Tips on controlling binge eating

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aliceinwondla
aliceinwondla Posts: 5
in Food and Nutrition
Hi, everybody,

I new here and need some advice.

I won't beat around the bush-I have an ED (yes, even currently). I had anorexia for quite a while and one day (two weeks ago), I started binge eating. Honestly, I've binged every day save one this week (Sun-now) and have gained ~4 pounds. That scares the ever loving daydreams out of me. That is actually 4 weeks of work just gone to hell in a bloody handbasket. Does anyone have any ideas on how to stop/control binge eating? Also, don't say, "Just stop-it's not hard." Believe me, I've tried to "just stop"; this isn't some harebrained kids game that you I can just quit whenever the urge strikes (neither is anorexia). It truly feels like hell in my head and after a day of constantly having to keep every muscle under close supervision, I collapsed sobbing. If you know me, you know that I hadn't cried since I was about five until that day (yesterday). As for purging-that hasn't happened. Neither option that I know of (puking, taking a laxative) is worth the weight loss.

*If you want to see my diary, I'm willing to upload a screenshot/ make it public for a day or two.
*Also, I am aiming to lose the binge weight, but I'm eating way more now (though it's still restrictive) on a "good" day (~800 cal) than I was before (~400-600 cal). My plan is to lose the binge eating weight and start from anorexic-skeleton-body-scratch. I'll up my cals by 14 a day/100 a week and workout harder (heavier weights, daily cardio/HIIT).

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  • Rocbola
    Rocbola Posts: 1,998 Member
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    The unfortunate thing about most foods today is that they have addictive properties designed into them by the food manufacturers. It is very hard to continue to eat processed foods, and not binge eat, just like it's hard for an alcoholic to have just one beer and call it a night. Unfortunately, i think there are some foods you just may have to give up entirely. (I haven't had ice cream in over a year, and i don't miss it, because i can make an Ice Cream-like fruit mixture in my blender or food processor)

    The other issue i have found with binge eating is that my body is really calling out for something. It could be more calories, or it could be nutrition. When i started adding fresh made vegetable juices to my daily routine, my binge eating stopped entirely.

    One more thing to consider is that if you don't eat enough today, you WILL binge sooner or later. Trying to eat too few calories is like trying to hold your breath. Sooner or later, your subconscious mind will override your conscious willpower, and your body will acquire the oxygen it needs.

    Without viewing your diary, i think i can still give you 3 pieces of advice:
    Include as much high nutrient food as possible. (fruits, veggies)
    Give up anything with MSG, or any MSG like components. (That's about 80% of processed food)
    Eat enough! Seek out fruits and veggies now, so you aren't hungry later.
  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
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    Hi, everybody,

    I new here and need some advice.

    I won't beat around the bush-I have an ED (yes, even currently). I had anorexia for quite a while and one day (two weeks ago), I started binge eating. Honestly, I've binged every day save one this week (Sun-now) and have gained ~4 pounds. That scares the ever loving daydreams out of me. That is actually 4 weeks of work just gone to hell in a bloody handbasket. Does anyone have any ideas on how to stop/control binge eating? Also, don't say, "Just stop-it's not hard." Believe me, I've tried to "just stop"; this isn't some harebrained kids game that you I can just quit whenever the urge strikes (neither is anorexia). It truly feels like hell in my head and after a day of constantly having to keep every muscle under close supervision, I collapsed sobbing. If you know me, you know that I hadn't cried since I was about five until that day (yesterday). As for purging-that hasn't happened. Neither option that I know of (puking, taking a laxative) is worth the weight loss.

    *If you want to see my diary, I'm willing to upload a screenshot/ make it public for a day or two.
    *Also, I am aiming to lose the binge weight, but I'm eating way more now (though it's still restrictive) on a "good" day (~800 cal) than I was before (~400-600 cal). My plan is to lose the binge eating weight and start from anorexic-skeleton-body-scratch. I'll up my cals by 14 a day/100 a week and workout harder (heavier weights, daily cardio/HIIT).

