Why do I enjoy the sick feeling after I binge???

It is funny to me how when we have binged ( maybe purged) we feel so alone in the world with our problem. yet as I read the replies here, I see that we are not alone. Part of my recovery from the binge-purge cycle is knowing and making sure I am not alone in this fight. That is why I joined mfp- a simple online journal with no other accountability or encouragement is not enough when we struggle with those eating habits. it is definitely easier to binge when no one knows, or is around!
I have also found help in Denise Austin's reccommendations in not restricting my calories too much, filling up on fiber, and allowing healthy snacks, and an occasional treat. My plan is for a mx. of 1500 calories and 40-46 g. fat. It will take a little longer but will stay off longer and I binge less. Allow the Oreos on your diet plan- but plan the serving allowed and put the serving on a plate and wait a little while. You still want it, sit down and eat it slow relishing it.
Good Luck- I know it is a tough road.

I have to respectfullly disagree with the oreos/snacks idea....treats are for the selfish parts of us....but the best part of us, the part that will carry us through this journey (our body) does not want a sugar filled chemical laden treat...we fool ourselves that we deserve it...but does our body deserve it? start treating yourself with things like good real cheese, or peanut butter, or nuts...it is our bodies that pay the price for our selfishness...

I don't know why you enjoy it. But it sounds like you need to get that crap out of your cupboard. If it's not available, you can't eat it at 3am. The sooner you stop, the sooner you'll sleep through the night.

And why are you waking up at 3am? Are you suffering from anxiety? That may be the core issue here. Perhaps the feeling of the binge serves to settle your nerves. You might be better off taking melatonin - or some Rx.

I think you enjoy it because it's part of the cycle of self-punishment. At least that's what I've experienced. The binge is punishment, and the aftermath is, too.

I used to enjoy it, too. . .and I think it's because I think, on some level. . .I don't deserve to feel good. (I'm getting over this, BTW).

I also agree that if you are a binger, those foods don't belong in your house. I don't think you should ever say "never" to yourself, but I do not/can not keep junk food in my house, and when I do bring it in (rarely), it's a single serving. (not a large package of small bags, either. . .a box with six "hundred calorie packs" is still a six hundred calorie binge waiting to happen.)

I think you enjoy it because it's part of the cycle of self-punishment. At least that's what I've experienced. The binge is punishment, and the aftermath is, too.

I used to enjoy it, too. . .and I think it's because I think, on some level. . .I don't deserve to feel good. (I'm getting over this, BTW).

I also agree that if you are a binger, those foods don't belong in your house. I don't think you should ever say "never" to yourself, but I do not/can not keep junk food in my house, and when I do bring it in (rarely), it's a single serving. (not a large package of small bags, either. . .a box with six "hundred calorie packs" is still a six hundred calorie binge waiting to happen.)

Yea very well said, big boxes of 100 cal packs make no sense to me, you make one bag of popcorn, yum, right? make another bag, yum right? on it goes, so why buy the very expensive 100 cal packs of popcorn when it equals 1000 if you eat them all. Makes no sense...I totally agree with you and yellow-pepper... the binge stuff doesn't belong in the house, be better to go by a small bag of popcorn and suck up the extra cals with the seasoning than bring in the extra pkg's.

My thougts is all... though I have wondered just how many actually eat more than one pkg on those...noone ever mentions it but surely it must be tough on some to have them sitting there. Kudos to those of you that eat one and stop at that.

I've begun logging ALL my cals in (talkin about days I go over for whatever reason...no matter how much) and I have actually found it quite motivating rather than disturbing...guess I find my motivation in odd places?

I guess because my kids are on the underweight side, I figure they shouldn't be deprived to the point that they binge when it is available to them. Does that make any sense?

I did avoid buying the Girl Scout cookies when the sales came around, but found my daughter (size 0) looking up girl scout cookies on ebay this weekend! LOL!:laugh: SO, since I teach, the cookies were still available for purchase even after the sales were over! AND btw, my scrawny little girl had two thin mint cookies... and quit.

OMG! I just logged those two coconut delite cookies in... 140 calories.

deprived? of what? how can we be deprived of junk food? I dont get it

don't understand it either... I simply don't understand the rationalization of kids needing junk so they are not deprived, you're not the only one that's shared that here...so please don't take it personally toward you, as it's come up alot on here....that husbands and children NEED their junk food. I do not understand that... If one wants to eat healthy it would seem like a great time to include the entire family in support of one another.

Underweight kids DO NOT need cookies to gain weight in the correct manner....they are empty cals...cheese and an apple after school, banana with PB,...that would be great afterschool snacks and healthy ones that give energy to grow and not something you'd need a nap after.....

We all have our ways I guess.....
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why would underweight kids even think to binge unless the concept has been taught to them? Most healthy kids don't even know what that means, it's the kids that grow up in a 'diet mentality' household that would be familiar with that word.

This is a little long - sorry:embarassed: Hope the information helps.
Ok, I am late coming to this party, I hope everyone hasn't gone on to something else. Here are my
thoughts, as a substance abuse therapist and a food addict and a recent new member of MFP. First thought: Those of you who are healthy snackers, have you always been this way, or do you remember at some time having those sweet, empty calorie snacks around? I am couious because I know why peiple have those snacks around, once you have developed a taste for them, they create a dependency that only they can fill. They are a quick fix. Its not about the logical good snack vs. bad snack. Its about the dependency. When you stop eating them, your body goes through withdrawal. Your legs feel like lead, you are sluggish and irriitable, which incidently are the same symptoms experienced by someone withdrawing from cocaine or to a lesser degree, meth. Did you guys never go through this?

So, the dependency is a physical/chemical thing. The "why" may be a very different thing. It seems likely, and in my experience, it is usually an emotional thing. We seek comfort, security, validation, control, etc through eating, and specifically binging. We may be able to point to a specific event, or chain of events and say, thats when I started to binge. It may be to cover painful feelings, loneliness, etc. Its a coping mechanism. One of the best ways past that is to (1) honor the old coping mechanism for what it is, our best attempt at the time to deal with or get through something. (2) Decide that while the old coping mechanism (binging, secret eating, less desirable food choices) served us for a while, there are better ways to cope, and we are going to find them. (3) Then, make changes and celebrate our resolve to make today a new day. Its very important to not beat up on ourselves any more for the past. Beating up on yourself, or being beaten up by others will likely drive us back to our old coping mechanixm.

Last but definitely not least: TRIGGERS. We must learn what they are and then avoid them. See YankeesGIrl's thread, "Its Official, I'm a junkie." Seems like the popcorn may be a trigger. And, finally, CRAVINGS. As we change our lives, we are bound to experience cravings, just like drug users do. Think of the craving as a wave - it grows, peaks and subsides. If you ride the wave rather than give into it, it will subside. If we give in the the craving, the next wavve/crave is usually bigger and stronger.

Even though this wasn't done for me, THANK YOU ALL for posting info on this topic! Binging was the reason why I never lost weight! I just HAD to eat a load of junk at night before I went to bed...and the sweets! I had a major sweet tooth, and I ALWAYS gave in!

After reading the posts in this thread, I have even more motivation to quit BINGING! I won't do it anymore! NO MORE BINGING!:drinker: :drinker: