Problem with Food :(

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MeaganMichelle93
MeaganMichelle93 Posts: 17 Member
in Food and Nutrition
So, this is kind of hard to admit because I feel like I should be ashamed, but I have a problem with binge eating. IT SUCKS!! Everyday, I wake up with the mindset that I am going to be good, and some days are better then others. There are days though where I'll crave something, or even after I eat something, and then I'll eat something else, then another thing, and before I know it, I have went through SOO much food.

This is a huge issue for me and it is preventing me from meeting my weight loss goals. I was just wondering if any of you could offer any advice or tips on how to kick this bad habit. I really need some help with this, and I appreciate any responses :)

Replies

  • HappyStack
    HappyStack Posts: 802 Member
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    You'll need to open your diary, if you've been logging consistently and honestly, to get a decent response.

    Binge eating can be caused by a lot of things, but one of the primary reasons is being too restrictive with your diet.
  • annie1977
    annie1977 Posts: 3
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    I so get you with this. I have suffered on and off throughout my life with binge eating. Half the time I didn't even enjoy the food I was eating but would get fixated and once I started it was hard to stop. They say if you try and wait or do something else the urge will pass but I found that my urge to binge could last hours if not days.The only thing that I have found that works is removing all trigger foods from my diet. I now follow a ketogenic diet and haven't binged once since starting. I have no sugar or wheat craving and most of all I feel satiated. I hope you find something that works for you. I know how frustrated you must be feeling right now.x
  • nicoleisback
    nicoleisback Posts: 184
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    I used to have a major problem with this. At one stage the only way I could stop was to just not keep anything around I was likely to binge on.

    These days I am quite a bit more controlled, and either have smaller portions of the foods I want or plan a cheat day in to my week/fortnight.
  • ElnuevoAdrian
    ElnuevoAdrian Posts: 50 Member
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    Does it happen at a certain time or after a certain thing (Sad, happy, depressed, etc.)?
  • TansieEye
    TansieEye Posts: 25
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    I can tell you what works for me. I really like to eat a lot of food. If I eat small portions or 'too healthy' I go off the rails at night sometimes. One thing I do is plan foods that will fill my plate but aren't high in calories for dinner, since I cheat at night. So I make a really really big salad and I put in three kinds of lettuce, tomatoes, bell peppers, onion, sprouts, radishes, celery, and then salsa. Then I put on 1-2 oz protein (crab, chicken) and salsa on the top, and maybe three crushed tortilla chips. Then I feel pretty full but my calorie count isn't crazy. I also keep snacks around that are low cal, but extremely tasty, like sugar free Popsicles (40 calories.) So I can 'cheat' without ruining my progress.
  • flumi_f
    flumi_f Posts: 1,888 Member
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    Of course there are alot of emotional reasons for binge eating. But also look at your diary - are you getting enough protein, are your simple carbs (white bread, sugar, chips etc) rather high?

    Some times the body is screaming for nutrient richer foods. If we give the the high cal / low nutrient foods, it will keep screaming and you will keep reaching for food.

    I was able to clean up alot of the emotional stuff, then I started increasing my protein a bit (I try to get 60-90g/day) and reducing pasta, bread (reducing not cutting out completely). I eat treats everyday, but I'm usually happy with two cookies or a piece of chocolate now. That open package in the cupboard doesn't scream as loud as it used too.

    I wish you success in finding your triggers and solutions.
  • Roaringgael
    Roaringgael Posts: 339 Member
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    Everyone so far has mentioned lots of information.
    An overly restrictive diet can start binge eating.
    I've had this problem on and off throughout my life.
    For me it can be an emotional response to just about anything.
    I no longer feel out of control with my food but still can lapse into over eating every day if I choose to.
    When I practice not over eating or binging I often feel restless/bored or I comfort eat because I feel a bit down.
    The way I started was to try not eating between meals and eat what I wanted at meal time.
    This gave me a sense of return to some sort of control.
    Over time I began to address how much I ate/what I ate at meals.
    But its important to never be overly restrictive with how much you eat. It just doesn't work for me.
  • 2Dozen
    2Dozen Posts: 66 Member
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    Remember, when you make the decision to be healthier you are essentially picking up a habit that has been contrary to the one you have had pretty much your whole life. I may have a couple of tips for you:

    How do you eat an elephant? A bite a a time. : Instead of focusing on daily goals, focus on meeting meal goals. Set up five or six meals spread throughout the course of the day. For an example you can look at my diary. (i used to have six solid meals now i have just the five and my snack is usually a 1530 small meal). Its easier to control yourself for say 3 hours than for 18 or however long you are up.

    Cardio: If for some reason you just cant stop snacking ramp up your cardio (i assume you are doing cardio). While proper nutrition is the first step to weight control, a great cardio regiment will free up some calories for you. I often jokingly tell people who just cant stop eating, "I hope you live in the gym".

    Moderation: a lot of people think to be fit you have to cut everything you love out of you life. This is a lie, everything in moderation. If you look at my diary a day doesn't go by that i don't eat something sweet. I think a day ago i had three Twinkies. So if its just too hard to quit cold turkey, cut a cookie out every couple of days and before you know it a box of Oreos last you three weeks.

    myfitnesspal: some people start too strong too fast. instead of your goal being loose 1.5 lbs a week, try .5 and then three or four weeks later jump to 1 lb and so forth. If you start at the highest goal first the large drop in calories immediately might seem impossible for you. When you think about it, a deficit of 200-300 calories a day isn't that bad.

    Ill stop now, i think im rambling.
  • lehaleha
    lehaleha Posts: 3
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    I used to be a huge binger and it kept me at a high weight and giving up all the time! A few things really helped me, and I've only binged once in the last few months!

