Binge eating and how to stop.
VanessaFitForLife
Posts: 14
Hello, I would like to talk about binge eating. Is there anyone who struggles with binge eating or have struggled and over came the awful eating disorder??
I was a weekend binge eater but I am getting over it now.
Would love to hear your stories.
I was a weekend binge eater but I am getting over it now.
Would love to hear your stories.
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Replies
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I am not sure if what I do is considered Binge eating or not. I am always eating. At work I sit at a desk and I get bored so I just eat and eat and eat. I am hungry all the time. Nothing really satisfies me until later at night. What is this and how do I get over it? It has only been going on for about a month.0
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I currently struggle with it... But I feel like I'm so close to having a better relationship with food. I have a young daughter and I don't want her to gro up seeing such unhealthy behaviors.0
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Cjam, I think what u r describing is called "grazing.". I have that problem too. I find it is, for me, a response to boredom. When I am engaged, mentally and physically (even if it is no more than writing or texting) it doesn't bother me. So, I try to keep my hands & my mind busy. Who knows, I might actually accomplish something?
As for binge eating, I did that, too. (I'm 73; there aren't too many dumb things I haven't gotten around to.). Like smoking, I did it because it was pleasant. At first. Then I started to really examine how I felt, and I found that it resulted from anger and feeling unable ( for one reason or another) to punish the other person. So I was turning my anger on myself and punishing myself. Once I fully realized that, binge eating lost its mastery.
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I eat good all day and then at night right before bed I binge eat! I work an early shift of 5:30 am and am on my feet all day so by the time I am off by 1 , ive already had most my calories for the day according to this app.0
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My advice...Eat frequent balanced MEALS that hit your goals...and stop snacking. If you are having cravings it may be because the meal before was out of balance...you stomach became full but your brain was not satisfied. Also...remove the word BINGE eating from your vocabulary...and add the word "cheat meal" to your vocabulary. And remember that it is "cheat meal" and NOT "cheat day"..as there is a difference. Just have one cheat meal...once a week. For me it is Saturday night...takes the place of meals 5 and 6. It gives me something to look forward to and encourages family date night or night out with the wifey. For those with goals of weight loss...maybe back off the carbs and fat little on the day of the cheat meal.
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Hey everyone! I thought this would be a good place to open up and receive guidance because I am really struggling with my dieting recently. My name is Stephanie, and I have had a difficult time controlling my eating for as long as I can remember. Luckily, I am athletic, so I don't appear to be as big as the scale says that I am, but I know it won't be this way for much longer. I have recently lost control so badly over my eating and I truly feel as though I have no power over my cravings or desires because I cannot remember the last time that I was able to talk myself out of eating something that I shouldn't. This is genuinely concerning me because (1) I really do want to be strong and become the healthiest version of myself possible, and (2) I am getting married in almost exactly one year and I have always dreamed of being in the best shape of my life for my wedding. I get so frustrated with myself because if I am eating healthy, I'm unhappy because I'm thinking of all the other food that I want- and if I'm eating what I want, I'm unhappy because I'm sabotaging myself. It's a lose-lose for me! Haha besides this, I truly feel as though I have everything that I could ever want in life so I want nothing more than to be able to control my binging and be proud of my determination as well. I guess what I am looking for from you guys is just opinions on how you started your journeys and stuck with it even when things got hard. I am a pro at making up excuses for why I deserve a certain snack or meal, and I am really just looking for ways to overcome the mental barrier that I have towards eating healthier. I tend to stick to my plans for literally a day (if I'm lucky), and fall off again the next day. Any starting points or ideas from you guys would be immensely appreciated
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vanessafowler_777 wrote: »Hello, I would like to talk about binge eating. Is there anyone who struggles with binge eating or have struggled and over came the awful eating disorder??
I was a weekend binge eater but I am getting over it now.
Would love to hear your stories.
I started struggling alot with this late last year.
There are days where I just cannot concentrate. I MUST eat. Its almost like an anxiety until I give in to it.
I can eat massive amounts and sometimes feel sick afterwards. I often find that the food Im eating doesnt even taste that good - its just the act of letting go and eating without thinking that I crave.
But I also feel disgusted, guilty, and ashamed afterwards. I also feel like a failure. I have done so well with my weight loss - its a like a dirty secret that makes me feel like a fraud.
Im trying to control it - but last week was not good. Had threes days where I ate everything not nailed down..
