I'm struggling to lose weight - problems with binging, any help?
Jennym93
Posts: 136 Member
I lost 9lbs and I've gained some of it back.
Low carb seemed to have good results and was nice to do, better than low calorie but I'm failing so often, I keep having binges on the worst food like cakes and chocolate and intense cravings, just having the food around me is hard and not having it in the house is not an option unfortunately. I'm not normally hungry when I eat it either, I just crave it and end up eating it.
I just don't know how to stop eating, I find myself binging without thinking.
I am a really fussy eater, I don't like many vegetables, I'm not a huge fruit fan either.
I just want to eat all the time and I can never decide what to eat, meal plans don't work cause I'm so picky.
I have 30lbs to lose, preferably by september/october time.
This is getting me down and I don't want to be this size when I get into Uni, I need to get it off and keep it off
Any advice?
Low carb seemed to have good results and was nice to do, better than low calorie but I'm failing so often, I keep having binges on the worst food like cakes and chocolate and intense cravings, just having the food around me is hard and not having it in the house is not an option unfortunately. I'm not normally hungry when I eat it either, I just crave it and end up eating it.
I just don't know how to stop eating, I find myself binging without thinking.
I am a really fussy eater, I don't like many vegetables, I'm not a huge fruit fan either.
I just want to eat all the time and I can never decide what to eat, meal plans don't work cause I'm so picky.
I have 30lbs to lose, preferably by september/october time.
This is getting me down and I don't want to be this size when I get into Uni, I need to get it off and keep it off
Any advice?
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Replies
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Well, stop binging and cheating on your diet. You can't get the results you want without putting in the work.
Edit: Fruits and vegetables aren't important. Don't eat them, if you don't like them. Not liking them really isn't an excuse. If you can't find something appropriate to your diet that you want to eat, don't eat.0 -
I'm afraid I have to agree with Fit_Goat. If you keep giving in to the cravings and binging you wont get there. You are a sugar addict(as we all were,lol) and you have to break the addiction. Do it without cheating for 2-3 weeks and you will find you dont even fancy them any longer BUT you need to do it honestly! Concentrate on the foods you do like and can enjoy on this WOE and not on what you cant have!!
You say you want to eat all the time....do you mean you are hungry all the time or, because you consider you are being deprived, you want what you cant have??? If its true hunger then eat something fatty, if its because you feel you are being deprived...look in the mirror and see those 30lbs you want to lose. If you can see a dress design...you can see you 30lbs lighter and think about that!!!0 -
The longer you go without any slips, the easier it gets. But, it can take a long time for some people to really stop craving carbs. The horrible truth is that there's no secret and no trick to stop them except time and avoidance. It's not easy. If it was easy, everyone would do it and no one would relapse and put weight back on.0
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jumanajane wrote: »I'm afraid I have to agree with Fit_Goat. If you keep giving in to the cravings and binging you wont get there. You are a sugar addict(as we all were,lol) and you have to break the addiction. Do it without cheating for 2-3 weeks and you will find you dont even fancy them any longer BUT you need to do it honestly! Concentrate on the foods you do like and can enjoy on this WOE and not on what you cant have!!
You say you want to eat all the time....do you mean you are hungry all the time or, because you consider you are being deprived, you want what you cant have??? If its true hunger then eat something fatty, if its because you feel you are being deprived...look in the mirror and see those 30lbs you want to lose. If you can see a dress design...you can see you 30lbs lighter and think about that!!!
No I'm hardly ever hungry, I just eat out of habit, boredom, sadness or because I think I'm hungry, I don't want the food but my brain just nags at me until the food is gone0 -
I have to wonder if you're getting enough fat? Maybe ignore the scale for a few weeks and try allowing yourself to eat what you want so long as it is high fat, moderate protein, and low carb. My other idea may not pertain to you and I hope you don't find offense. A lot of MY binge eating was related to past trauma + current stressors. Are you eating your feelings? If so, you MIGHT consider counseling. It's helped me out considerably with the binging. In my experience binging is usually related to one of two things 1) not getting enough nutrients and/or 2) emotions.0
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I have to wonder if you're getting enough fat? Maybe ignore the scale for a few weeks and try allowing yourself to eat what you want so long as it is high fat, moderate protein, and low carb. My other idea may not pertain to you and I hope you don't find offense. A lot of MY binge eating was related to past trauma + current stressors. Are you eating your feelings? If so, you MIGHT consider counseling. It's helped me out considerably with the binging. In my experience binging is usually related to one of two things 1) not getting enough nutrients and/or 2) emotions.
