Emotional eating or binge eating?
loribethrice
Posts: 620 Member
I've been using MFP for almost 2 years now and lost 70lbs and was doing great sticking to my diet and everything. But, since March I have had at least 7 random days where I will want sugar SO badly that I have gone out and gotten a large cookie dough Blizzard from DQ with extra cookie dough and no fudge, bags of Hershey's Cookies'N Creme pieces things, chocolate chip cookie sandwiches, an ice cream cone from another place other than DQ, eat whole dozens of thumbprint cookies, and then feel so sick that I can't stand it. Then I'll be really good and stick to my diet and have another one of these days. I'm not sure what to do! I feel like it coincides with my issues sleeping because I've been having major hot flashes lately when I try to sleep that my doctors can't figure out. What do you guys do when this happens?! I've gained about 6lbs since March and I am scared to death I'm going to end up over 200lbs again when I've gone almost a year now in the 130s. It's making me scared and depressed which is just making me want the sugar more. I feel stuck in a huge catch 22.
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My advice is to find a substitute for your cravings. If you want ice cream, have fat free frozen yogurt or skinny cow ice cream. My examples are: When I want chocolate I eat 7 dark chocolate covered almonds (108 cals). Or a fiber one brownie (90 cals). I crave pizza a lot, so I still have it but have a big salad before and look at cals before hand so I can fit a few pieces into my diary. If you completely restrict your diet it will be hard to conquer (in my opinion). I think the better option would be replacing the things you crave with healthier options or eating smaller portions and fitting them in your diary for the day.0
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That's what I always did before. I've always made sure to have low calorie options. it just seems like lately I'm drowning in stress and not sleeping and hot flashes and all I want is the real stuff and I can't stop myself. I don't understand why this is happening after almost 2 years of doing well.0
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Cinnamon is supposed to help with sugar cravings. I have also read that people crave sugar because they are low on energy. So maybe a cup of coffee and a walk would help. I struggle with sugar cravings too, and the cinnamon thing helped some days.0
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Stress and lack of sleep can really dwindle your willpower. Maybe the better plan of action would be finding a way to manage your stress and increase your rest/sleep time. I know that when I am tired (which is really frequently with a baby) I tend to eat more. It's like I eat to stay awake. I've started chewing gum like crazy to keep my mouth moving. Lol You'll get through this! I don't believe for a minute that you'll get back to 200lbs because you know that you have a problem and you're trying to regulate it. You'll get through it! Just keep persevering and trying your best to make the healthier decisions, and make sure you log everything even if you go over.0
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I have the same problem. I tell myself I will stick to a healthy diet only to fail hours later. I think part of the problem is not having a lot of healthy food readily available. Really could use some ideas of healthy snacks to keep on hand.0
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DON'T stop trying! You've done awesome! Are you exercising? Hang in there and go back to the basics of what worked for you. YOU are in control not the food.0
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Thank you for posting this. This is me too. I do great for months, then one day I snap and binge eat like an animal that's been caged. Not because I'm craving it but because it makes me feel powerful or in control of SOMETHING when I'm dealing with so many stressful things that are out of my control. This sounds horrible even typing it and I'm embarrassed but... it is something I struggle with.0
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Remember to look back on all the progress you've made so far, that's incredible! I started this about 6 weeks ago, lost 4 pounds, then went haywire 2 weeks ago and gained 2 back. I was eating high sugar, high carb stuff in response to being extremely nervous about an upcoming class I was going to teach at my job for the first time. So I am starting over today and bought the book "I Quit Sugar" to help. I hate starting over but knowing a person can have as much success as you have is motivating!!0
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Thank all of you for your responses!
I do exercise 5 days a week which I hope is helping with this month long binge and keeping the weight gain under control. I've gained around 10lbs and I'm trying really hard to lose it again.