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I'm also struggling im much older than you all so you think I would have learnt by now but in all honesty my binge eating has got worse. Yesterday was horrendous, just couldn't control it feel really remorse today. Need help and advice.0
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Do you eat enough fiber? Women need about 25g a day. If I don't eat enough fiber, I end up binging because I don't feel full, no matter what I eat. I need that fiber or else I'm a bottomless pit.0
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Find a friend who will walk through this with you! Knowing you are meeting a friend to exercise or allowing your friend to see your food diary helps to hold you accountable! And...set small feasible goals...something you can reach in 1 or 2 weeks. When you meet your goal, set a new one.0
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And get trigger foods out of the house completely! If I know one of my trigger foods is around somewhere, I obsess over it until I finally eat it!0
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Good tip! If the food isn't there I don't want it!0
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Get rid of the tempting foods in your house! Treat yourself once a week so that you don't feel deprived!george7527 wrote: »I'm also struggling im much older than you all so you think I would have learnt by now but in all honesty my binge eating has got worse. Yesterday was horrendous, just couldn't control it feel really remorse today. Need help and advice.
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I understand how you feel.. It's like you go on auto pilot and can't control yourself. The best thing I did was talk to someone, a friend or family member and ask them for help because I always found myself binging when I was alone. I wouldn't do it if others were around. I also gave up the idea of good food and bad food! Having a small serving of something you love will keep you from feeling deprived. Just take it one day at a time! You can get over this!VanillaBeanSeed wrote: »vanessafowler_777 wrote: »Hello, I would like to talk about binge eating. Is there anyone who struggles with binge eating or have struggled and over came the awful eating disorder??
I was a weekend binge eater but I am getting over it now.
Would love to hear your stories.
I started struggling alot with this late last year.
There are days where I just cannot concentrate. I MUST eat. Its almost like an anxiety until I give in to it.
I can eat massive amounts and sometimes feel sick afterwards. I often find that the food Im eating doesnt even taste that good - its just the act of letting go and eating without thinking that I crave.
But I also feel disgusted, guilty, and ashamed afterwards. I also feel like a failure. I have done so well with my weight loss - its a like a dirty secret that makes me feel like a fraud.
Im trying to control it - but last week was not good. Had threes days where I ate everything not nailed down..
\
=(
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deedeeandboo wrote: »And get trigger foods out of the house completely! If I know one of my trigger foods is around somewhere, I obsess over it until I finally eat it!
This for me. My main weight gain has been due to periods of binge eating. I can binge for 2 weeks at a time and gain 14 pounds in 2 months. I have analysed my binges andf they are triggered by PMS and upset.
If I know I'm gonna have a little 'treat' (TOTM usually) I can only buy a treat sized bar- even if a family sized one works out cheaper. I can't keep trigger foods around (liek if I plan to eat a tiny bit each day- doesn't work- I scoff the lots and then buy more).
Also if I shop when I'm hungry or in a blood sugar dip I tend to buy chocolate and bread etc. that normally would'nt. I did this last month and ended up eating the lot over two days (to get rid of it-doh!). This week I felt the blood sugar crash and bought a tiny choc bar (95 cals) at the start of my shopping, ate it and then continued food shopping. I wasn't tempted to buy trigger foods after that.
I am also VERY vigilant with my calandar and make sure PMS doesn't sneek up on me. That week I ensure that my meals are made up of higher carb foods than usual (still meeting calorie goals) which helps to lessen the chocolate cravings.
I'm still learning to deal with stress as a trigger. I recently missed out on job I really wanted and went home and ate a huge entire chocolate fudge cake! This recent weight gain (14 pounds) is due to berevement. I'm finally seeing the light at the other end and hoping that losing the weight will give me back my confidence to socialise after a year of not really going out or seeing freinds.
Finally- I can't have treats as ageneral rule. If I eat a slice of cake on Staurday- I'll be craving it right through the week and more likely to give in. I'm better off just cutting out trigger foods altogther- at least for now.0 -
I go through phases. I've just recently come out of a really bad phase of binge eating!
Every evening after dinner my roommates would buy giant bags of potato chips, sweets and chocolate to share. Between the 4 of us I would eat half the junk.. I just can't stop myself once I get the taste!
I stopped trying to eat the junk food but found myself sneaking in to the kitchen and eating buttered bread, slice after slice.
I would go to bed uncomfortably full and disgusted with myself.
I'd wake up in the morning have a relatively healthy breakfast and lunch and then BAM after dinner same thing would happen. I just get this uncontrollable urge to devour satisfying comfort foods.
I haven't binged since January 31st. I feel so much better going to sleep at night and waking up in the morning.
