Binge eating; HOW TO STOP

Options
245

Replies

  • lisaabenjamin
    lisaabenjamin Posts: 665 Member
    Options
    On the occassion where I have binged, I actually work out the calories I've consumed then I spread them across 2-3 days of the rest of the week and reduce my calorie intake for that week only

    That's a really good idea :-)
  • PearlAng
    PearlAng Posts: 681 Member
    Options
    I did it the other day. I ate potato chips, some Mexican food, and 3 Little Debbie cakes before I realized what I was doing. The best thing to do is REALLY feel the guilt of eating all that. Realize that behavior does NOT get you what you want.
    no...I'm sorry, I disagree.

    What did we all do when we were little? Sometimes, if we didn't get what we wanted, we cried, screamed, and became miserable. Sometimes we got our way, sometimes we didn't. What Im saying is, if you ignore too many cravings, you WILL be more inclined you binge. You can only hold out for so long.

    Also, you should NEVER feel guilty about eating. Its not a healthy mindset, so it will lead you to a very unhealthy relationship with food. An unhealthy relationship with food does not result in weight loss. Sure, sometimes we cant help but feel guilt when we've eaten too much or too junky---but you must do your best to try to find some self forgiveness.

    Things to try:
    -if your hunger is boredom driven, whereas you eat and you're not really hungry, just bored or stressed, try to take up doing something that you really enjoy. If you really cant, physically remove yourself to prevent binges by going to a clothes store and looking around, take a walk, take a drive, etc.

    -make sure to eat plenty of what you want, but try to surround it with nutritionally rich food, as well. I love pizza, and when I get pizza sometimes ill put my own spinach on top. I love oreos, so I make banana "ice cream" and crumpled a few on top or have some with some soymilk for protein.

    -recognize triggers, and do your best to avoid them, but know that it may not always be possible.

    -if you feel like you cant keep certain foods in the house right now, when you want them, go out for a small serving bag.
  • trelisiab
    trelisiab Posts: 5 Member
    Options
    Perhaps you can pour a handful of chips in a napkin and walk out of the kitchen with your snack. It's OK to have chips and cookies but we have to be mindful to eat in moderation. You may also want to limit the amounts of junk foods you bring into the home so you won't be tempted to binge.
  • vjohn04
    vjohn04 Posts: 2,276 Member
    Options
    I did it the other day. I ate potato chips, some Mexican food, and 3 Little Debbie cakes before I realized what I was doing. The best thing to do is REALLY feel the guilt of eating all that. Realize that behavior does NOT get you what you want.

    This is not a healthy relationship with food. Having guilt for eating something is never good and is completely disordered.
  • torycw77
    torycw77 Posts: 3 Member
    Options
    A lower carb life-style may be one option with a start that all but eliminates carbs and then brings good carbs back in. An example would be Atkins.
  • cokekitty
    cokekitty Posts: 26
    Options
    I think a lot of the advice other people have offered is really good stuff. Be mindful of what triggers you to binge and work on either avoiding your triggers or acknowledging them but not letting them take over. It'll take practice, for sure. And you'll screw up. Just try not to let it hurt you too much. You should never feel guilty for eating. Your body needs fuel to survive! Eating is NOT your enemy. Please remember that.

    However, if it's affecting your daily life or causing you a lot of emotional distress, I highly recommend you see a doctor to express your concerns. I can't diagnose you (nor would I try), but a lot of people don't know that Binge Eating Disorder is a thing. It is. And it's every bit as damaging to a person as any other eating disorder.

    I hope it doesn't sound like I'm making a mountain out of a molehill, I've just known a lot of people who struggle with eating disorders and whenever I read something like this my brain immediately goes into crisis mode. You deserve a happy and healthy relationship with food. You deserve to eat junk food without feeling out of control. You deserve happiness!
  • melmckay99
    melmckay99 Posts: 358
    Options
    I developed a binge eating problem after calorie restricting for several months. It has been a roller coaster. You need to stop it from happening BEFORE it happens. If you think you are going to binge on something and feel the urge to do it, think about how you are going to feel afterwards instead of how the food will make you feel at the time andi n the moment. For me, a binge makes me happy for like 5 minutes while I eat cause it just tastes so good and I love being able to feel full, but then it is followed by hours, or even days of shame, guilt and regret. Don't let this take over your life and overcome it ASAP while you stil can.
  • LoggingForLife
    LoggingForLife Posts: 504 Member
    Options
    What has helped me is reading about mindful eating, also called intutive eating. If you google you will find some good books. There are several, find one that strikes you.
  • ArtsyGarbage
    ArtsyGarbage Posts: 38
    Options
    i'm seeing a lot of really great advice c: so i'll just add this:

    1: don't let negative feelings about a recent binge bring you down. realize that it happened, it's in the past now, and then pick yourself right back up.

