Binge eating problem... I need your advice.

Have you seen a therapist who specializes in eating disorders?

I can absolutely relate. I don't have 100% control yet, but here are some ideas:
1. never get too hungry.
2. go for opposites when you want something sweet - something sour like pickles
3. read the book "Brain Over Binge"
4. don't keep problem foods in the house. avoid them for a while until you feel you have some control. try fruit for a taste of something sweet
5. think of how you will feel going to bed or waking up knowing you did not binge - it's a good feeling
6. stay busy
7. avoid routines that led to the binge (eg. I no longer sit in a certain chair because I associate it with overeating.)

Good luck and know that you can do this.

midlifesally wrote: »

4. don't keep problem foods in the house. avoid them for a while until you feel you have some control. try fruit for a taste of something sweet

This was helpful for me. It's not a problem now, but before I was tracking calories and aware of my TDEE, I'd eat any junk that was in the house. Kinda like RobynLB said, it can help if:
a) stuff you have a problem with isn't in the house
b) you make it a special event to go out to get the treat thing. Like you take a walk to the 7-Eleven for an ice cream sandwich or something. It's not regular utility food, so it shouldn't be in the house. Once you've hit your bodyfat goals you can keep that stuff around for carb backloading and willpower strengthening but for now? No.

Sounds like you are in a vicious cycle of going from one extreme to the other, and it keeps driving you back and forth.

Recommend you find a happy place.

Here is my two cents. Don't keep a trigger food in the house. If you have to have a trigger food you need to go out to buy it, you will have to get dressed, put on nice clothes, get in the car, drive to the store, buy it, come home and eat it in front of the other people there. That is the RULE! This is called a personal deterrent.

Substitute frozen yogurt in the carton for frozen low fat greek yogurt, just pop ONE portion controlled container in the freezer. That is portion control.

Set a date for two weeks from today and tell yourself if you reach X amount of pounds lost you can have one TINY slice of vanilla cake. Track your foods daily. If you lost the amount of pounds, and you still want the vanilla cake, go to a bakery and buy a SMALL slice of vanilla cake. Again, with getting dressed up, car, etc and come home and eat that piece of cake in front of the other people there. RULE! Enjoy it cause you are only getting one small slice and you have to go three weeks for the next one. Yes, add a week each time.

I used to have this problem too. I just can't have the trigger foods. They aren't in my house, and they aren't part of my diet. The only time it works is on a very rare occasion and I will eat it out of the house -- like at a restaurant in a single serving. Very rare because it could set me off and down the wrong path.

Ultimately, it is just a choice you have to make. Give it any label or diagnosis, but no matter what you call it, the only way to stop is to make the CHOICE to stop. Also, don't get discouraged if you slip up--it's normal to have set backs. Just get back on track and start again.

I was able to develop a diet that is not restrictive and is very filling, so I feel satisfied. I eat several times a day and I don't have the cravings for junk food anymore. I saw a Registered Dietitian specializing in eating disorders to help me develop a diet that would work for me. It is the best money I have ever spent. Good luck.

midlifesally wrote: »

2. go for opposites when you want something sweet - something sour like pickles

5. think of how you will feel going to bed or waking up knowing you did not binge - it's a good feeling

Love your list! I've been reaching for ACV lately. I've always tried focusing on how good it'll feel NOT to binge. It really works!

2lose30 wrote: »

Chips and beer were my problems. I have found that by 1) detoxing & 2) healthy substitutes, I don't have the cravings or binging I once had. a couple of suggestions I have found that are really good healthy substitutes: Sweet potato chips: Slice 1 sweet tater, i put the slices with a bit of coconut oil in a ziplock bag and shake; I then put it on cookie sheet, sprinkle with seasalt and bake about 15minutes at 400; really good and is already portion controlled. Ice cream substitute (this is really good - I have it for breakfast in the morning) 1/2-1 cup Frozen mango slices, some ice cubes, 1/2-1 cup water, squeeze of 1/2 lemon and some fresh mint; blend until smooth - awesome!

I baked chopped sweet potatoes with a little olive oil, salt, and chipotle powder Thursday - they were SO good! I'm going to try making some plantain chips today.

I can relate as well I lost about 50lbs I felt great. Then the holidays really didn't help gained it all back plus more. My mom has an eating disorder and finally lost ALL the weight she had barbaric surgery she looks great and is happy. My dad has little control with food. And I am no better. I am starting over!! My mom is a great support maybe to much for me.

I agree about trying intuitive eating. There's a concept in it about savoring food that is helpful to me when I'm having issues with sweets (although I sometimes eat excessively...it happens).

Well there are many approaches. Mine was to quit sweets. I also used to have no control over sweets. Now the way i do it is to only have them when other people offer them to me and some other low risk situations. Work out your own low risk situations and limit the food you binge on to those situations. It might take a while.

That said, there is a lot to successful dieting and binge recovery. I've solved my problems. I've been in maintenance for 8 months and began my journey in january 2014. In all that time, I have broken my rules only once and that was quite recently. I didn't binge though.

It's very psychological. You have to find deep commitment and work at it.

