please help! i cant stop bingeing!!
Replies
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I usually get burned at the stake for suggesting this.... BUT.... it is for the greater good. So here it is: cut out wheat. After a week or so make a note of your eating. If you still binge, go on a whole foods only plan. Again, make a note of how your body feels and how your appetite goes. Reintroduce other foods once a week. Maybe bring the dairy back first, then non-wheat/gluten grains, then wheat. See what changes and when. Yes, this will take you time. But it is worth it to see what happens to your body upon bring back certain dietary evils. Wheat is the largest because it is in things you wouldn't even think of. Soup, salad dressing etc... It is in every cookie, and cracker on the store shelf unless the package says otherwise. It's worth the time to to do this. I am very glad I took the time to do it too. Now I am no longer binging after binging for years.0
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This is not about what you are eating. It's about you not exercising any control over your own behaviour.
You may want to consider talking to a therapist.
So wrong. What we eat really does matter. I cured binging disorder by changing WHAT I eat and don't eat. NO therapy ever helped. Nor did low fat/low calorie dieting and "filling up" with water. Many supposed psychological disorders are really physiological. True story.0 -
I am an emotional eater. I can still binge when alone, bored, tired, etc. What I binge on since I started is lettuce, celery, flavored waters, etc. Anything with a high fiber-low calorie-high water content.
My weakness was anything on bread or crackers, so on 1/1/13 I stopped eating anything with sugar or wheat in it. I have gone from 239 to 217 with this and my daily calorie count.
I am also doing 400+ calories a day of walking and weightlifting, then I DO NOT EAT THOSE CALORIES.
Binge on salads and green veggies. It works.0 -
And here I thought I was the only weird person who does better skipping breakfast! I used to get that "hangry" feeling constantly, no matter how much water, protein, whole foods, etc. (I even had to have my husband hide his snacks). I started IF (16/8) and found I was much less hungry, never "hangry" anymore and was able to keep within my calorie goals with relative ease. Am I perfect now? Oh, no, not by a long shot! But, it works so much better for me than anything else. It's the reason I'm still trying to lose weight as I was already at my goal. With less hunger and feeling better, a lower weight actually seems possible, hence the lowered goal.0
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Just like other people are saying, get that stuff out of your house!! You don't need it, and neither does any one else that lives with you. If you are having trouble with self control, this is the best thing to do Also, join a support and make yourself accountable to someone.0
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ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh0
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This is not about what you are eating. It's about you not exercising any control over your own behaviour.
You may want to consider talking to a therapist.
^^ this. You need to work through whatever is causing you to binge all the time. This is coming from someone who has the same problem. I know that it comes from feelings of anxiety, stuff that I need to learn to deal with in better ways than putting food in my mouth. It does't help cure my feelings, it's just a temporary distraction.0 -
This is not about what you are eating. It's about you not exercising any control over your own behaviour.
You may want to consider talking to a therapist.
So wrong. What we eat really does matter. I cured binging disorder by changing WHAT I eat and don't eat. NO therapy ever helped. Nor did low fat/low calorie dieting and "filling up" with water. Many supposed psychological disorders are really physiological. True story.
Brain Over Binge is a great read. It can be both psycho and physiological, but you can fix the binge separately from the pyschological issues. Eventually the psychological triggers aren't even necessary to initiate the binge, its become a habit. Some foods have addictive properties but its nothing like what a person experiences with drugs or alcohol.
Your body knows what it needs... when you give it a nutritionally balanced diet, a lot of the cravings will go away because your body's NEEDS are satisfied.
Things that have helped me personally:
1) Don't buy binge triggering foods
2) Allow yourself to eat ^ foods in a controlled setting like out to dinner, around other people, in portion controlled packets
3) MACROS MACROS MACROS, get enough fats and protein and fill the rest in with carbs. I recommend 1g per lb of lean body mass for protein or 0.8 g per lb of bodyweight and 0.3 g per lb of bodyweight for fat. Fat and protein tend to be more satiating. Also, adequate protein helps lessen LBM loss aka muscle loss while eating in a deficit.
