Binge eating help
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Kinda like binge drinking -- Overeater's Anonymous helps (and it is free/peer support). Also not getting too hungry, angry, lonely and tired (HALT) -- a technique encouraged by Overeater's Anonymous. While they don't support any particular food plan, not getting overly hungry and not eating my trigger foods really helps me too -- that means I eat 5-6 smaller meals a day that meet my protein/fat/carb macros and I don't eat my trigger foods (they just set me off) -- different people have different trigger foods but mine usually involve the trifecta of sugar, fat, and white flour. For me (and many people don't have this problem) I never stop at one. And I have huge amounts of willpower (long distance running, job wise, etc) just doesn't work for me with food. To each their own.
Thank you so much!0 -
ohiotubagal wrote: »Hi veganxpizza,
I've struggled with bingeing since I was a kid. I've been able to be "okay" for long periods of time, but always seem to go back to it. Right now I am doing better and have figured some things out that I didn't see before.
I believe a big part of bingeing is habit, and triggers. For me, there are two times that are dangerous - when I get home from being out, especially after work, or after after/when my kids go to bed and it's time to relax. So I've been working on making routines for myself during those times. The key is doing them enough to where I go on autopilot and don't think about them.
For example, after dinner, here's my routine:
Clean up kitchen
Make a cup of tea
Make a healthy, pre-logged dessert (yogurt with cereal, graham crackers, etc)
Sit in a certain chair near the fireplace and have my treat
Go say goodnight to the kids
Brush my teeth/put on PJs
I tell myself that I'm satisfied and feel good, and do some kind of chore or project upstairs away from the kitchen.
Another thing I've done is when I want to binge, to set a timer for 10 minutes. I get the food that I want out and give myself permission to have one serving after 10 minutes. Most of the time I don't even want it after that time.
I recommend a book about habits called "The Power of Habit" by Charles Duhigg. It's been very helpful to me.
Feel free to add me!
Those are really good ways to keep your mind off bingeing! Thank you for the advice
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veganxpizza wrote: »The only thing that helped me with this was counseling. You really have to understand your reasons for this type of disordered eating. Also, for me, cutting out the all or nothing perfectionist thinking, as well as the good or bad food ideas has helped. If I want something I eat it. Just not the entire container of whatever it is. I've maintained a 30 pound loss while getting help for it, and now I'm finally back to actively losing 96 more pounds to get to goal. Good luck!
Thank you!
I honestly think the best thing for you is to speak to a psychologist. If you have depression/anxiety it is highly likely the BED is linked. I've always struggled with food...binging...obese....Restrictive eating...exercise induced bulimia...binging....restriction...over exercise...binge...binge purge...and the I got to grips with myself thanks to talking to a professional. The cycles all linked to my mood variability and now I am almost in control of that, the food part is easier to control.
It is hard but tonight I did something I never thought I'd do....ordered a healthy chicken salad from a takeaway and only cut myself a small slice of cake with the rest in the fridge. I've changed my mindset so it sees that as a nice treat. It knows that another will come so it helps curb the binges.
If speaking to a professional can help me after 20 years of cycling, I am sure it will help you
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veganxpizza wrote: »veganxpizza wrote: »A few things,
I wholly support veganism- especially if it is for political / ethical reasons, and if that is your reasoning - more power to you, but I will also state
- one of the most helpful things in eliminating binge eating for me, was stopping the demonization of any food, food group, or food type. NO BAD FOODS, ONLY BAD FEELINGS. that was HUGE!
- I can eat chocolate every day, ice cream every day, just portions of them. No food on this planet all by itself can make me fat or less worthy of a human being!
- Not undereating. You can still lose weight without undereating, and it won't leave you starving and desperate.
- Realizing that I was quite literally, killing myself. I got to the point where my heart would be bumping, I couldn't leave bed, it was not how I wanted to go.
- Cognitive behavioral therapy.
- Recognizing that every moment is your new moment. It's not all or nothing.
And finally, I really did love this blog post:
http://www.andiemitchell.com/2014/11/05/how-to-recover-from-binge-eating/#more-13213
Yeah I am vegan for ethical reasons. So I don't really look at meat and dairy foods as "bad" or "can't have"....I don't WANT them, because I'm not about taking lives to satisfy a food craving. I could go on and on.... (also anything non vegan has a vegan alternative, just saying) so it's not like I'm missing out on anything.
