Binge eating advice/help

I suffered from binge eating for over ten years.

One thing that helped me was the realization that I am more likely to binge eat if I am PMSing. So during that time I know I have to work harder. I make sure to keep lower-calorie easier to make, not hugely delicious food in the freezer for those occasions. Understanding your patterns might help. Maybe you could keep a calendar and just make a mark when you binge, so it doesn't have to be a major punishment to record it, you just need to realize your vulnerable times.

Another thing that helped me was reducing some of my stress. For me, my mortgage was crushing me, so I sold my house and bought a much cheaper one. I also hated my job so I re-evaluated myself and changed my profession. I happen to happily make huge changes in my life but I realize that might not be possible for everyone. But it might help to understand which of your stresses are triggering this behavior and work on changing those aspects of life or dealing with the stress in a different way. How did you deal with stress before you started binge eating?

The last thing that seemed to help me was having someone to talk to. If I could complain or write in a journal my complaints, than I was able to vent without stuffing my face. The hard part is finding someone to complain to that isn't going to judge, offer advice or try to help. You need someone who will just listen. This is why people go to psychiatrists. When I couldn't find someone like that I used to write in my journal.

The thing that is particularly helping me right now (still stressed over being alone and lonely) is that every time I feel like binging I read the forums here. Not the before and after stuff though. That is tooo much for me to handle. I like to read where people need help so I feel like I'm not alone. Than the feeling passes.

The other thing that is helped me is becoming addicted to mild exercise. I know it sounds retarded, but I really got into VR video games. It's really mild exercise and extremely addicting. I notice significant differences in my natural waist since I started playing. I don't know why this helps. Maybe it's helping my mood or just subconsciously I don't want to waist the time I spent on VR with some pointless binge, but it's helping.

I'm sorry it's not articles or books or anything. None of that has ever helped me. This is just my experience.

Find your trigger. Its taken me years to figure out mine. Stress is the biggest one. I'm in school and working full time. 2 weeks ago I had to go out of town for school, and I binged for 5 days prior to that. As soon as it was over so was the binge. I also can't have binge food around me. Any kind of baked goods and before I know it I ate the whole package. This has been difficult since there are always sweets at work. lastly thing for me is to have a small deficit. My eating plan right now is only at a 500 cal deficit and the binges have been better. I know I have a lot of things that set me into a binge, but slowly tackling these has really helped. Try to learn your body, and the signals. There are also therapist who specialize in this which can be beneficial.

Good luck!

jryepin93 wrote: »

I would try to see a therapist first and foremost. I knew my binge-eating was stress induced and after gaining over 50 pounds during my undergrad years, I decided to finally see a therapist right before I started grad school. It helped me immensely, but not immediately. It took me about a year to muster up the courage and gain control of my eating habits. I just kept focusing on how I felt and I knew I felt like trash every time I binge ate. I think keeping calorie dense foods in the house was a big trigger for me, so I got rid of everything I could possibly binge on. I also log absolutely everything I eat, even if it's just a bite. It's not as annoying as it might sound and after a couple months, I got used to it. It's been helpful to me to see just how much I was consuming during a binge and really was an eye-opener. I also agree with the poster above about finding someone to talk to! It's really helpful to have someone where you can express your emotions in a healthy way instead of binging. I realize I rambling, but hopefully something helped!

Big support here for the therapist idea. I had very disordered eating and binging for years, ever since college. Just recently I began seeing a behavioral therapist and she helped me get myself out of a complete depressive anxiety-inducing rut, and she helped me totally change my habits and relationship to food. She also helped me identify sources of strife that were making me want to binge, and help me introduce small manageable changes, one at a time. I was obese and had a job that made me incredibly anxious. Seven months later, I am 70lbs lighter and I found a completely new job without all those same stressors. I feel like I got a totally new start.

I can empathize with you. I’ve struggled with binge eating and compulsive overeating since I got sober years ago. It’s like my brain switched addictions and I am still struggling with food. I am a weight lifter so I’m not terribly overweight but the sense of failure at the end of every day is all-consuming. Recently I have found that a low carb approach helps somewhat. It’s more difficult for me to binge on high fat or high protein foods. I am horribly addicted to sugar (even fruit will set me off and I’ll eat 5 or 6 bananas or a whole pineapple), so keeping my blood sugar stable is imperative.

Some say we have triggers that cause us to binge. I agree with that to a point; however, I believe that once we learn how to handle the triggers we must then break the habit. And habits can be challenging to change.

There is always hope my friend. No matter how many times we fall, we have to get back up and keep working at it!