Turning around really bad binging--anybody on Vyvanse or related? I really need something to help.
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charlenekapf
Posts: 309 Member
I have tried every diet, all types of meals/timing, intermittent fasting, exercising longer, shorter. I have major sleep issues and can't get my mind off food, eating, not eating ,etc. it's taking over my life and I really feel like I would be a good candidate for vyvnase. Any experiences on this or another drug similar?
I don't have a good "full" button...I've never been tested for add/adhd but wondering if this is part of the reason? I lost a lot of weight years ago but gained most of it back, BMI is around 28 now and I'm miserable. I exercise daily and it helps in the morning but I am in food hell daily trying to decide when to give in and eat, eat clean, cut carbs, try having carbs and low fat...nothing else has worked.
I am VERY bad with keeping portions small. eating frequently doesn't help, intermittent fasting makes me feel exhausted until I break it...and calories are still too high with it. then i just have total binge days.
The last thing I need to hear is having self control. I had excellent self control to lose 50+lbs years ago from size 16 to size 2....severe sleep issues developed from it...the binging began after years of dieting. Now I can't stay in a deficit and wakeup hourly if I manage to get through the day on less than 2000 calories.
I would like to hear from people who are dealing with this and finding solutions. I haven't had a period for years, even being overweight although i lost it when i was BMI 19. low progesterone/estrogen. not sure if this is even a factor with cravings/appetite control.
I feel like no amount of therapy will give me the will power with eating. If you have any experience with vyvnase or another drug please share.
I don't have a good "full" button...I've never been tested for add/adhd but wondering if this is part of the reason? I lost a lot of weight years ago but gained most of it back, BMI is around 28 now and I'm miserable. I exercise daily and it helps in the morning but I am in food hell daily trying to decide when to give in and eat, eat clean, cut carbs, try having carbs and low fat...nothing else has worked.
I am VERY bad with keeping portions small. eating frequently doesn't help, intermittent fasting makes me feel exhausted until I break it...and calories are still too high with it. then i just have total binge days.
The last thing I need to hear is having self control. I had excellent self control to lose 50+lbs years ago from size 16 to size 2....severe sleep issues developed from it...the binging began after years of dieting. Now I can't stay in a deficit and wakeup hourly if I manage to get through the day on less than 2000 calories.
I would like to hear from people who are dealing with this and finding solutions. I haven't had a period for years, even being overweight although i lost it when i was BMI 19. low progesterone/estrogen. not sure if this is even a factor with cravings/appetite control.
I feel like no amount of therapy will give me the will power with eating. If you have any experience with vyvnase or another drug please share.
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Do you think it might be addicted to sugar and white carbs? I purchased the book Lose Weight without Dieting or Working Out. It starts with a 21 day cleanse where you eat fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and other fats. After that you can add other foods back in gradually but the idea is to get toxins out of the body and get a break from bad carbs/sugar addiction. Taking chromium picolinate several times a day before meals helps curb carb cravings. You can get tested for ADHD too, but in the meantime, try this and you might find it works.6
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Maybe that will help. Even fruit makes me crave more sugar. and low carb i feel awful. i binge on nuts and nut butters. heavy animal fat makes me feel gross. but yes cutting white sugar is definitely realistic.1
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You will feel much better about everything when you get your hormones straightened out.
I hope that you can get to a doctor.7 -
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Yes, going to the doctor will help, especially if you have ADD. I have pretty severe ADD and spent years suspecting it without doing anything. When I finally got treatment for it I was amazed. One of the problems people with ADD have is task analysis, you can't look at something and figure out the steps to do it. Medication helps with that and so does remembering that you have to start somewhere (sometimes I literally have to stop and physically write out the steps for doing a task because I am so overwhelmed by the magnitude of it, then show it to my roommate for a reality check). I've found that figuring out a workable way of eating and getting fit requires some sustained attention, and I would be completely lost if I wasn't under treatment for ADD.
Also, it's totally worth going to the doctor and getting all of the blood tests on offer. You may have to push some. For about a year my doctor gave me the same old line about how I needed to lose weight and exercise more and here's a statin and here's a beta blocker and let's add another freaking pill and another one and another one. Finally I got sick of it and told her it could not possibly be normal for me to be so exhausted and in pain all the time, especially being on an antidepressant AND a stimulant for the ADD as well as all these other freaking pills that made me feel worse and worse. I told her I wanted to find out what was wrong and fix it, not just take more pills, damn it. She did a LOT of tests, and wow, I was seriously malnourished. That's when I had to start studying the nutrition aspects of things, taking the required supplements even though I hate taking pills, and once I was actually well nourished, my brain worked better and my pain got a lot better and I had actual energy.
