Binge eaters only. Loving food, too much, managing stress hormone over earing

Options
I love food. In the morning I think about my breakfast, then a snack then my lunch then my tea. It’s frustrating as as my stress levels increase or hormones (monthly time) go out of whack I just want the eat, a lot.

I want to eat when I get in from work and it’s gotten worse recently. I have young children so can’t just go out swimming or to the gym.

Any ideas? Or support? Bingers only please x
«13

Replies

  • fatvegan88
    fatvegan88 Posts: 71 Member
    Options
    Intermittent fasting helped me to stop thinking about food 24/7.
    I fast for 16 hours and I never eat breakfast because it makes me hungrier throughout the day.
    I eat my first meal at noon and my second at 6 and I feel a lot less hungry than when I was eating 3 meals a day. I don’t go to bed dreaming of pancakes or something anymore and I just drink water if I am hungry.
  • littlebabekitty
    littlebabekitty Posts: 390 Member
    Options
    I suffer from this and emotional eating. I am starting to incorporate healthy habits to try to change. Like eatinh fruits instead of sweets. Less bread and wheat products. More veggies and protein ( i am vegan) and meditation. U can add me for ideas and support. I am working with a buddy i communicate by messenger and having that person as an accountability partner has helped tremendously. We check in daily and support eachother
  • wibblewobblejellyontheplate
    Options
    I also wanted to add I used to run a lot but alas injuries mean that’s not an option any more , and little people limit my spare time. I can’t blame others though even on my free time I’m doing the supermarket trip, excited chucking in all those carbs...
  • wibblewobblejellyontheplate
    Options
    Interesting one poster put about breakfast. My binges are currently starting as soon as I wake up- 5.20 am. I have half an hour before dropping children off at childcare and I start the day with coffee and chocolate, protein bars. I think it’s because I’m slightly dreading the day. I then arrive at work tired needing more coffee and food. I never feel motivated and have that oomph as often I’m working in. My spare time as I feel I plod along at work and feeel guilty later that I’m being paid and need to give them their moneys worth!
  • julia96gp
    julia96gp Posts: 6 Member
    Options
    Hello! I am a binge eater too, though I have faith in my progressive recovery. Binge eating is like deep deeeeep hole you fall into, and you have to climb back up. You see the light up there and believe you'll be there in a second, but the way up is long, and different for everyone, and you're still in it while you're climbing. So now I know I must not blame myself for binge eating again: I know I've learnt so many clues to get out and some day I will be free. And, somehow I know I am reducing the frequency and sice of the binges. That's what one must focus on!!

    What is helping me right now is:
    - When binge eating, I try not to repeat foods.W hen I've tasted them all and can't repeat I feel so empty and sad, and so I can reconnect with myself (as binges feel like zombie mode...). But many times I just fall into repeating one food. Anyway this helped me the first days to reduce the calorie amount
    - Continuing like nothing happened. W hen I used to fast the next day I started binge eating with a frequency that took me back to my starting weight and more. I wish I'd never done. Now I just continue like nothing, have my breakfast next day and realize I didn't binge everyday, maybe only every other day. Think it wasn't that bad. We need positive thinking!! That's the next thing:
    - Having a diary. I can see I went from binging everyday to binging every three days. This is encouraging!!
    - Writing down my feelings before, during and after the binge. I can also call my best friends, they listen to my problems and we think of a solution together. This gives me back HOPE in life. A little light is what we need to go on with our objectives, in health, in studies... When I don't, I just feel devastated and keep eating to cover the sadness. Calling or meeting someone avoids that :)
    - Being realistic: my goal is not to NEVER binge eat again, but doing it ONCE a week. This way I know I can lose weight. And one day, I might not binge eat again, but that must came alone...
    - Seeing a therapist: essential.

    Please, I believe we can help each other so much!! Maybe we can support ourselves by chat, please don't doubt in sending a message to me :)

    Btw I'm Júlia and I live in Barcelona
    My biggest luck to all of you, we are fighters! Never lose faith.
  • twoboysnmygirl
    twoboysnmygirl Posts: 161 Member
    Options
    I recentlly read Brain Over Binge and not to be dramatic, but it was a bit of an epiphany for me. You might want to check it out, it really clicked in my head and changed so much for me.
  • datum9
    datum9 Posts: 3 Member
    Options
    emotional eating is hard to defeat. For me, I realized that whether I ate or didn't, it wouldn't make the situation better. You may try another approach. It's like smoking or anything else. Fixes nothing. You have to rewire yourself on a low level and change habits. It's that simple and that complex.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,988 Member
    Options
    Interesting one poster put about breakfast. My binges are currently starting as soon as I wake up- 5.20 am. I have half an hour before dropping children off at childcare and I start the day with coffee and chocolate, protein bars. I think it’s because I’m slightly dreading the day. I then arrive at work tired needing more coffee and food. I never feel motivated and have that oomph as often I’m working in. My spare time as I feel I plod along at work and feeel guilty later that I’m being paid and need to give them their moneys worth!

