Are you a binger?

I'm in the same boat as you are. For the past several months I've been overeating in spurts, like eating a whole jumbo bag of tortilla chips in a sitting. I overeat sometimes even when the food doesn't taste so good...I just have an overwhelming urge to eat *something*. I've gained 50 pounds in roughly 6 months through compulsive overeating. So you are not alone!

I've been a binger since I was a wee lass, lol. Been very overweight my whole life because of it. I don't think I'll ever be totally "normal", but thankfully I love healthful foods and cooking, so I make sure I always have good options on hand. I also do my best to let myself feel deprived, because that will trigger a binge. I basically skip breakfast so that I can have those calories for ice cream at night - not healthy, but I'm losing weight so it's my method for now - helps me feel like I can "have my cake and eat it too", haha!
Feel free to add me, we're all in this together:)

Recovering binger here as well. I was one of those hummingbird kids that could eat whatever I wanted and never gained weight. I could sit down with a bowl of tomato soup and put away five peanut butter sandwiches in a sitting with no problem. As I got older, my metabolism slowed, and I became more sedentary, the pounds packed on because I didn't know how to eat any other way. It's definitely a challenge to "retrain your brain" but once you figure out what your triggers are, it gets a lot easier to manage.

I recommend you one step to start to get rid of your problem:
Stop considering yourself a "binger". Binging is not something you are, it's just something you do in certain conditions. Remove the conditions, and you wont react that way anymore.

I'm definitely in the same boat. I didn't even realize I binged until about 2 years ago and I've tried so hard to stop. It doesn't help that I have depression along with other issues and food is a HUGE source of comfort, I call it an internal hug. I do ok for a couple weeks but then something will happen or little red ridding hood will come into town and I spiral back out of control. I just have no self control. It is very upsetting because I know that eating that much in the end makes me feel like crap but in the moment that hug just feels so comforting.

Honestly, MFP has been a huge help as well. This isn't something I can talk to anyone (besides my mom) about because it feels so silly. But sometimes knowing you aren't alone helps and like others have mentioned, keeping healthy food around helps. Sometimes I will blow through a pound of baby carrots but it is better than a quart or so of ice cream ( which I still do all too often along with other unhealthy food choices).

I really recommend reading the entries in this blog. Its one of the best, tangible resources on Binge eating disorder out there.

http://www.brainoverbinge.com/blog-1/

If you can afford the book, I would get it. http://www.amazon.com/Brain-over-Binge-Conventional-Recovered/dp/0984481702/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1367789497&sr=8-1&keywords=brain+over+binge

But if not, at least start reading the blog. Good luck.

I've done that in the past. It seemed the food itself triggered it, it was so satisfying I couldn't stop. I found it helps to take out a normal portion, put the rest away, go to a different room with something to drink, THEN eat it. There are some foods that I know are my weaknesses, so if they're in the house I try to handle them this way. I just joined this thing, am still figuring out the basics. But do add me to your group of friends please!

Mostly-recovered binger here... Here are some things that helped me:
--tracking my calories for the binge. Helps me see how much I ate exactly and sometimes motivates me to stop, being hit with the reality.
--stop the all or nothing thinking. I used to rationalize going on a crazy binge because I had messed up a little bit and "ruined the whole day" or "the whole week is shot anyway" Weight loss is NOT a pass/fail system where messing up gives free rein to eat the whole house because you failed anyway. It is a numbers game, one of accumulating deficits, where each bite shrinks the deficit more or adds more to the surplus.
--identify triggers for the binge and address them in healthy ways. My triggers were/are..
Stress and anxiety....find better ways to cope. Life/time management skills, running, a hot bath, yoga, meditation. Get therapy or medication if needed.
Alcohol. Lowers inhibitions and makes me want to eat. So I rarely drink now and only in portion controlled amounts. Like ONE beer now and then.
Desserts, fatty foods like pizza. I want to overdo it and will literally eat a whole cake or large pizza in one sitting if it is in my house. So these foods are "banned" from my house. The only way to eat them is to make a special trip to the store which I usually won't do. If I bring this food into my house in a moment of weakness, then at my next moment of strength I destroy it. Pour cayenne pepper on it, whatever will make it in inedible. I've found that after a while my cravings subside when I don't taste my banned items. When I try moderation I usually get the cravings right back. I have learned to make healthier versions of some banned items, like homemade pizza, healthy vegan style. Or strawberry shortcake. I can enjoy this without needing to overdo it.
Boredom.....find hobbies other than eating, especially those that can be done during peak binge-prone times.
Letting myself get too hungry. Eating smaller meals throughout the day has helped with this. Also, not letting my caloric deficit get too high and choosing plenty of healthy food, not empty calories except as a rare treat. Through spacing out meals and eating plenty of nutrient-dense food, I never have that moment of being STARVED that will trigger me to find food. Once I get starved I can never seem to feel full and won't stop eating. This meal timing has also helped me get used to smaller meals physically so that now a larger meal causes me to feel really stuffed and uncomfortable quickly. Helped me detect subtle body signals I was missing before. I only knew starved and stuffed, but there is a whole range in between that I stay in now. I know people have different views about meal timing and I'm not saying mine is the only right way or that it actually would cause a different loss rate. Just that this arrangement works best to counteract some of my bad tendencies.

Finally, I have observed that it takes me a while to recover from a binge. My appetite and cravings and food obsessions increase dramatically in the days after a binge, so I try to prepare for this by keeping busy, reducing triggers, being strong, riding it out. If my calories need to be a little higher to keep me from starving, so be it. It's better than a binge. After a few days of more normal eating, it gets MUCH better and my cravings subside and appetite goes down.

I used to binge whenever I was bored or stressed/frustrated. Don't do it as much now that I am eating healthier, have more control over my emotions, and I don't buy "snacks" or "binge" type of foods anymore (ie. chips, cookies, crackers, etc.). Out of sight, out of mind.

To be honest, I think a lot of people binge but they don't even realize it. Many are in denial too. The food tastes good, just keep eating, don't even realize if you're full or not. Don't even realize if you actually need the food or not. It's excess consumption and a very hard habit to get out of.

@studentbeatin: You can make new habits that replace the old ones on purpose. Old habits won't come back if you don't remove the new ones. Do the new habit long enough, until it becomes who you are, and the problem will be gone forever.

I recommend you to explore the psychology of habits. It's pretty simple, but extremely powerful. An easy read on the topic is: The Power of Habit, by Charles Duhigg

I am a compulsive overeater as well. Hope we can all draw strength from one another.

I can no longer binge. I am not a binger, am proud to say!