I call for an end to binge eating. Once and for all.

Hi,

This is all new for me. I have never shared with anyone before but I guess you could say I reached a point where I wanted to fix this.

Lately I have been binge eating after losing some weight. After I reach my target goal I start to binge to ruin it. I know why I do it now, I just dont know how to stop it. It's almost worse when you harm yourself with awareness. I guess I am reaching out partly because I want support from people that understand and also because I want to help people when it happens to them as well.

Some of the reasons why I/people binge:

1. I get close to my target goal / reach my target goal and get scared that I wont be able to maintain it. The thoughts that runt through my head include "Am I gonna have to eat/live like this, restricted, forever?" And these thoughts are usually very fast (common denominator for all pre-binges is that thoughts start going really fast all of a sudden, and so the actions that follow also happen very fast, in this case stuffing yourself with food)

2. I begin to want things that I never thought I could have before I was losing weight or was getting close to my target weight. That scares me so I self-sabotage. For instance, I start believing I can have that job that I really truly want or the kind of partner I used to think was out of my league. Losing weight, having control over your weight and body gives you the confidence to believe that you can also attain goals in other areas of your life. But, the reason you probably had a weight issue in the first place is so that you wouldn't feel this things, to halt your desires because it scares you to act on your desires. So now that you are beginning to reach your goal, the true reason why you started abusing food in the first place starts resurfacing.

3. People around you, I should say the "wrong" people around you will feel intimidated by you and treat you differently. In order to avoid confrontation of any sort, you revert back to your old ways so that you wont have to deal with the fear of being alone. Powerful people in control are comfortable around other people that are empowered and in control. Those are the people you should be around, even if it means making new friends or keeping your old friends and family at a healthy distance where they cannot affect your progress. Little comments that people make have a way of getting to us and may very well be what leads to the next binge later on in the day or maybe even days away.

4. WHEN THINGS GO TOO FAST. Some people call it stress. But it doesn't have to be something that you feel stresses you, it can be something as simply as feeling like you are not in control of your own time even if it is by 5 min. This means you have to be assertive with people that have a "Do it for me now" attitude toward you and if they are unwilling to listen then you need to make adjustments in your life in order to have the freedom to do what you want when you want. I say this because when things start to move a little faster in your mind, that is your thoughts, your actions will reflect what is going on in the mind. You will chew your food faster, you will eat a bit faster, and you will do so without mindfulness, leaving you feeling empty still after a meal because frankly you don't remember that you ate. You were not present. This is some of the precursors of a good ol' binge.

5. Feeling too full or not feeling full enough. For people with binge tendencies there is usually a common pattern of thought that goes a little something like "I've already ruined it now, I might as well eat EVERYTHING I could ever crave and start over tomorrow." This could happen even after eating a healthy meal if it leaves you feeling too full and thereby signaling feelings to your brain reminiscent of the beginning of a binge. This can also be the case when you haven't eaten enough and you get scared that you wont be able to perform your tasks because you wont have enough energy or you get scared you wont be able to fall asleep because of hunger pangs etc. so you go back to the kitchen or store and get something more. That something more leads to another bite, and another bite, and another bite because now you are already in the "making excuses to eat more" turf which could very well lead to a full on binge.

As you can see, a lot of components work together and at the same time to create a so-called binge. And you might have gotten one or more of these under control and maybe it will take some time to get them all under control at the same time. Personally, I wish there was a way to not have to eat your addiction everyday. It's like an alcoholic having to take a shot of alcohol a day and no more. Even if we don't keep junk food around the house, it's still readily available to us wherever else we go. An alcoholic can avoid bars, we cant avoid grocery stores (unless we have a personal shopper, which is unlikely for some). Bottom line is, we are not supposed to resist things everyday of our lives. Quitting cold turkey is what works with all addictions. Food is not just food for us. For us it's our coping mechanism to deal with everything uncomfortable in life and life is uncomfortable in some way everyday.

I am going to juice for a month now. I am just fed up with food and need a break from all of it. If I don't have to make food choices for a while, maybe I can stand a chance to actually overcome the emotional issues that trigger a binge, such as fear of success, fear of rejection and alienation, fear of being overwhelmed in the future, and so on. I have done intermittent fasting and OMAD before too when I have needed a break from food choices, but it leads back to the same issues in the end of the day. I am done putting band aids on, this time I want to heal from within, for real.

Thank you for listening. I welcome your thoughts and comments.

With love,

Misty

Replies

  • Berkgal33
    Berkgal33 Posts: 71 Member
    Misty, after having a bit of a binge myself last night (after a nice dinner) I completely understand where you are coming from. I am a number 5 girl myself. I will say though, I am not sure juicing for a month is an ideal solution. I find logging everything I eat helps me to keep "honest". Also, the fact you feel restricted to me, means you have not found an ideal balance in what you eat. Maybe set your macros to lose less quickly and eat a bit more. I still have a few pounds to lose (have lost over 100) but I don't care if takes me 2 months to lose 5 pounds. I like having my wine and eating treats once in awhile. I don't feel deprived, because this is my life now. Good luck.
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
    First of all I wish you the best of luck.

    Having said that, I question your decision to juice for a month as a fix to binge eating behavior. If anything I question whether or not this could make it even worse.
  • vespiquenn
    vespiquenn Posts: 1,455 Member
    edited March 2017
    SideSteel wrote: »
    First of all I wish you the best of luck.

    Having said that, I question your decision to juice for a month as a fix to binge eating behavior. If anything I question whether or not this could make it even worse.

    This. Restricting food further is not the answer, especially for that long. What I truly suggest is to get professional help. As you started to address, there are a lot of reasons why people binge. Knowing that reason and working through it will stop it once and for all, not a "break from food." In fact, that's nothing more than the band-aid you are trying to avoid. A professional in that area can begin to help you with new coping mechanisms.
  • leanjogreen18
    leanjogreen18 Posts: 2,492 Member
    I've juice fasted several times over long periods of time. I overate big time after each and gained 10 plus more lbs than I started with.

    I've been overweight many years but I was never obese until I started juice fasting. Please give it some serious thought!!