I ate an entire cookie cake with icing on it from the bakery on Saturday morning after I was done with work at 7am. The ENTIRE thing. It was huge. I felt so sick after, but I couldn't stop. I also had a large cookie dough blizzard with extra cookie dough from DQ the night before and a bag of Hershey's Cookies and Creme Drops at work Friday night and another before I went to work Friday evening. I did good last night and I'm trying to be good tonight. I keep chewing gum instead of eating extra food because I have to stop this cycle!! I think it really is my hormones that are causing me issues. It's scary. My gynecologist tried a non-hormonal birth control approach, but my body rejected the Paragard IUD, so now the only option is a hysterectomy. It's just adding more stress.
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winninglosing43 wrote: »Thank you for posting this. This is me too. I do great for months, then one day I snap and binge eat like an animal that's been caged. Not because I'm craving it but because it makes me feel powerful or in control of SOMETHING when I'm dealing with so many stressful things that are out of my control. This sounds horrible even typing it and I'm embarrassed but... it is something I struggle with.
Thank you for sharing that - it put words to a feeling I wasn't able to put my finger on. I'm having one of those binge days today and I was really trying to figure out why and its the control thing! There is so much in my life right now that feels scarily out of my control and I do feel some kind of power or control in eating - it sounds crazy, like 'why can't I assert that control by NOT eating everything in sight?' but what you describe really rings true for me too.
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I went low carb and a HUGE help for me was The Good Earth's sweet and spicy tea. It has a lot of cinnamon, and it really helped me with my sweets cravings. Now I am out of it
but if you can get it and you like Cinnamon, that really did it for me.
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Sounds like you know exactly what to do with food and exercise now you need to get to the heart of the matter as to why you are overeating. You need to let the guilt go because that is just making you more stressed and stress links to not sleeping as well. You need to start sitting down and figuring out what is making you overeat and what your triggers are for it. Obviously it is stress, but figure out what it is specifically and try to deal with it one step at a time the same way you dealt with losing weight in the first place. You sound like you are a strong women and even if it is a hormonal issue you can figure something out. It may take time but you are worth it.0
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I don't know how your diet is, but huge sugar cravings and hot flashes can be signs of something that has nothing to do with how your will power is... hot flashes are associated with kidneys and adrenal glands, sugar cravings to that degree candida or a deficit in protein.. it does work sometimes to have a few almonds or some healthy protein when your craving sugar and it takes it away.. just some advice but really a naturopath doctor would be the best to see here, especially after losing that much weight they would take your whole history, diet etc and help it along... good luck ! I know as a trigger eater that sometimes we just wanna be super hard on ourselves and blame ourselves into negative shame when were in those spots , but look past the behavior good luck 0
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I am so far 1 day binge free. I am trying a system where I pay myself $5 every day I don't binge instead of spending that money on a DQ Blizzard (which is always my starter food). I am trying to take back over my life. They think the hot flashes are from the amount of years I've been on birth control now because all my blood work came back normal except for my ferritin being almost non-existent and my TIBC being really high.
I don't eat nuts, fish, or shellfish and a lot of other foods. I have an eating disorder called Avoidant/Resistant Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) that used to be known as Selective Eating Disorder (SED). I've had it since I was taken off of the bottle, so it's been pretty much 26 years of my life since I'm 28 now. I mostly live on yogurt, mandarin oranges, oatmeal, cottage cheese, string cheese, and then some other random foods. It's a very small list though and became much smaller once I began counting my calories 2 years ago.0 -
I have succesfully logged in for 125+ days. I have never really logged my food (which I probably should, but I want to be able to do this journey without having to always pull my phone out during my meals... I tend to get over-compulsive.) But, iIn that time, I have lost a total of 21.5 pounds. I had started going to the gym - 4 days a week, which also contributed to my weight loss. However, within the last 2-3 weeks, I have fallen off the wagon, so to speak. I slowly fell back into my old habits, not really caring if I missed a gym day, and most recently (within the week), every night around 7-7:30, I lose all control and start chowing down. Very frustrating as everyone here can imagine.
