Binge Eating. How do you get past the past?
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I don't know if I have BED.. But I used to Overeat.. I still do sometimes.
& when I wish to overeat or wish to eat Junk food I do following-
1) See where this urge for Binge is coming from! & most of the times its "Emotional Eating" so try to get hold of that & distract yourself from that particular emotion (it could be Anger/ Heart break/ loneliness etc.)
Next 2) I Try to control myself by reasoning the food choices I'm about to make. Most of the times it works.
If not then 3) I Go & stand in front of mirror.. Look at my whole exterior & stare myself in the eyes. This look is enough for me to back down !
(Psychological fact - we all can look in d eyes of other and lie/cheat... But we can't cheat ourselves ! We can't stare in own eyes if we are lying )
& if U Still want to Binge..
4) Talk to / Call ur best buddy & tell him/her what u r going through & ask for help & motivation.
For this U should have the Support system of friends & family members - who r well aware of ur situation & are willing to help U pass ur difficult times
I Hope U will follow this simple 4 steps & Overcome the Tough times
All d Very Best Luck to U.4 -
Just know you are not alone, I struggle with it too. I've gained 10 pounds in the last month (10)!!! At September I weighed 218, by Oct 18th I weighed 200. On Oct 18th my aunt passed away, I was very close to her and this hurt badly, I turned to food for my comfort. My husband didn't know how to comfort me. He lost his dad almost a year ago and he didn't express his pain like I did mine, he didn't turn to food. I know it hurts him to know his dad is gone but I don't know how he personally deals with that loss. For instance with my eating, I decided to make Pumpkin Pie for Thanksgiving, I ate the whole dang pie!! I would sit here at night and eat bags of blow pops! Who does this?? Me, I do this. I am starting on Day 3. I've made it through the last two days, I know I can do this. I know you can too.2
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I also have BED and I can relate to so much of what you have said. I plan being alone just so I can binge.
Anyway, I've had some success with a book called Brain over Binge by Kathryn Hansen. It's a really interesting read, and has a bit of a different slant on the why of binge eating. I hope you find the help you need.3 -
I just want to thank each of you for your outpouring of support! It really warms me when I see so many people willing to give advice or to tell me that they too struggle with this. You all have been so kind and wonderful, so thank you! I started reading a book called Never Binge Again by Glenn Livingston. It has very mixed reviews, and I can see why because the author is pretty sarcastic and ruthlessly straightforward, but I think that's why I'm enjoying it.. It's already given me some insight. I woke up late for work this morning, and as I was running around trying to get stuff ready and look somewhat presentable, I kept taking handfuls of m&ms that were sitting on the table. I think this is the first time I realized I was binging purely from stress! So that was an eye-opener. Thank you again, everyone!4
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I also have had issues with binge eating and the forever cycle of eating everything in sight, because tomorrow I am going to be better, and then tomorrow comes and I decide that the NEXT day is going to be my start, etc, etc. One thing that helped me was to keep telling myself that whatever food will always be available - this is NOT the last time I am going to be able to eat it. And taking it one meal at a time. If I can eat well this meal, maybe I can do it the next, etc. Not saying to myself, you have to eat perfect now for the rest of your life, which just led to more binge eating.
