Death by Binge Eating

cowgoo

Today I had a hectic day. Two hours in the car with two rescues and another two hours at the animal shelter. Before I knew it, it was 2:30 and I hadn't eaten lunch. I was starving. I didn't expect the transport to take as long as it had (the one dog literally jumped out the window) so I hadn't packed an emergency stash of almonds...and my Propel had gotten lost under dog and fur. So I thought to myself, I just did something awesome and I'm tired...I deserve a treat. What did I want my treat to be? Burger and french fries with a box of Milk Duds! What?! Background, last week Milk Duds sent me on a downward spiral. I started with Milk Duds, the ENTIRE box AND THEN ate 3 cookies AND I can't even remember what else. I laid on the floor stuffed and thinking, yep, I'm going to throw up. I RESISTED the urge to binge eat today. Which I'm proud of myself for. Per Jillian Michaels: It takes 4 weeks for you to notice a change in your body, 8 weeks for your friends to notice, and 12 weeks for the rest of the world to notice. I'm on day 2 or 3. If there's anyone out there struggling with temptation foods...let's motivate each other! I'm going to go 12 weeks without Milk Duds (I'm 50% sure that I can do it), I'm hoping everyday without a tempting food, the less I'll crave them by...I'm not sure how long it'll take. Please share with me if you have/are going through something like this, if you've been able to fight the cravings, please share with me how you did it. Thank you so much!

Chilli7777

If I'm late getting to a meal I remind myself that no matter what I choose I will feel satiated at the end of it. I sometimes buy a protein bar to tide me over then might have something small in the next half hr or so like a poached egg on wholemeal toast. I needed to change a bunch of habits and keep reminding myself of that.

RodaRose

When I am in a stressful period in which my food plan is not working, I make a point to eat more protein and fats and reduce carbs. During those times, I reduce fruit drastically.

joans1976

The first 2 weeks I was on MFP I struggled on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursday's. I knew why (work 2 jobs back to back and neither job allowed time to stand and eat the healthy salad with chicken and veggies I had so carefully packed-you can't eat salad in the car on your commute home if you're driving it) so I re-assessed my meal planning on those days. I also bought myself an actual GOOD lunch bag that truly kept foods cold and was sturdy. In my everyday bag (that I lug everywhere with me) I ALWAYS have pre-portioned almonds and protein bars. And water. That way if I'm stuck, I can eat those to make it until I can get to real food, usually at home. I have a 2 hour commute home, so at my second job, I pack a sandwich I can eat in the car on the way home OR after I punch out I heat one of my numerous pre-made burritos for 60 seconds, wrap it back up, throw it in my lunch bag and eat it during the commute. I didn't want to get stuck starving again, so Sunday's are my meal prep and I have things ready for T, W, Th chaos and I just grab them in the morning.
No one told me weight loss (for me) would require epic organizational skills.

Good luck!

Vonica17

I just finally managed to get out of my binge eating habits. My number one suggestion to people who binge eat sweets is to try and eat something like fruit or yogurt instead of that chocolate bar. I absolutely LOVE Activia's vanilla yogurt because it tastes like a treat (super sweet) but it's also only 100 calories for one of those little containers. It's also very filling. Another option is bananas, apples, or any of your favorite fruits. Yes fruits have a lot of sugar in them but it's fructose, which takes more time to digest than normal sugars and will make you feel fuller longer. Also there's way less sugar in apples than chocolate as well of course.

UnicornAmandaPanda

I also struggle. I have lost 60 lbs but I am struggling to stay on track to lose my last 20

judis100

I've been struggling with this too - am just now trying to get back on track after a summer of eating. My worst / binge eating is usually at night so I've been pushing myself to go out at night and that has helped. Last night I came home hot and hungry from a local fashion show (many talented teenage designers!) and ate a salad instead of a plate of my daughter's brownies. I felt great about that especially this morning! Still waiting to see results on the scale though.