The point of this story is if you think there's something wrong with your body, go to the doctor and get the tests. It's all very well to wonder if it's your hormones or a vitamin deficiency or some disease, but you can't know unless you get the tests done, and once you do, you know what to fix, and then things start to get better.
I totally feel for you. Everyone I knew was like, "Just take a walk every day!" and I could not get them to understand that I was in so much pain every step was torture! Once I found out was wrong, I did a lot of research on nutrition and thought about all the things I'd done that hadn't worked in the past, and that led me to the way I eat now, which is delicious and satisfying and gives me way more energy and way less pain.
I don't know if it will be like this for you, but as I got more into creating a sustainable way of eating, it became less about weight and more about being well nourished and getting stronger. Don't get me wrong, I still have a bunch to lose, but the more I tweak my way of eating and habits of activity, the easier the weight comes off. I thought it was impossible for a long time, but it can be done, and I'd suggest that step one is making an appointment with your doctor. Good luck!6 -
First of all, there is not one perfect way of eating to lose weight. As long as you are below your calories you will lose weight. Low carb, IF, frequent meals are just a few of the ways some people find make it easier for them to stay in a deficit. Others like 3 big meals instead of 6 small meals. Lots of protein, fiber, and moderate amount of healthy fat in each meals helps many people stay full longer. It sounds like you worry about losing weight the perfect way and if it doesn't work that day you give up and binge.
Maybe start with eating at maintenance. Just practice tracking your food without any issues of hunger. Then make a small cut, 300 calories or so. You may get hungry but it should not be severe. After a week cut a little more until you are in a reasonable deficit for how much weight you have to lose. You don't have to go to two pounds a week if that makes you not sleep. Losing one pound a week while being able to sleep is better than trying for two and binging.
And also realize that we all have off days where we eat more than our calories. Just brush it off and get back to tracking the next meal. No need to restrict yourself after or go on a binge, it is just part of life. Any diet won't work if you are consistently binging out of hunger or a feeling you messed up. But any diet that lessens calories will work if it is followed CONSISTENTLY.
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You've already gotten some great advice here. I have ADD too and find my impulsivity control to be lacking, which leads to binges. That, and I believe sugar and flour send me into a frenzy. I agree that you should go to the doctor for tests. Even if you have reasons why you don't think it will work, cut out flour and sugar for one month and see if you feel better. It is only a month and you might see good results. You can add food back in to your diet, right now you are just trying to get an idea of what feels right to you. Once you eliminate foods you can add some back in slowly and notice how your body and mind react.2
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Vynase and dexamphetamine aren't some magical weight loss drugs. From personal experience using them for non ADD related treatment, they have no effect on my appetite.3
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You must see your gyno and get your hormones and thyroid check out.
Iodine is essential for making thyroid hormone. If the foods you are eating contain none, make sure your daily multivitamin contains it (some don't).
http://www.thyroid.org/iodine-deficiency/1 -
Thanks everyone. i've had a lot of bloodwork done which just showed low estrogen and progesterone. it didn't reveal much else. i am already on armour thyroid for hypothyroidism. i guess ill go back to lower carbs with no wheat and sugar and see if that helps. i did it for years before. the more i restrict the less foods i have to choose from i suppose.1
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Also hoping to hear from others who have tried vyvnase for experiences. everyone is different i know. but if i have this problem and it is used for BED I am hoping it may help.0
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I have been healed from this. Here are the things that helped me the most:
1. The blog and book brainoverbinge.com . The technique they teach to stop a binge works great. I can't recommend the book enough, but there is tons of great info free on the site too. Nia shanks has great articles about stopping binging as well.
2. Also helpful was limiting sugar to no more than 5grams per meal. This way I never spiked my insulin enough to cause cravings, but I could still fit in things like a tablespoon of ketchup, coffee creamer, etc.
3. Similar to above, no refined grains. So basically only eat brown rice, whole wheat bread, beans etc. no white flour because it also turns to sugar faster and causes cravings for people who binge.
