I'm a binge eater... how do I stop?

kb_CG_wife

I can be amazing at eating well for so long. Weeks of healthy balanced eating.

Then one teenie tiny slip up, like a handfull or doritos at lunch can send me into a downward spiral.

I don't know how to prevent this from happening. I have always struggled with binge eating and I have yet to find a way to stop. Anyone do this? Or have advice for me?

cabg6

Could you plan a day each week when you allow yourself to binge guilt free?
I am reading some books that say this is good for your weight loss (and your attitude as well).

I'm going to give it a try. I'm trying to cut back on carbs and eat more protein but I have some tapioca pudding in the fridge that's calling my name. I'm going to binge this Saturday. Until then I'm being good and staying on track.

turcbbop

this is my biggest problem!! everytime i give myself some binge time i ruin it!! then i have to start all over again!! i have no idea what to do about this! im scared to let myself have a cheat meal!!

ktsail

I am a binger, as well. I know that after a binge, I am supposed to get right back on track with the next meal, but that is just about impossible for me to do! I binge and then i'm on an eating tear for a few days.

My suggestion would be to either get rid of the trigger foods or to allow yourself a pre-portioned amount. If you do binge, chalk it up to a mistake and move on. Make a good choice with your next meal.

Of course, I wish I could take my own advice!

kb_CG_wife

Yeah, I choose to go out of my comfort zone, mealwise, and then everything goes down the drain. I then notice differences in my attitude, I'm lazier, I have a harder time getting out of bed, workouts are more like a chore than fun. I don't get it, and it sucks

kb_CG_wife

I am a binger, as well. I know that after a binge, I am supposed to get right back on track with the next meal, but that is just about impossible for me to do! I binge and then i'm on an eating tear for a few days.

My suggestion would be to either get rid of the trigger foods or to allow yourself a pre-portioned amount. If you do binge, chalk it up to a mistake and move on. Make a good choice with your next meal.

Of course, I wish I could take my own advice!

I coudn't have said it better myself

sandy2006

Me me! Same here! I will be on a roll and making progress then bam binge city! There is no such thing as a controlled portion here. If I have one bite of something like chips or sweets I will binge all day! and probably the next day. I have to treat it like a drug and am an addict. Sounds extreme but in my case its true. I guess we have to want to be healthy MORE than we want those foods.

bazuukajoe

I have this problem as well. As cabg6 said, I allow myself at least 1 "cheat day" a week where I binge guilt free. Of course the next day I'm up 3 to 5 pounds but this is all water weight. To gain one pound I would have to eat over 6,000 calories for the day (which is a lot even for me) so as long as I stay below that I'm fine.

jackiecroberts

Here are a few things that I have figured out about binge eating,
1. binge eating makes me feel good for a few minutes and then I feel horrible about myself.
2. Binge eating gets me further and further away from my goals.
3. Binge eating usually happens because I did not plan my evening meal and I am "hungry" for crap.
4. I usually binge because I mistake my sleepiness at night for hunger.
5. Binge eating is really tough to conquer, I read every book I could get my hands on.
6. "Think and Grow Thin" was a great book for the emotional standpoint of over eating.
7. Talk to people when you feel the need to binge.
8. If you are truly hungry, have a piece of fruit.
9. You are not a failure because you slipped up, just pick yourself up and keep on going.

estrellita19

Yeah, I choose to go out of my comfort zone, mealwise, and then everything goes down the drain. I then notice differences in my attitude, I'm lazier, I have a harder time getting out of bed, workouts are more like a chore than fun. I don't get it, and it sucks

i do that all the time as well but i have also notice if im focused on not binge eating i start craving the sometime foods as well especially with everything going on like work school and kids but what is helpful to me is that i consider exercise time as time to look foward to since its a little me time && what better way than doing something good for me help this helps && that im not rambling on && on lol

dajero1

Figure it out...let me know. Stay positive. AND DON'T TAKE THAT FIRST BITE. And if you do take that first bite, quickly put it up and go for a walk. Good Luck

kalynn06

I struggle with this constantly. I have certain trigger foods like pretzels, cheetos, cheddar chips that I have to pretty much completely avoid in the house. I can have a few at parties or in front of people, because I don't binge in front of others.

Other foods like sweets, I have to be really cautious about and not eat immediately when I crave them, just promise myself that i can I have some at the end of the day or whenever. Sometimes I still want it and have some, but I'm less likely to binge because I got past the initial mad craving.

I can't say I don't binge sometimes, but I do it far less often and I'm still making progress.

