Binge Eating... Do you Own up?
rougecrayon
Posts: 100
I was just talking to my mom (who's weight and emotional problems are very like my own) and I said how my bingeing gets worse when I am on PMS (now) and she was shocked I said the word out loud. She knows I do it, and I learned it from her, but we've never talked about it, and we pretend it doesn't exist when talking about our "healthy" diets.
She said she does it alone, and she would never talk about it. I will only do it alone too, but I feel like talking about it is the first step to stopping the behaviour. What about you?
If your spouse is around, will you not binge?
Do you hide your food packaging?
Does your spouse know about it?
Do you talk about it? To who? Therapist?
Just Curious
She said she does it alone, and she would never talk about it. I will only do it alone too, but I feel like talking about it is the first step to stopping the behaviour. What about you?
If your spouse is around, will you not binge?
Do you hide your food packaging?
Does your spouse know about it?
Do you talk about it? To who? Therapist?
Just Curious
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Replies
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I absolutely do it in secret. I do it alone when I am stressed. If someone else is there, it keeps me from doing it out of sheer embarrassment. I guess I never realized that before though...0
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I don't think there's anything wrong with binging itself. The stigma that comes with binging has more to do with the aftereffects and the potential cases of those various binge eating disorders. Even so, it's not anything to be ashamed about!
You and your mom can help each other. If you talk to her and get her to understand why you want her to be more open about this, you both can help each other when you feel the urge to binge.
As supportive as your MPR family may be, it's good to have someone physically there to help you resist the cravings and temptations. I know that when I binge, it's a crazy guilty feeling afterwards.
I have a little countdown app on my phone that helps me stay motivated to not binge again, even with the onslaught of PMS syndromes. It's the little things that help.
And you can talk about it to anyone - a friend, someone that wants to listen, that cares. You don't have to be super secretive, because everybody - trust me on this - has those urges. Don't let your self-imposed thoughts on binging lead you to think that you're all alone in this. You aren't!0 -
If your spouse is around, will you not binge? When I was married, no I tried to not binge around him. Overeat yes but binge no.
Do you hide your food packaging? I'd eat multiple candy bars and throw away the wrappers so no one saw. I'd eat 2 sandwiches from McDs on the way to work cuz I was alone.
Does your spouse know about it? My fiancee knows I used to have a problem and I can still slip (hubby and I divorced) and since my lifestyle change I'm really open about the fact that I am/have been a binge eater. Talking about it helps me stop the cycle and I hope it helps others too.
Do you talk about it? To who? Therapist? No therapist, but before i got on here and started changing, I did consider overeaters anonomous. Now I talk to friends that are on this journey with me.0 -
Usually when I binge, I'm alone. A lot of the time it's when I'm mad at myself, upset about something, sad and feeling sorry for myself or it's because I want something and don't know for sure what it is..... but its not what I put in my mouth a minute ago.
I binge when I'm bored. In fact, I would binge right now but I'm done eating for the day and already logged my food. It doesn't take much to give yourself an excuse to binge. I ought to know. A year ago I was 300 lbs and I'm only 5 feet tall... on tiptoe. I've still got a long way to go but 230 lbs is easier on the knees, ankles, heart and lungs.
Yes, I log it when I binge. I believe in accountability. Then I start fresh and log it all good or bad.0 -
I live alone so my binges are usually alone though if there's a party, it's easy to do it then as well. But I won't record it all on MFP. As soon as I go over my limit, I stop tracking, but I know it's a lot. I usually try to make up for it the next day by working out extra hard.0
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I'm curious as to what people consider to be binge eating. How many calories in a day, for instance? I've always thought of binge eating as stuffing down five or ten thousand calories at a sitting (not a secret trip to McDonald's for the #8 and a milkshake) but I'd like to know what it means on MFP. Thanks!0
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When I binge I eat a normal amount of food, then a normal amount of another food, then another food. For example, I might have a bowl of salad, then 2 cookies, then a bowl of soup, then carrot sticks, then a zuchinni, maybe a bowl of chips. Just keep going back for more.0
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I'm curious as to what people consider to be binge eating. How many calories in a day, for instance? I've always thought of binge eating as stuffing down five or ten thousand calories at a sitting (not a secret trip to McDonald's for the #8 and a milkshake) but I'd like to know what it means on MFP. Thanks!
