Binge eating
annobrien889
Posts: 17 Member
Did it again yesterday ate a pile of rubbish went to bed feeling sick fed up stuck in.this cycle of binging and feeling bad
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Replies
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It's okay. You binged. It will happen. We can't expect to eat clean and healthy all the time. Sometimes, our emotions will get the best of us. The decision now is how to move on. Think of today as a new day. Work a little harder. Get outside. Go for a walk and clear your head. Do some meal planning and decide to be better this weekend.
It's okay. Don't feel bad and don't let this spiral. Just accept that it happened and choose to not do it today!
You can do it! Because you are amazing!6 -
annobrien889 wrote: »Did it again yesterday ate a pile of rubbish went to bed feeling sick fed up stuck in.this cycle of binging and feeling bad
I did again last night as well. Sister was passing through the area on business, stopped over and brought Middle Eastern food and cookies. I just ate too much. I could have/should have stopped myself, but I didn't. I'm back on track today. For me, the key is to leave it in the past and move on.2 -
It's okay. You binged. It will happen. We can't expect to eat clean and healthy all the time. Sometimes, our emotions will get the best of us. The decision now is how to move on. Think of today as a new day. Work a little harder. Get outside. Go for a walk and clear your head. Do some meal planning and decide to be better this weekend.
It's okay. Don't feel bad and don't let this spiral. Just accept that it happened and choose to not do it today!
You can do it! Because you are amazing!
Great advice for all; thank you.3 -
Thank you going to try do better today1
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In Australia there is a Quit campaign for giving up smoking and I like their slogan which I think is useful for anything: -
Never give up giving up, because each time you do you get a bit better at it.
I found this to be very true when it comes to binge eating as a coping behaviour. Forgiving myself and getting back on track is what has helped me. I don't binge anymore really but I do over eat when I'm anxious. Social occasions are the most difficult for me and boredom in the evenings at home.7 -
Didnt do good today binge ate felt guilty so made myself sick but felt bad for doing that so ate but again.felt guilty for eating so got sick again.I.really do feel useless0
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When I binge, at the start of it, I can feel myself wanting to do harm to myself. Sometimes it is because there is another person I wish I could hurt but cannot, sometimes it is because I want to punish myself for whatever reason. Are your emotional triggers anything like that?
When I break that cycle for myself, the thought process is practicing treating myself the way I would a beloved friend - speaking gently, being encouraging rather than condemning, acknowledging mistakes made but still being loving anyway. If my best friend came to me and said, "I have to do things like binge eat because I only deserve to be treated like a disgusting thing," I would say, "No dear one, you do not deserve to be treated this way. I know it helps us to feel some tiny amount of control to think we deserve the bad things in life, but you deserve care and love and respect and good things."
Ann, you deserve care. You may find it hard to believe now when you are hurting so, but you deserve gentleness, kindness, love. Please give that to yourself.4 -
I had a bingey weekend myself and feel like a slug. Tomorrow is a fresh day, getting back on track!0
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I overate on the weekend, not carbs or sugar but nuts and yogurt. I feel so tired. I don't know how I canbe so hungry and want to eat all afternoon, it seems biological not psycological at this point. idk what's wrong anymore.
Any experience from others who have ovecome the problem would be appreciated. Maybe a low carb diet iswrong for me.0 -
........ Maybe a low carb diet is wrong for me.
My own personal experience; yours may differ: When I cut out table salt altogether (yeah I know it's bad stuff), started getting a little more exercise and eating a little more carbs, while still generally staying below my calorie threshold of 1740 calories/day, I began lose weight again and not be so hungry all the time.
When I was attempting to strictly limit carbs, my weight loss was plateaued for months at a time and it was frustrating.1 -
Thanks lessismoreohio. I'm seriosuly going to consider this. Over salting food at my age probably isn't th greatest idea. I recently felt that my lack of energy was because of cutting back on the carbs, so I added in fruit again. What seems to have happened with that increase though is just overall inflamation and soreness. So that kinda has me confused atm. Of course this doesn't help me keep up with my recent added activity, a hopefully strength building work I took on. I'll turn this over to my HP and be open minded. Something will change, as things always do and I hope whatever it is will work. I'm still thinking I can work in carbs, as you suggested, and that for me its maybe not so good to limit them over the long term. I do find as I go on with low carb that salt craving seems overwhelming for some reason. So maybe more balance is a path I can consider.1
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Gameliela, I hope you figure out a plan that works for you. It's tough, finding just the right balances on those macros.
