overcoming binge eating

jessicaliong1
jessicaliong1 Posts: 24 Member
edited November 18 in Motivation and Support
Today is my 6th day of being binge free. Was having so much difficulty to restrain myself this morning but managed to. Is afternoon now and I just had my lunch and am so happy that I manage to refrain myself from purchasing my trigger food and instead bought cha soba and some vegetables side dishes. I hope I can sustain it throughout the day.

I am writing this because I felt that this can help me track my urges and let me think before succumbing to bingeing. If any of you guyz want to, we can work our way together by supporting and encouraging each other here:)
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Replies

  • janisvin
    janisvin Posts: 72 Member
    Congratulations!
    I know exactly how hard it is. Keep reaching out and coming clean. This is a great community and I'm happy to support you!
  • jessicaliong1
    jessicaliong1 Posts: 24 Member
    janisvin wrote: »
    Congratulations!
    I know exactly how hard it is. Keep reaching out and coming clean. This is a great community and I'm happy to support you!

    Thank you so much!! I find that I gain strength after joining MFP:) I hope I can continue one with this.

    I managed to restrain myself from bingeing today by reading other people's experience and learn from it. And also weirdly, by motivating myself to be healthy and have a better body by looking at pictures of people with nice figure. HAHAHA. And by telling myself that I have to fit into a party dress nicely since my cousin is getting married this December and I don't want to look bad in the party dress.

    Tomorrow is going to be a hard day for me because this show that always trigger me to want to binge will be on air tomorrow. I hope I can watch it without bingeing. That is my goal for tomorrow. Is gonna be so very hard. I can't afford to fail tomorrow. Thinking about it stresses me out. Urgh
  • Crisseyda
    Crisseyda Posts: 532 Member
    edited May 2015
    Check out his free e book. It totally changed my perspective on binge eating disorder.

    http://authoritynutrition.com/food-addiction/

    You can find freedom!
  • jessicaliong1
    jessicaliong1 Posts: 24 Member
    Woke up today having the urge to binge. Trying to restrain the urge by thinking of the consequences of binging and how I would have felt if I am able to overcome it. I hope I will not be beaten down by this urge.....
  • susiebabygirl
    susiebabygirl Posts: 68 Member
    You've been doing so well :-) just try to stay strong and remind yourself that you're doing well and there's no need to break that good spell. You don't need the food you're craving, you only want it out of habit and the longer you can stay away from it the easier it will be to break that habit x
  • ashleyturner426
    ashleyturner426 Posts: 4 Member
    You can do this Jessica! A common deterring phrase I've heard is "play the tape through" meaning, imagine that you give in and binge, what would that feel and look like when it's over? Odds are you will be emotionally wrecked and disappointed for just a moment's worth of satisfaction. And you don't want to undo all your hard work!!
  • jessicaliong1
    jessicaliong1 Posts: 24 Member
    I managed to buy my lunch:D A proper lunch without binging. I feel so satisfied and happy right now. hehehe. I hope I can continue on for the day. Taking one step at a time and not rush things over. The temptation and urge is still there but I am trying very hard to think away from it.

    @ashleyturner426 yeap:D I am doing that now. I have to keep reminding myself how I felt every time after I binged and how I always said I would not want to do it ever again. Thank you for the support:D:D

    @susiebabygirl I think my binge food is a habit that I always had. It has been my comfort food all the while and so, I seek comfort from it. Thank you for the support. It really motivates me:D
  • jessicaliong1
    jessicaliong1 Posts: 24 Member
    Done for the day and I actually managed to refrain myself from binging:D Today marks the 7th day of me being binge-free. Another challenging day tomorrow and I shall not be beaten down. Counting down the days till the end of May. I promise myself that if I can actually refrain myself from binging until the end of May, I will reward myself with a pair of sunglass that I have always longed for. Something to motivate me:D
  • fannyfrost
    fannyfrost Posts: 756 Member
    The reward is a great idea. Keep going and you can do it one day at a time. Also thank you because I binged last night and you reminded me that I can beat it and not do it again.

