What stopped you binge eating?
jessiefied
Posts: 167
Just wondering from those who have broken their binge eating habits: what stopped you binge eating?
I have tried restricting the foods I binge eat, and it certainly helps, but now I am thinking I will instead restrict where I can eat; as its always when I am alone that I binge.
Please share your successes an tries!
I have tried restricting the foods I binge eat, and it certainly helps, but now I am thinking I will instead restrict where I can eat; as its always when I am alone that I binge.
Please share your successes an tries!
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Replies
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Just got sick of feeling terrible and guilty afterwards. Also found that I didnt even like the food I was bingeing on! So now I just make sure I never get super hungry so now I'm no long tempted to gorge on everything... even food I dont like.0
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Intensive Outpatient Therapy. Those 3 months of treatment were the best of my life!0
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I was bulimic, and I found that when I stopped starving and purging, I'd be less inclined to binge. However, it still happened during recovery so I began to exercise*. For me, it helps to keep my appetite down, and boosts my mood so I don't eat emotionally. Equally, I pay more attention to the food I eat because I'm thinking about what I need to fuel a workout. Eating *enough*, allowing myself occasional treats and eating things like wholegrains/protein which digest more slowly also reduces my hunger which reduces my desire to binge. Finally, I don't keep snack foods in the house because an extra journey to the shops usually stops me from going out (and if I end up going to the supermarket in the cold, I probably need the food anyway). Hope this helps!
(a lot of people swear by drinking water/tea to keep them full. doesn't work for me but might be helpful for you...?)
*edit: exercise when I felt like bingeing - by the time I got back, the hunger would be gone or greatly reduced.0 -
I just finished reading "Intuitive Eating" and I'm trying to incorporate the ideas presented there. Lots of science/studies showing it does work. No "restriction", just honoring my sense of fullness, mindful eating, paying attention to how the food makes me feel, etc.
http://www.intuitiveeating.org/0 -
Making the connection between binge eating as a way to shove my feelings aside. Once I understood that, I worked on using different techniques to get more in touch with what I was feeling (alternatives to eating, being aware of what I was feeling, positive self talk, compassion, etc.)0
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I have to stay away from certain trigger foods, sad but just know that I can't handle them without my body going nuts. And like you I am more tempted when I'm alone - and feeling lonely. I find the urge is still there anytime I'm feeling a bit low or tired and creeps up on me suddenly, but the best thing I have found is exercise - just put on your shoes and go for a walk, gym class or turn the music up and dance. Whether its the endorphins or the time it takes up or not wanting to then waste the calories I've burned it ALWAYS makes it easier for me to stay stable through and hang on to the next planned meal.0
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Therapy, exercise, and developing behavioral modification strategies to deal with emotional distress in a more productive way. If you are a true binge eater (not just a compulsive eater), you are probably eating to relieve some sort of emotional issue. It's kind of like cutting where a person seeks a physical resolution to an emotional problem. Make a list of activities that you like to do that will take an hour or two. Then do one of those things until the episode passes. The biggest thing is just getting comfortable with being uncomfortable for a short period of time.
Exercising most days of the week helps me stay grounded too and relieves a lot of stress.
I also avoided trigger foods when I was not as far along in my journey. I had to. I've been adding some back in but I just eat them out, not in the house.0 -
I just finished reading "Intuitive Eating" and I'm trying to incorporate the ideas presented there. Lots of science/studies showing it does work. No "restriction", just honoring my sense of fullness, mindful eating, paying attention to how the food makes me feel, etc.
http://www.intuitiveeating.org/
Intuitive Eating helped me tremendously. It actually closed the gap between "working on recovery" and "almost fully recovered." Yes!0 -
A calorie burner/appetite suppressant has helped me. You can do it!0
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I was bulimic, and I found that when I stopped starving and purging, I'd be less inclined to binge. However, it still happened during recovery so I began to exercise*. For me, it helps to keep my appetite down, and boosts my mood so I don't eat emotionally. Equally, I pay more attention to the food I eat because I'm thinking about what I need to fuel a workout. Eating *enough*, allowing myself occasional treats and eating things like wholegrains/protein which digest more slowly also reduces my hunger which reduces my desire to binge. Finally, I don't keep snack foods in the house because an extra journey to the shops usually stops me from going out (and if I end up going to the supermarket in the cold, I probably need the food anyway). Hope this helps!
(a lot of people swear by drinking water/tea to keep them full. doesn't work for me but might be helpful for you...?)
*edit: exercise when I felt like bingeing - by the time I got back, the hunger would be gone or greatly reduced.
Agree fully!0 -
I cured BED, and a very long list of other illnesses, by changing WHAT I eat. Willpower, therapy, and medications can not resolve nutrient deficiency. As soon as I was eating nutrient dense foods, even in small volumes, BED went away all by itself. So has obesity, depression, pre-diabetes, arthritis, GERD, sleep apnea, etc etc.
