What stopped you binge eating?

Options
jessiefied
jessiefied Posts: 167
in Health and Weight Loss
Just wondering from those who have broken their binge eating habits: what stopped you binge eating?

I have tried restricting the foods I binge eat, and it certainly helps, but now I am thinking I will instead restrict where I can eat; as its always when I am alone that I binge.

Please share your successes an tries!
«1

Replies

  • tyleeloo30
    tyleeloo30 Posts: 67
    Options
    Just got sick of feeling terrible and guilty afterwards. Also found that I didnt even like the food I was bingeing on! So now I just make sure I never get super hungry so now I'm no long tempted to gorge on everything... even food I dont like.
  • iheartbiology
    iheartbiology Posts: 104 Member
    Options
    Intensive Outpatient Therapy. Those 3 months of treatment were the best of my life!
  • mortuseon
    mortuseon Posts: 579 Member
    Options
    I was bulimic, and I found that when I stopped starving and purging, I'd be less inclined to binge. However, it still happened during recovery so I began to exercise*. For me, it helps to keep my appetite down, and boosts my mood so I don't eat emotionally. Equally, I pay more attention to the food I eat because I'm thinking about what I need to fuel a workout. Eating *enough*, allowing myself occasional treats and eating things like wholegrains/protein which digest more slowly also reduces my hunger which reduces my desire to binge. Finally, I don't keep snack foods in the house because an extra journey to the shops usually stops me from going out (and if I end up going to the supermarket in the cold, I probably need the food anyway). Hope this helps!

    (a lot of people swear by drinking water/tea to keep them full. doesn't work for me but might be helpful for you...?)
    *edit: exercise when I felt like bingeing - by the time I got back, the hunger would be gone or greatly reduced.
  • LinteeBean
    LinteeBean Posts: 7
    Options
    I just finished reading "Intuitive Eating" and I'm trying to incorporate the ideas presented there. Lots of science/studies showing it does work. No "restriction", just honoring my sense of fullness, mindful eating, paying attention to how the food makes me feel, etc.
    http://www.intuitiveeating.org/
  • kczarnec
    kczarnec Posts: 28 Member
    Options
    Making the connection between binge eating as a way to shove my feelings aside. Once I understood that, I worked on using different techniques to get more in touch with what I was feeling (alternatives to eating, being aware of what I was feeling, positive self talk, compassion, etc.)
  • LilchookNZ
    LilchookNZ Posts: 66
    Options
    I have to stay away from certain trigger foods, sad but just know that I can't handle them without my body going nuts. And like you I am more tempted when I'm alone - and feeling lonely. I find the urge is still there anytime I'm feeling a bit low or tired and creeps up on me suddenly, but the best thing I have found is exercise - just put on your shoes and go for a walk, gym class or turn the music up and dance. Whether its the endorphins or the time it takes up or not wanting to then waste the calories I've burned it ALWAYS makes it easier for me to stay stable through and hang on to the next planned meal.
  • kelly_e_montana
    kelly_e_montana Posts: 1,999 Member
    Options
    Therapy, exercise, and developing behavioral modification strategies to deal with emotional distress in a more productive way. If you are a true binge eater (not just a compulsive eater), you are probably eating to relieve some sort of emotional issue. It's kind of like cutting where a person seeks a physical resolution to an emotional problem. Make a list of activities that you like to do that will take an hour or two. Then do one of those things until the episode passes. The biggest thing is just getting comfortable with being uncomfortable for a short period of time.

    Exercising most days of the week helps me stay grounded too and relieves a lot of stress.

    I also avoided trigger foods when I was not as far along in my journey. I had to. I've been adding some back in but I just eat them out, not in the house.
  • kelly_e_montana
    kelly_e_montana Posts: 1,999 Member
    Options
    I just finished reading "Intuitive Eating" and I'm trying to incorporate the ideas presented there. Lots of science/studies showing it does work. No "restriction", just honoring my sense of fullness, mindful eating, paying attention to how the food makes me feel, etc.
    http://www.intuitiveeating.org/

    Intuitive Eating helped me tremendously. It actually closed the gap between "working on recovery" and "almost fully recovered." Yes!
  • Ang01_20
    Ang01_20 Posts: 12 Member
    Options
    A calorie burner/appetite suppressant has helped me. You can do it!
  • kelly_e_montana
    kelly_e_montana Posts: 1,999 Member
    Options
    I was bulimic, and I found that when I stopped starving and purging, I'd be less inclined to binge. However, it still happened during recovery so I began to exercise*. For me, it helps to keep my appetite down, and boosts my mood so I don't eat emotionally. Equally, I pay more attention to the food I eat because I'm thinking about what I need to fuel a workout. Eating *enough*, allowing myself occasional treats and eating things like wholegrains/protein which digest more slowly also reduces my hunger which reduces my desire to binge. Finally, I don't keep snack foods in the house because an extra journey to the shops usually stops me from going out (and if I end up going to the supermarket in the cold, I probably need the food anyway). Hope this helps!

    (a lot of people swear by drinking water/tea to keep them full. doesn't work for me but might be helpful for you...?)
    *edit: exercise when I felt like bingeing - by the time I got back, the hunger would be gone or greatly reduced.

