How do you control binge eating?

Breathing2theBeat

I'm a newbie (3 days in).

My problem with foods is that I love it! I've never been into sweets that much (but of course I have my guilty pleasures here and there) and as far as chips and stuff I only like about 4 kinds and I don't eat them often. My problem is I'm a huge binger! Oh and I'm a carb abuser.


SO I guess what I'm asking is is there any food that I can snack on to give me that "full" or "satisfied" feeling?
And what foods should I eat if I feel a binge coming on that could curb the urge?
Or is this just 100% mind over matter?! :sad:

monty619

slowly cut calories, and dont go into a large caloric defecit EVER.

jeanine89

I was like this too. I SAY EAT! I don't eat three meals a day. I eat lots of little meals, it makes it seem like you get to eat a lot more food which makes the binges not as bad. Also, slow down when you eat I know its hard but savor every bite. Eat at the table, turn off the tv and computer, and concentrate on the food. (after all we all love food). I know you heard this before but drink water even when your not thirsty. Find something else to do when you get hungry like watching a movie or like me I knit blankets if my hands are too busy they can't be throwing food in my face. Good luck the first week is very hard but you can do this your already heading in the right direction by setting goals.

PriceK01

I've been trying to avoid a feeding frenzy today. Boneless skinless chicken breast works for me when I'm wanting to binge. It can be cooked a million different ways. It's what I usually eat for dinner, so I always make enough for leftovers. Whenever I'm wanting to pig out, my little containers of leftovers are ready. High in protein, low in fat and carbs

newmein2013

Foods high in fiber & protein will help you feel satisfied. Do a search for these threads. You'll get some really great suggestions. Off the top of my head, my first go to food to satisfy hunger would be a baked sweet potato, steamed broccoli, oatmeal, baked chicken breast, salmon, plain Greek yogurt, a can of tuna, low fat string cheese.

As far as the binging, if you find a secret, please let me know. All I can say to this is that when I have my mind made up to binge, God Himself couldn't stop me. So yes, in my opinion, it is strictly 100% mind over matter.

NeverGivesUp

change bad habits into good ones. I go and exercise instead and then oddly I am not hungry anymore. Also change what you crave and what you reach for. Baby steps

timebomb821

Eat 6-7 little meals a day, increase the protein and decrease the carbs with high GI. They make you feel more hungry than you were before eating most of them. Carbs that make you feel hungry- alcohol, fructose,caffeine, sugar, glucose, seasonings. Food that make you feel full is proteins,fats, fibers, water, carbs with low GI.

for GI check http://www.glycemicindex.com/

Also try to drink at least 2-2.5 litres of water a day and start doing exercise.

apexgtp

I dont allow myself to be put in those situations because I KNOW if presented, I will indulge. I goto subway everyday to each lunch and lets be honest, there are a LOT of bad items on the menu. But I've found my favorite, the flatbread breakfast egg and ham sandwich. I can LOAD it up with veggies and I'm actually full after I eat it and its always under 400cal. I've found that I cant "be strong" and just not eat bad. My only struggle at this point is not getting a foot long. I always get my 6" and a water.

Micheetah

i have this problem too, mostly because i smoke trees but its binging nonetheless. I have to force myself to drink water to get thru it. I also find that a handful of nuts, I prefer almonds or walnuts, help A LOT! Throw in fruit like an orange, pear, grapes or whatever you like and it takes it mostly away. Im not a big raw veggie eater. someone said keep boneless skinless chicken around, i could totally see that working too. The other part of it is mental and for that I pretty much dare myself not to eat more, like its a goal or an accomplishment. I feel so much better after the craving has passed and I didnt munchie away a million calories. I know some ppl will just tell me to quit smoking, believe me, no one really wants that, serenity now. So I continue to find ways to get thru the munchies. doesnt always work but practice makes perfect right, or damn good enough! This is strictly regarding binge eating, other than that, your body will get used to taking in less calories. Good luck and welcome!

Sparlingo

A few little things helped me with the bingeing:

1) I committed to honest logging and opened my food diary so that I knew I had an "audience" to what I ate. I find it harder to binge if it isn't a secret. I also weigh and measure things so my eating is more purposeful and truthful.

2) I added friends with healthy habits that I admire and I read their food diaries for ideas.

3) I eat three small meals to leave me lots of calories for snacking. If I can spread my snacks out through the day and feel like I'm grazing (although it's not quite the same I guess since I track it all), then I don't feel so deprived and I don't get the urge to eat the whole pantry nearly as often.

4) I make a conscious effort to eat more protein-rich foods and spread them out throughout the day so that I'm more satieted. I'm a work in progress on this one since I don't tend to gravitate toward proteinous foods. My favourites, though, are salmon, greek yogurt, sliced almonds, hemp hearts, quinoa, hummus, hard-boiled eggs (I'll eat one every day - either with breakfast or in a wrap at lunch), and chicken (I'm getting a little obvious here I suppose). For the chicken I'll sometimes get a rotisserie chicken at the beginning of a week, toss the skin, shred it and keep it in a container in my fridge. I'll then use it in wraps, soups, or just for a snack.

5) Stay hydrated.

That's what's working for me so far .

AlabasterVerve

With a restrictive diet and lots of fat. It took less then a month following a LCHF diet.

http://www.dietdoctor.com/lchf

lilRicki

eat 5 times a day...and up your protein if you're cutting your carbs. It's going to happen every now and then (i binged hard today), PMS is always a b!tch to get around, but you'll be fine. 1 day at a time, and if you eff up, start over again tomorrow. Protein keeps you full!!!

PriceK01

A few little things helped me with the bingeing:

1) I committed to honest logging and opened my food diary so that I knew I had an "audience" to what I ate. I find it harder to binge if it isn't a secret. I also weigh and measure things so my eating is more purposeful and truthful.