JeromeBarry1

They make Milk Duds in a little package with 3 duds. Yummy. I eat the whole package. Just one.

jgnatca

You had me worried there for a moment. A box of milk duds is not anywhere near dying. A while back I put together a list of tips on how to halt a binge session.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/jgnatca/view/halting-a-binge-session-715131

Since you will have chaotic days, I think it would benefit you to prep your meals and have them pre-packaged and ready to go in the refrigerator. Also have healthy snacks you can grab and go like an apple or a protein bar. It is a little easier to resist temptation when you have a healthier option available.

Some days, though, no other food can replace what you crave. In those situations, it might be cheaper, calorie-wise, to have a small amount of what you crave right off, rather than eating a refrigerator's worth of fruit and veggies trying to forget the creamy sweetness of milk-duds.

Try eating your three duds as s-l-o-w-l-y as you can, savouring it all the way. Your brain registers the pleasure longer, for much fewer calories.

cowgoo

Thank you everyone for the suggestions. I'm going to have to search for the individual sized Milk Duds that only have 3 per box. I really like the idea of prepared meals... I've done that in the past and it was helpful. Thanks so much for taking the time to help me out!

aliem

I have always struggled with this. However, my triggers were pretty much anything that could be considered junk food. Big plates of nachos, tons of chicken wings, whole bags of chips, etc. I think once you start hitting some successes in terms of your goals (whether it is eating a healthful diet, losing X number of pounds, etc.) it gets a lot easier. I have been back on the wagon for a while now and the last two times I was faced with the option to binge, I did binge. However, I stopped myself partway through feeling very full, but not sick. So instead of having like 3,000 calories in one sitting, it was more like 1,500. I felt guilty about it, but it was also a huge success! I felt empowered and have not binged in like a month, even when I had the opportunity to binge! Regardless of my success, it is something I know I need to monitor for the rest of my life. Hopefully you find some successes of your own!

I also second the meal prep idea. Also, most of the time, binging is not because you are hungry, but because of some emotional issue you are dealing with. If you can pin point this what is really wrong and try to improve on it, it really helps!

Bonny132

I used to binge eat, if it was not nailed down I would eat it. Once I figured out my triggers, I was able to control it.

These days I have always something edible with me. A protein bar lives in my handbag. Nuts/seeds.
Celery.

Keeps me on the straight and narrow.

jonnucke

Bonny132 wrote: »

I used to binge eat, if it was not nailed down I would eat it. Once I figured out my triggers, I was able to control it.

These days I have always something edible with me. A protein bar lives in my handbag. Nuts/seeds.
Celery.

Keeps me on the straight and narrow.

How did you figure out your tiggers, because i find if its late at night i just dont stop snacking weather its healthy or not.

jgnatca

@jonnucke if late evening is when your willpower is exhausted, I'd say you are likely worn out from keeping control all day.

There are exercises to steadily build up your willpower. Like telling yourself you will wait ten minutes before having your treat. Use a timer if need be.

I also like the idea of drinking a full glass of water between measured portions of your treats.

You're not trying to hold back the entire river, but taking a few strokes upstream.

Bonny132

jonnucke wrote: »

Bonny132 wrote: »

I used to binge eat, if it was not nailed down I would eat it. Once I figured out my triggers, I was able to control it.

These days I have always something edible with me. A protein bar lives in my handbag. Nuts/seeds.
Celery.

Keeps me on the straight and narrow.

How did you figure out your tiggers, because i find if its late at night i just dont stop snacking weather its healthy or not.

It took some time and a lot of self examination. I had to be very truthful and honest to myself. Most of my binge eating was emotional. I ended up on happy pills for a while which allowed me to get back into control. It was not an easy journey, but now I know what to look for, I recognise the signs and feelings and have not binged for a couple of years. Do I feel like it at times? Hell yes I do! But I know why I feel this way and I am able to stop myself.

Now I deal with my feelings and go from there. It is still not easy, but I am coping well, and my pounds are melting off.