Binge eating is the issue.

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Ash1983ley
Ash1983ley Posts: 19 Member
in Introduce Yourself
Hello. I just binged on girl scout cookies. Then some potato chips. It's really irritating. I binge out on candy, icecream, and garbage like 3-5 days a week. Honestly it's replacing alcohol for me. At first it was like, ok, good deal it's healthier to eat candy and junk than it is to drink....but now I'm just out of control. I cannot walk around having shame and guilt over food. I've done that enough with the other. How do you control binge eating? I can't control it as its happening. I mindlessly eat a roll of cookies and then chips, and wish there was icecream. Wait, should I go get icecream? I'm working out 3-5 days a week just to maintain my weight. I'm certainly not losing it. I want to break free from this addiction to food. It's not relieving stress when I eat my stress, it's causing more stress but I feel powerless once the binge starts. I find it very interesting that so many people also struggle with this. I've always struggled with m y weight due to binge eating, even when I was a little girl. I'm about 25 lbs overweight right now, but I've been 75 lbs overweight in the past. I'll never get this 25 off binge eating this way.
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Replies

  • zoeysasha37
    zoeysasha37 Posts: 7,088 Member
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    For me, it was important to tackle the reasons that lead you to drink or over eat . It seems as though you replaced drinking with food but never got to the underlying issue. What caused you to want to drink / over eat ( im not expecting you to answer this on here , I'm just giving you examples)
    Once you can get to the root of the problem, it will be much easier to let go of the drinking/over eating. Seeing a therapist may be a good idea. The therapist can help you get to the underlying problem and then help you come up with a plan of action.
    Often this can be a long hard process that takes a lot of work. I will tell you that its worth it. When you free yourself of the emotional baggage , you will be able to move forward with your life.
  • rebeccathomas1017
    rebeccathomas1017 Posts: 1 Member
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    I have had some of the same issues. One way I deal with it is to only have healthy options at my home. If it's not there you can't eat it. And you will find the more time between binge eating and the more you are able to refrain the easier it becomes. It's all about breaking that habit. I have set backs too but nothing like it used to be. Your taste will change and you won't need cookies and ice cream. All of a sudden a rice cake will really hit the spot. Best of luck!
  • Ash1983ley
    Ash1983ley Posts: 19 Member
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    thorsmom01 wrote: »
    For me, it was important to tackle the reasons that lead you to drink or over eat . It seems as though you replaced drinking with food but never got to the underlying issue. What caused you to want to drink / over eat ( im not expecting you to answer this on here , I'm just giving you examples)
    Once you can get to the root of the problem, it will be much easier to let go of the drinking/over eating. Seeing a therapist may be a good idea. The therapist can help you get to the underlying problem and then help you come up with a plan of action.
    Often this can be a long hard process that takes a lot of work. I will tell you that its worth it. When you free yourself of the emotional baggage , you will be able to move forward with your life.

    Thank you for the response. I'm actually in outpatient for drinking but it's funny because they always have a ridiculous amount of goodies in the center of the group table. :blush: I think I turn to food as a stress relief or comfort. I just need to figure out how to relieve stress otherwise and comfort myself differently. I need a hobby and a blankie and a less stressful job! Food has been cheaper than additional therapy but at what cost....is where I'm at with it. Thanks again.
  • zoeysasha37
    zoeysasha37 Posts: 7,088 Member
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    rebeccathomas1017 wrote: »
    I have had some of the same issues. One way I deal with it is to only have healthy options at my home. If it's not there you can't eat it. And you will find the more time between binge eating and the more you are able to refrain the easier it becomes. It's all about breaking that habit. I have set backs too but nothing like it used to be. Your taste will change and you won't need cookies and ice cream. All of a sudden a rice cake will really hit the spot. Best of luck!

    While this is a fine idea and may work for some , it usually goes way deeper then that. Most would just drive to the store when they got the urge to drink -binge and get the items .
    So why not deal with the underlying issue so the person can be in any situation and still be able to control themselves .
  • Ash1983ley
    Ash1983ley Posts: 19 Member
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    rebeccathomas1017 wrote: »
    I have had some of the same issues. One way I deal with it is to only have healthy options at my home. If it's not there you can't eat it. And you will find the more time between binge eating and the more you are able to refrain the easier it becomes. It's all about breaking that habit. I have set backs too but nothing like it used to be. Your taste will change and you won't need cookies and ice cream. All of a sudden a rice cake will really hit the spot. Best of luck!