Edited to add: It occurs to me that you might be low on potassium, since you mentioned that salt craving. Potassium tastes similar to salt. And as an electrolyte, a shortage of it will cause muscle aches, and affect your energy. It is found in some nuts and seeds, in dairy products, and in certain fruits and vegetables such as bananas, peaches, apricots, and tomatoes. One of the most calorie-efficient ways I have to boost my potassium intake is drinking Low Sodium V-8 because not only does it have tomato juice in it, but they also use potassium chloride to flavor it in place of salt (sodium chloride).1 -
annobrien889 wrote: »Didnt do good today binge ate felt guilty so made myself sick but felt bad for doing that so ate but again.felt guilty for eating so got sick again.I.really do feel useless
It's so hard when you feel useless! Food really has a way of making us feel so very powerless. It's like you almost have to train your willpower muscles to stop the binge.
I've lost 22kgs so far and used to be a massive binge eater- and sometimes I still am. There are a few things that I found that worked:
1. When I get into the binge mindset of having something 'bad' to eat, I start eating and then immediately start thinking 'well I've ruined everything, I may as well keep going'. This isn't true. By eating some food that may not be the best option you haven't ruined everything. You can eat something unhealthy and say 'okay I did that' and then stop. One exercise I tried (works well with chips and cookies) is to eat one, and then throw one out. This empowered me to be able to say no by throwing them out, but also meant I wasn't denying myself by saying I couldn't have them (which inevitably leads to eating more). And also meant I was eating half as much.
2. I try to take my thoughts off "good" and "bad" or "healthy" and "unhealthy" foods. Instead I try to think of them as "high energy" and "high nutrient food". For example a "high energy food" would be potato chips and chocolate. I high nutrient food would be vegetables. So If I binged I would think "Yesterday I ate a lot of energy, today I going to try and eat a lot of nutrients'.
3. Not buying certain foods. Not having them around me in the house meant that when I felt the call I would have to think really hard about whether I wanted to go out and buy it. Gives you more time to focus on what you want.
Finally, think about what you deserve. You've had a bad day, you're stressed and want to feel good so you might tell yourself you deserve something to make you feel good. Contrast this with short vs long term. I say you deserve to feel good in the long term not just the immediate future. I think you deserve lasting good health and happiness. Focus on your worth and how you deserve to treat your body right.
Let me know if you try any of these things. I know they helped me, would love know if they helped you or not:)1 -
WindSparrow wrote: »Gameliela, I hope you figure out a plan that works for you. It's tough, finding just the right balances on those macros.
Edited to add: It occurs to me that you might be low on potassium, since you mentioned that salt craving. Potassium tastes similar to salt. And as an electrolyte, a shortage of it will cause muscle aches, and affect your energy. It is found in some nuts and seeds, in dairy products, and in certain fruits and vegetables such as bananas, peaches, apricots, and tomatoes. One of the most calorie-efficient ways I have to boost my potassium intake is drinking Low Sodium V-8 because not only does it have tomato juice in it, but they also use potassium chloride to flavor it in place of salt (sodium chloride).
Thanks Windsparrow, This is a fine idea, and those things like banana, yogurt and nuts are great things to eat. Might even loosen the salt cravings, can't be a bad thing then.
I'm not doing weight loss any more, I'm at a healthy weight, so its maintenance now as I try to get myself adjusted and eat healthy its been trial and error. Lately more error perhaps!
All the advice here has been really insightful, helpful and thoughtful. Thank you all.
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annobrien889 wrote: »Didnt do good today binge ate felt guilty so made myself sick but felt bad for doing that so ate but again.felt guilty for eating so got sick again.I.really do feel useless
It's different for everyone! For me, I binge alone. That means that as soon as people leave the house, I'm in the cereal or chips. At work, it's terrible because no one is going to say anything to me about it. I came up with a few tricks. I plan out a morning and afternoon snack to avoid buying carb-heavy and filling stuff at coffee shops. I also try to have an early dinner because I get really hungry after work, and if dinner is still 1-2 hours away, I will binge. So, instead, if i'm hungry at 5 p.m., that's when I eat dinner. That way, I don't have to worry about it.
