feeling down and binge eating

LizM001

When I'm feeling depressed (it happens for a day or so every few weeks, and sometimes I don't even know why I feel down- I just do) I tend to binge eat and then feel guilty after I do it so I do it more. How have other people dealt with this?

Mexicanbigfoot

I used to do this alot. I still struggle with this, but it's getting better. when I feel down, I take a step back, take a deep breath and try to process my feelings about what the situation is and realize that eating will not solve the problem, it only makes my problem worse. I will also try to do something to distract myself, drink a glass of water, squeeze a piece of ice, take a walk or just yell if I'm alone in the house or car. Good luck, if you need extra motivation please add me and good luck with your journey!

sassy_sparkles

I struggle here too! I'm an emotional eater. For years if I felt bad about life I would bust out some cookies or comfort food. Not a healthy habit and a hard one to break.

I just made myself a motivation poster for my kitchen. I can't open my fridge or cupboards without seeing it. It has words and pictures to remind me of what is more important, eating food now or feeling better later.

I'm gonna add you ladies as friends so we can keep each other on track.

If you find yourself feeling down a lot or start to notice a cycle, talk about it with your doctor. It could be a medical condition like depression, hormone imbalances, thyroid issues, or other things. My binges are definitely connected to some of my health issues.

emjane14

I so have been struggling for 10+ years with binge eating. I can be good all day and then binge at night. When I am work throughout the day though I also binge when there is staff junk food left everywhere and I hide it and take it in a room whre nobody can see me. Its on and off depending if Im bored with life, how much I am working and how the weather is. I also have motivational quotes everywhre. My binge eating is due to my many food intolerances and IBS. I have to be so restricted with my diet that I get frustrated and feel like I can't eat anything or go anywhere then I get upset and say screw it and binge on food Im not supposed to eat. Is it ok if I add you guys too.

MaraDiaz

I feel down I go work out now. If I can't work out (I tend to be sick much of the year with asthma/allergies so that does happen) I get pissed off instead and focus hard on my calorie intake and scream at myself really loud that I will NOT be undoing all my hard work by comfort eating.

kshoemaker1

Increase your lean protein intake- Protein Shake- like Myoplex or Herbalife protein beverage mix, or protein pancakes. Increase protein and you will level out your blood sugar- less binges, less cravings. Hope this helps.

curvynblonde

Every so often I will completely binge, where I eat and eat and eat and no matter what, I can't get full. I think it's that "full" feeling that I'm after. Not sure though. I have huge bingeing problems and I'm glad I'm not the only one!
I tell myself that it won't happen again but it's almost like I don't have time to talk myself out of it. Before I know it, my mouth is full and my mind is shut down.

losingweightfindingme

I used to be both a stress eater and a binge eater. I finally got over it by changing my outlook on food. Food is (and is only meant to be) fuel for our bodies. Good fuel runs our bodies better. Why on earth would we give food any emotional pull? Why would we use a body fuel as a way through an emotional time? Food is only fuel. Food won't make you feel better (has anyone ever actually felt better after bingeing?). Food is only meant to fuel your body. Emotional problems need to be handled through an emotional outlet (counseling, talking to friends, writing your issues down in a blog or a journal, working out,etc.). Working out is a fantastic way to work out emotional issues because it naturally raises the level of endorphins in the system and endorphins make people feel better...like natural stress relievers and antidepressants in one).

To get over my binge eating I used to ask myself 2 things. 1 - does my body need fuel right now? (if no, don't eat. if yes, make a healthy meal). 2 - will eating this (popcorn, chips, chocolate, cake, ice cream, etc) actually make me feel better? If you can think about your emotional issues and honestly say that food will make you feel better, then by all means, go ahead and binge away but after adopting this method of thinking for about a week or so I found myself re-thinking my "need" to emotionally eat. I actually wrote these 2 questions down on a piece of paper and taped it to both my fridge and my pantry doors.

Another way to deal with binge eating...just don't keep excess food in the house. I cut the junk in my house and that meant not buying my old "go-to" binge foods. I save so much money (and temptation) by not buying chocolate, ice cream, cookies, chips, and other unhealthy foods. Out of sight out of mind, and out of house out of mouth.

eileenchristine

I pig out on grapefruit! Cut up 2 of em and slowly eat them. I dunno why but for some reason it cures my cravings for huge bowls of pasta or 6 slices of yummy bread with butter. Sweets are not that big a temptation for me but those processed carbs?

