Anyone who was or is a Binge Eater?
karebear32505
Posts: 47 Member
What did you do to overcome this!? I need help. I eat to live. Once i start i can not stop. (so i feel i can't) I know i can but how can i overcome this problem.
What steps or actions did you take to stop binge eating? Please help!
Karen
What steps or actions did you take to stop binge eating? Please help!
Karen
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Replies
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it's something i have an issue with. the only thing i can do to help is to NOT BUY the stuff i'd binge on. I can't buy multi packs and have a little a day, it just doesn't work.0
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One of the best things to do would be to discover the reasons why you binge eat. I'd suggest going to a therapist or counselor to see if you can find what triggers you.0
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I have not but did you happen to see Doctor Oz on Wednesday. It was all about Binge eating and I think that you would rethink what you are doing if you seen it. It made me rethink alot of stuff I do.0
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What I have done is forced myself to eat 6 small meals a day so that i don't wait till the end of the day to eat everything I felt like I was missing out on.... waiting till the end of the day to eat all those calories is never good!0
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I have this problem too and it makes me feel so out of control...I hate it!0
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Bump. I used to be a binge eater, got really good about controlling urges, but they're back (the urges and the binges, I mean) :grumble:0
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I used to binge and purge quite badly, taking laxatives etc etc.
I think the best way is to find your 'trigger' foods/emotions. Is it stress/boredom/change? Once you have identified that you can work towards it.
Firstly I don't have anything 'bad' in the flat, so if i feel the need to binge I need to go out specifically to buy it, this brings up a few problems for me and helps me become deterred. 1) I dont want to feel judged about buying the amount of crap I will be and 2) I'm in a low paying job and dont really have spare cash to do this. So those help stop me.
If that isnt a problem and I'm in a 'screw what people think mood' I have to stop myself and ask myself questions 'do I really want this?' ' is it gonna make me happy' 'will it help me reach my goals' etc etc.
Hope this helps!0 -
I had a problem with Binge Eating, and probably still do, I just maintain it better. The only thing that will change you is discovering why you do it and sheer will power, wanting to stop. There is no easy quick fix. There are tips to help you stop the cravings, but once you are addicted to binging, it doesn't just go away. It's a constant struggle, you just have to fight to win.0
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Being a binge eater and having binge eating disorder are very different things. I developed binge eating disorder after losing a lot of weight, and the whole time I suffered with it I maintained my weightloss because I would restrict for most of the week then would purposfully set out to sabotage myself for two or three days over the weekend, sometimes forcing myself to eat upwards of 5000 calories until I couldn't move from the floor where I lay in self disgust...
It took me a few months of eating NORMALLY to overcome it. Normally, as in, NOT restricting or 'dieting' ever, & learning what regular portions are, & learning that if I allow myself something that I'm craving, like a chocolate bar, the fact that I ALLOW myself to have it means that it isn't up on a pedestal any more and I end up not wanting that stuff as much. In the process of recovering, I gained 10lbs. But that is irrelevant as I now consider myself fully recovered and have changed my habits FOR LIFE!
I've already lost those 10lbs + a few more by changing my lifestyle to a more balanced & 'health/fitness' orientated one...I no longer want to starve my body or be 'skinny'. I want to be well fed, healthy and strong. I enjoy all sorts of healthy foods now that I used to hate. And my palette has changed. I have a day once a week where I can literally eat anything I want, but funnily enough, usually I crave healthier things...like tomorrow for my 'cheat' day I'm going to have a huge packet of dark chocolate covered brazil nuts, which, granted aren't THAT healthy, but sure are better for me than a family size packet of M&M's, which now taste like CRAP to me. Like cardboard children food. I stay away from fake foods now, as the chemicals trigger binges. You need to eat a wholefoods diet in order to get all the physical cravings out of your system, then work on the MENTAL relationship with food X0 -
One of the best things to do would be to discover the reasons why you binge eat. I'd suggest going to a therapist or counselor to see if you can find what triggers you.
^this
Eating disorders are a form of mental disorder, and they happen because of reasons that a lot of times you don't realize or know. I struggled with depression, anxiety, and ed for almost my entire life. I'm not the kind of person who likes therapists, but it does work wonders for many people and if you are the sort of person who likes to talk, I would HIGHLY recomend seeing someone to talk it out. binge eating is a symptom of a larger problem, and it's one that's completely manageable.
Love yourself, because you are worth loving. Do the thigns that make you happy, develop an excersise routine, and remember to slow down when you feel the urge to binge. I;ve come a long way in the past year with all of this , ed included, and I"ll be honest that no part of the journey is easy. But you can do it because you deserve it and you're worth it. I'll send you a friend request and we can talk more if you like.
