Binge Eating - How do you stop yourself?

James13411

So I'm sure there are many others who struggle with binge eating just as I do too. Thankfully I've been able to resist so far since starting my new diet but as many of you understand, it's never far from your mind. I have recently read a blog though and took some tips on board to help prevent binge eating. I figured this discussion would be a good opportunity for people to share tips on how to avoid a binge eating session so if you do have any please share them below. For me my biggest tips are:

1. Avoid sweet stuff except fruit (meaning no diet soda also)
2. When feeling the urge to binge, find something else to do (for me the urge to binge will usually last upto an hour, sometimes longer but it passes if I resist for long enough)
3. Just don't binge - I know this is what were struggling with but the longer you go without it the easier it will become to resist temptation. For me everytime I've had an urge to binge eat I keep telling myself "just don't" and to my surprise it's working.
4. Don't be too strict on your diet, you still want to eat food you enjoy (the more boring and restrictive your diet is the harder it's going to be to resist and reduce the frequency of those cravings)

Share some of your tips below and hopefully this can be of great help to those struggling with binge eating.

divcara

Don't keep the foods you are most likely to binge on around the house. If you resist it in the grocery store, you only have to resist it once. If you bring it home, you have to use a whole lot of willpower up trying to resist.

I used to order in delivery a lot and that was bad because I didn't even have to leave my apartment to overeat. Now I don't keep those things around and it's way too much work if I need to go drive somewhere to get it.

I eat pretty well now, but the biggest thing that has helped me is not having things around that I will destroy. If you really want a cookie, stop at a bakery and get 1 cookie. Not bring home a whole bag.

It also helped me when I realized so much of what I was eating wasn't even that good, I was just craving sugar. Most treats don't taste nearly as amazing as I projected them to be. Especially after cutting sugar from my diet, now much of those same things now actually taste pretty artificial and are not that appealing to me. Now I save my treats for something that's really worth it - not fast food or boxed processed food for that quick boost and crash that always followed.

diannethegeek

The only thing that helped me with binge eating was therapy to help get to the root of the problem.

webyj

I had managed to avoid a binge for almost 3 months, until today.
So disappointing but one binge doesn't negate 3 months of healthy clean eating.
I'm trying to figure out what went wrong, why I wasn't able to resist this time. Only thing I can figure out is my meals for the past few days up to the binge were heavy in veggies as I was tying to shift away from protein a bit. Perhaps that wasn't such a great idea.
Oh well, back at it again tomorrow.

Shana67

leaninsc wrote: »

Don't keep the foods you are most likely to binge on around the house. If you resist it in the grocery store, you only have to resist it once. If you bring it home, you have to use a whole lot of willpower up trying to resist.

This, exactly. I love ice cream with a great, big passion. Therefore, it never comes into my house. The same with Cheetos, Parmesan cheese, and Cheese-Its. Don't bring it in the house, and you cannot binge on it

amy_kee

The one thing that helps me is staying busier. The busier I am, the better I eat. When I'm busy, I still cook all my food at home though.

FSLSBSmfp

What helps me has been mostly covered but:

1. Avoid purchasing junk foods (that you're likely to binge on) when grocery shopping.
2. Plan higher calorie days (based around training) where I buy enough junk food to last that one day of planned overeating.
3. In the past (but not right now) I have also used intermittent fasting (16hr fasting / 8hr eating), which helped prevent binge eating.

leanjogreen18

I think it helps some to identify if you binge because you are denying yourself certain foods or if you have certain foods that trigger your binge. At least it did for me, that way you have a plan of attack.

Not bringing them in the house is a good tip for both. If it's denial of certain foods have them only when you go out to eat.

The other thing that works for me is making up my mind that this is how I have to eat (lower calories) to feel good mentally, physically and emotionally.

Also staying full by eating protein, fiber, fat and drinking water with your meals will help, at least it does me.

Thing is forgive yourself and get back on track.

ninjali9779

As johunt615 said, FORGIVE YOURSELF. Eating healthy is hard and expensive. We slip up every now and again. That being said...

Again, keep typical binge foods out of the house. If it's a certain texture you're craving (i.e. Chips), try eating something with crunch like pumpkin seeds or celery. If it's a sweet tooth craving, find some dried/fresh fruit. If it's a really rich flavor you're craving, put some peanut butter with celery or an apple (just try not to overdo it with peanut butter).

When you feel the urge to eat during an atypical meal time, pause and try to ask yourself this: "Are you so hungry, you would wash and dry some lettuce, bake or grill some meat and/or vegetables, cut some tomatoes, and make a salad?" If that sounds like too much work or you realize that healthy food doesn't sound good, you might just be bored or trying to fill some void instead of actually eating.

