Can't stop binge eating
12goingon17
Posts: 19
This summer, I used MFP to lose about 10 pounds. It was great.
But now, school has started for me again, and I can't seem to stop binging. All my classes seem to bring me stress, and the extra waking hours just means more food. I eat even when I'm not hungry, and I've put back 6 of my hard-lost pounds. I just can't stop. I've tried everything-- punishing myself, meditating, everything. It's just not working, and I binged today again.
Sometimes I can go two days for so at my calorie goal-- but then I always binge. I just can't stop. Any advice/help/what worked for you?
But now, school has started for me again, and I can't seem to stop binging. All my classes seem to bring me stress, and the extra waking hours just means more food. I eat even when I'm not hungry, and I've put back 6 of my hard-lost pounds. I just can't stop. I've tried everything-- punishing myself, meditating, everything. It's just not working, and I binged today again.
Sometimes I can go two days for so at my calorie goal-- but then I always binge. I just can't stop. Any advice/help/what worked for you?
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Replies
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punishing yourself will always backfire. Are you possibly being too restrictive on normal days?0
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Instead of binging, do some exercise. You'll feel better for it and you'll appreciate how long you need to exercise to burn off those binge calories.0
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Nothing to add but my sympathy for your current situation.
I do agree that punishing yourself will not help.
Weigh loss is about patience and forgiveness.0 -
Sometimes, yeah. I do exercise, too, but it just can't surpass all my binges....0
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Intermittent fasting might be a better eating habit for you. You basically count your calories for 2 days instead of one so if you binge one day, you compensate the next day by eating fruits and vegetables.0
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Could you possibly be eating when your bored? if so, try to track what times you tend to binge and then schdule a work out/class/walk on these times.0
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Increase your water intake. I always try to drink water, have a healthy snack before I have the junk.. I would seem to eat less of it. I have also gotten off of all sugar when wanting something sweet reaching for a granny smith apple to curb craving. Now I only crave sugar once in a while. Our bodies can become dependent on it especially when we are stressed. Don't give up keep trying, you'll get past it.0
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Where are you getting the food? Do you keep it in your dorm? If so I reccomend not keeping a lot of snacks around. If I keep stuff like Milnao's or Reeses or really any snack foods, I'll eat them all in two days. I normally buy Indv packets of things now0
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This summer, I used MFP to lose about 10 pounds. It was great.
But now, school has started for me again, and I can't seem to stop binging. All my classes seem to bring me stress, and the extra waking hours just means more food. I eat even when I'm not hungry, and I've put back 6 of my hard-lost pounds. I just can't stop. I've tried everything-- punishing myself, meditating, everything. It's just not working, and I binged today again.
Sometimes I can go two days for so at my calorie goal-- but then I always binge. I just can't stop. Any advice/help/what worked for you?
It might be best to just maintain for a while instead of a calorie deficit. Even a small deficit puts your body in a state of flux with hormones and such and everyone is different. Some people can handle more of a deficit than others, it's not good or bad, it just is, your body can only take so much stress. Making too many changes at once is too hard. Add emotional eating issues and that adds even more complications. A lot of things can cause stress; lack of sleep, stressful schedule, deadlines, fear, family or relationship issues, fatigue, etc. Stress turns on the hunger hormone stronger. You might need to get help for your emotional eating issues before you can try a deficit. A deficit only seems to make things worse for you right now.0 -
Intermittent fasting might be a better eating habit for you. You basically count your calories for 2 days instead of one so if you binge one day, you compensate the next day by eating fruits and vegetables.
This is a horrible strategy for someone with disordered eating tendencies. I know you're just trying to help though.0 -
Are you binging on the wrong types of food?
We plan for success everyday. You have a roadmap set for you to get you your degree. If that's the school you are in. If not, we can still use that as a good example. To be successful with your diet, there are many tricks and tips people can throw at you. Even "Google" will provide pages of information. The key is to plan your day and stick to it. If you have to add snacks throughout the day, add the right things like fruit, proteins, nuts, etc.
I carry ziplock bags of almonds, grapes, blueberries, etc. I also throw a few pouches of babyfood. That's right, baby food. Don't knock it until you try it. If we can feed it to our children, it's good enough for an adult to have. But my training is a little extreme. The point is, if you are going to binge, binge on healthy snacks. Make sure you are eating 5-8 times a day. Make sure you have a good breakfast, lunch, dinner and several snacks in between. I tend to eat something every two hours. I was eating 8 meals once, but that's when my day started at 4am.