    I had a few triggers but I am not going to give in to it anymore! Neither will you because you will look awesome in those sunglasses
  • jessicaliong1
    jessicaliong1 Posts: 24 Member
    @fannyfrost Hello:D Thank you for the encouragement! Yeap~ let just take it one day at a time and not get discouraged over a slip. Is the journey that counts. I got motivated from reading Paulo Coelho's book 'Manuscript Found In Accra'. It isn't really directed to eating disorder but it teaches us about values of life and helps us to appreciate our own life. And I remembered him writing that to succeed, we have to enjoy our journey. Do not treat this as us suffering, but rather, enjoy this journey. Enjoy the obstacles that you face, appreciate the problems and the challenges and learn from it. I hope you can overcome this too:) Let's do this together~

    I have a few triggers too, and I tried to face it head on. Like I realised that I tend to binge eat on a particular show. Like this particular show will trigger me to binge while watching it. So, I challenged myself to watch it without binging, telling myself that nothing will change even when you binge or not. Time will still runs at the same speed, the show will still show the same thing and your problems will still be left hanging anyway, so why binge. I tried to remind myself this all the time. Though it is difficult, and I can forget sometimes:(
  • susiebabygirl
    susiebabygirl Posts: 68 Member
    @susiebabygirl I think my binge food is a habit that I always had. It has been my comfort food all the while and so, I seek comfort from it. Thank you for the support. It really motivates me:D

    No problem at all! Hope you had a good day today :smiley:
  • scotvalkyrie
    scotvalkyrie Posts: 22 Member
    I second (third) everyone who has said to just take it one day at a time, or even just hour by hour. You know that it's not about the food but your reaction to it. You also know that there are going to be some days where you might slip up. That's okay too. I've said this before on other posts but I like it:

    "If you drop one egg on the floor, do you automatically throw the rest of the dozen on the floor too?"

    You can drop an egg - or "slip up" on your eating habits, but that's okay. We all drop eggs. The choice is whether we just clean up the egg (track the food and move on) or throw the rest of the eggs on the floor too.
  • hunnyb333
    hunnyb333 Posts: 37 Member
    Thanks for your initial post Jessica and thanks to everyone for answering! I slipped up at after a party two days ago and have been struggling since. The vending machine calls to me every day and every time someone brings donuts in to work it starts me on a spiral.

    Like everyone said, it's true, we are all taking it one day at a time. Be strong, you can do it! I worked on small goals first. Gave up soda (hardest!) then gave up candy and then snacks but as I started to plateau I got frustrated and out came the chips. The diet plan that I'm following now (LeBootcamp) says that nothing is forbidden and so I can have a little chocolate or a croissant or something fun and just balance it out for the rest of the day. Less guilt = less bingeing, but it's still a daily struggle.

    If you are struggling, just reach out and there are so many people here to help!
  • jessicaliong1
    jessicaliong1 Posts: 24 Member
    Thank you guyz:) I feel that even if we slip a bit, we have to get back straight up and forget about those slip ups instead of falling back again. It is not shameful to slip and fall. It is called courage and strong to stand back up again.

    I am outside walking, and I see so many temptations for me to binge and I am trying to restrain this urge and remind myself to stand strong. It is an everyday struggle and I realized writing it down before attempting to binge helps me to not give in to the binge. I hope I dont binge today though I am still very tempted now
  • janisvin
    janisvin Posts: 72 Member
    Keep at it! The more days you log binge free the more it becomes 'your way.' Excellent work!!!
  • jessicaliong1
    jessicaliong1 Posts: 24 Member
    @janisvin Thank you so much for the encouragement! :smile:

    I was on the verge of giving in to the binge just now. I was about to buy all my trigger foods then. It was already in my basket but I don't know why, just suddenly, I put down the basket and walk away and bought myself a bottle of shampoo instead (I don't know why I bought a bottle of shampoo that I have never used before though). I felt bad for leaving the basket on the ground without putting the food back but I hope the employees there can forgive me for it. LOL. But I felt so free leaving the market store after that. I hope tomorrow will be a better day~
  • fannyfrost
    fannyfrost Posts: 756 Member
    Good job, and the employees will forgive you I'm sure. Great job stopping yourself. My challenge is that my daughter is home from college and there is junk food everywhere. Last night she made brownies too. I dint have any, I am done with the junk, but it's hard.