I started changing this habit by making myself write out a list of reasons why I wanted to eat something, and then all the cons of doing so. The act of pausing to take the time and the actual writing made me analyze what I was doing and prevented it. I don't carry money with me anymore unless I know I need it (like when I'm starting to run low on gas or a bill is due) because that way I avoid unecessary food spending. Only shop of pre-determined shopping lists, and never shop hungry.0 -
For me, it was one of the those "hard at the start habit" things.
Once I've got off the bad eating for a couple of weeks it's a hell of a lot easier to stick to it.
Still have occasional week moments, but about from a bout of gastritis, have managed to keep them to a day at the most.0 -
I understand! From my experience its mind of matter, you just have to make thats decsion to not do it. I had to be very scheduled with my diet no deciding what to eat no waiting until your hungry, you really have to change you views on what you think of food as. And beyond that just take it one day at a time, Its something that doesnt just go away it takes some work and im still working on it but thats what i have found to be true:)0
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What I have done is forced myself to eat 6 small meals a day so that i don't wait till the end of the day to eat everything I felt like I was missing out on.... waiting till the end of the day to eat all those calories is never good!
This exactly!!!
I have always been a binge eater and the last couple years since I started working from home made it worse. I never thought eating six meals a day would work, but it has big time!!!! I am so happy and I really don't feel like going crazy for the first time in my life!0 -
What I have done is forced myself to eat 6 small meals a day so that i don't wait till the end of the day to eat everything I felt like I was missing out on.... waiting till the end of the day to eat all those calories is never good!
yes i did this also....it works very well0 -
I’ve been there trust me!!!...what I do now is have 5 small healthy meals a day and whenever I get the urge to binge I tend to drink lots of water or snack on fruit or protein bars.
The first 3 days are the hardest, but for me I noticed that my urge to binge eat started to disappear after that.
I think Binge eating is also a lot to do with boredom as well.
If you are ready to make a change in your life then you need to make the right choices when you eat...always try and think about healthy foods......it’s hard.....but not impossible....Good Luck!!!0 -
bump0
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If you look up Binge Eating is it actually a form of an Eating Disorder. I have Binge Eating and Compulsive Eating problems both. I am currently in a program which involves a counsellor and a dietician to learn to have better coping skills for the stresses in my life. Unfortunatley, my parents (and their parents) did not have the skills to teach me to use other things than food to help deal with stress/anxiety. I will be learning things like delaying--going for a walk, taking a bath, talking with someone, etc. rather than trying to go into a food coma while eating. I stopped binge-eating for a year when I joined Overeater's Anonymous--I quit it after a few months because it is too radical/religous for me--but when a HUGE MAJOR stress came into my life I started with the binge and compulsive eating again. Thankfuly, this program came along to help. I wish you much love and support as you work through this. Take care!!0
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I was a binge eater - me and my partner would usually skip breakfast or lunch or both someday's then eat EVERYTHING when we'd get home from work all night. . We'd snack before dinner, then have a huge unhealthy dinner then snack on crisps (multi packs), chocolate and cakes.. This was basically every night.. Then one day we both realised enough was enough, we hated how we looked and had low self esteem. Since we've started MFP we just don't buy them anymore so that we're not tempted to eat them. But as the weeks have passed we've started not to miss them at all. . were so focused on the bigger picture and what we want to achieve by doing this. . . It does get easier0
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I was just going to ask the same question today. Last night I lost total control and had a binge session that was really bad. I haven't had one like this in a long time. Today I feel so sick that it's hard to concentrate on work. I like the idea of eating 6 small meals. I have never tried that. I was one to save up as many calories until the end of the day and stuff myself. I would usually be so hungry that I would overeat my calories for the day. I am going to try the 6 meals and see how it goes. I've been binging (I have the disorder & have been to therapy) for 30+ years and I want to stop.0
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I tried all the tips and tricks to stop binging, I ate in moderation, I tried to stop myself, but the desire to binge didn't go away. Therapy was the only thing that actually helped me with removing the DESIRE to binge. Binging is psychological, it's deriving comfort from filling yourself with a substance. Literal "fulfillment". It has nothing to do with actual hunger (I imagine you still eat past the point of not being truly hungry anymore), and more to do with filling an emotional void.0
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I was a binge eater. I have lots of emotional issues, PTSD, depression etc. The only thing that cures my binging is to avoid grain, legumes, sugar, artificial sweeteners and limit high fructose fruit. And by eating LOTS of fat (limiting or avoiding certain kinds such as canola and soy) and protein. All my health problems (lots of physical ones too) have been resolved by eating this way. I can even have trigger foods in the house without being tempted to eat them. When I switched to eating this way, it took less than a week to lose the need to binge and about two weeks for all the other issues to go away.0
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I'm a recovering binge eater. I still have setbacks once in a while, but it's nothing like it was in my 20s. You kind of have to get to the root of WHY you're doing it. I was doing it because I was terribly unhappy with my life. Eating made me feel "full," something I wasn't getting from anywhere else.
It has to be a conscious decision every day. You have to make life choices. When I find myself about to shovel more food in my mouth, I get up and play with our kitty, or walk outside to let the air blow on my face, or sometimes even just sit and look at silly YouTube videos until I calm down. I make a list of all the things I'm happy about, or I talk to friends online. All I need is that moment of distraction, you know?
Much much luck and good wishes to you!0 -
I was when I suffered from an eating disorder and, whilst I don't binge in that way anymore I do still find it easy to lose control. If I don't have nice things in the house it helps but then, if desperate, I would resort to cooking chocolate or anything I can find!
I do believe that the key is:
not to keep trigger foods in the house
to eat regularly
to eat good foods- rubbish foods seem to just trigger a binge
to keep busy
if all else fails, go to bed to sleep!
But even though I know all this, sometimes I struggle. You are not on your own.
Thinking of you xxx0 -
Hey, I'm Melissa and I'm a Binge eater. There are periods where I, too, live to eat. I used to feel like there was something wrong with me because I couldn't control it. So, you are not alone.
Finally, somehow at age 50, I have finally overcome alot of that stuff. But it still rears it's ugly head and sneaks up on me.
So, trigger foods - I just don't keep them in the house. I don't know if I can control myself. Another thing, I exercise hard at least 4x a week to reverse the damage from when I do binge.
Been logging my food on MFP for over a year. That has helped me alot. I tend not to binge so bad when I know I have to log it. I also keep my diary open. Weigh myself every day too.
Something else that works well for me - start the day off with a very low sugar type of small meal. Seriously, I eat a single egg - no toast or anything else. It's nutritious and satisfies me until about 11 am - then it's about lunch time. If I eat something like cereal, or waffles, or pastries - I'm in trouble. The sugar sets me off and I'm craving the rest of the day and I may as well give it up.
Good luck!0 -
Man I used to get high and eat freaking everything in sight - and literally didn't move 4 days out of the week from the bed except to get food. I started to get dissapointed in myself and told myself "Dude Ben, get ahold of yourself, its freaking ridiculous". Took a few mess ups but 6th times the charm! Its a hard addiction to overcome, but I think you definatly need will power - for anything in life. Meditation helped me alot too - with even greater things in life0
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I'm an emotional binge eater. Nothing severe enough to be counted as a disorder. I improved a lot when I started calorie cycling to allow myself days of higher calories, taking away some of the urge to binge. A friend of mine passed away on Monday and I've been binging on and off all week as a result, but my binges are much reduced compared to what they used to be.0
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One of the best things to do would be to discover the reasons why you binge eat. I'd suggest going to a therapist or counselor to see if you can find what triggers you.
This.
Generally there is an underlying issue that you may not be aware of. It is always best to talk to a therapist that specializes in binge eating or eating disorders in general. When I started to seek help years ago regarding my depression and PTSD, the ED therapy came to light as well. I never realized where my ED came from. It is still a struggle, as with any disease. But you can overcome it. I also find it helps to not have the stuff in my house nor trigger foods. I keep busy by reading or doing crafts.0 -
I used to be... Had to get drastic and have Gastric bypass. I also DO NOT buy my binge trigger foods anymore, or ask my family to purchase them for me. Very hard to change!0
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Oh I am a closet binger. Last time I had a Binge it turned out I went for lower calorie foods Popcorn, pickles, some Doritoes but I counted them out. Pita bread with Hummus. Funny thing I used to hate Hummus. I really stuffed myself it felt like I ate Christmas Dinner. I had to unbutton and unzip my pants. Turned out it was 590 calories but I don't even know what I used to do. One tip I drew a circle and put my Initial on it then drew a line in it. Cookies, doritoes, Ice cream any junk food I could find. But I did can't seem to get rid of the Doritoes but I count them out and only allow myself to eat them every other day and make sure I burn the calories, Clean house etc. It makes you think. Another tip brush your teeth some people say they won't eat after they brush their teeth, doesn't bother me though. Sugar free gum, mints, do be in the kitchen. Take a shower. Get on My fitness. I love it.0
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I love food. I do very good through the day but starting MFP has helped me to see where I was eating non needed calories. I don't understand it, I am strong enough if my family goes out to eat, I eat the salad bar and stay strong but when night time comes I find myself thinking of things I can eat. I bought some cheese sticks and will just nibble on one if the urge gets too strong sometimes I even have to go to bed or I know I will find something else. I see now where I put on my extra pounds. Now I have to find something else to do to take the place of eating at night.0
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