To all binge eaters only, what has worked?

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  • stacy1131
    stacy1131 Posts: 1
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    wow the grain and sweets thing is something to think about. I have done low carb many times and that helps but then you can't have fruit either. low carb works and you don't binge but you feel deprived. I might just try to get rid of processed grains and sweets. thanks for the info.
  • jooby1972
    jooby1972 Posts: 4 Member
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    Just finished reading Brain over Binge last night and I have to say that I am already using the techniques from the book. These are different from the techniques I would usually use ( distraction, trigger identification, etc) and I am finding already that I feel less exhausted and as if I am giving less power to the urges and recognising them as what they are, brain junk. Works for me but I do appreciate everyone is so very different. I feel really optimistic about this approach as it reminds me of some of the techniques I used to stop smoking. Fingers crossed. I have put twenty pounds on in the last year because of my binge, restrict cycle and I feel very hopeful today for the first time in ages. Yippee.
  • VeLisaraptor13
    VeLisaraptor13 Posts: 20 Member
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    I know how you feel. I've been so ill after my binges, stomach cramps, palpitations etc.

    What's really helped me is Increasing the amount of food I eat for once, but really upped the protein and amount of veggies. It's really cut my binges. Of course there will always be bad days and it'll be a constant battle but I'm feeling so much better lately. I used to restrict after binging but it only furthered the cycle.
  • butterbear1980
    butterbear1980 Posts: 234 Member
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    I was a binge water for 10 years, recovered for 7. Getting pregnant and then pregnant/breastfeeding for six years ( three kids each 22 months apart) really helped me start to think of my body as a temple. I couldn't stop for myself but I did stop for them. It was so hard to stop binging and like an alcoholic I feel I'll never be fully recovered. Here are some things that helped in the beginning.
    The book feeding the hungry heart. Online support. Telling my husband every time. Giving myself permission to eat anything; no restricted eating. No chronic cardio. Keeping a journal. Prayer. Walking after meals. Eating frequently.
  • chloeryan5680
    chloeryan5680 Posts: 1
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    After 6 moths of Broken marriage, my husband left me with two kids, I felt like ending it all, i almost committed suicide because he left us with nothing, i was emotionally down all this while. Thanks to a prophet called saibaba of saibaba temple which i met online. On one faithful day, as I was browsing through the internet, I came across several of testimonies about this particular prophet. Some people testified that he brought their Ex lover back, some testified that he restores womb,cure cancer,and other sickness, some testified that he prayed to stop divorce and get a good paid job so on. He is amazing, i also come across one particular testimony, it was about a woman called trisha , she testified about how he brought back her Ex lover in less than 2 days, and at the end of her testimony she dropped his email.After reading all these, I decided to give it a try. I contacted him via email and explained my problem to him. In just 48hours, my husband came back to me. We resolved our issues, and we are even happier than ever. prophet saibaba you are a gifted man and thank you for everything you had done in my life. If you have a problem and you are looking for a real and genuine prophet, Try him anytime, he is the answer to your problems. you can contact him on templesaibaba@yahoo.com
  • Happymelz
    Happymelz Posts: 536 Member
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    It was so hard to stop binging and like an alcoholic I feel I'll never be fully recovered. Here are some things that helped in the beginning.
    The book feeding the hungry heart. Online support. Telling my husband every time. Giving myself permission to eat anything; no restricted eating. No chronic cardio. Keeping a journal. Prayer. Walking after meals. Eating frequently.

    THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)
  • cynthiaabarca54
    cynthiaabarca54 Posts: 2
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    I feel like I know exactly how you feel, I cant open the fridge without picking at something, my weakness is.mostly for sweets. One small thing that has helped me is to keep a bag of teeny tiny chocolate chips in the fridge... whenever i get that craving instead if reaching for an entire browny or 2... I grab 2 or 3 chocolate chips. Maybe by the end of the day ive had 5 or 6 cravings and had anywhere from 10-20 mini chocolate chips which in my opinion isnt too bad at all.... its certainly better than knowing that i had 6 whole brownies or cookies on top of my meals in just 1 day...
  • BoxerBrawler
    BoxerBrawler Posts: 2,032 Member
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    I feel like I know exactly how you feel, I cant open the fridge without picking at something, my weakness is.mostly for sweets. One small thing that has helped me is to keep a bag of teeny tiny chocolate chips in the fridge... whenever i get that craving instead if reaching for an entire browny or 2... I grab 2 or 3 chocolate chips. Maybe by the end of the day ive had 5 or 6 cravings and had anywhere from 10-20 mini chocolate chips which in my opinion isnt too bad at all.... its certainly better than knowing that i had 6 whole brownies or cookies on top of my meals in just 1 day...

    I'm with you here...
    Ghiradelli white chocolate chips only have something like 70 calories in 22 chips! yay... lol!
  • hockey7fan
    hockey7fan Posts: 281 Member
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    I never learned to control it. All the therapy and techniques didn't help. I finally gave up and had weight loss surgery. Now I physically cannot binge and that's the only thing that helped me conquor it.
  • nomorebingesgirl2014
    nomorebingesgirl2014 Posts: 378 Member
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    Bump
  • onmyown70
    onmyown70 Posts: 233 Member
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    The thing that has worried me about therapy is it's not easy for me to get to/pay for. The NHS has a long waiting list and understandably the Gp just wanted me to "get a grip".

    I paid for one CBT session, it cost a fortune and he told me it would take at least six sessions before I made progress. I now have a child and food is everywhere and I don't get hardly any time on my own - I was hoping there might be an online forum.

    I don't know if it's psychological, or a "food addiction" I don't eat all the bags of sugar in the house, so it can't be sugar addiction. I do always overeat on carbohydrates though, it's hardly ever protein, fat (surprisingly!).

