How do you stop mindless binges?

MissKoyukichan
MissKoyukichan Posts: 18 Member
edited November 9 in Health and Weight Loss
Are there any tricks you use? If I realize I'm binging mid-binge I'll stop, but sometimes it's hard.

Replies

  • nosebag1212
    nosebag1212 Posts: 621 Member
    by not doing a big deficit so never have to binge in the first place
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
    nosebag1212 wrote: »
    by not doing a big deficit so never have to binge in the first place

    this. Also for me, not putting restrictions on any food (I eat what I want to fit within my macros) and eating large main meals. Snacking just makes me hungry and wanting to eat more and more food. I need a good macro balance at breakfast and lunch, then I eat carb-heavy at night. Otherwise if I eat too high-carb during the day I get hungry.
  • Betsyx72
    Betsyx72 Posts: 19 Member
    edited December 2014
    I have made a law for myself that I have to log any excess calories over my goal on the next day as part of those calories. That way I don't punish myself today (and end up binging even more out of self-pity or giving up), but instead I trade it for fewer calories the next day. Just knowing that I have to do that often stops the binging in the first place or keeps it very manageable (100-200 calories over goal). After all, most people, even when they are healthy and don't have binging tendencies will once in awhile eat a little more than they should. I am more like a normal person now (plus the mind trick lol)
  • ChristineRoze
    ChristineRoze Posts: 212 Member
    I binge eat emotionally, so even when I have a normal amount of calories sometimes it's just really hard to stop. The only thing that's made me prevent binges is to not allow it to begin. I don't buy snack foods, When my partner wants to get fast food I say no thank you and going out to dinner I make sure I don't ask for fries just in case it triggers a binge.

    I work at a supermarket so when work is stressful it's really hard not to go and buy donuts or chocolates. Then it's just a matter of putting it off long enough to see reason :P "I will buy a chocolate after I do X amount of work or X amount of hours" and by then I don't want to anymore.
  • kittenful
    kittenful Posts: 318 Member
    If I have a bag of chips in front of me, I could easily nosh most of the bag before I realize it. I make sure to portion it out, instead. I don't have the excuse of not realizing when I'm measuring it out, and it's made me much more mindful of how I eat.
  • rendash49221
    rendash49221 Posts: 39 Member
    I would also add, plan your day ahead. I'm not talking "written in stone," just being mindful of what you will be doing for the day. Also, if it's emotional/stress binging that you do, like me, remove yourself from the kitchen/pantry/house. I will take a walk or go to the gym just to remove temptation. It also helps to relieve the stress.
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,603 Member
    Don't buy the foods that create the binge.

    Weight loss starts in the grocery store. :)
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    What are you binging on? Work whatever it is into your calorie defecit

    Be mindful - concentrate on every decision to eat and what you're making / putting in your mouth - surely just logging everything up front before you take a bite is enough to make this happen

  • cblue315
    cblue315 Posts: 3,836 Member
    My binging stopped when I increased my protein. About 10 to 20%more protein daily than carbs. I eat 6 times a day and try to include protein at each meal or snack.
  • anastasiaobrien
    anastasiaobrien Posts: 9 Member
    I actually stop and think about whether or not I am REALLY hungry - I ask myself several times and usually, I'm not. I also don't buy anything that I don't want to be eating but I am single and live alone so I can do that.
  • Lasmartchika
    Lasmartchika Posts: 3,440 Member
    Are you eating a good amount of calories per day or are you eating too little?

    Are you denying yourself foods that you like?
  • logicalinks
    logicalinks Posts: 89 Member
    Repeating what others have said:
    • Don't put yourself at too much of a calorie deficit.
    • Eat more protein.
    • Eat smaller meals more often.
    • Don't keep supplies of food that you don't want to binge on. Instead, keep plenty of fruits and veggies around.
    • If you do keep less-healthy binge foods around, put notes on them to remind you what you're trying to accomplish.
    • Log EVERYTHING. If you start to see a pattern of sabotaging your goals, you'll can then choose to commit or choose to give up.
    • Don't be mindless. Be mindful. It's a conscious choice.

    Good luck!
  • Adc7225
    Adc7225 Posts: 1,318 Member
    Since I am not sure what you are binging on maybe try using presentation for your food - if you put a serving in a dish then put away whatever is left then you have to go back and open the package etc., this might help with the mindless part. I think we all still have some of the clean your plate or finish the package syndrome.
  • TopazCutie
    TopazCutie Posts: 386 Member
    The key to stopping a binge is to not allow yourself to have the opportunity to binge. For example don't buy snacks you've binged on before, ever. If you live with others, avoid the kitchen and only go in it with a specific plan in mind. You might snack here and there, but if you're aimless and mindless there's a bigger change the mindless eating will happen.
  • amtru2015
    amtru2015 Posts: 179 Member
    I put signs on my fridge and pantry--no joke. They just say "stop". If I'm tempted to ignore them, I just think of how disgusting I feel when I'm done.
  • Turning_Hopes_to_Habits
    Turning_Hopes_to_Habits Posts: 103 Member
    I'm interested to hear so many people say not to buy foods that you binge on. When I binge, it's food that is fine in moderation but not in excess. A few years ago I binged on Triscuits. Good Lord, I pooped for DAYS. I've often binged on cheese and veggies, but what I ate in calories in cheese put me way, way over, and it was the "just keep eating, nothing satiates, go back for thirds and fourths and eat all the things!" type of behavior that turned what could have been a healthy snack into an unhealthy...feeding I guess is the most accurate term. :disappointed:
  • NoelFigart1
    NoelFigart1 Posts: 1,276 Member
    MissKoyukichan wrote: »
    Are there any tricks you use? If I realize I'm binging mid-binge I'll stop, but sometimes it's hard.

