Binging / Binge Triggers

davidwgold

So I have a massive problem with binging, whenever I'm in the slightest bad mood I always tell myself to have a small treat, this is usually a small bag of sweets, the fun size portions you buy in big bags of chocolate. I always tell myself that I can have one or two pieces from the bag as a sort of pick me up for when I don't feel too great. The problem is it seems that no matter what I do and tell myself this acts as a trigger to me, once I've had what I've told myself I can have I tell myself that one more can't hurt, then another and another.

It doesn't stop there, it goes on and on until I have to shout at myself to stop, but my mind is still telling me to go for more and if for example I have been feasting away on chocolate I somehow tell myself that if I don't have chocolate it will be fine so I will go out my way to find sweets like skittles, haribo and similar sugar based foods. I'll also go crazy on foods like bread, pizza and all sorts! Pretty much anything that's bad and I can get my hands on and it's usually in my hands ready to be eaten.

My problem is that every time this happens my thoughts before are always along the lines of "oh, this time you'll just have the treat" but that's never the case and I literally cannot help myself and each time it happens once I get to the point of feeling sick or my stomach starts killing me I instantly regret it but it's too late at that point. The problem being while I'm eating I feel so good and my mood is raised so much, I know this is from the sugar and all but it doesn't stop me from feeling good.

I'd just like some advice or help on what to do, if you have the same problem what methods have you tried that have worked to stop yourself from binging or is anyone in a similar situation and not know what to do? It would be really good to hear from someone because this is a problem I deal with these binges on a semi regular basis and I just want them to stop, I want junk food to stop being such a trigger, or my wanting for them to suffice. Any help or advice would be much appreciated!

davidwgold

And just to add, it has gone to the point in especially bad binges that I have driven to the store and gone crazy in the chocolate aisles, buying anything and everything I can see, then I will sit in my car and eat and eat and eat. It's horrible and I do hate myself for it at times!

Pinkgurl13

There are people who say that certain foods trigger their binge eating. Maybe staying away from the chocolate all together until you can get your binging under control. It also sounds like a food addiction that you need to get help for. It is a real eating disorder. Good luck

hausisse

Having dealt with the *opposite* kind of eating disorder, I can honestly say that when it gets really bad it's very wise to talk to a nutritionist or a counselor. :x

fisherlassie

The only thing that calms that carb monster in me is to avoid it all together. It is painful at the beginning but after a few weeks the cravings are not as bad. Google Primal Blueprint. It isn't about low carb it is about getting your carbs from vegetables. Potatoes, grains, and sweet fruits do the same thing to me as sugar. When I eat them I want to eat everything in the world! When I avoid them I have more peace. Good luck.

lithezebra

Find something else to do when you're in a bad mood. I draw a picture, or shop for skimpy lingerie, which I'm obsessively nitpicky about, so it doesn't usually result in actual expenditure of money. But sometimes I find something perfect, and then I get rewarded for not eating.

wpgchickie

Hi David!
I too have binging issues. I am forcing myself to drink water when craving sweets or junk. I'm like you I can't stop at just one I eat it ALL. I bought fat free pudding and put it in the freezer. last night I ate it like it was an ice cream treat followed by 2 large glasses of water and I was ok. I felt satisfied after the water was in me.
Maybe try that and see if it helps.

For me binge eating is a luxury. As a kid we didn't have money for sweets or crap. The only crap we ever ate was 100% beef hot dogs. My parents never bought particle board or franken foods. We ate really clean. snacks for us were raisins & peanuts or an apple with peanut butter. That was our junk food. I was in my 20's the first time I tried bologna and pasta in a can. Once I moved out I ate clean for a long time then I started buying crap ... gawd I love crap! Chips and Chocolate are my biggest vices. I'm trying to stop binging but to be honest its a bit like weening yourself off a serious drug. Very hard.

Water Water and more water

luvmynook

For me, not keeping the trigger foods in the house has helped! Literally, I can't stop once I start eating it...........so I just avoid it all together?? I also quickly brush and floss my teeth so I can't eat...............then I find something else to occupy my mind (walk, book, television, phone call)

LoveAlwaysAlisa

Binge triggers for me are being up late and when I'm really happy about something! I don't have certain foods I don't think...it's more of how I'm feeling at the time. Late night my willpower and common sense thinking isn't the best so I distract myself with as much as possible ( a book, a game, a movie, beauty maintenance) until I get sleepy.
I have gone on some BAD BINGES before though....Usually i'll go to a fast food place like McDonalds or Taco Bell and order like 10 things off the value menu and eat it ALL. It still happens from time to time but it's getting less frequent. Usually if I binge it's on a bad of chips or box of cookies I already have at the house..