For me it's any time when I go waaaaaay over my calorie limit because im feeling so hungry or when i an impulsive fast food run as an emotional response to something and then try to shove it all in my face even after I start feeling full. The later has not happened in a while thankfully.0 -
For me it means eating until I'm so full I feel sick then a few hours later doing it again. I definately have done it alone.0
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I'm curious as to what people consider to be binge eating. How many calories in a day, for instance? I've always thought of binge eating as stuffing down five or ten thousand calories at a sitting (not a secret trip to McDonald's for the #8 and a milkshake) but I'd like to know what it means on MFP. Thanks!
I don't think there is a specific calorie definition to a binge, but what defines it is a feeling of lack of control. When you start and can't stop.0 -
When I binge I eat a normal amount of food, then a normal amount of another food, then another food. For example, I might have a bowl of salad, then 2 cookies, then a bowl of soup, then carrot sticks, then a zuchinni, maybe a bowl of chips. Just keep going back for more.
To me, this doesn't REALLY seem like a true binge. None of the foods you listed are complete meals on their own (unless it's a hearty soup/salad) so maybe you could try eating fewer and bigger meals throughout the day? I find that I don't eat like that if I have decent sized meals with an adequate amount of fat. Dietary fat is like my anti-binge, anti-snack secret weapon.
Still, if you are hiding food wrappers and keeping it a secret and just feel out of control and reckless when you eat, you definitely need to face that you have disordered eating habits and seek help for it.0 -
I don't think I've ever binged. Unless eating candy on Halloween counts, and in that case my husband sees me. One time when I was 16 I weighed 88 pounds, so I started eating lots of brownies and pie, so I could get back to 98 pounds and be healthy. My mother was worried that I was binging, but I wasn't. I just needed to gain weight and I did and then I ate in normal portions again. I'm glad I trusted myself and ate the brownies and pie.0
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I'm keeping myself accountable and logging all of my food when I do binge. I've just moved to a new place where the pantry is in the lounge (where my housemates hang out) which makes things easier as I wouldn't want them to see me overreat. I try to keep only fruit and almonds in my bedroom (which I've never binged on).
As someone else said - eating dietary fat certainly lessens the urge to snack/overeat/binge.0 -
i do binge and hey i get it twice a month tom and ovulation!!! joy! :sad:
but it normally lasts anout 2 days each time!
i DO confess everything in my food diary and always tell hubby ect i do not hide the wrappers.The way i see it if you just cant be honest why bother doing a food diary?:blushing:
THERE CONFESSIONS OF A FATCHICK DONE !
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Funny you should ask this tonight...
- I binged tonight.
- I used to binge upwards of 2K or more, mostly junk food
- today my binges are around 500, usually healthy-type food and happen once a month to once a week
- I usually log them, but I didnt tonight... I have a special section in my diary for these occurrences and only a few of my friends on here know exactly why this section exists, besides the funny title.
-I struggle with the thought of purging, and I resist it 99% of the time.
there, ugh... confession made. :ohwell:0 -
i do binge and hey i get it twice a month tom and ovulation!!! joy! :sad:
but it normally lasts anout 2 days each time!
i DO confess everything in my food diary and always tell hubby ect i do not hide the wrappers.The way i see it if you just cant be honest why bother doing a food diary?:blushing:
THERE CONFESSIONS OF A FATCHICK DONE !
I guess I am in the minority here because I'm a bloke, but sometimes I do binge, and being honest with yourself I think is the key. Then you can work out why you are binging and deal with the cause, not the symptom. If being honest involves talking to someone who will listen, then that helps me too. I worked out that my trigger was boredom when my wife went out, so now I keep myself busy and don't binge.0 -
I'm curious as to what people consider to be binge eating. How many calories in a day, for instance? I've always thought of binge eating as stuffing down five or ten thousand calories at a sitting (not a secret trip to McDonald's for the #8 and a milkshake) but I'd like to know what it means on MFP. Thanks!