I have lost 40 lbs since June and while I still have binge eating thoughts (and still indulge in them once in awhile) I can say that for the most part I feel like I have it figured out. It helps that once you get started and you see results you want to continue seeing those results. Good luck to you! It is definitely not an easy thing to overcome!4 -
Hi, Same story here. At about 15 years old with maybe 15 pounds to lose, I went to WW with my Mom. That started me on diets and the all or nothing yo-yoing for over 45 years! Imagine that, over 45 years every single day I have thought about diets and either dieting or binging, never "normal" eating. Sometimes when I am dieting, I wonder how is it I can stay on it. Then when I go off (and that can last for months which is what I am into now - thought Jan. 1 was going to be the day but well, you know the drill), I try to figure out why. Did I make to many exceptions in the restaurants, maybe breaking my "rules". I recently had one session with a dietician who deals with eating disorders (hard to find). But I guess I wasn't willing to start yet. Old habits sooooo very hard to break. I have a number for a therapist that I believe deals with BED. I need to make the phone call. Went to an OA meeting recently (I go about every year and a half and then don't go again). Met a woman who said she would be my sponsor and she really seems to know what she is talking about. But I haven't gone back. You know, I am almost 60 and my Mom is in her late 80's and she still talks about getting under that number on the scale and talks about eating too much or she will say "well I am in my late 80's. I should be able to eat what I like". I can't believe all my life I have wasted being so consumed with my weight and wanting to start my life only until I lost the weight. So much wasted years. Really sad, But I never felt bad because I truly believe that there is this pull inside of me that I can't control, wanting and needing those tasty carbs. Hugs to us all who struggle and hope 2017 we will get a better handle on our weight issues.
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Sgt_Pepper33 wrote: »I'm fairly certain I have binge eating disorder, or at least I have some very unhealthy symptoms that point to psychological problems and eating combined. I eat in secret. When I know I am going to be alone, I plan on eating
a LOT of food that I normally feel like I am unable to eat in the presence of others. I understand the reasons I do this. I see how I was treated as a child about my own weight by peers and especially my mom. I have worked on this and other issues due to depression and anxiety with counselors. I've been in counseling for 11 or 12 years now. However, I still cannot figure out how to control this, or how to change my own views towards health. I know part of the issue is that for certain health reasons, I have been living with my parents for the past year. My mom is my best friend, but the food thing is a constant struggle between us. I guess I'm just looking for advice from others who have this disorder or who have some kind of issues due to eating and their childhood. If working with a counselor hasn't helped yet...What can? Any advice or success story or encouragement is greatly appreciated! Also, please excuse the length of this post; I majored in writing and can be a little long-winded I have been told.
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I recommend checking out overeaters anonymous meetings in your area. Get some phone numbers there and call them when you feel the urge to binge. I also think seeing a nutritionist can help you find a meal and diet plan according to your own health and body type, dietary needs. A therapist too is great for the emotional aspect. But my main emphasis that I don't think was mentioned enough on this forum is Overeaters Anonymous.0
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Not to assign blame, but my parents were both very weight conscious and very thin, while I was a chubby kid. They were relentless about me dieting, restricting foods even diet pills. Guess what? When I was at school I would eat packets of sugar, trade my sandwiches for twinkles and sneak in large bags of candy to eat at home. I'm now 50 and my mom still comments on my weight (too heavy, too thin, gonna lose my boobs, etc).
I didn't realize until very recently how deeply this affected me. I still sneak candy once in a while (not just take it from the work candy jar, but actually sneak it. I sometimes eat copious amounts of food when my husband is out of town. But at least now I realize what's going on and why. The next step is figuring out how to put binge eating in my past.
I plan to buy and read both books mentioned in this thread.5 -
@nowine4me Being honest is such a great step in the right direction and I applaud you for that. I tend to want to binge when I'm alone too so sometimes
Reaching out and making phone calls or getting out of the house for random errands or just to get away from the kitchen can help me. I definitely struggle when binge foods are in the house that other people like to eat. For me, I end up mentally obsessing about it, picking at it, then tearing into it and hating myself after. I was taught a long time ago that compulsive overeating affects us spiritually, mentally, and physically, and that often one of these is out of balance when the behavior strikes. I try to write what I am feeling before or after a binge and what I was feeling during. Logging your food in MFP also keeps you honest. I know for me I grew up believing food meant love and that if I refuse what someone else cooks for me, I am hurting them.2 -
For me, the structure of logging/weighing/MFP everything (being accountable) is what worked for me before, so I have faith that it will once again work for me (even though I'm back bc I stopped doing it!). I didn't binge EVER when I lost 65 lbs a few yrs ago... I stopped logging/weighing when my personal life drastically changed. It's my one regret.1
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I struggled too and honestly, the only thing that helped me was switching to LCHF. I cut sugar for like 30 days by force (trust me its really freaking hard and I barely left the house) and still to this day if I slip up, I go right back into bingeing.