For me, I tend to "eat my feelings." Bored? Eat. Lonely? Eat. Sad? Eat. Happy? Eat. Whenever I start reaching for the ice cream (that I'll mindlessly eat, past the point where I even taste it even more- I just can't stop), I have to be patient with myself and really evaluate if I'm actually eating because I'm hungry. The constant policing feels like a lot to start; but I've found that it's not a punishment to pause and ask myself if I'm just eating to eat. Now I can mostly eat in moderation, and actually enjoy my meals instead of obsessing over how much I'll have to work out to compensate for a certain meal, or worry about how awful I'll feel after eating so much.

Food is a beautiful thing. Meals are important for our social lives and wellbeing. It's comforting to share food with others and ENJOY what were putting into our bodies. Eating healthy is NOT a form of punishment, nor is working out. Rather, it's a way to honor your body. Good luck, you guys. ☺️

yourafsana

I binge but don't realize it till after... and usually at night... I don't know what my trigger is. I have found myself binging on even healthy foods. I know that sounds strange why complain abt excessively eating healthy foods but those binge sessions are worth around 1000 calories doesn't matter healthy or unhealthy it's an extreme amnt of calories in one setting. I have been doing well for the past few days

divcara

Having prepped better choice options around helps too. If I come in the house starving and there is nothing around that I can just "grab" - of course I am going to go for the oh so tempting jar of peanut butter that I can just stick a spoon in and eat right out of a jar, or a box of cookies, or even protein bars. If I have a prepped meal ready to go or just heat up, then it's a lot easier to make the healthier choice in that moment of hunger and weakness.

cornysmall

Bright line eating finally got my binges under control. I've lost 48.8lbs so far and completely understand the science behind the way the brain works with different foods. I took this quiz
https://rq263.isrefer.com/go/blaff16quiz/corny
Then followed the free video series starting with this one titled "don't make this one huge mistake"
https://rq263.isrefer.com/go/blaff16v2/corny

StealthHealth

I''m no expert in this but my experience is that there are 2 types of bingers. Those that binge emotionally and those that binge because of heavy restriction.

I was the latter and reading "Brain Over Binge" by Kathryn Hansen helped me immensely in understanding my binge eating and (surprisingly quickly) stopping it. If you feel that you are this type of binge eater I would highly recommend it.

Emotional binge eating disorder, seems to me to be a whole different animal and I suspect that, for those with this type of BED, self help is not going to cut it and getting to the root of the emotional side would be the best method.

25lbsorbust

My biggest trick to stop myself is, if you ever have that short, hesitant moment while eating of "I shouldn't do this" or "Why am I eating this, it'll just take me off track?" I destroy the food.

Sometimes I'll pour coffee, water, or energy drink on it if I'm at my desk and throw it away, sometimes I'll just throw it in the trash on my way into the office (works well if I go to pick up, say, a bag of candy because I'm having a rough day), or I'll otherwise make it totally unappetizing or in a position where I can't get to it anymore. It only takes a few seconds of clarity to stop an emotional mind from making a mistake, and you come out of it prouder and with less damage done.

gotWeightLoss

StealthHealth wrote: »

I''m no expert in this but my experience is that there are 2 types of bingers. Those that binge emotionally and those that binge because of heavy restriction.

Is there another catagory for just having no self control?

StealthHealth

gotWeightLoss wrote: »

StealthHealth wrote: »

I''m no expert in this but my experience is that there are 2 types of bingers. Those that binge emotionally and those that binge because of heavy restriction.

Is there another catagory for just having no self control?

The categories I mentioned are not medically recognized, but rather my interpretation.

I would point out that I read several opinion pieces (and it's my feeling also) that those that binge because of heavy restriction tend to be highly (possibly higher than normal) levels of self control with respect to diet and fitness and it is eating restricted foods, with large calorie deficit, for long periods that - having "all or nothing" mentality, which can drive a person into a binge - restrict - binge -restrict cycle.