IMO, it is anything above my normal intake, usually when I am not truly hungry... but the biggest factor is that when i binge, I just start shoveling food in, with total reckless abandonment. I typically count every bite I take, and calculate precisely... when I binge, I DO NOT care... until I am done.
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That is exactly what I do when I binge; I don't have the excuse of PMS as I am postmenopausal. I think for me it is a habit when I am bored, lonely or upset and there is no one at home to stop me. And yes I used to hide what I ate from others frequently..When I binge I eat a normal amount of food, then a normal amount of another food, then another food. For example, I might have a bowl of salad, then 2 cookies, then a bowl of soup, then carrot sticks, then a zuchinni, maybe a bowl of chips. Just keep going back for more.0 -
There seems to be a strong component here related to guilty eating.
How many of you feel guilty about eating food you shouldn't even when you are either within your calories or just slightly above.
I'm not trying to be reductive, but am trying to understand the thinking that goes on during a binge.0 -
every once in a while i do binge but i dont hide it. i dont always log it but i do keep a record of how many calories i ate and more often than not i tell my MFP friends. then i wail loudly about the inevitable weight gain from all the sodium, calories and processed fatty rubbish i ate and spend the next week trying to undo the damage :laugh: i do also add my weight gain to my diary so i can see the damage myself.0
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I coulda sworn you were talking about PMS in the first paragraph. I was wondering like.. wtf
But yeah. I actually had my first binge after a very long time yesterday. Like after 6 months or so. I logged it. My family knew about it. My sister in law is an amazing person and she knows (even though she never talks about it) that I try and control myself etc so yesterday when I told her "I have no idea why I am so hungry" she didn't said a word and anytime I'd ask for some grub, she's grab me something.
The rest of my family isn't very supportive but, since this isn't about them, I don't really care. I logged my food in the diary, it was close to 4,000 calories and I am sure I can get to that much today too. Its fine. I don't feel ashamed of my food. Log it, ask your supporters (mine would be my MFPers) and keep moving. Tomorrow is another days.
I have owned up to eating 6500 calories before joining MFP. I logged my 4500 calories binges. Nobody said anything but supportive. Own up to it. You will feel AMAZING! I promise.
Good luck
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There seems to be a strong component here related to guilty eating.
How many of you feel guilty about eating food you shouldn't even when you are either within your calories or just slightly above.
I'm not trying to be reductive, but am trying to understand the thinking that goes on during a binge.
There WERE times when I would be under the calories yet feel bad about eating foods. Thankfully MFP have taught me better.
Now the only time I feel guilty about food is when I eat something nasty and waste my calories on something that didn't tasted good. I sometimes feel bad about eating something that was a norm and later realizing that I coulda saved my calories for something yummier.0 -
Normally I do it in secret, but I can binge while standing right beside him and he'd wouldn't notice. I know, I have sat right beside him and eaten a whole large pizza and then icecream and more stuff. He doesn't say anything if he does notice. Normally it's in secret and I take a bag up to my room and throw all the trash in it and hide it till i can sneak it to the trashcan.
No we don't talk about it. I have a few people on here I talk to about it. No one I know in real life.0 -
I don't really talk about it but if it gets brought up I don't hide it... Well normally anyway. I guess depending on the severity. For example, I wouldn't want my mom to worry about me or something.
Someone asked what people consider a binge, like how many calories. I kinda laughed to myself: The last thing I'd be doing is counting calories.
Sometimes you eat, & eat, & then you start to get full, & eat more, & then make room, & then eat more... But that's kinda more of a severe form of binging.0 -
If your spouse is around, will you not binge?
No, when my partners are around, i tend to go the other way. They are convinced i 'eat like a bird'. but i make a conscious effort to eat what i consider 'normal'. But there have been times when i fantasise about what I'll binge in after they're gone or what I'll stop for when I'm driving home.
Do you hide your food packaging?
Yep, even though I live alone, so won't get 'caught', i still put the rubbish straight out in the outside bins, so i can't see it. I am very much a 'secret eater' though. I have anxieties about eating in front of people i don't know very well (like at work) so i'll just nibble, then stuff my face as soon as I get home.
Does your spouse know about it?