That's just been my experience.1 -
I used to self-medicate with booze, food, and other substances and behaviors. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy helped change these thought patterns. A regular exercise program is quite helpful as well, as is eating more protein and less carbs.
This book on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for overeating was available in my library system, so perhaps yours as well.
The Beck Diet Solution: Train Your Brain to Think Like a Thin Person
Can thinking and eating like a thin person be learned, similar to learning to drive or use a computer? Beck (Cognitive Therapy for Challenging Problems) contends so, based on decades of work with patients who have lost pounds and maintained weight through Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). Beck's six-week program adapts CBT, a therapeutic system developed by Beck's father, Aaron, in the 1960s, to specific challenges faced by yo-yo dieters, including negative thinking, bargaining, emotional eating, bingeing, and eating out. Beck counsels readers day-by-day, introducing new elements (creating advantage response cards, choosing a diet, enlisting a diet coach, making a weight-loss graph) progressively and offering tools to help readers stay focused (writing exercises, to-do lists, ways to counter negative thoughts). There are no eating plans, calorie counts, recipes or exercises; according to Beck, any healthy diet will work if readers learn to think differently about eating and food. Beck's book is like an extended therapy session with a diet coach. (Apr.)
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I also second The Beck Diet Solution: Train Your Brain to Think Like a Thin Person. It is a very good book and works well when applied.
I just recently started acknowledging that I have some disordered eating too and I am seeing a therapist and using the above book to work through the process of how to start having a healthy relationship with food.1 -
I find that restriction- or the idea of future restriction- of any sort, will lead me to binge. The thought of restricting food groups, types of food, not just calories. Bingeing tends to be the other side of the coin.
Brain over binge is a very interesting book.
Hugs and high fives!1 -
Sgt_Pepper33 wrote: »Thank you so much for all your feedback, everyone. I do really appreciate it. It's nice to know that there are people who have struggled with this but have also overcome it. After reading through these, I seriously am considering looking into a therapist that deals exclusively with disorders such as this. I live in a small town/country area, so it may take some digging, but I feel like it's a good direction to look into. @acarpenter6 the beginning to your story sounds very similar to my own. I believe my first diet was at the age of 8, prompted on by my mom, and looking back at photos, I see that I did not have a big weight problem at that time. It saddens me a bit; I don't think childhood is a time for counting calories and stepping on a scale every single day. It became an obsession, and it just continued to progress with passing years.
Things from childhood can really screw us up. My mom was morbidly obese. She wound up going to an inpatient treatment facility for a few weeks. When she came home it was like she had had this revelation while in therapy as to why she ate so much. As a child there often wasn't enough food, so as an adult she must have always had this feeling that the abundance of food we had would somehow disappear, so she ate all she could...never seeing the link.... That being said, after all that....she did manage to slay her demons.
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Hi, everyone. I don't know if anyone will see this even, or how the notifications work for people that have commented on here. But, if you are reading this, I just wanted to share that today I did something that has needed done for many years. I sat down with my mom...and we just talked. We put aside the emotions and had a nonconfrontational talk. I told her the issues I've accrued surrounding my weight and my binge eating and how they involve her as well in some aspects. And she shared with me the reasons she has done some of the things that have always bothered me. Some things have been simple miscommunications; some have been out of worry; and some were just mistakes. But, I must say it felt like a very healing talk. I hope that this is the first step for me in finding peace with this and also in being able to defeat my disorder. Thanks for listening! I hope you are all doing well and finding the new year to be fresh and exciting.7
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@Sgt_Pepper33 thanks for posting this. Been feeling sort of down and definitely cheered up by you sharing what's going on in your life. Sometimes that can help so much.2
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