Advice for Binge Eating

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  • meadow_sage
    meadow_sage Posts: 308 Member
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    I binge when I'm stressed. I binge when I' really tired and I feel a little hungry. Food is fuel and we get energy from it.
    If I eat and I don't feel that "high" I will continue to eat until I do. So, yes usually this is carb and/or fat filled foods. I
    am most likely to binge at that TOM.

    There are some really good suggestions here. One thing that I am grateful for is that I don't have binges as much as
    before. I also am grateful that days that I binge are not as the average day I had six months ago. I have been able to
    avoid them sometimes when I get the urge.
  • tessi1993
    tessi1993 Posts: 186 Member
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    what an awesome idea!!
    I don't keep those binge-worthy foods around.

    I leave notes on and in the fridge and cupboards. "Walk away fatty" "Are you hungry or just bored?" "Walk it off" "You have launry to do" etc...
  • caly_man
    caly_man Posts: 281 Member
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    if your weekly routine is super super clean, you might be feeling deprived of foods i call treats, in my case its a sweet tooth, ice cream, cake

    i make it a habit of having treats at least 3-4 times during the week so i dont ever feel like im depriving myself of anything.

    i think that is what's keeping my new eating habits in check

    ultimately, you've done a great job at taking off a considerable amount of weight off, remind yourself of that, every up/down moment leads to a lesson learned
  • michellemybelll
    michellemybelll Posts: 2,228 Member
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    Absolutely. It's very easy for a non compulsive eater to say, "Just have a small piece"

    I wish it worked that way. I have to keep trigger foods OUT of my house.
    ^^ just trying to eat something small can be dangerous to a binge eater. if other have experienced what i have felt- they will agree, u dont even feel like yourself when its happening. when i feel in control, which is the majority of the time, i can have a serving of something and be fine. those occasional binge moments- i need to learn to step away from the food completely, or learn to eat one filling thing and walk away. a little indulgence can easily spiral out of control when that binge monster hits

    QFT
  • JDBLY11
    JDBLY11 Posts: 577 Member
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    I've always had problems binge eating. I weighed 310 lbs. at my heaviest, and and got down to 165 at my lowest. This morning I was at about 178 lbs. I've taken up running and was feeling pretty good about myself, but I just went on a huge binge eating spree. I do it all the time. I'll do really well all week, and then I'll binge about 5000 calories in one day, and it'll take me all week to lose it again. Why do I do this? If anyone has any advice to help me stop binge eating, I would be so grateful. Is there anyone I can go talk to, like a psychologist, to stop this? I really don't want to gain all of the weight back, but I've slowly been gaining weight for the past two months! I used to have so much will power, but now I feel like I'll never be able to get back to the really determined woman I used to be.

    Hi, I have had problems with binge eating since I was a little girl. I remember one time my mom made fudge and I pigged out on it, another time they had ice cream sandwiches and I ate the whole box. This was when I was under 8 years old.

    Lately, for the past several months, I have been free from binges and not even wanting to binge. I let myself have the treats I want and keep to a 1500-1900 calorie a day plan. I was on a medication that made it really easy to binge because I could not feel when i was full and I felt really hungry. I stopped taking it and the overeating stopped. I know that wasn't the whole issue though because I have had this problem since I was younger. I think allowing yourself treats is important to keeping yourself from binging and eating enough calories every day. ( I do not keep treats around on a regular basis and if I do it is not in large quantities. It is more like a serving of ice cream or a candy bar or a small container of cookies. I don't really make cakes or cookies at home.) If you feel hungry all the time you will binge. Make sure you are getting a balanced diet too. You need fiber, fat, fruits and veggies, and protein.

    I still sometimes eat more than I should of a treat but I don't consider that binging if I eat normally the rest of the day. I ate about 2/3 of my calories the other day with ice cream. I am not going to have that ice cream regularly though.

    If you find that you have a trigger food you can cut it out. Sometimes it is easier to not have it than to have it and control it.
  • Hallzeehall
    Hallzeehall Posts: 38 Member
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    I don't keep those binge-worthy foods around.