    re the first bit in bold - sounds like you need counselling, because to go for so long without crying is neither healthy nor normal. I don't believe that nothing sad or bad happened to you in all those years. Bottling up emotions is extremely unhealthy and this (or what caused you to shut yourself off from your emotions, e.g. trauma or similar) is possibly the root cause of your eating disorder. A lot of people with eating disorders have other issues, e.g. PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), underneath (often from child abuse, sexual abuse in particular), and the eating disorder is an attempt to control their life/emotions or compensate for what's wrong. Counselling with someone who knows eating disorders, how to treat them including tackling the psychological issues that underpin them (whatever it is, it may not be PTSD it could be something else) sounds like what you need. Then the binge eating stuff will take care of itself (cure the root cause and the symptoms go away). BTW I don't have an eating disorder (nearly did at one point) but I do have PTSD and learned first hand that the not crying/bottling up emotions thing is not remotely healthy, not normal, and leads to nothing but worse pain and serious problems in the long term.

    re the second bit in bold - what do you mean by this? If you mean it how it comes across, i.e. get skeletally thin and rebuild your body from there, then that's even more reason to get counselling/treatment ASAP. Additionally, rebuilding your body after you've wasted all your muscles away is a lot more difficult than if you look after your body and avoid starving it to begin with.

    Seriously, get help ASAP
  • sa11yjane
    sa11yjane Posts: 491 Member
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    I completely agree with rocbola. I have had eating disorders on and off since I was 18 and am a recovering bulimic.

    I truly believe that some foods are addictive- if I 'just have' one biscuit in the staff room in morning break then I want crap for the rest of the day, it could easily set off a binge. If I just avoid all 'rubbish' carb food then I tend to stay on an even keel.

    Being very practical, I would suggest not having any trigger foods in the house- whatever it is you binge on; that is the biggest help to me. If I am tempted by others when out I tend to have a non-negotiable answer such as 'No thanks, I am full'- no one can argue with that.

    If you do binge then I must admit that I would skip my next meal to let my brain believe that I am in control, not the food- this obviously doesn't work for everyone but don't let a binge throw your whole day- allow your next meal to be something really healthy such as a nice homemade soup or roasted vegetables.

    Above all, be kind to yourself, after a binge don't go into a spiral of self-loathing. Tell yourself that you succumbed and made a mistake but it's not the end of the world...then get back on track with some healthy eating, something nice that you will enjoy.

    Try to find out what is causing this behaviour. In view of your history I would definitely recommend talking to a professional.

    And, ultimately, know that you are NOT on your own. There are millions of others who are struggling with food.

    Love and blessings to you, along with a big cyber hug

    Sally xxx
  • CharChary
    CharChary Posts: 220 Member
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    I am a recovering binge eater myself. I learned that the best way to stop binge eating was to pre-plan my meals and space them out 4 hours apart. This way I wasn't hungry, dabbling in snacks or anything like that. I also saw a therapist who helped me realize that I was binge eating because of other underlying issues that she helped me work through. We self-soothe using food! it's terrible.
  • aliceinwondla
    aliceinwondla Posts: 5
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    re the second bit in bold - what do you mean by this? If you mean it how it comes across, i.e. get skeletally thin and rebuild your body from there, then that's even more reason to get counselling/treatment ASAP. Additionally, rebuilding your body after you've wasted all your muscles away is a lot more difficult than if you look after your body and avoid starving it to begin with.

    Jesus; I'm about as proficient with technology as a lizard is in Canada.

    Sorry, I'm reading this in the morning so I just read what you bolded. Anyway, I already am skeletally thin, I'm trying to use MFP to slowly up my calories. It was kind of a tongue in cheek joke. Since I binge are and gained 4 lbs (I work in kg so this is approx.), I want to lose the 4 lbs of fat and start upping my cals to gain muscle. I'm not going to fast as a "punishment" for binge eating. If you think my upping amount is too low, I'm totally willing to go to 400 cals/week. I'm not too sure if I want to go more than that because I think my metabolism wouldn't be able to keep up. As for professional help-no thanks. They don't fix your mind; they just fix your body and that is just playing with fire. I'm not shelling out my savings to be force fed 3000 cals and have nobody give a damn about the psychological side of this. As for a psychologist-I can't afford one, but we have a counsellor on campus that I go to every other day.

    I don't lack muscle. I can knock out 200 crunches, 100 sit ups, 25 non-modified push-ups, 50 double leg lifts, 100 burpees, 4 minutes of continuos lunges etc...it's not great, but it's a solid foundation. If you feel that you have a better strategy, I willing to hear and do want to try. The gym is an hour drive from here, though, and costs a ton so I'm not shelling out for that, but I will buy weights/resistance bands.

