I'm right there with you. When I'm good, I'm good. When I'm bad, it's really bad. I'm on day 3 of binge eating. I'm going to try and come on MFP when I feel one come one (I usually have about a 5 minute window before the destruction starts:). I'm happy to chat with you whenever.

Just wanted to tell you that you are not alone and so many of us struggle with this. Have you heard of the book "Brain Over Binge?" Someone one in this group forum suggested it to me. Go and look at the book on Amazon and read all of the reviews, she also has an amazing blog/website. It is written by a women named Kathryn Hansen who is not a doctor, but suffered for many years and has been binge free for I think at least 6 years. She has something interesting things to say and if you really don't agree with her ideas there is still many sufferers who go to her website and offer suggestions and encouragement. She also answers every persons questions herself.

http://www.brainoverbinge.com/Pages/default.aspx

Also, this is just my experience, but I have been a binge/overeater/yo-yo dieter for many years and am finally starting to learn to let go. I am an expert at dieting and also at putting the pounds back on. I have a feeling that many of us in this group are the same way. One thing for me is that I have to have an adequate breakfast (400 calories) and decent lunch or I risk going on a binge starting around 3 or 4 pm. Before, when I would try to diet I would always try and have a smoothie or egg white omelette for breakfast, maybe 200 calories at the most and it never worked, I would be starving later. Also, I have as nutrient dense and whole foods as possible. I am not always perfect at this, but this is what works for me.

You are so young and have your whole life ahead of you and you look to be a healthy weight. Most importantly do not give up on yourself and finding true balance and peace in your life, it can be done.

From all of the information I have perceived it really is for both issues. Kathryn herself really wasn't a purger, but obsessively exercised. Many of the women that have been helped by her book are binge/over-eaters and not bulimic. It is more about stopping these behaviors that we have conditioned ourselves to and seem to not be able to live without and feel absolutely stuck in these awful viscous cycles of binge/diet/binge. I am going on four weeks of being binge free and that is probably the longest I have gone in over a year. I'm not say that it is over, but I am feeling freer and more confident each day. The gist of her ideas is to not listen to your "lower or animal brain" that craves and absolutely needs the binge, but to rely on your "higher brain." To not even engage the part of your brain that says"I will start tomorrow" or "I will feel better if I do this," to ignore it and not argue with it and go about your day. And soon that "animal brain" will become quieter.

I'm not explaining it well, so if you have the time definitely read the book. Even if you are trying to cope with this in other ways, I don't think it can hurt. I wish you well.

I try to distract myself by engaging with other people. I call someone 'just to say hi' or go on FB to a closed group and post something or just see what other people are posting. I have some friends from that group that I Skype with regularly, so I see if anyone is on.

I really try not to skip meals, as that generally sets me up for a binge, but sometimes **** happens and I end up missing a meal or getting the time pushed way off. I have a 'plan' about how to deal with it. I don't like to eat within 2 hours of sleeping, so if it's close to bedtime I go to sleep and eat earlier after waking in the morning. If lunch is pushed back I eat a snack when I can, then my normal dinner. The main point is that I don't get to 'make up for' missing my meal. It's over. I go on with my life.

If I'm craving something mid-afternoon I do best to just have a cup of coffee. That's just what works for me.

You guys are all so awesome!
It is such a relief for me to realize that other people experience the same cravings, at the same time of day as I do. From 2:30 on I am so vulnerable- if I have one bite of something sweet, I will eat it all. Usually I tell myself- "I'll only have one cookie", but i never stop at one. NEVER! And my husband does the groceries and he buys cookies, granola bars, nutella, ice cream, chocolate syrup and bags of chips. It is so hard to resist, and he wants to keep eating these foods (he doesn't binge, and doesn't seem to gain weight!). And now that Halloween has passed, there's even more junk in the house...
Writing here and reading people's posts really helps. It distracts me enough to allow me to know whether I'm really hungry or not.
So far this is day #1 binge free. I'll be visiting this site ALOT!