    2: recognize what you're doing and feeling in the moment that you start to binge. (a little tougher if you don't realize your on the path to binging, i will admit.)

    3: **gate off your kitchen with a baby gate. this isn't to stop you from going into the kitchen, it's to make your brain more aware that you're opening the gate to go into the kitchen and when doing so it gives you the time to think why: are you hungry? are you bored?

    **I used this method and I really do recommend it. like i said before, it's not there to stop you from going into the kitchen, it's there to make you aware that you're going into the kitchen.
  • kerricus
    kerricus Posts: 165 Member
    Options
    You need to find out what works for you. Try different things.

    Someone else said that she buys small bags of chips and eats them. That doesn't work for me at all.

    I cannot have any junk food in my apartment. Nothing at all or I will eat the whole thing in one go. I know that about myself, so when I go grocery shopping I only shop the perimeter. I don't go down any of the center aisles that I know are full of my triggers--corn chips, pita chips, cookies, bread, frozen pizza (I love me some simple carbs).

    I admit that sometimes I fail. Sometimes I go to the store and I head right for the frozen pizza. I acknowledge then and there what I am about to do and I do it. I own it. I eat the whole damn thing and then the next day I pick myself up and go back to eating healthy. No guilt.

    I do keep chocolate in my apartment, but it's like 80% cacao and doesn't taste great. It takes care of the craving but it's bitter and there's no way I want to eat more than a square.

    As I said, try different things. Try buying smaller portions. Maybe that works for you. If it doesn't, try only buying food around the store perimeter (dairy, meat, fresh veggies and fruit) that you have to prepare or cook. No one wants to binge on carrots!

    2 books I highly recommend: "The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite" and "Salt Sugar Fat." Easy to read. Not diet books. They explained to me why I eat what I eat. Knowing that it's party the food industry making money off of me makes it easier to resist temptation.
  • reginamom
    reginamom Posts: 5 Member
    Options
    I LOVE that idea of putting post-it notes on junk foods! Salty snacks are my weakness.
  • Akimajuktuq
    Akimajuktuq Posts: 3,037 Member
    Options
    Binge Eating Disorder is often a symptom of a real physical problem called MALNUTRITION. If your body is not getting the nutrients that it needs, you will always have the urge to eat, it never goes away.

    I cured BED, and many many other health problems by changing WHAT I eat. OA didn't work, counselling didn't work, low fat low calorie diets made me sicker…. Many people will tell you that the food doesn't matter, but where do the nutrients come from that fuels all the processes in our body?
  • SoDamnHungry
    SoDamnHungry Posts: 6,998 Member
    Options
    My best method has been to log as I binge. It'll often stop me in my tracks.
  • shells1234
    shells1234 Posts: 64 Member
    Options
    Leave yourself room in your calories for some chocolate or chips!! I have struggled with bingeing for three years now while trying to lose weight. I would completely cut everything from my diet except healthy foods then with a few days would be curled up in a corner surrounded by empty potato chip bags, reeses wrappers, and any other junk food you could name!! I have heard people say that if you eat a whole bunch of "crap" at one sitting it will make you feel like crap and you wont want to eat it for a very long time. That doesn't work for me. But after two years of fighting it I let myself use portion control. Now I can have chips with salsa, and not binge on it. I eat really healthy now so if I do eat I lot of sweets I literally feel sick I had just one sugar cookie other the holidays and felt horrible. It gets better with time if you really want to change.
  • rockmama72
    rockmama72 Posts: 815 Member
    Options
    An old lady once told me, "Never put anything into your mouth that isn't delicious." This has been my mantra. For example, I do not think store bought cookies are truly delicious. They're kind of... you know, store bought. I do think homemade chocolate chip cookies are delicious! So I never ever buy cookies in the store, and if I really really want it, I have to bake it myself. (Or spend the money at a good bakery!) I've been living like this for a long time.

