huge binge, help please...

windycitycupcake

first of all, i understand how hard it is not to binge, so these are just some suggestions that seem to help me

Extra "dessert" gum
Put a calorie free powdered drink mix or emergenC in a big bottle of water and drink the whole thing
Eat some low fat deli meat like turkey (this really helps when i have a sweet tooth, i eat it one slice at a time and the meaty flavor helps curb my desire for sugar, just watch your sodium intake)
Get on a bike and flee from food
Make tea with milk and splenda (to me tastes like dessert)
Get some kind of 100 calorie or 90 calorie fiber/protein dessert bar that they sell. even if you eat the whole box the worse damage you did is 500-600cal

maedoll18

I'm not sure if anyone has mentioned this yet but I used to try Dream Body diet pills. I can't say they didn't work, but I wouldn't suggest this approach to anyone. If you're anything like me, you're TOO motivated to use them out of the desperation to lose weight & I ended up with an eating disorder. I would take a diet pill a day starting off, then eat an ice cream sandwich and that's all I had all day. Then I started taking two diet pills a day (not that it actually did any good) & started going sometimes two days without eating.
What I have heard about and probably would suggest is NeuroSlim - a drink that's supposed to suppress your appetite & I think would help with your junk food cravings. Good luck

MyOwnSunshine

There is an author, Geneen Roth, who writes about they why's behind binge eating and suggests some changes in the way we think. The two books that I found helpful were "When Food is Love," and "Women, Food and God." Neither are particularly religious, in case the title of the second put you off. Both examine how we relate to ourselves and others and why we use food to numb ourselves or fill the void within.

Overeating can happen for benign reasons such as "It just tasted good," or "I was really hungry."

4000 calorie binges on a regular basis are generally a sign that there is something more going on.

I have been seing a counselor who specializes in disordered eating for the past several years. I've worked through most of my issues and she keeps trying to to cut me loose now, but I don't think I would be as successful, healthy and happy as I am at this point if it weren't for her. I would highly, highly, highly recommend a good counselor for anyone who suffers from compulsive overeating, binge eating (not just overeating once in a while), undereating, or purging.

Serious compulsive eating disorders go beyond the "tips and tricks" doled out at a Weight Watchers meeting. There is usually something much deeper that needs to be fixed, and the binge eating is only a symptom of a larger problem.

(Again, I am referring to REAL binge eating, not just people who have a "cheat" meal or day once in a while, or who go over their calories once in a while. There is a big difference that is often missed in the discussions on this site.)

dadof2boyz

I know how you feel, but the best I can offer is to NOT BUY IT and if someone else does, tell them to take it out of the house. If someone buys potatoe chips and I know they're in the cupboard, I always crave them late at night only. If they are not in the house, I don't crave them near as often. OUT OF SIGHT, OUT OF MIND.

belle_of_the_bar

Ive turned to less junky junk food to help ease the guilt about sweets. Unsweetened dried pineapple is delicious and I buy frozen greek yogurt by the pint to keep myself honest. I have literally eaten a half gallon of ice cream in one night so i feel your pain. You dont have to deprive yourself but i have faith you can overcome this.

dedwardsnew

There are some foods that you can practically eat all you want of - like a pot of beans - learn to make them like a chef - google it.. I'll tell you an awesome desert in a sec. Mostly you need to convince yourself that you are not deprived. When you feel deprived, your body says - oh no - we need to load up or we will starve. You are not deprived. You can have all you want, but you want fruits and vegetables because you want to feel great. Do you like sushi? It's great to find something that is so delicious in small portions like sushi is. If you need volume to convince yourself you can have all you want - make the pot of beans. Put some dry beans in water and soak - it's great food! Add onions, tomatoes, seasoning - splurge on that. Or have a banana - it's sweet and you won't feel hungry again for awhile - if needed have another - there is plenty now and later. Mostly it's a psychological game - you CAN eat - you are not starving - you are happy and satisfied and thankful for all the great foods on this planet - and since there's plenty, you don't have to gorge yourself. Think how much you will enjoy eating some more later - don't waste it all right now. Here is the most awesome desert if you need something sweet. It's a smoothie better than any ice cream. 1 cup of milk, 1 banana, 2 tablespoons of nutella, a tablespoon of honey, a teaspoon of vanilla and a cup of ice - blend and enjoy. Have 2 large shakes from this - about 400 calories (1/4 the fat of ice cream), if you want, drink both large shakes now - fine go for it - you will be full and satisfied. Next time put half in the freezer and have it later. Remember you must KNOW there is more later to stave off the false "I'm starving" alarm. Good luck! You are awesome and wonderfully made. You will find the keys to your kingdom. Ask and you receive. Keep asking. Get answers and empower yourself. You are doing it right now.

