Binge eating ...... people don't understand.

lenaballerina

We all feel your pain, I too have binged over the past 8 years, and there will be some solution that will work best for you.
Other people have overcome this, so we all can. Its very hard but its definitely possible!

For me, my first step is to rid my whole kitchen of any foods that will be detrimental if I binge on them (cookies, chocolate, ice cream, chips). For me I've had to completely rid of sliced bread, water crackers, even jam. Because I will binge on anything! I'm go into a frenzy and shove everything and anything like a cookie monster. My brain is in a completely different mindset during the binges.

So for 'good' sugars, all I have is fruit (small apples, blueberries, strawberries, raspberries are best). No bananas, no grapes, no oranges as these are high in sugar and will create that sugar high and dip.
I buy sugar-free jelly, crystal light candy, and sugar free popsicles, flavoured seltzer, and sometimes diet soda.
I keep pickles, picked ginger, picked radish, tofu, in the fridge.

There's not much there that intices me to binge. I fail when I reach my goal weight and then buy that pack of cookies to slowly bring myself back into maintenance stage, thinking I'm strong enough to eat it moderately - never works, the packet is finished in one session. And from then on I'm back into thinking I can eat whatever I want, and put it all back on.

If anyone has tips and tricks they find works for them, please share!

deb_109

I so understand where you coming from. I'm a binge eater . No one understands what
it is like. I'm trying to figure out why. I was thin as a child and into my early 20's .

When I was a chlld things we very tight , Mom did her best but there was no surgary deserts or pop
in the house. I'm not sure but once I became a mother ( this is strange ) pop and deserts were like
huge treat.. So I started over eating but was only like 10-20 lbs over weight . Not until my mom died at the age of 49
that binging became a huge promblem.. Fast forward my mom has been gone 20 years , kids, divorce.
The binging is extreme I have gain and lost a 100 lbs in one year. I have done this multiply times. I'm now the biggest
I have ever been... I hide what I eat and I eat HUGE amounts.. I feel I have no middle ground when good I'm strict as
can be, but ...once I start a binge it can last days and months at a time.

dansls1

I think the healthier alternative is to allow yourself little treats throughout rather than one big splurge day. There are tons of people on here losing lots of weight eating cookies and ice cream - just smaller portions and less often than maybe they want. Just my humble opinion.

aproc

It's worse for those of us struggling with food addictions/obsessions since unlike drugs, we HAVE to be subjected to food every day. Theres no avoiding it. People can't just go get help and cut the food out of their lives. It is something you have to face several times everyday. Unfortunately most people just aren't going to understand even when it is explained to them that way.

denise3085

You've lost a112 lbs! It sounds like your plan is working for you! I am also a binger - I think I'm going to try your method. If I can look forward to one binge day a month, maybe I can be better the rest of the month.

dmoses

And the fortunate folk who don't suffer from binge eating just don't understand why we can't just 'stop eating.' I didn't start binge eating until I had reached my weight loss goal. Now, I struggle on a regular basis...

taliesyn_

I have binged today, first time in ages. I don't even know why but I am guessing I am craving something (maybe pizza) that I have deprived myself of this past year or so and my body is throwing a hissy fit.

chachita7

I think it is a good plan... you can call them cheat days like everyone else. You have however taken the very first step to recover from that...

sl1ngsh0t

I had some serious stress last night & ordered double steak nachos from our local taqueria and ate just about all of them (it was a lot). I actually threw out what was left because I didn't want to be triggered further.

I'm back on the wagon today. Sometimes, these things happen. Life goes on.

Eb155

Guilty as a binge eater here too.. I'm trying to work off a 3 dayer today. It's really hard to deal with sometimes, and I don't know even why I do it sometimes. Been a long struggle with it these last 12 or so years. I just need to focus on one day at a time, and hope that I can someday get over this. I'm really suprised I don't weigh more than I do! Just lucky I guess.