CUT3ANDS3XIAN0R3X1

I used to be a bigggg binger. Lol. It was a disaster. I didn't necessarily completely stop. I'll just say that I cut over half of my binging episodes out and what you eat when you binge is crutial. One of the foods that curbs my binging is WATERMELON. It is super good for you, 80% water, and fills you up completely! Also, if you get some light yogurt and dip strawberries in it, that will fill you up. These foods are good for you. Find things to do that will keep you busy. Before you eat anything, try to ask yourself three questions: WHY do I need this? Is this healthy for me? and Will I feel TERRIBLE about myself after eating it? If anything negative comes to mind with these questions, FIGHT the urge to binge. Every time you want to binge, brush your teeth, or go outside for a walk or hit the gym. Chugging a glass of water goes a long way too. There's lots of alternatives, but I feel like I'm writing a book. Goodluck!

meerkat70

Could you say a bit more about what you mean by bingeing? It means such different things to different people.

Edestiny7

If you eat this way, you will be too full to binge on anything!

* March 2012 - Began following the Eat To Live 6 week plan. It keeps me satiated all day long with no cravings! :-)
=> 453 grams raw non-starchy veggies (1 lb.)
=> 453 grams cooked non-starchy veggies (1 lb.)
=> 4 fruit
=> 1 cup beans
=< 1 cup starches
= 1 oz. nuts/seeds
= 1 T flaxseed

thranowski

I read in a magazine to ask yourself if what you are about to eat is worth it to you. As in, say you are looking at that cookie that is 120 calories. Think of it as, is this cookie worth 15 minutes of hell on my exercise bike? Is it worth that much time you are going to spend on that bike tonight? I don't think so! Not for one cookie that's going to take two seconds to eat! I've tried it, and it usually works for me.

MissC787

I am so glad I am not the only one!

I did save my binge this time for my Birthday. (It was the 9th.) Now Mother's Day is tomarrow. I am thinking I will not binge on Mother's Day, and try my best not to. Let's hope I can stick to it.

Helloitsdan

Take up intermittent fasting.
Shoot for 16/8 or 20/4.
Thats 16hours fasted and 8 fed or 20 hours fasted and 4 hours fed.
Then when you eat you can have larger meals.
Stay within your calorie goal and you are golden!

robinxhope

I have been trying to get back in track since I went on a few trips/vacation through April. Eating out a lot is a trigger for me. Plus I do a day night rotation that makes me tired 4/9 days so my guard is weakened. I really struggle with binge eating. The problem with letting myself have a day here and there is that I can REALLY blow it and then I have a really stressful day at work a few days later and I throw the towel in. I can pack it away and I feel pretty sick. Things like cheese, candy, ice cream and alcohol are my weakness. And I get food bombed at work all the time.

That being said. I've lost weight and kept it off. The following are some of my coping strategies:

Build muscle while reducing fat. A lb of muscle burns something like 3 times as many calories or more in an hour then a lb of fat. Also your metabolism burns hotter after a tough workout. You CAN boost your metabolism.

I don't stock high calorie foods in the house that I enjoy. Like cheese. My husband is really supportive of this thankfully.

Sometimes I pre-chart my meals and I have a food scale.

I watch shows about fitness and weight loss to keep inspiration in my face all the time. I read books about magazines about nutrition, nutrition density, low calorie diets and high energy promoting foods.

I am ever searching for low calorie amazing recipes, food and healthy desserts. Like I recently found a 90 calorie coconut popsicle that is so yummy.

Log it even if you astronomically blow it. It's important to be accountable. And it's humbling to know others see it. Don't hide it.

I'm prepared to battle this the rest of my life.

Anyways, keep up the good fight and I trust with time you will get better at it. Even if there are relapses. Overall you will get stronger. You are young too. One of my biggest regrets this far is spending the second half of my 20's overweight. Friend me if you want support.

orangesmartie

Me me! Same here! I will be on a roll and making progress then bam binge city! There is no such thing as a controlled portion here. If I have one bite of something like chips or sweets I will binge all day! and probably the next day. I have to treat it like a drug and am an addict. Sounds extreme but in my case its true. I guess we have to want to be healthy MORE than we want those foods.

This is the problem I have. I think I'll just have a little of 'something' and the next thing I know the kitchen looks like new york after godzilla laid waste to it! I also have little will power to say no to a cake or biscuit or crisps and then its a downward spiral to stuffing my face, not just for a meal but for a day...or two....or three.

Like you i have to treat those 'bad' foods like a drug and i'm an addict too and not have them in the house and try to avoid going to the shops - I don't even have the will power not to buy them!

I know people say everything in moderation, or a little bit of what you fancy does you good, the problem is my brain doesn't recognise moderation or 'little bit' at all. Even when my brain recognises i'm full, I still keep eating because 'its almost the end of the packet'.

I don't know how to make the urges stop - its almost like i'm not in control of myself - not that i'm trying to shift blame and say its not my fault. I know it is.

orangesmartie

I can have a few at parties or in front of people, because I don't binge in front of others.