I am going to stick with my grapefruit for now.

stpetegirl

It's a daily struggle for me. I will do great for a few months and not binge and lose some weight, then something happens and I start binge eating again. I know that I'm like a drug addict, and as soon as I start, I can't stop so I just have to stay away from the things that trigger a binge. One day at a time is all I can say, there is no easy answer. Just be honest with yourself because the only person we are hurting is ourselves. If you eat a box of donuts, own up to it and count the calories! Sometimes it helps me if I see just how far over I went for the day by stress eating or binge eating!!

dangerousdumpling

It's a struggle for me, too. And it has been for a long time. I recognize that I turn to food when I'm stressed or sad but the hard part is dealing with it in the moment. It's hard to tell myself that turning to food is not the answer and to find some other outlet for what I'm feeling. As another poster mentioned, it is like a drug. Without using food as a drug we are forced to deal with the emotions. Sometimes I have to tell myself that it's ok to feel sad. It's ok to just feel it and know that it will pass. Really what it boils down to is do we have control of our thinking because thoughts come before the feelings.

breeshabebe

This past weekend a friend of mine called me a typical stereotype emotional woman! This weekend, I was feeling a little blue... So Saturday, I ate a WHOLE pint of icecream while watching Heros reruns and crying like a baby. What's crazy is that I still woke up the next morning and had lost weight. I'm learning to redirect those emotions into excercise and cooking healthy meals so that when I do have a REALLLLLY bad day.. it's not all that bad. I don't regret that icecream.. not one bit, but after that, I threw myself into meal planning and gym schedualing.

JessieNeutronGirlGenius

I do that more often than not but I've taken steps such as drinking a glass of water, getting up and walking around, and waiting fifteen minutes and just meditate. If all else fails I will seriously call my mother and she talks me off the ledge. It's important to have support when it comes to binge eating.

abbyrae1

many people use food as a coping mechanism, if you have done it historically, it makes it easy to use that as your "fix" when you are having a rough time.

when you feel yourself getting bummed out, try to do something healthier, call up a friend, grab some coffee, go to the gym, do anything besides sit by yourself and mindlessly snacking. Sometimes just having a quick conversation with a friend or someone you are close to can snap you outta that funk and keep you focused on your goals.

cebreisch

I'm so an emotional eater - and sometimes it does help to just give in to impulse, but to try to control the damage as much as possible.

Try to drink lots of water. Try to have more healthy proteins in the process and before the indulgance. The protein can help you not eat as much or get fuller faster on something healthy.

Sometimes you have to indulge to avoid a huge crash and burn. Sometimes just say, "Okay - I'm going to have this; I'm not going to feel guilty about it. I will track it, and in the morning, I'm totally back on track.

I remember my husband when he finished doing Insanity workouts - he took a "week off" and every day at lunch he had an indulgance. He counted it, but he had deprived himself of certain things for the 90 days and wanted to indulge some. One day he had a mcdonald's cheeseburger, another day he had a personal pizza from Noble Roman's, another day he had a can of regular coke. Then when the Sunday/Monday came back around, he was back to doing P90X.

This is one of those "realize you're human" things. We can't all be perfect 100% of the time all the time.

Summer_Lunatic

I used to binge a lot when I was eating less. I could go a week or two eating 1400 cals but with the workouts it was never enough food. My body adjusted to the intake so I wasn't hungry but I rarely ever lost weight but the minute I endulged I gained.

In my case, binge eating was fixed by eating enough healthy foods. This site doesn't have all the answers and everyone's body, life, situation and goals are different. All you can do is try some things people suggest worked for them and see what works for you.

Good luck.

hendinerik

I get this from time to time too and I hear ya!
I just try to get back on track the next day, and then sometimes I up my cardio on that next day if possible.

Sometimes I try to get involved in things I like other than food.

Or I brush my teeth. Have something sweet with fiber (that usually fills me up more).

If something is bothering me, I try to find some outlet to vent other than food - talk to a friend, play some guitar, write it out.