    The not crying bit: I've been cold ever since I know. Never tried to get close to anybody, never did. I've never been in a traumatic situation. Honestly, I lived a pretty charmed life. You nailed it with the controlling thing though; I'm a complete perfectionist. Even talking to the counsellor, I believe it is the cause.

    *pardon the awful grammar and spelling
  • Eleonora91
    Eleonora91 Posts: 688 Member
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    My plan is to lose the binge eating weight and start from anorexic-skeleton-body-scratch. I'll up my cals by 14 a day/100 a week and workout harder (heavier weights, daily cardio/HIIT).

    I can understand most of the things you've written but I just don't get this. Considering that the binge has already happened, this doesn't mean that you've only gained fat and you should get rid of it in order to start again. I would personally forget about what happened during the last weeks and start again - now - you don't need to go through this useless weightloss. Especially if you're here to try to recover from anorexic habits.
    And I haven't quite understood if you want to increase your daily intake of 14 kcals only... if you're starting from 800 kcals (which is what you've recognized as a "good day") it would take you weeks to get to at least 1200 kcals, which is the minimum recommended intake here on MFP. I know it's not easy to go from eating nothing to eating 1200 kcals all at once, but if you've already binged you probably feel hungry enough to get more food inside your body. I think that you happened to binge because your body was sick about not eating enough, so it was some kind of a signal for you to eat more.
    You can get rid of the binging habits, I promise, even though it's really hard and it takes time you can get SO much better. But to me it seems like you need to focus on both avoiding overeating and undereating, which are both equally dangerous.
  • aliceinwondla
    aliceinwondla Posts: 5
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    My plan is to lose the binge eating weight and start from anorexic-skeleton-body-scratch. I'll up my cals by 14 a day/100 a week and workout harder (heavier weights, daily cardio/HIIT).

    I can understand most of the things you've written but I just don't get this. Considering that the binge has already happened, this doesn't mean that you've only gained fat and you should get rid of it in order to start again. I would personally forget about what happened during the last weeks and start again - now - you don't need to go through this useless weightloss. Especially if you're here to try to recover from anorexic habits.
    And I haven't quite understood if you want to increase your daily intake of 14 kcals only... if you're starting from 800 kcals (which is what you've recognized as a "good day") it would take you weeks to get to at least 1200 kcals, which is the minimum recommended intake here on MFP. I know it's not easy to go from eating nothing to eating 1200 kcals all at once, but if you've already binged you probably feel hungry enough to get more food inside your body. I think that you happened to binge because your body was sick about not eating enough, so it was some kind of a signal for you to eat more.
    You can get rid of the binging habits, I promise, even though it's really hard and it takes time you can get SO much better. But to me it seems like you need to focus on both avoiding overeating and undereating, which are both equally dangerous.

    Fair enough. I wanted to do 14 cals so it would add up to 100 cals a week (98 really, but who cares that much). True about the weight loss, though, and you're right, it likely will be triggering. My anorexia still gets the better of me sometimes, but I'm always willing to try. I suppose that's out the window-thank you! As for the calories, what do you suggest? Would 200/week be better or 300-400/week? I can't eat 2000 calories straight off the bat as I honestly can't put away that much food right now. My binges that lead me to 2000 cals a day usually result in me feeling like a lorry hit me square in the stomach or strange, inhuman sounds coming from my digestive system. Most of that probably has to do with eating tons in one sitting, but I'd rather not take the risk. A week of it is bad enough.
  • tjthegreatone
    tjthegreatone Posts: 324
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    I am quite disturbed by some of the bad advice you are getting here.
    You are 'binging' because you are starving. Your body has finally overriden your mental desire to starve yourself to death and this has nothing to do with how addictive or otherwise food is.
    This is not the place for people with eating disorders to seek advice on eating/exercise/weight - your body image is horrendously skewed. If you are not already on a treatment programme I would delete my account here and seek help from a professional asap. (Too many calorie-counting sites are used to fuel EDs and accumulate like-minded people).
    There is so much in your first post that needs deconstructing but not by anonymous people on an internet message board.
  • Eleonora91
    Eleonora91 Posts: 688 Member
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    Fair enough. I wanted to do 14 cals so it would add up to 100 cals a week (98 really, but who cares that much). True about the weight loss, though, and you're right, it likely will be triggering. My anorexia still gets the better of me sometimes, but I'm always willing to try. I suppose that's out the window-thank you! As for the calories, what do you suggest? Would 200/week be better or 300-400/week? I can't eat 2000 calories straight off the bat as I honestly can't put away that much food right now. My binges that lead me to 2000 cals a day usually result in me feeling like a lorry hit me square in the stomach or strange, inhuman sounds coming from my digestive system. Most of that probably has to do with eating tons in one sitting, but I'd rather not take the risk. A week of it is bad enough.

