How to stop binge eating?

jo4anne
jo4anne Posts: 7 Member
edited September 25 in Motivation and Support
On the whole my diet is pretty good but I find that every now and then I will binge. Its not just a quick indulgence its a real bad attack in which even when my head is telling me to stop I carry on and can't control myself. I hate myself for doing it. I don't know why I can't control it but its like an obsession and something takes over me. I know it stems from childhood and issues with my mother but I just can't seam to find a way of stopping myself from doing it. I tend to do it when I'm upset, depressed or trying to deprive myself of things when I'm trying to lose weight so all the good I do I then go and undo.

I've been to my docs about it to try and get some help but the place he referred me to doesn't do eating disorders so I'm now at a loss at how I can get over this problem. Until it is fixed I am never going to be able to get the weight off and keep it off.

Any ideas?

Replies

  • teddyann
    teddyann Posts: 60 Member
    I have not read any yet....But...there were some ladies and I discussing this the other day and they recommended that I read some books by Geneen Roth...I looked it up on Amazon and they look amazing. All topics that hit home.....one of them was "When Food is Love"...there was another book but not by the same lady called Losing your Pounds of Pain

    Good luck! Hope this helps!

    You CAN do this!!! :smile:
  • JulsDiane
    JulsDiane Posts: 349 Member
    Does your employer offer an Employee Assistance Program? They normally have someone they can send you to that does deal with eating disorders in my experience.
  • ♥♥YoungMrs♥♥
    ♥♥YoungMrs♥♥ Posts: 178
    What kinds of foods are you binging on sweetie?? You could start by removing all the junk from your house so that you arent able to run to it when you are feeling down. I cut my whole family off from sweets because I used to binge on them..Good luck on your journey! You are totally capable of changing your eating habits..
  • nhendri
    nhendri Posts: 236 Member
    I know exactly how you feel. I have problems with binging at dinner!!
    First I would suggest not to beat yourself up over it!! Your past a big step noticing and knowing there is a problem. One thing thats kinda helping me (still in the first week) is to chant to myself through out the day I can control myself. It was suggested that instead of saying I am not in control to tell myself I am. I guess it reverse psychology on myself lol. Good luck and you can do it. What we choose to put in our mouths is under our control (see I am still chanting :wink: ) You can do this!!!!
  • punkrawkcutie
    punkrawkcutie Posts: 439 Member
    i know overeaters annonymous has some groups that focus on binges... and they have online and telephone real time meetings so if you don't have a group in your area that might be an option. the website is www.oa.org
    definetly seek out help tho if it is something that you and your Dr. are concerned about. Most eating disorder program will have you keep a food log, so you're partly there just by being on MFP...
    Don't be afraid to ask for help when you need it!
  • PattyTheUndefeated
    PattyTheUndefeated Posts: 302 Member
    I really hate it when people will say, "Well, just allow yourself small indulgences of what you want." or "Just don't keep it in your house." or other stupid suggestions that they think will cure a binge eaters attack. I'm a binge eater. The only way to explain what we do is that we are BULIMICS without the PURGING. It's a extremely dangerous and unhealthy eating disorder that most people DO NOT take seriously unless you know what it's like. We can binge on anything. And in massive amounts in a small period of time. A thought, a feeling, a moment will just trigger a insatiable need to eat and once you start you can't stop until your are physically ill. It's not an extra slice of cake or a candy bar you shouldn't of had but it IS a whole container of peanut butter or an entire box of cereal. Binges are not innocent cravings.

    I'm not sure if I can offer you any real help as I'm a recovering binge eater myself and I know that it's extremely hard to stop, and the binges do still come and go. There is help out there and alot of awesome books on the topic that I refer you to if you want.