4) Drink enough water, I try to drink water or tea when I first get a craving and then see how I feel after that... might be a placebo effect but it has worked for me
5) Intermittent fasting... I eat two small snacks (<300 cals) before my workout and a few cups of black tea or coffee throughout the day, I have a habit of bingeing post workout, so I let myself do it. But its not a binge anymore since I have the calories left, its just a big dinner. Time your meals however its convenient for you... IF is convenient for me, but multiple small meals might be convenient for you. In the grand scheme of things, meal timing and frequency is COMPLETELY PREFERENTIAL.
6) Cut out the intense cardio... when I was running a lot like 15-30 miles a week I was ALWAYS hungry, like absolutely ravenous and craving things like high cal carbs. I've noticed that come back a little bit since starting back up CrossFit but with IF I'm able to mitigate the effects of high cal meals a bit. Instead, LIFT HEAVY THINGS a few times a week and if you do cardio, don't go too crazy with it unless its something you genuinely enjoy.
7) Plan ahead, I don't plan each meal per say, but I do eat nearly the same things for the 300cal PWO snacks and I do a lot of meal prep on my off days. That way I don't have to root through a fridge with potential binge food to find what I want to eat. I keep easy side items on hand like sweet potatoes, broccoli, spinach, brussel sprouts and I try to keep my fridge/freezer stocked with proteins that I have already cooked (either almost completely or completely) that I can heat up and pair with an easy side and boom, brainless but healthy dinner is done.
For the record, I don't think carbs are evil. Each person has their preferences. I prefer and also feel better when I am making sure to get adequate protein and fat FIRST, then I fill in what's left with carbs.0 -
It's mostly psychological I'm sure. You have to somewhat talk yourself down-- "do I really need this right now?" "Am I really hungry, or am I just eating this because I'm bored/upset/whatever your reason is?" If you're honest with yourself and conscious with what you eat, you can overcome it. Good luck
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I agree with the water- sometimes dehydration can present as hunger!0
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Step 1) don't keep junk in the house
Step 2) find an activity0 -
First of do not stock up on junk foods at home or anything unhealthy knowing you're going to binge on that later on. If it's not there then there's no way for you to eat it unless you hop in your car and drive to the nearest convenience store, if you do that will be a shame. Are you harboring some kind of problem, are you stressed? tackle on the underlying reason why you are doing this to yourself.0
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If you fail to plan, plan to fail. Meal plan every meal and snack ahead of time. It's easy.0
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Nobody can help you except you. Have some self control already.0
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I've struggled with this before and I might not be able to help you but I'll just tell you what helped me. It's controversial, but I found that if I ate breakfast, I was hungry the entire rest of the day and couldn't be filled up or stop thinking about eating anything I could get my hands on. After I replaced breakfast with coffee with soy milk and stevia, I completely lost that horrible anxious feeling that always made me feel like I couldn't get enough to eat.
I also can't have anything with sugar in it or I get addicted and obsessed with sweets and it overrides my determination to be healthy and balanced. I allow a treat 1-2x a week of my favorite organic trail mix or some wine, but the rest of the week I eat almost entirely veggies and it's made my HUGE sweet tooth dissappear. When I want something sweet, I simply go for iced coffee with sugar free caramel syrup and cinnamon, or a diet root beer. It's not 100% clean because of the artificial sweetener but considering I've lost several sizes since I started doing this and my anxiety is gone, that's almost priceless to me and very much worth it in the long run!
Good luck, I know how desperate and upset you can get when your cravings are undermining your weight loss goals.0 -
I've been there. Things that are too heavy in salt, sugar and fat trigger excess eating for me. Even if my healthy foods are delicious, it's hard to go overboard on them.
Binge eating is a bad habit to break but necessary to lose or maintain weight. Wrap and pre-portion your food so you are eating every couple of hours and hitting goal for the day. Lower your current calories slowly to goal, if your body is used to a lot more.