    I leave notes on and in the fridge and cupboards. "Walk away fatty" "Are you hungry or just bored?" "Walk it off" "You have launry to do" etc...

    This is awesome, I love your idea with the notes!
  • JoRumbles
    JoRumbles Posts: 262 Member
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    I gave up chocolate about 6 years ago becuase I could eat a giant bar in one sitting (like, 500g to 1kg) and then sick some of it up.

    I gave it up using the Paul McKenna "I can make you thin" method. Basically its self-hypnosis. Google it. You could also consider seeing a hypnotherapist.

    I will admit that I have still sometimes binged on other things, but chocolate was the main issue. I agree with not keeping other trigger foods in the house. I also find it helpful to "allow" myself in the evenings (also my binge time) to stick to the rule that if I am hungry, genuinly hungry, then I may eat something. Since I am genuinly hungry I tend to go for things like peanut butter and toast, porridge etc rather than sweets and crisps (which I don't have in the house anyway!)
  • Inshape13
    Inshape13 Posts: 680 Member
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    I don't know whether this is due to actual physical effect or whether it's psychosomatic, but I managed to break my carb-craving cycle (which is what I think drove me to binge for pretty much most of my life) when I started switching to protein based snacks (such as sweet chilli chicken pieces, etc) under the basis that protein makes you feel fuller for longer.

    Like I said, it could all be in my head, but I no longer feel the need to binge (sometimes I still want to, but it's not an all-out craving, thankfully!). Also, I don't restrict myself too rigidly - if I want to eat something that means I'll go over my calories, I will, and I just accept the hit that sometimes (but, strangely enough, not always!) comes with it. Or else I'll plan to eat less so that I can fit that bit of chocolate in or whatever.

    I agree with this poster and I also try to keep "trigger" foods out of my house....I know that if I eat a Ritz Cracker or a Brownie it is all over for me and I will binge the rest of the day. Sometimes it is also out of habit like eating at 9:30pm even though I am full and that just comes down to willpower and finding something else to do like a crossword or something.
  • thepezzle
    thepezzle Posts: 40 Member
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    I wish Binge Eating were so simple but it really isn't unfortunately. Everyone has a variety of reasons why they engage in these behaviors, myself included. I'm more guilty of binge eating carbs and grease instead of sweets and as such the drive-thru places are on my no-no list. I haven't had McDonalds or anything like that for 6 months now.

    Regarding just having a small piece - It is very hard to explain to someone who does not compulsively eat that sometimes binge eating is like a haze. You come out of it as you take a last bite, struggling to breathe because you're about to be sick and you look around at empty food wrappers and your kitchen disaster area or whatever and think "What have I done?". There were times I'd go to get fast food and stuff and I wouldn't remember ordering it was like.. mechanical. I'd just eat these things without tasting them. So keeping foods around that trigger these behaviors can be harmful especially in the start of the journey. A few things I can have in the company of others though (Pizza,for example, where there are lots of people and I know I will share the pie and only have a certain portion).

    I take my small victories. I open takeout menus like pizza hut and close them. I put in my order, and stop myself. I have become more mindful of my actions and I think that was a big key for me - be mindful of what I am doing and do things with diligence. When eating slow down and be mindful of the food in your mouth and the action of chewing, the complex layers of flavor, textures etc.

    I haven't had an actual binge in about a month now. It's been a long road though and I've battled this for a while throughout my childhood and early adulthood (I'm 25 now). I've had cheat days and splurge days but I haven't BINGED on anything.

    I wish you good luck, OP!
  • HollisGrant
    HollisGrant Posts: 2,022 Member
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    I've always had problems binge eating. I weighed 310 lbs. at my heaviest, and and got down to 165 at my lowest. This morning I was at about 178 lbs. I've taken up running and was feeling pretty good about myself, but I just went on a huge binge eating spree. I do it all the time. I'll do really well all week, and then I'll binge about 5000 calories in one day, and it'll take me all week to lose it again. Why do I do this? If anyone has any advice to help me stop binge eating, I would be so grateful. Is there anyone I can go talk to, like a psychologist, to stop this? I really don't want to gain all of the weight back, but I've slowly been gaining weight for the past two months! I used to have so much will power, but now I feel like I'll never be able to get back to the really determined woman I used to be.


