Binge Eating
Replies
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Pretty_Little_Nobody wrote: »I binged so so badly last night. It's getting to the stage that I'm scared to go out because of the rapid weight gain. It feels so humiliating and i know people are judging me. I'm at a complete loss. I try so so hard everyday and everyday I fail. I really feel so trapped by it all.
I completely get what you are saying. Incredibly I only recently learned that binge eating disorder is a real thing, and that my behaviors check most of the boxes. I know how to lose weight simply and easily because I've done it many times, but then I binge and undo all my progress. I feel like all I can do is white knuckle it through those times until the urge passes.
I have also read that curing oneself is rarely successful without professional help. I really really hope that's not the case.
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Pretty_Little_Nobody wrote: »I binged so so badly last night. It's getting to the stage that I'm scared to go out because of the rapid weight gain. It feels so humiliating and i know people are judging me. I'm at a complete loss. I try so so hard everyday and everyday I fail. I really feel so trapped by it all.
Can you ask your PCP/GP for a referral to a therapist? Eating disorders can be really hard to beat on your own.4 -
I’ve struggled with binge eating since I was a kid. When I was very young it started with sneaking junk food from the cupboards in the middle of the night and once I was old enough to drive it morphed into massively overconsuming fast foods (like 2-3 full meals in one go). Even as an adult I cannot have a bag of chips or a pint of ice cream in my home because I will eat it in one sitting. Crash dieting and over restriction of calories made me double down on my bingeing.
I switched to a predominately plant-based diet and cut out processed snack foods, fast food, take out, and refined sugars. It has done wonders for my bingeing. Because most of the foods I now eat are volume and nutrient dense but calorie light, I can eat large portions of food and feel very satiated while staying within a deficit.
I can’t say for certain that I will never binge again but the longer I eat this current way, the less I feel tempted or out of control.
*Disclaimer - I am not saying anyone should adhere to my diet; I’m just saying what has worked for me. YMMV. It’s so individual.9 -
I’m on day 3 of not binging, what I have started doing is it I feel like it I have a big glass of water and drink it all at once to make me feel full. I’ve also been loading my fitness pal up and adding in the calories I would have to put in as if I actually ate them and trying to decide it’s worth it. Seems to be working just trying to delay the binge.6
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I’m just like you. I’d started binging as a kid and it had been my biggest battle. I did everything: surgery, diet, gym. It works but the results never lasts.1
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Yes, I too have had binges. I think you may have hit it, your are eating nutritionally void and high sugar items. Also, a few have said it but there may be deeper issues. Support is good.1
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I am 31 days binge free today. The problem is that the way you overcome it is going to be different for everyone. The best advice I have is to first figure out WHY you are binging. And you need to give yourself a break and stop beating yourself up every time you have a binge or compulsively overeat. That's going to start a vicious cycle of over restricting, binging, then over restricting again (which is what happened to me).
The only other thing I did was STOP doing restricting diets. I literally eat what I want if it's within my calories, and that's it. The more I obsess over every little thing, the more likely I am to start restricting too much, eating too little, then being starving and binging all over again.6 -
And I just want to add about a week or so ago, I had a BIG temptation where I was probably seconds from ordering everything I could afford on Door Dash. I started a post here, and got a lot of good feedback. When in doubt, reach out for support!4
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Seems we are not alone. I also binge at night, mostly due to boredom and "couldn't give a f*$#" attitude. But I do care, I have two young daughters who I want to see grow up and have children, get married etc etc. I need both a kick in the bum and also a mindset change. Day one (again) has started today after a shock visit to the doctors yesterday. I also ate a family block of chocolate last night as a last hurrah... not good.1
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You might also try putting your binge into perspective to reduce the emotional impact.
A single binge is unlikely to have a huge impact on your overall progress, however going off the rails, giving up or spiralling because of a single binge will.
In my experience the perceived impact of a binge feels so much larger/worse than it really is. A binge can feel like a massive failure when in fact it can turn out to be far less of a big deal. So when you do have a binge look at it clinically and objectively and see just what the REAL impact was.
