I have read everything i could find about binge eating disorder. They really helped me understand why i would binge all the time.

Sarahsteve7kids wrote: »

I lived the book 'have your cake and skinny jeans too'. I don't plan on binges and eat the food I want. I have placed only a couple rules to myself. 1) eat at the kitchen table 2) remember to stop eating when it stops tasting good. I don't need to binge because later if I want I can have the same food again.

I just bought this book! fixing to start on it

What an awesome topic!! Thanks for reviving it! I'm still doing battle with BED but am markedly better than 3-4 years ago. I was a serious binger for at least 20 years, daily binging or restricting, don't recall a "normal" relationship with food.

What helped me:
Psychotherapy, 2 years worth. Helped me realize I went from being a victim of abuse to playing one as an adult. Learned how to relate to people and stress better and the urges to binge lessened dramatically.

Medifast (MF). I won't do Medifast again as it's a highly restrictive diet and towards the end, I developed a binge-MF-binge-MF cycle. However on MF, which kept me from bingeing for over a year, I learned the following, which I use to prevent bingeing today;
Eat at least every 3 hours
Eat more protein, less carbs
Drink loads of water

Vyvanse. I've been on it 6 weeks and haven't had the urge to binge like I used to. However, it's becoming slightly less effective and mornings are tough, before I take my AM dose. It is by no means a magic pill although in the beginning it felt like one. I've put in years of behavioral and psychological work to deal with BED and Vyvanse just makes it a little easier to deal.

Exercise. Especially morning workouts. It keeps me on track the rest of the day, helps alleviate stress, melancholy, and gives me energy.

I have yet to read a great BED book. Brain Over Binge was okay, not great, for me. Geneen Roths' books had great tips I still use but again, no "cures". I still use her tip to sit at the table when I eat. I look forward to reading the "..skinny jeans...cake" book!

Telling people!! BED is a terrible disease but one that you should discuss with others, doctor, spouse,partner, friends. I stripped BED of a lot of its power after I revealed its existence to my therapist, husband and doctor.

Being amongst people. I won't binge in front of strangers. So, I have a list of silly errands, "get bug spray from hardware store, donate box of books to library", etc. I pick something from the list when I feel the urge to binge. I redirect my attention, like a toddler.

Get 7 solid hours of sleep. Without a good nights sleep, I'm toast, I've got no ability to fight the urges. And when I don't get 7 hours, I find time for a 20 minute cat nap. Non-negotiable.

What seems to work for me are these guidelines:

Don't go grocery shopping hungry (prevents the following)

Don't buy binge foods when grocery shopping (If they're not in the house, it's a lot easier to fight the urge because I would have to leave the house to get my fix and typically I'm sad, lonely or irritable and I want to hide from the world)

I do believe that we should allow for small indulgences and in that case, I use my kitchen safe (which is AWESOME). I set it to open when I'll be strong (after workout time or after a nutritious meal) and then only take out my allotted amount of goody. It has helped me a lot!

What kind of side effects did you experience?

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/25/business/shire-maker-of-binge-eating-drug-vyvanse-first-marketed-the-disease.html?_r=0

Hello!

I got therapy first, then a nutritionist.

I focussed on eating more protein with carbs (that keeps you satiated for longer than just protein or just carbs in a meal or snack), ate even if it was forceful every 2-3 hours. Added 30 g of protein to kick start the day with breakfast and ensured I ate within 30 minutes of waking.

Then, after a month, I noticed my binges reduced in the amount I binged and the number of times I binged. Next, I added exercising - about 45 - 120 minutes of walking a day, 30 minutes of HIIT 4 times/week. This made a difference in how I felt (happier) and again reduced binges further though I did not count calories yet.

Next step, cooking my meals and planning them. They are quick and easy like eggs, chicken breast salads, fruits. I allow 200 calories from "junk" (cookies, ice cream, whatever pleases me) to not feel like binging.

I next had my boyfriend keep an eye on MFP Diary so that he saw what I ate binge or not. That way, anytime I did binge, it was embarassing but it was also ok to learn that I had his support. Everytime this happened, I took it as one day at a time and forgot the guilt the next day saying I am better than this.

I also added 3-5 minute meditation in the morning and occasionally write in a diary about this with stickers as rewards (stickers make me happy lol). I now have started tracking calories to 1350 calories a day (500 calorie deficit every day) to lose weight the right way.

I had gained 30 lbs from Feb to April 2015! May, I binged but don't know how many times. June, it has been just once (about 2000 calories) and overeating has been twice but I wouldn't call that binging (indulging would be eating a nice dessert compared to binging which was slaying 5000 calories in an hour). I am hopeful that I have a healthier future now!

It is frustrating to feel fat but stying positive is the way to go. Feel free to add me and see my diary if that helps.

My next step? Starting to weigh myself (always have been afraid to look at that number again) but finally I feel there might be a positive difference and that would be motivating. Will weigh myself only once a month. My 25th birthday is in November (just over 5 months) and I want to look my best (using this as a motivation).

Hoping for a healthier future for everyone! Cheers!

@Dennis4766 how soon after you started the amino acids did you lose the urge to binge?

I'm working on overcoming binge eating, and I find for me it requires a multi-pronged approach.
(1) I'm triggered by carbs / sugar - once I start eating them, it requires a herculean effort to stop. So, step one is to go low-carb. The first week is a struggle, but after that it gets much easier to resist. I also find higher protein intake helps with satisfaction and sugar cravings by keeping my blood sugar at a steadier level.
(2) I'm an emotional / stress eater - I binge as a coping mechanism. I found amino acids helped me for awhile, I'd second the recommendation to read "The Diet Cure" by Julia Ross. There are many different kinds to try, depending on your personal experience. I've been taking L-Glutamine, GABA, and HTP-5, which seem to help keep me on a more even keel emotionally, which in turn helps with the binge eating. The L-Glutamine was almost like a miracle for me at first, completely killed the urge for sugar, but it no longer seems to be as effective for me.
(3) To deal with stress, boredom, and other aspects of emotional eating, I'm also working on meditation, listening to podcasts on binge eating disorder, and working on exercising more regularly (as soon as my sprained ankle recovers this will get easier!!)