metacognition

Find a lower calorie alternative that doesn't trigger you as much. For instance, I have 120 calorie cereal with skim milk, for the chocolate I put on a couple table spoons of cocoa powder and some truvia to sweeten. Tastes like pure heaven, but doesn't trigger me or break the calorie bank.

mammakat0830

Hi,

My suggestion is to not allow the first treat to begin with. You have to remove the association of bad feelings being tied to food, otherwise the justification to eat will be there whenever you feel poorly. It is very hard to manage sometimes, I know. It is important you replace the bad behavior with a good one. For example, I used to tell my clients, instead if rewarding the bad feelings, drink water, walk, read, find another distraction or coping method, maybe journaling.

The binging increases becasue we sabotage ourselves once we start and excuse the continued sabotage mentally. Knowing the best way to manage these feelings doesnt always make it easy to do the right thing. Hope it gets better. It seems that you have been doing well based on your weight loss ticker- dont lose motivation, great job!!

volleygirl1980

I realized that I binged when I was either hungry or thirsty...I haven't binged since December 31st, and I think it's because I'm drinking a lot more water and eating filling meals. If I do want a treat, I make sure to assess first whether a glass of water or healthy food will curb the craving..

fatgirljessica

Don't buy food you'll binge on! But you if LOVE chocolate, don't deprive yourself...

I love love love ice cream!!! So I buy myself a a box of skinny cow ice cream sandwiches. (Only 140 calories for the Snickerdoodle ones I bought last.) There is only 6 in a box so I know if I eat them all, I won't have anymore left during the week. I also eat it insanely slowly. Nibbling excess cookie, then licking ice cream, then back to nibbling cookie... It takes me like 30 minutes to eat it. I make sure I enjoy it!

If you like chocolate, I like Fiber One Oats and Chocolate bar. Great for a chocolate fix plus you get fiber. It's only 140 calories for one with 9 grams of fiber and 2 of protein. Buy only one regular size box with six in them. You'll know if you binge, you'll have none later in the week and be all sad.. lol.

Boxes of 100 calorie snacks work the same way.
Don't keep extras in the house over the amount you should eat in the week!

Good luck! Hope this helps.

lamlamsmakeover

I have issues with binging too, at times. There's a great binge-eating support group in the "group" section I think you will find helpful.

MollPatterson

Have you heard of overeaters anonymous? I first heard about it in a magazine and searched it online. Its useful, and it has steps to take to avoid the destructive behavour. It teaches you that bingeing wont bring happiness and it needs to be disssasociated from sad feelings etc

sprintto50

You have related your own solution. If you are in that mindset, just don't have the first treat. If you are honest with yourself, you know you are allowing a binge to be triggered. I cannot eat sweets when I need a pick me up. It's like playing Russian roulette. Instead of eating when you are down, go for a walk, run, bike ride, hot bath, anything that will divert. It will pass. And if you still can't get a handle on the binge eating, try counselling or O/A. Both are options that can work.

JoanB5

Perhaps learn to "treat" yourself to a walk, a juicy apple, a tray of expensive, fresh produce, things are are good for you.

"Treat" is something we've used to define something bad for us too often.

Sounds like a sugar addiction.

There is a diet called "The Sonoma Diet" that works well to eliminate all refined carbs and sweets the first few weeks, then ease them back in as they should be, in moderation. There is a great book out on it I have enjoyed. May be something you could look up.

sateliteofluv

I feel like most of the times that I have or have wanted to binge eat it was because of some emotional trigger -- sadness, happiness, anger, etc. The last few months I have started asking myself 1) why do I want to eat that? and 2) will it change the situation at all to eat it? Usually (read: always) the answer is "No" and I remind myself that overeating or binging only will make ME feel bad later.

likeschocolate

If it's in sight, i will eat it.

Had help in removing excess "goodies" from the home and work.

keem88

Having dealt with the *opposite* kind of eating disorder, I can honestly say that when it gets really bad it's very wise to talk to a nutritionist or a counselor. :x

same here. have you looked into over eaters annonymous? they have support groups in person, online chats and phone meetings. there is also eating disorders annonymous, which also has in person meetings, online meetings and phone meetings. i do the phone meetings once a week and they are helpful.
keep those trigger foods out of your house. stay away from the store and only allow yourself to buy what's on the grocery list. hold yourself accountable, every time you buy a trigger food put money in a jar or something, or have someone help you out to keep you accountable.
usually with binge eating, there is something else going on, like what you said. you need to be able to work on that problem in order to stop triggering the binge eating.
best of luck!