Figure out a game plan and try to stick to it. If you are counting calories, don't worry about going over by a few 100. And remember to find time to get a 30-45 minute workout in to get rid of that daily stress you are experiencing. Bust of luck0 -
I can somehow relate to what you write... I know those days...
For me it's usually too little sleep ( = lack of energy I should get from resting)
or wrong food or missing supplements (lack of energy I should get from nutrients) and my body is looking for this energy and craving for more food.
Or then it is my PCOS/IR kicking in when I start a day with carbs or even worse sugary foods...
Try to figure out what you're binging and what's the main nutrient of it. SO you can start to give your body what it really needs (read sleep or nutrients).
And be patient with yourself and enjoy!!0 -
I usually binge on healthy stuff-- nuts, string cheese,etc. But then I see "oh, i've gone over my calorie count" and then I just eat total crap like hot pockets and ice cream...0
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if you're actually "12 [YEARS OLD] going on 17...then I suggest that you possibly speak to your parents.0
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If you can't stop yourself, who can?0
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if you're actually "12 [YEARS OLD] going on 17...then I suggest that you possibly speak to your parents.
Hahaha, im not anywhere NEAR 12. Though I almost wish I was, I didn't binge back then.0 -
First you need to figure out what is triggering your binge eating (complete), then find a new way of dealing with the situation. For me, I would eat out of anger. After identifying the emotion that triggered the overeating, you can identify why your over eating and come up with a solution to prevent overeating.
Instead of eating when I am angry, I work out. Instead of eating when your stressed, find an activity you enjoy and take your mind off things for a while.
Putting a stop to emotional eating is extremely difficult. Stop emotional eating and you have a good chance of stopping the weight gain associated with Stress.0 -
I'm here mostly to sympathize. I just started back at school too, and all of the good habits I developed over the summer seemed to just disappear. But I decided today to make a serious effort to start over, which is why I'm back on MFP.
I have the binging problem too, which is why I've decided not to keep any food at all in my room. So now, I can't even be tempted to eat unless I'm in the dining hall, where I can only go twice a day. (I know having only two meals like this isn't ideal, but it seems to be the only thing I can do to avoid overeating.) I don't know how you plan your meals so I don't know if that will work for you, but maybe you can at least try to avoid having healthy food within easy access.
I've also started drinking a ton of water in hopes of replacing the snacking, and now I drink around 12 cups a day. Maybe you could try drinking more water as well?
I wish I could be more helpful, but I just want to let you know that you're not alone!0 -
I went through what you are going through. You know what I just decided I wanted to be healthy. When I feel like putting something in my mouth I drink a cup of plain tea or eat a low-cal salad! If you feel a binge coming on, step on the scale and weigh yourself! You don't have to log it but you will be surprised how weighing yourself will stop the urge to binge.
If you are really stressing get up take a short walk..it clears your head and it's hard to eat and walk at the same time.
But again, I feel your pain, I have struggled with this for a long time and mostly lost the battle until now. I only have four weeks to go to finish my masters and I just decided I rather be thinner when I finish than fatter!
Also good advice..don't punish yourself. If you screw up, put it behind you and start the next day afresh. Let yourself have a little treat every day..whatever is a treat to you. A handful of popcorn or pretzels, a couple of cookies. Don't overdo it but eat for the rest of your life not just for the day. This whole process is supposed to teach you good habits and teach you how to eat sensibly so you won't have to always struggle with your weight.
I hope this helps!
You can do it!
Big Hugs!0 -
This happened to me last year when I lost weight =( . . . I lost around thirty pounds over the summer and then when I went back to school and fall started to approach, I binged so much, I gained it all back by January.
I made this account to start over, and lately, I've been overeating and gained back some of the pounds I lost, but I just learned to forgive myself this time. If you go over maybe a few hundred calories, you start thinking, "I f*cked up, might as well binge on whatever I want," which was I thought last year.
In reality, you can stop right there. It's never "the end" if you binge, you're just set back. You have all your life ahead of you, and the idea of perfection is just going to screw you up. You will definitely go over calories, it's just a matter of you taking a step back, taking a deep breath and saying, "I will try again tomorrow." If you go over, don't say screw it and start binging. Just stop. Those calories you refused to eat will be all the calories you will not gain tomorrow.
