Binge Eating

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newki
newki Posts: 30 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello... Just running into a few road blocks here. I have bipolar disorder and I am pregnant. Part of the pregnancy means worsened episodes of mania and depression. While I have most things under control one of the problems I am facing is that during depressive moods or when I'm feeling isolated I binge eat. So, i'm wondering if anyone has any tips for avoiding binging, and saying no to more. Often I eat less during the day and then a whole bunch in the evening, so my calorie counts are fine, but I'm eating half the days intake in just an evening. :/ It's hard on the pregnancy and hard on my body, but I really have a hard time with it.

I currently drink tea, which seems to help.
I also chew gum.

During these times I usually crave carby things which are screwy for my head and my body/ make moods worse.

Replies

  • lwdllc
    lwdllc Posts: 234 Member
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    Check out the beck diet solution it's a great book that will help you with cognitive therapy on how to deal with those times. It changed my relationship with food. Occasionally I do resort back to binging, but the book gave me the tools to deal with the situations. As well as how to get myself out of that behavior and cycle.

    Also try meal planning, and not just for one day, for a week, two weeks, or a month at a time. Choose foods that are interesting. This way during a meal you have your next meal to look forward to and it makes it easier to not go to the fridge or the pantry in between meals. It takes a long time to do it but once it's done it sure makes meal preparations easy. I do one month of meal planning a time lunches and dinners. I typically eat the same thing for breakfast for a week. When I sit down and do my meal planning I try to use ingredients that I have at hand and I write my shopping list with the date on them well I am doing it.

    Good luck!
  • newki
    newki Posts: 30 Member
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    Thanks! I will check it out.
  • igetjunkemails
    igetjunkemails Posts: 13 Member
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    I'd really recommend a high dose of Omega 3- really reallly high quality- check if it's ok to take when you're pregnant but I've found it worked wonders on both mood and binge eating tendencies! - It's certainly not the whole fix but if you're less deficient in healthy fats it helps by removing one trigger :)
  • newki
    newki Posts: 30 Member
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    I actually take Oceans Alive Phytoplankton which is basically the DHA i'd be getting from the omegas. :/
  • Ailorn
    Ailorn Posts: 79 Member
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    While pregnant bipolar tends to get very bad and the psychiatrist who specializes in women's health that i work with recomends her bipolar patients stay on their medication. Most of the time (as long as you arent on depakote) the benefits of medication outweigh the risks for bipolar disorder. While I am not a doctor I am a licenced professional counselor, and i work with many clients with bipolar disorder. I recomend connecting with a specialized psychiatrist rather than just a pcp if you dont have one already. Best wishes :)
  • newki
    newki Posts: 30 Member
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    I can't actually take the medication while i'm not pregnant. My body is sensitive I end up with every side effect you can imagine. Most medications have been reported to cause fetal problems and pregnancy complications. :/ I've been working this out free of medications for a few years and while its bad, yes, I know I can get through. There are just a few things holding me back.

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