Binge eating

mweckler

@Look_Its_Kriss I was on 50 mg but after about 8 hours I would crash and have no energy to do anything, so we changed my dose to 70 mg, then that started to not be able to cover the entire day, not I take Adderall 30 mg when I wake up then 70 mg Vyvanse 3 or 4 hours later.

mweckler

I was taking the Vyvanse at around 5:30am work and get kids by 3pm, then keep them alive and safe and bed time around 10pm to do it all over again. But by 3pm I was spent, I would come home on the 50 mg dose and have to fight to stay awake, which after a bit I called my Dr and talked about what to do, then we move me to 70 mg, and things went well until I went back to work over the summer and started taking the meds early again, I would get off work and be done, no energy no nothing. So talked with my Dr again and unlike most people who take a booster dose of a med in the afternoon, she wanted me to take Adderall as a starter dose, and then use the Vyvanse to carry my through until bedtime. So far it has been working.

mweckler

I used to have that when I first took it, I could almost feel it kick in, like everything just became sharper and I was hyper focused, and had boundless energy, and was doing a bunch of projects around the house which I had neglected during my depression. My wife was SHOCKED!!!! It is the closest to autopilot motivation I have ever had lol. But sadly that is long gone and I miss it so much lol.

Rebecca0224

Look_Its_Kriss wrote: »

Its up to you to decide... is it just a binge or is it binge eating disorder because for me.. no matter how much i ate, no matter what time, what foods it was.. i never was able to stop eating, i could never stop thinking about it, i was always thinking about what to eat next... it didnt matter what was in the house, i threw out ALL my food into the dumpster outside and left myself practically nothing that would make anything and i still sat down and ate an entire box of plain ice cream cones simply because, it didnt matter if i was happy, angry, sad, tired, wide awake, i could not control myself.

I'm sorry you had to go through this. I've been there sitting by the fridge eating anything I could get my hands on even when my stomach hurt and I cried and asked why God hated me why he made me this messed up, it was awful. I had to do inpatient treatment and it really helped.

People don't understand it's not just about how much you eat but also about the compulsive behavior that forces you to eat. When you have an overwhelming compulsion to eat you need professional help. As the previous poster said you have to decide if it's a binge ( I ate pizza, ice cream, wings, candy) or binge eating disorder (I ate til it hurt and couldn't stop).

If it is an eating disorder get help it's worth the time.

cross2bear

Look_Its_Kriss wrote: »

Exactly... its great that people care enough to offer support but this whole... eat more closer to goal or write X on the package or not keep it in the house and only keep fresh fruit... or even the more god awful suggestion of chewing it and spitting it into a bag... like people with anorexia do which isnt ANYMORE healthier then the first issue... or the ones who tell you its just about saying no and practicing self control.. None of these things do ANYTHING for someone with binge eating disorder... I relate to you in the sense that i often prayed that i would go to sleep and never wake up again just so i wouldn't have to face another day... i did everything i could, i made signs i wrote on my hand, i threw out all my food... but the mental aspect is just like you are two people and you are the shadow and the mental disorder is in control and you are mute, you wanna scream and get away but you can't move you can do anything... its such a helpless sad feeling...

We get it - its awful and debilitating and affects everything in your life. Some of us have been down that road too. So what do you suggest, other than get professional help, because that isnt going to happen for anyone TODAY, unless they go to an emergency room and get a "crisis" mental health consult. And even if the OP sees her GP today, she likely wont see a specialist until months down the road. So everyone is trying to come up with some strategies she can use to get her through the time between now and the "professional help". Perhaps some things that didnt work for you will work even a little bit for her - everyone is unique. We cant say too bad so sad - just sit on your butt and suffer till you get a doctors appointment.

AngInCanada

For mea, a huge turn into point was when I stopped labelling food as good or bad. Food is meant to be enjoyed and shouldn't have any guilt attached. I used to overeat and then I felt such a huge amount of guilt that I just kept going. Packages of cookies, bags of chips, boxes of pudding. I do still have days where I eat more than I need to but I try not to let it bug me and just pick myself up the next day. The only food that is strictly off limits for me is gluten due to having celiac disease. Other than that, anything is fair game as long as it fits in my calories. I've lost 50 lbs over the course of a year and a half and am working on the last 20.

