How to recover from binge eating.. Help

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I need somewhere to vent, and I need help. I've been trying to lose weight for a year and a half, and let me tell you, with binge eating disorder I haven't lost a pound. Well I have, I lost 5 actually, but then gained it all back. I'm so disapointed in myself, I'll never be at the size I want to be. I just want to lose 20 pounds nothing huge, and something that seems so simple for some of you that have lost over 100 in this time frame is overwhelming and frustrating for me. I've completely lost hope. I spent a entire week just eating crap and not exercising and binging some days. I've been telling myself every day I wake up to stick with my diet but it never works out. I'll never give up, I'll always try, but ill never succeed. Any binge eaters that have success stories and know how to cope with this?

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  • jrose1982
    jrose1982 Posts: 366 Member
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    I don't know anything about binge eating disorder, but per your post you binge eat when you get frustrated over your lack of weight loss. So stop weighing yourself. Weight loss has too many variables. Things like retaining water or hormones can make it look, in the short term, like we're not losing or even gaining. You apparently don't have the right mind set to face that frustration. So don't. At least not right now.

    Set a simpler goal, one that is 100% within your power: track everything you eat for 30 days. Figure out your calorie limit and make a point to eat within 100 calories of that goal (100 over or 100 under), every day. Don't look at the scale, just focus on improving your eating habits. Pay attention to how various foods make you feel and what you can learn from that. Work on getting some exercise, and pay attention to how that makes you feel. Focus on health, not weight loss.

    At the end of the 30 days, assess how you feel. Maybe even weigh yourself. But your focus should be on improving your habits.

    The people that are able to lose weight do it by sticking with it, and not letting the setbacks (there are always setbacks) destroy what they are doing. That's a skill you need to learn.
  • Fsunami
    Fsunami Posts: 241 Member
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    I need somewhere to vent, and I need help. I've been trying to lose weight for a year and a half, and let me tell you, with binge eating disorder I haven't lost a pound. Well I have, I lost 5 actually, but then gained it all back. I'm so disapointed in myself, I'll never be at the size I want to be. I just want to lose 20 pounds nothing huge, and something that seems so simple for some of you that have lost over 100 in this time frame is overwhelming and frustrating for me. I've completely lost hope. I spent a entire week just eating crap and not exercising and binging some days. I've been telling myself every day I wake up to stick with my diet but it never works out. I'll never give up, I'll always try, but ill never succeed. Any binge eaters that have success stories and know how to cope with this?


    I can offer one immediate coping mechanism - ditch the negativity. It is counterproductive unless it motivates you, and even the its not a healthy way to push oneself. Your weight doesnt define you. Your body is a component of who you are as a human being, its not the only part. Take the emotion out of it and look it as a thing you DO.

    I'd try to focus on this as a lifestyle change, not a diet. A diet implies a finite goal to reach & a finite end. At the end of that road, you then give yourslef implied permission to revert, which begets an endless vicious cycle. A lifestyle change ends up benefitting you and those you love (because they will likely get to see you longer on this earth).

    In the end? Objectively speaking, most things in life are choices. Whether they are good, bad or indifferent, they are choices. I beleive we are a direct result of the choices we make. If you want to change the outcome, change the choices so they lead to the outcome you want.

    I will say it one more time - negativity (especially if its directed inward) begets nothing but more toxic negativity. Flush it for your own good and start taking inventory of the positive impact you have on people. Youd be shocked at how different the view is......

    You CAN do this....
  • dt3312
    dt3312 Posts: 212 Member
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    I am or was a binge eater. This book has helped me a lot: Breaking Free from Emotional Eating by Geneen Roth. It might be available at your local library. You can buy it through Amazon.
  • 2013sk
    2013sk Posts: 1,318 Member
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    You need to get rid of all the rubbish or binge type foods in the house!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Do that to start with!

    How many calories are you consuming a day? What are your trigger foods? Carbs/Sugar/Sweets/Salt etc?

