I'm a binge eater NOT having breakfast helping

onmyown70
onmyown70 Posts: 233 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
It may be temporary but I have found not eating in the am makes me really hungry for lunch, true hunger. I'm still at risk in the afternoons of course (3pm slump time) but I'm not sure if it's because my appetite doesn't "wake up" until I eat or if it's because the am is a peak time for binge eating and the answer to any request in my head for food is "not until lunch".

I know restricting or any rules are bad for binge eaters but the snack more regularly theory doesn't work for me at this point in time. It makes me obsess about food even more.

Any way, I shall stop dominating the boards. Thank you to all those who have been really kind and offering help and support x

Replies

  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    yep, IF works for a lot of people.
  • sakuya3834
    sakuya3834 Posts: 116 Member
    I also binge eat and have found when I feel my mental state moving towards "binging" if I fast I can avoid it. So yes, sometimes I don't eat until really late, or not at all. I try my best to make my calorie average for the week be what my goal is. But fasting and avoiding intaking an extra ~4000-7000 calories (my binges) seems much better for both my health and sanity... I just make my diary private so that I don't get any weird comments from my friends list.
    Of course sometimes I can't avoid it if it is a sudden thing. But I have been losing weight, even weeks where I have binged once, so for now it's working.
  • Dewymorning
    Dewymorning Posts: 762 Member
    Everyone has to work out what works for them.
  • abadvat
    abadvat Posts: 1,241 Member
    yep, IF works for a lot of people.

    was just about to say... have a read - IF / Intermittent Fasting!
  • Raaynn
    Raaynn Posts: 47 Member
    I am a major binge eater! I cannot snack at all. if I start I cant stop especially at a snack portion. what has really really helped me is lowering my carbs and replacing them with fat. I can binge less on fat if a very low amount of carbs are present.

    for example:

    breakfast now: 2 eggs fried in butter 200 cal
    3 slices bacon 120 cal
    2 cups coffee w/creamer 70 cal
    TOTAL cals 390 cals
    this holds me until lunch easily.

    OLD breakfast 1 Costco blueberry muffin 700 cals
    2 cups coffee w/cre 70 cals
    juice 1 cup 120 cals
    piece of fruit 50 cals

    total cals 940 and this would NOT hold me until lunch I would toss in a snack between breakfast and lunch of either 3-500 cals of cookies or chips.

    That is just one meal of an example.
    Fat helps send that message to you brain that says im full, we are done here, close up shop now. Carbs prevent that message from ever getting there and often times we get painfully full before we stop. insulin resistance is a major player with binge eaters. Try eating high fat lower carb lower starch for a few weeks.
  • FlowerFairy493
    FlowerFairy493 Posts: 182
    For me, my vulnerable time is 3pm onwards to the evening. For me eating only breakfast and lunch helps. :) It completely cuts me off from my weak times.
  • AllieLosingIt
    AllieLosingIt Posts: 150 Member
    I just came to this conclusion about myself the other day. When I get up, eat a wonderful and healthy meal and then go about my day, I find that I'm so hungry an hour or two later that I can't think about anything other than eating again. It goes on like that all day long. If I just skip breakfast, I don't feel like that at all. I eat later in the day and I don't really binge eat anymore.

    I second/third/whatever reading about IF, it sounds like that might be something that could suit you.
  • Brandolin11
    Brandolin11 Posts: 492 Member
    I just make my diary private so that I don't get any weird comments from my friends list.

    Dear sakuya3834 - may I humbly suggest that if you have *anyone* making "weird comments" about your honesty, then they are not safe friends and should be deleted. No one is forcing you to be friends with these people. You should never hide yourself because of a couple of jerks. If you do, then you're living to please others and not yourself, which isn't healthy for you. You deserve to be free to be yourself, to be honest, and to receive encouragement and real, safe accountability. Don't let anyone steal that from you.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    Yep, you have to find what works for you.

    I have a serious past in bingeing, and it's not too distant (before I started on MFP, in fact). What helps me is to (1) eat six times a day, (2) do not restrict type of food, ever, and (3) weigh my food. I only restrict calorie intake so that I can maintain my weight.
  • DamePiglet
    DamePiglet Posts: 3,730 Member
    Oh Steve? Steeeve... where are you?