What's changed in the last 10 days?
1. I told my roommates to keep their junk food to themselves and not share it. If I don't have access to junk food it helps.
2. I used to have a really big breakfast in the morning (400cals) even if I wasn't hungry. Instead I have 200cal for breakfast and save the other 200 for a light snack after dinner/before bed. I have banana on toast because I think it's delicious so it's kind of a treat!
3. I was on (optional) medication for the last few years and decided to stop taking it this month.. Perhaps this has helped curb my cravings?
4. WATER WATER WATER I drink so much water. Hot water with lime is a great way to distract yourself.
Feel free to add me for some support. Good luck!0 -
This is exactly the same problem as mine! I am on and off as well and the worse thing that triggers it is having potato chips and chocolate.. I can eat well all day but during the night when my friends and I may have a game night or something, I tell myself just a handful of chips will be ok but once I get the taste I can't stop.. It is awful.. Then once I've ate too much of that I would go home and binge on things from my cupboard mostly peanut butter and cookies or crackers I would go to bed feeling sick. I haven't binged in a while now either but it is definitely a hard thing to over come!stephaniemjones15 wrote: »Hey everyone! I thought this would be a good place to open up and receive guidance because I am really struggling with my dieting recently. My name is Stephanie, and I have had a difficult time controlling my eating for as long as I can remember. Luckily, I am athletic, so I don't appear to be as big as the scale says that I am, but I know it won't be this way for much longer. I have recently lost control so badly over my eating and I truly feel as though I have no power over my cravings or desires because I cannot remember the last time that I was able to talk myself out of eating something that I shouldn't. This is genuinely concerning me because (1) I really do want to be strong and become the healthiest version of myself possible, and (2) I am getting married in almost exactly one year and I have always dreamed of being in the best shape of my life for my wedding. I get so frustrated with myself because if I am eating healthy, I'm unhappy because I'm thinking of all the other food that I want- and if I'm eating what I want, I'm unhappy because I'm sabotaging myself. It's a lose-lose for me! Haha besides this, I truly feel as though I have everything that I could ever want in life so I want nothing more than to be able to control my binging and be proud of my determination as well. I guess what I am looking for from you guys is just opinions on how you started your journeys and stuck with it even when things got hard. I am a pro at making up excuses for why I deserve a certain snack or meal, and I am really just looking for ways to overcome the mental barrier that I have towards eating healthier. I tend to stick to my plans for literally a day (if I'm lucky), and fall off again the next day. Any starting points or ideas from you guys would be immensely appreciated
-I go through phases. I've just recently come out of a really bad phase of binge eating!
Every evening after dinner my roommates would buy giant bags of potato chips, sweets and chocolate to share. Between the 4 of us I would eat half the junk.. I just can't stop myself once I get the taste!
I stopped trying to eat the junk food but found myself sneaking in to the kitchen and eating buttered bread, slice after slice.
I would go to bed uncomfortably full and disgusted with myself.
I'd wake up in the morning have a relatively healthy breakfast and lunch and then BAM after dinner same thing would happen. I just get this uncontrollable urge to devour satisfying comfort foods.
I haven't binged since January 31st. I feel so much better going to sleep at night and waking up in the morning.
What's changed in the last 10 days?
1. I told my roommates to keep their junk food to themselves and not share it. If I don't have access to junk food it helps.
2. I used to have a really big breakfast in the morning (400cals) even if I wasn't hungry. Instead I have 200cal for breakfast and save the other 200 for a light snack after dinner/before bed. I have banana on toast because I think it's delicious so it's kind of a treat!
3. I was on (optional) medication for the last few years and decided to stop taking it this month.. Perhaps this has helped curb my cravings?
4. WATER WATER WATER I drink so much water. Hot water with lime is a great way to distract yourself.
Feel free to add me for some support. Good luck!
