I have a binge eating problem.

daisydieter

Have you tried eliminating gluten and sugar from your diet? Some believe you get an actual physical dependency to these foods which when combined with emotional eating results in binge eating. If you get rid of the physical addiction easier to say "no".

xdaysbingefree

Hm thanks for the idea. I can't really see myself cutting them out all together, but I will try to cut back as I am eating healthier, and see if it will help.

karenwill2

My hubby says I have gotten to where I only binge 4 or 5 times a month which is way better than every day. However, I would love to stop. I can usually reign it in except at my TOM. I really wish to get rid of that!

Binge eating is horrible and it makes me feel so bad about everything! It is a self destructive tendency I will somehow conquer!

journalistjen

The only way to stop this behavior is to dig deep and find out why you are doing this. I use to binge eat for many reasons: boredom, depression, out of spite, low self esteem and body issues, etc. Sometimes it was because the food tasted so good and that was my source of pleasure. Some people who have suffered childhood trauma binge eat because of emotional pain. If you keep having a problem with binge eating, you may want to see a therapist. There are some therapist who specialize in this area. It may be real simple or it can be complicated. I was fortunate enough to recognize my different reasons and triggers for binge eating without too much therapeutic intervention.

MaximalLife

You realize that simply eating 500 calories of food at once does not a binge make? I am more worried that you are taking a diet mentality and turning it into an eating disordered one, I did not look at the height/weight chart, but are you at a healthy weight for you? I don't mean what you'd like to weigh, but what is actually healthy for your height and age?

My guess is that you don't eat enough, you run 5 miles, and then you get really darn hungry. Make sure you are eating enough, fuel your body for exercise, and give yourself permission to eat when you need to. Just my 2 cents.

It's relative I suppose, but 500 calories is nothing from my perspective. Today is my binge day where I binge all day on purpose. I will consume around 2000 calories 4 times today...LOVE IT!

As bad as this sounds, it keep me good all the rest of the week.

bucklebirch

I've been on mfp for a little while and haven't posted much, but...you sound exactly like me! I'm 19, in college, and not overweight but not happy with my body. I run most days and generally eat healthy, but then sometimes because of stress or for no particular reason at all, I eat and eat and can't make myself stop.

Feel free to add me and maybe we can encourage each other to set new binge-free records

danigirl1011

I think what your doc said about figuring out why you do it is going to be the key for you. Are you just letting yourself get overly hungry then feel starving so you have to binge? Or is it an emotional thing. Hopefully you can get this figured out and under control so you no longer have to struggle! Kudos for making your goal more about healthy, non-binge eating vs an actual number weight.

xdaysbingefree

I think what your doc said about figuring out why you do it is going to be the key for you. Are you just letting yourself get overly hungry then feel starving so you have to binge? Or is it an emotional thing. Hopefully you can get this figured out and under control so you no longer have to struggle! Kudos for making your goal more about healthy, non-binge eating vs an actual number weight.

It's definitely an emotional thing. It's a cycle though. I will be stressed/anxious/upset and binge. Then I will be upset later and try to eat less to compensate for it, but I end up getting hungry and just overeating more.

I need to go through all of my triggers soon, but something about it scares me. I don't like analyzing myself and having to be so honest

twyla143

I seriously have the same problem! I am also in college. I run, do insanity (a work out) and still really don't loose weight! I am also 5'5'' and currently weigh 142! so i wish you good luck!

xdaysbingefree

we're the same!!! I'm adding you

greekygirl

I have a binge eating problem too. I'm not really good at sharing so I am glad you all did. I can relate to so many of you! I will be sending friend requests.

For me, it's the behavior that makes it a binge, not necessarily the amount or kind of food eaten. The behavior for me is like I'm being driven to eat against my will...it is uncontrollable and definitely emtional, not physical, hunger.

I also struggle with obsessing with my weight. It's such a strange dichotomy.

I know all the things to do when feeling like bingeing, know all the tools to use, have read tons of books and stuff on eating disorders and recovery but to me it's such a hard thing to overcome. For those who have overcome binge eating, how did you do it?

kconfetti

Yes I totally empathize! It doesn't matter the amount of calories I consume during a binge, or how "healthy" the food I binge on are - it's the all-consuming wave of emotion that overcomes me during these binges that I'm really concerned about. I would feel helpless when I binge, taken over by this crazy, compulsive eater, and then after the binge I would feel really upset with myself. I'm trying to find a way to avoid binging, because it's keeping me from my goal weight, but yes, it's really hard.

P.S. My BMI is on the lower range, and my friends/family have been telling me that I should gain weight, and that's one of the rationalizations that emerge during my binges - I'd think, "everyone's telling me to gain some weight, so I'm doing the right thing" - but in the end, this rationalization never makes me regret binging any less.

astraea82

I completely agree with kconfetti and greekygirl. Sometimes I think it's a bad thing that people tell me I look like I'm in good shape, b/c then internally I think "well, I guess that means I can eat whatever I want" and I end up bingeing.

And I hate that compelling feeling to keep getting up and keep going into the kitchen for food. It feels like someone else is controlling my feet, that even though I feel completely full from whatever I ate, I still need to eat more b/c it "feels good" while I am doing it.

I've been about 2 or 3 weeks without bingeing now, but sometimes I still feel "relief" when I just picture myself sitting down and eating something. So I try to fight it. I even sometimes listen to this hypnosis thing that is supposed to help fight cravings.

So good luck,everyone, in fighting the good fight. We can make it through!

xdaysbingefree

I can definitely relate to the "relief" feeling! Knowing that I am not going to let myself overeat makes me feel a sort of stress