Yep thats me too. I always think people are thinking, 'look at the fat girl putting all that food away', so i tend to go the other way and not eat at all.

jodycoady

Everyone talks about binging....Does anyone DARE bring up purging? Is it a dirty secret? Is anyone out there afraid to talk about it? I just clicked on a random link about binging and not one topic was about purging.

bazuukajoe

One thing I used to do when I felt like binging was go for a walk. Exercise tends to suppress hunger (at least in my case) and you also get time to reflect and talk yourself out of it.

lisa86326

Hi everyone. My first post. It's good to have others. I binge because it's my way of "stealing" a little joy. I need to change what gives me joy.

lisa86326

There's some great fiction out there that helps deal with this stuff. I teach Language Arts so I like fiction for young adults. Laurie Halse Anderson's "Winter Girls" is a good place to start. There's one by Sarah Desson where the sister purges too.

pavingnewpaths

This was my problem!

I used to eat healthy for weeks, then eat a piece of cheesecake and POOF, there goes all my work and i'd gain about 20 pounds in a 3 month time span.

What I did was eat in moderation. For example, instead of depriving yourself completely from sweets, eat them once in a while in a small portion. Once every week allow yourself to have a small slice of chocolate cake or chips.
If that doesn't work for you, you can try to find healthy sweets. A lot of things from organic stores are delicious and healthy. Just make sure you eat small portions and keep track of what you're eating!

JennedyJLD

Being mindful REALLY helped me with this. By being mindful, I mean trying to fight the part of your brain that tends to shut itself off when you eat those "trigger" foods - we all know what they are. You've identified one of yours as Doritos. And they *are* addictive, those silly little corn chips coated in non-food flavor dust... whatever it is. ;-)

But here's an idea. The next time you binge, FORCE YOURSELF to be in the moment not just when you're eating, but right after. Write down everything you're feeling 10, and then 20 minutes after you stop eating. The next time you are bored or depressed or feel like eating something you know is bad for you and likely to steer you off course, I want you to read that piece of writing. Most likely you'll see words like: bloated, stuffed, over-full, nauseous, guilty, why did I do that?, not worth it, etc. Reading that before you go off the rails next time might help remind you that 5-10 minutes of fun and joy is not worth the hours of beating yourself up that often follow.

musicgirl99

I totally empathize with you. I'm just like that and haven't been able to get over it. It's what keeps me from ever keeping the weight off. Very interested to hear what others say on how to stop.

burtonhl

Here are a few things that I have figured out about binge eating,
1. binge eating makes me feel good for a few minutes and then I feel horrible about myself.
2. Binge eating gets me further and further away from my goals.
3. Binge eating usually happens because I did not plan my evening meal and I am "hungry" for crap.
4. I usually binge because I mistake my sleepiness at night for hunger.
5. Binge eating is really tough to conquer, I read every book I could get my hands on.
6. "Think and Grow Thin" was a great book for the emotional standpoint of over eating.
7. Talk to people when you feel the need to binge.
8. If you are truly hungry, have a piece of fruit.
9. You are not a failure because you slipped up, just pick yourself up and keep on going.

All excellent points!

I would add that I like to try and make it difficult for myself to get whatever food I'm craving. I could totally binge on ice cream everyday - so I don't have it in the house. If I want it - I have to go out and buy it. Usually I can talk myself out of it if it's not readily available...but sometimes not, and then I buy I small chocolate sundae, get it out of my system and move on!

It's not the end of the world and there's no need to beat myself up about it.

Captain_Tightpants

There's no easy solution as far as I can tell. But you could try ACT therapy (acceptance and commitment therapy) which is essentially a western psychiatric version of eastern mindfulness techniques.

For me, the urge is always still there, but I find that the more care and love I put into my food, the less it surfaces. So I'd actually suggest learning to cook - like proper gourmet cooking. It really helps to feel satisfied with your food.

Identifying your triggers helps. Really analyse where your mind is going during those binges, and what led up to them. Sometimes you can modify your behaviors to avoid the triggers altogether.

There's a good book called "The End of Overeating" by David Kessler, which has some interesting info on how our brains are primed for binges with refined carb and high fat content foods. Reading it helped me to understand the power of the biological drives that were behind some of my behaviors, and knowing that also reduced them.

Finally, self forgiveness is key. You've got to get to that mental place where if you have a binge, you don't beat yourself up about it, you just make a promise to do better with the next meal and then let it go and move on. If you can do that, your long-term weight loss trend will still be downwards, so the binges really won't matter at all. It's only if you turn slip-ups into give-ups that you lose the game.

nrvo

~Don't keep trigger foods in the house
~Chew gum
~Drink water
~Drink tea
~Brush your teeth
~Go on a walk to get out of the house and away from temptation