I don't know how to stop binging

I'm a severe emotional binge eater and feel your pain. I'm treating my mental health in addition to putting off wanting to eat when I know I'm not hungry. (Ill eatin in 20 min, then ill eat in 30 min) When i know Im really hungry. I also make healthy swaps.

I still binge but its getting better as I work out my emotional issues.

Make time or eat to an early grave is what I told myself.

Planning.

You've built a habit and now you have to replace it with another habit!

I used to binge at least 3 nights a week. I'd have a reasonable day,and then after the family was tucked in I'd forage around the house and undo everything...the a.m. workout, the afternoon salad, the reasonable dinner.

Then, I'd go to bed just hating myself.

So what helped me:

I made planned snacks for myself and I put them in single portion sized containers. I could have the planned snack at the table, wash up, brush my teeth and then that was it. Nothing else afterwards.

It took about a month before I had to stop using willpower to get this done. But, now it is a habit.

Just figure out what you can do instead of eating the "bad" foods. Set yourself a goal of doing it daily for a week and then give yourself a nonfood treat when you succeed.

You can do this!

I haven't read all the replies, but sounds like you definitely have a carb addiction. Going thru a carb detox cold turkey might be the best thing for you to break that cycle. South Beach Phase 1 is a very good 2-week phase that works for a lot of people. If you can't have snacks in moderation, which apparently you can't right now, then cutting all starchy carbs and sugar out of your diet for 2 weeks may work for you. It sounds drastic, but it is only 2 weeks, then you can slowly start adding some fruit and whole grains back in if you want to.

For me, I felt so much better without the grains, that I kept them out of my diet 95% of the time.

wow. you come here looking for help. a few people suggest OA meetings, telling you to make time (because it's worth it and can actually help you) and you come off all snooty and on the defensive saying how you work 55 hours a week and don't need to be preached to and don't believe in god.

you know, don't ask me tips on how to play soccer, but neglect to tell me you only have one leg.

fine, you don't want to be preached to. i get that.... wait, no i don't. you need to be 'preached to' to overcome your problem. in AA they have a 90 meetings in 90 days rules for newbies, in the hopes that it sinks in. you obviously can't make it due to your job (which we were somehow supposed to just know???). but this is just like the people who bash crossfit without ever having tried a class.

make it to a meeting once. just go. do it. in fact, go to two meetings so you can really really get a good evaluation of the thing. the closest one is 15 miles?? HOLY EFFING SQUIRRL BALLS is that really far away for you?? or are you just making another excuse not to get yourself better? just like the free snacks in the kitchen, and the whole "i sit down for work 8 hour days."

How is saying that I work a lot of hours coming off as snooty? Someone made a suggestion and I shared how it wouldn't work for me and I said "unfortunately I work 55 hours a week." Are you offended that I have an amazing job and am a workaholic? Or are you mistaking my getting pissed at people basically telling me that I'm lazy and being flat out rude when I asked for help?

I will probably never post in the forums again because of this post, the first topic I've created, getting so many *****y responses. I came here because I was under the impression that this was going to be a helpful, safe place, but clearly I was very wrong and I won't make this mistake again.

Girl! IGNORE ALL THOSE NEGATIVE PEOPLE!! Everyone has their own opinions and you don't have to acknowledge or listen to any of the ones you don't agree with!! (This is a free forum on the internet, after all, so you never know what you are gonna get.) There are plenty of nice, supportive people on MFP so don't let one bad apple spoil the bunch. (Please message or friend me or both!)

That being said, I want to say to you: KEEP TRYING!! You will have setbacks now and then but if you stick with it, you can turn those setbacks into SUCCESS!! Just the simple fact that you know you need to change is a huge step in the right direction.

While I've never struggled with serious binge eating, I've certainly struggled with eating all my life because I love food and cooking. That makes losing weight really difficult! I can also identify with changing to a desk job from an active job in a restaurant and putting on weight as a result. I've only recently had some success by FINDING A BALANCE between the healthy food that I need to eat while still allowing myself to have the little treats that make dieting not suck.

I agree with some of the suggestions people have made: Track it before you eat it. Set small goals for yourself and reward yourself (not with food) for reaching them. Get a friend or coworker involved with similar goals. Write in a journal. Go to meetings. Talk to someone (anyone!) about your struggles and feelings. If those things don't work then try something else. TRY EVERYTHING until you find what it is that WORKS FOR YOU! Remember, even small steps can lead to big changes.

YOU CAN DO IT!! DON'T BELIEVE FOR ONE MINUTE THAT YOU CAN'T!!


I want to address the rude person who wrote the above comment @ Capt_Apollo: You should be ashamed of yourself for bringing your JUDGEMENT and HATEFULNESS into this place that is supposed to be a supportive environment. Didn't your mama teach you that if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all?

Unfortunately I work 55 hours a week, so it's not possible to attend any sort of meeting.

make time

QFT

If you really want to find a way, you will. You can either make the decision to stop shoving food in your mouth when your not hungry or admit you might have a problem and need help and find a way to fix it.

Time may be scarce but you shot down that idea without even looking into the program and seeing if there is a time slot you can make. The majority of us have jobs, kids, or both...but making time for what is going to end up helping you is worth the effort.

Posting on an internet forum might help for about 3 seconds, but if you shoot down the sound advice with excuses, then you're not really ready to do what it takes to make it happen.

Ok, fine. I'll play. The ONE meeting in my area in a time and day that I can attend is 15 miles away. I'm aware of OA and I have read all about OA. I am not a religious person and I do not need to find god. I do not need to be preached to. I shot it down without going any further because I didn't want to offend people. Obviously I have not been afforded that same courtesy here.