    The thing is my daughter has opposite problem, she needs to watch she doesn't lose weight. Mostly she tries with healthy food, but a little junk is always part of the mix. So I have to watch so she can eat
  • jessicaliong1
    jessicaliong1 Posts: 24 Member
    I binged today. But, I is like a half success and half failure day for me. I did binge but I stopped halfway. I think is because of the stress from me talking to my mum coz my mum was bombarding me with all the questions about my diet, asking me if I have eaten too much rice, and am I getting fatter and all and it stresses me out. So, I gave in to binging. But, halfway, I managed to stop. Usually, I would binge on a whole big pack (500g) of cereal and 2 packets of red bean mochi (in addition to my usual 3 meals). But today, I only ate the filling of the mochi (the red bean paste) and threw the outer skin and managed to stop with around 3/4 to 1/2 left of the cereal (plus my 3 main meals of course). Scared that I will binge it again later, I threw it all away. Though I binged, I would like to take this as a form of half success since I manage to stop before I felt so bloated and full. I felt full but not to the point of sick full.
  • downongreenacres
    downongreenacres Posts: 327 Member
    Stopping the binge is a HUGE success! You showed great strength and will do even better next time!
  • jessicaliong1
    jessicaliong1 Posts: 24 Member
    Today was fine. Though I did have the urge, it was controllable and I was able to refrain myself from binging. I realised that if I concentrate on myself more and ignore what others think about me, I am able to control and handle my binging well. However, right now, I am unable to do that if I have to communicate and interact with them. So, I tend to cut myself from them and did not attempt to contact with them. Especially my mother. But I think it is the first step to overcome my binging. I have to gain control of myself first before being able to control my surrounding. I hope tomorrow will be another good day.
  • downongreenacres
    downongreenacres Posts: 327 Member
    Today was fine. Though I did have the urge, it was controllable and I was able to refrain myself from binging. I realised that if I concentrate on myself more and ignore what others think about me, I am able to control and handle my binging well. However, right now, I am unable to do that if I have to communicate and interact with them. So, I tend to cut myself from them and did not attempt to contact with them. Especially my mother. But I think it is the first step to overcome my binging. I have to gain control of myself first before being able to control my surrounding. I hope tomorrow will be another good day.
    That's good insight :smile:

  • amgibson1980
    amgibson1980 Posts: 8 Member
    Jessica, your posts are inspirational! You are doing a fantastic job! I think everyone who has issues with weight knows how it feels to have that urge to binge once and a while. Creating this post was a great idea. This will definitely help you to keep everything in check, and when you have a bad day, you can look back at your other posts and tell yourself "it's okay, look how well I have done on all of these other days."

    Support is so crucial when dieting and trying to fight something as strong as binge eating. If cutting your family out is the only way right now, you have to do what you have to do, but perhaps you can talk to them instead?? Let them know how much of a problem this is for you and how their comments don't help. Let them know what you need instead. You are obviously a strong person. You will find what is right for you. Keep up the good work. You have a lot of people on here rooting for you!
  • jessicaliong1
    jessicaliong1 Posts: 24 Member
    @downongreenacres Thank you :)

