Binge Eating

TheWeightOfFood

Has anyone else had an issue with binge eating lately? I'd like to hear your story.

Are you struggling?
What have you eaten on a recent binge and how did you feel afterward?
Have you overcome it? How?

Ms_Behave

Yep. The past few days have been binge crazy just out of the blue. Story of my life. I've eaten more than 17,000 calories in three days.

I'm fine today - the struggle is over for now - it's like a switch suddenly flipped and I'm back to "normal", or my version thereof. :blushing:

Yesterday I ate over 1,400 calories worth of pasta, 1,275 worth of tortilla chips, 1,330 worth of Ghirardelli chocolate and the rest wasn't bad food, just WAY too much of it: yogurt, apples, oranges, dates, eggs, bacon, etc. If I had eaten a normal portion of any of these items I probably would have been just fine but it wasn't enough. I needed to eat until I couldn't eat any further.

I will never fully overcome this according to any of the medical professionals I've dealt with over the years. My p-doc likened it to being an alcoholic. They may not touch alcohol for the rest of their life but they will always have to be vigilant.

Are you asking because you also struggle?

DaveneGfit

I am binge eater myself...more or less ex binge eater now. I know exactly what it's like, but I know you can get though it! If you need anything at all please feel free to message me. Usually when I feel the need to binge I stop and try and figure out what is actually going on with me. What is it that is causing me to feel this way. Working though it has helped a lot. I also have others that keep me accountable.

I_Will_Be_The_Swan

I've been bingeing on ice cream, chicken and chips, sushi, pasta, tomato mozzarella salads - anything in the house. It's disgusting. I've had a really stressful week because my new medication makes me angry all the time and gives me night terrors, my mother called, and my sister's been staying with me. I'm so certain I've put back on most of the weight I've lost, and I feel really hopeless and sick.

whoknowsame

Yep. The past few days have been binge crazy just out of the blue. Story of my life. I've eaten more than 17,000 calories in three days.

I'm fine today - the struggle is over for now - it's like a switch suddenly flipped and I'm back to "normal", or my version thereof. :blushing:

Yesterday I ate over 1,400 calories worth of pasta, 1,275 worth of tortilla chips, 1,330 worth of Ghirardelli chocolate and the rest wasn't bad food, just WAY too much of it: yogurt, apples, oranges, dates, eggs, bacon, etc. If I had eaten a normal portion of any of these items I probably would have been just fine but it wasn't enough. I needed to eat until I couldn't eat any further.

I will never fully overcome this according to any of the medical professionals I've dealt with over the years. My p-doc likened it to being an alcoholic. They may not touch alcohol for the rest of their life but they will always have to be vigilant.

Are you asking because you also struggle?

As a recovering alcoholic and chronic binger I can agree with this. I'm always amazed that I as able to stop drinking but, I can't stop eating everything in sight ! I try to take it one minute at a time, literally. When I get the urge to eat I pause for a second and do something else. Move a muscle, change a thought.

Keep remembering that everyday is a new opportunity to start over. Yesterday is gone, the calories and fat are absorbed, there's nothing you can do about it. All you can do is start fresh. I like to remind myself how much better it feels to be on a healthy path versus feeling like a failure.

Stay strong girl !

whoknowsame

I've been bingeing on ice cream, chicken and chips, sushi, pasta, tomato mozzarella salads - anything in the house. It's disgusting. I've had a really stressful week because my new medication makes me angry all the time and gives me night terrors, my mother called, and my sister's been staying with me. I'm so certain I've put back on most of the weight I've lost, and I feel really hopeless and sick.

Remember that if you've lost it before, there's no reason you can't physically lose it again. It's just the mentality you have to change, that's all. Pick a day to start over and take it one day at a time.

Richterchuk

I am a recovering binge eater too - it was a combination of binge/stress eating because the stress would trigger the binge. Chocolate was my main culprit, and it was like a drug, I just had to have it. And sugar, regardless of the source, would make me feel so sick, binge or not, so I would feel like crap both emotionally and physically.