keem88

also, what helps keep me away from eating if i shouldn't to avoid a binge is cleaning my bathroom. between cleaning the toilet and the smell of the chemicals, it turns me off from any food for a while. then i will drink some tea or something which also helps, or flavored seltzer water

jenna25

I really used to struggle with binging/emotional eating. im not going to lie i tried and failed several several several times but finally i did break the habit and have overcome it..im not going to lie i do still have an off day here and there but NOTHING like it used to be. so i am going to tell you you can stop binging but do not give up on yourself! it is hard and and frustrating but you can do it. a binge went like this for me: usually when i would binge it would be because i would not eat every 2-3 hours like i know i should which would result in me STARVING when i got home from school or work... a binge would then start out with just a little something like a bowl of cereal which turned into two bowls of cereal then pretzels in peanut butter, peanut butter with ice cream and chocolate syrup, just chocolate syrup and peanut butter, and maybe some chips....my mind would be blank i wasnt thinking about wha ti was doing or cared all i wanted was to eat..(this sounds so awful and embarasssing now but i am sharing this with you so i can help you and see how bad i was and how far i have come and that it is possible!) i felt so sick after and would want to just lay in my bed and wait till i felt better... the worst was having to be social or go to work after a binge...anyways to finally stop binging i read some books that really helped a lot, and also just seeked support on here. and i finaly decided i couldnt keep hurting my body like i was, i lost and gained the same 5 pounds numerous times which is so unhealthy and just makes it harder to lose weight. my main advice is to: 1. identify your triggers and try and cut them out for a couple months and slowly add them back in when you become strong enough to have them in normal portion sizes... 2. track your binges and try and see how long you can go without one 3. find other ways to handle your emotions (for me this really helped, i found painting, running, hanging out with friends really distracted me from binging and a lot of times after i have a meal illl want more or a dessert the first thing i do so i dont do this is either go to the gym, get out of the kitchen or go hang out with friends) and 4. have patience with yourself i promise promise promise you you can overcome with this!!!!! and if you really do think you need therapy do not be afraid to see a counselor i wish i wouldve i think i would have overcome it a lot sooner! but anyways good luck! you can do this!

sarahanncarson

personally i find that staying away from the trigger foods doesn't work. i've battled with this since i was 12. i may have stumbled upon something that works for me. i have a tendency to binge on sweets. i found a great brand of sugar free cookies. i have been having a serving of them every single day. just one. its like 120-150 calories per serving. and some of them actually have fiber and protein. this has curbed my sweet bingeing over the last few weeks. don't make it so forbidden. its why i don't do radical diets. make things forbidden and you are bound to crave them.

tuxedord2

This is a real disorder. It's called Binge Eating Disorder and it is recognized in the world of psychology. So there are counselors and/or medications that could help. It's not unusual to hear of people who use food as an actual drug. It does the same thing as a drug-- in the brain by releasing those feel good neurotransmitters. Some of us (yes-- us!!) are certainly more prone to these addictive tendencies.

Yes, willpower is involved but don't beat yourself up. This is the same thing as an alcoholic giving up alcohol or a long term smoker giving up the cigs. For a real life food addict (not everyone who is overweight has this issue), you have to approach "quitting" the same way. Overeaters Anonymous is a 12 step program for this purpose. And as said, there are medications that can help ease the intense cravings.

I have yet to beat this monster. I have not done OA or worked the 12 steps. Am working hard to limit if not abandon triggers but it's very difficult and i feel like I am always on the verge of falling off the wagon again. I think this site is so wonderful as it will help keep you accountable. Also reading these success stories when I am in the mood for some treats, helps me! Occasionally I will buy 1 single snack size of something but that is all I buy and tell myself I can't go back to the store. I certainly can't keep larger quantities in the house-- or it would be gone.

