how do you stop binging?

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ohheyyitsrenee
ohheyyitsrenee Posts: 111 Member
in Motivation and Support
Two weeks ago I started binging. They were very small at first, only a 1/4 jar of peanut butter then it got to a half jar, then a full jar. Then I got rid of all jars of peanut butter. Then it got to chocolate because of easter. Now we're at granola bars, a bunch of bars in one sitting. These are bars like cliff bars, luna bars, lara bars, think thin bars. Once I start, I can't stop. This mornings binge was a bunch of almonds, 4 quest bars, three lara bars, a think thin bar, and three balance bars and a pure protein bar. You'd think I'd get tired of granola bars by now. But they taste so good, like candy! What should I do to control my binges? Last night was four pears, two luna bars, a lara bar, a quest bar, then I gave up and ate a burger and onion rings since I felt I already messed up. My binges happen after I reach all my calories for the day, and happen after dinner accept for this morning. I've gained 5 pounds from these binges :/ I'm really getting discouraged. I'm 5ft 1, 100 pounds now. My calorie goal is 1500.
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Replies

  • Jestinia
    Jestinia Posts: 1,154 Member
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    I wish I knew. If I had health insurance I'd go see a nutritionist. So I'll suggest that. Especially if this is the first time this has happened to you. Perhaps you are fairly active and just need more calories. Perhaps you need different foods.
  • ohheyyitsrenee
    ohheyyitsrenee Posts: 111 Member
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    I wish I knew. If I had health insurance I'd go see a nutritionist. So I'll suggest that. Especially if this is the first time this has happened to you. Perhaps you are fairly active and just need more calories. Perhaps you need different foods.

    I was thinking about seeing a nutritionist. I suffered from Orthorexia for a majority of this year and have been trying to be in recovery since January. The food list I allow myself to eat is very limited and I think the binges might be a way for myself to feel like I have freedom to eat what I want. But in reality, it's bringing me into a really bad habit that I don't want to be in, especially since I already have disordered eating. I mean it's only been going on for two weeks so it's early enough for me to be able to break the habit, I just can't figure out how. I do go to the gym 5-6 times a week but I only burn around 300 calories each time (I have a polar watch). I do cardio and lift weights. Maybe this is a way for my body to tell myself that I need to eat more? Idk. I just want it to stop!
  • Toblave
    Toblave Posts: 244 Member
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    Leigh Peele has good series of podcasts that deal with the subject.

    https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/ask-leigh-common-sense-advice/id318352335?mt=2
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
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    With binging, I always think the first step is to identify what's causing it. It could be physiological if you're eating too little or missing out on any nutrients. Reassess your goals and look through your nutrition reports to see if you're deficient in anything.

    It's harder to assess when it's an emotional binge, imo. Do you eat because you're bored, sad, lonely, angry, stressed, etc? Try to pay attention to what you're feeling when you eat or what kind of reasoning you might be using when you reach for one more.

    If you can figure out why you do it then you have a much better chance of getting out in front of it and beating the binge. If you're missing something in your diet then it should be an easy fix. If it's emotional, you need to find new ways of dealing with those feelings other than food.

    I'm an anxiety eater. When I feel anxious I tend to eat to try and block out the anxiety. Really bad anxiety can lead to uncontrolled eating like what you're describing. Which means that I have to work on recognizing anxiety before I get to the food and shutting it down in other ways. Journaling, cleaning, running, yoga, hot baths, whatever it is that works for you.

    Whatever the reasons for this new eating problem, know that you're not alone and that you're stronger than it is. You can stop it.
  • ohheyyitsrenee
    ohheyyitsrenee Posts: 111 Member
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    I'm glad to hear that I am not alone! It makes me feel a lot better. I think it is due to stress and anxiety. I also deal with depression as well and tend to just be alone a lot. I think it's all plays a part in my binging. I'm very stressed because I am graduating from Community College in two weeks and I have so many projects to do and I am scared to mess up my grades and not be able to transfer to the college of my dreams in the fall. Do you think all of that could be the reason? Everyday I wake up and say "no binging today" and then I fail.
    With binging, I always think the first step is to identify what's causing it. It could be physiological if you're eating too little or missing out on any nutrients. Reassess your goals and look through your nutrition reports to see if you're deficient in anything.

    It's harder to assess when it's an emotional binge, imo. Do you eat because you're bored, sad, lonely, angry, stressed, etc? Try to pay attention to what you're feeling when you eat or what kind of reasoning you might be using when you reach for one more.

