Binge eater trying to recover

Hi. My hunger pangs strike in the evening. So what helps me is getting moving. I go outside for a brisk walk. Nothing major, just a quick 10-15 minutes around the block to get my heart rate up. I leave my house so hungry I could eat a fat lady's rear end through a park bench. Ten minutes later I return home, have some water and get into something I enjoy (a book, a TV show, a bath, a glass of wine, etc.) anything to keep the distraction going. At this point I can honestly TURN DOWN food. If you are like me, you won't be happy with this response, I am often lazy at the end of my day and getting moving takes a bit of self pep talk, but the method is tried and true. My husband is a "grazer" and there are often chips, crackers, chocolates, you name it, at my reach. After my walk, I'm no longer in the mood to eat anything. I hope this helps you.

Look at Breaking Free from Emotional Eating –
by Geneen Roth

Logging the food BEFORE I consume it has helped me stop it. Logging before allows me to see the exact damage I'm doing to my goals. One binge can wipe out 6 days of eating at goal. It doesn't help if I log after as I just beat myself up about it. I still log it though. I deny that I did it in my mind if I don't log it. Denying absolutely doesn't help me.

I track the episodes. They happen much more often on the days that I don't intentionally walk for exercise. I have been trying to replace eating emotionally with walking "emotionally". Sometimes 1,000 steps will wipe out the feeling of wanting to stuff food in me. Also, if I start thinking that I need to walk instead of eating, I can sometimes work my way out of it because I really don't want to have to do anything but just deal with the emotions. Recognizing what is putting me in a place that is making me uncomfortable emotionally.

I think it's a process. Definitely not something that can be cured overnight.

What works for me.. nothing is off limit. If I *really* want it, I work it in my calories. The key is to be actually satisfied with my meals, so I'm happier and less likely to look for satisfaction in junk food. So I plan my meals around the food I've been craving, look for healthier options (but it has to be close enough to be satisfying!), or if it's higher calories, I make sure to have it at lunch, so I'm less likely to be hungry later. Sure, sometimes it means delaying a specific food for a few weeks until I actually have enough calories for it, but I know I will have it eventually... and sometimes by then the craving is gone anyway.

But I'm more likely to binge when I'm not satisfied - for example, if I'm craving sugar cookies, but there are only chocolate chip cookies available, I'm more likely to eat more of the chocolate chip cookies because they don't satisfy me... so I'm better off not eating any or going to the store to buy a sugar cookie.

Then yeah... focusing on fat and protein. I can't have bread for breakfast then a sandwich at lunch, for example. I need to limit 'empty (=not filling)' calories to 200/300 a day, or I get hungry.

So that's my advice... Eat foods you really want, and not pizza just because it's there, and try to stay full by making better choices overall. And don't pick a crazy goal - I never did more than 1 pound a week.

I'm a binge eater and sugar addict as well but I find that I can't work treats into my day. Unfortunately, I can't eat just 2 Oreos, cookies, etc. Once I have a bit of sugar, I'm like a drug addict looking for more so I'd rather not get into the habit of eating any

In regards to being hungry, eat often every couple of hours and up your protein.

I've had a rough year and gained quite a bit of weight back so I'm starting over. When I was at my lowest and successful, I was only allowing myself a sweet treat on a truly special occasion. Also start thinking about food as fuel for your workouts and not for pleasure. It's so hard though!

BED binge eating disorder isn't a problem with food but rather with histories, hurts and toxic relationships. I would direct you to FREE recovery programs like overeat erst anonymous or FAA food addicts anonymous

I took have a binge eating disorder and it is literally killing me. I know I shouldn't do it cause it causes weight gain which causes issues like diabetes, hbp and heart issues but I just cant stop. It is worst at night for me. I don't sleep well at night so that is when I binge. I do so well during the day but every night I ruin all my hard work.

I struggle with the same thing. I find that my binges occur most frequently late at night and I try to counteract it by going to sleep earlier. I also have the help of my partner, who I asked to ask me "Are you hungry?" every time he notices that I'm digging around in the cupboards/fridge after dinner. It's a harmless question, so I don't feel attacked but it also makes me think about why exactly I am eating. My biggest issue with bingeing is eating too much and too quickly before I can even stop to think about if I'm hungry or not. It really is an addiction and an emotional thing. If you don't have someone around or don't trust the people around, maybe hang a sign on the fridge/snack cabinet to jar you into re-evaluating why you are eating in that moment. I also try to keep foods I know I'll binge on out of the house. If my partner buys them, he puts them out of my sight.

As for actually being super hungry, I agree with the others- up your protein. I eat a handful of nuts in the morning to get healthy fats and protein, and it staves off my hunger for a long time. But maybe a protein shake midday could help you as well.

Also, if you really must binge (everyone slips, it's fine!) or are super hungry but don't want to load up on calories (say you've eaten your calorie limit for the day and still find yourself starving), I recommend finding a vegetable or two that you like. Cucumbers and celery are both high volume foods that fill you up fast and have awesome benefits nutrient wise! And sweet potatoes are healthy and delicious steamed- and a large sweet potato hovers between 160-180 cal and they fill you up pretty fast! I usually can't even finish one (especially if I add nuts into the mash for a meal!), and believe me when I say I can pack it away, especially in binge mode.

Take care of yourself and feel free to add me if you need to talk. It's a rough road to recovery and it takes extraordinary will-power, but I know you can do it!

I battled binge eating too! Just got to keep putting one foot in front of the other and keep trying! Ps. Why do you look like me?? Anyone else see the comparison or is it just me? lol

fat2fitaddict wrote: »

I battled binge eating too! Just got to keep putting one foot in front of the other and keep trying! Ps. Why do you look like me?? Anyone else see the comparison or is it just me? lol

I noticed this too, and did a double take since I had replied to you in another thread recently LOL