Moderation is the key to everything. There is no off limit food, but you must be able to indulge with a little caution. Those hunger hormones won't be so harsh if you get more protein / fiber during meals and allow yourself a treat every now and then.0 -
This is not about what you are eating. It's about you not exercising any control over your own behaviour.
You may want to consider talking to a therapist.
I have had two eating disorders, bingeing being the third. I just can't get control of my eating habits. I have an unhealthy relationship with food. And I've spent four years with a therapist trying to figure out how to fix it.0 -
journaling
take a 3 ring binder, some dividers, filler paper
divide in 3 sections
section 1 thankful section when you are tempted to binge write down 5 things you are thankful for
section 2 mind dumping journal write down anything you may be feeling, or why you think you are binge eating or want to.
section 3 positive affirmation write 5 things you like about yourself
sometimes we binge because we are not eating enough through the day or are dealing with stress, emotional issues etc
they have some binge eating groups here on mfp also
binge eating support, binge eating challenging, etc.
I love this idea! Thank you!0 -
Girl my heart goes out to you. This used to be me. I tried every diet under the sun and they never worked because I would just binge. I finally realized in July 2011 that I have binge eating disorder. I read food the good girls drug and worked all that summer on the things she suggests to do in the book. I have been in recovery for over a year now. So I reccommend you get that book if you haven't read it yet. It totally changed my life.
I have been working for the past almost 2 years on my emotional issues and things I've gone through. I am a survivor and for a long time I was so broken and damaged emotionally and that is a big reason why I turned to food. I went through therapy and worked on my emotional issues and now I feel I am finally ready to work on my physical health. I've been exercising and eating right since Feb and I feel amazing. I am doing this now because I finally love me and I know I deserve it.
You deserve it too. So I suggest keep going to therapy and working on your emotional health. Healing comes slowly but it does come. Also read that book. It will help with the emotional issues and help you to get in recovery. Also don't try and go on any strict diets because it will make the binge eating disorder worse. I'm here for ya! You can do this!0 -
Logic tells me if you wont follow your own compass, why should I even bother giving advice that I doubt you will heed? You either accomplish or fail. What will make the difference?
BTW I bounced around Fortuna, West Hope, Maxbass, Bottineau, & Minot last year. ND people are top drawer.
Good luck.0 -
Here is what stopped me YMMV
1. Eating a higher fiber diet. My fiber was way low before, now it's a moderate amount I think.
2. Not buying junk food or foods that tripped my trigger, one of many examples popcorn I will eat a whole microwave bag of that. I can control how much I eat of air popped much better so I will eat that.
3. More fruits and veggies. I think it's ok to binge on carrots as long as you don't turn orange.
4. Lower calorie breakfast to accommodate more food later if I really need it. So, I will have a bowl of oatmeal in the morning and then I have plenty to go for lunch and dinner. I am usually to full from the oatmeal to eat a snack between breakfast and lunch.
5. A large gap of time between dinner and bed time. I find that I am ok going to bed hungry as long as I am not ravenous.
You got this. And as many have said their are RL support options out there.0 -
This is not about what you are eating. It's about you not exercising any control over your own behaviour.
You may want to consider talking to a therapist.
So wrong. What we eat really does matter. I cured binging disorder by changing WHAT I eat and don't eat. NO therapy ever helped. Nor did low fat/low calorie dieting and "filling up" with water. Many supposed psychological disorders are really physiological. True story.
It can be both. But I can tell you that changing my diet never did anything (including cutting carbs/going primal). I would simply just end up postponing my binge until I couldn't take the anxiety that I was feeling anymore and just start stuffing my face until I felt sick.0 -
You'll stop yourself. If not, then you're not CONVINCED that you should be on a plan.Okay my eating has gotten so out of hand. I eat and eat all day long. I mean constantly munching on everything. Cookies, brownies, tuna, tomatoes, etc. It's like I'm never really full. I get headaches and feel I'll but I'll still have a cookie or two for "snack". It's like all day is food time.
Everyday I say "oh I messed up by eating blah blah, so I'll start eating better tomorrow" then I end up eating every unhealthy thing in the house. I can't keep saying it, I have to start a different lifestyle. But yet it feels so hopeless.