    @amgibson1980 Thank you so much! This really gives me strength:D Yeap, I am trying to keep on making my binge free days longer. Sometimes cutting connection with other people allow me to concentrate efforts to myself only. I find it stressful if I have to interact with other people and have to cater to them. And stress can make me binge. I tried asking my mum if it is a must for me to be thin and slim because I am fine just the way I am. And she was kind of angry at me for saying that because she thought that I as rude to her for saying that(?) and disrespectful. She told me that if I got fatter, it would stress her out and I will disappoint her and all those stuffs and I really do not want her to feel that way about me. That is why I always got stressed out and become low every time I talk to her since she will always be asking me about my diet, how do I look now, whether my clothes still fit me and all those talks. Is kind of making me have a very low self-esteem about myself:(
  • angellak
    angellak Posts: 68 Member
    Omg! I'm sorry, but who says that to their daughter. It should not matter how much you weigh or what size you are. You are still her daughter and she should love you just the way you are. It sounds like she is the one that has the issue with weight. I'm sorry. I had to vent. I am a single mother of a 22 year old son and I would never say or act that way with my son...or my daughter if I had a daughter . You are perfectly beautiful just the way you are and if you want to lose weight do it for yourself and NOBODY else.
  • quintinmasonjr24
    quintinmasonjr24 Posts: 45 Member
    Balance is the most important thing. You will be fine. You personally know all your weaknesses and all your strengths. You can be your own worst enemy or your best ally. Continue to make smart healthy choices and continue to build momentum.
  • jessicaliong1
    jessicaliong1 Posts: 24 Member
    @quintinmasonjr24 Thank you for your advise:) I am planning to change my diet into something healthier. Usually, carbohydrates take a big portion to my main meals but I always feel bloated after that. So, I am thinking to lessen my carbohydrates intake and add more vegetables and protein instead. And I hope this change will also reduce my cravings on binging. I hope. Thank you for your encouragement:)

    @angellak I think it might be towards an Asian mentality where you have to be thin and slim. I was overweight when I was young and I slim down to the point of being anorexic. She did not know and she thought I looks the best then. And when I gain weight, I think she thought that I will be overweight again and she got stressed out and worried by that. My mum has been slim all her life and she does have a bit of eating problem where she view carbohydrates as enemy and that I should not eat them at all. I know what she did is for my own good and is a way to show that she cares for me. But, I cannot bear to tell her that it is giving me a hard time. But, thank you for your encouragement:) I feel motivated and warm from hearing it:):) I will try to get better.
  • MadtownMadisonian
    MadtownMadisonian Posts: 66 Member
    For me, shopping is the key. If I have healthy grab and go snacks, like baby carrots and apples and bags of salad, I have been able to redirect binge impulses towards those foods -- so at least the binge isn't so harmful -- and over time the fact that these foods are not triggers means I will eat them but then stop long before it would be a binge. So for me, the binge is stopped in the supermarket aisles hours or even days before the urge.
  • jessicaliong1
    jessicaliong1 Posts: 24 Member
    These few days weren't good for me. The tendency to binge is building up. I think is from the stress of having to go back to school and meeting with people. I have always felt so pressured because I always felt that people are looking at me with those judgemental eyes. I am trying to take control of my life but I am afraid that I will lose it sooner or later now....
  • psychonurse00
    psychonurse00 Posts: 12 Member
    I need help because I take a sleeping pill at night otherwise I can not sleep. After I take it I stay up until it kicks in but for whatever reason I fall asleep in the chair then I get up to goto bed and go eat bad food first :( I dont realize I did it till the next moring. Its so frustrating!
  • jeharrell13
    jeharrell13 Posts: 6 Member
    @psychonurse00 I know what you mean. I used to fall asleep on the couch and wake up around midnight. I would eat whatever I could find quickly then go to bed. I could have stayed within my calories all day but I would blow it in 10 minutes standing in front of the fridge :/ Eventually I was able to get a handle on it though. I started adding that food to the next day's log so that it was accounted for. I also posted the number of lbs I have lost on the fridge so that I see it every time I open the door. And if I do wake up, I drink a huge glass of water. That usually does the trick, then I go to bed. A lot of times our bodies mistake thirst for hunger.

    @jessicaliong1 You are doing amazing! Binge eating is so difficult to overcome. I struggle with it myself. Just stay positive and don't beat yourself up. I added you. Message me if you ever want to talk!
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