candieprayz

I know this feeling all too well! But the good news is that it is possible to over come it! I am a sucker for Mexican food and candy! I have a huge sugar addiction! I have found a solution and so far so good! Ever since I got serious about my weight loss and getting healthy for me and no one else, many things have changed in my house. My husband is even doing this with me. I used to insist I have candy in my house at all times...if I could not have candy I would make sure there were fruit snacks or Kool Aid or real sugary cereals or some kind of pastry or cheesecake. But now things are different for me because I told myself if I really want to change my life around I have got to sacrifice some things and practice stern self discipline and learn to have control! So now we see it this way: If it is not in the house then we can not eat it. There is no longer a way to access it. We do not totally deprive ourselves though. We allow ourselves to just pick 1 small item when we go grocery shopping which is only once a month because we are on a fixed income in our house, but we pick something small that we can enjoy and when we eat it we make sure we allow ourselves only what ever the nutrition label says is equal to one serving and we put it away and we stay out of the kitchen after 8 pm. We try to stay out of the kitchen except when it is time to have breakfast lunch and dinner and when we need to refill our water bottle but even then sometimes we go into the bathroom to get the water so we don't get tempted. I used to binge on Taco Bell late at night once a month. I would order about 7 things or so and be able to smash them all! Then I would feel guilty afterwards and be like what the hell did I just do? But now we don't even eat fast food and we do not even go into the parking lots of a fast food place! We learned to eat at home and we use MFP to help us track everything we eat and we stay under our calorie allowance. We also make ourselves exercise harder the same day and the next day if we allow ourselves anything sweet or fattening. We do not drink Kool Aid anymore. We only drink water with crystal light drops to give flavor or the Disani brand. When it comes to candy, I buy sugar free candy now. We do not by snack cakes either or sugary cereal. We cut sugar every which way we can in our house. We do not eat mashed potatoes anymore or white potatoes and no white bread, no white flour, and no white rice or pasta. Everything is going good the way we are doing it and it seems to be working great! We both have lost a good amount of weight. We still have ways to go but we have made some good progress! I have lost 32 lbs since Thanksgiving and my husband has lost 26 lbs since January! If you really want to make a change try applying some of these tips people on here are giving you and really really fight it! Seek counseling and a nutritionist if need be and make sure you tell your family and friends you need their support in this battle as well! Add people on here as friends so you have a support system of some kind on here who can relate to what you are going through. Do not allow junk food to have power over your right to have a healthy life! You deserve to be happy, healthy and successful! You only have this one life to live! Make the most of it! :flowerforyou:

lambchoplewis

I have the same issue with binge eating! I have been maintaining for about 6 months and about once a month, I do a complete binge. I get triggered by depression, boredom or if I taste something and want all of it. I need to be able to go out, have a glass of wine, a small dinner and STOP!! I am getting better at this but it is a challenge. I had a success this weekend by going to a weekend wedding out of town, exercising, having a fun but NOT overeating and binging. I am sooooo proud.

bekeyers

What a great reply! I too struggle with this except mine is associated with my Pmdd, I don't do it any other time of the month. But I can't and wont let that be a reason or an excuse to keep doing it. I know how hard it is, you go into a zone and you don't come out until you are ready to explode cause you have eaten so much. And always followed by self loathing and embarrassment.

I love this site and I love you guys for posting and sharing because it can be the thing that helps you change.

Good luck mate, I'm with you!

I really used to struggle with binging/emotional eating. im not going to lie i tried and failed several several several times but finally i did break the habit and have overcome it..im not going to lie i do still have an off day here and there but NOTHING like it used to be. so i am going to tell you you can stop binging but do not give up on yourself! it is hard and and frustrating but you can do it. a binge went like this for me: usually when i would binge it would be because i would not eat every 2-3 hours like i know i should which would result in me STARVING when i got home from school or work... a binge would then start out with just a little something like a bowl of cereal which turned into two bowls of cereal then pretzels in peanut butter, peanut butter with ice cream and chocolate syrup, just chocolate syrup and peanut butter, and maybe some chips....my mind would be blank i wasnt thinking about wha ti was doing or cared all i wanted was to eat..(this sounds so awful and embarasssing now but i am sharing this with you so i can help you and see how bad i was and how far i have come and that it is possible!) i felt so sick after and would want to just lay in my bed and wait till i felt better... the worst was having to be social or go to work after a binge...anyways to finally stop binging i read some books that really helped a lot, and also just seeked support on here. and i finaly decided i couldnt keep hurting my body like i was, i lost and gained the same 5 pounds numerous times which is so unhealthy and just makes it harder to lose weight. my main advice is to: 1. identify your triggers and try and cut them out for a couple months and slowly add them back in when you become strong enough to have them in normal portion sizes... 2. track your binges and try and see how long you can go without one 3. find other ways to handle your emotions (for me this really helped, i found painting, running, hanging out with friends really distracted me from binging and a lot of times after i have a meal illl want more or a dessert the first thing i do so i dont do this is either go to the gym, get out of the kitchen or go hang out with friends) and 4. have patience with yourself i promise promise promise you you can overcome with this!!!!! and if you really do think you need therapy do not be afraid to see a counselor i wish i wouldve i think i would have overcome it a lot sooner! but anyways good luck! you can do this!

ocenteno

Hi. I understand what you are going throught. What worked for me is to understand that food that I eat without control is because my body is addicted to them. I stopped eating sugar, corn, peanuts,dairy, soy,gluten and eggs. First three days are horrible, then is just not feeling hungry and being in control. Is called the j j virgin diet. My daughter is doing it and lost many pounds. My best for you, Olga

davidwgold

Thanks for all the help everybody, I've read through all your replies are they've really been helpful to me!