Any suggestions to help with stopping constant bingeing?
Any foods I could munch on that wouldn't be super high in calories but still satisfy my sweet tooth?
Thanks a million.
Tina
A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition0 -
Get yourself a pound of farmers' market strawberries (NOT grocery store strawberries... those things taste like $5 of water) and shove one in your mouth every time you think about getting another snack. They're incredibly sweet instead of bland, and the sugar is enough to hold you over from needing the snack vs. wanting it.
Between doing that and reading what horrible *kitten* is in some of the stuff I like eating, this has helped me get my boredom/anxiety munchies under cover and in control.0 -
There's some really good advice here. I have been a binge-eater over the years. Several things set me off on binges: Having things around that tempt me, i.e. cake - - I no longer buy or bake a cake because I know that I will eat the whole thing before morning. I have finally realized that eating sugary empty calories only makes me want more. I can remember eating a candy bar and not even enjoying it because I was fixated on eating the next one. That memory helps me. And, of course, everyone is different. I am better without any sugary treats. And, if I am feeling deprived, I say to myself "Why eat this; I already know what it tastes like!" I have tried working a candy bar into my limited calorie allotment. What I find is that it takes up so many calories and is so unsatisfying that I end up overeating because I am too hungry for REAL food. Then, because I have "failed" that day, I give myself permission to continue to binge, thus undermining my efforts. Again, a memory I can use.
A treat that I allow myself every day is a non-fat, no sugar, vanilla yogurt into which I stir 2 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder. It's a nice-sized dessert for 100 calories and contains REAL food with actual nutrients that satisfy hunger. Good luck on your journey!0 -
As Pink Turnip noted, hot tea really helps me a lot0
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Thanks to everyone who replied. I read every single comment and I must say I really appreciate the advice. I'm going to try a couple things. A) intermittent fasting and
strictly raw food.
I have gone 4 months of just eating raw foods, fish, chicken, no bread or pasta. I just can't seem to remember how I did it. I remember after the first couple weeks the cravings subsided and I felt great. I wasn't lethargic and I had tons of energy.
I will find that oomph! I got this! I will lose weight and I will succeed.
thank you 0 -
Thanks to everyone who replied. I read every single comment and I must say I really appreciate the advice. I'm going to try a couple things. A) intermittent fasting and strictly raw food.
I have gone 4 months of just eating raw foods, fish, chicken, no bread or pasta. I just can't seem to remember how I did it. I remember after the first couple weeks the cravings subsided and I felt great. I wasn't lethargic and I had tons of energy.
I will find that oomph! I got this! I will lose weight and I will succeed. thank you
Why strictly raw food? I would suggest eating MOSTLY whole foods, minimally processed as much as possible, hit your macros with those items and then enjoy a few things you really like. You will still see the same benefits like the added energy and you won't be thrown back into a horrible binge episode because of deprivation.
I like the attitude though, staying positive as much as possible is a big part of all of this!0 -
I didn't see a single day in your diary that looked like a binge - but it appears you do not fill it out every day? or you just "quick ad calories" instead of putting the food in...but for the three days I found, your calories were not even what I eat each day and I still lose weight.
Are you really binging or just eating more than 1200 calories a day?0 -
Thanks to everyone who replied. I read every single comment and I must say I really appreciate the advice. I'm going to try a couple things. A) intermittent fasting and strictly raw food.
I have gone 4 months of just eating raw foods, fish, chicken, no bread or pasta. I just can't seem to remember how I did it. I remember after the first couple weeks the cravings subsided and I felt great. I wasn't lethargic and I had tons of energy.
I will find that oomph! I got this! I will lose weight and I will succeed. thank you
Why strictly raw food? I would suggest eating MOSTLY whole foods, minimally processed as much as possible, hit your macros with those items and then enjoy a few things you really like. You will still see the same benefits like the added energy and you won't be thrown back into a horrible binge episode because of deprivation.
I like the attitude though, staying positive as much as possible is a big part of all of this!
Oh this is what I meant. Thank you. 0
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