Probably a bit of both, I've always eaten when I felt low, it stopped for a while when I was on fluoxetine and I managed to lose a fair bit of weight but it doesn't seem to have the same effect any more0 -
@sugarbeat.......I totally agree about the emotional causes of binging. Loneliness, boredom, whatever that have created the habit. Jenny, you mention sadness yourself so there must be something in that which you recognise yourself! Its very easy to say change the habit but I know from personal experience it isnt but you can learn coping mechanisms to compensate instead of eating. Lol, dont ask me what though as they are personal to all of us..what may work for me may not work for you. Try and find something that YOU really like that can be swopped for just eating! Dancing around the living room, screaming, singing at the top of your voice or crushing ice cubes,lolol. Have fun finding it!0
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I have to wonder if you're getting enough fat? Maybe ignore the scale for a few weeks and try allowing yourself to eat what you want so long as it is high fat, moderate protein, and low carb. My other idea may not pertain to you and I hope you don't find offense. A lot of MY binge eating was related to past trauma + current stressors. Are you eating your feelings? If so, you MIGHT consider counseling. It's helped me out considerably with the binging. In my experience binging is usually related to one of two things 1) not getting enough nutrients and/or 2) emotions.
Probably a bit of both, I've always eaten when I felt low, it stopped for a while when I was on fluoxetine and I managed to lose a fair bit of weight but it doesn't seem to have the same effect any more
Perhaps try eating LCHF and when the need to binge rises practice taking a moment to just assess how you feel. Does it feel physical? If so you may simply need to eat a bit more fat, or it could be a need for sodium. If it doesn't feel physical than it's most likely emotional. If counseling is something you can't do, maybe try journaling? Even if you give and binge find a way to discover the root of the issue.
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I agree with everyone here and think the most important thing here is you're going to have to commit and it's gonna suck... for a while. My 'whithdrawl" was BRUTAL!! It lasted 4 days and I thought I would literally die. Seriously. AFter the 4 days... it wasn't EASY but it was easy-er. And now, 3 months in, it's easy. And I know that nagging 'thing' telling you to eat 24/7. I have memories of eating, and crying because I couldn't stop myself from eating!! I felt posessed!
So my advice:
#1 Suck it up in the pickiness department. You have to find things on your "allowable" list and stick to them. If they're not on the list, don't eat'em.
#2 Commit fully, no matter what, no excuses to #1 If you really want it, you will find a way, if not, you will find an excuse.
#3 Make a plan. How are you going to deal, especially the first week when it's rough, when that nagging feeling is screaming so loud you can't focus on anything else, when you're bored, when you're sad? What kind of self talk are you going to use. Separate yourself from the feeling, it will pass. The first week is a real mental game.
#4 Make sure you have a realistic meal plan approach. What are your macros, your goals. And if you're truly doing LCHF make sure you're eating HF!! If you're hit your macros and you just HAVE to eat, add fat.
#5 Know that you are going to have to stay hyper aware of your body, listen to it and make changes on the fly when you realize something isn't working. There is no magic pill, one size fits all. Yeah, you know those clothes I'm taling about... one size fits NOBODY.
And finally, give yourself a break. No I don't mean a kit-kat. I mean a mental break. Don't be so rough on yourself. It is what it is and you're working to change it. There's nothing inherently wrong with you as a person. Your body signals are just all messed up and it's going to take a bit to sort them out. It will be rough for a while and nobody else will understand or throw you a parade or even pat you on the back. You have to do it for you. But you know what? You can. Just jump in. Trust the process. Learn about the WOE and your body. And never, ever look back!
You got this!
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I agree with everything said above, but I would add - you don't have to jump in at extreme levels. Starting at a higher level and adjusting down is perfectly reasonable. Nothing says that you have to have a lower number of carbs for better health. Maybe your perfect number of carbs is higher than mine. You are quite young, and I know you have outlying health conditions, and that one in particular puts all of your hormones out of whack. Maybe for a bit, you need to focus on balancing out your hormones, because as women, we consistently get smacked upside the head by our hormones, causing binges, triggers, overeating, and all manner of insanity... But we can override that thinking. Eventually. But at first you have to to make the choice. If this is really important to you, you need to stick other thoughts in your head. When that cake calls to you, think of the most distasteful thing you can think of. Imagine worms crawling in it. Imagine it filled with ex-lax or poison (because that really is what carbs are to you). Go brush your teeth or chew some gum that leaves a blech taste in your mouth. Chocolate tastes terrible right after brushing your teeth. Find something to keep your mouth busy. Take up reading. Or any time the craving strikes, go for a walk. Get more bacon. Every time you want a sweet, eat some bacon. Or chug a water bottle. If your stomach is borderline uncomfortably full, you can't eat more or you'll end up throwing up or feeling really sick. You can defeat the insanity of your brain, but it is hard work...
