how to stop binge eating?

cmhickey616

Hey. Has anyone else had problems with binge eating and if so how did you stop? I am exercising enough, but I can't seem to get the eating part down. I try to eat healthy, but on the days that I eat healthy I end up ruining it at the end of the day by binge eating on junk food late at night. Or if I start the day off bad it just continues and snowballs out of control. I'm actually surprised I don't weight more than I do. I'm just wondering what other people with this problem have tried because I can't seem to get myself out of this terrible pattern.

deathstarclock

When you feel like you are going to hit a binge, drink some water. Drink alot of water.

OR

Punch yourself in the gut.

Shannonigans84

I deprived myself for a year; sure I was skinny but I got fed up and went on a 2 month eating spree! So number one, incorporate your favorite things into your allowance when you can. Also, make sure to get wholesome calories early in the day so you're not so hungry later on. Have a potein and fiber packed dinner that will hold you over. I guess for me I focused on how I felt while binging and reminded myself how how I felt when I did it. Perhaps try drinking water/flavored/tea/etc and grabbing a piece of gum or sugar free hard candy when you feel the urge. It's important to keep busy because down time allows you to think about food. Try to find a healthy relationship with it. Once you find a balance you'll be less consumed. Good luck!

skierxjes

Don't buy it

Coyla

I deprived myself for a year; sure I was skinny but I got fed up and went on a 2 month eating spree! So number one, incorporate your favorite things into your allowance when you can.

I agree 100%. I also agree with the idea of getting rid of the foods that are your biggest temptation. If you have other people in the house who demand those foods, hide them from yourself.

Instead of trying to stop yourself from binge-eating, merely try to binge less. Also give yourself room for a binge in your calorie tracking just in case! Be honest with yourself about the problem. Don't try to fight it on will power alone.

sc1572

Keep junk food AWAY from you! I had to stop buying tubs of ice cream for single servings, boxes of cookies for single servings, etc. because I'd end up overeating them! Now, I get small treats I know I won't go over on, like individually wrapped sundaes and ice cream bars...Weight Watchers, Smart Ones, Skinny Cow, etc...I also treat myself once a week to frozen yogurt or a candy bar to fill my craving. If I'm home and feeling down and want to eat for emotions, I exercise or try to stay occupied. Even coming on here helps! Recently someone told me to write down when I feel like binging, why, what I plan to eat, etc...and that it helps. So I'll do that next time!

thankyou4thevenom

The biggest way I stopped binge-eating was just to stop having it in the house. That didn't mean I wasn't ever allowed to have it.

If I buy the stuff I binge on I now only buy one or two portions at any one time, so I can't.

I also told myself I would always be allowed it, if I could be bothered to walk the three miles to the supermarket to get it.

getskinnyk8

The "don't keep it in the house" thing doesn't work for me. I will literally binge eat anything -- tortillas, cereal, nuts, etc. One thing I read that somebody posted on these boards that has helped me is this:

"If I ever feel the urge to binge I just ask myself "Can you just not binge today? Can you make it just for today without binging?" Usually I answer with "of course!" Then I get a glass of water and find something else to do to occupy my hands."

Thinking about it in terms of, "can I just resist this one time?'...taking it one binge at a time...has helped me recently.

nakedskeleton

binge eating is a hard habit to break, granted, but, like a lot of habits, you must become conscious of it. every time you grab for food, think "am i really hungry? do i really need this? could i eat something better?" be aware of your body and of your own body's needs. if you really want something unhealthy, it's okay to have it within proportion and moderation, but try limiting this to one day a weak. enjoy cheat days only one day a weak and make these days within reason. also, it can never hurt to look up healthy recipes that incorporate some of the things you may crave, such as chocolate or more desert type foods.

if you mess up on a normal day, forgive it and don't loose sight of your daily goals.

Riverofbeauty

The "don't keep it in the house" thing doesn't work for me. I will literally binge eat anything -- tortillas, cereal, nuts, etc. One thing I read that somebody posted on these boards that has helped me is this:

This.

I'm the same, will binge on anything.

Agree with what other people say, I can't bake unless it's a single serving, because I'll just eat the whole batch. Buying single serves at the supermarket for treats help too.

I binged on Saturday, a proper one for the first time in a long time. It's two days later and I still feel guilty and horrible. But I do try and allow myself treats 1-2 times a week to try and stop that happening. As long as I get back on track as quickly as I can after a binge it's okay, I think every one has bad days every now and then.