    If you can figure out why you do it then you have a much better chance of getting out in front of it and beating the binge. If you're missing something in your diet then it should be an easy fix. If it's emotional, you need to find new ways of dealing with those feelings other than food.

    I'm an anxiety eater. When I feel anxious I tend to eat to try and block out the anxiety. Really bad anxiety can lead to uncontrolled eating like what you're describing. Which means that I have to work on recognizing anxiety before I get to the food and shutting it down in other ways. Journaling, cleaning, running, yoga, hot baths, whatever it is that works for you.

    Whatever the reasons for this new eating problem, know that you're not alone and that you're stronger than it is. You can stop it.
  • ohheyyitsrenee
    ohheyyitsrenee Posts: 111 Member
    Options
    Leigh Peele has good series of podcasts that deal with the subject.

    https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/ask-leigh-common-sense-advice/id318352335?mt=2

    Thank you I'll have to check them out!
  • freddi11e
    freddi11e Posts: 317 Member
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    I'm going to send you a friend request in 2.5 seconds.

    Hi. Story of my life... i went thru the protein bar binge phase too.... 4 quest bars . 3 zone bars etc etc in a sitting. i know the feeling. i go thru phases. right now i'm in the frozen yogurt phase.. if you look at my diary you will see that i have an obscene amount of frozen yogurt on the regular, and i've gained 5 pounds from it too.

    i have a pretty limited food selection that i "allow" myself to eat... basically the foods i eat that won't cause me guilt.. which yes people, i am aware is disordered thinking. (i think this stems from my history with drug addiction.. it's all a battle in my head).

    once i eat anything that isnt "healthy" like fish, vegetables, fruit, salad, eggs, etc.... i feel like i "failed" so i might as well "fail some more" ... maybe to teach my self a lesson? i'm not sure.. like i said this is the mental battle that goes on in my head... and yes it sounds crazy.. but i'm doing work around it.

    Anyway.... i've been doing experimental phases like allowing myself "treats" to see how i respond, or try and change my behavior, overall even tho i've gained 5 pounds, the insight i've gained into my behavior is really beneficial. just a learning process i guess.

    sorry for the long winded message.. i probably should have pm'd you.
  • kandell
    kandell Posts: 473 Member
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    Personally, I binge when I feel like my diet is too restricted. I start to crave all the things I've been telling myself I can't or shouldn't have, and finally I crack and eat everything. It's awful :[

    Maybe start to expand your food options if possible? You don't have to go eat all the stuff on your "no" list, but maybe just slowly introduce new options?
  • ohheyyitsrenee
    ohheyyitsrenee Posts: 111 Member
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    Honestly, you sound just like me! It feels good knowing i'm not alone. I tried to add in treats, but it just leads to me wanting more. I just don't know what to do anymore. I want to lose the five pounds I gained and I considered going back to a 1200 calorie diet. I don't think it will do me any good though. I tried to eliminate all my binge foods, the pb and the chocolate was easy. but granola bars? not so much. It's 1pm and I've had almost 3,000 calories just from binging on granola bars this morning.
    I'm going to send you a friend request in 2.5 seconds.

    Hi. Story of my life... i went thru the protein binge phase too.... 4 quest bars . 3 zone bars etc etc in a sitting. i know the feeling. i go thru phases. right now i'm in the frozen yogurt phase.. if you look at my diary you will see that i have an obscene amount of frozen yogurt on the regular, and i've gained 5 pounds from it too.

    i have a pretty limited food selection that i "allow" myself to eat... basically the foods i eat that won't cause me guilt.. which yes people, i am aware is disordered thinking. (i think this stems from my history with drug addiction.. it's all a battle in my head).

    once i eat anything that isnt "healthy" like fish, vegetables, fruit, salad, eggs, etc.... i feel like i "failed" so i might as well "fail some more" ... maybe to teach my self a lesson? i'm not sure.. like i said this is the mental battle that goes on in my head... and yes it sounds crazy.. but i'm doing work around it.

    Anyway.... i've been doing experimental phases like allowing myself "treats" to see how i respond, or try and change my behavior, overall even tho i've gained 5 pounds, the insight i've gained into my behavior is really beneficial. just a learning process i guess.

    sorry for the long winded message.. i probably should have pm'd you.
  • ohheyyitsrenee
    ohheyyitsrenee Posts: 111 Member
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    I'm think I will, last night I only had that burger and onion rings because I haven't had them in so long and It felt so good to eat something other then my usual fruits and vegetables. The old me would've been like NOOOOOO. I get discouraged because for months I built up such a control to where I'll eat what I planned for the day and be good and now I feel like I lost all control. The weight I gained, I most likely needed. I mean five pounds isn't thatttt bad considering I was 95 and borderline underweight. I guess my fear is that If I open up my diet more, will I binge on those foods too? I meal prep for the week too, so it's like I eat all the foods I have planned then BAM a binge comes through.
    Personally, I binge when I feel like my diet is too restricted. I start to crave all the things I've been telling myself I can't or shouldn't have, and finally I crack and eat everything. It's awful :[