You do'nt have to feel deprived. Eat lots of fruit. The sweetness of fruit should satisfy your need for sweetness. It satisfied me. I have to be careful with dried fruit but i eat some in small portions. If i binge on them its because ii've got stress or some other emotional crisis that needs resolving. I work at resolving it quickly. I get help.

Well you have 3 options.

1) not do anything, stay overweight, keep eating all the frozen yogurt and cake, and feeling horrible about yourself every time you do it.
2) learn to eat them in moderation so you can still enjoy them without gaining the weight back. Feeling awesome because you can still enjoy things you love but keep a healthy weight too.
3) decide never to have them anymore. EVER. Which clearly, as you have noticed, doesn't work, and makes you unhappy.

So it's either 1 or 2. Which one would you prefer? Think about it.

I'm not trying to be mean. I completely get where you're coming from, and I've had my share of binges. Heck I've gone to bed hungry more times than I can count because I had a little too much ice cream or chocolate or cookies at lunch.

But the bottom line is... I LOVE that stuff. I don't want to give it up. And I hate feeling miserable when I eat it. I mean, really, do you even REALLY enjoy it that much when you feel so guilty about eating it? I know that I don't.

So, a few tips...

- buy single servings if possible
- wait until you want some, but don't have a crazy craving for it yet.
- put one serving in a bowl, then put the rest of the container away. Log your serving BEFORE you eat it. Turn off the TV and the computer, sit down with your bowl. Take a small bite. Make it last. Enjoy it. Take another bite. If you start thinking about the next serving you're going to have, make yourself stop and enjoy your bite. Think of it as your next serving. When it's the last bite, take your time, and tell yourself it's the last bite and you're going to really enjoy it.
- if you feel like going to the kitchen to get more, log another serving. Look at the numbers. Do the math. Complete your diary if needed, so you'll see it tell you that you'll weigh 10 more pounds if you eat like this for 5 weeks. That might help.
- if you get a second serving, do the same thing as the first one. You WILL notice at some point that it just doesn't taste as good anymore... tell yourself that - do you really want to finish it now, when it doesn't taste as good, or leave it for next time when it will taste awesome again?
- for me, I tend to binge less if I always have the stuff in my house. When I started binging on chocolates every time I had some, I just bought a lot of it. Now I know it's here when I want it and it helps me (I can ask myself if I REALLY want some now, or wait until a day when I'm actually craving it).

Truth is, a whole container of frozen yogurt in 2/3 days is really not such a huge deal and can probably fit in your calories. The cake sucks though. I love cake, and I almost never have it because of the crazy calories. I usually wait for a day when I'm not very hungry and have extra calories and go buy a cupcake or something (or those 3 packs of Madeleines from Starbucks might work too). But yeah, I haven't had cake in a while.

In the end though, it's really about what you want more... the food or the weight.

Do you eat enough fats? Getting traditional fats from avocados, olive oil, coconut milk, salmon, beef, full fat yogurt, etc. can really help with satiety and cut down on bingeing and craving.

I had similar problems with sweets. I had a difficul ttime stopping. It was almost like what I imagine a mild addiction would feel like so I treated it like one and quit sugars as much as I possibly could. I also had prediabetes and autoimmune issues (for which excess carbs are inflammatory) so I had extra incentive to drop sugars.

I started a low carb, high fat diet a few months back. It's basically the same as the Induction Phase of the Atkins diet. I eat mostly fats and proteins (meat, seafood, cheese and cream, nuts, coconut, avocado, butter and oils) with only some types of carbs (veggies and berries). I no longer eat foods that come from grains (corn, rice, flour based products), starchy veggies beyond a small amount (potatoes, carrots, beets, etc), and I avoid added sugars as much as possible.

Following a very LCHF diet eliminated my sweet tooth in about a week, and it reduced my overall appetite by a large amount. I forget to eat now, which is astonishing to me because a few months back I was getting shakes, dizzy, and headaches if I did not eat every 2-3 hours. Now I can easily go 6-9 hours before I remember to eat! (This isn't rue for everyone, but it appears to be true of most long term LCHF dieters around here.) All without seeing any (unnecessary in my case) therapist.

If interested, look up low carb high fat diets or nutritional ketosis. There is also a group (Low Carber Daily) that is dedicated to that WOE.

Good luck in whatever you decide to do.

daniwilford wrote: »

nvmomketo wrote: »

All without seeing any (unnecessary in my case) therapist.

Many people who don't see therapists, see them as unnecessary. We are not always the best judges of ourselves. If you describe your situation, a good general practitioner, is going to tell you when they are unnecessary. IMHO therapists are wonderful to talk to, and good ones are not going to continue to see you if you do not need the treatment.

I suppose that could be true. In my case though, I am sure a therapist was not needed to deal with my intense carb cravings because a dietary change eliminated it within weeks. It's gone. I'd still like to have an Aero bar, a large Coke, or a big bowl of ice cream, but the control issues are totally gone so I can skip it with satisfaction. Eating those "foods" and having a return of those symptoms isn't worth it now that I'm on the other side of it.

I think diet can often help with the same issues that therapists sometimes see, especially if there is a health issue. Definitely not all, but some.