SoDamnHungry

Log as you eat it. If I actually do that it'll stop most of the damage.

b1gwillystyle

Intermittent fasting has helped me tremendously and I'm seeing really good results. I'm a binge eater myself and can easily hit 6-7,000 calories on a splurge day. With IF, it forces me to get my calories in an 8 hr period. (I'm doing 16:8 and staying around 1700-1800 calories) it almost kind of satisfies that binge eater in me. However, I space out my calories during the 8 hours and just after a week or two I wasnt even able to eat like I used to because I was full so quickly. I'm not a breakfast eater and I tend to do morning workouts on a deficit anyways. Not eating until 10 AM is not hard for me. I stop eating at 6 PM. I used to have really bad cravings at night and IF has helped that a lot. I make sure I drink plenty of water and maybe a little tea before bed...and I don't stay up late. Gotta have sleep.

byoung8433

yourafsana wrote: »

I binge but don't realize it till after... and usually at night... I don't know what my trigger is. I have found myself binging on even healthy foods. I know that sounds strange why complain abt excessively eating healthy foods but those binge sessions are worth around 1000 calories doesn't matter healthy or unhealthy it's an extreme amnt of calories in one setting. I have been doing well for the past few days

Same. Always after work and about 700-800

webyj

I am definitely in the over restrictive category. Probably why it happened yesterday. Today I made sure I hit my protein and fiber goals and I have no desire for food right now.

Lesson learned.

jahillegas_51

The following are the exact steps I used to end the cycle. I still use these to this day if I feel the urge to binge.

1. First, I needed to admit there was a problem.

For three going on four years, I blamed my drive and my dreams for my actions. Ignoring people in my life hinting at me that I may have a problem, including family, close friends, and my
girlfriend. I lied to myself, rationalizing it with the mask of a cheat meal.

As the punishment for binging increased, so did the amount of times I binged. At first it was once a week, then every couple days. Soon it was every other day, until it consumed my thoughts at all times. There were instances where I would drive to Walmart just to eat all the food I could before coming home. Chances are if you are reading this it is because you are looking for help. Good for you! You are already lightyears ahead of where I was!

2. I learned to love myself for me, and to be honest, I am still learning how to do this.

Today, the emulated physique is seen as happiness. It is published on social media, magazines,
and posters as the symbol of happiness. I believed it and I chased and chased it. I had it for some
time and I was still just as miserable. How you look will not make you happy! Now don’t twist those words as an excuse to just let yourself become overweight. We have to learn to accept our imperfections. We all have them and everyone tries to hide them. Here are my flaws (some I can fix, others are what they are):
Relationships: I am awful. I wrecked a 15 year friendship with a high school sweetheart. I was selfish and an *kitten*. I can also be abrasive and brutal with little to no compassion. However since I have shared this personal story, I have gotten better. Although I am by no means finished working on this.
Skin Damage: I never wore sunscreen as a kid. Now I have moles, freckles, and scars. Some I
wish weren’t there. Some girls won’t even talk to me because of them. I am not “sexy” enough. They aren’t “interested”.

Don’t let your imperfections stop you from loving yourself. You are the only you this world will ever see so embrace yourself.

Perhaps the worst thing about this cycle was I hated myself, I hated my life and I didn’t even want to look in the mirror. I thought I was a failure and that I would never make it. I even contemplated suicide. When I would binge, I would punish myself.

Avoid this. Remember life is meant to be enjoyed. Life is much too short to never treat yourself to what you love to eat despite whether it’s ‘good for you’. Look yourself in the mirror and say “I LOVE myself” at least 10 times a day, if not more. P.S. try not to smile when you say this (harder than you think).

3. Thirdly, there is no such thing as good food, bad food.

Placing labels on food, leads us to ban them from our intake. We say, “No, No, No, No, No…” We push for the perfect diet and once we eat this food that does not fall into this neat diet box, we throw our hands up saying we failed so now is the time to eat everything we can.

This leads to punishment, which then leads to more restrictions. This is the vicious cycle we as binge eaters face. I used to believe it myself - that there was clean food and bad food. It simply is this manifested idea. If you ask a vegan, he/she will say animal based foods are not clean. Someone who is a vegetarian will disagree and say it is just animal products that are not clean. Then a paleo guy runs in screaming about how meat is clean, but grains aren’t.

Adopt my grandmother’s wise old adage of “everything in moderation.” This brings me to my next point…

4. Always practice moderation.

You can eat whatever you want, just not all at once. I believe I heard Layne Norton say this – it’s like the 11th commandment. When I first began to escape cycle, I would eat one “treat” at every meal. Nothing crazy, but this allowed me to still get my “fix” so I wouldn’t binge.

Any action in the right direction gave me more motivation and encouragement to keep improving. The small wins kept snowballing into large victories later that slammed the door on binging. Disclaimer, it is wiser to eat this food item from a plate than from the container. Don’t test your will to fight binging if you do not have too. As the old saying goes, “work smarter, not harder.”

