HELP- How to stop binging?

digidream

For the past couple of days I've had some terrible binges. Having entire containers of stuff with 8 servings per container in under 30 minutes kind of binges... mainly snack food I don't even know why! It's not out of hunger or deprivation. Maybe it is stress from school or boredom, but I have REALLY fallen off the train and really need help/motivation/tips. I think I've had over 3,000 calories today but am afraid to calculate it.... I feel so disconnected from myself.
Has anyone had problems binging and successfully dealt with it?
Thanks!

cassiper

Don't take this as a negative thing, but it sounds like maybe you need to talk to someone to resolve underlying issues with your binging. I know I do... I have the same problem. There is also OA (Overeaters Anonymous) that you could check into. They work a 12-step program and I'm sure it wouldn't hurt.
Good luck and {{hugs}} because I know how bad binging makes you feel.

digidream

Don't take this as a negative thing, but it sounds like maybe you need to talk to someone to resolve underlying issues with your binging. I know I do... I have the same problem. There is also OA (Overeaters Anonymous) that you could check into. They work a 12-step program and I'm sure it wouldn't hurt.
Good luck and {{hugs}} because I know how bad binging makes you feel.

I've been thinking the same thing for a while. I really really do need to go to some sort of counseling but overeating feels really shameful and if I go to someone it's like I'm admitting I have a problem :O lol I know it's a messed up way of thinking. I guess I'm scared to talk to someone... I'm not too overweight (well my body composition is VERY unhealthy but I think my frame hides it well) so for now I just try to hide the binging but I really need to do something about it....
I do have alot of psychological things tied into feelings towards food- stress/social anxiety/etc but at the end of the day binging makes me feel awful about myself, my body, my lack of control
But I'll try to look into counseling at school once I get through this string of exams. Thank you!!!

jharwell58

I have had that problem in the past and still deal with the desire to binge from time to time. What helped me was counseling and the gradual realization that a lot of the problem is just what you describe: isolation, stress, and shame. And binging seems to feed on itself: you feel stressed so you eat, which makes you feel ashamed, which makes you want to isolate from other people...which causes stress that brings on another binge! That may be simplified somewhat, but I do believe it is a dangerous cycle. Unfortunately, too, another thing that helped me was just the aging process... I became more comfortable with myself as I got older, it became less of an issue.

I wish you all the best....but please do start with some counseling to explore some underlying issues, and please do not feel as if you are alone. I think there are a lot of people just like you facing the same troubles.

cassiper

I attended my first OA meeting online tonight and it was not painful at all. It's good to hear the stories of others.

Good luck!

fannybee

Don't take this as a negative thing, but it sounds like maybe you need to talk to someone to resolve underlying issues with your binging. I know I do... I have the same problem. There is also OA (Overeaters Anonymous) that you could check into. They work a 12-step program and I'm sure it wouldn't hurt.
Good luck and {{hugs}} because I know how bad binging makes you feel.

I've been thinking the same thing for a while. I really really do need to go to some sort of counseling but overeating feels really shameful and if I go to someone it's like I'm admitting I have a problem :O lol I know it's a messed up way of thinking. I guess I'm scared to talk to someone... I'm not too overweight (well my body composition is VERY unhealthy but I think my frame hides it well) so for now I just try to hide the binging but I really need to do something about it....
I do have alot of psychological things tied into feelings towards food- stress/social anxiety/etc but at the end of the day binging makes me feel awful about myself, my body, my lack of control
But I'll try to look into counseling at school once I get through this string of exams. Thank you!!!

I used to binge so now I pre-log everything I eat before eating... it helps a lot !

gmallan

Just something that you might want to think about. Have you reccently started restricting calories (more than usual)? I find I am way more likely to binge when I'm aiming for a larger deficit, most likely because I'm genuinely hungry and my body wants more food and it craves the most calorie dense food possible (sugar and fat). Aim for a more moderate deficit, eat pleanty of lean protein, veggies (fibre) and some healthy fats to keep yourself feeling full. Eat foods you crave in moderation (single serve packages if needed).