Today I threw away all the OA stuff I kept hanging around. It's so ridiculous that physical illnesses are not treated as such. The brain IS part of the physical body.0 -
I just finished reading "Intuitive Eating" and I'm trying to incorporate the ideas presented there. Lots of science/studies showing it does work. No "restriction", just honoring my sense of fullness, mindful eating, paying attention to how the food makes me feel, etc.
http://www.intuitiveeating.org/
Intuitive Eating helped me tremendously. It actually closed the gap between "working on recovery" and "almost fully recovered." Yes!
Where can I find this? It looks interesting.0 -
Just got disgusted at what I saw in the mirror. That started my journey .. no more junk food or diet pop. No binges since August .. well except this one "eating 2 lbs of grapes" incident. I just don't have those past binge inducing foods in my house anymore .. so there is no temptation.0
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There's a link to the Intuitive Eating site in my post. The site includes a page with a list of the ten principles of Intuitive Eating.
www.intuitiveeating.org
The book is widely available. I purchased my copy from Amazon.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1250004047/ref=cm_sw_su_dp0 -
Personally my binge eating is directly linked to depression and some good old antidepressants cured it right up.0
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Who stopped? :devil:
I just do it much less often, and don't kick myself in the head when I do it. I just log it and go on about my day. If you only do it once or twice a month, it's not a big deal. :drinker:0 -
I stopped eating those things altogether for a couple months and just used protein shakes for my cravings. Then it was mostly gone. I've still had mini binges but I hold myself accountable to my goal so I never go overboard as long as it leaves me enough calories for dinner... I log before I eat too. If I'm going to have another cookie, I'm going to log it first. Sometimes it just shows me that no, I can't do it or I'll be hungry after dinner, so I don't eat it.
It's a choice... eat something more now or be hungry later. Being over my goal is just not an option, except those PMS days when I'm really starving and days when I plan it. I just won't let myself go over because of a binge.0 -
I was bulimic, and I found that when I stopped starving and purging, I'd be less inclined to binge. However, it still happened during recovery so I began to exercise*. For me, it helps to keep my appetite down, and boosts my mood so I don't eat emotionally. Equally, I pay more attention to the food I eat because I'm thinking about what I need to fuel a workout. Eating *enough*, allowing myself occasional treats and eating things like wholegrains/protein which digest more slowly also reduces my hunger which reduces my desire to binge. Finally, I don't keep snack foods in the house because an extra journey to the shops usually stops me from going out (and if I end up going to the supermarket in the cold, I probably need the food anyway). Hope this helps!
(a lot of people swear by drinking water/tea to keep them full. doesn't work for me but might be helpful for you...?)
*edit: exercise when I felt like bingeing - by the time I got back, the hunger would be gone or greatly reduced.
This> pretty much all of it. I find a 10 minute walk can put me off the binge bus. Plus I try to keep my hands full - as in with cross stitch or crochet - something I have to use both of them to do and that I don't want to get food all over so that I don't eat when I am really bored instead of hungry. Also, I keep healthier choices around for the times I can't stop myself because of stress. I can eat a whole container of cherry tomatoes or a pint of yogurt with much less guilt so that the purging cycle doesn't start up again.0 -
Who stopped? :devil:
I just do it much less often, and don't kick myself in the head when I do it. I just log it and go on about my day. If you only do it once or twice a month, it's not a big deal. :drinker:
Me too, I've been a binge eater all my life, and I've never stopped. I may even do it more now that I have quit smoking becuse I don't have any other vice/emotional outlet. I just binge on better food now. And from time to time, I binge on the crap I used to binge on. I log it and move on, with guilt and all.0 -
Who stopped? :devil:
I just do it much less often, and don't kick myself in the head when I do it. I just log it and go on about my day. If you only do it once or twice a month, it's not a big deal. :drinker:
Me too, I've been a binge eater all my life, and I've never stopped. I may even do it more now that I have quit smoking becuse I don't have any other vice/emotional outlet. I just binge on better food now. And from time to time, I binge on the crap I used to binge on. I log it and move on, with guilt and all.
Oh, I ditched the guilt. I don't feel the least bit guilty. You don't get a gold star when you die because you "ate responsibly" your whole life. A balanced life should include some indulgences, but the guilt is strictly optional. :drinker:0 -
When I first decided to attack my binging (when it was at its worst) I did the following:
- Logged my binges. Seeing how many calories I was consuming on a regular basis was eye opening
- Took photos of myself - I noticed the weight gain and I realisd I didn't want to look like that anymore
- Got rid of all my 'trigger'/binge foods for quite a while - cereal, peanut butter, ice cream, almonds, pasta, biscuits, chips, etc.
- Because I usually binged when everyone else was asleep or not home, I decided to avoid the kitchen at binging time - e.g. at night I would finish dinner, get a cup of tea, lock myself in my room and watch tv shows/read until I felt sleepy
- In this period I didn't lose weight - I just aimed to eat like a 'normal' person and maintained (maybe lost a little bit unintentionally)
After I felt comfortable enough to avoid binges I was able to begin losing weight.
Of course I still go over my intake every now and then - when there's a special occassion and often when I'm drinking :P
But it's not the same as uncontrollable, emotional eating...0 -
May be too late for anyone to see this - but it's important information.