And like they said, you have to work on the you in your head and heart....once that you is on board, the other things get easier. You have to find what works for you, and some aspect of what you are trying to do right now isn't working. Figure out what part isn't working and change that.0 -
How long have you been LC? I am now 3 1/2 weeks in and my desire to binge is almost at 0. The first two weeksthere is no doubt in my mind I would have binged had it now been for my friends on MFP. The longer you stick to plan, the less desire to binge you'll feel. And just to put things into perspective....I've had a binge eating disorder for half of my life....and I am only 33. You can do it. Set your mind and heart to it and go for it. You'll feel amazing.0
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I have to wonder if you're getting enough fat? Maybe ignore the scale for a few weeks and try allowing yourself to eat what you want so long as it is high fat, moderate protein, and low carb. My other idea may not pertain to you and I hope you don't find offense. A lot of MY binge eating was related to past trauma + current stressors. Are you eating your feelings? If so, you MIGHT consider counseling. It's helped me out considerably with the binging. In my experience binging is usually related to one of two things 1) not getting enough nutrients and/or 2) emotions.
Probably a bit of both, I've always eaten when I felt low, it stopped for a while when I was on fluoxetine and I managed to lose a fair bit of weight but it doesn't seem to have the same effect any more
Check out Phosphatidyl Serine. I've been using it for dealing with stress and anxiety for a while and it's quite effective. It's a naturally derived supplement that helps reduce cortisol levels (note: it can interfere with antidepressants, so make sure to do some research on it if you're still taking the Fluoxetine to make sure there's no interference, and maybe talk to your doctor about trying something else if it seems the Fluoxetine isn't working). It might help you deal with the binge eating long enough to cement your dietary changes and let them take over.
If you are still taking the Fluoxetine, consider looking into Inositol. Inositol itself has been known to help with various anxiety/depression/OCD issues, and has been known to augment some medications. From what I've seen, it shouldn't interact negatively with the Fluoxetine, at least.0 -
You've gotten a lot of great advice here, so I don't rehash it. But I will add, every time you 'cheat' you are delaying the day when you just look at the carbs and don't care anymore. For me, at <120g carbs per day (that's total, not net), it was impossible not to want to binge on carbs. At <30g per day, it suddenly was a breeze. At work people bring in cakes and pastries and candy and I can walk past them without even considering a bite. When I get home there are all sorts of carby foods available but I don't even see them as food anymore.
You are torturing yourself by forcing yourself through the DT phase over and over again. When it sucks, that's when you need to commit even HARDER to stick with it, because that's the only way you'll get there.0 -
I keep having binges on the worst food like cakes and chocolate and intense cravings, just having the food around me is hard and not having it in the house is not an option unfortunately.
Stop buying cakes and chocolate to avoid the triggers and cravings. If you keep surrounding yourself with wrong food you will never get rid of the craving and will alway wanting to eat it. Out of sight - Out of mind!
Why is it not an option not to have it in the house??? That's just an excuse, there is absolutely no need to have junk laying around. Get rid of it, clean up and start each day as a new day. Eat something else, work out, go for a walk, stop thinking about junk and think about why you started to begin with.
If you really want to achieve something, you will have to turn things around and work on it. You're the only one who will rip the benefits or pay the consequences.
Good luck!
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IIRC, I believe she lives in a household with three or more other people who are the ones buying the groceries.0
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glossbones wrote: »You've gotten a lot of great advice here, so I don't rehash it. But I will add, every time you 'cheat' you are delaying the day when you just look at the carbs and don't care anymore. For me, at <120g carbs per day (that's total, not net), it was impossible not to want to binge on carbs. At <30g per day, it suddenly was a breeze. At work people bring in cakes and pastries and candy and I can walk past them without even considering a bite. When I get home there are all sorts of carby foods available but I don't even see them as food anymore.
You are torturing yourself by forcing yourself through the DT phase over and over again. When it sucks, that's when you need to commit even HARDER to stick with it, because that's the only way you'll get there.
I completely agree with this - go lower and lower carb as that is when it gets a lot easier.
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My advice for what it's worth is this:
When I go LCHF I give myself and induction phase which helps SO much.
I eat only LCHF foods... And I eat as much as I like of them. Want 3 plates of veggies? Go for it. Want a kilo of nuts? Not a problem. 3 burger patties with cheese? Yum yum.
Allowing yourself to eat as much as you want of good foods takes your brain away from that scary deprivation place. Your appetite naturally decreases so you find it virtually impossible to binge anyway and by the end of a week (or loads less) you are ready to reduce calories.
I also do this when I have a 'need to quit' moment - give myself permission to go crazy but only on approved foods. It only ever lasts a meal.0 -
a lot of people think they eat out of boredom, but it could be something more. I am an emotional eater. I eat when I am anxious, stressed out or angry for the most part. what else could be triggering your desire to stuff your face? Give it some thought.0
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I keep having binges on the worst food like cakes and chocolate and intense cravings, just having the food around me is hard and not having it in the house is not an option unfortunately.
