Welcome to the group! A lot of us, including myself, struggle with this. I know what you mean when it goes from a fleeting thought to inevitability.

Do you know what triggers those urges? For me personally, my worst binges, the ones that feel inevitable to the point where sometimes I actually plan them, happen when I have a lot of time alone. Once I realized that pattern, I was able to try to different things to combat the problem.

One thing that has helped me personally, is preparing. I keep individually-packaged sweets on hand because for some reason I can usually stop at one when they are individually-packaged- that way, I can satisfy my craving for sweet...rather than craving it, not having it, and eventually giving in and going way overboard. Also, on days I have the house to myself, I try to prepare by buying some sort of convenient-but-yummy special meal...something I normally wouldn't have. That way, I have something to look forward to and I can feel like I'm indulging while keeping it within reason. If I don't prepare though, and tell myself "oh, I'll just be strong and make a salad," it rarely works. It might for some people though, idk.

It just depends on what you're triggers are. If you're not sure what they are, maybe try noting on your food diary what you were feeling or what situations were going on when a binge happened.

As far as once that thought pops into your head, and how to keep it from escalating...I wish I had some advice! I do try to say things like "_____ will be there tomorrow. I don't need it right now" and things like that but honestly, I have an extremely hard time once that thought train has taken off.

I highly recommend participating in the Me Vs. The Binge thread though. Some people don't like publicly tracking the days and that's okay too. Even if you just want to pop in and read what's going on, it's a great source of understanding, insight, and support.