Posted by "GoKaleo" on Facebook:
It's important to make a clear distinction between "Sugar Addiction' and Binge Eating Disorder, because very often the protocols that are marketed as treatments for sugar addiction will actually make Binge Eating Disorder worse.
Some symptoms of BED:
-eating to excess, even when already full
-a feeling of loss of control over food intake, inability to stop eating
-a sense of guilt and shame over your eating
-never feeling satiated
-stockpiling food and eating it in secret
-feelings of stress and anxiety that are relieved by eating
Many people experience these symptoms specifically in relation to sugary foods, because sugar is vilified in our culture and is very often the target of restriction efforts. If you're experiencing these symptoms, it's important to make sure you're diagnosed accurately. Treating BED with a diet is not effective and is likely to make matters worse, not better. Most Sugar Addiction protocols involve restrictive diets, even if they're not called diets. There is NO SHAME in seeking treatment for disordered eating. It is courageous. And if you are a parent, it will model responsible, compassionate self care for your children.
More here, including resources for finding help: http://gokaleo.com/2013/07/01/sugar-addiction/0 -
I have recently found that regular exercise controls/ reduces my cravings. Like others I realised I didn't even like many of the foods I over ate, I was eating for the sake of it. My body can't handle unrefined carbs, they set me off eating loads of junk. I'm hoping that these realisations along with a lowcarb diet will keep me on track. Yes I will allow myself a refeed day every couple of weeks but hopefully it will be planned and managed and I will get back on track the next day.
I'm so glad to come across more and more people who have a similar problem, it confirms I'm not imagining things.;-)0 -
I quit all the binging foods altogether for a couple months, and drank protein shakes to help with the cravings (it was shakeology. I don't know if it's because it was that kind of shake or if any shakes would have worked). After that it was much easier to resist binges for some reason. I've had mini binges... but I still leave myself enough calories for dinner, so I don't know if it really counts? Ok, except on Halloween, I had two extra candy bars... But the rest of the time, I'm doing ok and not wanting to go over my goal because I REALLY want to lose weight really seems to do the trick. I guess I remind myself of the big picture (do I want to be thin or do I want to enjoy this food for the 10 seconds it will take to eat it?), and it helps.0
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Eating a diet high in nutrients, and getting rid of processed foods.0
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Medication. Went from constant obsession to thinking about it only a couple times a day and when I do eat I'm done with a lot less food.0
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Instead of eating I workout now, if I am feeling extra hungry I say well I will work out and then see how I feel and usually by then I have gotten the high that binge eating use to give me and I am not hungry. Just changing my behavior into a positive.0
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1)Hot sauce - It may not be useful to some, but it has helped me decrease my entree-binging drastically! Chili garlic sauce by Huy Fong is my favorite and sriracha comes second. I add enough to make me set the food down every couple of bites which luckily for me doesn't require very much. This also helps me drink more water -- not sure if this is common with other binge eaters, but I've been told I am chronically dehydrated.
2)Fruit and full meals - I have stopped buying sweets for the most part. I tell myself I must eat a healthy snack or my meal before eating rich sweets that are offered to me by family or friends and oftentimes my craving will subside with the time it takes me to eat the substitute.
3)Not hiding - I've been reminding myself that my private eating leads to my worst binges. If I am feeling overwhelmed with my temptation, I either go out to eat (time and money-allowing) or eat in the kitchen or outside my apartment complex. I've been in the habit of hiding my binges since I was a young child. I know that I put on better behavior for others, so I'm hoping with repetition I will get better alone over time as well.
4)Eating without distraction - I also tend to binge when I am not focusing on my eating. If I direct my focus on savoring the food for the small amount of time I am spending eating (relatively speaking), I enjoy my food much more and feel less stress about eating.
I can't say I've stopped binge eating entirely, but these have helped me control my eating more in the past couple months.
Best wishes!0 -
I haven't "cured it". I just don't keep those foods in the house or if i buy, I eat one or two servings and then throw it away
(or encourage hubby to eat) .... oh lord i threw away Ben & Jerry's and cookies and pastas and cake
If i don't allow myself to have the foods i love, once in a while, ill binge and eat the whole container.
I have found overtime, I've been able to keep a couple binge foods in the house with understanding they require portion control (like edys double churned lower fat ice cream).
Oh another trick, i buy the proportioned binge foods. Like ice cream sandwiches rather than 1/2 gallons.0 -
I would mindlessly eat. Like Id be halfway through a binge without even thinking about it. Id have terrible tummy cramps and be going to the toilet 4 times a day because of all the rubbish I ate and thats whats stopping me. I dont want that pain again, unable to sleep because my stomach hurts, waiting til my family go to bed to gorge on food as quickly as I could. I started to binge due to post natal depression and the stresses of handling 2 kids while my partner works day/night 12 hour shifts as a security gaurd. Id be on my own with 2 fighting boys and then Id binge to calm myself down at the end of the day.
I now have a half full bag of jelly babies in a drawer that im not touching and will not touch. I will let myself have a hot chocolate drink in the evening instead of chocolate nutella in porridge oats like I used to, and it helps alot. I also buy single portions intead of multipacks as I WILL eat all 6 packs of popcorn if I get a multi bag!0
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