For example (and plucking rough numbers out of the air):
- You maintenance is 2800 cal per day
- You're set for a 2lb loss so your target is 1800 calories per day
- Your normal daily activites credit you 400 calories per day of which you eat back half
- So eating 2000 calories per day nets you a 7000 cal per week (2lb) loss.
Say you stuck to your target every day but broke down and had a binge on Friday and ate 5000 cals. In the moment that could FEEL like ruin, but in fact you're still 4000 calories (over 1lb) in deficit for the week. Say you take an extra day to get back on track and ate another 5000 calories on Saturday too. You're still 1000 calories (about 1/3rd of a lb) in deficit.
In effect a (singular) binge is just a speed bump, don't let it turn into a brick wall.11 -
It seems we are all in good company here. I do the same, I’ll do well for a while and then binge (usually secretly) & destroy all my hard work. It’s definitely emotional. It runs something along the lines of “who cares if I reach / maintain my goals, I’m crap anyway”. I am sorry to see that I am not the only one, I don’t wish that feeling on anyone. I will say that I am making an effort here to be honest with the food logging on MFP so I’m curious to see if it will help keep me calmer, especially since then I’ll be able to see binges in the bigger context and maybe be a little calmer when they occur. Well, I guess this is just to say, you’re not alone. Let’s all try a *tiny* bit of self-love, even just for the next 2 minutes (gotta start somewhere!)5
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I didn’t plan well today. I failed to pack a lunch so on my way home I ran through Wendy’s 🤢 now I’m fighting off a full on binge. Sitting in my rocking chair drinking water and I have a kettle on for tea. Must remember to pack food!4
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I’ve had an extremely stressful time with work so have binged like crazy, around 7pm-ish is when I would grab any chocolate or biscuits and eat the lot!! Now everything is hopefully settling down with work I am going to resist.
It’s crazy what stress makes us do. At the time you don’t care and just want comfort food! Afterwards is the guilt and shame and your still stressed!
I’ve told my husband the only treats I want in the house from now on are for our daughter and they are pretty healthy treats anyway so hopefully no bingeing2 -
Yes I struggle with BED and have since I was 11. The worst part is, is that I also have Cerebral Palsy so I’m already limited in what I can do
I try to get as active as possible by walking on my walker and I do walk to the gym occasionally
I use MyFitnessPal and Fitbit to cut calories and watch. I drink water. Maybe I have one zero soda a day but my problem is at night. I wanna binge
For awhile I was staying with my aunt and I started to loose weight there but I think that was two reasons
1. Unfortunately because of Cancer she can’t eat solid foods anymore
2. My binge eating is embarrassing so I was afraid to do that in front of her
At times I kinda want to have that fear again so maybe I’ll loose weight and finally be in control for good
It’s the same endless cycle6 -
In retrospect, I was binge eating for most of my life. The painful craving binge 'hunger' is pretty much the only hunger I experience; actual hunger manifests as being tired and indecisive. The resulting confusion led to pretty much daily binges, which I didn't even realise were binges because nobody had ever told me that feelings of hunger might not be physical. Yes, I'm bitter.
While losing weight I had my eyes fixed firmly on the prize, and no issues with bingeing; no appetite at all, in fact, because see above on the way I don't actually feel physical need as a hunger sensation! Since reaching goal, though, the struggle has been real. I binge when I'm bored, when I'm tired, when I'm unhappy, when I'm celebrating, when I want to punish myself, when I'm premenstrual... aaargh!
I've been able to largely avoid weight gain by reasonable dieting between the binges, but I really do want to stop ending up lying in bed feeling overheated with an elevated heart rate, and occasionally unable to do my favourite class the next day as my digestive system fails to cope.
Mostly I try to avoid periods of down time where I might be bored, but then I find myself stressed and tired because I'm not getting any mental rest, which isn't really an improvement...6 -
I’ve binge from stress or if I’m not eating enough calories.
The things that tend to help with that are yoga, meditation, baths to help with stress.
& making sure I’m eating enough calories.