    Maybe start to expand your food options if possible? You don't have to go eat all the stuff on your "no" list, but maybe just slowly introduce new options?
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    Options
    I'm glad to hear that I am not alone! It makes me feel a lot better. I think it is due to stress and anxiety. I also deal with depression as well and tend to just be alone a lot. I think it's all plays a part in my binging. I'm very stressed because I am graduating from Community College in two weeks and I have so many projects to do and I am scared to mess up my grades and not be able to transfer to the college of my dreams in the fall. Do you think all of that could be the reason? Everyday I wake up and say "no binging today" and then I fail.
    With binging, I always think the first step is to identify what's causing it. It could be physiological if you're eating too little or missing out on any nutrients. Reassess your goals and look through your nutrition reports to see if you're deficient in anything.

    It's harder to assess when it's an emotional binge, imo. Do you eat because you're bored, sad, lonely, angry, stressed, etc? Try to pay attention to what you're feeling when you eat or what kind of reasoning you might be using when you reach for one more.

    If you can figure out why you do it then you have a much better chance of getting out in front of it and beating the binge. If you're missing something in your diet then it should be an easy fix. If it's emotional, you need to find new ways of dealing with those feelings other than food.

    I'm an anxiety eater. When I feel anxious I tend to eat to try and block out the anxiety. Really bad anxiety can lead to uncontrolled eating like what you're describing. Which means that I have to work on recognizing anxiety before I get to the food and shutting it down in other ways. Journaling, cleaning, running, yoga, hot baths, whatever it is that works for you.

    Whatever the reasons for this new eating problem, know that you're not alone and that you're stronger than it is. You can stop it.

    It sounds like you have a lot going on right now! Only you can tell for sure, but that could all definitely contribute to out of control eating.

    Of course you have to find the strategy that works for you, but sometimes when I have a deadline coming up I'll take a two-week diet break and eat at maintenance until the deadline passes. Calorie counting tends to stress me out a bit and sometimes it's better for me to let that go for a little while when I'm dealing with other things in my life.

    Best of luck with your projects! I know you'll figure this all out!
  • awolf2011
    awolf2011 Posts: 265 Member
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    I do the same. If I feel that I'm restricting myself too much, I tend to eat garbage that my body doesn't need to try to make up for what I'm missing. I have found that if I allow myself some "treats" here and there, I feel much better and can curb those cravings. If I don't curb the cravings then I tend to eat everything under the sun trying too. So, it's best to curb it right away then work on the rest of the day. I would definately see a nutritionist if it is getting that out of control. Sometimes having someone to talk to really opens your eyes.
  • Tippy05
    Tippy05 Posts: 43
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    I was just going to post something similar. ugh...

    I just started on mfp about a month ago and lost a few pounds. I was doing well and thought, even though it was only 5 pounds, it was 5 pounds. A gym is out right now, so I REALLY have to watch what I eat so I can't afford to binge eat. I was having a pretty rough weekend (I went to a bridal shower and was the fattest person there BY FAR) and ended up feeling the "whatever, it doesn't matter, I give up" attitude and totally and completely blew my calories for the day. I woke up the next morning and felt disgusting. I figured "what does it matter now anyway, I can't do this right either" and have really spent the past two days just binging... on everything. First it was mm's, then it was animal crackers, today it was cereal. 3 bowls of cereal... really? Then I get on the scale and see a 2 lb weight gain and I'm right back to where I was yesterday. What does it matter anyway...

    I hate, hate, HATE this. I'm 5'2" but am not even close to 100 lbs and there is no way I'll get that way if I keep eating the way I have been. I need to get back on track but feel so far gone now that I just want to beat myself up...

    You clearly have been doing something right to get to where you are, so get back to that and stay on track. Keep your chin up! :) Good luck.
  • ohheyyitsrenee
    ohheyyitsrenee Posts: 111 Member
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    You keep your chin up too! Don't get discouraged, I think we can both work through this. I was thinking about using the new month as a way to get back on track. I mean yes I had 2,800 calories today, 3,000 yesterday but if I stay on track the rest of the week I should be fine. I look at my binges as my body is telling me something that I just can't figure out yet. Sure I gained five pounds and I am upset about it but I lost it once, I can lose it again and so can you!
    I was just going to post something similar. ugh...