    Why am I chubby, you ask? I think wine is delicious and I'm lazy. I'm definitely working on both.

    But you can do this. Upgrade your food standards.

    And I agree with the posters who said to log every bite. Nothing like finishing out a day that's double what it should have been to smack you right in the face :-)
  • tibby531
    tibby531 Posts: 717 Member
    Options
    like most people are saying, identifying and realizing that you're doing it will help a LOT. I eat my emotions, so I have to watch myself very closely when I start getting to giddy or stressed out. but, I've also found that making sure that you're getting enough food throughout the day helps a LOT.

    I couldn't stop binge eating (DGAF style), and I finally redid all my goals; I upped my activity level, and instead of trying to eat 100-200 less than mfp recommends daily, I'm trying to eat ALL the calories. which has helped my "eat all the noms!" problem. :)

    it may take some time to figure out what works for you, but keep tracking and monitoring. remember, you're worth it!
  • ils_1231
    ils_1231 Posts: 249 Member
    Options
    haha soooo the other day i had a bad of bits and bites from bulk barn. i pretty well ate half the bag, which is/was more than a bag that I wouldve just purchased from the store. i would say portion things off and make zip lock bags your friend. i have so many individual baggies of nuts that i keep in the freezer. anytime that i want to eat anything i decide what a portion is... if thats too small well then i probably shouldnt be eating it, and i supplement it with something else if it fits into the calories per day.



    Monotonous eating is pretttttttty easy to do -- so prevent it from happening and going woah i just ate the WHOLE bag-- i do eat the whole bag, but what I had portioned off for myself.
  • CariS001
    CariS001 Posts: 169 Member
    Options
    I find it helps to record PRIOR to eating. If it's not recorded, it's not put near my mouth!!!
  • broox80
    broox80 Posts: 1,195 Member
    Options
    For me its a never ending battle. Keeping it out of the house doesnt work for me as I will just go through a drive thru when I am at work the next day. Its more of just filling my gullet full of absolute crap and basking in the self loathing that follows. It is almost like a form of sadomasochism in my case. I know it is hurting me, but I dont care. At that moment, I feel that is what I deserve. I have greatly cut back on doing this so I have been able to lose weight again. Its just a little devil on my shoulder that remains there. Sometimes I can shut him down, sometimes I cant. I am more often shutting him down, so to me that is improvement. I try to log everyday, because when I dont, I can let it get out of control and fast. Will I have to log everything I eat every day of my natural born life??? Maybe!! And I am ok with that, if I can have a life again :) You arent alone in this. Just know that you are strong. You wouldnt let someone just come and bully you at your job or your personal life would you?? Nope, you would stand up for yourself or at least seek out support from others being treated the same way. This is kind of the same thing, but you are being bullied by something else. Stand up for yourself and fight what you deserve!! That helps me a little!!! :)
  • EllaBelleAces
    EllaBelleAces Posts: 51
    Options
    I did it the other day. I ate potato chips, some Mexican food, and 3 Little Debbie cakes before I realized what I was doing. The best thing to do is REALLY feel the guilt of eating all that. Realize that behavior does NOT get you what you want.

    This is not a healthy relationship with food. Having guilt for eating something is never good and is completely disordered.

    I believe this is entirely true. It's one thing to say to yourself "Damn, I shouldn't have eaten all that" and it's quite another to beat yourself up about it all day, and basically tear yourself down because you had a lapse.

    That being said, I have the same issue, not as much anymore, but when you grow up and food is love in your house... food with lots of butter is love in your house, well you get the picture. If I am hungry, or even bored, and I go to the cupboard, and open it up, there I have post it notes with lovely little words of advice to myself. For example my post it note on the shelf which has chips reads..

    "Dear Elle,

    I love you, but please don't put that in me. You love cucumbers, and you love apples. If you really need something salty, make some chutney, slide some of those delicious baked turnip chips that you love so much in the oven and do the healthy alternative for me.

    Love,
    Your body"

    Inspiration doesn't have to be hurtful, if you can remind yourself everyday that you love yourself, and your eating habits are to encourage you to treat your body well it goes along a lot easier. At least that's what works for me. I also find the idea of cooking most times completely deters me from even eating food that I honestly don't even need, then I just go find something to do.

Categories