    Firstly, I ALWAYS log everything I'm going to eat before I eat it. I find that just saying "no" to everything usually leads to another binge. So I just let myself entertain the thought. If I want a whole pizza or a little cookie or anything, I log it first. Then I get to decide if it's really what I want and usually I say no ;) It really helps add perspective for me in relation to my goals

    Secondly, before I binge I think about how I felt about my body before, when I was bingeing alot and not losing weight. I think "did that ever work for me before? Did I ever feel good about it? Did I ever lose weight? Did I ever NOT regret it?" usually the answer is NO. That usually sets me straight.

    Thirdly, if all else fails and I just have to have the food, I just take ONE bite. I savor the bite, enjoy it, chew it slowly, think about it, love it. Then I think to myself that there is actually no point to eating anymore. Because I know I want to binge to taste the great taste and I did!!! But eating anything more would just be putting stuff in my body, it wouldn't be about tasting and enjoying.

    Sometimes before I eat something I mentally picture myself eating it, every single bit, chewing, tasting, everything. Then I swallow. Sometimes that makes me realize how short the pleasure will actually last and that I actually DID just enjoy it in my mind. That if I ate the whole thing it would be such a short little pleasure in comparison to the pleasure of my goals.
  • knra_grl
    knra_grl Posts: 1,568 Member
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    Does it happen at a certain time or after a certain thing (Sad, happy, depressed, etc.)?

    This is what I would investigate. I tend to binge eat when I am stressed or just bored. I go to bed and read a book as my pitfall is usually at night or in the evenings. During the day I am able to stay away from extra nibbles.

    You could choose a snack or two and portion them out, log them and leave them visible so that these are your "go to" and when it's gone distract yourself with a walk or a book.
  • cutthroatcupcake
    cutthroatcupcake Posts: 2
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    I normally binge eat when im stressed but suffer some times just because the food is available. When i was a kid living in my parents house, we always had junk food available. We actually had a junk food cabinet! No joke! So it took me a long time to get out of that habit, well, im evem still working on it now. One thing me and my husband do is limit the bad food we have kn the house. Likewe try to only have candy around the holidays or if i bake something, we only keep a few peices and take the rest to work for co workers. This had made our bad bingeing a little more managable. If its not in the house, you cant eat it!
  • kkmalay
    kkmalay Posts: 88 Member
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    Bored, frustrated, sad, angry? I eat all those emotions and so do alot of us on here, being aware of these feelings before you start putting stuff in your mouth to ease them makes a big difference, like hang on, im pissed off because of ......, not hungry for chocolate etc . Im a mum of 2 little kids and found myself stuffing my face with sugar before I went to deal with them. Good luck! knowing yourself is as important as counting the calories in my opinion. All the best
  • bufanog1104
    bufanog1104 Posts: 1 Member
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    Believe it or not, I have the same exact problem. I do it especially when I get bored. I try to keep myself as busy as I can, but I do go off sometimes. It happens to all of us. If I realize I start to go off and eat more than I usually do, I just try to find something with less calories, but still really satisfying. I know it may not be much help, but you'll get there, Meagan. I know you can do it!
  • Dayna63
    Dayna63 Posts: 7
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    I have the same issues and feel out of control. At this point I don't know where to turn. Every night I go to bed with the thought " will start tomorrow." I want to be healthy and a good example for my kids but feel like a failure. Alot of the tips shared are great, now to start.... I think the main goals I will focus on is staying busy and setting small goals, meal by meal, minute by minute.
  • losingwhatican
    losingwhatican Posts: 26 Member
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    Bingeing is so hard to deal with. I struggle with it too, especially late at night when I should have gone to bed anyway! What usually works for me is posting a list of deterrents on my fridge, or things I have to do before giving in to a craving or binge. Here's what it looks like:

    "WAIT! [this is in huge letters]
    Do you really need to eat right now? Try these instead:

    1) Drink a glass of water
    2) Drink a mug of tea
    3) Chew gum
    4) Brush your teeth
    5) Clean the dishes/counter
    6) Light incense (sometimes a different scent interrupts a craving)
    7) Take a nap
    8) Do 100 jumping jacks
    9) Mend something (or any other little task you never get around to)
    10) Turn on some music and dance
    11) Remember why you're doing this!

    Cravings don't last forever - just between five and twenty minutes. You can wait it out! Remember, the first few days are the hardest.

    You can do it!"

    I eat a healthy amount, but once it gets past 10 pm I start craving junk food, often regardless of how much protein I've had during the day (though that does help). I actually get physical pain in my jaw and arms when a craving hits. I try not to keep that kind of stuff in the house, so all I can do is wander to the kitchen, look sadly at my fridge and pantry, and go back to bed in defeat.

    This stuff is not easy. Best wishes to you!
  • Foodiethinking
    Foodiethinking Posts: 240 Member
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    BUMP! (Saving this thread for later, some really good points on it!)
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    I think a lot of us can relate.

    The only thing that works for me is to tell myself no. It doesn't always work (yesterday was bad, but I still managed to stop myself after 3 chocolate bars, which is an improvement), but in the end, I don't want to gain the weight I've lost back... so that's motivation enough most of the time. If I really crave something... I have it. Otherwise I'll just eat whatever and it won't help me at all, and I'll just end up eating more. Then I try to enjoy it... take small bites... tell myself I'm not getting anything else and I need to make it last.

    Still a work in progress though... but I really don't want to gain weight again... so at some point it's really just about willpower (ideally, I still want to lose, but those days I'm just glad to eat under maintenance).
  • FitspoEm
    FitspoEm Posts: 95 Member
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    i suffer with this and get an extremely anxious knott in my stomach if i want to binge but there is no sweet food int he house!

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