I've slept and do feel bad for myself about this problem but I've also received a lot of messages that I cannot be more thankful for with all sorts of advice and tips to help myself.

I'm going to change the way I act starting from today, I realised that my diet has been pretty restrictive so I am going to alter the ways and also what I eat so I can hopefully overcome this problem. I know it's not going to be easy and will take time but as I've told yield already, if I've come this far with my weight loss I can also beat my binging if I give it my all!

From the advice given to me from many of you I've started with some simple basics, one of them being finding out when I have an urge or trigger and this is usually around 6:30/7pm so I've just set a simple reminder on my phone to tell me not to binge and instead read a book or go on a walk, I know it's not much but it's a start.
I've also placed all the foods I binge on in my cupboard on the top shelf where I have to stand on a chair to reach them, I hope this will help stop me as it is tricky for me to get to the foods so it should slow me down at least.
And finally I'm going to allow myself each few days to have something sweet or treat like but only something small, I think my main problem is that because I restrict the foods I eat when I have one thing I tell myself I shouldn't have I go crazy and have everything I want, I think if I slowly introduce them every 3 or 4 days in smaller portions into my diet it will become easier to cope in the long run.

I do however have my 21st birthday coming up this weekend so I know this is going to be a tough one, thankfully we will be having a giant cookie instead of a birthday cake and cookies are on what I call my 'safe list' as I can easily have one or two and not start binging, something about them just doesn't make me crave more and more. So as long as I'm not given lots of sweets and chocolate I should be fine especially since I've told friends and family that I only want money as I'm going travelling in May so I need all the money I can get so buying me food would be a bit of a waste in my opinion. So to be honest it should be an ok day, and since it will be happy my binging shouldn't happen as its when I'm upset I get triggered.

Sorry for the essay, but thanks again everybody, I really appreciate all the advice and help I've been given and am definitely going to start changing the ways I act towards these foods and my binges!

lambchoplewis

Some thoughts to get you back on track just in case you need them:

"An arrow can only be shot by pulling it backward. So when life is dragging you back with difficulties, it means it’s going to launch you into something great."

"Don't reward yourself with food, you're not a dog"


If you're heading somewhere in the car and wanted to get there by 5, but realized you were going to be a few minutes late, would you just give up and swerve into a bridge abutment?

candieprayz

Thanks for all the help everybody, I've read through all your replies are they've really been helpful to me!

I've slept and do feel bad for myself about this problem but I've also received a lot of messages that I cannot be more thankful for with all sorts of advice and tips to help myself.

I'm going to change the way I act starting from today, I realised that my diet has been pretty restrictive so I am going to alter the ways and also what I eat so I can hopefully overcome this problem. I know it's not going to be easy and will take time but as I've told yield already, if I've come this far with my weight loss I can also beat my binging if I give it my all!

From the advice given to me from many of you I've started with some simple basics, one of them being finding out when I have an urge or trigger and this is usually around 6:30/7pm so I've just set a simple reminder on my phone to tell me not to binge and instead read a book or go on a walk, I know it's not much but it's a start.
I've also placed all the foods I binge on in my cupboard on the top shelf where I have to stand on a chair to reach them, I hope this will help stop me as it is tricky for me to get to the foods so it should slow me down at least.
And finally I'm going to allow myself each few days to have something sweet or treat like but only something small, I think my main problem is that because I restrict the foods I eat when I have one thing I tell myself I shouldn't have I go crazy and have everything I want, I think if I slowly introduce them every 3 or 4 days in smaller portions into my diet it will become easier to cope in the long run.

I do however have my 21st birthday coming up this weekend so I know this is going to be a tough one, thankfully we will be having a giant cookie instead of a birthday cake and cookies are on what I call my 'safe list' as I can easily have one or two and not start binging, something about them just doesn't make me crave more and more. So as long as I'm not given lots of sweets and chocolate I should be fine especially since I've told friends and family that I only want money as I'm going travelling in May so I need all the money I can get so buying me food would be a bit of a waste in my opinion. So to be honest it should be an ok day, and since it will be happy my binging shouldn't happen as its when I'm upset I get triggered.

Sorry for the essay, but thanks again everybody, I really appreciate all the advice and help I've been given and am definitely going to start changing the ways I act towards these foods and my binges!

That is great! Keep at it! Everyday you can make a positive change as long as there is breath in your body! Please keep us posted as to how you are doing! I just know you can be a success story! God Bless!