    I would aim for 1200 kcals a day to start. It's not a sufficient amount to gain, I mean, that's not what they suggest to anorexics in order to gain their weight back, but at least you'll slowly start to get enough calories and nutrients. If you feel like you can't eat so much food, think about the quality. Try to eat different foods, not all at once. The best thing would be having breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a couple of snacks. If there's some food you particulary appreciate, eat them often, so that you'll feel pleased in eating in. And most importantly try to build some new, healthy habits to associate to the eating process. Food is only here to keep you fueled, there's nothing bad about eating at all.
  • aliceinwondla
    aliceinwondla Posts: 5
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    Fair enough. I wanted to do 14 cals so it would add up to 100 cals a week (98 really, but who cares that much). True about the weight loss, though, and you're right, it likely will be triggering. My anorexia still gets the better of me sometimes, but I'm always willing to try. I suppose that's out the window-thank you! As for the calories, what do you suggest? Would 200/week be better or 300-400/week? I can't eat 2000 calories straight off the bat as I honestly can't put away that much food right now. My binges that lead me to 2000 cals a day usually result in me feeling like a lorry hit me square in the stomach or strange, inhuman sounds coming from my digestive system. Most of that probably has to do with eating tons in one sitting, but I'd rather not take the risk. A week of it is bad enough.

    I would aim for 1200 kcals a day to start. It's not a sufficient amount to gain, I mean, that's not what they suggest to anorexics in order to gain their weight back, but at least you'll slowly start to get enough calories and nutrients. If you feel like you can't eat so much food, think about the quality. Try to eat different foods, not all at once. The best thing would be having breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a couple of snacks. If there's some food you particulary appreciate, eat them often, so that you'll feel pleased in eating in. And most importantly try to build some new, healthy habits to associate to the eating process. Food is only here to keep you fueled, there's nothing bad about eating at all.

    Thanks, but I decided that I was going to skip 1200 and go straight to the 1350 that MFP set for me. It's been super hard to force myself to eat that much, and I've wanted to not eat at times, but I've pushed through. Hopefully two days of good eating can translate to more. I just wanted to say that, after eating 1350 my first time around, I almost considered taking a laxative, but your last sentence popped into mind and it was a factor in what stopped me (my friend slapping me across the face and saying that I was better than that was another, but I suffice), so thank you so much.
  • laurelobrien
    laurelobrien Posts: 156 Member
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    I am (was?) suffering from starvation-type bulimia, so I'd binge on 2000-5000 calories in a sitting, then starve myself out of self-loathing and guilt for days afterwards. I haven't had a binge episode in over a month, which I attribute to eating a ketogenic diet - no wheats, starches, sugars at all, and I found that now I don't crave them at all and eat in a controlled, predictable manner. This is pretty extreme for most people but it's also cleared up a lot of inflammation and fatigue.

    In general, the longer you abstain from foods that cause binges (particuarly refined carbs) the less you'll crave them. It's a bit like quitting smoking.
  • aliceinwondla
    aliceinwondla Posts: 5
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    Firstly, congratulations and so inspiring. People like you always amaze me. Secondly; bloody blasted hell. I would die if I ate any more than 2000 in less than a eight hour period. And starve myself? I know this is a sort of a backhanded compliment, but it is seriously impressive that you had the will power to do that. Thanks a bunch for the tip, but I don't want to go to extremes right now. It's so difficult and taxing mentally just to force myself to eat 1350 kcals a day and I don't want to trigger anything by going to another extreme. Being stupidly extreme is what led me to anorexia and taking "cheating" too far led to binge eating. Also, I'm severely lactose intolerant, have braces that I have to pay for and am poor so cutting carbs out for me would result in eating a chicken breast a day.

    Oh, I know. I was quite addicted to my candy as a child. I remember when I was 7 and saw my first cavity, I refused to eat candy for over four years. Didn't touch the stuff. After that, I couldn't handle the sweetness of candy.

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