But anyways, yes I see what you are saying. Those "bad" foods for me are pizza, chips, ice cream, chocolate, chicken (vegan) nuggets, ranch, etc. etc. I always feel bad about eating them, but when I take a bite of ice cream, for example, I'm like "*kitten* it, I want more" and a bite leads to the entire pint. All the other things you mentioned are totally right, thank you for that advice!
I will also check out the blog post.
Also, I am reading the post now, and this really speaks to me lol. This is usually my exact mindset that I am trying to get out of:
"Maybe there are these three doughnuts. And you need them. Look, you’ve chosen the best ones even! And that’s all you’re having, obviously. Because that’s all you wanted anyway, right? Right. Right. Well but wait — remember two weeks ago when you wanted an eggplant parm? God that sounds good. You just wish they’d use more cheese. You know, and maybe this is crazy but — wouldn’t it be wise to just get that today, too, so that it’s all out of your system? Get them all done and out of the way on the same day, so you can start fresh tomorrow? And that way, you won’t even want them again, because you just had them! (Logic!)"
Wow. It's creepy how much I can relate to that. Also, eggplant parm. Mmmmmmmmmm. So lucky they don't have those in India :-p0 -
I just have to jump in here too. I have struggled with eating disorders all my life. I consider what I'm doing here as being in recovery. I seek out support and I read a lot. Please don't fast. That is just another form of trying to gain control and since you've had periods of anorexia it could be dangerous for you. Ultimately we have to separate food and eating from whatever trauma and/or pain or internal struggle that got us here. We binge to avoid feeling. Depression is anger turned inwards. You have to dig a little and let yourself feel. Don't do it alone. Talk to people. Look at how many good people responded to your post. Hopefully we will all get to the point where we can see food as fuel and nutrition and we will want to do what is right and good for our bodies and not use it as a weapon to hurt ourselves. Wow......got a little emotional there. Thanks for listening.0
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Hi veganpizza, from another vegan! I'm super excited to hear about those vegan Doritos.
First of all - I have to say, binge eating has nothing at all to do with willpower, at least for me. It isn't because you have cravings. It is to satisfy an emotional need. Somewhere, in your history, you associated that food makes you feel good, or bad, or solves your problems somehow.
Second - do you exercise? I used to binge really bad. And it was because I was using food to make myself feel better. When I discovered hard, sweaty exercise, my binge eating decreased significantly. It really has been the biggest solution to my binging over the years. Yoga, weight lifting, whatever makes you feel good, just do it.
Third - please make sure you are eating enough throughout the day. If you starve yourself, you are going to give in and binge.
Fourth - I saw a cool video on YouTube the other day. The lady in it said that instead of telling yourself "I want it, but I can't have it"... You should try "I can have it, but I don't want it" instead.
Good luck my vegan sister. Remember the compassion inside of you that made you go vegan. It's time to use some of that compassion on yourself!!! 0 -
I am also an occasional binge eater. Today I went over my calorie goal ( I have more than 1700 calories available each day - therefore enough) and to make up for it I did an extra 80 minutes of aerobic dvds...
It was tough, very tough, but next time I will hopefully stick to my allowance.
By doing so I feel more in control of myself and my behaviour. However, excessive exercise should not become a pattern....
Ps: I usually make my 10,000 step a day and recently started doing strength training four times a week...
My stats: 5'10 and 168 lbs
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saralthrash wrote: »diannethegeek wrote: »I would never, ever suggest a fast to help with BED.
http://myfitnesspal.desk.com/customer/portal/articles/1575987-eating-disorder-resources
I totally agree! I used to binge very often several years ago and any type of diet change that was majorly restrictive always left me back at where I started. I appreciate everyone's opinion on MFP because we are here to support each other. However, it is important to take others opinions with a grain of salt. Do research and talk to a doctor if possible, especially questions regarding physical and mental health. I can't give you advice because the use of antidepressants has greatly reduced episodes of binging without any real effort on my part. I have never been diagnosed with BED. I never even mentioned it to my doc. I suffer from anxiety and the medication also helped with the binging.You want me to help you with binge eating? Let's share.
In all seriousness...it's willpower. After a couple hours your cravings will go away and you'll be fine. I often do a 24hr water-only fast and after a few hours you're good.