MIMITIME

Enter your food before you eat it and save some calorie room for somthing you really like. If you do binge, enter everything you binge on in the food diary to see the damage and how much you will weigh in 5 weeks if you eat like that everyday. It may not be as bad as you think but on the other hand, it could shock you enough that it helps you control your binges. Good Luck

Elizabeth_C34

Make sure the changes you are making to your diet are gradual. Start with exchanging bad foods for good ones in your diet one by one. Examples would be eating an apple instead of fries; eating whole wheat bread instead of white; eating your meat grilled or baked instead of smothered or fried; eat most of your meals at home prepared with fresh ingredients instead of out at a restaurant; etc. Make the changes slowly, and you will find that you are not binge eating nearly as often.

I only binge when I am not eating enough, so make sure you eat often throughout the day to keep the urge at bay.

Another alternative, if nothing else works, get away from the food, literally. Go for a run or a walk when you feel the urge to binge.

Finally, forgive yourself if you screw up. Just because you trip over a rock doesn't mean you have to smash your head against it repeatedly. Get up, brush it off, and try to do better the next day.

merB89

bump, i have the exact same problem. And its always on weird things too. whatever I can get my hands on

stardozer

meeeeeeeeee toooooooooo.

FitMama2013

I didn't get my binge eating under control until I realized there was a psychological reason I wanted to eat like that. After seeing a counselor for 10 months, I can say that I RARELY ever do that anymore because I know exactly what leads to it emotionally and how to avoid it. Conquering the binge eating is a great feeling each time I decide to deal with those emotions in a more healthy way, i.e. exercise or something else!

I'm not suggesting every person who binges needs to see a counselor - just putting it out there that counseling REALLY helped me!

Good luck!

anetap2000

I deprived myself for a year; sure I was skinny but I got fed up and went on a 2 month eating spree! So number one, incorporate your favorite things into your allowance when you can. Also, make sure to get wholesome calories early in the day so you're not so hungry later on. Have a potein and fiber packed dinner that will hold you over. I guess for me I focused on how I felt while binging and reminded myself how how I felt when I did it. Perhaps try drinking water/flavored/tea/etc and grabbing a piece of gum or sugar free hard candy when you feel the urge. It's important to keep busy because down time allows you to think about food. Try to find a healthy relationship with it. Once you find a balance you'll be less consumed. Good luck!

I agree with you
I've been trying to loose weight all my life, and I was doing good by 3 p.m , and after that I was eating everything what I could find at home.
I'm doing good lately, because I understood that when I don't deprive myself during a day and I eat every 3-4 hours I'm not crazy hungry around 3 p.m, and I can eat a little bit and I'm satisfied. But if I don't eat enough, I eat a lot in the afternoon.
And also I used to keep saing that I will start to eat clean tommorow ( every day). One day I have realized that today is a day, and if I won't lose weight now, I will never do it! I keep recall it every day!

Raf702

Hey. Has anyone else had problems with binge eating and if so how did you stop? I am exercising enough, but I can't seem to get the eating part down. I try to eat healthy, but on the days that I eat healthy I end up ruining it at the end of the day by binge eating on junk food late at night. Or if I start the day off bad it just continues and snowballs out of control. I'm actually surprised I don't weight more than I do. I'm just wondering what other people with this problem have tried because I can't seem to get myself out of this terrible pattern.

Foods that have moderate content of fat and protein tend to be very satiable. And keep you from craving excess food. If you eat a lot of veggies and fruits through out the day, not saying it's bad. They just tend to keep you hungry still and hence the binge eating of junk foods, etc. towards the end of your night.

clairibou1

arggh i have this issue so often...the awful thing is, ever since i have gotten on here, it has gotten worse. i don't know what to do, but i am going the wrong way on the scale!

Kristimcb

Binge eating is hard. I have had to face it over and over and over. I use food to feed my loneliness and my frustration. Well, recently, I decided to DIVORCE it from my live. Remove it from my mind. How I started was by reading and listening to Dr. Wayne Dyer. You may not get into all of his "stuff" (and I'm not trying to push it) but he does talk about eating, life balance, and the "addiction" behind eating. I have also read Geneen Roth. Some of her stuff sticks to me and some of it doesn't, but the main aspect I get is facing the WHY of eating head on. I agree with many who say "don't have it in the house", but this is hard with my husband and two little kids and ANYTHING to me can become binge food. Now I try to meditate, drink tea to relax me, drink warm water to soothe me, walk my driveway, or just go to bed. I hope this helps!!!