    Maybe you're afraid of losing weight because you will face a new life. I've never binged, but 20 years ago I had panic attacks for a 2-week period. This sounds like a form of panic attack.

    What are your thoughts and feelings right before you binge?
    Can you observe them and write them down?
    Separate yourself from your feelings and thoughts and just observe in a non-judgmental way..
    You know how bad you feel when you have the flu, but you know it will pass? These thoughts and feelings will pass, too.

    Finally, I would try to find a friend I could call at all hours and call them when you think it's going to happen. Do something different i the middle of the panic attack and you will begin to change it.
  • CarmenSRT
    CarmenSRT Posts: 843 Member
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    Sylean12, I do wish I had some sage advice for you. Those who aren't binge eaters really do not "get" what the disorder consists of. I suspect you get some variation of this:

    1) The build up. You can feel the tension building. You play the distraction game. You make deals with yourself to put it off, trying to do so long enough to hopefully have the urge die off.
    2) The release. You tell yourself that you'll have "X, amount Y" and then get back on track.
    3) The binge. You eat X, in amount Y. Then you eat more of X. Then you finish X. Then it's on. You grab the jar of peanut butter and a spoon, or cereal by the handsful out of the box. You traverse the kitchen, opening cupboards and the fridge repeatedly, eating this and that, frantically looking for the elusive food that will make the feeling disappear. Depending on your personality this can go on for hours, in spurts, or happen in one long desperate eatathon.
    4) The aftermath. The tension is gone now. You're probably not sure exactly when it died off, but it is now gone. Now there's regret and shame. You start to enumerate what passed your lips, and may give up because the amounts and calorie numbers are too vast. At this point all you can do is get back on the horse.

    The only time I've had complete freedom from this was when I was taking a drug called Topamax as an adjunct for a bout of clinical depression. It made me dumb as a stump and made carbonated beverages taste like radishes, but the binge urge was silent for the entire two years I took the stuff. I'd suggest finding a doc to work with. You've worked way too hard to let BED take away your progress.
  • Sid1988
    Sid1988 Posts: 170 Member
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    I can relate, I have suffered from bulima for the past ten years. sometimes i can go weeks without purging, some weeks i will purge every day.

    Yesterday i had been out for lunch and was full up but still continued to demolish a whole packet of cookies, 2 yum yums and a mcdonalds... why i did this, i don't know, i feel like i have no control over my urges to eat and eat and eat. my will power can sometimes be amazing but sometimes it doesn't exist.

    i have suffered from anxiety and mild depression and i think that might have some sort of play in this, nothing to do with lack of food previously, it's all in the mind and the mind is a very powerful thing.
  • skjsbp
    skjsbp Posts: 8
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    Your diary is private, so I cannot confirm, but I would bet that you are not eating enough on a normal basis.

    The usual reason for binging is that you are consuming too few calories per day and/or you are following and absurd low fat/carb diet, causing your body to want to overcompensate.

    I agree with this. Every Winter I can't seem to eat right. I alternate between not eating enough (for several days) and then eating everything in sight, especially bread and pastries, for several more days - usually for more days than I ate too little. I'll eat until I have a stomach ache because I guess my willpower just flies out the window. So maybe you are trying to restrict yourself too much in one way or another, and end up binge eating to (over)compensate for that?
  • Robin_Anne
    Robin_Anne Posts: 54
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    I empathize with your frustration with not knowing why. I've suffered with it since I was 16. yeah, nothing is worse than doing well eating within your limits, exercising, etc. And then have a couple of days where the binge eating takes me back to zero. It's like two struggling, opposing forces.

    I'm working on engaging in distress tolerance techniques taught by a nutritionist who specialized in eating disorders.

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