How I overcame Binge Eating: Ride the Craving Wave

feroshusavocado

Hey guys I'm glad you all liked this post! I agree that the strategy is GOLD, that's why I shared it. I hope it helps some of you out! Just always remember it's a process that requires patience, patience, patience. We've got this!

Historybuff1966

Thank you for sharing your story! It prompted me to ponder my reasons for times I overeat...Eating is emotional, and we all have feelings, memories, and reasons why and how much we eat. (Loss of loved one, lonely,boredom, etc). I truly believe we must all reflect on our emotions and triggers in order to conquer and work toward goals. This past week I have been trying to focus on food for health and nutrition of what I am eating, and so far it is helping me not binge--because mentally I know if I eat something emotionally it will be too much sugar or sodium for the day (ie sweets or chips).

Gold6767

Thank you so much for this. It's often a taboo topic because some people still associate binging completely with purging or other compensatory behaviors, which is not the case for a lot of us. For me it's sugar binges. I've eaten thousands of calories of sugary candy, to the point where I felt sick and my teeth hurt. These incidents have gotten fewer and further between, but I still struggle to understand my own triggers sometimes. Work in progress for sure, thank you for sharing your strategy and just for opening this conversation.

WailingDusk

I also suffered from binge eating disorder as well. Just like any other addiction, it takes so much more than willpower to overcome. When you mentioned eating thousands of calories in one sitting and feeling sick afterward, I felt that. I used to go to McDonalds and order like 6 mcdoubles and 3 large fries and still be hungry after eating it.

I was not in a good place. Glad you were able to overcome it. The first 3 months were the hardest for me.

dontlikepeople

I've fought binge eating off and on all my life too, and the most helpful and powerful part of what you wrote, for me, was:

> eat whatever you are craving with no judgement.

Stress is a pretty common trigger to 'stress' eating. Sometimes I will still binge out of pure hunger and craving (usually brownies, I don't know why, I have a sick obsession with brownies), but I've learned to be kind to myself. That lets me continue going back to normal eating after the episode.

If you stress about it, or beat yourself up about it, you're more likely to fall into a pit of bad eating habits. The old addage, "I already went off my diet so it doesn't matter anymore."

cherylscott4

My son is overweight I don't know how to help him. Or if I can help him.

peiotter

Loved your image of riding the wave and all the suggestions of riding it out. I am/was a nighttime snacker until I learned that every time you eat, you stimulate an increase in insulin which is a fat storer. Well that has just about cured me! Thank you for your post.

AnnPT77

peiotter wrote: »

Loved your image of riding the wave and all the suggestions of riding it out. I am/was a nighttime snacker until I learned that every time you eat, you stimulate an increase in insulin which is a fat storer. Well that has just about cured me! Thank you for your post.

That's an oversimplified view of insulin functioning. Eating the same total over a day ends up at about the same net fat storage (or burn, depending on calorie balance) regardless of eating timing/frequency, because frequency and magnitude of insulin release is modulated accordingly.