binging

I have to keep my self occupied with something else. Sometimes that means scrubbing the bathroom or kitchen floor. Get lost in a good book. I did that a bunch this week. Ive been running as soon as I get home so I eat a late dinner and don't have time to snack.

I wanted to binge today. Instead I had a healthy,tasty, filling lunch. After lunch...I was no longer hungry. And I enjoyed my lunch so I was satisfied. The desire to binge faded away.

Good luck to you.

I get that way at times. The last few days have been harder than most. Part of it is that I just quit smoking cloves, and the other part is TOM. Knowing the reason behind it helps

Do you have any foods that make you feel like eating more after you've consumed them? Do you feel like eating when you see people on the TV eat? Do you feel like binging around certain times of the day or during certain activities? Pay attention to the cues and triggers in your life and weed them out. Be mindful of what you're eating and why all the time.

As soon as I saw this topic I knew where I needed to ask for support. I will do well for weeks then I go off the wagon.....and its down hill from there. I totally know I binge for emotional reasons......I have for 20 years......I get so tired of fighting it. Had a great night at work yet on way home I stop at mini mart and load up on chocolate.......then I am upset with myself in the morning.:grumble:

For me it is feeling like I am on a diet. If I say 'this is how I eat, I can have what I want as long as it taste good and I am hungry'. Kknowing I can eat that potatoe, chip, ice cream, whatever it is, later when I am hungry again takes away the need to binge. It is when I tell myself 'oh just eat it all now, later you will be good' that I have binges that last days! Plus if I think I want to eat like crazy I make myself sit at the kitchen table. A book that really helped me stop 35 years of bingeing was 'have your cake and skinny jeans too'.

Thanks....I will check into that book

Tips for combatting binging I can say worked well for me:

Giving myself a non-food reward for not starting the binge e.g. A book or song
Journalling. Writing down everything I feel at the strongest moment of binge, how I feel, where am I, temperature, what am I wearing, what was i doing, am I actually thirsty? Am I feeling stressed at all? I use the journal to work through problems if i don't have someone else to sound them out to.
I ensure I plan all my food every day so I have a perfect balance of fats, protein and carbs so my body is nourished.

If you crave something sweet you probably need calcium from dairy or leafy veggies
If you crave savoury you'll be needing iron and vitamin D in beet root, oily fish and eggs

Also concentrate really hard on how crap you feel after a binge and anchor that feeling by pinching your little finger.
Repeat three times.
Next time a binge is coming pinch your finger and you will reminded of how crap you will feel which should feel more painful than the desire for your "fix".

Another technique is to have a little of what you like in the house. So have that chocolate. But only have a couple of chunks and eat it reallllllllly slowly and not in front of the tv. Take a really long time to chew or suck each morsel and much less should satisfy you!

Try it - what do you have to lose?

Also concentrate really hard on how crap you feel after a binge and anchor that feeling by pinching your little finger.
Repeat three times.
Next time a binge is coming pinch your finger and you will reminded of how crap you will feel which should feel more painful than the desire for your "fix".

Great one, will try. It's kinda the same way we trained our dog to poop in the right place, lol.

Great tips!
Some more:
Also, wear a rubber band on your wrist. Snap gently whenever inappropriate food/eating thoughts occur. They will gradually disappear, especially if you redirect your thoughts to other things.
Really get in touch with your feelings. If binging occurs in connection with a particular situation, analyze "WHY?" I found that I had unresolved anger at the preceeding situation and was trying to resolved it through eating. Sometimes anxiety tips you over.
Habits are hard to break, but each time you repeat the behavior you are reinforcing the habit. Reinforce your good habits. Not reinforcing the bad habits gradually reduces their power.
PLAN for temptations. Write down your plan so you can read it later. Write a letter to your weakened self, LOL!
Write notecards stating why you want to lose weight. What do you expect will occur. Read through these before you give in.
Write down your food before you eat it. That tells you what you're doing.
Slow down your binges, i.e. Lay out the food, weigh it, savor it with your eyes, figure up its calories, write them down, read over your notecards, figure how many days you will have to lower your future calories to make up for this binge. Ask yourself what would you do with this food if you didn't eat it. Could you fit it todays calories? Could you eat a hunk now and have some later?
When you 'Give yourself permission' to binge, then YOU are in CONTROL! You aren't 'Knee-Jerking' to an emotional drive! You can even do this in front of Authority and justify your actions!

Just writing this reinforces my dedication to my heather behavior. Thanks for the opportunity.