Why can't i stop bingeing?

gracie2586

Everytime I try and eat healthy i go out buy a $100 worth of healthy food and fresh produce and meals and snacks so i don't feel deprived of anything and I'll do great for 2 or 3 days and i'll feel great on those days clean and light and energized than someone says, " hey lets get breakfast or pizza" and it's like i lose control and eat everything i almost feel like all my eating is blur until the end. This morning my friend said breakfast buffet and I lost it. the food wasn't even that great but i'm sure i had 5 plates the guilt didn't even hit me until i shoved that last cookie in my mouth and now i feel bloated tired and just plain icky. I'm so frustrated with myself. Why do i go through this cycle over and over if i know how awful i'll feel in the end. I don't even remember everything i ate so putting it in my diary is a hopeless endeavor. They should just put a general "binge" option automatic 1300 calories . Does anyone else have this problem. Does anyone have any good solutions on how i can break this cycle i'm tired of one step forward and two back.

Phaedra2014

Only you know the emotional pain you are stuffing down with so much food in one sitting. Ask yourself what is making you suffer so much that you can't let it get out.

P.S. You can't truly change a behavior until you figure out what is triggering it. It's not about food. It's about using food to mask something. What is that something for you?

I'm not asking you to share anything openly; just trying to guide you, gently I hope.

kacarter1017

I agree with Phaedra. There is a trigger that is causing you to overeat. Work on figuring out what that is. In the meantime, when someone asks to go out for breakfast/pizza, suggest a place that also has healthier options. Or, if you feel your control might not hold up, suggest having them over for a meal instead. If neither of these works, say no. This can be really tough, but you will feel great when you do it!
Good luck!!

caterina999

Hey I had/have the same problem every now and then, and for me the biggest step in learning to control it was figuring out why I binged in the first place. I realised that it's definitely not hunger, and then started to take note of when it was that I got the out-of-control feeling - whenever I was stressed about something or procrastinating. By knowing this, most times (I'm still getting there ok!) I go have a bath or make some tea and try calm myself down. I also stress still about going out for meals with people because restaurant portions are so big. Now, I decide as soon as I get my food what I'm going to eat and what I'll leave, so I don't overdo it. Besides, going out with others for a meal isn't so much about the food as it is about the company, so engage in the conversation and just relax and enjoy yourself. Do your friends know you're trying to lose weight? I find that if you know that others know what you're trying to achieve, you feel more accountable for what you eat, and they can also be supportive in your struggle.

It took a LOT of times of messing up to be able to think 'THIS IS GOING TO MAKE ME FEEL TERRIBLE' *before* I ate it, so expect it to take time, but that's not an excuse not to try! I've also kept a self-development journal which helps me to see how much I have achieved, so I don't get so depressed when I slip up. It will also give you a proper record of how many times you binge. Force yourself to write down what you eat, and if you know that you're eating too much to remember, then you know you're eating way too much for your body to handle. Calorie counting shouldn't be an after-the-fact thing, you should look up the calories of the food you're going to eat before you eat it. And with buffets, I struggle too, but I now think of it as a luxury to have variety - the enjoyment is in choosing something that will taste great and make you feel even greater, not in eating everything and feeling awful after.

You can also try read up on self-control, one of the most underrated skills to master. You could try it on smaller things just to show yourself you can, not food-related. Then when you think you've got it, try move onto food. Good luck, it's hard, I know

melissa10666

Just think to yourself 'how will i feel once i've eaten this?' That's what I do to stop myself binging

AliceKlaar

Do your friends and family know you're trying to lose weight? As you seem to be going along with their suggestions, I'd say make sure they know you're serious about dropping some weight and give them a chance to be supportive.

usmcmp

My problem with binge eating came from the fact that I enjoyed feeling full and that didn't happen eating 6 small meals a day like I thought I had to. I switched to eating a few big meals and the binge eating stopped. I'm losing weight again and finally happy.

wookiemouse

Sad to say, the only thing that worked for me is to avoid the triggers. Friend suggests breakfast buffet? Offer to go to a great healthy-food option down the street instead. Don't bring things in the house that you know you'll binge on. Go grocery shopping once a week to avoid temptations. And if you're eating to eat, out of boredom or whatever, allow yourself SOMETHING to binge on - gum, popcorn, clementines - something that won't hurt you in the long run. Plan ahead. And start keeping a diary as to when these binges happen....are you bored, tired, emotional? Once you pinpoint that, it may help you find a different outlet.