5. No more crazy spreadsheets and tracking of nutrients line item by line item like an accountant.

I did not worry about counting calories and the works. I would instead eat three meals - breakfast, lunch and supper, possibly a snack if I was hungry. I would eat slowly, and as I began to feel fuller I would stop eating. You may be like me and scared that you’ll get fat. Well what is your other choice? You can keep binge eating, which is not working because you wouldn’t be reading this right now if it was. Or you can reach out and try something new.

6. Remember that you do not need the scale to help you.

It’s about small wins, and trust me, they add up. Most people overestimate the damage of a binge. You need to eat in excess of 3500 calories over your normal intake to gain a pound of fat. It is not as bad as we create in our minds. Additionally, when we stand on the scale after a binge, our body is bloated, full of food, sodium, and other goodies. This only compounds the guilt feeling.

7. Learn to enjoy social eating.

What about eating at restaurants and parties? Parties were my kryptonite. The amount of food that I saw while feeling I needed to eat enough to feed three people – it was as stressful as it gets.

What helped me to win at parties was I made this a game in my head (who cares no one else knows..). I am very competitive; I hate losing even if it’s go fish with a girlfriend. Since eating slower and not getting seconds was a struggle at first, the game I created was to be the last one done eating and the last one to get seconds.

This helped me in many ways. First it helped me eat slower as I talked with people and this helped to repair the relationships I had damaged in the past. Next, I was not over eating any longer. Often I had waited so long, I now realized I was actually full. Earlier, I’d have eaten so quickly it wouldn’t register in my brain.


8. Workout for fun!

For so long in this process I trained for results, never for goals. I simply worked out to look good
- that’s it! It was the complete wrong direction. It made training no fun and I dreaded every gym session. It doesn’t matter if you are into bodybuilding, figure, physique, cross fit, powerlifting, strongman, marathons, etc. Just train for fun. Train to get better and challenge yourself. For me this was powerlifting.

greena

What helped me to win at parties was I made this a game in my head (who cares no one else knows..). I am very competitive; I hate losing even if it’s go fish with a girlfriend. Since eating slower and not getting seconds was a struggle at first, the game I created was to be the last one done eating and the last one to get seconds.

This helped me in many ways. First it helped me eat slower as I talked with people and this helped to repair the relationships I had damaged in the past. Next, I was not over eating any longer. Often I had waited so long, I now realized I was actually full. Earlier, I’d have eaten so quickly it wouldn’t register in my brain.

I LOVE this! I'm totally stealing this idea! :-)

I have a problem with binge eating as well - I'm just taking it one day at a time. First read "The Beck Diet Solution" - tons of great tips, like NEVER eat standing up, drinking water before meals, mindful eating. But most of all, strengthen your "resistance muscle" and you WILL improve your ability to resist treats.

And then what everyone else said, eat enough protein, etc. I find that a cup of herbal tea after dinner helps break the binge cycle - I need a mental "treat" to look forward to and that works for me.

lmlidke

I was a binge eater in my teens. Obsessed with every little piece of food that went into my mouth. Looking back now I realize I had an all or nothing kind of attitude when it came to diet, meaning I either executed my diet perfectly or binged. Once I had my own kitchen and had full control over what came into it, it made such a difference. If you know cookies, ice cream or even bread tempt you to binge, don't have those things in the house. If I get to a point where I want a doughnut or an ice cream as a treat I'll go out and buy a single serving to enjoy, but I know for me, I can't have those things in the house. Also, just staying busy helps. I was pretty seditary when I was younger, but little by little finding things that I enjoyed that involved being active and busy has really helped me not to be so obsessed with food.

walkdmc

Therapy, getting enough sleep, structure in my day and not thinking of any foods as off limits.

RunawayCurves

I am a rock bottom severe case. For me binge eating is only ever under control when I have clear boundaries and I accept the absolute need to respect those boundaries. Every time I think I have it under control and I relax my boundaries, sooner or later all hell breaks loose and I find myself wishing I was dead because I am so out of control and have done so much damage.

Food is really tricky because unlike alcohol and narcotics you can not just cut it out of your life. Even if decide to cut certain foods or types of foods out of life it is very hard to stick to it because society in general understands an alcoholic not drinking alcohol and understands a Heroin junkie not taking drugs anymore. Society in general has very much less sympathy, understanding and support for food junkies who choose not to eat cake, ice cream, bread etc. For those of us who know all too clearly that we are food junkies the path to recovery is very much more complex and unsupported than for other addicts. Your "friends" and family will actively push cake at you and call you neurotic no matter how much you explain and plead for support and understanding. No one would tell an alcoholic not to be so daft and just have a drink.