    Be strong.
  • skinimin
    skinimin Posts: 252 Member
    It is reeally really hard to get over bingeing! It's why I even started on MFP, because I could see the effects it was having on my once (and now again) skinny body. I try to think about how gross I feel after I eat everything (ok how fat I feel, how my stomach seems stretched to the limit, how I look severly pregnant from profile in the mirror). Also try to focus less on how it all will taste and more on how many calories they equal, this is a big motivator for me to stay away. How disappointed you feel in yourself after you have eaten all this food. Very flavorsome chewing gum works really well for me. The taste and the action of chewing without the calories and bloating.
  • skinimin
    skinimin Posts: 252 Member
    It is reeally really hard to get over bingeing! It's why I even started on MFP, because I could see the effects it was having on my once (and now again) skinny body. I try to think about how gross I feel after I eat everything (ok how fat I feel, how my stomach seems stretched to the limit, how I look severly pregnant from profile in the mirror). Also try to focus less on how it all will taste and more on how many calories they equal, this is a big motivator for me to stay away. How disappointed you feel in yourself after you have eaten all this food. Very flavorsome chewing gum works really well for me. The taste and the action of chewing without the calories and bloating.
  • jipeval
    jipeval Posts: 1 Member
    I have had exactly the same problem all my life and for the same reasons! I have done therapy and that helped a little bit but as I said, it is ingrained in my brain and food is linked to emotions for me too. All I can say is that exercising help a lot. When you feel like that, try to go out or to the gym or to pop an exercise DVD and not only the "cravings" will pass but you will actually lose weight. There are no miracles unfortunately, this never goes away, you just have to find strategies to avoid the binge attacks...I also did the Dukan Diet last Spring and it allows you to eat as much as you want as long as you don't eat carbs or sugar and it actually was easy for me because I didn't feel deprived, I lost 35 lbs in about 3 months and kept it off...you need to find something that doesn't make you feel "deprived" because it feeds your sense of emotional deprivation that goes way back to your childhood...Hope this helps...
  • sargent1976
    sargent1976 Posts: 33 Member
    Not sure if it will help you, but my sister has a weakness for Cheese cake. Now anytime she wants some she imagines in tasting like anchovies and it puts her off. Maybe try imagining the food you are going to binge on will taste like something you really hate. It's worth a try. Hope you can get it sorted.
  • emjay4
    emjay4 Posts: 1 Member
    I am in the same situation..but i don't just binge, I purge too. I can only acknowledge the misery you are feeling, because I have yet to find a way to fix it myself. I have tried counseling and meds without success. Only thing I can tell you is to identify your triggers and avoid them! But honestly, I have my triggers pinned down and it still doesn't help :( I also try to think of watching my loved ones doing to themselves the thing I am doing to myself- puts a different perspective on your actions.
  • LissaLou
    LissaLou Posts: 19
    I am still working at stopping binge eating... It was really bad for me for a while (I have had eating disorders since I was 12/13)... It's why I am here! At the start of this year I said I was stopping.... And I have did soooooooooooooo much better! I stopped buying the foods I like to binge on... If I don't have them, then I can't eat them, and I am such a picky eater that I won't eat most foods... And when I feel the need to eat due to stress or boredom, or whatever reason I try to do something else, like one of my hobbies or play an extra game with my daughters.
  • jensadzewicz
    jensadzewicz Posts: 6 Member
    I was just recently going through the same thing... My eating was triggered. I had a great day with my family swimming and grocery shopping but we stopped and had pizza for lunch... Long story short, my trigger was pizza (heavy carbs, sugar and grease). Simply, for me anything with high carbs and high sugar content. After that lunch it was all down hill. I sat and thought about it before bed and realized that the days I had like this were all triggered by one meal. This is what I go through, I'm not saying its the same for you, but think about the previous days and see if you had any meals that were similar before the binge eating. It may not be the solution but it could help you be more conscious about what you eat...
  • gretchann917
    gretchann917 Posts: 18
    Why don't you try taping pictures of what motivates you to lose weight to the things that will hinder it! I have a picture of me 15 pounds thinner on my fridge so that every time I go to eat I am reminded of my goal. If that doesn't work... get it out of your house! also... There is an AMAZING news letter/cookbook series called hungry girl that offers tons of seriously delicious low calorie (often under 200!!!) recipes for your favorite junk foods. Its GREAT and it has helped me a lot! www.hungrygirl.com
  • SheliaN1960
    SheliaN1960 Posts: 454 Member
    HI! And let me tell you that you are not alone. I have what is called stress eating dissorder and for so many reasons. So what I would like to do is tell you what works for me. First, let me mention that communicating with my friends here has been amazing and the support unbelievable. What I did at first was I removed sugar (refined), wheat and flour. Yes, this was the hardest thing that I have ever done. After about two months I began to add it ever so lightly back into my menus (let me say that I felt like a million bucks during those 2 months). Today I have had some full blown out binges and this morning I told myself that I really liked the happier me so I am back to no sugar, wheat or flour. I know that sugar is the bad guy so I will most likely have to stay away from this all together. Anyway,I go online today and I read your mssage and I am like, this girl...I know just what she feels. I am about to lose my marriage so it is very important to me to get over this and to move in a more positive path. My heart feels your pain and I wanted you to know that the food is really not your best friend or your comfort. It is just a bandaid and will not heal your issues. I will pray for you, support you and do anything that I can to be there for you on this journey. Best wishes and you may friend me if you wish!! Shelia
  • JeanneTops
    JeanneTops Posts: 2,636 Member
    I think you have to view binge eating the same as you would a chronic illness. And people with chronic illnesses often say that their symptoms worsen when they are under stress, overtired, or not eating healthfully. And sometimes, their symptoms just flair up for no discernible reason at all. For we binge eaters, this means:

