Controlling urges and binging

I'm really struggling with terrible binges as well lately. I wish I had some advice, but I think for me, I need to start busying myself and start laying down the law. It's almost like I convince myself that "calorie counting has no power over me" and binge, just to spite the system. Obviously this doesn't work. Would love to hear other thoughts, and good luck!

Bump!!! I have the same problem, I eat very good on the weekdays and for some reason I bing and eat all the bad foods on the weekends :-( trying to work on it.

These are great suggestions.

Also, I would add making better snack choices. You seem to go for high sugar stuff that makes your sugar peak and crash a lot.

Have some lean protein instead.

10 almonds
a boiled egg
beef jerky (small portion)

Eat it slowly, drink some water, and distract yourself like the above poster said.

You won't be hungry any more

Good luck!

Janice it was so hard for me when I first started this way of life. What I have found that helps me the most is by eating every 2 to 3 hours. I plan what I am gonna eat and I always have something that is in my plan to munch on. Here are some of the snacks I carry, cheese, cut up apples, few almonds, yogurt, carrots, celery. anything jus to eat so I dont wanna binge on the food not on my plan. I also carry around water sip out of it all day water sometime will fill you up where you are not hungry. Don't get disgusted or discouraged, whenyou mess up just get right back on track. We all do it and as long as you start over you will be successful.. Melva

Hey there....dont be so hard on yourself....its only day 3. Seems like you have a sweet tooth. One thing that helps me with the cravings is a banana and a cup of skim milk. To fill the other voids, water is the best...try for half a gallon a day for now...eventually progressing to a gallon. Portion control allows you to eat from 4-6 times a day. Set a cut off time for eating. I take a bottle of water to bed with me every night. Veggies, fruit, and protein are your best friends when dieting. Stay away from breads and pastas....of course the fried foods. Anything else you may need....add me as a friend. #ARMYBOUND

I have that problem all the time. Sometimes I make myself make whatever food I'm craving, take one bite, then throw it in the trash. I know it's really wasteful and all, but it works for me. It reminds me that I can turn down the food...and also gets the fattening foods out of my fridge.
Good luck!!!

I have the same problem! And I've been doing MFP for 4 days now a and haven't had any junk! This is AMAZING for me. One thing I needed to do is get rid of all the junk food in the house. That took care of some of the temptations. I've also had my boyfriend go to the store instead of me so i wouldnt be tempted to keep throwing candy and snack food in the cart. Now I know I can't stay out of the store for ever, but the way I see it, it's a habit I need to control. So I'm detoxing myself of all the junk and sweets that have essentially been ruining my life. Ya, I could work a sweet or two into my calorie count for the day, but then I would have to control how much I eat and not pig out. And that's always been a reason for my diet failures. So I've decided not to put myself in that situation, ya know? Be kind to myself and not add extra stress to my daily routine, when some days are hard to get through as it is. Good news is...WE CAN DO THIS!! One day at a time...

i would find some friends on MFP who have similar goals. make your food diary public, maybe the shame game will be good motivation? this journey is about wanting to do this and wanting to do this for yourself, no one else. sometimes you will have bad days, who doesnt, try again the next day. whats the worst that can happen? you CAN do this, you are here, you have taken the first steps. best of luck on your journey

1. Don't buy it
2. Start tracking everything you eat. Everything. It will give a sense of accountability for your actions and you can see the damage. Kinda like how writing something helps you memorize it.
3. If you have it, throw it in the trash.
4. Of course make sure you're not truly a food addict. If you're not sure, research it. Because if you are (most aren't) go get the necessary help.
5. You may need to experiment with your meal timing. Such as eating later in the day, or skipping or adding breakfast, whichever is your vice versa. If you have breakfast I suggest very few carbs and if so make it ezekiel bread or something similar, along with mostly good fats and proteins. Egg(s)(yes with the yolks) scrambled with a little olive oil and lean ham, canadian bacon, or even regular bacon..
6. If you're trying to eat " 6 to 8" small meals this can also increase urges. (yea I know that one will cause some hissy fits). Vice versa. if you're currently eating a bunch of small meals, you may need to switch to, say, 3 larger ones. None of that crap makes a difference it's all hype and it's totally dependent on the individual as to what will ultimately be the most beneficial. At the end of the day it's: Did you get your adequate intake of calories and nutrition?
7. Make sure you're eating enough decent calories a day.
8. Eat an apple or pickle...or two, if you can fit it in your intake.
9. yes try a large glass of water, perhaps with #8
10. If it's early in the day, try caffeine.
11. Some people report Glutamine as having an appetite suppressing kick
12. Know that one binge or even one day or two doesn't really damage your goals, or shouldn't at least.
13. Ditch the 100 calorie snack packs. You'll probably just eat 2 or 3 of them. And since they are pretty much devoid of anything useful for curing a crave, i.e. fiber or fat, or protein, for instance, you'll probably just want more.
14. Again, check your intake. Higher fat meals help you feel fuller longer. Of course, the fat type and amount is important.
15. Workout or take a brief walk if you can.

Of course this is all barring a malfunction or disease. Consult with your physician to know for sure.

I'm going to suggest really researching what happens to the food when it enters your body.

Have a look into what happens when you eat carbs, protein and fats. have a look at what happens when you eat refined carbs, unrefined carbs, unsaturated fat, saturated fat, lean protein, fattyer portions of protein etc etc etc. Get really educated.

When you eat something you'll then have an appreciation of what happens when you eat it and how it's going to effect your body.

I do not deprive myself of things. Since I've found out how food effects my body, I can look at something and think 'ok a LITTLE bit of that isn't going to hurt, but a lot of it is'. It's all about portions. I also agree with eating every few hours... if you're not hungry you're not likely to binge.

Google urge surfing - its a technique used for overcoming overeating and other addictive behaviours

http://www.aliceboyes.com/urge-surfing/

http://www.mindfulness.org.au/URGE SURFING.htm

I feel for you! Being from an Italian family and then marrying into an Italian family, binge eating has been my life. Nothing cuts the cravings; water, gum, tv, working out, nothing. I'm beginning to think that I chose the wrong career path and should have been a competitive eater. The only thing that works is willpower; cheesy as that sounds. Right now I have the same feeling that I had when I quit smoking for good, this time I'll have the willpower to do it. I've been eating right for two weeks now and it sucks! I want nothing more than to have a pizza, cheese-stake, cheese-fries and a couple beers, but I know that I can't, so I won't. I have no idea how this is going to turn out for me, but I'm trying really hard and I'm holding myself accountable for everything. I think that's a key too, to not make excuses. For me, I have no excuses to not eat right or to not exercise. Even if it's only a 20 minute walk. Anyway, I'm sure you're getting enough suggestions. Feel free to friend me, maybe I can help...or at least listen. Good Luck!