    Don't say you will never be the size you want to be - YOU WILL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    YOU CAN DO IT!!!!!!!!!!!

    One day at a time & don't be soooo hard on yourself! Why not log tomorrows foods now, and try and stick to them. Throw any rubbish or binge food out - You cant binge on it then

    Stock up on fruits and veggies, protein things - Binge on them!!!

    Trust me I can have a BINGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! But you know what I hardly do it now, I feel like rubbish after & the food just isn't worth it. Makes me all depressed, bloated, miserable etc.

    You will FEEL AMAZING once you try to adjust these trigger foods/groups!

    Hope my advice helps in someway - Add me if you want : )

    Ps) Little & often of the foods you love - Make them fit into your day/diary
  • coreytikkitavi
    coreytikkitavi Posts: 5 Member
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    I just want to lose 20 pounds nothing huge, and something that seems so simple for some of you that have lost over 100 in this time frame is overwhelming and frustrating for me.

    Don't be discouraged. Be happy that you look GREAT now.... it's better to have 20 lbs to lose, and lose it slowly, than to start out with 100 lbs to lose. You don't need to rush, so try (I know it's hard) to not think about how FAST you can lose.
    I've completely lost hope. I spent a entire week just eating crap and not exercising and binging some days. I've been telling myself every day I wake up to stick with my diet but it never works out. I'll never give up, I'll always try, but ill never succeed. Any binge eaters that have success stories and know how to cope with this?

    You don't need to lose hope! You've already proved to yourself that losing 5 lbs is possible. Now do it again, and stick there. Take it easy. After that, lose 5 more. 5 lbs is 25% of your goal, that's huge!

    Do you have any idea WHY you binge? What are you trying to fix by eating? Try and discover what your emotional problem is, what your emotional trigger is. Try to talk it out, or alleviate it some other way besides eating.
  • TipTipJuicyRed
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    i too suffer from binge eating. and i do it late when mo one is looking. i agree with the personwho said the stuff about getting rif of the junk. if you have healthy snacks then if you binge on them its not qur as bad or if ur like me u wont ecen be tempted! good.luck!
  • nomorebingesgirl2014
    nomorebingesgirl2014 Posts: 378 Member
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    Bump
  • combatbunny
    combatbunny Posts: 42 Member
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    Hi, i'm bulimic and fighting it... haven't purged in about two weeks.. one of the things that helps me to thwart binge eating is to make warm broth using a chicken bouillon cube or irish/english breakfast tea. It fills your stomach to the point where eating would be sickening. Or, if it has to be solid food, eat a ton of frozen peas, green beans, cauliflower, broccoli, etc (cooked of course.)
  • katiemlandry
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    I am suffering this problem, too. My weight fluctuates because I get into a good rhythm and then something completely knocks me out of it. I think I have always been a binge eater but with less binges... in the past few weeks It's been every day. I end up feeling sick and sluggish and awful and I have woken up every day and said to myself that I was going to stop. And I do pretty well but in the moment when I am about to reach for something to binge I can't stop myself. And it's weird because I actually love healthy foods. I love vegetables. When I have a meal, I reach for good stuff and in that moment I am satisfied with it. But once the evening rolls around I grab anything and everything I can that can be used for snacking.

    Part of what has helped me in the past is I know my binge foods and I absolutely do not buy them. The only thing I can eat instantly without cooking is fruits and veggies. I buy everything that I would have to prepare to eat. If I have foods like crackers or chips or anything that I can just grab and eat (peanut butter is a big one for me) I will eat them. But I live downstairs from my parents and there's always something to binge on in their cupboards and lately because my binging has been so bad I can't stop myself from going up there.

    I think a huge part of my problem now is that I like to eat while watching my shows, so now I associate food with TV. So when I watch one of my shows without food I feel like I need to have it. So today I decided I will no longer allow myself to eat while watching TV.


    I hope you find your solution. I'm still looking for mine.