    I eat when low, anxious, very happy, bored (a buggy), and tiredness is something I'm finding very tough (as husband and child don't sleep well).

    I am also finding if I take my mind of the focus I'm getting into a pickle i.e. If I haven't planned, and there is cereal/bread available and I'm at a low point I binge. So avoiding those scenarios seems to help. At the same time, planning too many meals and snacks is a nightmare too as I keep thinking about my next meal/snack and getting excited about it, and then it's all I can think about and I go and eat it anyway.

    I frustrate myself, especially as once in that "zone" I will do anything to eat that pack of bagels, no amount of reasoning or forethought about the consequences (a ruined day because I feel sick and tired) affects me, I just eat and eat...

    Amazingly I don't do this every day, most days but not every day. I used to do a spot of walking and running which helped, but nowadays I can't just go for a run every time a trigger occurs. It's hard with a little one too as I start polishing off what they eat.

    I wonder if it's actually easier not eating all day (I mean I have to) my mind id always on food, I wish I could switch it to something else. Yet if I take my mind off food, I then eat anything and everything - my own internal "I am full now stop eating" switch isn't there.

    I find being mindful hard work, but I think I have to be mindful every second... sigh.

    Thank you for listening and all your replies.
  • onmyown70
    onmyown70 Posts: 233 Member
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    Dear MSPUnkyone - where did you find support online (apart from the MFP group - I can't keep hassling these kind guys!)
  • Leenda62
    Leenda62 Posts: 96 Member
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    Being on a low-carb diet has helped me a lot, but it is only under control. It is still always there...the thinking about it, you know? Good luck to you.
  • WBB55
    WBB55 Posts: 4,131 Member
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    I eat when low, anxious, very happy, bored (a buggy), and tiredness is something I'm finding very tough (as husband and child don't sleep well).

    When we have a default coping mechanism, it's really easy to just default to it. There are other ways to cope with these feelings. Sometimes you just breathe deeply and experience the feeling. It's ok to be anxious for a few minutes. You won't die. If you can't afford or wait for CBT, then try other things on your own.

    -Whenever you feel anxious, close your eyes and breathe deeply for a count of 10 breaths.
    -Whenever you're happy, write down what it was that made you happy -- that way you can refer to the list when you're sad
    -Make a list of 100 things you need to do that take 5 minutes (carry something to the attic, weed the front walk, whatever) and when you're bored, check one or two things off the list.
    -When you're sad, read the list of things that made you happy (see #2 above)

    These are just examples. It takes practice, I know. It doesn't happen overnight. But EVERY SINGLE TIME you don't fall into your old coping habit of eating, you're one step closer to it not being your default coping mechanism anymore.
  • Araisara
    Araisara Posts: 1
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    A couple of things have helped me.

    1) Chewing gum when I get the urge to eat but am clearly not hungry.

    2) Sucking (not chewing!) hard candy when I have a sweet craving.

    3) Not starting eating when I have the urge to binge. I feel like I want to eat 20 cookies? I know (from experience) that eating 1 cookie will not make me feel better, and in fact, it may very well make the urge worse. Therefore, I can't have even 1 cookie. Acknowledge that I'm having the urge, acknowledge that nothing (including binging) will make it go away, and simply go do something else while I wait for it to pass. Key to this step is knowing that not even doing something else will make the urge pass; I'm simply going to have to suffer for a good long while until it goes away on it's own. It may not even go away for the whole day.
  • Raynne413
    Raynne413 Posts: 1,527 Member
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    I over-restricted calories for years, and over exercised, losing about 180 lbs, before it caught up to me and I started having crazy cravings and binging. Then I'd restrict after the binge to try to "make up" for it, and the cycle would continue. I finally got desperate enough to seek therapy and my therapist recommended seeing a nutritionist who specialized in eating disorders. The first thing she did was tell me to stop working out, get more sleep, and up my calories. I fought it for a long time, but the more I listened to her, the better I got. I rarely have a problem now. And when I notice those cravings start again, I generally know either I am short on sleep, working out too much, or eating too little.

    Hopefully this advice will help others having the same issue.
  • LadyGisborne
    LadyGisborne Posts: 32 Member
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    Nothing has worked. I seem to have a switch in my brain that I cannot control. Either I binge eat nearly every day for several months, or I starve myself for several months. Things are not as bad now that I have kids. It used to be either 400kcal/day or 10,000. Now it is more like either 1200 or 5000.
    Counselling has not helped.
    Low-carbing curbs the urges to binge, but I cannot low-carb when I am in a binging phase.
  • whyyesitsneke
    whyyesitsneke Posts: 47
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    There are many small things you can do that have been suggested but there are two things to think of.

    Stomach restriction surgery should be a last resort option (not saying negatives to any who got it - it's a life saving surgery and it's wonderful and I hope it helps, but it shouldnt happen for everybody).

    Counselling will help wonders but you will never 'get over it'. Like any addiction, you will have to live with it.

    Now, you're on the right track with admitting it - the biggest thing to do is try to read some books on the subject and distract yourself if you want to binge. Chewing gum and walking is a huge help to many, but find what works for you.

    Best of luck!
  • Warchortle
    Warchortle Posts: 2,197 Member
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    Intermittent Fasting.

    #problemsolved
  • KatieMcCakes
    KatieMcCakes Posts: 294 Member
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    Identifying my trigger foods has helped me the most, and those are sugar and dairy in any form whatsoever. Trigger foods will be different for all binge eaters, but I have found through reading and asking others that sugar seems to be a common one. Identifying my non-food triggers has also helped... I have found that right after my work shift or right after a stressful family event are my most likely times to binge. Binge eating is so painful, and something that is hard for others to understand. Best of success to you- sending you lots of good wishes and support!!

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