It would be nice if it was this easy. To just decide to not binge. However BED is a medical condition that often requires help from a doctor or therapist. Telling a person with BED to not overeat is like telling someone with anorexia to not starve. It's an eating disorder.
Well said friend.0 -
I just have to jump in here too. I have struggled with eating disorders all my life. I consider what I'm doing here as being in recovery. I seek out support and I read a lot. Please don't fast. That is just another form of trying to gain control and since you've had periods of anorexia it could be dangerous for you. Ultimately we have to separate food and eating from whatever trauma and/or pain or internal struggle that got us here. We binge to avoid feeling. Depression is anger turned inwards. You have to dig a little and let yourself feel. Don't do it alone. Talk to people. Look at how many good people responded to your post. Hopefully we will all get to the point where we can see food as fuel and nutrition and we will want to do what is right and good for our bodies and not use it as a weapon to hurt ourselves. Wow......got a little emotional there. Thanks for listening.
Really great advice^^0 -
Becky_charles29 wrote: »veganxpizza wrote: »The only thing that helped me with this was counseling. You really have to understand your reasons for this type of disordered eating. Also, for me, cutting out the all or nothing perfectionist thinking, as well as the good or bad food ideas has helped. If I want something I eat it. Just not the entire container of whatever it is. I've maintained a 30 pound loss while getting help for it, and now I'm finally back to actively losing 96 more pounds to get to goal. Good luck!
Thank you!
I honestly think the best thing for you is to speak to a psychologist. If you have depression/anxiety it is highly likely the BED is linked. I've always struggled with food...binging...obese....Restrictive eating...exercise induced bulimia...binging....restriction...over exercise...binge...binge purge...and the I got to grips with myself thanks to talking to a professional. The cycles all linked to my mood variability and now I am almost in control of that, the food part is easier to control.
It is hard but tonight I did something I never thought I'd do....ordered a healthy chicken salad from a takeaway and only cut myself a small slice of cake with the rest in the fridge. I've changed my mindset so it sees that as a nice treat. It knows that another will come so it helps curb the binges.
If speaking to a professional can help me after 20 years of cycling, I am sure it will help you
Yeah I just can't really afford it financially. Like, I just can't. Maybe some places/people will have a payment plan? Idk. because I do agree with you, that is what I need most likely.0 -
SaraAhmad117 wrote: »veganxpizza wrote: »veganxpizza wrote: »A few things,
I wholly support veganism- especially if it is for political / ethical reasons, and if that is your reasoning - more power to you, but I will also state
- one of the most helpful things in eliminating binge eating for me, was stopping the demonization of any food, food group, or food type. NO BAD FOODS, ONLY BAD FEELINGS. that was HUGE!
- I can eat chocolate every day, ice cream every day, just portions of them. No food on this planet all by itself can make me fat or less worthy of a human being!
- Not undereating. You can still lose weight without undereating, and it won't leave you starving and desperate.
- Realizing that I was quite literally, killing myself. I got to the point where my heart would be bumping, I couldn't leave bed, it was not how I wanted to go.
- Cognitive behavioral therapy.
- Recognizing that every moment is your new moment. It's not all or nothing.
And finally, I really did love this blog post:
http://www.andiemitchell.com/2014/11/05/how-to-recover-from-binge-eating/#more-13213
Yeah I am vegan for ethical reasons. So I don't really look at meat and dairy foods as "bad" or "can't have"....I don't WANT them, because I'm not about taking lives to satisfy a food craving. I could go on and on.... (also anything non vegan has a vegan alternative, just saying) so it's not like I'm missing out on anything.
But anyways, yes I see what you are saying. Those "bad" foods for me are pizza, chips, ice cream, chocolate, chicken (vegan) nuggets, ranch, etc. etc. I always feel bad about eating them, but when I take a bite of ice cream, for example, I'm like "*kitten* it, I want more" and a bite leads to the entire pint. All the other things you mentioned are totally right, thank you for that advice! I will also check out the blog post.
Also, I am reading the post now, and this really speaks to me lol. This is usually my exact mindset that I am trying to get out of:
"Maybe there are these three doughnuts. And you need them. Look, you’ve chosen the best ones even! And that’s all you’re having, obviously. Because that’s all you wanted anyway, right? Right. Right. Well but wait — remember two weeks ago when you wanted an eggplant parm? God that sounds good. You just wish they’d use more cheese. You know, and maybe this is crazy but — wouldn’t it be wise to just get that today, too, so that it’s all out of your system? Get them all done and out of the way on the same day, so you can start fresh tomorrow? And that way, you won’t even want them again, because you just had them! (Logic!)"