DanaDark

You have to avoid the triggers. I agree with others 100% on this.

Also explain to your friends your weight loss goals and what you are doing to achieve them, this may help prevent them from suggesting the buffet. If you can, get them to join you too!

Simply put, if you can't handle it, don't be around it. Weight loss is a WONDERFUL goal, one to be proud of. If skipping a social event here and there is required, then so be it.

Cemjames

I m the sme but u have to learn how to control it . Now u know how feel after u binge . Next time think twice , what s going to happen , how u going to feel, how miserable u will be ( that how I beeing) that might be stop eating . Give ur self a day off 1 day a week. But u have to start again next day . Good luck I'm sure u can do it .

boopboopadoop

I'm the same and still looking for a solution!! Sometimes I buy a healthy breakfast cereal but end up eating the whole pack in a couple of days I think logging could help. Next time I go on a binge I'll log it all in the hopes it'll make me think twice about it next time. But I know the feeling, like you don't care until you've finished. As long as you keep eating, everything feels ok. But once you stop and think about it, it's horrible

BSummers321

I feel so bad today I have depression, and sometimes it gets the better of me and I either don't want to eat anything or I want to stuff my face and today I stuffed my face. So binge eating for me is an emotional thing, otherwise I'm quite good at avoiding the unhealthy food, but sometimes a girl craves chocolate/

I had a chocolate bar and then had 3 biscuits (cookies) crumbled in fruit yogurt (which tasted great by the way), plus I was supposed to work out, but I was too busy crying and now I'm skipping dinner and feeling bad about myself *sigh* oh my life. I'm still under my calorie goal though, so hopefully it all works out.

Just feel extra bad since I haven't had chocolate in over a year and told myself I'd treat myself to one when I reached my goal *sigh*

Robin_Bin

I agree with some of the statements above. You need to figure out what's triggering the binge. That may take some trial and error. If it's emotional, you need to deal with the underlying issue. But it could also be due to something that's wrong with your current eating habits. For instance, if your body's not getting enough of something, it could cause strong cravings.
I've collected some ideas about causes and some ways to satisfy them in my blog at http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/Robin_Bin/view/cravings-282817 (Please give it an "up vote", if you find it useful and feel free to add your comments.)

gingermack

I am having the exact same problem. I came to MFP today specifically looking for messages about this issue. Low and behold, here it is! Thanks for sharing. I am feeling pretty down about my horrible eating behavior. Today, my goal is to read posts on this site instead of stuffing my face. I have gained 3 pounds in the last 5 days. And it is not water weight or any other excuse. It is because I went to the buffet. Because I went to the drive though and ate before I went home and had dinner. It is because I sit in front of the tv with a jar of peanut butter and a spoon. I have got to get this under control! I exercise an average of 5 times a week. And hard core workouts too! There is no reason I should be this over weight. So I am right there with ya. I am going to request you as a friend. We can work on this together.

rhinowithonehorn

Everytime I try and eat healthy i go out buy a $100 worth of healthy food and fresh produce and meals and snacks so i don't feel deprived of anything and I'll do great for 2 or 3 days and i'll feel great on those days clean and light and energized than someone says, " hey lets get breakfast or pizza" and it's like i lose control and eat everything i almost feel like all my eating is blur until the end. This morning my friend said breakfast buffet and I lost it. the food wasn't even that great but i'm sure i had 5 plates the guilt didn't even hit me until i shoved that last cookie in my mouth and now i feel bloated tired and just plain icky. I'm so frustrated with myself. Why do i go through this cycle over and over if i know how awful i'll feel in the end. I don't even remember everything i ate so putting it in my diary is a hopeless endeavor. They should just put a general "binge" option automatic 1300 calories . Does anyone else have this problem. Does anyone have any good solutions on how i can break this cycle i'm tired of one step forward and two back.

you need to control your blood sugar. Having less carbohydrates at once will help.

carbs in some people are appetite stimulating and the more carbs u eat the hungrier you get later.

