!
- I can eat chocolate every day, ice cream every day, just portions of them. No food on this planet all by itself can make me fat or less worthy of a human being!
- Not undereating. You can still lose weight without undereating, and it won't leave you starving and desperate.
- Realizing that I was quite literally, killing myself. I got to the point where my heart would be bumping, I couldn't leave bed, it was not how I wanted to go.
- Cognitive behavioral therapy.
- Recognizing that every moment is your new moment. It's not all or nothing.

And finally, I really did love this blog post:

http://www.andiemitchell.com/2014/11/05/how-to-recover-from-binge-eating/#more-13213