No, noone in my life knows except my MFPs and my personal trainer. I'm too ashamed to admit it to people who know me for real, I think it will change how they think about me. After all, how hard is it not to put food in your mouth?
Do you talk about it? To who? Therapist?
No, i don't talk about it. I'm on the waiting list for therapy, still got about 6 months to wait. My GP is not very understanding on this issue.
Since joining MFP I am more aware of my binge eating behaviour. I am an emotional eater, I eat when happy/sad/stressed/angry/tired. So now i try not to have junk food in the house so if i feel a binge coming on, the food is healthier. But there are occasions when they need for junk is so overwhelming that I have to go out to the shop and buy chocolate/ice cream/crisps whatever I'm craving.
For me, binging isn't so much about the food being eaten but the complete loss of control. Even though my brain is telling me I'm full and not hungry, i can't stop myself eating, just shovelling in, fast. I don't even taste it. Its just got to be in mouth as fast as possible.
I can't have a packet of biscuits in the house. If i eat one, i have to eat the whole packet. They call to me. My whole brain is focused on the packet in the cupboard. I can't concentrate on anything until they're gone. Sometimes i just take the packet to the outside bin. Sometimes, i eat them all. Its like an obsession
If I'm at work and I hear there's cake somewhere, my brain can;t think of anything else and it takes every ounce of willpower not to go get some. Sometimes i win, sometimes cake wins. 0 -
I am so sick of being a binge eater. I will control myself and be so good all day, I even manage to have a healthy dinner. As soon as 9pm hits I turn into some kind of insane binge eating monster and I will devour anything and everything in the house.
I can't keep bad food in the house or I will eat it all in one night. I will have a full meal after i've already had dinner and I'm not even hungry. I feel like I can't control myself no matter how hard I try. I feel unbelievably guilty and I hide all evidence of my binges.
My boyfriend works away during the week and when he came home for the weekend he saw that I had eaten almost all the mayonnaise (the really evil stuff) and asked me about it. Well I just lost it and ran away crying which left him standing there confused haha.
Anyway to answer your question I don't own up to it and log it. I figure it will just make me more depressed :S0 -
That is exactly what I do when I binge; I don't have the excuse of PMS as I am postmenopausal. I think for me it is a habit when I am bored, lonely or upset and there is no one at home to stop me. And yes I used to hide what I ate from others frequently..When I binge I eat a normal amount of food, then a normal amount of another food, then another food. For example, I might have a bowl of salad, then 2 cookies, then a bowl of soup, then carrot sticks, then a zuchinni, maybe a bowl of chips. Just keep going back for more.
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This is me!! I am post menepausal and binge when bored and lonely. My hubby travels and works a lot so... sometimes around 4:00 I am done with everything for the day, and it starts. I eat until I am sick - I know it is over 5000 calories!!! I get depressed and want to go to bed. I wish I did not do this as it takes 3 days to feel good again.0 -
YES! I usually binge in the afternoon. I have an in home daycare and will go to the kitchen and eat something, and just keep going back (cookies, candy, cake, ice cream, chips its always junk food) . Its crazy I am hiding it from toddlers! I think it might be stress related because it seems to be on crazy days, with extra kids or crying babies that I can't calm down.
Do I tell anyone? NO this actually the FIRST time I have admitted it.0 -
I used to be incredibly secretive about it, and still am sometimes. But now, I have a very supportive boyfriend who understands, but at the same time doesn’t baby me for it. Now, if I binge, I force myself to log it all on here, and I text him to tell him. He gives me back the perspective on the situation which helps in a huge way, as otherwise I tend to wallow in it and it turns into self pity. I’ve been having therapy for 12 months for another issue, but the binge eating has come up and I understand it a lot more now.0
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It took me a long time to realise I am a binge eater. I haven't spoken to anyone about it but I've replied to a few posts on the subject.
I can't find a pattern to my binges and I'm just as likely to binge on a punnet of grapes as I am on crisps or sweets. I always do it alone, and it has a cycle, something sweet, something savoury, something sweet etc. I can hoover up a large packet of crisps in about 60 seconds and inhale a bar of chocolate before most people have got the wrapper off!
I try to log it, just to shock myself into how much I've eaten, and it has helped me manage it a bit better. I have fewer binges now.0
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