What kind of gym routine/exercise program are you doing to help kinda keep the binge weight under control? Maybe I just got stagnent doing the same thing at the gym every time, and need a change in routine...0 -
I have succesfully logged in for 125+ days. I have never really logged my food (which I probably should, but I want to be able to do this journey without having to always pull my phone out during my meals... I tend to get over-compulsive.) But, iIn that time, I have lost a total of 21.5 pounds. I had started going to the gym - 4 days a week, which also contributed to my weight loss. However, within the last 2-3 weeks, I have fallen off the wagon, so to speak. I slowly fell back into my old habits, not really caring if I missed a gym day, and most recently (within the week), every night around 7-7:30, I lose all control and start chowing down. Very frustrating as everyone here can imagine.
What kind of gym routine/exercise program are you doing to help kinda keep the binge weight under control? Maybe I just got stagnent doing the same thing at the gym every time, and need a change in routine...
Good job logging in every day! I'm on day 307 of my streak. The first 9 months I did this I didn't exercise at all because I had to wait for my cardiologist to clear me and have a ton of heart tests done and I lost 45lbs in that time. Then I added in exercise and lost another 35lbs. I didn't binge back then though...it only started happening this past month and a half and even with exercise I've gained almost 10lbs. I do the recumbent bike every day and try to do 65 minutes. It usually equals to 23 miles and 400 calories. I used to do the rower daily, but it really started killing my knees so I switched. sometimes I also do the treadmill.
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It sounds like you're just beginning a binge eating disorder to me, it only gets worse unless you get a handle on it. It's a mental game. It's a bad habit. The more you do it, the more ingrained it becomes. The harder the habit becomes to break. Good luck, crazy brain (the voice that tells you to binge) is a beeatch.0
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I'm pretty sure I'm a binge eater because when I'm alone I'll binge on random food for 30+ minuets. Later I'll still eat my dinner as if nothing happened. I've noticed that there have been times that I have sulfur burps due to my binging.0
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I just weighed myself tonight and it was the first time in a few weeks. I weighed 144.0lbs and the last time I weighed myself on the 1st of the month I was 135. So I'm pretty devastated right now. I've been 3 days binge free so far and I'm hoping seeing that weight was a wake up call for me. I'm 5'9, so it's not like 144 is bad health wise but to me it's freaking terrible. I am just constantly starving...I've had this issue since I was very little. I think it's due to my dysautonomia because my brain doesn't get the signal that I've eaten food and a lot of us with this illness are always hungry because of it. But, when I get stressed out or over tired I'm even more hungry and all I want is sugar. I'm trying so hard to just ignore it now.0
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I am definitely a binge eater especially when I have PMS. I have learned to buy the mini snickers blizzard instead of the large or get the 50 cent bag of doritos instead of the $3.00 bag from Sams club. This does not always work I often find myself eating other stuff just because. I feel terrible when the binge is over so I try to do other things to keep my mind off the constant hunger. i drink alot of flavored water or plain water with the the sugar free flavors this helps. I love food a lot but when I am home with others I try to be more conscious of how they see me. I see me like a cow and I wonder if they see the same so i try not binge but when I am alone it is terrible. I exercise a lot so that I can have more calories so basically I am in maintenance. I have not gained so that is good but I have not lost. I need to get this under control these spells can last up to two weeks. I want to lose 30 pounds and it is taking forever!! I know what I need to do I just need to do it0
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I am definitely a binge eater especially when I have PMS. I have learned to buy the mini snickers blizzard instead of the large or get the 50 cent bag of doritos instead of the $3.00 bag from Sams club. This does not always work I often find myself eating other stuff just because. I feel terrible when the binge is over so I try to do other things to keep my mind off the constant hunger. i drink alot of flavored water or plain water with the the sugar free flavors this helps. I love food a lot but when I am home with others I try to be more conscious of how they see me. I see me like a cow and I wonder if they see the same so i try not binge but when I am alone it is terrible. I exercise a lot so that I can have more calories so basically I am in maintenance. I have not gained so that is good but I have not lost. I need to get this under control these spells can last up to two weeks. I want to lose 30 pounds and it is taking forever!! I know what I need to do I just need to do it
I also only binge when I'm alone. When I'm with other people I barely eat because they all think I'm so put together and conscientious and that I never make mistakes when it comes to food. It makes me feel so pressured! I drink so much freaking water because they say that it's supposed to make you feel full, but it never does. I exercise 5 days a week, but I out eat my extra exercise calories when I binge so it hasn't helped me keep the weight off. I have seen therapists for my eating disorders before and it helps, but then when I don't have enough money to pay my copays I have to not go and I end up just spiraling back down again.
