How do you stop yourself from binging?

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  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,627 Member
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    i dont buy stuff i would binge on.

    meaning (for me) i dont keep sweets, chips, etc in the house regularly.
  • Sharon_C
    Sharon_C Posts: 2,132 Member
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    birdtobe wrote: »
    I find it easier not to even start than to just have a little taste, which can lead to more "little tastes." So, I'd say 8 times out of 10, my strategy is to just walk away--get out of the break room or the kitchen or walk out of that particular aisle in the grocery store. But I do occasionally give into cravings, at which point I make sure to sit down with the thing I want and enjoy EVERY LAST CRUMB, which makes needing another serving less tempting. Does that make sense? I guess just applying mindfulness to the whole process--if I'm going to make room in my daily allotment to eat something, I'm going to do it and not feel guilty. I think the guilt makes it easier to just throw in the towel and say, "Screw it! I'll have two more!"

    I agree with all of this--if in fact it's just a matter of discipline and not an eating disorder. Usually I don't even walk into the kitchen when food is available. If I do eat something I sit down and tune everything out but the food and really enjoy it instead of mindlessly eating while I'm working. If I want more I tell myself I can have more in 10 minutes. After 10 minutes have passed I don't want it anymore. There has never been a time when I've gone back for food after 10 minutes. But telling myself I CAN have it in 10 minutes rather than I CAN'T have any more really helps.
  • SarahBelle43
    SarahBelle43 Posts: 21 Member
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    I struggled (and still do) with this, and one thing that helps me a lot is OA (overeaters anonymous.) They have meetings all over, google OA meeting and you might find one near you. Non-judgmental support, especially if you have a hard time seeing a therapist for financial or other reasons.
  • cross2bear
    cross2bear Posts: 1,106 Member
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    I agree with some of the other posters when they report that a binge incident has actual physical symptoms - sweating, agitation, anxiety, nausea, mood changes - its not simply a matter of giving in to a particular food craving - its a lot more physical than that. I too have struggled with this and some days I come out on top, and some days the best I can do is to mitigate the damage. But for me, when I am feeling stressed and as a consequence, vulnerable or not very confident (or emotionally stable), I have to eliminate my go to foods from the house. I am in a stretch right now where my kitchen is pretty spartan, and I only have foods in the house to make meals and no treats (because who binges on vegetables, right?!) - I am not able to control the urges right now as I await 2 different surgeries, and news about a biopsy that was done recently. I have to keep telling myself that this too shall pass, and that I will find my groove again!
  • BlueSkyShoal
    BlueSkyShoal Posts: 325 Member
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    Orphia wrote: »
    So many people are in a guilt/purge deprivation/binge cycle.

    This whole "eat clean, eat 'healthy', eat the latest superfoods, buy my weight loss program" *kitten* the media throws at us.

    We are stronger than this.

    We are talented, intelligent, discerning, prudent, moderate individuals.

    We are not a clichéd housewife or couch potato.

    Eating a treat you've saved calories for every day is the real sort of 'healthy', dammit!

    Different people strokes for different folks. When I started losing weight I would eat chocolate / cookies / other sweet goodies if they were in the house. As in, they would not last one night. So, when I started losing weight, I just wouldn't buy them. Once I started eating healthier, my cravings for super-sugary foods decreased. So now I can have a box of cookies in the house without devouring them in one night.

    But it took time, and it took a period of not having those foods around so I could learn better habits without distractions.

    I find the fear of "depriving yourself" to be overblown.
  • Btheodore138
    Btheodore138 Posts: 182 Member
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    Video games. Seriously, if you're bored and the binge sets in, start playing a video game. It keeps your mind and hands too busy to eat. Or just leave the house and go for a walk if it happens during the day. This is something that as a recovering addict I've had to do. Just keep busy, just keep moving, and make it to the next day.

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