binge eating

I have the same problem! I was 5lbs away from my goal earlier this month, and due to my binge eating I am now 10lbs away from my goal. I have 2 months to get down to my goal weight, but I just can't seem to beat the binge! I don't know what to do anymore.

Switch the snacks in the house to healthy options! Kids don't need to eat that!

I've been there before. 1.5 years ago, I was a compulsive eater. I would binge eat in secret, hiding it from my wife. I'd wait until she went to bed, then I'd go nuts. Or I'd take a day off of work without telling her, then go to the grocery store, but lots of junk, and make sure I eat it all before she got home. Why I did this, I don't know. She would never had said anything of me eating all of it, I just chose to hide it.

Regardless, I hit rock bottom once I got put on hypertension medication and a CPAP in the same week. I started a doctor supervised weight management program. One think that I found, is that I always went back to the processed carbs. Stuff with white flour, white sugar, etc.

They recommended that I cut all of that out. I cut it completely out of my diet for 6 months. After the first few weeks, I found that my craving were reduced or non-existent, and I made better choices. I switched to a high protein, high fat diet. I eat on average about 150 gm of protein and about 70 gm of fat a day, with only 150 gm carbs, which the majority of that is from non-grain sources. During the process, they showed me research showing how processed carbs are digested quickly, thus spiking blood sugar. That causes insulin to be released quickly, which then dumps the excess sugar to fat. Due to the rapid pace, this then means an over production of insulin, which drops blood sugar. The drop in blood sugar then causes the brain to signal the hunger feeling.

I've found that eating lots of protein/healthy fats along with higher fiber meals helps to curb the cravings by keeping me fuller longer. I've been able to integrated some processed carbs back in over time but still able to keep my cravings in check.

So, this is my experience. I found myself addicted to this stuff and essentially rehab was my way out. Was it extreme, yes. Did it work for me? Yes, so far. This is my experience though and you may not need or want to do the same thing. Your mileage will vary. I will however re-iterate what other posters have said. Many times this is a cause of some kind of stress induced by other sources. Many of us turn to food for comfort because it makes us feel good, and it's easily available. Over time that can be very dangerous and leave us in very poor health.