4. Most importantly, stop counting calories. I've never met a person who has binge eating disorder, who hasn't started it by chronic dieting. Until you stop dieting and allow your mind and body to trust that you aren't going to restrict, you will continue to fight the binge monster. I waited until I was binge free for 6 months before I started tracking again. And I didn't gain while I wasn't counting, because I wasn't binging! I was able to follow natural hunger and fullness cues again.
Good luck!1 -
thatdesertgirl777 wrote: »I have been healed from this. Here are the things that helped me the most:
1. The blog and book brainoverbinge.com . The technique they teach to stop a binge works great. I can't recommend the book enough, but there is tons of great info free on the site too. Nia shanks has great articles about stopping binging as well.
2. Also helpful was limiting sugar to no more than 5grams per meal. This way I never spiked my insulin enough to cause cravings, but I could still fit in things like a tablespoon of ketchup, coffee creamer, etc.
3. Similar to above, no refined grains. So basically only eat brown rice, whole wheat bread, beans etc. no white flour because it also turns to sugar faster and causes cravings for people who binge.
4. Most importantly, stop counting calories. I've never met a person who has binge eating disorder, who hasn't started it by chronic dieting. Until you stop dieting and allow your mind and body to trust that you aren't going to restrict, you will continue to fight the binge monster. I waited until I was binge free for 6 months before I started tracking again. And I didn't gain while I wasn't counting, because I wasn't binging! I was able to follow natural hunger and fullness cues again.
Good luck!
Thank you for this. when you say no more than 5 grams of sugar, that means no fruit? i understand if t hat is the case just curious.0 -
Here are some other suggestions:
-- Gradually wean yourself to have lower calories. Say you're eating 2600 now, do 2500 for the rest of the week. Then 2400 the week after. Then 2300. It won't be as abrupt so I think it'd be less likely you'd feel so hungry all the time.
-- Eat more fiber. This is one nutrient that is HIGHLY correlated with weight loss (as opposed to carbs, fat, etc).
-- Eat less high-fat foods because they are very calorie dense. You said you don't like to have small portions -- well eating foods with a lot of fat, you will have to have small portions. One tablespoon of olive oil is 120 calories! You could eat like 10 tomatoes for that amount. Use non-stick pans and some water for sauteeing, and use parchment paper or a silpat mat for baking. And oil is unnecessary in stuff like hummus if you're trying to lose weight, you can just use water and it's essentially the same taste, but you get to have an extra serving.
-- Emphasis on big volume meals -- so a ton of vegetables, legumes, and low-cal sauces (like balsamic, mustard, soy sauce) should be like 80% of what is on your plate. For starch, sweet potatoes, gluten-free pastas (not that gluten is bad, but these are made out of stuff that is higher in fiber and less processed than wheat pastas. Black bean pasta and buckwheat pasta I both found delicious, but rice pasta was hard for me to get a good texture). Asian noodles like soba, rice noodles, and udon I find very filling too.
-- Use hot sauce/spicy condiments. I am not that tolerant for spicy food, so I eat it a lot slower, and drink water in-between bites, so I end up actually stopping when I am full!!!!! Siracha and chillies are good.
-- Experiment with new foods and recipes, make food fun in that way. You won't want to scarf it down because you spent awhile making it, you'll savor it more. I recommend ohsheglows.com for ideas.
-- Make a plan for the following day the night before. Then you don't have to make choices during the day, you just have to follow a plan. Decide amounts and calorie limits the day before and judging on what food you have in the fridge/on the counter. I like putting it in a notebook in a check-list format (I guess I like the whole satisfying "done!" checkmark) but I know a lot of people pre-log on myfitnesspal.
Hope these tips help!!! I'm not sure if this will help you or hurt you, but these are my personal food guidelines. Don't read if you feel overwhelmed, ahaha! But do read if you want some guidance/suggestions on what to buy at the grocery store!
Foods that are completely off-limits for me: animal foods (meat/dairy/eggs), processed foods with palm oil
Foods I try to stay away from: packaged junk food like cookies/chips/ice creams, oils, white sugar
Foods I eat but am conscious about limiting (like try not to go overboard): avocado, nuts, seeds, nut butters, flour
Foods I try to eat daily: watery vegetables [tomatoes, zucchini, mushrooms, bell peppers], fruits [banana, mango, berries, peaches], legumes [black beans, chickpeas], grains (oats, noodles, rice, quinoa), spices, 3L of water
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Thanks for this. I don't know if I believe veganism is the answer. Nor is low carb, fad diets. But I agree about slowly trying to eat less. I feel like I can't eat throughout the day and have to fast to keep calories low.jeebieheebies wrote: »Here are some other suggestions:
-- Gradually wean yourself to have lower calories. Say you're eating 2600 now, do 2500 for the rest of the week. Then 2400 the week after. Then 2300. It won't be as abrupt so I think it'd be less likely you'd feel so hungry all the time.
