How do you stop binge?

Sometimes I have a real weakness for popcorn. Really can be hard to control, so if you KNOW you can't control portions on any given day, don't eat it at all, just drink something like hot tea or water. If you are feeling 'in control'--- portion it out and don't let yourself eat any more than your portion. You have to BELIEVE that you have the power, because you are the only one who actually does. Best of luck to you.

ditto the drinking lots of water.

Also, just fyi: depending on the popcorn, it can be catastrophic. Some has a lot of calories because they use a lot of butter and/or oil in the bag.

Today, I felt the urge to eat (even though my stomach was still VERY full from a big bowl of oatmeal for breakfast), and I just grabbed a piece of gum instead. Been munching on my gum and drinking water. It's really not that I was hungry, it's just that I was feeling bored. Therefore, I gave my mouth some busy chewing to do, and it has held me over.

haha you're just like me im munching on gum right now and drinking water, cos i know im not really hungry i just feel like eating, plus avoid buying foods like popcorn if you can I went to supermarket today saw microwave popcorn on offer buy one get on free put them in my basket got to the till realised i'll probably binge on them tonight or sometime soon so even though they were really cheap i just left them behind

Water, fruit, etc. I take a lot of walks lately. I put my iPod in and just walk around base. Take a step back and really thing about how you feel at the time. Are you hungry? Are you lonely? Will food really help? etc...I don't even keep prepackaged food at home (okay I lied-I have a few Amy's organic burritos in the freezer). But really I keep chicken/fish in the freezer, and veggies in the fridge.

Do you cook at all? Of course I don't know your living situation-I don't have an oven and I have a roommate- but we have a small stovetop and half the fun of cooking is the food preparation.

Lastly-if it's at night maybe you could take up a hobby like knitting or something to keep you busy and your mind off food. It's hard at first to break the cycle and everyone is different. Like someone mentioned before it could be deeper psychological issues that you need to address.

This is a tough one. You aren't describing arriving at a party and binging (which I combat by never going out to dinner or to a party really hungry). You are describing being at a party (seems you may have been hosting) where you were making healthy choices, then, after the party was over, you fixed a snack. The snack turned into a meal bigger than you originally intended. Is that how it happened?

For me, I have to fight the compulsive behavior. I have to act with intention. If I want to eat three giant bowls of popcorn, then I need to measure out three giant bowls of popcorn and log them in my food diary, even if I go over. I have to be accountable and make sure what I eat I am CHOOSING to eat. Sounds weird, doesn't it? But when I stop - even when it's just for a moment - and make a conscious choice about what is going in my mouth, the behavior isn't compulsive, I don't trigger that addict mentality, and I can be accountable.

I went over calories last night. I had a cupcake I didn't need. It wasn't a big deal. I was offered cake, cookies and ice cream as well at different points in the evening. I ended up eating the cupcake. And it was delicious. And I logged it. And I went over calories. But I didn't just say "Yes, I'll have (first bite) a cup (second bite) cake", stuffing it in my mouth. I thought about it. Made a decision. I'm probably not doing a good job of describing the behavior and thought process. It is fairly nuanced, and those who don't battle compulsive eating might have no idea what I'm talking about. But I think it is critical to be intentional about my choices.

In other words, I don't want to find myself on the other side of a food binge saying "How did that happen?"

I know there already is a lot of great advice here.

If you search, there was another thread about this. But it sounds like you are a secret eater. You waited till you could eat alone.
I do this too. Just more willpower.

I have not tried this one yet, but supposedly eating in front of a mirror will help. Best of luck to you. Stop eating in secret, open your diary to MPF, then you can not hide.

This is a pretty good read, which might help you understand another reason why we binge. I copied it from a site one time but can't remember where:

A key component to achieving optimal health and fat burning is stable blood sugar. Your brain can only burn glucose (blood sugar). Your brain cannot store glucose. Therefore, your brain, which controls all your body's functions, is totally dependent upon the level of glucose in your blood at any given moment. That is how critical stable blood sugar is. Ultimately, the state of your consciousness and the state of your health is literally dictated by what you eat. The key is to keep your blood sugar stable all the time.


Stable Blood Sugar? The Key to Ultimate Energy and Fat Burning!

The best source of glucose is carbohydrates. The key is how rapidly these carbohydrates enter your blood stream. If they rush in (either by eating processed carbohydrates or simply too many carbohydrates for your body), you will have excess glucose in your blood stream, causing your blood sugar to spike. In turn, your pancreas secretes insulin. Insulin is your body's most powerful storage hormone. Insulin totally blocks your body's ability to burn fat, converts all the excess blood sugar into triglycerides (blood fats), and stores these fats in your fat cells. Insulin causes your blood sugar to plummet, leaving you in a hypoglycemic (low blood sugar) state. This is a stressful state, which triggers the release of cortisol, a very destructive hormone that suppresses your immune system, encourages fat storage, accelerates brain aging, and breaks down your muscles and bones.

Because your brain is totally dependent upon glucose, your brain is now starving. Everything becomes secondary to food. The most appealing food to your glucose-starved brain is sugar and other processed carbohydrates. Excess insulin causes you to store fat, become mentally unfocused, and hungry. It is not lack of will power that causes cravings and binge eating?it is your blood sugar, thrown out of balance when you eat processed carbohydrates or too many carbohydrates for your body.

Don't just make yourself a snack - especially when you're busy and won't take the time to think about what you're doing. If you want a snack, honestly take the time to think about what you want - be it popcorn or an apple or even something indulgent. Then, take a few moments to prepare it and sit down at a table and eat it thoughtfully. Think about why you're eating it while you eat it - you're hungry and need a snack so you don't eat up all of the leftovers! Relax and eat it thoughtfully, savoring every bite. Then get up and finish your task. Once you're finished, reassess - are you still hungry? If yes, make yourself a little more. The important thing is that you think about everything that passes your lips and you don't allow yourself to eat if you don't give yourself the luxury of sitting to do it.

Pop corn low on cals.. Wow....................... xx Thanks for that, did not think about it.. and love pop corn.. xxxx

Very enlighten ... as I have been cutting down on the sugars my hunger has also been dropping. This makes a lot of sense to me.
Thank you for sharing this.

lap222---You really started a great topic, and it looks like plenty of us have this problem as the responses indicate. Don't you think that any of us that have a LOT of weight to lose have binge eating problems. I just started this MFP site 6 days ago and it has helped me stop and think before I put anything in my mouth and to think about what I'm bringing home from the store. I think we all know that there may be times when that binging curse will rear up it's ugly head. All we can do is forgive ourselves and get back on track the next day without being on a guilt trip. Just make sure we've added it to our food diary. I think the diary is great. I've tried to keep a food diary in the past, but could always tell myself that I ate fewer calories/carbs, etc.; but this comes right up and tells you right then what your counts are. Thanks for starting this topic, it helps so much knowing there are others with the same problems. These are things that can't be discussed with our skinny family or friends. They just don't comprehend this struggle. Good new week to everyone.:flowerforyou:

Another tip: log everything you eat, even if you don't make your goals. And don't tell yourself "I can't eat this", rather, tell yourself, "I can eat whatever I like, but I have to exercise enough to burn off the calories." This combination reduces the temptation to say "oh well - I've blown it now, too late," and keep eating. If I've had one piece of cake more than my calorie budget allows, I know I haven't blown it, but have to fit in another 30-40 minutes of moderate exercise that I hadn't planned. I know if I go on and have another slice, it'll be an hour or more. And if I don't have time today, it will still show up in my weekly report, so I'll have to find the time tomorrow - there is no getting around it.