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loribethrice wrote: »I just weighed myself tonight and it was the first time in a few weeks. I weighed 144.0lbs and the last time I weighed myself on the 1st of the month I was 135. So I'm pretty devastated right now. I've been 3 days binge free so far and I'm hoping seeing that weight was a wake up call for me. I'm 5'9, so it's not like 144 is bad health wise but to me it's freaking terrible. I am just constantly starving...I've had this issue since I was very little. I think it's due to my dysautonomia because my brain doesn't get the signal that I've eaten food and a lot of us with this illness are always hungry because of it. But, when I get stressed out or over tired I'm even more hungry and all I want is sugar. I'm trying so hard to just ignore it now.
I have struggled with this my whole life - always feeling hungry. I have days when I eat a nice healthy filling breakfast but as soon as I'm finished, I start snacking and I'm hungry until I eat my lunch. I just get so ravenous that I can't stop. Also - I know that it takes my body a LONG time to recognize that I've eaten something. When I can recognize that and wait after eating breakfast for about an hour, I'm ok. I just have to distract myself during that time so I don't keep eating.
The best thing I've found to counteract that cycle is going cold turkey on sugar. If I have sugar in my diet at all I find I am hungry all the time. If I can keep it out completely, my hunger is very manageable. It is so hard to get off sugar - I get very emotional and cranky the first couple of days but after that its ok. I've gone long stretches without sugar and it makes my day to day hunger so much better that I feel like I can live without sugar forever. But one slip up and the cycle starts again... its an ongoing battle.
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ahealthiercara wrote: »loribethrice wrote: »I just weighed myself tonight and it was the first time in a few weeks. I weighed 144.0lbs and the last time I weighed myself on the 1st of the month I was 135. So I'm pretty devastated right now. I've been 3 days binge free so far and I'm hoping seeing that weight was a wake up call for me. I'm 5'9, so it's not like 144 is bad health wise but to me it's freaking terrible. I am just constantly starving...I've had this issue since I was very little. I think it's due to my dysautonomia because my brain doesn't get the signal that I've eaten food and a lot of us with this illness are always hungry because of it. But, when I get stressed out or over tired I'm even more hungry and all I want is sugar. I'm trying so hard to just ignore it now.
I have struggled with this my whole life - always feeling hungry. I have days when I eat a nice healthy filling breakfast but as soon as I'm finished, I start snacking and I'm hungry until I eat my lunch. I just get so ravenous that I can't stop. Also - I know that it takes my body a LONG time to recognize that I've eaten something. When I can recognize that and wait after eating breakfast for about an hour, I'm ok. I just have to distract myself during that time so I don't keep eating.
The best thing I've found to counteract that cycle is going cold turkey on sugar. If I have sugar in my diet at all I find I am hungry all the time. If I can keep it out completely, my hunger is very manageable. It is so hard to get off sugar - I get very emotional and cranky the first couple of days but after that its ok. I've gone long stretches without sugar and it makes my day to day hunger so much better that I feel like I can live without sugar forever. But one slip up and the cycle starts again... its an ongoing battle.
I've been trying to eat fruit to counteract my need for things like cookies. It seems to be working somewhat. I just wish that doctors knew what to do about this never feeling full thing. I just keep getting told it's a side effect of my dysautonomia. I try to eat something once an hour so that I don't have insulin surges and even with that I'll be so hungry in between that I can't stop thinking about what I'm eating next. And I make sure to eat breakfast everyday because that and all the water I drink are supposed to help me not be extra hungry! I just get so frustrated. It makes me feel better to know that someone else has this issue though.
