(Eating Disorder Recovery) - Healthy Recipes to Curb Binging ?!

carcarxx94
carcarxx94 Posts: 38 Member
in Recipes
Hi, I am a 21 year old female that has finally reached a healthy BMI (18.5) after a long battle in recovery from anorexia nervosa where 2.5 years ago I was at a BMI of 10.5.
Though I have been relying on healthy food and 3 or 4 malnutrition supplement drinks ( fortisips - 300 cal, 12g protein, 17g sugar, 4.5g fiber in each 125ml ) to gain weight.
Now since Christmas I have allowed myself the 'forbidden' foods i.e 'unhealthy foods' and high calorie such as milk chocolates , sweets, cake, sugary cereal, sauces, jam, real butter, real peanut butter .. as well as not allowing myself to use my food scales very much.
Now it seems the doors have opened and now they are WIDE open where I am struggligg intensley with binging - and not just the unhealthy foods or sugary food - it can be anything ! On salad and toast and butter or cake and biscuits or pints upon pints of milk or tubs of greek yoghurt or tuba of quark with peanuts or chicken or a whole box of weetabix and milk etc...?! To the point where my breakfast is now nearly my intended calorie intake for my whole day... ( it reaches 1600 calories or more ... )
I was wondering if anyone had any trouble with binging ( This is so difficult for me as it seems to reinforce my anorexia's thoughtds that I am fat and cannot control myself with food ) ( also I am now healthy weight so my body should not be in desperate need for these calories anymore ...?!! ) .
If so , what are your ways of stopping yourself from a binge ...? And are there any foods or recipes you use that either curb your binge tendencies, are low calorie or low sugar ways to curb a sugar craving or low calorie filling meals ( that do not require an oven ) ...?
I have suffered with bulimia in the past but have stopped this due to negative consequences on the body due to purging - though the weight gain and uncomfort of the binging is mentally and physically exhasuting... :(
Any help would be so appreciated ...!

Replies

  • pebbleslaura1
    pebbleslaura1 Posts: 146 Member
    Nice to hear you have recovered i know how hard it is as im trying to recover myself! I do know afew people who have had this after they recovered i heard it is a common thing. Im not exactly sure what they did i think after awhile it sorted itself out its like the body fears its going to starve again but once it realise its not it settles down so sorry cant be much more help x
  • susyb1027
    susyb1027 Posts: 4 Member
    edited April 2016
    The thing that causes binging is too much sodium/sugar in your diet. Those are two extremes which need to be avoided because they can cause food addiction. You can use this app to set a daily sugar and sodium intake goal, which is really helpful. Try going just one week without eating anything that has added sugar in the ingredients. It might be hard, but afterwards, you won't be able to stand anything that is too sweet (I hate milk chocolate now). And stay away from restaurants because usually one of their meals has enough sodium for 4 days (yikes!). You can check their menu's nutrition facts online before going out.
    Some healthier options are grilled chicken or fish, roasted vegetables, carrots w/hummus, eggs in any form (I keep boiled eggs in the fridge for snack time emergencies), etc. Hope I helped :smile:
  • Kamikazeflutterby
    Kamikazeflutterby Posts: 770 Member
    edited April 2016
    Congratulations on your progress! Can you talk about this with a doctor or councilor?

    I'm hesitant to give anyone advice or trust any advice here for someone in your situation. Over focus on food content and more narrowly defining foods as "good" or "bad" all seem like a step in the wrong direction.
  • Pinkylee77
    Pinkylee77 Posts: 432 Member
    you may need to go talk to your therapist, too often binging is part of the eating disorder spectrum. But high protein foods may help and avoid excess sugar as they can be a trigger for you.
  • meaganseafit
    meaganseafit Posts: 19 Member
    I agree that this might be best addressed by a medical professional - but high protein foods could help. I love my sweets, so I make protein pancakes. One scoop of chocolate (or whatever flavour you like) protein, one serving of pancake mix, one egg, a bit of cashew milk (or whatever kind of milk, or water, etc.) until it's a pancake-y consistency, and I usually add one serving of chocolate chips! The protein fills you up, and one serving is generally enough - if you just eat the carbs without any of the protein you'll be able to eat like 4 times the amount as if you had the protein. Add some scrambled eggs or egg whites or something to the side and load up on veggies or fruit if you're still feel starving. I find distracting myself helps a bit too - like painting your nails or something - but that really depends on the person. I'd seek professional advice about this one if you can <3
  • pinggolfer96
    pinggolfer96 Posts: 2,248 Member
    edited April 2016
    susyb1027 wrote: »
    The thing that causes binging is too much sodium/sugar in your diet. Those are two extremes which need to be avoided because they can cause food addiction. You can use this app to set a daily sugar and sodium intake goal, which is really helpful. Try going just one week without eating anything that has added sugar in the ingredients. It might be hard, but afterwards, you won't be able to stand anything that is too sweet (I hate milk chocolate now). And stay away from restaurants because usually one of their meals has enough sodium for 4 days (yikes!). You can check their menu's nutrition facts online before going out.
    Some healthier options are grilled chicken or fish, roasted vegetables, carrots w/hummus, eggs in any form (I keep boiled eggs in the fridge for snack time emergencies), etc. Hope I helped :smile:

    Disagree about the sugar and sodium. I understand they can be addicting and craved when eating due to dopamine response, but it all comes down to YOUR mentality towards it. You have control over your body and actions. Sugar and sodium can't make you pick your hand up and open the cabinet to the cookies, only you can do that. Binging is difficult, but it comes down to you, not the food.