Wow. It's creepy how much I can relate to that. Also, eggplant parm. Mmmmmmmmmm. So lucky they don't have those in India :-p
Haha if a restaurant ever made vegan eggplant parm, I'd be in trouble!0 -
I just have to jump in here too. I have struggled with eating disorders all my life. I consider what I'm doing here as being in recovery. I seek out support and I read a lot. Please don't fast. That is just another form of trying to gain control and since you've had periods of anorexia it could be dangerous for you. Ultimately we have to separate food and eating from whatever trauma and/or pain or internal struggle that got us here. We binge to avoid feeling. Depression is anger turned inwards. You have to dig a little and let yourself feel. Don't do it alone. Talk to people. Look at how many good people responded to your post. Hopefully we will all get to the point where we can see food as fuel and nutrition and we will want to do what is right and good for our bodies and not use it as a weapon to hurt ourselves. Wow......got a little emotional there. Thanks for listening.
Thank you so much, this was very helpful to read.0 -
EVERY MEAL IS A NEW BEGINNING.
dont wait for tomorrow to start fresh, do it now.0 -
Hi veganpizza, from another vegan! I'm super excited to hear about those vegan Doritos.
First of all - I have to say, binge eating has nothing at all to do with willpower, at least for me. It isn't because you have cravings. It is to satisfy an emotional need. Somewhere, in your history, you associated that food makes you feel good, or bad, or solves your problems somehow.
Second - do you exercise? I used to binge really bad. And it was because I was using food to make myself feel better. When I discovered hard, sweaty exercise, my binge eating decreased significantly. It really has been the biggest solution to my binging over the years. Yoga, weight lifting, whatever makes you feel good, just do it.
Third - please make sure you are eating enough throughout the day. If you starve yourself, you are going to give in and binge.
Fourth - I saw a cool video on YouTube the other day. The lady in it said that instead of telling yourself "I want it, but I can't have it"... You should try "I can have it, but I don't want it" instead.
Good luck my vegan sister. Remember the compassion inside of you that made you go vegan. It's time to use some of that compassion on yourself!!!
Ahh so cool!! Love meeting fellow vegans. So, to address your post:
1 - You are very right. I am sure that's what happened. It helps me feel less anxious to eat.
2 - Yes, I do exercise, quite a bit. I do yoga, run, and lift weights as well a couple days a week. Usually I feel much more powerful over bingeing when I feel good about myself (which is easy to feel after doing something good for my body like exercise).
3 - Yeah I usually do, but after a binge, I tend to hold off breakfast as long as possible due to still feeling crappy from the night before, and tend to tell myself "I'm going to eat EXTRA healthy today".
4 - That is a good mantra! I will try that.
Thank you so much for this!!! You can add me if you'd like! 0 -
to everyone: It is hard to keep up with everyone's post, I am not sure if I missed responding to anyone, but thank you all so much for giving your input and letting me know that I am not alone! It's so appreciated. We are ALL strong and can get through this. I am kind of, again, surprised at all the feedback and I love it! Please feel free to add me (as long as you're not going to be a creep - sorry I just have to add this part) and we can inspire eachother! I am here for anyone when they need it. 0
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angelamichelle_xo wrote: »EVERY MEAL IS A NEW BEGINNING.
dont wait for tomorrow to start fresh, do it now.
Good mindset!! 0 -
SaraAhmad117 wrote: »I just have to jump in here too. I have struggled with eating disorders all my life. I consider what I'm doing here as being in recovery. I seek out support and I read a lot. Please don't fast. That is just another form of trying to gain control and since you've had periods of anorexia it could be dangerous for you. Ultimately we have to separate food and eating from whatever trauma and/or pain or internal struggle that got us here. We binge to avoid feeling. Depression is anger turned inwards. You have to dig a little and let yourself feel. Don't do it alone. Talk to people. Look at how many good people responded to your post. Hopefully we will all get to the point where we can see food as fuel and nutrition and we will want to do what is right and good for our bodies and not use it as a weapon to hurt ourselves. Wow......got a little emotional there. Thanks for listening.
Really great advice^^
I so agree!0
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