stpetegirl

For me it has been about finding other ways to express myself, and mfp helps me with that. If someone said to me just 2 weeks ago, lets go to a buffet, I'd be all over it! But now, I would say to them, come on over and I'll make us some egg white omlettes! I have had to admit to friends and family that I have a problem with binge eating, and that was NO easy task! But once you admit it to someone that cares about you and won't judge you, it may help. I agree with the others, you have to figure out your triggers, is it stress, depression, or just wanting to fit in with friends? Once you know, you'll be able to control it better. Also, having a motivatior to lose weight helps me keep binging in check. I look at a picture of myself at my heaviest and know that I don't ever want to be like that again! I have a long way to go, but just take it one day at a time. The more you beat yourself up over your binges, the more your going to binge and the guiltier you will feel. I hope you can have the kind of luck I've had on mfp!

eviegreen

Do your friends know you're trying to lose weight? I find that if you know that others know what you're trying to achieve, you feel more accountable for what you eat, and they can also be supportive in your struggle.

Aside from the other suggestions, I really agree with this. Telling your friends and family that you're trying to maintain a healthy eating lifestyle is incredibly important. Right now, they may be under the impression that you're sticking to your old habits and that it's perfectly okay to suggest the breakfast buffet. If you explain that the weight loss is really important, that you have to watch your foods, they're less likely to make suggestions that clash with the diet you're trying to maintain. It's less temptation, and the extra support is really beneficial to weight loss.

dillonfc123

I have the same problem -I don't know why I do it; I know how rubbish I feel after binging and I know how bad it is for me but I still can't help myself. Like you, I don't remember what I ate -it's just one big calorific haze. Everyone is different, but here are some things that helped me:
1) Write down how you feel before the binge. Then, when you're in a clearer head space, look at what you wrote and try to figure out what emotions are triggering the binge. That way you can work out how to avoid getting in situations where you want to eat a lot
2) Avoid trigger foods. I agree with all the other posters -its too easy if they're in reach. It's hard to say no when people ask you out, but if you tell some close friends or family what you're trying to do, they may stop inadvertedly putting you in uncomfortable situations
3) Forgive yourself. After binging, its so tempting not to eat to try and make up for the calories you ate before, but this will just lead to another binge. In addition, if you hate yourself and your body you're less likely to take care of it.

Hope some of this helped. Feel free to send a friend request (that goes for everyone) as I'm happy to provide support

fay_pigu

Are you just setting yourself up to fail by having a goal to far in the future? Would having 6 days of virtue followed by a day off work for you? or every other day this week, 3 days off next week, then weekend, etc? What about something else? If you can you log food on your phone, do this before you tuck in.

I couldn't do that personally, so I went cold turkey for a month, then week off, another 3 weeks then week off - now I'm treating myself but keeping to limit. I also set mini targets to hit, lbs, bmi, exercise mins, etc

These are all ways of tricking ourselves but whatever works, if we had a button we'd push it. Get back on wagon.

edit: Not mixing metaphor but odd sounding one removed

majordlite

Looking at your diary for the past week or so, I noticed that you have been many HUNDREDS of calories below your target each day. I'd suggest that you've either been physically or emotionally depriving yourself and have set yourself up to binge when faced with temptation. Perhaps you should eat more throughout the week and you won't have such a problem, IMHO. Best of luck to you!

cherryacid

I struggle with this, i can eat great all day then have a binge in the evening...it is usually from boredom more than anything. I agree with others about getting more support from friends and family.

britneyy32

Whenever I have gone on a diet I've had such a hard time with binging! I would always give up and end up pigging out. But I found that after upping my calories to the correct amount I should be eating (calculated from BMR and TDEE) I feel much more satisfied with this amount of calories and I find myself satisfied with eating just healthy food with this amount of calories, instead of restricting myself to some ridiculously low amount of calories. But I've been binging this whole week, since I got so frustrated with being at a plateau, but I'm going to start up fresh next week with this new amount of calories.

michellekicks

I think you have to try and lose weight with a few changes at a time. If you jump all in to MFP and decide to eat 1200 calories/day after regularly eating 3000 you're going to binge.

Set your goal to lose 1/2 lb/week and then eat normal foods that you like in portions that fit. Exercise to earn more calories to eat and then eat them. You will see the weight drop and the binges lessen...

