Binge Help

Hi Guys, now I know your not supposed to talk about eating disorders here but I really need help, I suffer from Binge Eating Disorder (BED) and yeah it has struck again, I would like to know how I can stop this? or if there's anything that will help me stop. I try cooking breakfast and eat the entire kitchen while i'm waiting for it to cook and this really annoys me and depresses me. If you have any advice please say and don't just tell me to go see a doctor because I can't and it won't help thanks!

Replies

  • anyone?
  • louloulou
    louloulou Posts: 64 Member
    no real advice because I have never been in your shoes. The only thing I would think is to address why your binging. Do certain things bring it on and if so, can you develop other stratigies to deal with those things? If you do some reading on cognitive behavioural therapy in eating disorders, you may find some tips for things you can begin to put in place youself.
  • I plan my day and then eat all my planned snacks at once, should I try not planning my day?
  • meeper123
    meeper123 Posts: 3,347 Member
    Have you tried controlling whats in your house i know i have trigger foods chocolate mostly. I dont even keep coco powder in the house and only get it rarely also i eat more frequant meals make sure i hit my tdee and drink water lots of water
  • demonlullaby
    demonlullaby Posts: 499 Member
    hmm.. do you prepare meals in advance?
    i use to eat everything and anything in sight. now i try to have my meals for the next day ready so that all i have to do is heat them up. also when it comes to eating all your snacks at once, are they healthy filling snacks? i found when i was eating chips i wasn't getting full.. now i have a protein shake or some fruit and fill up much more!
  • littlelady2b
    littlelady2b Posts: 104
    Binge eating means there is an underlying problem that is making you turn to binging something only a counselor or a doctor can help you with hun. But I will give you my 2 cents in case it helps get rid of all the trigger foods out of your home and get rid of all your stashes that aren't healthy. If you have back up food stored around the house then get rid of it donate it to a food bank or to a family in need this will make you feel good. Then when it comes time to cook use only minimum serving food items, have fresh vegetables in abundance maybe a dip not one you make yourself a store bought one in a small container that you can't go overboard on for now. I have heard of some people locking up certain areas of their kitchen and giving the key to someone who won't give in to their demands for the food. I'm sorry if this all sounds harsh and ridiculous but some of these suggestions are only temporary solutions and you are on the right track because you've acknowledged you have an eating disorder now you have to get to the point that your willing to get professional help for it sorry I know its not what you want to hear but like I said what I've suggested isn't a solution it may or may not be a temporary handling of the situation for you trying to gain some control but its no way to live and binging can often lead to bulimia and so I can't tell you enough please get some help. I've been there. Either way what ever you decide good luck and I hope all goes well for you.
  • lyss1200
    lyss1200 Posts: 22 Member
    My suggestions-based on what is working for me:

    1. Plan 75% of your daily intake in advance, split between 3 meals. e.g. if MFP tells you 1200 cals/day, plan 300 cal meals for each of breakfast, lunch & dinner. Make sure every meal includes protein.

    2. Whenever you want to eat something outside your meals(whether it's "healthy" or not), get your smartphone out and set an alarm in 15 minutes time, tell yourself that if you still want to eat the food when the alarm goes off, you can have it.

    3. If you still want to eat once your 15 mins is up, go ahead.

    don't freak out too much if you eat more than your calorie quota as long as you are putting some time between getting the craving and eating. the idea is to train your self-control - once you've mastered that you can say goodbye to binge eating & focus on weight loss.
  • I also suffer from binge-eating but since using this site to log my meals it has been much less of a problem. I don't know why but something about typing it all out helps me resist.

    From what I have read there do seem to be various strategies for coping with this and you may have to try a few before you get control of it. e.g. some will say avoid trigger foods/others say eat what you want until you get sick of it. Some say eat planned regular and healthy meals/others say go with the flow and eat what you want.

    In my case I find giving up bingeing a little like giving up smoking.
    I get cravings for certain foods which are very hard to resist, and when I start eating them I can't stop!
    So for me it has made sense to completely avoid certain trigger foods (chocs, cheese, cakes - usual suspects).
    I can't manage the 'everything in moderation' advice. Diets allowing small treats do not work for me. In my world there is no such thing as a 'small' treat.
    It hasn't been easy but I have to say that a couple of months in I no longer crave the sugary fatty stuff.
    The 'cold turkey' symptoms only lasted a couple of weeks.

    Now I'm not saying this would work for everybody, I'm just letting you know what worked for me.

    So basically you are going to have to do some trial and error to find out what works for you. I can only encourage you and reassure you that, like any habit, binge eating can be overcome. But it does need you to be in the right place mentally and determined to really go for it. Most human beings find changes in regular habits difficult.

    It is also worth mentioning that bingeing can be down to psychological problems and if this is your case then you will likely not recover until you have addressed these via counselling/talking therapy.

    Best wishes to you.
  • littlelady2b
    littlelady2b Posts: 104
    I also suffer from binge-eating but since using this site to log my meals it has been much less of a problem. I don't know why but something about typing it all out helps me resist.

    From what I have read there do seem to be various strategies for coping with this and you may have to try a few before you get control of it. e.g. some will say avoid trigger foods/others say eat what you want until you get sick of it. Some say eat planned regular and healthy meals/others say go with the flow and eat what you want.

    In my case I find giving up bingeing a little like giving up smoking.
    I get cravings for certain foods which are very hard to resist, and when I start eating them I can't stop!
    So for me it has made sense to completely avoid certain trigger foods (chocs, cheese, cakes - usual suspects).
    I can't manage the 'everything in moderation' advice. Diets allowing small treats do not work for me. In my world there is no such thing as a 'small' treat.
    It hasn't been easy but I have to say that a couple of months in I no longer crave the sugary fatty stuff.
    The 'cold turkey' symptoms only lasted a couple of weeks.

    Now I'm not saying this would work for everybody, I'm just letting you know what worked for me.

    So basically you are going to have to do some trial and error to find out what works for you. I can only encourage you and reassure you that, like any habit, binge eating can be overcome. But it does need you to be in the right place mentally and determined to really go for it. Most human beings find changes in regular habits difficult.

    It is also worth mentioning that bingeing can be down to psychological problems and if this is your case then you will likely not recover until you have addressed these via counselling/talking therapy.

    Best wishes to you.
    what an awesome reply I'm glad I read it. Thank you for sharing your story!
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    I plan my day and then eat all my planned snacks at once, should I try not planning my day?

    http://www.oagb.org.uk/ might lead to some resources that can help. It is a self control / emotional / mental issue that I'm not well qualified to comment on but I have a friend who is very similar. There are some books on Amazon.

    http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/prescriptions-life/201008/5-reasons-why-you-cant-control-your-eating
    http://www.helpguide.org/mental/binge_eating_disorder.htm

    If you live alone keeping the amount and types of food under control should help, I'm not convinced about pre-preparing food as it may just make it easier to access.