Binge eaters out there needing support

Another strategy that has been helpful is I have my goals and reasons for those goals in my phone and I look at them several times a day. I also try to visualize myself happy, healthy and binge free.

I'm glad you got the book. Let me know what you think of it. Im sorry you had a rough few days. I had a few last weekend. Im determined to make it through this weekend without a binge. I know the more I resist the urges the weaker they will get and I can break the bad binge habit. We can do this!

Interesting reading all of your responses....all that I can definitely relate to. I have been a pro at binging for a good 20 yrs now. I can binge for no real reason....mostly emotional. Bored. Tired. Anxious. Happy. Sad. My therapist of 8+ yrs gave me an assignment to do...one that I had to be fully aware - of what I was thinking and feeling. I had approximately 10-12 questions to answer, and it took me about 20 minutes to think and write it all down. It did stop my binge, but I felt all of that was too much work. It should be more simple than this, right? No, it's gonna take some serious work to end this. I can say that I over eat intentionally, like I deserve to feel miserable. I've battled really bad self-esteem and self-worth issues for most of my life ( I was adopted ). Add to that in-laws who make fun of big people, their weight, etc. Even when I was pregnant with a 10 lb baby. I have never tallied a binge, but I'm guessing it is in the 6,000-8,000 calorie range. I can eat tremendous amounts of food. All day long, like every hour. I've been in physical pain from it, my tummy is so tight from bloat and all the food, nauseated. Has caused me anxiety, heart burn. Nothing really stops me. I've even had acid reflux immediately and kept eating. I know in the moment, my most common thought is "I don't care". Again, it's all related to my self worth. I was on a generic of Wellbutrim for depression, and it did seem to give me that 'not really hungry' feeling. yes, I dropped a little weight, but wasn't taking it for that. Not on any meds now. I'm curious about the yoga helping though. I am guilty of keeping my trigger foods in the house. But I am one if I want it bad enough I will go out and buy it. I'm also the person who goes through a couple fast food drive ups and then stops at a convenience store for more food. And eats it all in 30 minutes or less.
Yeah, I'm a binger through and through. It's a real struggle.

Lilredcat wrote: »

Binge eater here. I cannot just open a box of crackers and eat one or two... it is like they (the crackers) call to me and suddenly there I am holding this empty box and my lips and fingers are stinging from the salt. Annndddd I want more. So I get a drink then go to the cupboard for phase 2. And so it goes. I hate it. I flip flop from eating nothing and only drinking tea all day to eating sensibly then chowing down like it is the end of the world at the end of the day. Three years ago I lost nearly 30 pounds and was at my goal weight. But then pizza here and summer bbq there plus binging at night and now I weigh more than ever. I am a comfort eater and carbs are like cuddly blankets that help me feel better. I am afraid of going in antidepressants because people gain weight on those ---- so no, I do not think any medications will help with this. Too bad I cannot just wrap myself in carbs instead of stuffing them into myself. My husband and oldest son are binge eaters too. I have to hide the Goldfish crackers from my 8 year old or else he will literally chow down on the whole bag. So even if one of us (me usually) is trying to stick to the diet or healthier eating the other brings out cookies to the couch at night and how oh how to ignore the cookies sitting right next to you.....

I am so much like this but only at night when I am lying in bed reading... If I open a box of crackers I can't just have a couple it's like half a box ... I think it comes from boredom for me maybe

ab6046 wrote: »

It was pretty good and her theories definitely make sense as far as habit reinforcing and whatnot go. But I guess I was looking for something more groundbreaking than just sitting through the urges. I've been trying to do that for years and years, and there are very few occasions that I am able to avoid a binge when the urges crop up. And if I am, then it likely comes back just a bit later. But maybe the issue is more about how I think about it. Instead of just thinking of it as waiting until the urge subsides, I will try to think about it like my brain versus the animal brain and see how that goes. It's just so easy to feel discouraged.

Yoga has help train me to not react to urges. So many times when I am on my yoga mat, I want to get up and do something else. But I stay, and continue my practice, and the urge passes.

I can now control random food urges as well, assuming I am not having cravings due to not having enough calories, protein, sleep, or exercise.