Kristi

Kristimcb

clairibou1 - - I love your mini goals!!!

Kristi

chevy88grl

Two things helped me:

First thing? Don't make any food off limits. When we tell ourselves we CAN'T have something - we start to feel resentful. Feeling resentful because you can't eat something will often lead to binge eating. By allowing yourself to eat what you want, just in moderation you aren't depriving yourself of anything.

Second thing? I eat every couple hours. When I do this, it tends to keep my blood sugar level. When my sugar is level - I find that I don't want to binge eat. When I allow myself to get REALLY hungry, I tend to kind of go out of control with food.

If you know that you'll want something to snack on later at night, I recommend allowing yourself the calories for later at night. I always eat before bed, but I TRY and make it something healthy - like yogurt, cottage cheese, etc. If you know you'll want something like popcorn while you watch tv - set aside the calories for it.

gsager

I have to deal with that too cause I love to stuff myself. I think that is why it helps me to eat all my exercise calories. It ends up being a lot more food than I would think I could lose weight on but I still do. Make sure that you are eating enough and it will help you with bingeing and don't set yourself up by keeping some of that stuff in the house. Good luck.

clairibou1

clairibou1 - - I love your mini goals!!!

Kristi

aww thanks kristi!

Melissajk

I just read in the Prevention magazine, in a Jullian Michaels interview. She said "give yourself 300 calories a day to eat what ever you want as a treat". That way you don't have say you can't have this or that.
My problem is I binge eat too and can I stop at 300 calories?
This will be my chalange this week.

brimir

get counseling maybe there is a reason you're binge eating.,... I have a binge eating disorder. it's serious and hard to over come with out the right tools.

Mommawarrior

The only way to stop binge eating is to chose not to do it. Only you can decide what goes in your mouth. Put on your big girl panties and make the right choice.
Not being mean, just being truthful.

scarletleavy

Take a look at these blog posts (one of my favorite vegan cooking blogs) about the issue, they really helped me.

http://ohsheglows.com/2009/02/04/the-unspoken-issue/

http://ohsheglows.com/2009/02/05/the-unspoken-issue-part-2/

mezzosoprano89

I combat binge eating by just not buying junk food, it's hard sometimes, but healthy alternatives help. I buy turkey hill light ice cream, skinny cow candy bars, light pringles, fiber one brownies...it definitely helps. And when you log it you can really see the difference. A fun size candy bar or a whole skinny cow candy bar being the same amount of calories helps me see that I'm truly more satisfied from the skinny cow.

Also finding new comfort foods can help...I'm trying so many new foods to try and find variety in my diet, and something like tomato soup and grilled cheese on whole wheat bread is really nice after a rough day

lynn1982

I didn't get my binge eating under control until I realized there was a psychological reason I wanted to eat like that. After seeing a counselor for 10 months, I can say that I RARELY ever do that anymore because I know exactly what leads to it emotionally and how to avoid it. Conquering the binge eating is a great feeling each time I decide to deal with those emotions in a more healthy way, i.e. exercise or something else!

I'm not suggesting every person who binges needs to see a counselor - just putting it out there that counseling REALLY helped me!

Good luck!

This is exactly what I was going to say. Speaking from experience, my binge eating tendencies were derived from psychological issues. I realized this one day after I had been tracking food and eating healthy for a good month and something happened in my life and I ate an entire box of cookies in order to dull the emotional pain. This might not be your issue, but if it is, then try to find a therapist who deals specifically with eating disorders and binge eating.

stripedsocks

Finally, forgive yourself if you screw up. Just because you trip over a rock doesn't mean you have to smash your head against it repeatedly. Get up, brush it off, and try to do better the next day.

That's one of the best sayings I've seen. Thanks!

BrendaK777

I have the same problem. I don't have junk food to eat in the house, but I just feel like my appetite is out of control! I think drinking water does help, but I have been trying to figure this out myself. I don't do it everyday...so what do I do different on the days that I don't feel like bingeing? one of the things I think is ... I wait too long since the last time I ate... Its like, if you wait til your hungry, you waited to long kinda thing. (since we are eating under our needed calorie intake to loose wieght) so Im gonna try to do little snacks to keep me going with the water. This might mean a small portion at dinner but when the weights off and we go to maintenance calorie intake we will have a little more room to work with. I don't know, just a thought.