Rebecca0224

Look_Its_Kriss wrote: »

There is nothing to suggest, it took 6 months for me to get the help but for those 6 months i just had to wake up and keep going.. and thats it.. i mean sure, spend the time over the next few months trying to do all the suggestions given, but failure to be able to do them only acts like another punch in the face, but honestly.. if youve had the issue for years and years, youve been trying these suggestions for a long time.. a long long time.. thats what i meant when i said often times you feel incredibly stupid because all these things seem so simple and so practical but you just can't do them..

You said it there is nothing to suggest. You can't fight a mental illness you can only treat it. Trying to fight a mental illness is not recommended because it can make the problem worse. That is what my psychiatrist told me "you can't fight a mental illness". Telling someone with binge eating disorder just not to eat is like telling someone with depression not to be depressed or someone with schizophrenia not to have hallucinations. It doesn't work because there is a deeper cause for the behavior beyond what is normal.

mweckler

In the U.S.A with my insurance I called a number that gave me a list of Psychiatric Doctors in my area, I began to call them and the first office I called had many Doctors and I took the first appointment they had which was less than a week after I had called. If wherever people live takes longer to get in to get help, start writing out what you were doing that led up to your binge. Start trying to pinpoint the triggers in your life so that you have information to share with your Doctor when you finally are able to see them. Start researching and learning about the disorder, start to talk about it, if you are not comfortable still, do what I did write it down. I must have looked goofy to the Doctor when I took out a paper and started to read off notes, and it got to a point when I was just talking and getting if off my chest without the paper. The paper was a crutch to get me talking.

ahoy_m8

In the spirit of short-term encouragement while OP is in the queue for appointments, I'll offer this observation.

I can feel ok on a big deficit for a couple days if I eat carefully (hitting minimum #s for fiber, fat and protein). But even when I'm hitting those minimums and I think I feel ok, I am a binge waiting to happen after a few days eating too low. Everyone is on the lookout for overeating when they are trying to lose fat, but the dangers of under eating often go under appreciated. I don't know what your TDEE is, OP, but 1000-1200 daily is too low for many people. I weigh 115 pounds, and it is too low for me.

In the short term, what if you re-assessed your TDEE and ate at maintenance until you get the support you need? You can break the binge-restrict cycle if you stop restricting. That doesn't guarantee binges will stop, but you will have removed one trigger, at least.

FWIW, I fit the description someone posted from the DSM for BED when I was a teen. Although I do have occasional episodes of unplanned eating now, they are much lower calorie and the pattern no longer fits the DSM description, which is to say, I still have to watch what I eat but I no longer suffer with the disorder. There is hope. Best to you!

cross2bear

I think the OP said she was in the UK?

Emily3907

This thread makes me teary. Mainly because I am so similar in my disordered eating. I have had issues with food since my pre-teens, whether it was restriction, exercise, bingeing, etc. Finally at 32 years old and being exhausted with the diet-binge-guilt-diet cycle, I finally have started seeing a professional to help me sort out my issues and everything they entail. I know I have a long road of recovery ahead of me, but for the first time in my life I can actually say I have a little hope.

OP, I really do hope that you are able to find a therapist that specializes in eating disorders to help you work through all of this. I agree with @Look_Its_Kriss that this may run deeper than the advice that can be offered here. In the meantime, while you are waiting to meet with a professional about this, I will give you a little tip that my therapist gave me at my first appointment. When you find yourself at a crossroads or planning your next binge, ask yourself "What is the kindest thing I can do for myself in this moment?" While not magic, this little question has already had me think twice about my decision making.

However, my main advice, seek out a professional. True disordered eating is so much more than just "sticking to your calorie goal" or "planning your treats".

leejoyce31

asdjkl2726 wrote: »

I have great advice for you on your binge eating.i also can't stop once I start eating and the solution I used was to just chew on the foods and then spit them out after chewing them into the plastic bags. It helped me a lot with my weight loss journey
I know that sounds super cliche but believe me it works - you don't swallow the foods but you just chew them, just taste them and then spit them out that way you won't consume calories and still be able to taste and "binge-taste"

Believe it or not, this is also considered an eating disorder- chewing and spitting. I believe it's in that class of disorders that are deemed not named because it doesn't fall within the more common ones.