Struggling with binge eating - any advice?

skinnygirldiet

Title is pretty much self-explanatory. I binge all day, every day, without a reason. It's not emotional, I don't think, I just eat, constantly, and I never feel hungry or full. Obviously this has made me hideously fat - that's why I'm here. Has anyone else struggled with bingeing, and how did you overcome it?

asyouseefit

Are you heavily restricting between binges?

versuga

BUMP

jlewis2896

Maybe make rules for yourself? Before you snack, make yourself drink 8oz of water. That way you will have time to think about what you're about to eat, and hopefully the water will help fill you up faster.

If nothing else, you'll be well-hydrated!!

rochey1098

Things I was told:

A lack of fat in your diet can give you cravings for sugar. Lack of calories in general will just force a binge.

Other than that, no idea

thelovelyLIZ

I havea few things I do to keep me from overeating.

-I don't set anything off limits. If I want chocolate, I have one individually wrapped piece of dark chocolate. Enough to satisfy my craving. I will occasionally let myself go out for ice cream when I have the calories leftover. I also give myself "free pass" days about once a month, where I don't worry about calories. When I restrict too much, I wanto to binge, so I eat a little over everything in moderation.
-Substitute in healthier things. If I want something crunchy and savory, instead of chips I have air popped popcorn, with maybe a little butter and salt. If I want something sweet, and I have some fruit. I still get what I want, but in a healthier way. You can also make healthier versions of "naughty" foods. Want fries? Make some in the oven. Want burgers? Turkey burgers with some veggies on top.
-Portion control. Be aware of how much you're eating. If you have to, measure everything out for the first week or two so you can get an idea how much you're eating, and once you know what a cup looks like, you can eyeball it. Don't eat out of the bag or box, put it on a plate and put away the rest. Put things in portion sized zip loc baggies.
-Plan ahead. Know what you're going to eat that day. I usually plot out what I'm having for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and stick it in MFP in the morning, so I know how much I have left for snacks, then plan accordingly. Knowing you only have 200 calories left for the day makes it easier to not eat 400 calories worth in gold fish.

BirthdayGirlie

totally addicted to crap food too & would be interested in reading your tips / suggestions to OP.

Just don't know how to stop - it's so much harder than others realise. I intend to start healthy eating every single day but by 11am have stuffed myself with bread and crap.

Have absolutely no energy, feel really bad and am so bloated. It's sickeningly hopeless. Really could do with a pick-me-up and to break this vicious circle.

Also, any tips for working mums on how to fit in a bit of exercise.

andreahanlon

Another idea is to get some support from a doctor or support group like Overeaters Anynomous. People rarely overcome addictive behaviors without some sort of intervention or outside help. Don't isolate yourself.

Iwillbemeagain

I have had this problem as well and havent had a binge since Halloween... it took me 3 years to realize this is whats keeping me fat... even if I do it only once a week.... once you gain control the weight will fall off. Its worth it. Nothing taste as good as fit feels has kept me going..

chevy88grl

I was a binge eater. Heck, if I'm not careful and I restrict myself too much - I will become a binge eater again. For me? The key to getting out of that cycle was to learn to recognize the signs that I want to binge (usually emotional distress), to keep my blood sugar consistent (if I eat every few hours and don't allow myself to get too hungry, then I won't have the desire to binge), and to not make any food off limits to myself.

The only way you'll be able to get the cycle under control is to dig deep and figure out WHY you are binge eating. Is it boredom? Are you lonely? Bored? Tired? Are you dehydrated? Dehydration often masks itself as hunger. Try drinking water FIRST before eating something - if within 30 mins you start to feel less hungry - it was dehydration.

I truly believe the key to overcoming this is to find out WHY you are doing it.

I wish you the best. It isn't an easy thing to overcome, but with time and patience you CAN do it.

campbellcjdm

There are usually two things you can try to do to head this off.

First - if you are hungry, your body wants something. This usually means that you need to eat more of the 'right' foods. This could be more veggies to get vitamins/minerals, more bread to fill you up, more protein to hold you longer. Best advice is 'everything in moderation'. Each part of the meal serves a purpose - your body is telling you which one - but its like a baby that is crying ... you just have to figure out what it is saying (oh, and a multivitamin is an option too)

Second - if you are starving by meal time, you should plan to eat a 'sensible' snack between your main meals. What this does is keeps your sugar level constant, so that by the time meal time rolls around you don't go into this panic 'shove anything into my face' mode By sensible, I mean some kind of 100 calorie snack (ie. Special K bar 90 cal bar, carrots & dip, celery & cream cheese, cheese squares). Be careful not to make your 'between meal' snacks turn into 'between meal' MEALS

Hope that helps - there are lots of moving parts - good luck !!:flowerforyou:

Docgarner

Do you need to investigate additional hobbies, activities, social groups, etc to fill the time? I find that I will often eat for no good reason when I'm really bored. As soon as I think of something interesting to do, problem solved.

DesertSunsetRain

I think it takes time to feel that full feeling. I used to binge eat a lot worse than I do now. I would eat dinner and then need something else and then something else, because I didn't ever really feel that full satisfied feeling. When I think back to what I was feeling when I was going back for more, it wasn't really hunger and it wasn't because I wasn't full... I was just craving more of it. Which in a way sounds really silly and obvious, but it's true. It's difficult to really, really listen to your body and know when you're hungry and full. Especially when you're getting those "craving spikes" (at least that's how it is for me) when I just want more and there's nothing that really triggers me to stop because my body wants more even when I know logically I am not hungry.