When I started MFP, I went into it with a starting goal to just track everything because the app is so simple. And to tackle my binges, I had this rule: I could eat whatever I wanted, but I could only have the serving size and that's it. If I was still hungry/craving, I could eat something else, but just the serving size. I also tried to add in something afterwards that I knew was filling (ie. if I had a chocolate bar, I'd cut up an apple and eat that too, paired with a glass of water and suddenly I didn't feel like having any more chocolate, but I still felt satisfied because I had some.)

I have lots to lose and am 11 lbs down, and I feel so much better even with that "small" amount lost. I can't believe how my cravings have dropped considerably! I find I am naturally leaning towards grabbing the apple instead of the chocolate (fruit has helped me a lot with my cravings). I have a long ways to go and I am doing this all gradually (I don't restrict anything, if I want it, I have it, just has to fit in with my calorie goal for the day). With my own permission to eat what I want, I am finding that I am still looking to eat healthier (I'm adding less butter to my mashed potatoes, I add veggies to my spaghetti sauce, etc). It is all coming with time for me. Going cold turkey in the past used to be a huge trigger for my binges. I'm hoping that I have FINALLY put it behind me as I have struggled for most of my adult life.

Good luck to you!

ezloshead

I gave in to the chocolate cravings during my menzies and couldn't stop after it was over. Someone on my friends list called me out on it and I stopped for a few days but I went crazy when I made some coconut oil chocolate last Thursday. Then I drank a thousand calories worth of Kraken and Rumchata and I'm still weighed down from it all. It takes so long to get back in sync when I do this. I'm thinking about fasting for a day to clear everything out of my system and start fresh.

ezloshead

I am a recovering binge eater too - it was a combination of binge/stress eating because the stress would trigger the binge. Chocolate was my main culprit, and it was like a drug, I just had to have it. And sugar, regardless of the source, would make me feel so sick, binge or not, so I would feel like crap both emotionally and physically.

When I started MFP, I went into it with a starting goal to just track everything because the app is so simple. And to tackle my binges, I had this rule: I could eat whatever I wanted, but I could only have the serving size and that's it. If I was still hungry/craving, I could eat something else, but just the serving size. I also tried to add in something afterwards that I knew was filling (ie. if I had a chocolate bar, I'd cut up an apple and eat that too, paired with a glass of water and suddenly I didn't feel like having any more chocolate, but I still felt satisfied because I had some.)

I have lots to lose and am 11 lbs down, and I feel so much better even with that "small" amount lost. I can't believe how my cravings have dropped considerably! I find I am naturally leaning towards grabbing the apple instead of the chocolate (fruit has helped me a lot with my cravings). I have a long ways to go and I am doing this all gradually (I don't restrict anything, if I want it, I have it, just has to fit in with my calorie goal for the day). With my own permission to eat what I want, I am finding that I am still looking to eat healthier (I'm adding less butter to my mashed potatoes, I add veggies to my spaghetti sauce, etc). It is all coming with time for me. Going cold turkey in the past used to be a huge trigger for my binges. I'm hoping that I have FINALLY put it behind me as I have struggled for most of my adult life.

Good luck to you!

You jogged my memory. I used to eat apples and bananas all the time but I haven't the past few weeks and cravings have been harder to deal with. I didn't make the connection before now.

toronto_j

I was good all day yesterday until dinner when I binged (for me) on a huge serving of take-out noodles, chicken dumplings and two cupcakes. I realized that when I get super-tired, I crave carbs, especially sugary ones, and my willpower is zero. Back on track today, did an extra long workout and got some sleep!

Ms_Behave

I will never fully overcome this according to any of the medical professionals I've dealt with over the years. My p-doc likened it to being an alcoholic. They may not touch alcohol for the rest of their life but they will always have to be vigilant.

As a recovering alcoholic and chronic binger I can agree with this. I'm always amazed that I as able to stop drinking but, I can't stop eating everything in sight ! I try to take it one minute at a time, literally. When I get the urge to eat I pause for a second and do something else. Move a muscle, change a thought.

Keep remembering that everyday is a new opportunity to start over. Yesterday is gone, the calories and fat are absorbed, there's nothing you can do about it. All you can do is start fresh. I like to remind myself how much better it feels to be on a healthy path versus feeling like a failure.