    1. We have to stop viewing a binge as a personal moral failure. It's a symptom that's flared up and that's all.

    2. We have to continually be monitoring our health and stress levels. Try not to get overtired or overstressed. Find a technique that reduces stress for you - yoga, exercise, meditation, prayer, counseling - whatever and make a day-by-day commitment to it.

    3. Recognize and prepare for events that are likely to result in a binge. You'll have to figure out what sort of plan works for you that gets you through the event without a major binge. Don't expect to be successful right away. It's going to take time to find out what works for you and that means experiencing binges when some techniques don't work.

    4. Recognize the early warning signs of a binge approaching. If you're feeling guilty about bingeing, then you may be suppressing or deliberately ignoring the signs. If you can start to recognize them, you may be able to learn how to forestall it or to lessen the severity of the flareup. For example, get a nap if you're overtired, go for a walk if you're stressed, have a small snack if you're over hungry, talk to a friend if you're angry or upset about something. These are not the causes of binges, they are just the conditions that allow for flareups and can prolong or worsen them.

    5. Go back and read #1 again. A binge is not a moral failure or a self-control failure on your part. Keep that in mind when you're experiencing a binge. It might help reduce the level or length of your flare-up. The stress of feeling guilty will only make your binge flare-up worse.

    6. Very importantly, don't follow any diet plan that builds stress, anxiety or guilt in you. Find eating and exercising patterns that are comfortable for you to follow. Be sure that your eating and exercising plan will keep you healthy as well. This is probably going to mean accepting a slow weight loss - over several years. But if it results in fewer or less prolonged binges, then it will be a far more successful one.

    7. Once again, this is a chronic illness you can recover from only one day at a time for the rest of your life. Let go of the past, give yourself credit for today and let tomorrow worry about itself.

    I'm talking from personal experience. It's helped me to write it, I hope it helps you a little also.
  • jo4anne
    jo4anne Posts: 7 Member
    Thanks for all the hints and tips guys it has really helped me to feel a little better knowing I'm not the only one that has this problem. I will have a look into some of your advice and see if it helps.

    I've always had this problem but before it wasn't so bad because I was fit and active so I could go to the gym and burn it all off. I'm now not as mobile as I used to be after having a car accident so the weight just piles on straight away. Its easy to gain pounds eating health foods let along having a binge obsession.

    I binge on anything full stop so its not like I can just not buy in things. I've been known in the past to eat just marge or even raw sausages. That is how I know it is out of control because when I am normal and thinking logically it isn't something that I would do. As a rule we don't have crap in the house anyway so by the time I think I want something nice then think about the effort to go and get it I just don't bother. My problem comes when I'm already out and there are things to hand and I'm on my own or if I'm at home I will grab literally just anything that is there.

    I guess as this is the first time I have admitted that I have a problem means that I might start to actually get some help to fixing it. Just need to work out how.
  • Cassienz
    Cassienz Posts: 75
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/186531-support-for-binge-eating-disorder

    :smile:
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