Maybe try and set yourself up with some time limits. Eat something and then don't eat again for another 2-3 hours, set a timer or something. Try and allow yourself to feel hungry, really feel that hunger. Eat your meal slowly, try to aim for about 20 minutes or so and then stop. Sit and think about how you're feeling, really try and think about it. Ask yourself, do you want to go back because you're actually hungry? or do you want to go back for seconds just because?

I think the most important thing is trying to work out the real whys as to why you are eating more. Sometimes there are reasons that you aren't really consciously aware of, but it could be something emotional.

It's a really difficult thing to stop, I know it is.

I hope my reply wasn't too lame, I hope I helped a little.

Also, coming from someone who struggles with binge eating, "everything in moderation" is extremely difficult. While it's really good advice... if I have one ice cream sandwich, I want two... and then I want three. The feelings I get after just one are really intense and it takes awhile for it to die down and stop myself from going back for more. I realize that I can allow myself just one and I don't *need* a second one, but not going back for seconds is reeeeeeally hard.

Marig0ld

I binge eat for emotional reasons, so I have lots of advice in that regard. But since you don't think it's emotional, my best advice would be to eat something small every 2-3 hours. This keeps my blood sugar levels steady and I feel better knowing I can eat again soon. Preferably, I have a low-glycemic carb with a protein together.

skinnygirldiet

Are you heavily restricting between binges?

I used to, now I don't bother. There's no point - it feels like every time I eat, it turns into a binge.

skinnygirldiet

Thanks everyone for all your advice!

I can't trust myself, you see - I'm very weak and can't set myself rules which I keep. I say, "I will eat three healthy meals today" and my first "healthy meal" turns into a binge and I've blown it. I think the only solution for me is stapling my mouth shut at this rate

Edited to add - I tried counselling, and it was totally ineffective

moushtie

Is it a specific type of food you tend to binge on? Bread or sweet things or cheese or crisps or chocolate? I had to not buy any of these things for a while, so I had to make my meals out of other things. It broke the cycle for me, although I now buy bread again, so I'm having to learn not to stuff myself with it.

If you can't shop without buying these things, take someone with you who will keep you honest. I had to literally place "blinkers" on myself down certain aisles of the store, and even then it was a huge battle with myself not to pick something up from one of the temptingly placed "specials" baskets. I wrote some of my tactics in my blog early on, to remind myself. It's not an exhaustive list, it's just things I learned.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/moushtie

I also like this blog for advice on dealing with cravings. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/Lizzy_Sunflower/view/learning-to-manage-food-cravings-153069

lightbybirth

I am struggling with eating all the time everytime I come home I get this huge cravings for hunger and every time I try to stop them I can't do it and I end up excercising after I eat. I skip out on lunch sometimes since i get worried that I will gain weight. I eat pizza and I am scared that I might gain weight in lunch whether its fast food or something. I don't eat fast normally and I have not drank any soda. I just skip out on meals. I eat breakfast in the morning and then when it comes to unhealthy foods in which I have to eat I skip out on them. and I try to limit myself to dessert but when it comes I end up eating once or twice how do you control your cravings in not eating dessert and eat a well balanced meals. I have trouble doing this and everytime I come I eat and I can't focus my mind on anything it becomes too complicated can anyone help me what to do when at home and the binge eating cravings start? thanks

krisgettingfit

Your advice, I think, is helpful. I'd have to remember that.

sdrawkcabynot

Sounds like you have an eating disorder and should consult a nutritionist or therapist. I suffered from bulimia for 9 years before seeking help when I was 24. I wouldn't eat for 2 days, binge and then purge. The therapy helps - and actually finding out what it does to your body helps also.

Now that I am physically active - I never feel guilty for eating anymore! Hell - most times I am trying to find more places to get my net calories up.

sdrawkcabynot

I am struggling with eating all the time everytime I come home I get this huge cravings for hunger and every time I try to stop them I can't do it and I end up excercising after I eat. I skip out on lunch sometimes since i get worried that I will gain weight. I eat pizza and I am scared that I might gain weight in lunch whether its fast food or something. I don't eat fast normally and I have not drank any soda. I just skip out on meals. I eat breakfast in the morning and then when it comes to unhealthy foods in which I have to eat I skip out on them. and I try to limit myself to dessert but when it comes I end up eating once or twice how do you control your cravings in not eating dessert and eat a well balanced meals. I have trouble doing this and everytime I come I eat and I can't focus my mind on anything it becomes too complicated can anyone help me what to do when at home and the binge eating cravings start? thanks

Skipping meals and eating to few calories is the worst for your body - it puts your metabolism on starvation mode - and can cause you to store more fat cells. The key is to eat smaller low cal snacks to keep your metabolism going.

Try to up your calories just a little bit and see if it helps you. Nawing on carrot sticks, nuts, and some fruit during the day could help your hunger pangs. And skipping lunch sounds like the reason why you binge after work! I usually do breakfast of greek yogurt and a protein shake in the morning. I may have have a handful of raisins or a tblspn of peanut butter for a mid morning snack... and then a lean cuisine lunch... Usually I am good til I get off work. And then will have some carrot sticks or cucumber with greek yogurt mixed with ranch powder for a small snack... work out and then try to consume the rest of my calories at dinner time. Then another protein shake.

It's working for me so far. down 11 lbs since beginning of the year And very little hunger pangs!