Yoga for Emotional Flow (How to Ride the Wave of) is a CD about using yoga for urges and emotions that seem unmanageable.

There aren't any actual yoga postures:

- CD 1 is about yoga philosophy and modern psychology. (The author is also a psychotherapist in addition to being an amazing yoga teacher and writer. I've taken several of his workshops and have two of his books.)

- CD 2 is comprised of three guided meditations which build on what was taught in CD 1.

Lilredcat wrote: »

Binge eater here. I cannot just open a box of crackers and eat one or two... it is like they (the crackers) call to me and suddenly there I am holding this empty box and my lips and fingers are stinging from the salt. Annndddd I want more. So I get a drink then go to the cupboard for phase 2. And so it goes. I hate it. I flip flop from eating nothing and only drinking tea all day to eating sensibly then chowing down like it is the end of the world at the end of the day. Three years ago I lost nearly 30 pounds and was at my goal weight. But then pizza here and summer bbq there plus binging at night and now I weigh more than ever. I am a comfort eater and carbs are like cuddly blankets that help me feel better. I am afraid of going in antidepressants because people gain weight on those ---- so no, I do not think any medications will help with this. Too bad I cannot just wrap myself in carbs instead of stuffing them into myself. My husband and oldest son are binge eaters too. I have to hide the Goldfish crackers from my 8 year old or else he will literally chow down on the whole bag. So even if one of us (me usually) is trying to stick to the diet or healthier eating the other brings out cookies to the couch at night and how oh how to ignore the cookies sitting right next to you.....

I can empathize. A co-worker of mine can open a tin of cookies or a candy bar, eat a couple of cookies or a couple of bites of the candy bar and ignore the rest. I almost go into seizures wanting to steal the rest and scarf it down!

BTW OP, I won't open my diary either. That will be the fastest way for me to cheat.

Wow! This post has been going for days, and I am so glad that I am not alone.

I find that when I drink diet soda, I tend to binge. Does anyone else find that diet soda is a trigger?

Just my two cents:

When someone has a drug or alcohol addiction it's suggested that they go into an impatient program in the beginning to take them away from their surroundings and bring them to a safe place that is free from drugs/alcohol/triggers. It is there that they start their journey, with therapists, meetings, support groups, and doctors. There they may detox, figure out if they need legitimate medication for underlying issue, learn coping mechanisms ect. It's hard and it sucks and it's painful but when they come out (if they are willing and open minded and ready) they can continue their life with outpatient, support groups and they have a foundation for recovery.

Why not the same for this disorder. It's an eating disorder, addiction. It's not different. It may not bring people to their knees as quickly as heroin but it affects so many people and makes their lives so difficult.

Maybe an answer for binge eating is an inpatient program, where all the food is monitored, therapy and support provided. To give one the best foundation for the rest of their lives. Even though one can function with this disorder a bit easier than a heroin addict, it's not a good way to live. And if it's been going on for years and is negatively affection ones life than it's worth finding treatment ya know?

Your not alone,my trigger food is chocolate,I know if I take one bite it's over.Me and chocolate have a really bad relationship

I think an outpatient program could work. However, those that go in for drugs, alcohol don't need that to survive. We need food to survive. I admit, I have a really bad relationship with food, but it goes way beyond that. It's psychological. There is a root to this problem. I never did this as a child or teenager. I truly know how to lose weight. It's not about that. It's about controlling food, and many days, weeks, months, years I am NOT functioning. I've eaten so much I am in a carb coma. My mind is foggy. I'm in physical pain. Monitoring food, logging does help. But to a certain point it feels like restricting. And that only lasts for a few days for me, and I am right back at binging. When I am in a full binge, I feel like 2 different people. I know what I want in my mind, but I have no control over it, at least that's how it feels. No one has ever witnessed me (family, friends, co-workers) in a binge. I'm sure it would be a horror for them. It's down right disgusting. I'm ashamed of it. I have told a couple people about my BED. They laughed at me. I felt even worse. It's a real, serious illness. There surely needs to be more awareness for it. I honestly think the only way for me to not have a binge episode is if I had 24 hr monitoring. That's how weak I feel around food. I'm obsessed about it. I think about it all day long.