    I just started on mfp about a month ago and lost a few pounds. I was doing well and thought, even though it was only 5 pounds, it was 5 pounds. A gym is out right now, so I REALLY have to watch what I eat so I can't afford to binge eat. I was having a pretty rough weekend (I went to a bridal shower and was the fattest person there BY FAR) and ended up feeling the "whatever, it doesn't matter, I give up" attitude and totally and completely blew my calories for the day. I woke up the next morning and felt disgusting. I figured "what does it matter now anyway, I can't do this right either" and have really spent the past two days just binging... on everything. First it was mm's, then it was animal crackers, today it was cereal. 3 bowls of cereal... really? Then I get on the scale and see a 2 lb weight gain and I'm right back to where I was yesterday. What does it matter anyway...

    I hate, hate, HATE this. I'm 5'2" but am not even close to 100 lbs and there is no way I'll get that way if I keep eating the way I have been. I need to get back on track but feel so far gone now that I just want to beat myself up...

    You clearly have been doing something right to get to where you are, so get back to that and stay on track. Keep your chin up! :) Good luck.
  • slimmerang
    slimmerang Posts: 79 Member
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    I too binge. There are a lot of reasons stress, boredom, sadness and once I start I can't stop. If I stay busy I do much better. I wish I had an answer for all of. Just know you aren't alone and if you find a solution, I am listening.
  • ohheyyitsrenee
    ohheyyitsrenee Posts: 111 Member
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    I do the same. If I feel that I'm restricting myself too much, I tend to eat garbage that my body doesn't need to try to make up for what I'm missing. I have found that if I allow myself some "treats" here and there, I feel much better and can curb those cravings. If I don't curb the cravings then I tend to eat everything under the sun trying too. So, it's best to curb it right away then work on the rest of the day. I would definately see a nutritionist if it is getting that out of control. Sometimes having someone to talk to really opens your eyes.

    I tried to allow treats, but It makes me want more because I cut them out for so long! I spoke to my mom about seeing a nutritionist and I think I will, I need to learn how to eat properly again anyway since I've cut out so much for so long.
  • ginalovefire
    ginalovefire Posts: 66
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    For me, completely changing my diet has ended my seemingly never-ending binge. I don't know if it's like this for you, but for me it was not so much my being "hungry", but more that my body was craving more food, even though my stomach was full. I would stand in front of the fridge and just eat whatever was in there, and hardly any of it was doing much to curb what I can only call body hunger.

    When I started eating way, way, way more vegetables and fruits and such, I didn't feel that anymore.
  • kandell
    kandell Posts: 473 Member
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    I'm think I will, last night I only had that burger and onion rings because I haven't had them in so long and It felt so good to eat something other then my usual fruits and vegetables. The old me would've been like NOOOOOO. I get discouraged because for months I built up such a control to where I'll eat what I planned for the day and be good and now I feel like I lost all control. The weight I gained, I most likely needed. I mean five pounds isn't thatttt bad considering I was 95 and borderline underweight. I guess my fear is that If I open up my diet more, will I binge on those foods too? I meal prep for the week too, so it's like I eat all the foods I have planned then BAM a binge comes through.

    Considering the amount of self-control it took to stick to a regimented diet for months, I think you would be okay. If anything, it might even help you with the control. You can transition from saying "absolutely no" to saying "a little here and there". Just make sure that if/when you do start to add other foods to your diet, you take your time eating them. It'll help you appreciate the food more and it can help with the moderation.
  • shred_me_up
    shred_me_up Posts: 267 Member
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    why is your calorie goal so low? If you are working out 6 days a week and not trying to lose weight (hopefully you aren't anyways) you should most definitely be eating a lot more. This could be what is causing your binges- after a certain amount of time eating at a deficit, your brain literally just sends signal after signal for you to eat.

    This actually happened to me. What I did was increase my calories, and I also stopped being so controlling over my food. Pre-planning and pre-logging is excessive control, in fact you should take a break from logging altogether. I know it's scary, but you need to get back into the habit of making food something less of an obsession.
  • Kobclarke
    Kobclarke Posts: 7 Member
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    I don't know how "restricted" your diet is but 1500 cals for someone 5'1" doesn't seem that bad provided you are meeting all of your nutritional requirements. Based on the foods you say you are binging on I would suggest you get checked for a serious mineral deficiency problem, namely magnesium and iron. Peanut butter, nuts, whole grains like those in granola, and protein bars are fortified with these and your body may reacting to a deficit by binge eating these foods.

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