One day at a time is the best I can hope for right now. I hope the same for everyone else that suffers from this too! I know after a binge I just feel gross, which usually leads to more of it, because I think... what's the use, I can't do it. That's something else I know I need to work on is my self-esteem. I must think positive of myself, because being negative just drives me farther down.

Thanks for posting this. I needed once again to see I'm not the only one that suffers from this!

Strawberrypop

Totally the same for me. I've always binged..except up until about 6 years ago I could binge without putting on any weight. I was naturally slim and my metabolism just burned it all off. I enjoyed food so didn't think anything was wrong with just eating..eating whilst reading a book..eating watching the tv. It was never anything I thought about.

Then suddenly I got a desk job and BOOM - I started to put on weight. Not a huge deal but a stone and a half over what I was. I've now lost that stone and mostly maintained it over the last 2 years..but I feel I constantly think about food. And when I binge I can binge on ANYTHING. Fruit...biscuits..crisps..whatevers there. I'll find myself going back and forth to the kitchen - opening cupboards and peering in at what I can have. Trying to walk away..then ending up grabbing biscuits and stuffing it in my face. The weekend there was pretty bad..as soon as I've had something a little bit "bad" I'll think "Oh well, I've messed up today anyway" and then just go mental, eating whatever the hell I want. Even after stuffing myself on Sat I still wanted more so made cookies just so I had something new and yummy to eat..and I wanted that cookie batter! It's a mixture of total elation at the time, then feeling sick and guilty after.

I hate it after..but I can't say I won't do it again cos I know that's not true.

jpuderbaugh

i recently figured out why i binge. but can't figure out how to stop. would love to have someone *there* to talk to, if anyone is interested.

I too have figured out why I binge, but also can't seem to stop. I have sought help from a lady who comes to my work place with her own fitness and nutrition business and start next week with her. Needless to say, I am stuffing my face horribly this week, preparing to say goodbye for a while to all these foods. I have been overweight my entire life, always encouraged to eat whatever I wanted, however much I wanted, and burping just meant my stomach had room for more food (according to my father). I eat out of boredom, out of just wanting more than what I'm supposed to have (almost like I get a thrill out of rebeling against that nutrition label and guidelines). I eat because I don't feel like I deserve food sometimes. Which makes absolutely no sense. I think I am eating to fill a hole in myself, a hole created when I was young by neglect. I think that I feel eating more and more will fill that hole, and make me whole. Of course it's not going to. I get horrible cravings, and will become an absolute moody b!tch if I don't get the food I'm craving. I will even go so far as to not eat anything all day until I can get the food I am craving. (and of course will whine and ***** about it all day, trying to tell myself no to it. My cravings will last for over a month if I don't get what I'm craving. It is absolutely a drug like addiction. And it is so hard to stop because you always need food to survive. you can stop using alcohol and drugs, but not food. Our food issues all seem to stem from emotional issues. Sometimes not, sometimes it is just that damn food. I am an emotional eater as well, so when I'm stressed, I want food. When I'm sad, I want food. When I'm mad, I want food. When I'm happy, I want food. But mostly when I'm stressed or facing a scary or uncomfortable situation, I want that familiar comfort of food. I used to be a stomach sleeper, but I somehow broke myself of that habit (dunno how I managed to break a habit I do in my sleep). And I have noticed if I lay on my stomach on the couch and watch tv, it feels sooooo good. I feel so comforted and warm. Whoever said this, I am seeing everything a bit differently now, and understand binging a little bit more. My mom was bulimic when she was a teenager, so I'm also wondering if the binging comes from her too. Not that I throw up what I eat. I wouldn't be able to watch all that delicious food leave my body.

MyFeistyEvolution

Binge Eater here...just wrote a blog about it this week, actually.

It's not a simple "just don't do it" but like everything, if you put practice and time and make an effort, you will overcome it.

arojas1227

I totally understand. I've been through binging and purging, or just binging my entire life. I allow myself one day per week to binge now, but it's still a lot less than I used to at once. Honestly, I wouldn't know any advice to give someone who needed help. It's taken me over a year of trying really hard just to get to this point.

jpuderbaugh

Totally the same for me. I've always binged..except up until about 6 years ago I could binge without putting on any weight. I was naturally slim and my metabolism just burned it all off. I enjoyed food so didn't think anything was wrong with just eating..eating whilst reading a book..eating watching the tv. It was never anything I thought about.