Stop buying cakes and chocolate to avoid the triggers and cravings. If you keep surrounding yourself with wrong food you will never get rid of the craving and will alway wanting to eat it. Out of sight - Out of mind!
Why is it not an option not to have it in the house??? That's just an excuse, there is absolutely no need to have junk laying around. Get rid of it, clean up and start each day as a new day. Eat something else, work out, go for a walk, stop thinking about junk and think about why you started to begin with.
If you really want to achieve something, you will have to turn things around and work on it. You're the only one who will rip the benefits or pay the consequences.
Good luck!
@GSD_Mama She still lives at home with her parents and they buy it for themselves and her brother. They refuse to be more friendly to her way of eating because they don't feel it is healthy.
They keep trying to force her to eat more veggies (corn and such, yeah...) and want her to eat their way even though she suffers PCOS and likely insulin resistance. They still buy into old school, and in their love and protection of her, they're a bit misguided... She's working on convincing them to consider something else, but her medical team isn't overly helpful either. They flat out refused to do an insulin test because "she isn't diabetic."0 -
Well this is a crappy situation. How old is OP? Does she have an income to buy some of her own foods? If over 18 and with an income - I say do whatever you want and ignore them - they will get used to it when they see the results.0
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Sugar is an addiction, as others have said. In order to break that, you need to stop eating them. I quit cold turkey, but not everyone can do that. Now that ive been doing this for a bit iver a month, I find that if im out with my husband and he wants, say, a slice of pie, I can split it with him without feeling guilty and without wanting more. It takes time. Progress, not perfection. If You just crave that sweet taste, there are drinks that are sweet that wont ruin a good day, natural organic stavia, and many other options. I drink ice water. Find what works for you. But first, break the cycle. I know you can do it, just mind over matter.0
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The longer you go without cheating, the easier it gets - truly. But if you give into your cravings every day youre going to start feeling like its impossible to resist, instead of just sucking it up and walking past the cake. Ive been on low carb for only 2 weeks with no cheats, and already looking at things like cakes and sweets just do nothing for me - I dont want them.0
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Also, my husband and roomie do not eat like me. so I know what its like to still have junk in the house. I know temptation. Im sorry your family doesnt support you. Add me if you like, ive found things people would consider 'bad for you' that actually works with this LCHF. Maybe that would help?0
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I just finished a "binge" 5 minutes ago. Broke down & took sleeping pill forgetting they make me extremely hungry. But I kept it LCHF - Cajun ch wings, cheese, & BP tea. 1 carb in tea. So over in fats & cals, but no worries. (I hope).0
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Should have mentioned that before I started this woe, would have eaten my way thru my pantry (chips, granola bars, crackers). Tonite didn't even tempt me. Ate my way thru fridge instead,lol.0
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Perhaps it is a habit of eating at certain times you have a problem with. For me it is at night. I would have in the past have had toast with Jam, ( or jelly as you americans say) and biscuits, ( cookies) stuff like that. I find myself going to the press to find something to munch on. So now I have peanuts, or berries. I know you don't like fruit but keep trying I am sure there are one or two fruits out there that you do actually like.0
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SlimBride2Be wrote: »Well this is a crappy situation. How old is OP? Does she have an income to buy some of her own foods? If over 18 and with an income - I say do whatever you want and ignore them - they will get used to it when they see the results.
She does as much as she can, but the temptation gets to her. I remember that feeling well. Until I got my head together last year, I can tell you it would have been misery incarnate to try to stop. I know she's been to unsupportive doctors, and upsetting her family further is hard for her at this point, so she's doing a lot. I've seen her progress a lot lately, but having hormonal imbalances (PCOS) complicate this more, in my experience...
Sending you hugs, Jenny. I know that no amount of determination and willpower would have helped me at first... It just takes time. Every time you come back swinging, you come back stronger!0 -
Yeah parents can be the worst. Mine decided to tell my fiancé last weekend (in MY house eating the food I HAD BOUGHT) that I was clearly taking financial advantage of him with my WOE as it was expensive meat and fish I was eating all the time. Happily he just shrugged and said 'we like to eat well in this house' and moved on :-)0
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Jenny's parents are supporting her the best way they know how...so I can't blame them for that. Hopefully they'll get on board when they can see it making a difference for her... We all know how hard it can be to break the old mindsets.0
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@KnitOrMiss, is there another Jenny's post about her parents? I don't see it anywhere. Just reading from her posting in here i didn't know that she is on Parental control. Her profile says she is 21, i think she can do something about her eating, parents or not.0