    That's a great idea I should clean out the kitchen again. I used to stay on top of it but lately I've just been carefree and candy happy.
  • positivepowers
    positivepowers Posts: 902 Member
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    For me, stress, boredom and depression are triggers. Learning to recognize the triggers was the first step for me. Making any food off limits or "bad" will trigger a binge for me, because once I tell myself I can't have it, that's the only thing I want and the only thing that will satisfy the emptiness. Instead of telling myself I can or can't have something, I force myself to earn it.

    Sunday afternoon all I wanted was a Taco Bell bean burrito. I became obsessed. I hit the gym to earn the 370 calories the burrito would cost me, earned back 522 cals. instead and had my guilt-free burrito. Because nothing is forbidden, I have no desire to "cheat." I had just the one burrito instead of the four course meal (followed by everything in the fridge when I got home) I used to have. That works for me.

    BED is painful and confusing. I hope you find what works for you.
  • Aine8046
    Aine8046 Posts: 2,122 Member
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    Ash1983ley wrote: »
    Hello. I just binged on girl scout cookies. Then some potato chips. It's really irritating. I binge out on candy, icecream, and garbage like 3-5 days a week. Honestly it's replacing alcohol for me. At first it was like, ok, good deal it's healthier to eat candy and junk than it is to drink....but now I'm just out of control. I cannot walk around having shame and guilt over food. I've done that enough with the other. How do you control binge eating? I can't control it as its happening. I mindlessly eat a roll of cookies and then chips, and wish there was icecream. Wait, should I go get icecream? I'm working out 3-5 days a week just to maintain my weight. I'm certainly not losing it. I want to break free from this addiction to food. It's not relieving stress when I eat my stress, it's causing more stress but I feel powerless once the binge starts. I find it very interesting that so many people also struggle with this. I've always struggled with m y weight due to binge eating, even when I was a little girl. I'm about 25 lbs overweight right now, but I've been 75 lbs overweight in the past. I'll never get this 25 off binge eating this way.

    Maybe you should go back to drinking? :)
    I drink a glass or two of wine now and then, sometimes instead of dinner.
  • Ash1983ley
    Ash1983ley Posts: 19 Member
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    Ha ha no drinking thanks. Glass or two of wine? That's HILARIOUS. :D
  • serpentinetales
    serpentinetales Posts: 5 Member
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    I literally cannot stop eating sugar if it is there. I think it may be how some people's bodies process sugar. If I get off of it, I'm fine. But I can never stop at just one cookie. Seriously ate an entire box of girl scout cookies in one day.
  • Courtney_TN
    Courtney_TN Posts: 2 Member
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    Sometimes if we wait to figure out the "why" of our behaviors it is too late, therapy is wonderful but it may take months or years to discover the underlying reasons why you binge eat/drink. Right now, if you focus on making consecutive positive decisions, such as choosing to go for a walk as opposed to eating the junk food, you will find that you'll make progress that is tangible and those small decisions will lead to long-term change.
  • Ash1983ley
    Ash1983ley Posts: 19 Member
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    serpentinetales wrote: »
    I literally cannot stop eating sugar if it is there. I think it may be how some people's bodies process sugar. If I get off of it, I'm fine. But I can never stop at just one cookie. Seriously ate an entire box of girl scout cookies in one day.

    Yeah, me too, just last Sunday!! So I walk into the gym last night and guess what, girl scouts had a table selling cookies. AT 24 HOUR FITNESS. I was like, what is happening here?
  • twittersbitters
    twittersbitters Posts: 35 Member
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    I went to something called 'Hungry Heart', it was a catalyst to working on a lot of internal conflict. I am by no means perfect at this point, but it helped.
  • Ash1983ley
    Ash1983ley Posts: 19 Member
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    twittersbitters wrote: »
    I went to something called 'Hungry Heart', it was a catalyst to working on a lot of internal conflict. I am by no means perfect at this point, but it helped.