vvanm

Keep really healthy balanced meals in the house that are NOT trigger foods. You need the nutrients so your brain and blood sugar stay level and give you control. If I have cravings I think of what food would satisfy it best and after a nutritious meal, if I still want it, I go out for a single serving. If you give yourself permission to have anything in a single serving and have to go to the trouble of going out for it, it gives you time to get over the impulse. Remember to eat your splurge very slowly, and commit the taste to memory, . At home I have sugar free jello, or flavored decaf with a little milk, or hot chocolate, none of which I would ever binge on. It takes 20 min. to register having eaten, so eat something small and wait to decide if you are still really hungry. You want to have a controllable hunger, not feeling deprived or starving.

Danimal214

So i've been readying this book by Timothy Ferris called "The four hour body". He specifically talks about bingeing but limiting it to once a week. I have been doing this for about a month and have had success. Feel horrible doing it put on a few pounds for the next few days but end up losing weight for the week. Would recommend eating larger breakfast and increasing the amount of protein in your diet. Also unless its your binge day stay away from domino foods (foods that lead to eating more and more). Right down everything you want to eat or crave and on your binge day have it all! I try to make fun of it. Have attempted to put down more than 6000 cal but cant. And last few times have actually only ended up with about 2800 cal for the day. Read the book might find it informational. You can find it on amazon. Good luck

Shelgirl001

If you really feel you want to have a sweet treat, I seriously recommend getting Kellogg's Fiber Plus bars. They are delicious as candy bars, but they are also healthy in that they have fiber, protein and calcium. You can only have one or 2 a day or you will have too much fiber. It also will fill you like not too many other bars like that can, and still satisfy a sweet tooth.

Just try to avoid buying too many sweets that aren't good for you. I love to keep cantaloupe or grapes or peaches around for when I am really craving something sweet. Another great snack is those 100 cal packs of kettlecorn.They are sweet, filled with fiber and you can eat the whole bag! I prefer Orville Reddenbacher, myself.

kiachu

I still say take a diet break. Eat what you what, enjoy life, enjoy food, develop a healthy relationship with food. See if you still need to binge. You've been dieting since 13 (ack!). Over eating and binging are two different things.

Or plan your binges. In my circles its called a refeed or over-feeding it can last hours or days. Some do it some don't. Its usually high carb and low fat. Waffles, pancakes, candies, ice cream, bread, cereals, cakes, donuts, etc (Some people do it with "clean" foods) It helps raise leptin and replenish glycogen stores. Dieting and exercise can be hard on the body and mind and as you get leaner your body will trying to hold on to fat longer. And it provides a physiological diet break and can alleviate emotional binging either from some outside stimulus or you body sending signals to your brain that its had enough.

peles_fire

I know exactly what you're going through and I don't know what to do about it. I'm scared because I've worked so damn hard to get to where I am, but these last couple of weeks have been very bad and I don't know how to stop it. I started seeing an ED therapist a few weeks ago and she had me read a book called "Eating by the Light of the Moon." I'm not usually a self-help type of person and I'm really turned off by the whole crunchy spirituality yin/yang thing....HOWEVER, this book is really good at pointing out that by bingeing we're trying to fill an emotional hole with food, and it will never work because the hole is still empty. The key is to figure out what that hole is, how it got there, and how to fill in an emotionally healthy way. Oh sure! Easy! I've had this compulsive overeating problem since I can remember...so yeah, feeling pretty sad and hopeless right now. I know I have to figure this out...somehow, sometime....I HAVE to! I don't know if this helps, and I'm sorry to go on and on about me, but your post spoke to me. Courage.