Hun, I have to tell you, if you post something on a forum you are going to get answers you don't agree with. I have not seen any comments here that are out of line. It seems that people are honestly trying to give you real suggestions. It also seems that you are not open to many of them which in and of itself is a major road block you are putting up for yourself. If you are not wiling to listen to advice, you are not ready.

If you really are ready to work on yourself and listen to people who have conquered this addiction (and it is an addiction - don't let people tell you that it is EASY to stop doing what you are doing, its not) than good for you girl. I have a problem with binge eating also. I work a desk job 9-5 and I have two kids who I have to pick up from day care and come home to make dinner and do homework and do bath time, etc. Do not let "I don't have time" be an excuse, if you really want it you will make time. If I can do this, YOU can do this. You should do as much research as you can on your own, that is what I did. See what works for YOU. Not for anyone else. For me, I had to find out what my triggers were. What was I feeling right before I wanted to pig out. This will be a great start for you. Most of the time binging has to do with some emotion that you are trying to cover up by getting a high from all the foods you are eating. However, you take it to the extreme, which is the problem. Once you identify the feelings you are getting that make you want to get up and stuff food in your mouth, you can work on addressing those feelings by other methods instead of stuffing your face. For me, it was stress and anger. I would be at work and get pissed off at something and go straight to the kitchen. Once I realized this, I was able to make a different choice and I didn't feel the need to go to the kitchen any more. I wrote a blog, "confessions of a binge eater". If you do a search on here you could probably find it. There are also many binge eating groups that may be of help to you. There are lots of resources, you just have to be open and willing to try. Best of luck to you!!

I'm taking this from a thread that was posted a while back...

Enduring chemotherapy is hard.

Hitting a fast ball in the major leagues in hard.

Negotiating nuclear disarmament from a hostile nation is hard.

Saying goodbye to a loved one in the hospital or the veterinarian’s office for the last time is hard.

Putting down the fork and telling yourself to stop eating is not hard. Mind over matter. If you want to lose weight and make a change, then will it to happen and be accountable. Make the change

Not true for everyone.

(Most of the time) Binge eating is an ED and has to do with mental/emotional struggles and imbalances. Just like it's ignorant to tell someone with anorexia to just stop and eat, it's not always easy for someone to control their overeating.



To the OP: I'm really sorry don't really have advice (partly because I've been dealing with a binge eating disorder coupled with obsessive-compulsive behaviors, depression, and anxiety for years), but if you want, feel free to add me or PM me anytime.

Do you have a tablet or something you can download the Kindle app on? I received a book from Amazon but I am sure you could find a hard copy somewhere, too. The book is called Skinny Thinking. It was free at the time so I thought I would humor it. This book has helped me more than anything I have tried with curbing my binging. I still do occasionally but not as often or as much. Some of the steps I already do such as eating healthy and exercise and I knew what my problem was but didn't know how to stop it.
I have been slowly losing and my clothes even felt loose after one week. I strongly suggest you give the book a try. I believe its fairly cheap if its no longer free. It gives you great steps and tools and works more on the mental part of over eating.

OA is a spiritual program..........not a religious one.
No one is going to force you to find God.
Everyone at meeting is or has been exactly where you are.
The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop eating compulsively.

I looked on the OA website and from their 12 steps, it sounds like they expect you to call on the Christian god.

The Twelve Steps of Overeaters Anonymous
We admitted we were powerless over food — that our lives had become unmanageable.
Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
Admitted to God, to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
Made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all.
Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong, promptly admitted it.
Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these Steps, we tried to carry this message to compulsive overeaters and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

Yeah, this deters me also but this thread has encouraged me to seek therapy. I have sought therapy before for other reasons and tried to address my eating issues with the therapist who seemed to be ill equipped, for a lack of a better term. I have found a therapist that deals with these issues and other issues that I have and can't wait to tackle this. Thanks for making this thread.

Its sounds to me like you're not ready for change and are very resistant to changing your lifestyle. Many people go through years of this resistance before they feel they are ready.
.....
Avoidance will not make this better, I apologise if this is confronting but its the truth.
Love yourself enough to create a better life.
*source* Im a qualified counsellor and finished two years of study on people who are resistant to change.

This is excellent advice. In the last few years I've stopped biting my nails, stopped smoking, and I'm in the process of losing weight right now.
I've only ever been successful when I felt I was truly ready to change.

This. When every ounce of your being is dedicated to making a change, change is easy.

This is why whenever I see a thread, somebody looking for attention ready to give up, I tell them to go ahead and do it, they are not yet ready to be successful if failure is an option.

Remember that the vast majority of advice is a case of the blind leading the blind. 9/10 people will never reach their goals and 19/20 will not keep it off. Unfortuantely that 1 in 20 doesn't have too welcoming of advice usually because they aren't he enablers that the rest are.

Consider changing WHAT you eat. No kidding. Binge eating disorder (or any shade of uncontrolled eating) is a real PHYSICAL issue, not merely psychological. Loading up on highly processed, high carb foods deplete micronutrients in the body and even though you are eating "too much" you may still be malnourished. When the body is malnourished, it says EAT, EAT, EAT.

The only thing that resolved binge eating disorder, and cured a bunch of other health problems, is changing WHAT I eat. Not therapy, not willpower, not moderation, not "low fat" dieting, not the 12 steps of Overeaters Anonymous, and certainly not medications.

But if you are sure that it's all just calories in and calories out, as you will undoubtedly be told by most people on MFP, then use your "willpower" and keep enjoying all things in "moderation". Good luck.

^^^^This is totally true.^^^^ A well-nourished body does not constantly urge eating, eating, eating--and especially NOT eating until nauseated. Once I started nourishing my body properly, all the cravings and urges to eat more than I should were gone. Now, some days, I have trouble forcing myself to eat as many calories as MFP tells me I should.