Don't try and do too much too soon. Eventually as the caloric intake is comfortably reduced, you could reduce it again if you're up for it, or just make other changes - more veggies, more water, less sugar, more fiber, leaner meats, less packaged stuff etc.

fatty_to_fitty

It sounds like a habit to me first and fore most. What will it mean if you just say no outright to your friend?

Concentrate on eating the right foods and not having a calorie restrictions. Once you get yur sugar levels balanced you won't crave things as much and can separate the need from desire when you think about food.

It takes t e and it's trial and error.

crazybigchick

Honestly, I just have to be anti-social. The first few days I am fine, but when I hit day 3 or 4 HUGE cravings and starvation seem to kick in. I can not go out with people or expose myself to temptation at all. People who wont take no for an answer, I just tell I am not feeling well. Which if I ate with them, would end up being all too true. Not that it is easy to do, but I find it helps if on days 4 and 5 I exercise a lot more, drink at least 80 ounces of water, eat more, eat hot food instead of salads, and go to bed early. (like unisom early) If I can make it the first two weeks, my body adjust and the binge eating and cravings slow down.

Hope this helps!

smsgreaves

I'm only a few weeks in and I used to be a terrible binger.

I've found the best way for me to avoid the binge is to either A: earn it with exercise or B: have a good think about how much exercise it will take to burn it off. Try to log it before you eat it, and hopefully it will be terrifying enough to make you not go there!

I absolutely killed myself at the gym on Saturday so I could eat whatever I wanted at a birthday party that afternoon. I burned over 1000 calories doing Body Balance, then AquaZumba, then laps of the pool for another 1/2 hour. Almost 3 hours of exercise. I went to the party absolutely PSYCHED about being able to eat guilt free, and once I was there I thought "All that work, to throw it away on caramel slice???" And I ended up only eating back about 500, mostly on carrot sticks, dip and birthday cake! I had a calorie defecit of about 600 for the day, which is HUGE for me because I'm usually lucky to have 20 left out of my 1470 :noway:

You will get there, I promise. Hang in there. Think about why you're doing this. I wish you the best of luck on your journey!!

TracLC

I hear you . . . as I am writing to you I just finished off a whole bag of rice thins. There are many who suffer from emotional eating for different reasons. When I was a little girl I watched my mom eat spoonfuls of peanut butter whenever she was upset, I eat when I feel lonely or unable to find solutions to my frustrations.

I have started a blog on this site as of yesterday. By writing it down for all to read you become more acountable for your actions instead of hiding away like a big secret.

My suggestion would be to start a journal and talk to close friends about what your goals are. They are more likely to want to help rather than hinder your success. I have a coworker as my support and we text each other when we are feeling low and remind each other not to stress eat.

Remember binging is a habit and it takes time to change a habit.

In friendship,
Tracy

graelwyn

Still cannot find a solution to this myself. At home, once I am into it, I can eat pretty darn clean and junk free for weeks at a time, but as soon as I am in a different environment, like my mum's, I seem to totally let go of my usually rigid control and eat desserts, chocolate, cookies and whatever else I can while away from home, and away from the scale and the gym and my usual routine. I don't like feeling overfull, so intermittent fasting wouldn't work for me. I do know I have to totally avoid anything bread/pastry.refined sugar based to keep up the clean eating. It takes just one less clean meal for me to spiral out of control and eat what I want.

Yet I have more energy and my mood improves when I allow these foods, whereas eating totally clean with mostly protein, fruit and vegetables and dairy seems to leave me depressed and agitated all the time. It is really seeming impossible to find a solution for me personally.

Meggles63

Is it possible you are feeling deprived? From what I see in your diary, when you do log, it tends to be on the low side. I would suggest that you make sure to log everything you eat and possibly try to up your caloric intake. There is no reason for you to feel deprived/hungry.

alettep

This is always a struggle~I do try to avoid triggers, plan ahead, & keep my favorites out of the house altogether. I admit I blew today off....not really because of emotions but more we were camping & sometimes you just want a hot dog...or two. Anyway I know I'm often an all or nothing person so I tend to think "today is ruined so I'll just eat whatever I want now"_ I realise this is NOT true so am trying to focus on changing my thinking. I may have not followed my diet plan today but I will be back on track tommorrow & will still go for a run tonight to balance it a bit. Biggest thing is I will not give up!

heatherrose9

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