    How many calories, and grams of protein and carbs are in the protein bars? I've seen posters refer to low protein items as protein bars when they were actually just granola/snack bars. How many calories and carbs in the chocolate?

    Try having eggs for breakfast and see if you feel differently afterwards.
  • ilovejasonlantz
    ilovejasonlantz Posts: 1 Member
    Options
    Intermittent fasting helped me to stop thinking about food 24/7.
    I fast for 16 hours and I never eat breakfast because it makes me hungrier throughout the day.
    I eat my first meal at noon and my second at 6 and I feel a lot less hungry than when I was eating 3 meals a day. I don’t go to bed dreaming of pancakes or something anymore and I just drink water if I am hungry.

    this! i have been researching this for myself and believe i need to learn to do this. I tend to binge during the week before TOM ( ugh ) but the other 3 weeks i do great. I think i can relearn this behavior with fasting to retrain my brain. thanks!
  • azkabanned
    azkabanned Posts: 79 Member
    edited January 2018
    Options
    It’s just one of those weeks. Had a *kitten* Saturday, wanted to order pizza but held off every day till today, though still went over calories almost everyday and ate some pretty unhealthy crap. Finally ordered the pizza just now. Large extra cheese extra pepperoni half pineapple. Gonna eat the damn thing so I can stop thinking about it every meal. I kept telling myself I’ll feel better about myself if I stick to healthy foods, but’s it’s been almost a week and I just wish I ordered the pizza earlier.

    I stress eat and emotionally eat on the regular, but it’s usually stuff like sashimi which doesn’t do much damage...salmon, tuna, shrimp, scallops... healthy fats and protein. Pizza, I don’t even particularly like but I needed to get this one out of the way.

    Emotional eating aside, food has always been really important to me. I travel to Asia and Europe every year and 50% of the good experiences have to do with food. So whoever said food is not entertainment...couldn’t be more wrong, entertainment is also an understatement. There’s nothing like connecting to a culture in an izakaya over sake and skewers, or a in Mediterranean garden with local wine and a spread of seafood. I went to Kobe Japan in November, specifically to eat real Kobe beef. I can only wishhhhh to have great food like that everyday, and probably wouldn’t mind gaining a few pounds.

    Gaining the pounds over papa johns on the other hand, makes me sad. I love good food, but I can tell when I’m just binge eating vs when I’m actually enjoying food. The two don’t have much to do with each other.
  • amyepdx
    amyepdx Posts: 750 Member
    edited January 2018
    Options
    Binge eater here... I'm now 50+ lbs down and I still struggle with my food issues, more so on the weekends. I've now have a handle on the weekdays by keeping busy with work, housework and my kids. As soon as Saturday hits, there is something that switches in my brain that makes me want to eat everything in sight. I typically can now control myself on Sundays on maintenance mode then back on the grind come Monday. I try not to beat myself up too much and usually try to go heavy on my strength training on those binge days with the hopes of building some muscle with those extra calories.

    I do all my workouts at home with videos and weights. My 4 and 6 year olds have their own 1 lb weights and 3 lb kettle bell when they want to join me in my workouts.

    My advice would be to keep busy and leave the house when you can, with or without your kiddos. And when you do binge, just get back on track as soon as possible, whether that means the next meal or the next day. We can only take it day by day...

    This is too cute!!
  • h1udd
    h1udd Posts: 623 Member
    Options
    Binge and over eater here .... although weighing what I weigh now I think I have it under control, bar the odd slip up

    Personally I blame your kids !!! .. mine is certainly a cause of my slip ups. Sure everyone loves there children with a love so unconditional it hurts thinking about it .... but crap on a stick if the font on a daily basis stress you out, bore you, tired you out, numb your adult brain and leave you wanting some kind of stimulation or personal time - bring on the instant gratification and dopamine hit from the food. Trust me unless you are a complete moron, playing make believe paw patrol for hours on end where you are told what to say WILL kill your brain and why wouldn’t it, you are an adult with a developed mind, not a child, you brain needs a different stimulation.

    Now don’t totally blame your kids, if you are susceptible to requiring instant gratification and dopamine, it will be more than just your kids that set it off.

    Logging food ??? Doesn’t help, a binge is a binge, the log goes in the bin. But being able to see a week of good work and 1 binge can motivate that it’s just a blip

    Use your children ... mine tells me not to eat that .. doesn’t help when she goes to bed though

    Do more for your self ... find hobby, I started taking the photos I had of kiddy and using photoshop learning how to manipulate pictures, make better images, remove content ... stimulation of your brain and some “me” time really helps keep my binges away.

    My advice .... make sure you are getting enough sleep, stimulate your brain, don’t get too dictated to by your kids, control the games yourself a bit

    Good luck