Stay strong girl !

Thank you! I appreciate the understanding

Richterchuk

I gave in to the chocolate cravings during my menzies and couldn't stop after it was over. Someone on my friends list called me out on it and I stopped for a few days but I went crazy when I made some coconut oil chocolate last Thursday. Then I drank a thousand calories worth of Kraken and Rumchata and I'm still weighed down from it all. It takes so long to get back in sync when I do this. I'm thinking about fasting for a day to clear everything out of my system and start fresh.

My cravings are the worst about a week before (and during) my period too. I used to blame myself, but if you keep track of your period (mine is not completely regular) then you know what to expect that week and plan accordingly (have the chocolate but adjust your meals accordingly - soups, chicken breast, etc). Since MFP I've really noticed the effect that the foods I eat have on me (the caffeine in the chocolate makes my PMS worse! It's hard!) and adding in protein has helped with both the cravings and the PMS - so I've found a compromise for those times - a glass of chocolate milk.

I wouldn't fast - that will just make things worse. Just eat good the next day, and have a plan in place to handle cravings. I had a specific plan to get myself through Easter (the worst holiday for me other than Halloween) and it worked pretty good.

nofoodforthemood

I go to therapy for binge eating. I've been 54 days binge free. Now my problem is figuring out what are the right foods to eat.

ange_903

I have suffered from binge eating disorder for many years. In the last year I finally went to group therapy. Best thing I ever did. The difficult part now is learning how to loose weight wit;hout going back to binging. The thing that helps me the most is regular meals, as hunger can trigger a binge.
Breakfast
Snack
Lunch
Snack
Dinner
Snack
I eat more carbs as night as that is when I get hungry so I split my caslories accordingly.
Hope this helps a little.

ange_903

Also if you think you might have binge eating disorder and not just general diet binges, please speak to someone, as there are often many underlying issues that you need to deal with to help you overcome it and give you a healthy relationship with food.

eslcity

Lately, I haven't been binging out of control... but what I've been doing is eating things like one cookie, half a muffin, one pudding cup, 10 or 15 jellybeans.... a vanilla wafer...3 bite size "Crunch" bars and those are the snacks i had just today.... i have the willpower to stop... but I the calories are adding up....^___^

ffargynnig

Ice cream. I was doing really well and eating healthy lately then I had some ice cream last night. I get started on it and I crave more and more. No real reason to eat it other then I felt like having some. Started off as a reasonable amouont and then....well you know how it goes! To make things worse the sweetness of it makes me crave salty so I went to town on a bag of tortilla chips. I wish junk food wasn't kept the house but I didn't purchase these things (makes me feel even worse since they're not mine). Yuck...I feel awful today. Trying to start off the new day fresh. Having a boiled egg and a kale-mango nutribullet smoothie for breakfast today.

jsr0928

I have been a binge eater as well and I am slowly working to curb this problem. I read that if you eat a lot of fruit (this article recommended 4 fruits a day) that the natural sugars in the fruit will help curb your need for sugar and help prevent the candy binges. I binged last night on Easter candy my husband had brought home (he works in a store and can raid it when goes on sale for half price or less). I ate jujus and mellow cremes, and dove dark chocolate eggs, and a russell stover raspberry whip creme egg. I stayed under calories, but it was empty calories and countered my nice bike ride!

My biggest issue is staying in the confines of a "serving". I find I eat 2 servings of most things, though I do stay within my calorie goals. Now, 2 servings of lettuce is no big deal, but 2 servings of Brown rice is. If I could learn to eat smaller portions, that would help me. I think that since I am still under my calorie goal, it is okay, but I know it is not a healthy habit. I am going to have to figure out a way to break it!

FlatTummyTrish

It's been months since my last binge, looking back I have no idea how I could mindlessly eat everything in my kitchen but I got through it, I focused on other things, stopped obsessing... And I also started eating more calories each day so that I feel I'm on track, it works wonders on weekends, I still go over but it is nowhere near a binge, I just don't get that hungry. Good luck, I know it's a struggle but it can be done