Binge eating!

fbu88

When I was younger I had issues with binge eating and then to make up for this I would not eat a substantial amount of food for a few days. I would then return to a somewhat normal diet before binge eating again. Also I would not eat when I was severely depressed and overeat when I was only mildly depressed. This pattern, however, never affected my weight. My perception was where the problem laid.

Now when I binge eat, I have this uncontrollable urge to eat even when I am not hungry. My situation is different now then it was when I was younger. Now I have a chronic illness called Crohn's disease. For a long time I was on a very restrictive diet and eating made me feel sick. I would never consume enough to nourouish my body b/c I either felt too sick, was in too much pain, or what I consumed did not have time to absorb before it was rushed out of my body. I was put on a high dose of prednisone and a host of other medications to try to control my symptoms. Eventually this worked, but one of the side effects of prednisone is weight gain from retaining water and overeating. It became so difficult to stop eating b/c it was the first time I had enjoyed food in so long b/c it passing through my system was not an ordeal. I have gained significant weight from this binge eating and because I have never had a weight problem, I am finding it difficult to cope with and find myself eating more to cope with the feelings. Part of me struggles with the urge to cease food consumption to see if that will cause the weight to drop off. Another part of me fights this urge fervently b/c my health is so delicate and I am prone to malnutrition. This is a subject I do not always openly discuss w/ my therapist, although I have mentioned it. I find leaning on my support network also helps with managing my emotions and eating.

I feel in both situations there is a problem and I feel for everyone who goes through this. It is hard for others to understand. If you have not already, seek some sort of counselling. Counseling may help in controlling your eating. I wish you the best of luck and hope that you can find a solution to aid in fighting this pervasive tendency.

fihealth

I posted this before, and has strategies for when you want to binge:

What to do when you have the urge to eat:

1. Ask first, am I really hungry or having cravings for things because of other needs (lonely, bored, feeling too deprived, want to celebrate, want to procrastinate other things...)? If really hungry, go to #2, if other needs, go to #3

2. When I'm really hungry, bulky lower cal foods will fill me up (if I turn my nose up at these foods, it means I'm not really THAT hungry, so go to #3). Veg and some lean protein (e.g. beans) are great. Can use low cal yoghurt dip, curry sauce, lots of spices for flavouring. Eat SLOWLY to allow your body to recognize when it reaches fullness point. (Check out "happy fork" product that vibrates if you're eating too fast! Hilarious but could be helpful.) And drink LOTS of water and herbal tea. Warm tea has a soothing quality. And better to eat another few hundred cals of healthy food, than to risk a binge. Just make sure to compensate by exercising some more to make the daily cal count, or compensate rest of the week to ensure a deficit.

3. Craving food but not really hungry? There's a good reason and you need to address it. I use a list of things to do related to the real underlying cause -- you can make one too!

For example:

Feeling lonely? Call or write a friend, facebook...

Feeling bored? Go to a movie, coffee shop, buy new music, go out somewhere interesting, play games, learn something new, write a blog post, watch a show, make plans for trips/adventures...

Feeling low self esteemy? Do something to pamper self and feel better -- facial, manicure/pedicure, get a haircut, try new make-up, read inspiring stories

Feeling anxious? Meditate, yoga, shower or bath, write down what I'm anxious about and deal with it or a set a time when I'll deal with it...

Another thing that helps is to do some volunteer or charity work -- helping others is a wonderful thing to do and also helps to put our immediate urges and challenges into better perspective. If you're stuck at work, something like this might work:

http://freerice.com/#/english-vocabulary/1515

tam8374

I have this issue all the time and I am looking for tips and support on how not to do this. Feel free to add me if you are looking for someone in a similar situation.

I'm trying a new trick for me, since I have tried many others and failed.

I just upped my calorie intake from 1200 (losing 2lbs a week) to 1645 (losing 1lb a week). I did that because when I looked at 1200, I freaked out and ate because I was so overwhelmed thinking I couldn't stay in that 1200 window. So I just upped mine, and so far so good. I'm doing better with making better choices and don't feel so overwhelmed. I guess I just need to trick my brain and hope for the best.

Good Luck!