Then suddenly I got a desk job and BOOM - I started to put on weight. Not a huge deal but a stone and a half over what I was. I've now lost that stone and mostly maintained it over the last 2 years..but I feel I constantly think about food. And when I binge I can binge on ANYTHING. Fruit...biscuits..crisps..whatevers there. I'll find myself going back and forth to the kitchen - opening cupboards and peering in at what I can have. Trying to walk away..then ending up grabbing biscuits and stuffing it in my face. The weekend there was pretty bad..as soon as I've had something a little bit "bad" I'll think "Oh well, I've messed up today anyway" and then just go mental, eating whatever the hell I want. Even after stuffing myself on Sat I still wanted more so made cookies just so I had something new and yummy to eat..and I wanted that cookie batter! It's a mixture of total elation at the time, then feeling sick and guilty after.

I hate it after..but I can't say I won't do it again cos I know that's not true.

Oh my gosh do we ever sound alike. I too will make multiple trips to the kitchen just to see what I can have to eat, and if I have two bite sized candy bars, I think "to hell with today then!" and go back for some ice cream, cookies, etc. My hubby has an awesome metabolism, and I can't totally wipe out a lot of this food or else he gets VERY b!tchy and moody. So it is there in the kitchen taunting me all the time. Guess he and I suffer the same way, but he doesn't gain weight (he actually loses). I can also eat more than him. he gets full quicker than me.

DeanneLea

I get it. I've been binge free for 5 months. I have a set amount of weekly bonus calories built into my plan so that I can splurge and not deprive myself. I use them on the days that I want rather than having to eat the same amount of cals everyday which can be rather boring. I got to goal on weight watchers so I took the idea from that.

I know that binging can either be emotionally triggered or deprivation triggered but when I don't deprive myself and then have something emotional come up, I'm less likely to fix it with food. If I've deprived myself, that one emotional issue can send me over the edge.

I hope you find what works for you!

mum2littledove

You are among friends! From the second we are weaned, big corporates and the media are out to destabilise our natural harmonious relationship with food. Look at the multi-million dollar food industry, and the equally huge & profitable slimming industry, not to mention all the magazines/ papers selling us pictures to destabilise us further.

And like everything, some of us succumb to those forces and some of us seem to be completely resilient. Variation - it makes us human. Intolerance of those who are different also makes us human too, unfortunately.

Unfortunately, they got me. My "off-switch" is knackered. If I start eating certain foods, I simply can't stop. I am pre-occupied, sometimes frenzied. I could graze all day. Frequently I do. I know it isn't a healthy relationship, and I live in hope that one day this will pass, and food will simply become fuel to me. For now, I just manage it with exercise and trying to avoid triggers (difficult when your father in law's big mouth is a huge trigger!).

I feel ashamed about my eating, and my pre-occupation with food. Nobody really knows. But then I have never succumbed to alcohol, gambling, debt, smoking, promiscuity, drugs etc. It's just the food that got me. But the one grain of comfort I have is that I am clearly not alone!

jmilian825

I get the binge eating I struggle with that all the time still do... in the past of my weight loss struggles go very strick then break down and binge for the whole weekend to only feel worse it's like when I start I can't stop, I have a food addiction too especially when I feel unstable in emotions. I have noticed that being on here somewhat holds me accountable so I curb the binge more than I use to.. hang in there! you have ppl who get it I found this out myself too...

Jessamine

Is it considered binge eating if you only eat one meal a day and eat nearly all your calories in that one meal?

I used to do this all the time before I got married. But it was just one meals-worth of food (usually from a restaurant).

