huge binge, help please...

ahhh I got the same problem! I just help control it by not having any junk food in the house... eat reeeeally healthy and your taste buds will crave more healthy stuff! promise! my diet used to be terrible... it consisted of chocolate, McDonald's, and buffalo wild wings.... an I've for the most part flipped that lifestyle around! it's hard at first but you have to slowly ween yourself off of the junk. it's hard, ik! it just take time patience and perservirence. don't have any junk food or binge food in your house! save the treats for when you know you won't binge...such as going to the ice cream store with people.. you'd only get one serving and then leave most likely. an then you'll enjoy the junk more when it's occasional. gooood luck.. also, your probably just an emotional eater. I find that when I've had a bad day I tend to make bad food decisions and lose self control..it's just hard to say no. add me if you'd like! we can battle this together! I need help just as much as you.

How do all of you prevent a binge or even stop it in it's tracks? How do you stay motivated? How do you keep your focus and stay on the right path? Any tips or personal stories/support would be greatly appreciated I'm just really not sure what else to do? I feel exhausted from battling myself constantly over this. Thank you for listening to me.

I have had similar behavior since I was 5 years old (really!). Now at 37, I can tell you some things that help me. I'm not perfect by any means, but now when I slip, I have a greater understanding of what's really happening and how to get back up again quickly.

1. It's all about stress (possibly depression) and chilling yourself out with food; usually the sugar-fat-salt combination because it releases the most natural opiates in the brain. Don't feel bad about it; many people are like this.

2. You can't change a lot of the stress, but you can change your response. It's about stimulus and conditioned response. When you feel a trigger, don't do your usual response (overeating); over time it will become easier to resist, but you have to put in the work in the beginning of saying no, pushing through the bad feelings that come up, and replacing the activity. I suggest exercise. Not only is it good for you, but it reduces your appetite and release similar endorphin chemicals as overeating does.

3. You can also set yourself up to have greater defenses against the urge. Eat, evenly spaced out meals that each have a protein component of some kind to stabilize your blood sugar fluctuations.

4. The best time to stop a binge is right now (no matter where you are in the process). Because binging is a conditioned response to the stimulus of stress/depression/etc., the moment you stop doing the usual response and replace it with something more productive and less unhealthy the sooner you're working on actually breaking a habit. Doing this repetitively over time means that when you feel stressed or depressed (whether from emotional or biochemical causes, or both), you will have other equally pleasant options to choose from to deflate that cause.

So, I would stop right now--not tomorrow, not next Monday, not next month--right this very moment. Make yourself a cup of herbal tea, brush your teeth, and declare it behind you. And the next time you feel that urge, pay attention to that delicious little moment right before you give in when you know you could stop it dead in its tracks. Take advantage of that moment and get through the fire because the next time will be even easier.

Good luck!

I buy frozen fruit throw in blender add a little sweetener to it maybe a splash of o.j and you have a sorbet only like 70 cal for like half a blender

Also consider buying single portions of sweets at a time--that way you can have something and not feel "punished" without sabotaging your weight-loss. Also, check out http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/ and see if there is an eating disorder support group in your area or if they have tips for you. Finally, in addition to logging your food, try logging your stress/moods for awhile and see if there are any patterns. Is it a too low fat/low calorie day that seems to trigger the binging? or is it days when you have a deadline or get criticized in some fashion. Figuring out what your trigger is will help you focus on the underlying problem in a more constructive and lower calorie way. Good luck

I'm not sure if anyone has mentioned this yet but I used to try Dream Body diet pills. I can't say they didn't work, but I wouldn't suggest this approach to anyone. If you're anything like me, you're TOO motivated to use them out of the desperation to lose weight & I ended up with an eating disorder. I would take a diet pill a day starting off, then eat an ice cream sandwich and that's all I had all day. Then I started taking two diet pills a day (not that it actually did any good) & started going sometimes two days without eating.
What I have heard about and probably would suggest is NeuroSlim - a drink that's supposed to suppress your appetite & I think would help with your junk food cravings. Good luck

I know how you feel, but the best I can offer is to NOT BUY IT and if someone else does, tell them to take it out of the house. If someone buys potatoe chips and I know they're in the cupboard, I always crave them late at night only. If they are not in the house, I don't crave them near as often. OUT OF SIGHT, OUT OF MIND.