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What I find really helps me is to be in a group or organization to lose weight. Like when I was in weight watchers I knew every week I would have to go in to get weighed and go to the meeting. That gave me a lot of motivation, knowing that I had to weigh in front of someone! I wanted to be down on the scale to get the "awesome! You are doing great!" But after, once I stopped with that (I figured I could save some money and do it on my own) that's when the over eating/ binging occurred because I would decide to just not weigh myself if I knew I was going to be up.. I would tell myself "oh I'll start again tomorrow and weigh next week" but I was cheating myself.. So I would suggest getting a group of friends or co workers together for a healthy weight loss challenge! It doesn't have to be a competition but just to weigh in every week and discuss the progress and provide tips can really help! To have someone to be accountable to can make all the difference!0
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I am not a binge eater and even when dieting I have not lost my love of food. Love it and respect it. I did attend classes that covered binge eating though and I kept those tips for reference.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/jgnatca/view/halting-a-binge-session-7151310 -
a good rule of thumb is if you think you're binge eating pause for about 15 mins, drink a bunch of water, and walk away from the sight of food for that time to see if you still feel hungry. Sometimes its dehydration or stress of the moment. 9 times out of 10 binging is because youre stressed and want distraction or youre not giving yourself time to register the food you've consumed.0
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Yep my biggest breakthrough with this was getting trigger foods out of the house, crisps, popcorn, salted nuts, cold cereal (mostly anything salty and fatty, but if I have biscuits chocolate or cake in the house that gets eaten too even though I don't have that much of a sweet tooth) and unfortunatley I can only cook what I intend to eat in a meal, so can't really make a lasagne or pasta bake for later in the week, even a big pan of healthy soup will get gobbled. It's a pain that I only allow food in the house that has to be prepared from scratch. But 95% of my binges tend to be impulsive and having to do at least half an hour of cooking and prep usually dampens that.
Also chuck all your takeout menus.
Things I've got in to replace binges are cucumber, carrot and sweet pepper sticks with low fat hummous, low call ice lollies and low cal hot chocolate. I also pad out my italian and indian meals with loads of raw baby spinach as a base.
Also if you can only allow yourself to eat a a table with a knife and fork.
These are just some of the practical things I do, but binging is a disorder that you should really talk to your doctor about like any other eating disorder even if you don't purge so don't feel you have to go it alone without support.
Take care hun x0 -
I'm struggling with this but trying to deal through proper meal planning. I love almonds, cashews, and peanuts and because i'm "eating clean" I go overboard with it. It's better than overeating on cake and cookies right (so wrong..).
I bought a huge bag of almonds from Costco and had to give it to my coworker to hide at her desk otherwise my hand would just feed me non-stop.
I need help0 -
Another thing to keep in mind if youre saying "I'll exercise X to offset this" then you dont need to be eating it. Goes without saying if youre putting a finger down your windpipe over it you probably need to step back and reassess your diet.0
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I was reading all your comments and can relate a lot ! Until yesterday, I never knew binge eating was a disorder until I saw it on Dr. Oz! It is a constant struggle for me I do it with fast food hiding it and eating it in the car when no one sees me! My scale fluctuates 40 pounds up and 40 pounds down depending on how I control my eating right now I am determined to lose 50 pounds and so far 15 is gone. I have to turn my head the other way when I pass fast food and don't even want to sit next to anybody eating popcorn in the movie theater! I log everything I eat and that helps because I am not ashamed of what I have been eating lately! Thank you very much for listening! I just wish I was a binge exerciser LOL0
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Great tip!a good rule of thumb is if you think you're binge eating pause for about 15 mins, drink a bunch of water, and walk away from the sight of food for that time to see if you still feel hungry. Sometimes its dehydration or stress of the moment. 9 times out of 10 binging is because youre stressed and want distraction or youre not giving yourself time to register the food you've consumed.
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I'm a binge eater about 4 days of the week. My day starts great then I just snap and eat 4-5000 calories in one go. I hate it0
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This might sound a bit weird but one thing that helps is to write a journal - not a food journal, but a private one about what's on your mind. As seraphim said, binging can be an immediate source of comfort if you are angry or upset. If instead you write out the feelings, and write how you can feel better, that is comforting and the desire goes away.
If that doesn't work, then the binge could be either misplaced thirst - drink 2l of water a day and see if you still binge, or cravings. Some foods, especially processed wheat and corn syrup create really powerful cravings. Avoid them. Certainly try never to start the day with them.0 -
That is me! I eat perfectly until about 3pm then it all begins to go downhill. I'm trying to start fresh today and log everything properly.kateangel2312 wrote: »I'm a binge eater about 4 days of the week. My day starts great then I just snap and eat 4-5000 calories in one go. I hate it
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I have suffered with ED's for many years, primarily binge eating. The only thing that works in the pursuit to control it is to cut out ALL sugar and exercise. Oh and also to make sure I drink enough water, my brain mistakes thirst for hunger all the time.
I have gone 2 months without a binge, came close the other day through weakness and tiredness but managed to stay strong. I have worked out I have an irrational fear of being hungry, so used to eat foods to ensure that never happened - resulting in massively overeating.
- Good luck everybody. Feel free to friend request me, I keep my diary open if you need motivation xx0
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