Help with binge eating disorder.

I used to have a problem with binging, not a disorder or anything, but sometimes I'd eat until I was sick and then eat more. More often than not what triggered it was eating way below what I should have been so that when I came to eat I was madly hungry. Certain foods would trigger it more than others. Finding the cause of the binge is probably the best way to stop them. Also removing potential trigger foods (normally the high fat/carb foods) may help.
It sounds that by reducing the binges down to 1 a week you're already taking steps in the right direction. Keep going! You can do it!

Get your hands on a book called "Brain over binge" by Kathryn Hansen. It's helped lots of people and I'm currently recovering with the help of that book.
Feel free to friend me if you need more help and support from someone who is on the road to recovery

Hi there. I'm a binge eater and was pleased when it was finally recognized as an eating disorder by the American Psychological Association. I've been doing this behavior for decades and decided to go to a clinic for partial hospitalization this October. I've been in therapy for years but an hour in an office hasn't done it. I have lots of tools but there is a final puzzle piece I need help with.

At the moment I'm finding regular mindfulness meditation helps a lot. It puts more space between the craving and the doing. I also discovered that I had a bit of OCD that needed treating with meds. I thought everyone was like me and got an image of a food in their heads that wouldn't go away until I ate it. I feel VERY much more in control with out pictures of ice cream cones dancing in my head!

There's a therapy called DBT that is supposed to be very helpful for this and other disorders so maybe look into that.

Here's to hopeful recovery and finding people who get it..

Ruth

You need to work on your emotional self, that's the only way. Be honest with yourself about what is really wrong.

It probably depends on what your triggers are. One of mine is boredom so if I can stay busy it helps. Things like feeling socially connected also seem to help me. Catching up and doing fun things with friends. Talking to or spending quality time with my family etc.

I'm also starting to work on mindfulness with a 8 week course in mindfulness integrated cognitive behavioural therapy. Hoping that will help knock it on its head

I agree - read brain over binge!
It wasn't the whole solution for me but it taught me a bit about why it was happening and that I was completely able to overcome it.
For me it's recognising if a binge is coming and putting proactive preventative steps. As cliche as it sounds if I get out of the house and go for a walk etc it almost always takes me out of the binge mindset.
The biggest factor leading to my recovery though was picking up exercise - for me, Crossfit - because it gave me a reason to need a healthy body, and the urge to nourish myself became stronger than the urge to binge.
Also don't ever restrict yourself. Just don't.

Do you know what your triggers are? Are you able to try and analyze what you are thinking/feeling before, during and after the episode? Do you write down why you think your brain/body drove you to binge each time? Have you thought of ways of trying to achieve the same feeling without bingeing?

I don't have a serious bingeing problem, but I do have periods when I binge. What has helped a HUGE amount is understanding that this just biochemistry - my brain is telling me to do something to fulfill a specific need. It's like your brain telling your body to yawn when you're tired, because getting that extra oxygen into your lungs should help you stay awake. I try to stop and ask myself why I'm driven to eat something when I'm not hungry. Is it boredom? Loneliness? Stress? Exhaustion? Procrastination? Jetlag (business trips are really tough for bingeing for me)? Then I try and swap out the urge to binge with something else.

Procrastination? I try achieving 2 things on my to-do list no matter how small, like taking a shower, or taking the trash out. Exhaustion? No matter if it's 9pm, 8pm, or even 7pm, I go to bed. Stress? I try a really, really intense cardio workout.

And finally, if I do binge, I don't feel guilty. It's biochemistry. And the water weight comes off in a few days.

I'm replying because I can relate a liittle bit. I don't have a full blown dirorded I think, but I definitely eat compulsively.

I don't even have advice either, just wanted to share something. This is the first time I've felt like I actually could lose weight, I don't know what's different - something about counting, having an exercise habit, finding a community on reddit. I've been counting calories and mostly staying within my intended. The thing I've realized though is that I'll often exercise loads, or eat low cal rice for meals, just so that I can have donuts and what not. I've realized that I can't bear to think that I have to cut these things out of my life forever. They bring me some sort of psychological comfort.

Technically calorie wise I could just keep doing this - I've already lost weight because technically I'm keeping to the calorie goals (through exercise), and I do eat healthily enough otherwise that I'm not worried about nutrition. But I feel like at some point I'm going to have to confront this compulsion, and I don't really know how. Maybe I need to find healthier sources of comfort, and work them into my life slowly before I try and cut the sweets down.