My husband calls me a binge eater, and he's the only one who has. I tend to wait too long to eat my meals, so I am ravenous when I finally do sit down. I usually can't eat an entire days-worth of calories in that one sitting, but it's still a LOT of food and calories.

jpuderbaugh

You are among friends! From the second we are weaned, big corporates and the media are out to destabilise our natural harmonious relationship with food. Look at the multi-million dollar food industry, and the equally huge & profitable slimming industry, not to mention all the magazines/ papers selling us pictures to destabilise us further.

And like everything, some of us succumb to those forces and some of us seem to be completely resilient. Variation - it makes us human. Intolerance of those who are different also makes us human too, unfortunately.

Unfortunately, they got me. My "off-switch" is knackered. If I start eating certain foods, I simply can't stop. I am pre-occupied, sometimes frenzied. I could graze all day. Frequently I do. I know it isn't a healthy relationship, and I live in hope that one day this will pass, and food will simply become fuel to me. For now, I just manage it with exercise and trying to avoid triggers (difficult when your father in law's big mouth is a huge trigger!).

I feel ashamed about my eating, and my pre-occupation with food. Nobody really knows. But then I have never succumbed to alcohol, gambling, debt, smoking, promiscuity, drugs etc. It's just the food that got me. But the one grain of comfort I have is that I am clearly not alone!

I feel for you with the in-law situation. My in-laws were such poison. They were emotionally abusive to my husband all his life. Then I came along and showed him how people are supposed to treat you, and they all hated me. Tried to get him back with them. Even becoming physical violent with him. We called the cops on them a few times, their antics never did totally stop. My mother-in-law said she was sorry to me, but I never bought it. Then one day last year she b!tched about me to my own mother, making her cry on her birthday. That was it. We severed all ties with them. I mean these people were relentless. When we were first avoiding them, they would wait in the parking lot where we worked for us to get out of work. We blocked their phone numbers, they changed their phone numbers. We blocked those numbers, they coerced other people to call us from different numbers hoping we would pick up. So we changed his phone number and disconnected the home phone, and sent them a letter detailing why we wanted nothing to do with them. They sent it back with nothing but cuss words and name calling, even picking on me about my weight (when my monster-in-law is even bigger than me). I still have that letter just in case I ever need it for the police. I know the battle is not over even though it's been quiet and peaceful for a year.

prudolph69

I too am a binger, and food is my addiction. The thing that sucks about being addiction to food is you need food to live. I used to be addicted to drugs and I used to smoke cigs. When I did drugs I weighed 125 lbs. When I stopped the drugs and the cigarettes I transferred the addiction to food. I have been on this weight loss journey for 2 years and on day 1 of this journey I weighed 289 lbs.

All that to say, its important to find out what your triggers are because when those things trigger you the bings are on - I don't know about anyone else but once that feeling hits there is no stopping it. Having a "cheat day" is important, I have those, but from experience binging is a COMPLETELY different beast.

Just like addiction to alcohol or drugs, once an alcoholic or drug addict always one, and you can seperate yourself from them to protect yourself, but with food you cant, so I have to do ALOT of self talk and it has to happen at the very moment the bing feeling hits me. I ask myself "ok what just happened to make me feel this way" and had to address whatever that particular things was. That was really hard for me because I am a people pleaser, no matter what the cost is to me. So I had to FORCE myself to talk to the person that just upset me or had to learn to say no to people. This journey I have been on has been just that, a journey... If I don't learn anything else for it, the ONE thing and MOST important thing that I have learned is - I am the ONLY person who will take care of me the way that I need taken care of and my health and well being is not worth losing just to please someone.

I have no idea what your triggers are but most women are people pleasers by nature. You have to find what those triggers are so you can combat them.

with love,
Patty

deb_109

I could have 1 binge day if I binged on fruit and veggies but that's not what I binge on...
I crave fats and sugar all the junk and add cheese to it then I'm in.. I have tried to say to my self have one day
eat what you want ( little game I play with myself) soon as I let go there's no going back. I wish to be normal
have a big meal and then move on. ... It seems like forever that food has controlled by life... ...