Anyone having binge eating problems?

gburgos3000

So typically im able to stay under my not-so-good macronutrients and calories but lately it’s been so hard and I dont know what to do. I find myself going over my calories and carbs/sugars literally 3/4 times a week due to the fact I keep going on binges. Im not sure what’s triggering them but im interested in what everyone else does to keep them under control. I’ve tried fasting and stuff but it doesn’t work in keeping my appetite and cravings under control. PS: I don’t binge on unhealthy food, but the foods typically add up on carbs, sugar, and sometimes even sodium. It sucks because i’ve hit plateau and it’s discouraging as hell given I mentally wear myself out trying to stick to my diet. Ive lost 20 pounds so far.

sham888

I've lost 34 lbs and I now find it hard to make good eating choices when I am stressed out. I'm not sure what has changed between now and when I first started my journey but I'm feeling so discouraged at the moment.

jfowler97

I've always struggled with binge eating, whether it's on junk or good food. I find that when I start I get this incredible feeling of euphoria that I cannot contain and lasts until I'm done. I study behavioural addiction and from everything I've read, when people are faced with a stressor (this doesn't have to actually be stress, it could be boredom or impatience), people either make an automatic choice which can be bad, or take the time to reflect and usually make a more positive, goal-oriented choice. So, it's possible that something is causing you to make the knee-jerk reaction to binge. What's worked for me is setting a timer for 10 minutes once I get the urge to binge, and usually in that window I'm able to reflect on the progress I've made and decide to not binge. It sometimes doesn't work, but such is life.

Please, please don't beat yourself up over it. Forgive yourself, laugh it off even, and then try again tomorrow.

MichelleSilverleaf

gburgos3000 wrote: »

So typically im able to stay under my not-so-good macronutrients and calories but lately it’s been so hard and I dont know what to do. I find myself going over my calories and carbs/sugars literally 3/4 times a week due to the fact I keep going on binges. Im not sure what’s triggering them but im interested in what everyone else does to keep them under control. I’ve tried fasting and stuff but it doesn’t work in keeping my appetite and cravings under control. PS: I don’t binge on unhealthy food, but the foods typically add up on carbs, sugar, and sometimes even sodium. It sucks because i’ve hit plateau and it’s discouraging as hell given I mentally wear myself out trying to stick to my diet. Ive lost 20 pounds so far.

Why are your macros and calories not-so-good? Are you being too restrictive? Attempting too steep of a deficit? How much weight are you trying to lose and what weight are you sitting at now?

150poundsofme

jfowler97 - "...automatic choice..." That is what always happens to me. I do not even know why or what the trigger or behavior was that made me just reach for something that is not in my food plan. And then once I start, even with 1 food item, I cannot stop. I have been thinking about being very stringent with my diet because it seems an exception to the food plan will set me off in the wrong direction. I know that some people in Overeaters Anonymous do not eat sugar, flour or wheat. For some, they feel they are addicted to these foods. I can overeat healthy foods too. I know someone that weighs and measures everything, even the vegetables. They are released from any decisions relating to food. Hugs

ahoy_m8

Congrats on the 20 pounds, OP. That's fantastic. Give yourself some credit!

The single biggest factor that helps or hurts my tendency to binge is overall average caloric intake. If my deficit is too big, I am a binge waiting to happen, even if I am hitting all my macronutrient goals! It really is worth the extra effort to double check whether your fat loss goal per week is appropriate -- for you. Closer to goal proscribes slower loss to preserve LBM. A huge and important side effect of slow loss is controlling binges (for me). I also binge on the healthy foods I normally eat, just in bigger quantities, and I agree with you completely -- it adds up.

Related to a deficit goal that is too aggressive, even losing 0.5lb per week, I get deficit weary after ~10 weeks and I need a diet break at maintenance for a week or two. That's at ~20%BF. Maybe a diet break makes sense for you after your 20 pound loss? And maybe it make sense to revise your weekly goal?

Best to you, OP. The struggle is real, but you have proven you can do it.

edited for spelling

PAV8888

ahoy_m8 wrote: »

Congrats on the 20 pounds, OP. That's fantastic. Give yourself some credit!

The single biggest factor that helps or hurts my tendency to binge is overall average caloric intake. If my deficit is too big, I am a binge waiting to happen, even if I am hitting all my macronutrient goals! It really is worth the extra effort to double check whether your fat loss goal per week is appropriate -- for you. Closer to goal proscribes slower loss to preserve LBM. A huge and important side effect of slow loss is controlling binges (for me). I also binge on the healthy foods I normally eat, just in bigger quantities, and I agree with you completely -- it adds up.

Related to a deficit goal that is too aggressive, even losing 0.5lb per week, I get deficit weary after ~10 weeks and I need a diet break at maintenance for a week or two. That's at ~20%BF. Maybe a diet break makes sense for you after your 20 pound loss? And maybe it make sense to revise your weekly goal?

Best to you, OP. The struggle is real, but you have proven you can do it.

edited for spelling

OP is your avatar picture recent? You're well within the normal weight range. Everything that has been said in the post I quote applies to you in spades.

pierinifitness

I may have shared this before, know I did at our Intermittent Fasting group.

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 you 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.

Hope this helps. Keep marching forward.

Non_Entity

Weekends suck for me because there’s no “plan” the way there is the rest of the week. Which means pizza, burgers, Chick-Fil-A (still love you tho CFA), but it’s a slippery slope when those sugars, fats, and salts, hit those receptors in the brain that just say “more”. I struggle every week.

jtaylor122888

Congrats on the 20lbs. That's awesome. I've always had issues with binge eating. I have had this problem since I've been a kid so I sympathize. I think I tend to binge because of depression, boredom, or loneliness. The only advice I can give is maybe next time you feel like you're about to binge take a step back and try to figure out why. Try to figure out what you are feeling and why you are feeling that. I also try to distract myself from a binge by doing something else like taking a walk, listening to music, reading, going online, using this site, or whatever else works for you.

Seffell

Lost 30lbs in 3 years, regained 15lbs in 3 months from binging and on track for overweight. Not allowed help (free through the NHS) since I "don't purge sufficiently"...
/eyeroll
No advice to offer. Just sympathy.