How did you stop binge eating?

Melodii25
Melodii25 Posts: 3
edited November 8 in Motivation and Support
Binge eating is something I always did growing up (which is why I was fat). I recently lost all that weight but have been gaining it back while being at home for the holidays. I don't know what it's going to take for me to stop. Throughout the day I have no desire for junk food, but for some reason the urge always hits me at night. The fact that I've gained weight makes me nervous which makes me want to eat more. The fact that I want to eat and all that junk food is just sitting in the kitchen makes me antsy. I also think I want to eat more when I feel lonely which is often at night.

So if you've had this problem, how did you stop? What do you recommend?

Replies

  • Healthy_gms
    Healthy_gms Posts: 24 Member
    I hear several emotions in your post - antsy, urge, nervousness, lonely. Emotional eating is not easy to overcome, but you're partly there for a few reasons. You've defeated it before, you can again! You are aware of the situation and happening. If I had to guess, you probably have full days and your mind is happily occupied, so you don't eat crazy. But, at night, you have more mind freedom, room to be thinking about food. I think you should not have junk food sitting in the kitchen - it probably isn't good for anyone in the house. If they "have" to have some treats, ask them to keep them in their rooms, or well hidden - since they have the control and you don't? Just an idea. Also, continue the mindfullness - look up mindfullness and what it can do to improve your fight in this arena.

    I can certainly relate to this. For me, though I'm still in the middle of the "fight" I know I have to recognize when I am reacting out of anxiety and calm down and find other things to satify me. Maybe a drive, maybe a walk/job, maybe call or text a good close friend? Hope you stay positive - you can do anything you put your mind and heart on and in.

    -Gretchen (Feel free to add me if you want an accountability friend.)
  • Cortneyrenee04
    Cortneyrenee04 Posts: 1,117 Member
    I agree with Gretchen. I have those same tendencies and have mostly overcome them. Sometimes, though, my feet walk me into the kitchen and suddenly I look down and there's food in my hands even though I'm not hungry! Luckily, in my house there's not much that triggers a binge or would result in anything very damaging.

    Try to be mindful of why you're eating. Are you hungry? Are you upset? If you're not hungry, just walk away and find something else to do. If hungry, pre-log what you're going after and see if it fits into your day and make sure it won't leave you hungry after. (I've also been drinking water when I first start to feel hungry since sometimes I'm just thirsty. I feel like this has really helped me stop binging.)
  • DeterminedFee201426
    DeterminedFee201426 Posts: 859 Member
    edited November 2014
    something that worked for me i stoped all my activity such as trying to eat at a deficit and working out .. i just let loose ate of all things within 3 months + more that i binged on before > which were processed snacks like cookies and cakes rounding out between 2500-3500 cals perday ..after eating so much of them things i dont dare buy them or eat now their disgusting to me .. binge problem is now overcomed .. now iam back in action to lose 20lbs .( not advising! )
  • katherine_startrek_fan
    katherine_startrek_fan Posts: 425 Member
    If you dont already do this, try working out around an hour after dinner. It will help to supress your appetite to eat afterward and can help remind you to be mindful of portions during dinner.
  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
    Since it sounds like emotional eating (and a bit of regression being around family again), you need to identify the emotions and deal with them head on. Find something else to do when you are bored, find someone to reach out to when you are lonely, etc.
  • ltssharon
    ltssharon Posts: 195 Member
    Well, I had some tingling in my feet. A blood Ac1 test was done that showed borderline prediabetes, though my glucose was in the normal range. My doctor did not catch it in the report, so I am not going to point it out to her. I am stopping binging on candy bars. Period. I am binging on my chocolate sugar free smoothy instead. And sugar free jello. Fear in other words
  • Sawyer820
    Sawyer820 Posts: 2 Member
    katherine_startrek_fan wrote: »
    If you dont already do this, try working out around an hour after dinner. It will help to supress your appetite to eat afterward and can help remind you to be mindful of portions during dinner.