    Agree fully!
  • Akimajuktuq
    Akimajuktuq Posts: 3,037 Member
    Options
    I cured BED, and a very long list of other illnesses, by changing WHAT I eat. Willpower, therapy, and medications can not resolve nutrient deficiency. As soon as I was eating nutrient dense foods, even in small volumes, BED went away all by itself. So has obesity, depression, pre-diabetes, arthritis, GERD, sleep apnea, etc etc.

    Today I threw away all the OA stuff I kept hanging around. It's so ridiculous that physical illnesses are not treated as such. The brain IS part of the physical body.
  • jessiefied
    jessiefied Posts: 167
    Options
    I just finished reading "Intuitive Eating" and I'm trying to incorporate the ideas presented there. Lots of science/studies showing it does work. No "restriction", just honoring my sense of fullness, mindful eating, paying attention to how the food makes me feel, etc.
    http://www.intuitiveeating.org/

    Intuitive Eating helped me tremendously. It actually closed the gap between "working on recovery" and "almost fully recovered." Yes!

    Where can I find this? It looks interesting.
  • Kevalicious99
    Kevalicious99 Posts: 1,131 Member
    Options
    Just got disgusted at what I saw in the mirror. That started my journey .. no more junk food or diet pop. No binges since August .. well except this one "eating 2 lbs of grapes" incident. I just don't have those past binge inducing foods in my house anymore .. so there is no temptation.
  • LinteeBean
    LinteeBean Posts: 7
    Options
    There's a link to the Intuitive Eating site in my post. The site includes a page with a list of the ten principles of Intuitive Eating.

    www.intuitiveeating.org

    The book is widely available. I purchased my copy from Amazon.

    http://www.amazon.com/dp/1250004047/ref=cm_sw_su_dp
  • pinkiemarie252
    pinkiemarie252 Posts: 222 Member
    Options
    Personally my binge eating is directly linked to depression and some good old antidepressants cured it right up.
  • Siansonea
    Siansonea Posts: 917 Member
    Options
    Who stopped? :devil:

    I just do it much less often, and don't kick myself in the head when I do it. I just log it and go on about my day. If you only do it once or twice a month, it's not a big deal. :drinker:
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    Options
    I stopped eating those things altogether for a couple months and just used protein shakes for my cravings. Then it was mostly gone. I've still had mini binges but I hold myself accountable to my goal so I never go overboard as long as it leaves me enough calories for dinner... I log before I eat too. If I'm going to have another cookie, I'm going to log it first. Sometimes it just shows me that no, I can't do it or I'll be hungry after dinner, so I don't eat it.

    It's a choice... eat something more now or be hungry later. Being over my goal is just not an option, except those PMS days when I'm really starving and days when I plan it. I just won't let myself go over because of a binge.
  • MelissaPhippsFeagins
    MelissaPhippsFeagins Posts: 8,063 Member
    Options
    I was bulimic, and I found that when I stopped starving and purging, I'd be less inclined to binge. However, it still happened during recovery so I began to exercise*. For me, it helps to keep my appetite down, and boosts my mood so I don't eat emotionally. Equally, I pay more attention to the food I eat because I'm thinking about what I need to fuel a workout. Eating *enough*, allowing myself occasional treats and eating things like wholegrains/protein which digest more slowly also reduces my hunger which reduces my desire to binge. Finally, I don't keep snack foods in the house because an extra journey to the shops usually stops me from going out (and if I end up going to the supermarket in the cold, I probably need the food anyway). Hope this helps!

    (a lot of people swear by drinking water/tea to keep them full. doesn't work for me but might be helpful for you...?)
    *edit: exercise when I felt like bingeing - by the time I got back, the hunger would be gone or greatly reduced.

    This> pretty much all of it. I find a 10 minute walk can put me off the binge bus. Plus I try to keep my hands full - as in with cross stitch or crochet - something I have to use both of them to do and that I don't want to get food all over so that I don't eat when I am really bored instead of hungry. Also, I keep healthier choices around for the times I can't stop myself because of stress. I can eat a whole container of cherry tomatoes or a pint of yogurt with much less guilt so that the purging cycle doesn't start up again.
  • gettingmeback2013
    gettingmeback2013 Posts: 112 Member
    Options
    Who stopped? :devil:

    I just do it much less often, and don't kick myself in the head when I do it. I just log it and go on about my day. If you only do it once or twice a month, it's not a big deal. :drinker:

    Me too, I've been a binge eater all my life, and I've never stopped. I may even do it more now that I have quit smoking becuse I don't have any other vice/emotional outlet. I just binge on better food now. And from time to time, I binge on the crap I used to binge on. I log it and move on, with guilt and all.
  • Siansonea
    Siansonea Posts: 917 Member
    Options
    Who stopped? :devil:

    I just do it much less often, and don't kick myself in the head when I do it. I just log it and go on about my day. If you only do it once or twice a month, it's not a big deal. :drinker:

    Me too, I've been a binge eater all my life, and I've never stopped. I may even do it more now that I have quit smoking becuse I don't have any other vice/emotional outlet. I just binge on better food now. And from time to time, I binge on the crap I used to binge on. I log it and move on, with guilt and all.

    Oh, I ditched the guilt. I don't feel the least bit guilty. You don't get a gold star when you die because you "ate responsibly" your whole life. A balanced life should include some indulgences, but the guilt is strictly optional. :drinker:

Categories