EMOTIONAL BINGING

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kcavities
kcavities Posts: 18
in Motivation and Support
please help me

i just keep bloating and gaining i don't know how to stop myself. i mean i know i have to exert my own self-control and willpower but how can i eliminate the root of the problem rather than just controlling "the symptom" i.e. my binging? i literally had about 3,000 calories today and i am NOT an active adult male. in fact i'm a light-activity -doin' young female and don't even need half of that. how can i make myself feel better and stable again (besides STOPPING THE NASTY NAUSEOUS BINGE)?!

Replies

  • dian1227
    dian1227 Posts: 122 Member
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    I know I am an emotional eater. It's been happening more and more lately. I'm trying very hard, but the push to eat what I shouldnt keeps getting louder and louder again. I really thought I had this under control, but I do not.

    Anything I can do to help let me know, I'm hoping to wake up tomorrow and start this journey all over again.

    I've added you as a friend, you are welcome to email or whatever if and when you need, I will do the same.

    Here's to a new friend.

    God Bless,

    Diane
  • sophiessweets
    sophiessweets Posts: 61
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    Stick a personal motto on your fridge, something empowering. Then write down 10 things you could be doing besides binging (go for a bike ride, do homework, run errands, take a nap). When you feel the urge to binge, read your motto and list, take a few deep breaths, and put things into perspective. That's my best advice and I hope it helps you : )
  • nurseaim
    nurseaim Posts: 146
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    One of my MFP friends told me about Kelly Howell, is highly acclaimed for her pioneering work in healing and mind expansion. Here's a little explanation of what she's known for....(copied from her site)

    Positive thoughts produce positive results. The only problem is that some of our most persistent, self defeating beliefs are stored deep in the unconscious, where they have the power to undermine our happiness and sabotage our success. Now you can effortlessly change those negative beliefs to produce the results you want. Special combinations of brain wave frequencies are harmonically layered in soothing music to trigger heightened states of receptivity. Here the unconscious is primed to receive and act on a new set of ideas.

    Subliminal messages are deeply absorbed by the unconscious to immediately impact your sense of self,
    your creativity and the dynamic expression of your power in the world.

    Instructions for Listening:
    Listen to this program every day for six weeks. Be on the look-out for coincidences and acknowledge
    even the smallest synchronicities as they occur. Once your subconscious has fully absorbed and
    integrated the subliminal messages, reality conforms to what your subconscious mind believes. The results
    are profound.

    My favorite is "Slim Naturally". I think you'll find it as helpful as I did. From One emotional eater to another, please let me know what you think.

    Take care!:flowerforyou:
  • Jenscan
    Jenscan Posts: 694 Member
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    Have you sought professional help? Please do so, if you haven't - you're dealing with a lot of stuff that needs to be addressed. You need to take care of yourself and explore the roots of what's going on with someone who is equipped to provide that assistance.

    I wish you the best.
  • skinnylaura88
    skinnylaura88 Posts: 19
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    DM!
  • BananaBee3
    BananaBee3 Posts: 224
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    I eat my emotions as well...ALL of them! When I'm bored, frustrated, stressed, happy, anxious, etc...

    I find that there is always something underneath the binge...something WAY deeper than just "oh, I want to eat."

    I began seeing a psychologist about 1 1/2 years ago and found that my eating habits changed a lot...for the better! I ate less frequently (but still often enough), ate healthier foods, and my cravings for the junk went down.

    Through daily journaling and talking about what's on my mind, no matter how small it seems, I discovered that my eating habits were connected to how I dealt with my emotions and my own relationship with myself. I eat to avoid feeling and dealing with my emotions, even if it's just boredom or even happiness.

    I'm not saying you need to see a psychologist, but I am suggesting that there may be a deeper reason behind the binge and that reaching out to people to talk about anything on your mind can help. You might find something that was bothering you but never knew it, or you might find the "why" to a question you've had for a while. Or start journaling every day...expressing your emotions through words is a lot healthier than expressing them through food!

    Hope this helps :smile:
  • Samerah12
    Samerah12 Posts: 610 Member
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    I don't know how tall you are but it looks like you're very thin already, maybe the binging is your body trying to get some needed calories and the emotional part is secondary?
  • Zen_Master_B
    Zen_Master_B Posts: 78
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    I am certainly no psychologist but I would say you should identify the things you're getting emotional about during your binges. Trying installing a response to the stress, like telling yourself "I'm mad and not thinking straight, I will take a short walk and assess my emotions". I just recently realized I had a tendency to be in denial about something and eat instead of thinking about it, I caught myself though. I began telling myself if I am mad at so and so or my paper is late to school or whatever how is this food going to fix that.
  • kcavities
    kcavities Posts: 18
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    thank you, everyone. i am amazed and pleasantly surprised at how quickly you all have responded. jenscan, i know (or think) i need professional help--i go between binging and restricting in a constant cycle--but i'm afraid i don't warrant it yet :( if that makes any sense. i just feel so defeated and low.

    all of your suggestions are inspiring and so helpful. thanks again!! <3
  • melbaby925
    melbaby925 Posts: 613
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    I've spent years and years dealing with this issue. I have *finally* been able to curb my old habits by:

    -- Giving in and getting help. I started counseling earlier this year and feel a lot better about being an emotional eater. Not everyone needs this, but it sure helped for me. I realized that I was punishing myself for past crap that I wasn't letting go of, and I have stopped obsessing and the eating has eased up as a result.

