Binge Eating Help!

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  • vitamincai
    vitamincai Posts: 1
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    I heard something on Ellen that I'm not entirely sure is true but I've been using it and it has worked well for me.

    Apparently Jillian Michaels says that when you crave sugar at night, it's because you are tired and your brain isn't creating any more glucose. Again, I haven't done a lot of research, so I'm not sure.

    Anyway, if you crave sugary or junk foods at night - just go to bed! I don't really care if the science behind it is real or not - if I'm sleeping, I'm not binge eating. :)

    If I'm not ready to go to bed just yet, I'll try taking a shower or bath and drinking a cup of fruity tea. Teavana has some teas with chocolate or caramel flavors that are still 0 calories - just watch out for caffeine.

    I almost ALWAYS crave chocolate at night, but drinking tea and distracting myself with a good book or show until I fall asleep usually does the trick.
  • miacwhite
    miacwhite Posts: 9 Member
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    The only way that I have been able to end my night time eating is by going to bed soon after dinner is done and my daughter is in bed. I just don't have the control at this time to hang out so close to the fridge and I'm too lazy to come back down for a snack! lol As for daytime binging, I have started leaving ALL money at home on my regular days and making extra trips for groceries and gas with the sole purpose of getting ONLY the things on my list. Even change. God forbid I run into a vending machine!! If I have money, McDonalds, Dunkin Donuts, anywhere that sells any kind of food just draws me in. No money. No snacks.
  • LupitaWins12
    LupitaWins12 Posts: 92
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    I need advice too, please..! So I've been at 165pounds, to 170, to 160 and now back to 165. I'm trying to lose 20 pounds, but binging every weekend is not helping, it gets bad. I'm eating around 2,000 calories a day so that's not the problem. I'm a compulsive eater and I'm working on it. It usually happens like when I don't go to the gym. I'm tired of being the same for a whole year, no weight loss just maintaining my binges. Any advice would be great. :-(
  • aikasm
    aikasm Posts: 63
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    i count the days since i last binge because it give some a confidence boost if its been w while. if i feel a binge coming on i drink tea or just go to sleep (when you're body is tired it craves quick sugars as a source of energy)
  • weightingtobloom
    weightingtobloom Posts: 30 Member
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    I am curious about this issue as well... I struggled with anorexia and overexercising for almost two years and at the tail-end of this, I started binge eating in the wee hours of the night. Namely, between 11pm and 4/5 am. I think it happened because, after two years of restricting and overworking, my body finally said, "ENOUGH!! F*** IT! I NEED FOOD!" and it took advantage of the time when I was most vulnerable (night) and "forced" me to eat what I wasn't eating during the day. Although I am currently an acceptable weight for my height and I have been doing much better (though I would be lying if I said I was 100% recovered at this point), the night binging continues. As someone else said, I do not think my binging is emotional... I think it is compulsive. And I KNOW it's not OK and I tell myself to stop, but... I don't. It's as if I don't have control over my actions at the time and it is the WORST guilt and regret afterwards. "I should have stopped. Why didn't I stop? I KNEW I should stop..."
    This is me as well. I go one of 2 ways: I either restrict a ton, or I binge. It's like I either think "Don't eat that! Do you want to be overweight and die?" or "Don't stop eating! Do you want to be underweight and die?"
    I'd love to see other people's thoughts.
  • karenhray7
    karenhray7 Posts: 219 Member
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    here is what I do

    get a 3 ring binder notebook
    buy some lined paper and dividers
    divide in 3 sections
    section 1 thankful section
    each time you are tempted to binge write down something you are thankful for
    section 2 mind dumping journal
    each time you are tempted to binge write down anything and everything you can think of feelings wise until you get all off your chest
    section 3 positive affirmations
    each time you are tempted to binge write down something positive about yourself
    this way you will be busy writing and having a different focus.

    This is a beautiful solution! It addresses both the cognitive and the behavioral aspects of emotional binge eating. I might add a fourth section for those times when the binge happens. I know that for me, going back to read something I've written after a binge really REALLY helps to keep me from doing it again.

    Best of luck OP!

    Edited because I am an occasional idiot.

    *to the poster I quoted: please don't hate me because I reformatted for the quote :flowerforyou:
  • karenhray7
    karenhray7 Posts: 219 Member
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    I want to bump this -

    My binging is not an emotional thing, it's a compulsive thing and it's really hard to control. It happens throughout the day and the solution APPEARS to be to not have any treats around but I have not practically applied this yet to see if it really is the solution.

    Edited to add that I definitely eat enough during the day (I love eating), and lately it's been way over (past 2 weeks) with the binging and whatnot.

    Compulsions often have emotional/psychological roots. But changing the availability of temptation/trigger foods is still a great solution, no matter why you binge.
  • karenhray7
    karenhray7 Posts: 219 Member
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    The biggest help for me has been reading up on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and using the tools and techniques discussed in the books to manage my binge eating behaviours.

    It has taken a while and I still take a glance at my books at least once a week to stay on top of things, but CBT has been the most practical and helpful tool in helping me to recover from binge eating.

    Good luck with this - and please feel free to drop me a DM if you'd like recommendations. :)

    It's a beautiful thing to hear about people getting healthier. Brava to you. And good luck!
  • MadeOfMagic
    MadeOfMagic Posts: 525 Member
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    Keeping yourself busy doing something is one good way. Also have keep around healthy foods you can binge on, like strawberries or carrots, you can can eat both of so much and barely make a dent in your calories, thats what saves me!
  • Sweet_Gurl_Next_Door
    Sweet_Gurl_Next_Door Posts: 735 Member
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    no I don't hate anyone at all so no worries:) anyone who has trouble binge eating feel free to add me. I would love to help you in your journey. I am taking a class to help with my undereating/ occassional binge eating episodes doing a lot better.
  • karrianne32
    karrianne32 Posts: 51 Member
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    This is a great idea!
    here is what I do

    get a 3 ring binder notebook

    buy some lined paper and dividers

    divide in 3 sections

    section 1 thankful section

    each time you are tempted to binge write down something you are thankful for

    section 2 mind dumping journal

    each time you are tempted to binge write down anything and everything you can think of feelings wise until you get all off your chest

    section 3 positive affirmations

    each time you are tempted to binge write down something positive about yourself

    this way you will be busy writing and having a different focus.
  • karenhray7
    karenhray7 Posts: 219 Member
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    no I don't hate anyone at all so no worries:) anyone who has trouble binge eating feel free to add me. I would love to help you in your journey. I am taking a class to help with my undereating/ occassional binge eating episodes doing a lot better.

    And for that, you are awesome. I'm actually reading a book about binge eating and holy crap, I could have written this book! The author is dead on and brutally honest. I think it's "Food: The good girl's drug". If you'd like, I could actually find the book and give you the author's name. I know it's under something somewhere...the book that is, not the author.

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