Hopeful_

I do this too and it makes me despise myself for not being able to eat "normally", like all my other friends, and family. For example today I had a healthy, filling breakfast, but then when it came to lunch/mid afternoon it's like all my resolve and will power just leaves me; I had 500 calories, and then followed it with another 500 calories of snacking, and I feel disgusted, and I'm still not full! This means I'm already over my 1200 limit and I havent even had dinner yet! Also binges make me feel sluggish so then I have no motivation to exercise and this can happen for a whole week. I've binged everyday for a week and I don't know what's wrong with me! I'm not sure if, because of eating so much, it's like my appetite's just getting bigger, so I never feel satisfied. I know they can be brought on by stress or boredom etc, and I'm studying for exams, but I don't feel consciously stressed out about them, so I'm not sure if binges occur because of emotions we haven't fully realised or tackled yet? If I have a bad diet day, at night I'll plan my meals and exercise for the next day, and I feel determined in the morning, but by afternoon I'm right back to feeling awful about myself and my choices again. Since Christmas I've put on at least 5lbs and the guilt and disappointment just depletes all my self esteem and motivation, I'm really struggling! I'm happy to support anyone who has the same issues though. But let's keep strong, and just keep pushing through and everyday make ourselves better! You're not alone, we can beat this!

fanarad

Anyone else with this problem????? I tend to do it all the time and cannot stop! Why??? With chocolate... Muffins.... Even with healthy foods. What is my problem. It's constantly bringing me down

That's my downfall - and ya even with healthy foods. I find that even still if I feel like eating I do (even though my choices are healthier now). I find that I eat less on days when I'm incredibly busy as opposed to lounging around the house doing assignments

Quaters

Yes me to. especially after i have done a good walk, i need to get rid of all the bad stuff out of the house. my husband buys it for himself but i have not got the will power to leave the snacks ect.

Bibianna2012

This is me too.. I can eat 8 bowls of cereal in a row. 5 pb and J sandwiches, a dozen bagles in a day. Carbs are mostly my downfall. I know that boredom and stress trigger it for me. Its better for me not to "go there" with food that I have a tendency to binge on.. but of course the ones I binge on are the ones i love... I have my husband hide certain foods that i binge on.

bestbassist

I definitely have this problem. I think in my case I'll binge out of sheer boredom. My job is completely boring and offers no mental or physical stimulation. When I'm not working - like on the weekends when I actually have a life, I'm fine as long as I eat a decent, healthy meal earlier in the day. Binge eating is mostly psychological, unless you starve yourself until you just can't take it any longer - and that doesn't sound to be what you are doing, which is good.

What do you do for work? Do you typically binge eat when you are bored, or late at night when you may be winding down from the day? It's a struggle, but there are mental tricks you can play on yourself to stop some of the binges. It just depends on the underlying factors as to why you are binging. I know hunger is the main reason, but hunger isn't always physical.

bestbassist

I just upped my calorie intake from 1200 (losing 2lbs a week) to 1645 (losing 1lb a week). I did that because when I looked at 1200, I freaked out and ate because I was so overwhelmed thinking I couldn't stay in that 1200 window. So I just upped mine, and so far so good. I'm doing better with making better choices and don't feel so overwhelmed. I guess I just need to trick my brain and hope for the best.

Good Luck!

This is very good advice. I did the same recently - I upped my calories by 200 and as a result I don't feel like I am constantly failing myself. Strangely, since I upped my calories I now take in a few hundred calories LESS per day. Purely psychological in my case.

misskriistina

I definitely have this problem. I think in my case I'll binge out of sheer boredom. My job is completely boring and offers no mental or physical stimulation. When I'm not working - like on the weekends when I actually have a life, I'm fine as long as I eat a decent, healthy meal earlier in the day. Binge eating is mostly psychological, unless you starve yourself until you just can't take it any longer - and that doesn't sound to be what you are doing, which is good.

What do you do for work? Do you typically binge eat when you are bored, or late at night when you may be winding down from the day? It's a struggle, but there are mental tricks you can play on yourself to stop some of the binges. It just depends on the underlying factors as to why you are binging. I know hunger is the main reason, but hunger isn't always physical.

Thank you! I do binge when I'm bored and when something taste amazing of course I want another even when I'm full!! I'm a home care nurse so I do binge out of boredom. Right now I'm at a garage bake sale.... So tempting. Thank you guys I read all of your posts!!!!