    I'll have to try this out!

  • 0_Chrissie_0
    0_Chrissie_0 Posts: 5
    I am glad I clicked on this post, very helpful comments. Thanks for stepping up and sharing Melodii25. I am currently in the same boat.
  • bananabeannn
    bananabeannn Posts: 110 Member
    For me, it was always related to some emotion that I couldn't handle - or, I *thought* I couldn't handle. I get the same thing with dieting, exercising, counting, planning - when there's an overwhelming urge to do something it's cause all your thoughts are on FOOD/BODY/WEIGHT - it pretty effectively blocks out what you are ACTUALLY thinking about.

    Growth and development, for me anyway, comes when I do NOT binge and sit through whatever uncomfortable feeling/thought arises. It's eating over my emotions that caused my life to stagnate, and caused me to believe that "if only I were thin, life would be great!", which made me focus on dieting which made me binge. Meanwhile, if I felt the emotions, listened to them and made my LIFE BIG, I probably wouldn't have a problem to begin with.

    That was me, anyway.
  • Melodii25
    Melodii25 Posts: 3
    Thank you so much for the overwhelmingly supportive comments, I really appreciate it. I'm glad that this post was helpful to others, and it's reassuring that other people have gone through the same thing.
    I've come to the conclusion that I do it because I'm lonely.. I'm used to always being around people at school and sharing a room with someone else. In the past I've usually had a boyfriends house I spent the nights at rather than home. So I'll have to find a way to fix that.

    Again, thank you so much for the thoughtful responses. I really appreciate them.
  • 999tigger
    999tigger Posts: 5,235 Member
    Form a different relationship with food. You already recognise what happens and its not what you want to do an it wont get you the things you want. You already know the answer that if you are lonely then find things to do, hobbies, friends or activities that lets you be around or with other people. You then wont need to binge out or at least youll have company. Good luck.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    concordancia wrote: »
    Since it sounds like emotional eating (and a bit of regression being around family again), you need to identify the emotions and deal with them head on. Find something else to do when you are bored, find someone to reach out to when you are lonely, etc.

    This. I find it helpful to try and plan alternate approaches when the relevant emotions hit. Sitting down and journaling about it was very helpful at first and I still do it some. Working out or going for a walk. Since it's hitting you in the evening maybe go on MFP or listen to music and wallow--it's about finding things that will work as an alternative.
  • sheepotato
    sheepotato Posts: 600 Member
    It helped me to eat small meals regularly and drinking more water so I never felt hungry. That's just on a normal day, but emotional eating doesn't have much to do with hunger so it's harder to stop. I don't know your particular situation so I'm going give some general advice.

    Don't keep things you know you will binge on in the house, or find something lower in calories you can volume eat like popcorn or berries.
    Try to find something pampering to replace the emotional reward of high calories or super sweet/fattening foods. Maybe taking a long bubble bath or going for a walk or watching a feel good movie.
    If it's a nighttime loneliness thing I found that having other insomniac friends to just hang out with completely stopped my late night boredom eating.
    If it's a stress thing try to find something you really enjoy that relieves stress for you, something as simple as dancing or maybe take up a new hobby or if you are around a lot of people schedule a time when it's just you and read or do something solitary.
    If it's a general self esteem thing, then find a way to be happy with yourself at any size, understand that you have qualities and strengths that have nothing to do with your physical appearance and the people in your life know this, or they don't deserve to be in it.
    Making yourself feel badly for how you look does nothing to change it.
  • StrawberryCaked
    StrawberryCaked Posts: 4
    1. Try not to eat by yourself
    2. Drink tons of water to fill up
    3. Realize that your stomach may be stretched from overeating, but will return to normal
    4. Have smaller or infrequent meals
    5. Don't think in black & white about screwups or successes
    6. Weigh yourself every other day(personal guideline)
    7. Generally stay away from foods you eat gluttonously.
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