binge eating

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getfitgal123
getfitgal123 Posts: 267 Member
I was reading through all of your stories and I noticed that some have struggled with binge eating, eating disorders, emotional eating or just a serious sweet tooth. I wonder if this is more common in cysters because of the insulin resistence issue? I remember as a little girl getting in trouble for eating sugar by the spoonful directly out of the bowl!! Then I gained a bunch of weight once I hit puberty and eventually developed bulimia. I was able to recover from it but I still struggle with the binge eating/emotional eating part of it at times. It seems to be triggered when I eat something sugary.

I found a book called 50 Ways to Soothe Yourself without Food that has been helpful. I try to journal when I feel the urge to overeat. Also avoiding sweets seems to help also.

Are there other strategies that others use to cope with emotional/binge eating?

Replies

  • dab52776
    dab52776 Posts: 536 Member
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    I definitely struggle with emotional eating and binging. I never really thought about whether or not it was related to pcos, but since I call pcos "the devil" and it is the root of many of my faults, it makes sense that they would be related!

    Lately, I've been having an easier time taming the binge monster. I've been using sheer willpower and distraction strategies. I also think inositol is helping, because it's been limiting my craving for sugar, which is what I usually turned to during a binge.

    Hang in there! I hope others have some more ideas for you.
  • getfitgal123
    getfitgal123 Posts: 267 Member
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    I definitely struggle with emotional eating and binging. I never really thought about whether or not it was related to pcos, but since I call pcos "the devil" and it is the root of many of my faults, it makes sense that they would be related!

    Lately, I've been having an easier time taming the binge monster. I've been using sheer willpower and distraction strategies. I also think inositol is helping, because it's been limiting my craving for sugar, which is what I usually turned to during a binge.

    Hang in there! I hope others have some more ideas for you.

    Thanks. :) I take inositol also and it does seem to help (along with the metformin)! Come to think of it, the overeating has been less since I have started those.
  • julieferg7
    julieferg7 Posts: 17 Member
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    Boo :( I binged a bit last night at my brother's house. I pick one day a week to have something special to eat and I chose to have a piece of chocolate cake (bad choice with my period coming) and a scoop of ice cream. well, I couldn't stop myself from having a second helping of both :(. However, unlike in the past, I was able to stop after that and I am so thankful it hasn't triggered a large carb binge today! That is what used to happen in the past. Phew.
  • julieferg7
    julieferg7 Posts: 17 Member
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    I definitely struggle with emotional eating and binging. I never really thought about whether or not it was related to pcos, but since I call pcos "the devil" and it is the root of many of my faults, it makes sense that they would be related!

    Lately, I've been having an easier time taming the binge monster. I've been using sheer willpower and distraction strategies. I also think inositol is helping, because it's been limiting my craving for sugar, which is what I usually turned to during a binge.

    Hang in there! I hope others have some more ideas for you.

    Thanks. :) I take inositol also and it does seem to help (along with the metformin)! Come to think of it, the overeating has been less since I have started those.

    Where do you ladies get the inositol?
  • getfitgal123
    getfitgal123 Posts: 267 Member
    Options
    I definitely struggle with emotional eating and binging. I never really thought about whether or not it was related to pcos, but since I call pcos "the devil" and it is the root of many of my faults, it makes sense that they would be related!

    Lately, I've been having an easier time taming the binge monster. I've been using sheer willpower and distraction strategies. I also think inositol is helping, because it's been limiting my craving for sugar, which is what I usually turned to during a binge.

    Hang in there! I hope others have some more ideas for you.

    Thanks. :) I take inositol also and it does seem to help (along with the metformin)! Come to think of it, the overeating has been less since I have started those.

    Where do you ladies get the inositol?

    I have the powdered kind from GNC at the moment, but it's a bit pricey considering the dose is between 2 grams - 4 grams/day for PCOS (from what I have read). I have also bought the Twinlabs brand from Amazon (but then you just have to take a lot of pills).
  • lizz2013
    lizz2013 Posts: 331 Member
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    I've struggled with binge eating and what was swiftly becoming an eating disorder for a long time and now I think (fingers crossed I have mastered it) I cut out gluten and dairy as much as I can and am MUCH more careful with sugar and it seems to be helping. I have also started having 5 or 6 small meals and this seems to be helping too, perhaps something to do with blood sugar?

    Then again, it could be simply that since the diagnoses I know I HAVE to lose the weight and I know that making bad eating choices is going to stop my progress. Mind over matter perhaps? We'll see how I get on, but I'd definitely recommend cutting processed foods and eating low GI.
  • AshTrixxy
    AshTrixxy Posts: 507 Member
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    I have a problem with this too! What you said hit home because I remember when I was in grade school I got in trouble for taking a container of icing and hiding it in my room so that I could take spoonfuls from it. I don;t binge on spoonfuls anymore, but I do find myself binging from time to time. It gets especially bad when I'm PMSing or during the first days of my period when I feel like my stomach is a bottomless pit and just cannot feel full. It that just me, or is it a PCOS thing?
    I know this is corny, but lately I have been trying different strategies to avoid the binging: I pray for God to give me strength to resist or try to divert my attention. Drinking water does nothing for me in those moods, but green tea seems to help.
  • dab52776
    dab52776 Posts: 536 Member
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    I had a mini binge last night :sad: I don't really know what triggered it, but now I'm struggling to stay away from the sweets. I had been doing so well avoiding sugar, I think my body just rebelled. Plus I've been home from work for two days, so I think boredom played a role. I'm really hoping that getting back into a routine tomorrow will help push me back on track!
  • bribrijean234
    bribrijean234 Posts: 90 Member
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    I used to have a terrible problem with binge eating. I would come home from work after eating pretty well, make my dinner and eat it. Then about 30 minutes later I would make a "2nd" dinner and eat that. Then within the next hour I would be picking through my cabinets looking for something/anything to munch on. I know for me that some of it was boredom, some just trying to soothe my stress and loneliness, but even though I knew that, I would often say oh well the damage is already done what's wrong with a little more. It was very frustrating and I noticed myself craving the same textures night after night after a binge which just perpetuated the problem. I have found that since I have been logging everything, I am far less likely to dive into eating whatever I want and being more mindful about what I decide to snack on if I do. It has also helped eating my meals at my counter, sitting down, with no distractions - no TV or cell phone or magazines to take away my focus. I find it is much easier to realize when I am full when I do that. I've also tried the trick of: if I am craving sweets, does an apple sound good? If not, then its probably just boredom or something similar, so drink a glass of water or hot tea and then find something active to do to get past the craving. Usually works pretty well.
  • lizz2013
    lizz2013 Posts: 331 Member
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    I've been trying that tactic too. If I don't want fruit...then I can't really be hungry, so its just boredom or thirst. I know I should eat with know distractions, but I just love curling up with a book and a snack :S Luckily, popcorn is satisfying this and isn't too many calories so I don't feel too bad.

    I'm trying to focus on nutrition....so if I am eating something and it has zero benefit for my body then it should be avoided....I'm trying with this anyway :)

    When I move I'm going to set up a comfortable little table and make sure that my boyfriend and I eat at the table and talk, rather than on our laps in front of the tv. It will be good for our relationship too I'm sure.