    Thank you. I will look that up.
  • AnirbanMookherjee
    AnirbanMookherjee Posts: 46 Member
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    It important to kill yourself in the gym. When you absolutely assault yourself in the gym to get in awesome shape, it's impossible to binge.
  • Lovee_Dove7
    Lovee_Dove7 Posts: 742 Member
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    I was amazed at what happened when I did an elimination diet for a period of time. I ate protein, healthy fats, fiber, low carbs, and lots of veggies. In only a few days I was able to stay on a deficit without feeling hungry. After 2 weeks time, I didn't crave anything. I didn't want to go off my diet, I felt perfectly content. This had never happened before, i always blew my diet, and continually struggled with cravings. I ate this way and dropped off 30lbs in a linear fashion in 3 months. I feel that for me the urge to eat too much/binge on something counterproductive, was hormonal. So the diet I chose normalized my appetite/hormones/metabolism.
  • Ash1983ley
    Ash1983ley Posts: 19 Member
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    AnirbanMookherjee wrote: »
    It important to kill yourself in the gym. When you absolutely assault yourself in the gym to get in awesome shape, it's impossible to binge.

    6am sharp. :dizzy:
  • fitchick256
    fitchick256 Posts: 12 Member
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    Ash1983ley wrote: »
    Ha ha no drinking thanks. Glass or two of wine? That's HILARIOUS. :D

    I am a recovering alcoholic as well and totally relate to your feeling that sugar is like booze and binging is binging. I have almost 6 years in recovery from alcohol and ate sugar like crazy my first year in sobriety. It helped me to deal with the life adjustments I needed to make and I'm honestly not sure I could have stayed sober without my treats. That said, over the past 2 years (since I quit smoking) I find myself returning to binge behavior I thought I left behind in college. The urge to binge comes on when I'm stressed, lonely, or over-wrought and it brings with it a lot of shameful thoughts and feelings. I am in the process of working to deal with it in the same way I got sober: one day at a time and with patience.

    If you are early in your sobriety, you could do double duty and hit both addictions at once. If your plate is full already with recovery from alcohol, I would recommend you give yourself some time and hit the sugar once you're ready.

    Feel free to reach out - it's great to hear from you.
  • AlanahBeez
    AlanahBeez Posts: 60 Member
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    You and I are in the same boat girl....no self control.
  • frankiesgirlie
    frankiesgirlie Posts: 668 Member
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    Aine8046 wrote: »
    Ash1983ley wrote: »
    Hello. I just binged on girl scout cookies. Then some potato chips. It's really irritating. I binge out on candy, icecream, and garbage like 3-5 days a week. Honestly it's replacing alcohol for me. At first it was like, ok, good deal it's healthier to eat candy and junk than it is to drink....but now I'm just out of control. I cannot walk around having shame and guilt over food. I've done that enough with the other. How do you control binge eating? I can't control it as its happening. I mindlessly eat a roll of cookies and then chips, and wish there was icecream. Wait, should I go get icecream? I'm working out 3-5 days a week just to maintain my weight. I'm certainly not losing it. I want to break free from this addiction to food. It's not relieving stress when I eat my stress, it's causing more stress but I feel powerless once the binge starts. I find it very interesting that so many people also struggle with this. I've always struggled with m y weight due to binge eating, even when I was a little girl. I'm about 25 lbs overweight right now, but I've been 75 lbs overweight in the past. I'll never get this 25 off binge eating this way.

    Maybe you should go back to drinking? :)
    I drink a glass or two of wine now and then, sometimes instead of dinner.

    Maybe you should go back to drinking??? What an irresponsible thing to say.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
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    frankiesgirlie wrote: »
    Aine8046 wrote: »
    Ash1983ley wrote: »
    Hello. I just binged on girl scout cookies. Then some potato chips. It's really irritating. I binge out on candy, icecream, and garbage like 3-5 days a week. Honestly it's replacing alcohol for me. At first it was like, ok, good deal it's healthier to eat candy and junk than it is to drink....but now I'm just out of control. I cannot walk around having shame and guilt over food. I've done that enough with the other. How do you control binge eating? I can't control it as its happening. I mindlessly eat a roll of cookies and then chips, and wish there was icecream. Wait, should I go get icecream? I'm working out 3-5 days a week just to maintain my weight. I'm certainly not losing it. I want to break free from this addiction to food. It's not relieving stress when I eat my stress, it's causing more stress but I feel powerless once the binge starts. I find it very interesting that so many people also struggle with this. I've always struggled with m y weight due to binge eating, even when I was a little girl. I'm about 25 lbs overweight right now, but I've been 75 lbs overweight in the past. I'll never get this 25 off binge eating this way.

    Maybe you should go back to drinking? :)
    I drink a glass or two of wine now and then, sometimes instead of dinner.

    Maybe you should go back to drinking??? What an irresponsible thing to say.

    And suggesting drinking instead of dinner, no less. LORD.

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