Taking a walk getting some air to clear your head. Getting rid of the junk food in the house (by throwing it out or giving it away)

It really varies depending on how bad the binge is...

mollyad

I have always struggled with emotional and binge eating, and I still continue to do so. I work at it every day, and I find that if I fill up a few waterbottles and just go for a drive, it really helps. I bring some blueberries or some other fruit in a small container to munch on with drinking all the water. I bring a magazine or 2, grab my waterbottles and snack, and go somewhere peaceful where I can take some time to breathe.

Ed98043

I know this seems obvious, but could it be PMS? I always get gloomy and hungry for a couple of days beforehand.

Trav2013

I just did this yesterday =( I was doing well all day and binged on Papa John's pepperoni pizza.

erickita89

i now binge on fruit lol

appelsiinipuu

I think that emotional eating is definitely what got me this big. *sigh* When I started counting calories, I cut out chocolate altogether (my biggest weakness!) and of course, haven't had chips etc. It was VERY hard. The hard thing was to really have to feel all my feelings, instead of numbing them down with food. Twice I have gone to the supermarket on a mission to buy a lot of junk food, but I force myself to look at the calories on EVERYTHING and as I really don't want to go over too much, I have ended up coming home with a reasonably healthy choice (for example, I start looking at calories on all the lovely ice cream I want to have, but end up buying small tubs of weight watchers ice cream as I can easily fit those into my daily calorie allowance). I also always keep some Pepsi Max in the fridge. When I really feel the need for a treat, I have a glass/can of that... a treat for 1 calorie.

MrsPong

Take a step back before you eat. I've learned to put it in my log BEFORE I eat it to see how bad it will damage me. Sometimes it stops me, other times not so much.

If you can stop yourself a few times it will become habit...and it will get easier. Yet sometimes you cant help it, then I say....Log it, EVERY single bit and move on. If you see how bad that day was, or how much you would GAIN if you kept eating like that it might slow you a bit nxt time.

m76b

just up your head and start over the next day... thats what i do! You can do that!

fightininggirl

I have a bing eating group called step away from that binge eating here on mfp you are welcome to join. I made it private for everyone.

Dulian25

You are SO not alone; I've been struggling with binge eating my entire life. The key is to DO SOMETHING ELSE. What are you interested in? When I want comfort food, I write about it in my journal, take pictures, do schoolwork, watch a movie, take a walk, grab a giant bowl of blueberries, something to keep my head out of greasy and unhealthy foods.

Just keep in mind that you are not alone and, another great tactic, is to talk to yourself. Imagine being friends with someone who is confiding in you about their binge eating. What would you tell them? How would you suggest they improve? Every time you get an emotional craving, stop, and be your own friend : ).

ruckerbenton

If there was a perfect solution for this problem there would be no fat people! I struggle with boredom eating as well as "one is just not enough." I realize that weight loss is a process that will take time and that we need to create new coping strategies. My problem is that I know in my heart and head exactly what needs to happen for my journey to be successful but that knowledge does not always translate to the right behaviors. I think activity is the best advise as well as reaching out to others which I am not very good at. Try to come up with ways to make yourself more accountable. Join a challenge. I belong to a TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly) group. We meet weekly and have prizes for the person with the most lost each week. We also do a roll call where you state how you did each week. Club contests also help to keep me working toward my goal. I always hate to let my other team members down. Sometimes though the blues just happen and I think you just have to go with the flow. Best wishes!

JonesJM8

Thanks for being confident enough to share this. I am an emotional eater and a binge eater. If I am alone, bored, stressed, I have the tendency to make several trips to the kitchen in search of something to eat. I have instituted rules like not buying the junk food for the house and I know that is a good step but I just want to not want to do it period. UGH! I so sympathize with your plight.

IzzyBooNZ1

I hear you. I get days like that as well. I could just feel really down, or feel so overwhelmed, or something goes wrong and it really gets to me and I eat bad food. ugh.

KenosFeoh

Me too! I've been working on this for 4 years but especially since Sept 2012 when I realized exactly what I was doing to myself and why. Now I can't go that mindless anymore. I don't find myself standing in the kitchen, elbow deep in a chip bag anymore; I catch myself opening the cupboard and redirect myself then and there. Sometimes I have to leave the house to keep myself out of there.

At times, I almost wish I could go into automatic pilot eating again because it's so much harder to admit why I'm bothered and how powerless I am to change it. (it has to do with a family member's drug addiction; I really am powerless to change it) Sigh ...........