    Be mindful. No, I'm not being snarky. Make yourself sit at a table and don't do anything else in conjunction with that. Eat without distractions and pay CLOSE ATTENTION to what you're doing and feeling.



  • CloudyMao
    CloudyMao Posts: 258 Member
    edited December 2014
    Prevention for me, good advice already has been given - prudent planning & portioning out food. If you plan ahead you wont have any extra food around to 'binge' on, portioning will force you to go out of you way to carry on eating - reducing that risk. Ensuring that when you eat this is the only activity you are doing (not watching TV) that way you can focus on what you're eating, how much & how you feel.

    If this is too difficult for you then you may have an issue with compulsive behavior surrounding eating, and if that is the case I strongly suggest talking to your doctor about it.
  • Slacker16
    Slacker16 Posts: 1,184 Member
    I think figuring out why you binge is the most important part.

    Sometimes it's a bad habit (foods you're used to overeat when you eat them), sometimes it's emotionally driven (comfort eating) and sometimes it's physical (nutritional deficiency). All these cases need to be dealt with using different strategies.

    Not buying the foods you binge on is a band-aid, not a solution. It can help you break bad habits but won't work in the long run.

    Also, pigging out every once in a while is fun. Don't go full puritan here.
  • carriecarrio
    carriecarrio Posts: 70 Member
    I think we all overdo it here and there but most of the time I avoid it by drinking tea ...
  • lemonlionheart
    lemonlionheart Posts: 580 Member
    Practice Mindfulness :)
  • hamoncan
    hamoncan Posts: 148 Member
    edited December 2014
    Force down another roasted chicken breast or something good at least when you're craving calories.

    You probably should stop allowing yourself to call them mindless binges though. Your mind is 100% involved in whatever choices you make.

    If you've got a big bag of chips in your hand, pre-log the whole bag to see what it would look like in your MFP food diary. Don't like the number? Put it back. Or not. It's all on you.
  • SoulOfRusalka
    SoulOfRusalka Posts: 1,201 Member
    If you think you're going to binge, make yourself drink a lot of water first. Then make a cup of tea. Drink the tea (you can make it sweet if you're craving sweets- works for me. Sugar cookie tea FTW). If you need to after that, drink a mug of broth. If I do that at that point I feel too sick to eat any more, which is sort of crude but at least my calories don't go over.
    Also, if you need to, get however much food is a normal portion and then leave the kitchen so that it's harder to get up and get more. Force yourself to wait-- even 10 minutes between helpings or whatever is useful for realizing that you need to stop.
    I've "binged"--as in, continually eating when I felt really full, nearly to the point of sickness, and still not had it add up to even 100 calories. So that's a useful skill while you're figuring it out.
    It's hard.
    Good luck!
  • txteachermom
    txteachermom Posts: 83 Member
    1. by allowing myself to eat what I like, just watching the portions
    2. By drinking water before giving in to a craving, so that I know if I'm actually hungry or really thirsty.
    3. Chewing gum or keeping fruit/veggies close by so that if I have the urge to mindlessly munch, I do it on carrots rather than cookies.
    4. like an earlier poster said, I keep a sign on my fridge. It says, "what do you want more?" That helps to remind me to keep things in perspective. Do I really want to go over on my calories today, or do I want to wear smaller jean size at this time next year? Which is more important to me?

    Good luck!
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    I've been haunting the community discussions long enough to be getting repeats. This is a repeat. So I blogged about this very issue this morning.

    Here are some tips I've been given.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/jgnatca/view/halting-a-binge-session-715131
  • SarcasmIsMyLoveLanguage
    SarcasmIsMyLoveLanguage Posts: 2,668 Member
    I always keep healthier, satisfying options on hand like almonds, cheese, etc. on hand. That way when I'm feeling snacky, I can reach for something that's going to satiate. If after a healthy snack I still feel like eating a treat, I will still have it, but just less.

    Like others have said, if you're denying yourself and keeping too large a deficit, you are more likely to binge.
  • Aprilfoolbride
    Aprilfoolbride Posts: 552 Member
    edited December 2014
    Thank you for posting this, the thread is very interesting. I agree with a lot of the advice above.

    I also plan one meal a week (usually Friday night) where I can eat whatever I want. Notice that I don't call it a "cheat day" because it isn’t cheating, it’s in my plan. Also when I feel like I'm cheating, I tend to go off the rails, which I don't want.

    I think for days before about what I might have (sushi, pizza, cheeseburger) or whatever. I have single-servings of sweets that trigger binges, so I buy one piece of cake or just two cookies. Then I have the meal and enjoy it. If I go over cals, I go over cals, but I just log it honestly and move on.

    I do my best not to have leftovers, and if there are I freeze them for school lunches.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    Thursdays are my pizza day. 1/2 of 1/2 Quizno's Canadian Thin Crust with extra veggies.
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