    OP: it's cool when you find something works for you, huh? :)
  • costelloscountryshed
    costelloscountryshed Posts: 14
    I never ate breakfast and I have been drinking a protein shake in the morning. It helps to control hunger, protein is filling. As far as binge eating, try an activity that you can't eat and do. I am going back to my crosstitching at night, because i don't want to mess up my craft. Also my mind will be busy. Find something you like besides food. Find something to make you feel good, feel proud, feel comforted. Food is not a comfort. It becomes crap!! ( sorry to be so bold). It doesn't stay with you, it goes in the toilet. Try to change your thinking. It takes time! Good luck
  • Orfygirl
    Orfygirl Posts: 274 Member
    I agree with IF. I have been doing it off and on for years now. I stopped for a while and tried eating breakfast because I was told "you need it to jump start your day." What a bunch of nonsense that is. When I ate breakfast, I would obsess about food all day long and wouldn't stop eating. The sad thing was that I wouldn't even be hungry for breakfast and force myself to eat it. Now that I have gone back to IF I start off my day with a cup or 2 of coffee and then drink ice water for most of the day. I wait until I get hungry to eat which for me is about 2-3pm, that is when I have a snack of about 300 calories. Then I eat a large dinner around 7pm and still have room for a snack before I go to bed around 9- 10pm. I eat all of my calories for the day in that 8- 10 hour window. There are days where I am hungry earlier and I just eat something earlier in the day, no worries tomorrow is a new day. This is just what works for me. Play around with your "feeding" times and I'm sure you will find something that works very well for you. Whatever you do, don't let someone tell you that you NEED to have x amount of meals in a day. As long as you are getting the correct amount of calories in during the day and you are feeling good, I see no need in having 3 or 6 meals in a day. That is just a disaster waiting to happen. Good luck!
  • BoxerBrawler
    BoxerBrawler Posts: 2,032 Member
    I just made a post about this, I didn't realize this was here.
    I am going to try IF as well. I have always been a breakfast person but find that my healthy breakfasts lead to being hungrier and eating several times throughout the day. I have not noticed, nor have I found any scientific evidence that eating several small healthy times throughout the day makes any difference in my hunger level at the end of the day. I do find however, that when I skip breakfast my meals and snacks tend to be much smaller, my appetite is smaller and I eat less calories overall throughout the day, especially at night which is my danger zone :)
  • 10manda86
    10manda86 Posts: 229 Member
    when i was on a low-carb i found eating in the pm only VERY effective for controlling the binge... but low carb wasn't sustainable when i started working full-time, and lunch breaks don't fit with my diet choice and i had to change (school teacher so set lunch breaks)
  • BoxerBrawler
    BoxerBrawler Posts: 2,032 Member
    Yes I tried no carb and that didn't work for me either. The sugar cravings and urge to over eat were off the charts. I went to low carb and that has worked nicely.
  • ajnb88
    ajnb88 Posts: 339 Member
    Yesterday was the first morning that I'd had solid breakfast in a while (as opposed to shakes) and came in at around 520 calories. At work I crashed HARD, and ended up eating double what I usually do.

    I was over my calorie goal for the first time in two weeks.
  • BoxerBrawler
    BoxerBrawler Posts: 2,032 Member
    So yeah, today is my first day of this IF / no breakfast thing and I have to say that so far so good, I'm lovin' it! Usually by now I've ripped through all of my healthy snacks and am ravenous looking for more and worrying that I'm running out of calories before dinner. Today, aside from a few small snacks I am feeling satisfied with no real appetite and no cravings to speak of. If you look at my diary many of my snacks in the past would add up to 300 plus calories! Also I have been trying to get back to listening to my body rather than relying on a computer program or going by what most people say about eating throughout the day... it feels nice to be in tune with my belly and hunger signals again. Tomorrow I will limit my morning and afternoon snacks as well.
  • onmyown70
    onmyown70 Posts: 233 Member
    I just came to this conclusion about myself the other day. When I get up, eat a wonderful and healthy meal and then go about my day, I find that I'm so hungry an hour or two later that I can't think about anything other than eating again. It goes on like that all day long. If I just skip breakfast, I don't feel like that at all. I eat later in the day and I don't really binge eat anymore.

    I second/third/whatever reading about IF, it sounds like that might be something that could suit you.

    This week, I did this. i didn't eat until 3 pm.. then I was hungry. I ate my evening meal too... no bingeing.... for the first time in years (when I got to the weekend it was different story though).

    Thank you all for posting. I'm rereading all my posts and answers today after a "bad" weekend! x
  • onmyown70
    onmyown70 Posts: 233 Member
    Interestingly, I wonder if we are all just different. My little one is offered lunch at 12:30 pm and hardly eats it, but 3pm he is reserved it!, and eats it... I have always offered lunch at the same time (to prepare him for school but he never has an appetite at this time). We are all different I guess!
  • darrensurrey
    darrensurrey Posts: 3,942 Member
    Check out the 16/8 IF idea. Stick rigidly to the timings and it may work for you. Gets easy after a while as you just have to look at the clock to know when you're allowed to eat. :)
  • itsfatum
    itsfatum Posts: 113 Member
    You are NOT your problems. You just have problems.
  • Lose_It_Leo
    Lose_It_Leo Posts: 91 Member
    I've have bouts of major binging episodes. I know it's been mentioned: Intermittent Fasting... but there is the One-Day diet that is apparently effective. You fast for 22 hours and then when you do it you have 2 hours in which to eat what the hell you want. Turns out that the quantity sorts itself out in the end... after all our stomachs can only hold so much. Calorie counting during this time is optional but might be a good idea if your binges are over what would be the maintenance for your body for the day. Of course, having one meal also means you can pretty much have those high-claorie foods you might have been craving without to worry abut the guilt of over-eating and gaining.
  • RHachicho
    RHachicho Posts: 1,115 Member
    I am the opposite. If I miss a meal my change of binging goes up. Whenever I think of binging I think naah don't do that just think in a few hours you will be able to eat again and it will be good and all to plan. No sense messing with the plan. Then I go do something else. I rely on those regular meals to keep me honest.
  • keefmac
    keefmac Posts: 313 Member
    I just have a cup of tea in the morning before work, if I do eat breakfast I'll be hungry by 10am and just think about food all day..
  • wannakimmy
    wannakimmy Posts: 488 Member
    I just make my diary private so that I don't get any weird comments from my friends list.

    Dear sakuya3834 - may I humbly suggest that if you have *anyone* making "weird comments" about your honesty, then they are not safe friends and should be deleted. No one is forcing you to be friends with these people. You should never hide yourself because of a couple of jerks. If you do, then you're living to please others and not yourself, which isn't healthy for you. You deserve to be free to be yourself, to be honest, and to receive encouragement and real, safe accountability. Don't let anyone steal that from you.

    Well said, I agree.

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