-- Eat more fiber. This is one nutrient that is HIGHLY correlated with weight loss (as opposed to carbs, fat, etc).
-- Eat less high-fat foods because they are very calorie dense. You said you don't like to have small portions -- well eating foods with a lot of fat, you will have to have small portions. One tablespoon of olive oil is 120 calories! You could eat like 10 tomatoes for that amount. Use non-stick pans and some water for sauteeing, and use parchment paper or a silpat mat for baking. And oil is unnecessary in stuff like hummus if you're trying to lose weight, you can just use water and it's essentially the same taste, but you get to have an extra serving.
-- Emphasis on big volume meals -- so a ton of vegetables, legumes, and low-cal sauces (like balsamic, mustard, soy sauce) should be like 80% of what is on your plate. For starch, sweet potatoes, gluten-free pastas (not that gluten is bad, but these are made out of stuff that is higher in fiber and less processed than wheat pastas. Black bean pasta and buckwheat pasta I both found delicious, but rice pasta was hard for me to get a good texture). Asian noodles like soba, rice noodles, and udon I find very filling too.
-- Use hot sauce/spicy condiments. I am not that tolerant for spicy food, so I eat it a lot slower, and drink water in-between bites, so I end up actually stopping when I am full!!!!! Siracha and chillies are good.
-- Experiment with new foods and recipes, make food fun in that way. You won't want to scarf it down because you spent awhile making it, you'll savor it more. I recommend ohsheglows.com for ideas.
-- Make a plan for the following day the night before. Then you don't have to make choices during the day, you just have to follow a plan. Decide amounts and calorie limits the day before and judging on what food you have in the fridge/on the counter. I like putting it in a notebook in a check-list format (I guess I like the whole satisfying "done!" checkmark) but I know a lot of people pre-log on myfitnesspal.
Hope these tips help!!! I'm not sure if this will help you or hurt you, but these are my personal food guidelines. Don't read if you feel overwhelmed, ahaha! But do read if you want some guidance/suggestions on what to buy at the grocery store!
Foods that are completely off-limits for me: animal foods (meat/dairy/eggs), processed foods with palm oil
Foods I try to stay away from: packaged junk food like cookies/chips/ice creams, oils, white sugar
Foods I eat but am conscious about limiting (like try not to go overboard): avocado, nuts, seeds, nut butters, flour
Foods I try to eat daily: watery vegetables [tomatoes, zucchini, mushrooms, bell peppers], fruits [banana, mango, berries, peaches], legumes [black beans, chickpeas], grains (oats, noodles, rice, quinoa), spices, 3L of water0 -
Oh yeah, wasn't trying to promote veganism! Sorry if it came across that way!1
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No worries...any others with experiences with this? Thanks :-/1
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You have low estrogen and low thyroid. Have you had an MRI of your pituitary gland? Have you seen an endocrinologist?0
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I was diagnosed with BED a few months ago. It took me over a month to accept the diagnoses and ask for meds. It has been a LIFE-CHANGER. I'm not a stupid woman. I know right from wrong and BED has NOTHING to do with being hungry.
I have type II diabetes and when I was in the midst of a binge, I KNEW what I was doing, but I couldn't stop. At the time, I thought I WAS stupid and quite possibly had a death wish as I'd eat myself to blood sugars in the 600+ range. It wasn't until I switched doctors and the new one asked me very specific questions and diagnosed me. When she told me about BED and that she felt I had it, I cried. Like a baby, I cried.
I tried for a month to control it and I did . . . until I didn't. One day I lost the fight and ate till I was sick and then ate some more. It was a relief and a punishment at the same time. The constant chatter about food in my head was relentless. After that day, I asked for help and she put me on Vyvance.
I still get "the munchies", but no longer get lost in binging. The constant chatter in my head is gone. I don't think about what my next meal will be (this was CONSTANT). I get hungry and I eat.
Someone who doesn't have BED, can NOT understand it. But if you think you are a binge eater (NOT just someone who overeats -- there is a HUGE difference). Ask your doctor for help. ~~Terri3
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