Set smaller goals, saying, "I will try to eat within my calories for the next three days," and keep adding onto it until you feel in the rhythm again.
If the binging is extremely bad, you should go on maintenance for a while and build up the confidence that you can eat a little less with more self control.0 -
I do this as well but it has gotten better. My binges now consist of a bananna and a can of tuna with one or two servings of saltines. As I lose weight, watch what I eat my mentallity seems to only improve. Just about every woman I know who is or once was overweight does this. My recomendations are only to be honest about what you are doing, try to ask yourself why, be patient with youself and perhaps seek a therapist.
I myself have been in and out of therapy my whole life and find it very helpful to learn things about why I do and react to certain things in specific ways that are not always healthy. Good luck in school and in your journey! Feel free to add me if you would like support in this.0 -
One thing that stops me craving food is a glass soy milk mixed with protein powder. For really "bad" days, I drink one glass in the morning and one at night.
But somehow it sounds as if your problem is more difficult than just craving. Have you thought about seeking counselling? It might help you deal better with stress you're encountering.0 -
Stop buying crap. Give away your junk food to someone you don't like.
If its not within your reach, you can't eat it.
Dig deep, find twenty minutes of willpower and go but fruit, nuts, cheese, yogurt, and water. Whatever you like that's GOOD for you and keep it stocked0 -
I have been there! There is a group about Binge Eating you can join on MFP for more support-
I always found my binges would come after a few days of eating way too little...
I think you should try pre-packing lots of small healthy snacks and plan them frequently into your day.
Any behavior (like binging/smoking whatever) is difficult to replace. You need to give yourself a "replacement" behavior. (this is how former smokers get addicted to lollypops-LOL) Seriously- find something you enjoy that you can do (a short walk to water fountain during class) or eat (nuts/slightly less healthy SMALL snack) and use that when you feel the need to binge.
Also helpful is keeping everything in your home as healthy as possible! I keep all my boyfriends food (DORITOS, CHIPS, ect) in a seperate area in the kitchen and it's like a no fly zone! I won't even let myself open the cabinet!
Another tip is to buy stock in ziplock- and break all your snacks into bags measured with healthy portion sizes. Even if you get nutty and eat two portion bags of pretzels, its better than eating one entire bag!
Good Luck!! Believe me- study yourself, uncover your triggers and find ways to replace your binging behavior and you will overcome this!!! Good Luck!
Feel Free To Friend Me if you want more support/advice!!0 -
Your suffering from mental weakness. Take a photo of yourself topless and stick it on the fridge so every time you go you will be reminded of what you look like and what you want to get away from.
Do you go to he gym?0 -
Intermittent fasting might be a better eating habit for you. You basically count your calories for 2 days instead of one so if you binge one day, you compensate the next day by eating fruits and vegetables.
I like intermittent fasting it helps with my binge tendancies.
I try for 1-2 24 hour fasts per week. It is not too hard. I stop eating after dinner skip breakfast and lunch and eat dinner the next day0 -
If you are over you calories for the day tell yourself "I can wait have this tomorrow" then think about all the reasons on why you want to lose the weight. This is what I do if I have the urge to eat something when I'm already over for calories.0
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Binged again today. *sigh* I always find myself creating excuses for myself (i.e., today, I had relationship troubles)
Is there some way to avoid this?0 -
I usually binge on healthy stuff-- nuts, string cheese,etc. But then I see "oh, i've gone over my calorie count" and then I just eat total crap like hot pockets and ice cream...
Emotional, stress eating. You start off having a little and then you realize you have eat the whole carton/box/bag and don't remember tasting any of it. Then you punish yourself by eating things that you shouldn't. If you are really 12 (and on this site with your parent's permission), ask your parent to continue buying the healthy snack and maybe buy an ice cream that you don't like.
I have been this way all of my life. I am older now and still trying with my weight. Take a few minutes and write down what you are feeling. You may have to destroy it to keep the information private. Drink some water (non-calorie or low calorie) drink and exercise a little. If you still want to eat, eat a little. It will take time to change the habit.
If I am close to what is going on, send me a message. Sometimes talking to a stranger is better than eating.0
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