You have to find some tricks of your own, that work for your schedule and lifestyle. I increased my calorie goal by 100 calories just so my body could get used to it. It also helped with my intense hunger half way through the day. It also makes you feel great when you stay below your count that day.
That said, man, I have my bad days. I was good for two whole weeks, and then I had some serious PMS and it all went to hell. I couldn't stop, until my stomach started to ache and I was breaking out and feeling incredibly fatigued and depressed. It takes a lot to get going again after a binging epidemic. After about 5 days of eating incredibly crappy foods and rarely exercising, I re-started. Planned my meals, and here I am, trying to be healthy again. It's a rollercoaster, but as long as you catch yourself and pull yourself out, it will be okay!
There will be slips, but don't feel useless! Or guilty! I totally understand that feeling, as do a lot of people here I assume. But trust me, once you pull yourself out, even for a few days, you will automatically feel better! Just keep at it and trust that you aren't alone!!!1 -
This is all so relatable. About three nights ago, it started with a cup of popcorn and swirled out of control until I'd eaten six or seven different things - ice cream, fig newtons, pretzels, yogurt, etc., all in like a 20 minute time span?!? It's like I turn into something that has no off button, no self control, no mindfulness AT ALL. It's really bizarre, it's kinda like driving and then realizing your made it to your destination but you don't remember getting there.
I feel the same: guilty and horrible and so mad at myself for doing it. I do let it go and move on the next day and I do realize it's not the end of the world. But I also have that mind set of, well, I screwed up, there's always tomorrow and continue the binge throughout the night until bed. Problem is HOW DO YOU STOP doing it? No rationalization works because at the time there is none. It's just, "Hey, I'm gonna eat that...and that...and that!" And I do...fast and furiously with complete abandon! So frustrating...I'm reading a book on mindfulness, hoping that could help some.
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I'm just happy to see so many people here talking about themselves honestly. It helps reading experiences to come out of my own eating daze and not panic. Gradually I find ways to avoid binginess. This thread could become a staple for the group.2
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I'm dealing with binge eating.... I started out losing weight so well and then I'm not sure what happened but all of a sudden I found myself binge eating and gaining back the weight I lost plus ten pounds. It's really frustrating and I feel like I'm stuck in this never ending loop. I am reading a book on mindfulness and hoping I can use the tips in that. I feel ashamed about my eating habits and the progress I've lost.2
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@Gamliela Yes, I think many of us do this. It's almost in comparison to kids cutting themselves nowadays I think. Something that we do to hurt ourselves, although we know better. And after we do it, it's a release, we feel better for a moment, then the reality sets in. It's a very strange situation to say the least.
@thinkpink73089 Again, very relatable. I lose 3 or 4 pounds, feel like I'm over the "hump" and on the way towards my goal and then wind up eating those pounds back almost immediately. It's a vicious cycle and I'm trapped. It must be psychological I'm thinking - at least for me. It has to be...0 -
Thinkpink, like your username! I want to say that its not how many times we fall, its how we keep getting up and keeping on. You are one good example of that. Thank you for sharing whst you are going through.
Rejsgirl, I wouldn't agree that its the same as cutting. Feeding is an effort to live and receive energy and comfort, although at times those of us who binge may be over doing this comfort and feeding, its not the destruction of cutting, or done with the same spirit of injury. I do agree there with you there are certainly some psychological components, but its more biological than we give it credit imo.1 -
Rejsgirl, I wouldn't agree that its the same as cutting. Feeding is an effort to live and receive energy and comfort, although at times those of us who binge may be over doing this comfort and feeding, its not the destruction of cutting, or done with the same spirit of injury. I do agree there with you there are certainly some psychological components, but its more biological than we give it credit imo.
I think there are too many reasons why people engage in various self-harming actions to make blanket statements one way or another. Having both binged and cut myself, I can say that the urge for both in me is similar, yet not precisely the same, so I agree with RejsGirl and at the same time I would not want to discount the experiences of people who feel differently.
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