How do you stop overeating/binging?

Are you eating enough when you eat well? How big a calorie deficit? For me, truly mindless/autopilot eating is almost always a sign that I'm working out too hard and not refueling enough.

If it's emotional, then you would want to work on alternative coping strategies for frustratio and stress.

Stop walking to the fridge. If you want, plan for an evening snack, but don't free feed.

I drink water and go on MFP forums to pass the time. Or I would just be doing my homework haha

I don't think about food outside of eating times. At all. If I do, I immediately do something else to distract myself, like cleaning or drawing. I treat that first thought of food like a cue for doing something else. But basically, stop yourself from even thinking about it.

I struggle with the same thing. I will go 5 it 6 days then BAM! Binge! It always sets me back

juganaut wrote: »

To be honest, I do have some fairly low calorie days and I do workout 6 days a week. I assume there is also an emotional aspect to it as I have been fairly stressed out with irregular hours at work.

I've already decided to quit my job in the next week or two - this will allow me total unemployed control of my daily routine and eating habits. It will also keep me away from the footlong subs.

However, quitting my job does not stop me from visiting the fridge a dozen times at night. I might have to start embracing that feeling of hunger at nights and do intermittent fasting again.

Try adjusting your caloric intake and eat back some of those calories. Working out 6 days a week needs fuel. You may have your calories/day set too low.

Other than that, just log your binge and move on with life.

I "binged" last night with 2 extra slices of pizza, a candy bar, and a soda! Logged it and now I am going to take the doggies for a long walk in the park this morning...

I spend my entire day working at home next to my kitchen, so the possibility of a binge is very high, 24/7 for me. Stress, loneliness and sadness are all triggers for me, so the usual 'distracting before it happens' is what I try first. Then I've started doing this: usually before a binge, I'll walk to the kitchen, reach for the loaf of bread and literally force myself to freeze. I'll stand frozen in my kitchen for a good minute, making a conscious effort to remind myself that my mind CANNOT make me move. Forcing myself to become aware of how I am responsible for everything I do, and of how I am the one in control, takes away a lot of the binge's power for me.

This is my first post here at MFP. I battle binge eating cravings every night. I also have dealt with anxiety attacks as a result of PTSD. Both are very similar. Once I start to eat, it is all over. I have talked with a lot of people and over the years I have realized that the mechanics of binge eating is much like problems alcoholics face. The only thing that works is to deal with the urges without eating. Much like learning how to work thru panic attacks you must become aware that these urges are a result of a temporary chemical surge in your body. You must accept that you will never be able to stop the urges. Therefore you must learn how to "Weather the Storm". There are multiple coping mechanisms. For some people working out helps, others drink water, but for the most part, (and most successful for me) is to take a moment and consciously recognize these cravings for what they are. Chemical surges in your body that will pass and that you have to consciously control. Like panic attacks, most of these urges will last about 20 minutes. Hang in there for that time. Most importantly, You must not start eating. Like panic attacks, once you give in to the attack or in the case of urges you start to eat, you have lost the battle. Body chemistry takes over and the chemicals that started the urges increase. If your urges come late at night, the best thing you can do is just go to bed. Another tactic if your serious about beating them is to log your cravings. Note when and why they occur. You will be able to develop a pattern and learn what your triggers really are. One of the cruelest and probably best bits of advise that my doctor told me is to, "Make hunger your friend".
takes over.

I didn't "binge" but I overate certain foods regularly. I stopped having them in the house. Because we don't have kids, that was a do-able approach for me.
Now (at maintenance for many years) if I feel like nachos when we're out, I may get an order and share with hubs. But I still don't keep bags of tortilla chips lying around.

Find what works for you.

I was a binge eater/over eater as well. These are some of the things that I do to help me.
I leave the house and go for a walk when I can feel a binge coming on (between 2-4 where my weakest times).
I keep dinner in the kitchen so I don't pick at it at the table. Then I have my kids and husband put the left overs away cause I'm one of those who would eat while cooking, eat, eat again then eat while cleaning up.
If I'm still feeling like I need to eat I have raw almonds or a banana.
If I can't control my binge I pig out on veggies with hummus. For me it fulfills that need without adding a ton of unwanted calories.
I keep my trigger foods out of the house. No chips, candy, junk food or pop.
IF I do binge on bad things I don't let it wreck my day. I just know I have to work that much harder the next thing.

Just take it one day at a time.

For years I was stuck in the pattern of unintentional deprivation when I thought I was "eating healthy" and then I did at times feel out of control and near-powerless against fast food places as I drove down the street on days when I was downright HUNGRY and frustrated...and I would indulge and feel that I failed.

Like others have said here, balance things. Eat something "bad" every single day along with tons of healthy food, all of it logged and fitting your calories and fitting the macros within reason. Eat back the exercise calories. If you're not comfortable eating back all of them go for at least 50%+.

As others have said, barring serious emotional issues I think this will make a big improvement.

Even though I do follow this "advice" myself I still sometimes find myself making bad choices or overeating, even after getting my weight to a place where I am comfortable with it and easing into maintenance. And it is almost ALWAYS due to a few days in a row when I just didn't feel super hungry or didn't crave sweets, and was under my calories...it ALWAYS catches up with me eventually and it was kind of awful at first, making me feel out of control. Now I'm just like "Yep I have been slightly undereating this week and now I'm going over by 300 cal of pizza on Saturday". That doesn't have to happen but it doesn't freak me out when it does, now.

I eat about six times a day. You should never really feel too much hunger. I am not hungry at 11:00 when I eat my orange and not really hungry when I eat my apple at 16:00. It can seem weird to eating this many times but we don't have endless willpower so when you become very very hungry you will eat too much.

Spocky wrote: »

I eat about six times a day. You should never really feel too much hunger. I am not hungry at 11:00 when I eat my orange and not really hungry when I eat my apple at 16:00. It can seem weird to eating this many times but we don't have endless willpower so when you become very very hungry you will eat too much.

Actually, this is me. I eat snacks between breakfast and lunch, and between lunch and dinner (and sometimes dessert). If I'm not hangry, it's easier to manage cravings and impulses.