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my sugar addiction reared it ugly head again last 2 days... yesterday was my grandson's 1st birthday, so of course, we bought a cake for him; my son served me a small sliver of the cake yesterday and i did fine with that, that is, until last night when i found the leftover cake in my refrigerator; i knew i wouldn't be satisfied until i had a big whopper of a slice of cake; i couldn't even sleep knowing that big cake was in my refrigerator, so i caved in and ate the whopper piece!!! then today, i couldn't keep my mind off having another piece of cake, so i had another whopper piece and a 3rd whopper piece after supper tonight.... i gave the rest of the cake away before i totally consumed the whole thing and had racked up 1,000s of calories!!!
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my sugar addiction reared it ugly head again last 2 days... yesterday was my grandson's 1st birthday, so of course, we bought a cake for him; my son served me a small sliver of the cake yesterday and i did fine with that, that is, until last night when i found the leftover cake in my refrigerator; i knew i wouldn't be satisfied until i had a big whopper of a slice of cake; i couldn't even sleep knowing that big cake was in my refrigerator, so i caved in and ate the whopper piece!!! then today, i couldn't keep my mind off having another piece of cake, so i had another whopper piece and a 3rd whopper piece after supper tonight.... i gave the rest of the cake away before i totally consumed the whole thing and had racked up 1,000s of calories!!!
I hate that! When I know there is something near that I just HAVE to have I can't sleep or stop thinking about it. That's when I usually take it to work and put it on the counter so everyone else will eat it.
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Hey there. I have suffered from binge eating disorder for many years. Decades, actually. What you are discussing sounds like clinical binging. We often use the word "binge" to mean overeating or unplanned eating, but it is actually a compulsive behavior that is distressing to the person, who does not feel in control of her behavior.
DIETING CONTRIBUTES TO BINGE EATING DISORDER. The cure for binge eating disorder is not to count calories, exercise more, substitute one food for the other, or prohibit certain foods. In fact, these things all cause stress and a sense of shame, which increase episodes of binging. Binge eating disorder is a mental health issue, and the best treatment is working with a counselor who is trained with eating disorders.
It can be overcome. I have not binged in years, even in times of great emotional distress. But dieting did not cure it. Finding healthy ways to respond to stress and emotional upset, while accepting my body and resisting anything that increased binging (including counting calories), was the path out.
Check out the Binge Eating Disorder Association for a wealth of materials. http://bedaonline.com/
Take great care of yourself. Feel free of message me if you want to talk.0 -
rebekahzinn1 wrote: »Hey there. I have suffered from binge eating disorder for many years. Decades, actually. What you are discussing sounds like clinical binging. We often use the word "binge" to mean overeating or unplanned eating, but it is actually a compulsive behavior that is distressing to the person, who does not feel in control of her behavior.
DIETING CONTRIBUTES TO BINGE EATING DISORDER. The cure for binge eating disorder is not to count calories, exercise more, substitute one food for the other, or prohibit certain foods. In fact, these things all cause stress and a sense of shame, which increase episodes of binging. Binge eating disorder is a mental health issue, and the best treatment is working with a counselor who is trained with eating disorders.
It can be overcome. I have not binged in years, even in times of great emotional distress. But dieting did not cure it. Finding healthy ways to respond to stress and emotional upset, while accepting my body and resisting anything that increased binging (including counting calories), was the path out.
Check out the Binge Eating Disorder Association for a wealth of materials. http://bedaonline.com/
Take great care of yourself. Feel free of message me if you want to talk.