Keeping that in mind a rock bottom binge eating food junkie like myself has to be totally reliant on self for accountability. A great deal of honesty with self is needed. Some foods for me are poison, they warp my thinking and eventually lead to suicidal inclinations. Other people may be able to safely eat them but I know I can not. I have to be honest with myself about that and then act responsibly by not eating those things ever the same as I would not eat nuts if had an allergy. My food allergy may not result in immediate anaphylactic shock and death but without fail it has lead me to misery and wishing I was dead. It will kill me if I keep eating foods that poison my body and mind, it is just a slower death than a nut allergy. Some foods I know I can never have safely at all. Some foods I can have but only occasionally and only when out, only when emotionally stable (never in the home). Some foods I can have in home but I need to accurately portion control them to avoid deceiving myself. Some foods I can have in home but can only consume in company.

It also helps me within home to have a menu I created of meals that work for me and to pick things of that menu. The less thinking I do about food the better. Put some thought and effort in to setting up workable long term boundaries and it makes day to day life much easier.
Accountability to myself leaves no one to rebel against and no one to blame for not saving me. Self accountability empowers me to get on with saving myself. My heart is then free to be more available to others instead of being busy being disappointed by unfulfilled expectations of what I want others to do for me. I am my saviour. Anyone else's contribution to my well being is bonus material.

Below is how I understand my issues with food. I am not saying this applies to everyone.
Food addiction
For me Flour, Sugar over processed and unmeasured food is a drug.
What is a food addict?

With alcohol you can be
A normal drinker: Occasional drinker, or light drinker even an occasional binge drinker but still not have a problem with alcohol.
A problem drinker: Heavy drinker or someone who occasional binge drinks and it cause them problems.
In all of those situations it remains possible to remain or become with enough support and effort a moderate drinker.
An Alcoholic: When a major addiction has been formed, alcohol has been abused to such an extent and caused such damage on multiple levels that it is no longer possible to engage with it safely ever again for life.

Food addiction is the same
With food you can be
A normal eater: Balanced eater, someone who may sometimes overeat or under eat but it is not a big deal.
A problem eater: Someone who over or under eats enough that it causes problems such as weight issues, physical issues, some eating disorders. In all of those situations it remains possible to remain or become with enough support and effort a balanced eater.
A food addict: When a major addiction has been formed, disordered eating behaviour and certain food types have been abused to such an extent and caused such damage on multiple levels that it is no longer possible to engage with disordered eating behaviour and certain food types ever again for life.

Modern processed foods are disordered ways of eating for humans especially if not contained within boundaries. For those with food addiction it is only safe to engage with foods in most balanced and natural states and with very firm boundaries in place.

fiddletime

Don't eat "free food" just because it's there. If you wouldn't buy it, then don't eat it. That has helped me at holiday times and at work when someone brings in a treat.

divcara

Save your calories for the good stuff. Sometimes things look sooo much more enticing than they actually taste. Once I was in a store and kept looking at these heart shaped frosted cookies. As I was paying for my other purchases I said to the clerk offhand, "I really want that cookie." She said, "You know what, they actually aren't that good. They taste kind of cardboard-y." I think of that moment sometimes. Especially when I see something I suddenly want, only because it was in my line of sight. And I think of that clerk making that comment. And I tell myself it's probably not nearly as good as it looks.

mbarmarth

ninjali9779 wrote: »

As johunt615 said, FORGIVE YOURSELF. Eating healthy is hard and expensive. We slip up every now and again. That being said...

When you feel the urge to eat during an atypical meal time, pause and try to ask yourself this: "Are you so hungry, you would wash and dry some lettuce, bake or grill some meat and/or vegetables, cut some tomatoes, and make a salad?" If that sounds like too much work or you realize that healthy food doesn't sound good, you might just be bored or trying to fill some void instead of actually eating.

mbarmarth

Thank you. This sounds like something I could do.

kenyonhaff

webyj wrote: »

I had managed to avoid a binge for almost 3 months, until today.
So disappointing but one binge doesn't negate 3 months of healthy clean eating.
I'm trying to figure out what went wrong, why I wasn't able to resist this time. Only thing I can figure out is my meals for the past few days up to the binge were heavy in veggies as I was tying to shift away from protein a bit. Perhaps that wasn't such a great idea.
Oh well, back at it again tomorrow.

Not binging for 3 months is a really good stretch! The worst thing you can do is be hard on yourself, and I'm glad you are seeing that. And avoiding the black & white judgement on yourself.

Be kind to yourself. Take yourself out for a walk, have a soothing bath, do something fun not food-related.

ryry_

The only thing it really took for me was accurately logging a few binges. Being able to see how much I was eating really put it into perspective.

I'll still overeat but I log it and it doesn't get out of control.