RockstarWilson

Here is what I do, and I really don't mean to sound like jerk, but in the simplest terms:
I don't buy stuff that I know I will binge on. It doesn't enter my kitchen. The only thing I have that is even possible to binge on is pork rinds, but it fits into my diet plan (keto), and those are so hard to binge on because they are just protein and fat. Carbs are easy to binge on.

I don't know your situation. I live alone, so it is ultra easy to control, but you may have kids or family and such, in which this may not work. Although, the woman is the ruler of the kitchen in most households, so you have the power to change what goes into it....

What do alcoholics do when they start binging? They throw away the alcohol. Same concept. Got to dig deep.

melissagraceadams

I have a problem with bored eating, but of course I guess it's the same kind of thing. I just don't buy certain snacks that I would want to eat 24/7. I replace my snacking need with something healthier like an apple or something.
Good luck to you!

sherambler

You should definitely seek help. I did about a year ago and now I rarely binge. I like myself more and am better able to get out of my own head and way. You get a lot of tools in therapy that just aren't the same as reading a workbook. And there's something about getting 45-60 minutes totally dedicated to you on a regualr basis that I think is nice. You don't always get to speak at each OA meeting, unless you want to be there well past the end time, and you don't always get to speak for that long. It's a good supplement for OA, if you choose to go that route.

I was lucky that my therapist used to be overweight and suffered from binge eating herself. So I trusted her completely, which helped me force myself to do the things I didn't want to do.

In the meantime, practice mindful practices, like waiting between food items in a binge. It's super difficult at first, but gets easier with time. I had to put post-its on my fridge to remind to wait initially. I started with 5 mins then i'd try another 5. sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn't. but i felt better for trying. I eventually worked up to an inital 20 min waiting period but drinking lots of water as i waited. by the time the waiting was over, often the cracing had passed or I could at least convince myself of a better option. Sometimes i gave in, but at least i wouldn't eat as much of that food. Other times, I'd end up distracting myself by looking at weight loss pictures online or reading posts, which would help bring my goal back into focus.

lawkat

You clearly do have a problem and burying your head in the sand isn't going to make it go away. You aren't perfect. No one is.

You have to realize that the only way you are going to deal with your emotions is by dealing with them and your issues with food. If you go to an OA meeting, I guarantee there will be someone there with similar issues and feelings as you. You aren't the only one who has these issues and there is nothing to be ashamed of. It is a flaw but one that you can fix. Don't put off fixing it because you this or that. There will always be something that will come in the way.

Also try to be more mindful of why you want to eat. Stop yourself and say, will eating X really help with the situation at hand? The answer is no, it will not help. Think about the food you want to eat and if you really can't help yourself, log it first to see it in real time. You might think twice about eating 8 servings of something.

Chaskavitch

I feel like I binge too, but only on food I have around. As a previous poster said, just don't buy it.

I have been helped by trying to plan out my meals weekly and only grocery shopping once, MAYBE twice a week. That is only one trip to the store every week where you have to say "I won't buy that because I know that once I open it, I'll eat it all." If I go more often, I'm like "oh, I'll buy this ice cream, it's on sale for 2 days. Oh, yeah, I'll get some chocolate covered almonds; better get enough to share with the husband! Oh, look how cheap those protein bars are, I should get like 5 or 6 of those." And then I eat them all and put the evidence in the outside trash bin so my husband doesn't know. I very rarely go to the store specifically to buy snacky food, and I try to cook mostly with whole ingredients (not "helpers" or frozen meals), partially because it takes longer if you're bingey. Nobody is going to binge out on raw bell peppers and zucchini.

I know that doesn't help at all with WHY you're binging, and obviously I still have issues too. It is just a lot easier to control it if there are fewer things to eat in the house, especially if you have to prepare them before you eat them.

Sam_I_Am77

A lot of good feedback here, definitely do not keep junk food in the house. If you want it bad enough, then you'll have to make a run to the store for it. That's one way to help with that.

tquill

I agree with not keeping it around if you can't control yourself... but to put it simply, you just have to value being fit over the fleeting enjoyment of a binge.