I do feel a ton of shame. I won't eat in front of people most of the time because my mom constantly loves to brag about how disciplined I am with my calorie counting and exercise and how beautiful I look since I lost weight. When I was larger she would always talk about how my face was fat or clothes were too tight. And as soon as I started losing weight she started saying how amazing I look, so now when I binge and I know I've gained I get totally panicked that she's going to notice. I went to an eating disorders clinic before, but they couldn't help me then because I was there for my SED/ARFID and it was too much for them. I am thinking I should go back to discuss my binging and shame and my anorexic issues and maybe they can get me on Vyvanse to help me. I have a calendar and I write in it daily my weight, how many calories I burned, and if I haven't done anything wrong food wise that day then I highlight it so I know. That way I know how many days each month I have been "good". I was doing fine last week, but then I realized we were having a retirement party for my uncle over the weekend so I just allowed myself to binge on Sunday on cake and Monday on cookies and candy and pizza and everything else I could find. I refuse to weigh myself until next Sunday after I have exercised all week and made sure to eat under my calories.
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loribethrice wrote: »rebekahzinn1 wrote: »Hey there. I have suffered from binge eating disorder for many years. Decades, actually. What you are discussing sounds like clinical binging. We often use the word "binge" to mean overeating or unplanned eating, but it is actually a compulsive behavior that is distressing to the person, who does not feel in control of her behavior.
DIETING CONTRIBUTES TO BINGE EATING DISORDER. The cure for binge eating disorder is not to count calories, exercise more, substitute one food for the other, or prohibit certain foods. In fact, these things all cause stress and a sense of shame, which increase episodes of binging. Binge eating disorder is a mental health issue, and the best treatment is working with a counselor who is trained with eating disorders.
It can be overcome. I have not binged in years, even in times of great emotional distress. But dieting did not cure it. Finding healthy ways to respond to stress and emotional upset, while accepting my body and resisting anything that increased binging (including counting calories), was the path out.
Check out the Binge Eating Disorder Association for a wealth of materials. http://bedaonline.com/
Take great care of yourself. Feel free of message me if you want to talk.
I do feel a ton of shame. I won't eat in front of people most of the time because my mom constantly loves to brag about how disciplined I am with my calorie counting and exercise and how beautiful I look since I lost weight. When I was larger she would always talk about how my face was fat or clothes were too tight. And as soon as I started losing weight she started saying how amazing I look, so now when I binge and I know I've gained I get totally panicked that she's going to notice. I went to an eating disorders clinic before, but they couldn't help me then because I was there for my SED/ARFID and it was too much for them. I am thinking I should go back to discuss my binging and shame and my anorexic issues and maybe they can get me on Vyvanse to help me. I have a calendar and I write in it daily my weight, how many calories I burned, and if I haven't done anything wrong food wise that day then I highlight it so I know. That way I know how many days each month I have been "good". I was doing fine last week, but then I realized we were having a retirement party for my uncle over the weekend so I just allowed myself to binge on Sunday on cake and Monday on cookies and candy and pizza and everything else I could find. I refuse to weigh myself until next Sunday after I have exercised all week and made sure to eat under my calories.
Oh, honey, you are good no matter what you eat, what you weigh, or how you look. It sounds like you may want to have a talk with your mom about how her words hurt you. Sometimes praise hurts just as much as negative talk, when it seems to say that you weren't good enough before you changed. She may not know the impact of what she says. I have an agreement with my mom to never talk about weight. It just brings up too many emotions for both of us.0 -
Hi Lori, I'm a compulsive overeater and suffer as you have described for much of my adult life. I have found relief in Overeaters Anonymous. It's a very safe place to share your feelings and issues with people who have similar struggles. There are effective tools that can help. You can find it online or I can get you more information. There is help. God bless!
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I too attend Overeaters Anonymous. Changing a lifetime of behaviour needs all the help we can get. I find counting my calories is okay for me - that is I am aware of what I am eating and am not lying about whats going in my mouth. I have maintained my new eating for 20 months now. I exercise regularly - this requires a commitment and is difficult sometimes but I am persisting. I am currently sitting at the same weight since around January but currently don't have a huge desire to lose more, so I am seeing it like a maintenance place for now. I could be smaller according to BMI and such but 40kgs lighter is better than nothing!
I have to manage a balance between honesty, a bit of discipline and self kindness. Its a life long practice for me.
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