why do YOU over eat/binge?

hooah_mj

my "reason" prob stems from having just the basics growing up...we ate everything on our plate, not bec we were forced to but bec that's all there was (not the worst thing in life). I was never overly hungry, just couldn't over-indulge like my kids are able to.

my why I binge today is prob bec I never needed to "control" what I ate, so I never really learned....as crazy as that may sound.

I've found 3 things that work for me, 1) there's always a glass of crystal light/tea within reach, 2) laptop helps keep my fingers out of the chip bowl, and 3) I log my meals beforehand...the numbers don't lie.

ALH1981

i am exactly the same - when i drink i reduce my rigid diet plan! ahhhhh so frustrating

TahliS

I overeat with my kids, when I'm sad and bored.. Being home with kids all day/all night especially when your husband leaves the house at 9 am and doesn't come home until 12:30 a.m. what else is there to do?

I'm right there with you on this. My husband works 2nd shift and so I tend to overeat at night while he's at work.

This... I am fighting the urge to go stand in front of the fridge now.

poustotah

I used to overeat because when I was growing up, we didn't have a lot of money and my mom couldn't always buy enough food for all of us. So I learned to eat less so that everyone had enough and we all went to bed hungry. As I got older and earned my own money and could buy my own food, I was still mentally in that 'when will I get to eat again' mode so I would over eat because I didn't know when I would eat again. Now, the only time I over eat is when I've got a cold.

lml1042

Boredom and stress. As a mom I find that on the days my kids are acting up or my toddler just doesn't want to take a nap, I overeat. When I put them down for nap, instead of exercising or doing chores, I flop my butt on the couch w/ a bag of potato chips and binge. I always feel bad afterwards, but while I'm eating it's so peaceful!

I also binge at night. For some reason I'm really hungry around 8-9 o'clock and instead of being mindful, I just go for the sweetest, most carb loaded thing I can find.

I'm starting my diet and exercise routine tomorrow. Can't wait to get this weight off!

alisonrose01

I read this amazing book that goes into the psychology of overeating. TOTALLY recommend it:
http://www.theendofovereatingbook.com/

It takes a while to unlearn the triggers that make you overeat/binge, but it's totally controllable...not easy, and the first step is to try to understand why/when/where the trigger happens. Is it bc the donut shop is on your way to work OR dessert after dinner is just what you do...whether your hungry or not...or do you feel the binge coming after a bad meeting at work (that's me).

Anyway, totally recommend this book!! It sure opened my eyes to my own downfalls.

Megan2Project

I do when I feel entitlement, or rebellion. Like if my husband endulges in cigarettes, poker or buys something for himself, then I will be like "well I deserve something too damn it"! It gets really bad. I'm working on it though.... Last week my husband and I stopped smoking, so I binged on Friday because I felt like rebelling and smoking WAS that rebellion for me!

heather_elise85

I wish I knew. Sometimes I wonder if I should see a therapist to see the reasons behind my overeating/binging. But, I know I eat more when my husband is home all day and not at work and I eat more when there is junk laying around - I don't even think about it .. sometimes I look down and I just ate a chocolate bar - not even remembering picking it up and eating it : (

gettingfit65

When I am on the road a lot of the day driving I am bored and want to eat something,,,today it was donuts, ,,,and when I am super tired so today was a bad combo of both

StevLL

Stress is my binge trigger. Tried eating today and that didn't work so I worked out agin tonight and that helped. I feel less guilty about the overage and actually feel better now overall. Think I'll try the workout first next time.

summalovaable

EMOTIONS. When I'm sad or feeling discouraged I feel like I just want to "give up, because what does it matter". Stress is another big one for me, the second I feel like there's something I can't do (i.e. school) foood seems to "calm" me. Though tonight, I beat a stress binge... the first time I can say that in oh, 3 or so months !

SweetNaughtyLips

I overeat/binge when I am stressed or depressed. I hate myself afterwards :-(

ljbhill

I overeat when I drink. I usually drink when I've had a stressful day! If I can prevent the glass of wine, I usually can curb the eating too.

Sometimes I also eat as a reward. My mindset is... I've done a good job I can have >insert binge here<

It's ok to splurge now and then, our bodies even need it. I wouldn't sweet it too much, It's when overeating becomes a habit that you need to start worrying about

Shock_Wave

I get bored of eating the same ol sheit!! Its pretty black n white for me.

diletta24

hi cdl! It has always been a combination of body and mind issues. When I say body I mean hunger, but even cravings. Sometimes when I'm on a diet and the deprivation makes me fool, sometimes just a few hours after a meal when I'm not on a diet and already sugar filled as well..miserable picture
Basically, no physical state on background can keep me safe from a binge. Even when on a balanced and nourishing state. :-/ it's the state of mind that plays the role as for as I'm concerned with. And some specifics emotions such as

- feeling out of control in particular life situations
- feeling disoriented and confused
- not having ready answers
- boredom on sunday afternoon or similar

shakybabe

Hormones usually.. i get choc and carb cravings strongly the week before my TOTM starts. I allow myself a treat meal and some chocolate but have to burn 800-1,000 cals to accommodate it, then I use diet patches to try and control the cravings for rest of time until they wear off... usually after I've satisifed the initial cravings they aren't as bad and making myself exercise to burn it all off stops me doing it two days in a row cos I'm too knackered next day to do another big exercise session like that again.

micls

It's not so complicated for me, it's simply because it tastes so good I fricking love food, especially the stuff that's bad for me-crisps especially!

sunnyzephyr

I do it out of boredom. I tend to stay up late and when I get bored I just want to stuff my face. So I usually just find something else to occupy my time so that I am not thinking about food.

