Binge Eating Disorder help

Pretty_Little_Nobody

At the moment I am extreme binge eating around once a week. Although this is better than everyday like I used to, it is really getting me down. I am frustrated, and just tired. It really feels like all of the good habits I practice the rest of the time are just wiped out in a moment of weakness. I am especially triggered when I am upset or tired.

cgvet37

Have you seen a Dr.?

zamphir66

I probably don't fall under the diagnosis of BED, but, one of the main reasons I got to be 200+ lbs was eating LOTS of chips and other junk food later at night. I could have a perfectly sensible food day and then blow it all while watching TV and mindlessly vacuuming carbs into my face hole.

The way I broke that has been to meal plan; I know almost exactly what I'm going to eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day for the month. And I shop accordingly. I buy the meal plans from BudgetBytes.com. So the food that's a problem for me just isn't in my house anymore. To go pick it up would mean getting dressed, getting in the car, driving, etc... I make the bad habits inconvenient and the good ones convenient.

Another thing I did, and this may help with the psychological aspect, is replacement strategy. If I'm bored, I find something to do with my hands/mind that is productive. If I'm upset, I meditate. If I'm tired, I go to bed early.

Raegold

Pretty_Little_Nobody wrote: »

At the moment I am extreme binge eating around once a week. Although this is better than everyday like I used to, it is really getting me down. I am frustrated, and just tired. It really feels like all of the good habits I practice the rest of the time are just wiped out in a moment of weakness. I am especially triggered when I am upset or tired.

Are you able to see a therapist/counselor? Personally, talking with a therapist regularly was what helped me with this more than anything else. It's still a struggle but it made a big difference for me.

cmriverside

Define "extreme binge."


I mean, when I'm in weight-loss mode and eating at a deficit I'll often have one day where I eat something like a whole package of [chips/nuts/trail mix/peanut butter/cookies/ice cream/whatever] something and that puts me over my goal by 1500 or so. I know it's binge-y behavior but I also know that staying in a deficit is difficult for me now that I'm at a good healthy weight.

In your case, how many calories are you using as a daily goal? What is your daily activity like? Do you sit at a computer six hours a day or are you chasing kids, doing laundry or are you a server or in retail? That makes a difference to how you set your daily calories.

Are you exercising? On this site you are intended to add in more calories on exercise days.

How much weight you need to lose to be at a healthy BMI also matters. If you are set at too-low calories then over-eating days are to be expected. One a week is not that "bad" (depending on...all the above.)

cmriverside

Okay, I looked at your FOOD diary...just a couple huge things jumped out at me...

First, your ticker says you have 40ish pounds to lose? Where will that put you on the BMI charts?


Second, you are set at 1200 calories and I looked at the last week's worth of entries and see no "binge" eating - as a matter of fact you haven't even hit 1200 calories other than one day in the past week, and you certainly didn't over-eat on any of the days.

What is your Activity Level? I would think you could easily lose on 1500 PLUS exercise calories. That might end your feeling of deprivation and the possibility of binging.

siyeonsimpp

I'd suggest not going grocery shopping on an empty stomach. If you're craving that food item, you'll just end up buying it, but if you don't buy it, then it won't be in your house in the first place, so you won't have the opportunity to binge-eat.

One thing I also do is eat ice if I start craving something (yes I know it sounds kind of anorexic but it honestly helps me a lot), since sometimes what I really want is to crunch on something, so it's easier to eat ice, and after a while I've started to really like it.

LiftandSkate

The book Brain Over Binge was extraordinarily helpful to me.

kshama2001

cmriverside wrote: »

Okay, I looked at your FOOD diary...just a couple huge things jumped out at me...

First, your ticker says you have 40ish pounds to lose? Where will that put you on the BMI charts?


Second, you are set at 1200 calories and I looked at the last week's worth of entries and see no "binge" eating - as a matter of fact you haven't even hit 1200 calories other than one day in the past week, and you certainly didn't over-eat on any of the days.

What is your Activity Level? I would think you could easily lose on 1500 PLUS exercise calories. That might end your feeling of deprivation and the possibility of binging.

OP, here's more on undereating leading to overeating:

https://www.aworkoutroutine.com/1200-calorie-diet/

silverpl2525

I don't know what you mean when you say you are binging. If you are eating a pint of ice cream or something, and you go over for a day or two, no big deal. We aren't perfect. However if you are eating thousands of calories and feel completely out of control when you eat and you feel sick to your stomach and really distended after, you may have binge eating disorder which requires diagnosis and treatment from a doctor.

ReenieHJ

I binge-ate for 6 weeks+ late winter/early spring. Continuously. Christmas started it, stressful times exacerbated it. My brain was the only thing I could change that would help and I'm not sure how or why it clicked. Believe me, I tried several times over those 6 weeks, probably every Monday morning(good starting point right?) After I'd gained 20+ lbs., something inside me said ENOUGH unless I wanted to start right back at square 1. So I finally got back to coming here every day, counting calories, finding replacements for the foods I was devouring mindlessly such as ice cream, cut out certain foods that I found impossible to replace, such as cookies, etc., found other activities to do. I also switched my meals around a bit because trying to eat normal meals through out the day doesn't work for me. I need(or really really want) a bedtime snack that always made me go over calorie goals by a big amount, then I got the 'what's the use' message going on inside my head. So I either have a tiny breakfast or a tiny lunch, and by tiny, I mean calorie-wise, such as lots of lo-cal veggies and a cup of coffee.
I have always been a binge-eater and food-sneaker. Not a healthy relationship and I felt like I needed to cover it up.
I have not looked at your food diary but it sounds like either you didn't record all your binges or maybe you think you're eating more than you really are?
I had some serious talks with myself after those 6 weeks or so. Faced the fact that I could NOT allow myself to just go wild with food, nobody can. I allow myself 1 day a week that I eat around 1800 calories instead of 1200. For now, it's working. When it stops, I'll figure something else out. I don't really exercise, so will consider adding on a couple hundred calories daily that way.
Good luck and hope you can find a way through it.

MommyonAmissontoHealth13

I was diagnosed with binge eating disorder unfortunately I have been suffering since I was 8 and I am now 29. I would find a thearpist who speaclizies in eating disorders and sometimes having a nutritionist is helpful.