I can relate to this and I have to contradict a hair here. It really is that easy. Once you figure out the hole, you've practically won the battle. I had a similar lifestyle and once I put the pieces together to understand that emotional need I was stuffing with food, the urge to eat beyond my typical daily intake went away. Like overnight. Like the cravings that used to make me squirm with discomfort were gone. Just gone. The hard part is that everyone's hole is different and you have to be able to see through your own bs and be willing to face some painful and unpleasant truths to get there. But from experience I can tell you, it was that easy. The connection came in an instant and the urges to binge went away in that same instant. That was over 5 months ago. Not a craving since, and no binges either. And I won't have any. Because that hole is not there any more.

drivenheart85

How do all of you prevent a binge or even stop it in it's tracks? How do you stay motivated? How do you keep your focus and stay on the right path? Any tips or personal stories/support would be greatly appreciated I'm just really not sure what else to do? I feel exhausted from battling myself constantly over this. Thank you for listening to me.

I have had similar behavior since I was 5 years old (really!). Now at 37, I can tell you some things that help me. I'm not perfect by any means, but now when I slip, I have a greater understanding of what's really happening and how to get back up again quickly.

1. It's all about stress (possibly depression) and chilling yourself out with food; usually the sugar-fat-salt combination because it releases the most natural opiates in the brain. Don't feel bad about it; many people are like this.

2. You can't change a lot of the stress, but you can change your response. It's about stimulus and conditioned response. When you feel a trigger, don't do your usual response (overeating); over time it will become easier to resist, but you have to put in the work in the beginning of saying no, pushing through the bad feelings that come up, and replacing the activity. I suggest exercise. Not only is it good for you, but it reduces your appetite and release similar endorphin chemicals as overeating does.

3. You can also set yourself up to have greater defenses against the urge. Eat, evenly spaced out meals that each have a protein component of some kind to stabilize your blood sugar fluctuations.

4. The best time to stop a binge is right now (no matter where you are in the process). Because binging is a conditioned response to the stimulus of stress/depression/etc., the moment you stop doing the usual response and replace it with something more productive and less unhealthy the sooner you're working on actually breaking a habit. Doing this repetitively over time means that when you feel stressed or depressed (whether from emotional or biochemical causes, or both), you will have other equally pleasant options to choose from to deflate that cause.

So, I would stop right now--not tomorrow, not next Monday, not next month--right this very moment. Make yourself a cup of herbal tea, brush your teeth, and declare it behind you. And the next time you feel that urge, pay attention to that delicious little moment right before you give in when you know you could stop it dead in its tracks. Take advantage of that moment and get through the fire because the next time will be even easier.

Good luck!

This advice is so spot on and helped me when I read it! I had several successful months of dieting and then just slowly navigated my behavior into binging. Don't know why or how it got to this point but it did. I suppose my crushed dreams/expectations of not being alone anymore when I lost the weight could attribute. But what you typed is very logical, precise and spot on for this issue. Thank you!

drivenheart85

And the "Just don't buy it" people must live in the country. lol I can keep junk out of my house all I want, but I think a true emotional binger has no problem waltzing down to the closest grocery store that sells whatever's gonna do the trick. Seriously, if I'm in a bad state and am going to eat the crap out of some ice cream, a 5-10 minutes drive isn't going to hold me back. lol Keeping food out of those house helps for like cravings or instant urges for the stuff that you KNOW is lurking in your cabinet and calling your name, but if you're using food as a sort of coping method/relief method, you need more than physical distance from the food. There is a strong emotional force, not just an, "Ohhh that would be tasty." That's my opinion anyway.

Solarmessiah

Excellent post.

Sheilao918

I was going to suggest the same thing Tracey Barbour suggested... I run to the bathroom, brush my teeth and rinse with the strongest mouthwash!! You just don't want sugar or anything else really after that. And do not buy the items. If they're not there, you can't eat them.