Levedi

Depression (oh food, you're my only friend!), feeling alone, and when my asthma flares. I know - that last one is odd. But I developed the habit in college of eating when I was staying up super late studying, so I associate food with extra energy. Asthma flares make me feel weak and sluggish, so I tend to eat as if that's going to make me feel more energetic. It's a hard habit to break, but the better controlled my asthma is, the easier I find it to eat properly.


For the MFP-ers who don't know why they binge. Try this one - it helped me. Next time you find yourself stuffing food in your mouth (as opposed to just eating healthily) try just sitting still with the food for a bit. Hold it, close your eyes and ask yourself what you feel at that moment. Let your emotions tell you what they are. Let images and ideas drift across your mind. Don't reject them for not being the right ones - just let them come and go. Then just sit with whatever you are feeling for a minute. Look at it. Don't judge it - just look at it.

Did that help? Did you recognize a connection between how you felt and how the food tasted? That's why you binge. Could be something as simple as boredom. Could be something really complicated like "I'm punishing myself for being fat by stuffing food down my throat." Whatever it is, I wish you health and healing!

Levedi

My grandmother died last night. I am ready to binge.

I'm really sorry to hear that. *hugs* I'll pray for you.

hwgroff1

It's like an impulse to have something quick and delicious..... It's so easy to grab a cupcake or cookie or chips and they tase so good...that I don't realize I have just put tons of empty calories into my body. Then I feel guilty and figure...what the hell....I already messed up my calories...why not have a few more.

fightingforfiftyfive

Serious sugar cravings usually trigger a ridiculous chocolate binge but also sometimes I just crave the feeling of being really full..

pixardad

My grandmother died last night. I am ready to binge.

I can't imagine how you feel as I never go to know my grandmother. You have my (and probably many others') sympathy. Try not to binge too bad if you do. I know over-eating can give us feelings of security and safety helping us relax (usually why I binge) and that could help...but do try and control it. I have no doubt your grandmother would not want you to hurt yourself.

Maybe that's a good reason not to binge. She'd want only the best for you.

Take care, my heart's with you.

--PixarDad

kittuk86

I always ate the same quantity which my parents ate ; they needed it because of their traveling & hectuc hours, while me..I did nothing but go 2 school, college, come home & crash on the couch.. Now I over eat once in a while when the food is super yumm!

tsjourney

I have a tendency to run to the fridge or fast food place when there is conflict and I feel like I don't have control over the situation. I have found that sometimes logging the food before I eat it does help keep me on track. The logging has really helped, maybe because it is a form of control over my sooo out of control eating habits. I ran to the fridge earlier this week but I still was aware of what i was eating and managed to log it and just didn't eat what i had planned for dinner that night. that is a huge step forward for me. I would also overeat/binge out of loneliness. this site has helped a lot in that respect, i focus on logging my foods and reading the forums and blogs about others who are struggling and transforming themselves when at one point they, too, thought they never could.

rlysrh

I feel like I need something to look forward to ALL the time, like having a day off from uni to relax or watching a new film thats out just anything fun at all coming up in the next day or so that I can enjoy. If I don't have anything to look forward to i just feel really empty, so I tend to choose food or drinks as my thing a lot of the time. I think I actually enjoy the looking forward to eating the food more than I actually enjoy the food. It helps me get through the day in a much better mood if I just know that at the end of it I can have a big mug of hot chocolate or a bar of galaxy or a mojito.
Does anyone else do this? I don't know if its normal to constantly need something to look forward to or if I should try to stop, or is it something everyone does?

candlelady

Depressed or stressed . Pastas and bakery are my weakness

bmmadden

depressed, stressed, basically emotional reasons, and throw in some boredom from time to time... and if ice cream is in the house any of these times it is a bad situation....With time they do get better though after losing 65 lbs they are becoming less and less of an occassion not totally gone just alot less, because I know no matter how bored or in the dumps Im feeling it willl be 10x worse if I let it keep getting the better of me and gain every lb I lost and more I know I would feel even worse, It just isnt worth it near as much anymore...

RAFValentina

Because I'm greedy, sometimes my eyes are bigger than my belly... or as I like to graze, I forget just how much I've eaten... (Crudites and Hors d'ouevres are a nightmare as will keep eating and eating....)

sunnyskyjb

Thank you so much.