2) I added friends with healthy habits that I admire and I read their food diaries for ideas.

3) I eat three small meals to leave me lots of calories for snacking. If I can spread my snacks out through the day and feel like I'm grazing (although it's not quite the same I guess since I track it all), then I don't feel so deprived and I don't get the urge to eat the whole pantry nearly as often.

4) I make a conscious effort to eat more protein-rich foods and spread them out throughout the day so that I'm more satieted. I'm a work in progress on this one since I don't tend to gravitate toward proteinous foods. My favourites, though, are salmon, greek yogurt, sliced almonds, hemp hearts, quinoa, hummus, hard-boiled eggs (I'll eat one every day - either with breakfast or in a wrap at lunch), and chicken (I'm getting a little obvious here I suppose). For the chicken I'll sometimes get a rotisserie chicken at the beginning of a week, toss the skin, shred it and keep it in a container in my fridge. I'll then use it in wraps, soups, or just for a snack.

5) Stay hydrated.

That's what's working for me so far .

I love this

takumaku

Recognize why those foods trigger binge eating. Find what works for you. Some give them up completely. Others are able to have them in moderation.

MoreBean13

IMO in the absence of an eating disorder, binge eating can be attributed to: too low calories, too low carbohydrates (without going in to keto), or feelings of deprivation , or any combination of the above.

1) Don't deprive yourself of 'bad' foods or whole food groups. Allow treats in moderation, within the limits of your macro and calorie limits.

2) If you're going to cut carbs (which I personally don't think is necessary), find an appropriate level to make you feel OK. Too low, and you're going to crave carbs all the time. Go in to ketosis if you want to be that low.

3) Too low calories and you'll always get binge-y. Set your calories appropriately, no more than TDEE-20%. Low Cal = yo-yo.

ClementineGeorg

I control binge eating by:
- selecting a lower weight loss (1 pound / week) => I have more calories throught the day => I can afford to eat some high calories, large quantity foods if I want, by eating less in other meals throught the day or just by knowing where to stop. It's a personal choice; not being too restricted on intake makes me feel less on a dies, less craving and less prone to binge. Yes, I'm doing it slower, but overall this works for me.
- eating 3 meals a day, with 2 snacks, so I don't have long hunger times.
- having a `room mate` that has been instructed to kick the butt out of me if I binge )

What I find important is: DO NOT KEEP BINGE FOOD AT HAND.
My at hands foods in my fridge are 2% fat yogurt and fresh fruit / veggies, and on my counter nuts. I don't store microwaveble things, I don't stack up on fat cheeses, salamis and sausages. I have homemade food. I cannot binge on soup or grilled chicken.

What I find most important is: FIND YOUR OWN BINGE CONTROL METHOD
Try all the suggestions from the users or just the ones that seem sane for you. Try to find what works for you. Don't expect that the things that worked for others will work for you; everybody is unique. The important thing is to try. Every day. Until you successed.

adamsleeps

Binge on salad.

mirsasha

I wish I could control it. For me, it's never really about physical hunger - it's all emotional. I follow most of the advice in this thread to stay full and yet, I still eat to the point of severe discomfort from time to time. I'm doing research to try and find a counselor locally who can help me deal with this.

katz22

I don't exclude any foods (whenever I have done that, I just end up thinking about them more)
Some foods I will eat the whole packet of ( like any kinds of biscuits and cakes) so if I want something like that I just buy a single one.
I make sure I don't go shopping when hungry, otherwise I make bad food choices.
I don't do really low calorie diets.
I found that including more protein on my lunch made me less hungry for things out of the office snack machine.

TinGirl314

I've been a binge eater all my life, and when I decided to tackle it those first three to four weeks really sucked. I found though that going through that month of wanting things I know are bad for my health...well the cravings lessened. I actually can eat an apple and peanut butter for just lunch. And be good till dinner. I don't know how else to explain it, but it gets so much easier the more passionate you become about it

I also have to severely limit white breads and pasta...because my brain doesn't buy that fistful for a pasta serving. It wants a whole plate...Then the bread looks really good, and before I know it my blood sugar is way up. o.x So find what foods trigger you and slowly start eliminating them. I also majorly focused on the amount of money I was spending on food. Way too much, because I had a set mind frame of what a meal was supposed to be.

Also if I want to binge I make myself go look in the mirror...since I've made some progress. I don't want to go back to where I was. Besides...binging doesn't solve anything.

I know easier said than done, I don't mean to trivialize it. It's not impossible to stop though.

michelledennis

Hi, Breathing. Welcome to myfitnesspal. In the past I had a similar problem. I would not eat much during the day then as soon as I got home from work I would stuff my face until I went to bed! If I tried to be 'good' during the day and have a small breakfast, snack, etc, I found that I was starving for food all day and I would have huge cravings all day long because my metabolism had been woken up from sleep. I have been on PGX for about 6 months and I take it faithfully. If you have not heard of it, basically it is a fiber supplement that causes you to feel full and causes your body to absorb surgars more slowly.It took a bit to get used to, but I slowly built up to 3 caps before breakfast, 3 caps before lunch, 3 caps before dinner and 3 caps in the evening (I found I needed the extra dose in the evening 'cause that is my hardest time). The benefits that have come have been more than I expected. I don't have the sugar highs and lows, I don't have huge cravings, I can eat normal, regular small portions from morning until night like a normal human being! I don't ever feel starving or bloated or stuffed. And this might be too much information, but I used to go from constipation to diarrhea and now I just have healthy, regular bm's. PGX does cost quite a bit, but for me it is worth it because type II diabetes runs in my family and with my habits, I would have been headed there for sure. So it is a bit of a commitment and I know it is probably not for everyone. Not sure if this helps but it sure helped me.