    But to try and help answer the question, just make sure you're incorporating nutrient dense foods into your diet and stay satiated. Don't go to an event or dinner starving cause then you disregard the fact of enjoying yourself and only focus on eating. don't aka yourself to be hungry and wait so you can have a big meal. If you're hungry, then just eat something that will satisfy you and is micro dense(:
  • susyb1027
    susyb1027 Posts: 4 Member
    pinggolfer96 wrote: »
    susyb1027 wrote: »
    The thing that causes binging is too much sodium/sugar in your diet. Those are two extremes which need to be avoided because they can cause food addiction. You can use this app to set a daily sugar and sodium intake goal, which is really helpful. Try going just one week without eating anything that has added sugar in the ingredients. It might be hard, but afterwards, you won't be able to stand anything that is too sweet (I hate milk chocolate now). And stay away from restaurants because usually one of their meals has enough sodium for 4 days (yikes!). You can check their menu's nutrition facts online before going out.
    Some healthier options are grilled chicken or fish, roasted vegetables, carrots w/hummus, eggs in any form (I keep boiled eggs in the fridge for snack time emergencies), etc. Hope I helped :smile:

    Disagree about the sugar and sodium. I understand they can be addicting and craved when eating due to dopamine response, but it all comes down to YOUR mentality towards it. You have control over your body and actions. Sugar and sodium can't make you pick your hand up and open the cabinet to the cookies, only you can do that. Binging is difficult, but it comes down to you, not the food.

    But to try and help answer the question, just make sure you're incorporating nutrient dense foods into your diet and stay satiated. Don't go to an event or dinner starving cause then you disregard the fact of enjoying yourself and only focus on eating. don't aka yourself to be hungry and wait so you can have a big meal. If you're hungry, then just eat something that will satisfy you and is micro dense(:

    Listen I'm speaking from experience ok...
    Sugar and sodium send messages to your brain, and your brain is responsible for all of your actions. Trying to stop those messages through sheer force of will is the absolute worst way to go about it. Sugar is a drug that has been shown over and over again to damage our health. A week or two of detox is required to stop the addiction.

    I knew that the birth control shot increased appetite, but I decided it wouldn't happen to me because of my iron will. Two days later, I was crying on the floor in front of my refrigerator because I couldn't stop eating. The brain is a powerful thing.
  • Kait_Dee
    Kait_Dee Posts: 176 Member
    Binge behaviour is actually not solely triggered by the lack or introduction of sodium/sugar - but rather it's a lack of serotonin, often caused by the hypothalamus in the brain. Serotonin levels are managed by appropriate amounts of tryptophan in the body, which is mainly introduced via high protein foods such as salmon, turkey, egg whites, protein supplementation etc.

    In circumstances of low tryptophan levels, we automatically want the high carbohydrate (sugar/starch) foods to satisfy us in the moment. Add that in with impulsive behaviour, stress, or lack of self control and you have a recipe for disaster with binge eating.

    @meaganseafit was spot on with the use of foods that are high in protein and lower in simple carbs and sugars to help curb those types of cravings/behaviour. You need to give yourself boundaries and stop the unhealthy behaviour as soon as you sense it starting - for example - timing your meals to avoid extreme hunger, portioning your food and then removing the ability to keep eating (put it away, do not go to the fridge/pantry when you're not intending on eating), preoccupying your hands and mind with other things between meals etc.

    Bulimic behaviours are incredibly frightening and very hard to stop once you start them, by planning your day/meal times and not giving yourself the permission to binge, you can be successful. As other respondents have mentioned, working together with a clinical expert to help you regain control and find the root cause of your regressive ED behaviours would definitely be within your best interest to stay at your healthy BMI and find the best mindset to cope with the challenges you have.

    How ever you decide to manage, I wish you the best of luck. Please feel free to reach out if you'd ever like to chat or become "friends" on here. I'm an avid MFP user and am always looking to connect with folks. Xo
  • shaybee377
    shaybee377 Posts: 42 Member
    I have had the same problem as you- anorexic-->binge eating disorder. I tend to have an "all or nothing" mentality that I am trying to fix. I unfortunately do not have a solution for you, but just know that you are not alone! :)

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