I'm at a loss myself. I've wanted to binge so badly the past week or so I don't know wth to do with myself. I just stay out of the kitchen as much as possible and hope it will pass. I'm going to blog and hope that whatever I'm feeling will pass. If not, I'm going to meditate but usually all I can meditate on is chocolate.

That's all I've got. I hope you do better. :flowerforyou:

People say 'going for a walk' or 'having a glass of water' but we all know when it's binge time, walking or water is not going to cut it. Ideas please!!

you nailed it there! I dont know the answer either.. I find blogging helps but if my mind is set... thats it!

I still think going for a walk can help. It's refreshing and sometimes i get my mind off of it -- Usually I have music with me, maybe that helps more...the distraction, turning my thoughts on something else.

Blogging does help. Browsing stuff online. Youtube, netflix, FB, tumblr, etc
Sometimes I just read random articles from sites i like - like psychcentral, exchristian.net, tinybuddha, etc

I think the main thing is getting your mind off of food, or figuring out what you are trying to use food for to escape.... like right now I'm feeling binge-y and I've already overate today, it's because I'm stressed out this week - I have a lot to accomplish by this weekend and I want to procrastinate.

I think we had a thread with a whole bunch of alternatives to binge eating.... It's probably buried a bit, but I'm sure someone would be able to find it. Maybe I'll look later.

I managed to break the binging habit by getting off of sugar. The first week was hard, but I threw every strategy I had into getting through that first week, and now the worst of the physical cravings are gone. Now I just have the battle the emotional component of overeating - hard, but not as hard as when my body's craving sugar too! My absolute top priority is NO SUGAR. I may overeat, but as long as I don't get into real sugar, it's not going to go spiraling out of control. I focus on protein, and sugar-free treats (I make a killer sugar-free, no-flour, oatmeal chocolate chip pecan cookie!). I also avoid peanut butter - MAJOR trigger food for me.
Don't get me wrong, I have a major sweet tooth, and I have some kind of dessert most days, but I seem to be able to manage most alternative sweeteners in moderation.
Giving myself permission to eat a bit more on some days, as long as it's not sugar or pb helps enormously. I do find sometimes I need to get myself away from the food - if I'm on the computer, it's in the office upstairs, not on the laptop in the kitchen. If the weather's decent, I do get out for a walk. If I've eaten more than usual, I fight the urge to skip my workout, and just get it done. So far so good, I'm binge-free (and sugar free) since mid-December. It's been years since I went this long.
I think the key for me was to figure out the ONE thing that was most important to change, focus on that intensively for several weeks, and cut myself a little slack in the other areas while I built that one habit.

For the longest time I felt the same way - I was convinced that trying to avoid sugar entirely was a recipe for a major binge for me. Then, I spent 18 months learning the hard way that I simply cannot do moderation. Sure, I might get away with it briefly, maybe ... but it seemed that having just a little inevitably led me deep into the vortex of obsession with food - stopping by the grocery on the way to work, stocking up on chocolate and baked goods, hiding food, eating at night and hiding it from my husband, the whole humiliating package. I spent all of last year with the scale bouncing up and down like a yo-yo, with a couple of good days eating better, followed by days on end of sugar, accompanied by despair, hating my body, hating the way I look, and no urge to get out and enjoy anything. I wrapped up the year more than 10 pounds heavier than I started. Giving up sugar was hard, and believe me, I'd much rather not, but living my life feeling powerless against an eating disorder was much harder. I've lost over 20 pounds since the end of December, and I have no doubt I could gain it all back even faster if I start in again with sugar. I may be back eating humble pie if this doesn't work for me, but the moderation approach never did, no matter how badly I wanted it to. I'm so grateful to be in a place where I have some sanity about food again!

I'm not saying moderation can't work for you - lots of people find it's the key for them!! I think the most important thing we can do is to learn to be honest with ourselves about what works, and what doesn't, for us. But I've found enormous support in knowing there are others who've gone the abstinence route, and it's completely doable, and I don't eat twigs and roots. There are some amazing recipe sites, where I've found wonderful options to replace most things I crave. I had a microwave chocolate protein brownie with peanut butter and sf chocolate chips last night - I'm definitely not suffering!
Oh, one last suggestion if sugar is your weakness. Read Julia Ross' Diet Cure - she has some great suggestions for amino acids that can help balance your body chemistry. I found L-Glutamine to be hugely beneficial for me, for awhile, in fighting sugar cravings. Body chemistry is just one possible factor, and if yours is in good balance the supplements won't help you, but for some of us they can be a great tool in our toolbox!