There are some foods that you can practically eat all you want of - like a pot of beans - learn to make them like a chef - google it.. I'll tell you an awesome desert in a sec. Mostly you need to convince yourself that you are not deprived. When you feel deprived, your body says - oh no - we need to load up or we will starve. You are not deprived. You can have all you want, but you want fruits and vegetables because you want to feel great. Do you like sushi? It's great to find something that is so delicious in small portions like sushi is. If you need volume to convince yourself you can have all you want - make the pot of beans. Put some dry beans in water and soak - it's great food! Add onions, tomatoes, seasoning - splurge on that. Or have a banana - it's sweet and you won't feel hungry again for awhile - if needed have another - there is plenty now and later. Mostly it's a psychological game - you CAN eat - you are not starving - you are happy and satisfied and thankful for all the great foods on this planet - and since there's plenty, you don't have to gorge yourself. Think how much you will enjoy eating some more later - don't waste it all right now. Here is the most awesome desert if you need something sweet. It's a smoothie better than any ice cream. 1 cup of milk, 1 banana, 2 tablespoons of nutella, a tablespoon of honey, a teaspoon of vanilla and a cup of ice - blend and enjoy. Have 2 large shakes from this - about 400 calories (1/4 the fat of ice cream), if you want, drink both large shakes now - fine go for it - you will be full and satisfied. Next time put half in the freezer and have it later. Remember you must KNOW there is more later to stave off the false "I'm starving" alarm. Good luck! You are awesome and wonderfully made. You will find the keys to your kingdom. Ask and you receive. Keep asking. Get answers and empower yourself. You are doing it right now.

So i've been readying this book by Timothy Ferris called "The four hour body". He specifically talks about bingeing but limiting it to once a week. I have been doing this for about a month and have had success. Feel horrible doing it put on a few pounds for the next few days but end up losing weight for the week. Would recommend eating larger breakfast and increasing the amount of protein in your diet. Also unless its your binge day stay away from domino foods (foods that lead to eating more and more). Right down everything you want to eat or crave and on your binge day have it all! I try to make fun of it. Have attempted to put down more than 6000 cal but cant. And last few times have actually only ended up with about 2800 cal for the day. Read the book might find it informational. You can find it on amazon. Good luck

I still say take a diet break. Eat what you what, enjoy life, enjoy food, develop a healthy relationship with food. See if you still need to binge. You've been dieting since 13 (ack!). Over eating and binging are two different things.

Or plan your binges. In my circles its called a refeed or over-feeding it can last hours or days. Some do it some don't. Its usually high carb and low fat. Waffles, pancakes, candies, ice cream, bread, cereals, cakes, donuts, etc (Some people do it with "clean" foods) It helps raise leptin and replenish glycogen stores. Dieting and exercise can be hard on the body and mind and as you get leaner your body will trying to hold on to fat longer. And it provides a physiological diet break and can alleviate emotional binging either from some outside stimulus or you body sending signals to your brain that its had enough.

How do all of you prevent a binge or even stop it in it's tracks? How do you stay motivated? How do you keep your focus and stay on the right path? Any tips or personal stories/support would be greatly appreciated I'm just really not sure what else to do? I feel exhausted from battling myself constantly over this. Thank you for listening to me.

I have had similar behavior since I was 5 years old (really!). Now at 37, I can tell you some things that help me. I'm not perfect by any means, but now when I slip, I have a greater understanding of what's really happening and how to get back up again quickly.

1. It's all about stress (possibly depression) and chilling yourself out with food; usually the sugar-fat-salt combination because it releases the most natural opiates in the brain. Don't feel bad about it; many people are like this.

2. You can't change a lot of the stress, but you can change your response. It's about stimulus and conditioned response. When you feel a trigger, don't do your usual response (overeating); over time it will become easier to resist, but you have to put in the work in the beginning of saying no, pushing through the bad feelings that come up, and replacing the activity. I suggest exercise. Not only is it good for you, but it reduces your appetite and release similar endorphin chemicals as overeating does.

3. You can also set yourself up to have greater defenses against the urge. Eat, evenly spaced out meals that each have a protein component of some kind to stabilize your blood sugar fluctuations.

4. The best time to stop a binge is right now (no matter where you are in the process). Because binging is a conditioned response to the stimulus of stress/depression/etc., the moment you stop doing the usual response and replace it with something more productive and less unhealthy the sooner you're working on actually breaking a habit. Doing this repetitively over time means that when you feel stressed or depressed (whether from emotional or biochemical causes, or both), you will have other equally pleasant options to choose from to deflate that cause.

So, I would stop right now--not tomorrow, not next Monday, not next month--right this very moment. Make yourself a cup of herbal tea, brush your teeth, and declare it behind you. And the next time you feel that urge, pay attention to that delicious little moment right before you give in when you know you could stop it dead in its tracks. Take advantage of that moment and get through the fire because the next time will be even easier.

Good luck!

This advice is so spot on and helped me when I read it! I had several successful months of dieting and then just slowly navigated my behavior into binging. Don't know why or how it got to this point but it did. I suppose my crushed dreams/expectations of not being alone anymore when I lost the weight could attribute. But what you typed is very logical, precise and spot on for this issue. Thank you!

Excellent post.