I feel for you. Binging is a mental struggle 💕💕2 -
Hi, I am a yo-yo dieter -- either dieting (restricting) or big time binger. There was never ever eating a normal meal. So if you binge one day, get back on track the next. I wish I could do that (a few times I did). Most times it can take me weeks or months to gear myself back to dieting and not binging. I cannot keep trigger foods in the house which is all carbs (not including those healthy carbs like fruit etc.). I cannot keep butter or margarine in the house since they are evil. One of the problems I have is that hubby keeps some junk food in the house or even if he got some small candy, he doesn't eat it right away. I put his stuff in a bag on top of the closet. Many times I won't touch it, but when one of those feelings (whether stress, sadness, boredom, happiness or most times I can't even identify the feeling) rears its thought into my mind, I will go into his stash. Then the next morning I am like - am I eating well today or binging (in the past I couldn't even stop to think if I am binging today - it was just automatic that I was). But today I can stop for one split second to think about my eating behavior for the day. A long time ago I suggested getting a safe to put my family's food in it. Hubby thought it was ridiculous. I think I will now go to Walmart and buy a safe because his foods are not safe with me. So for me, keeping all those carbs out of the house so when I get that feeling, I can't and won't have anything comforty for me to eat. It can be frustrating (there is always going to the store and getting it) but it does help big time not having it in the house. Yesterday I went to a fair. I was on so I just ate chicken on a stick. Though a bit later, I was thinking why couldn't I eat something more tastier. And then guess what, this a.m. I weighed myself and I gained. Not from yesterday, though I thought I would have lost weight, but I gained from the small binge I had the night before. Many people in Overeaters Annonymous feel you should not eat flour, sugar and wheat because of an addiction to it. So many times I can eat those items and not let it derail me. I sometimes think it is too many exceptions to my food plain that I finally crack and go overboard. Years ago when I was dieting, at night I would want to eat so I would always make popcorn and keep going back and forth to refrigerator and eat those 25 calorie square cheese slices. Still being compulsive. Now I am chewing gum a lot at night keeping my mouth busy. Had a cold this week so drinking broth at night. Eating 3 clementines at night which takes me a long time to eat. So I guess not really dealing with the compulsiveness but eating not too caloric foods to do damage. Forget at friends' homes or buffets when food is just out there - really hard to control. So what is our action plan? As some above said, to eat a bit more protein. Keep your hands busy while watching tv - knit, crochet, do soduko. I am seriously getting a safe for hubbies' stash. I never wanted to give up wheat, sugar and flour. I want to feel "normal" and not let anyone think I am on a diet. But maybe, for me, I should try. Maybe that one sugar item sets me off physically without realizing it. My best to you, one day at a time, one meal at a time. One time while on a different health group I wrote that I felt like binging. I said I would go take the dog for a walk. I did. And when I came back on the computer to that thread, I wrote I BEAT A BINGE. It was truly an amazing feeling. I do know that when I want something "bad" to eat, I don't stop and think. I just reach and eat it. So maybe if you can, try coming on here before you reach for that first binge bite, tell us what is happening and then maybe you can beat a binge. Hugs and more hugs4
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I wrote something recently at my blog and share it here since it's on point with the topic. It's just my opinion for what it's worth. Here's an excerpt of what I wrote:
"But we're humans, and humans are weak. Consequently, if we're following a disciplined eating protocol, we may occasionally fall victim to relapse and resort to a pigging out session, sometimes described as binging. Some struggle with binge eating more than others. Pierini Fitness must be honest and confess how he's pigged out in the past but, now, he promises no more.
Relapse, by having a pigging out session or binging, isn’t the act of pigging our or binging. Rather, it’s all the thoughts and behaviors leading up to the act. This is understood in the addiction world and it’s no different with eating.
What should we middle-aged men do when faced with overwhelming desires to to pig out and binge, or we've just done so and now feel disgusted and terrible for falling off our healthy eating pony?
Start by retracing our steps and identifying when relapse began and what were its obvious cues. Again, relapse isn't the the act of pigging out or binging, but all the thoughts and behaviors leading up to it.