    -- Stopped pressuring myself with "CAN'T": as in, I can't have that brownie, I can't do this exercise. Instead, I'm having half the brownie and lots of water to satisfy the food demon that lives in my head. I've also done my best to remove the word 'can't' from my vocabulary.

    -- Started doing what's called Mindful Meditation. That's where you breathe through the emotion. When work stresses me out and I start walking around in circles looking for chips, I have learned to stop and do some breathing. Feel the emotion, and figure how to to let it go. Acknowledge that it was there and calm down and start over.

    Maybe one or more of those things will help you with the binge problem!
  • Jenscan
    Jenscan Posts: 694 Member
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    What do you mean, you don't warrant it? :( Of course you do. Don't punish yourself anymore. Reach out and get help. You can do it, and we are here to provide support and encouragement.

    You do not deserve to feel this way and you can change it.
  • kcavities
    kcavities Posts: 18
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    I don't know how tall you are but it looks like you're very thin already, maybe the binging is your body trying to get some needed calories and the emotional part is secondary?

    i'm 5'7". and yeah, i was afraid of that response. i know that i should eat a consistent and normal amount (like 1300 daily) but instead i go one week 600 cals, the next week 1500-3000. i can't/won't change on my own and professional guidance is not an option with the state of my family's finances. i'm pretending i'm alright every second of the day; that's probably what's taking the biggest toll on my wellbeing. i just feel like it's okay, everything will be better as soon as i get to my next weight goal...
  • Jenscan
    Jenscan Posts: 694 Member
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    It won't be ok when you get to your next goal. Was everything ok when you got to your last one? You're kind of in denial right now, but you do recognize that you won't change on your own.

    If your family can't swing the help, there are programs that work on reduced/sliding scales based on income. There IS help out there. You deserve to be happy and healthy, and right now you are neither.

    I don't meant to sound like I'm being hard on you, really. I genuinely care. Please, consider that you are intentionally harming yourself and that whatever the cause for it, you CAN overcome it.
  • sararb319
    sararb319 Posts: 10
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    Wow! I have been a binge eater for so many years and I struggle everyday. I think it depends on how serious the issues are that send you into a binge. I have lost lots of weight several times in the past, but never dealt with my emotions involving food and would always return to my old habits. I know what initially lead to my over-eating/binging, but I have formed such a habit and it is hard to break. If you can recognize what triggers a binge, that would be helpful. Come up with a plan for something you can do to distract yourself when you feel the urge to binge and try to stay busy. You may even want to seek counseling so you can work on the inside while working on the outside. Good luck to you!
  • NatalieWinning
    NatalieWinning Posts: 999 Member
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    It won't be ok when you get to your next goal. Was everything ok when you got to your last one? You're kind of in denial right now, but you do recognize that you won't change on your own.

    If your family can't swing the help, there are programs that work on reduced/sliding scales based on income. There IS help out there. You deserve to be happy and healthy, and right now you are neither.

    I don't meant to sound like I'm being hard on you, really. I genuinely care. Please, consider that you are intentionally harming yourself and that whatever the cause for it, you CAN overcome it.
    She's right. It's balogna that you will be all right as soon as you can get yourself together. Obviously you aren't together and help is what you need. Go get some. Because your life is being wasted and that's just not an option. It's not good enough to put yourself in a confining box like that until you feel like you have the power to get out. You need some help on this one, and you need it now.
  • sara_m83
    sara_m83 Posts: 545 Member
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    I don't know how tall you are but it looks like you're very thin already, maybe the binging is your body trying to get some needed calories and the emotional part is secondary?

    i'm 5'7". and yeah, i was afraid of that response. i know that i should eat a consistent and normal amount (like 1300 daily) but instead i go one week 600 cals, the next week 1500-3000. i can't/won't change on my own and professional guidance is not an option with the state of my family's finances. i'm pretending i'm alright every second of the day; that's probably what's taking the biggest toll on my wellbeing. i just feel like it's okay, everything will be better as soon as i get to my next weight goal...

    I just read today of a study that was done that found a strong correlation between strict calorie restrictions and binge eating. You are binging in part because when you so severely restrict your calories, you develop a psychological obsession with food (or most people in the study did, anyway). People do much better when they don't a) punish themselves or b) tell themselves they can't have something and when they do eat enough calories!!

    I am now seconding the advice of many given above - you should talk to someone about why it is you emotionally eat and what has driven you to restrict your diet so severely. Studies again and again show that people may have short-term success with such restrictive diets, but it can't last forever and you are setting yourself for binging and weight gain in the future.

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