Learn from this retracing and then build an action plan for the next time we're about to relapse. Borrowing from what is said in religious circles about sin, avoid placing ourselves in the occasion of "sin" of pigging out or binging.
In the context of eating healthy and avoiding pigging out or binging, this means avoiding placing ourselves in the occasion of relapse. So, we must fuel our body adequately, not stock our refrigerators and kitchen cabinets with foods known to be a struggle to eat in moderation and be mindful of how important healthy eating is in helping us achieve our fitness, health and wellness goals."2 -
I found that logging all of the food, even the binges, helped to curb them somehow. Seeing it written down in black and white makes the caloric damage seem more real maybe?2
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I found that logging all of the food, even the binges, helped to curb them somehow. Seeing it written down in black and white makes the caloric damage seem more real maybe?
I do find that my absolute worst binges occur when I think 'sod it, I'll just not log it'. (And then I regret that when I exit the binge mindset, try to remember everything I ate, and fail miserably).
Nowadays I feel terribly embarrassed and like I ought to apologise/explain to my MFP friends afterwards, but even while bingeing I weigh and log absolutely everything that goes in my mouth, before it does. And I think that sometimes that extra little bit of time/thought between 'want' and 'have' at least... increases the chance that I'll manage to pull up out of the dive before I hit the ground?4 -
Pierinifitness: "...all the thoughts and behaviors leading up to the act ...Learn from the retracing and build an action plan..." Terrific post!0
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Gnargh. Last night I managed to go 4,500 calories over goal. I’m having a terrible time at work, and it just... felt like the perfect way to indulge/treat myself AND punish myself for failing, all at the same time.
I don’t like the way I’m going to have to restrict for the next couple of weeks to avoid consistently gaining from these episodes, but at the same time binge eating seems to be giving me something I can’t get any other way.
Ugh. Why does appetite and food have to be so complicated...8 -
I have struggled with eating disorders since I was a teenager and what worked for me was being compassionate and learning to forgive myself after a slip. Just think about what you would say to a close friend if they reached out to you for help with this issue and move on from there. Shame and regret play a huge part in trapping you in binge, self-destructive cycles.
And remember, you're not alone.0 -
Have you thought about speaking with a therapist? Someone who can help you get to the root of things and can help you develop coping mechanisms that don't involve a binge.0
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Great disucssion!0
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OP, have you been able to decide if you believe you are suffering from an eating disorder? In other words, have you admitted that to yourself at this point in time?
*sometimes text comes off in multiple tones, so I note that this is an honest question coming from a non-judgemental place, and this was a very important question in my recovery.2 -
I can relate to all of this. One great thing I've learned: eat high protein early on in the day. This helps to curb cravings later on in the day.3
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"I don’t like the way I’m going to have to restrict for the next couple of weeks to avoid consistently gaining from these episodes, but at the same time binge eating seems to be giving me something I can’t get any other way."
What you said, ceiswyn. I've been a binge eater for 20+ years and I do it to comfort, to celebrate, to aleve boredom but I really, really wish it didn't give me such a rush as I think about it ahead of time! I'll go to bed, thinking and dreaming of what glorious eats I'd allow myself the next day. And maybe the day after that. And so on, until I get back on my healthier eating plan. It seems as if I'm all about immediate gratification moreso than realizing what damage I'm doing to my health in the long run. That scares me.2 -
Ive struggled with binging on and off
I have an all or nothing personality..so Im either all in watching cals and working out...or a hot mess
Im a morning/afternoon binger..which is odd
but im super calm at night and have no desire to eat...I think binging is linked (with me) to anxiety and I cant always put my finger on it
Im trying to get better with counting cals and enjoying everything in moderation
we need to stop being so hard on ourselves...if i go a little over cals or enjoy piece of cake..that doesnt need to turn into a binge/bad day etc....
for me, I found staying low carb...consuming lots of cheese, dairy, meats...trying to avoid sweets helps with cravings...
Hang in there!
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