Binge-Eating

Terrible advice!!!!! Sorry but eating 2-3 big meals a day is ridiculous!! You actually should be eating 5-6 smaller meals a day. When you are eating bigger, fewer meals you run the risk of putting your body into starvstion mode. Your body gets used to big meals spaced far apart so when it comes time to eat again you are STARVING!!! Then binge happens. I suggest do some of your own research and you are right to not deprived yourself of the things that you love and crave but in moderation.

I also would suggest that you fill your house with lots of fresh produce and fruits for snacking that you can access quickly. If I am hungry and I want to eat, it usually means NOW, if I have smart, healthy choices on hand in a hurry, thats what I reach for. I'm far from an expert but just thought I would throw that out there! Good luck friends!!!

Why don't you do the intelligent and obvious thing and practice moderation so you don't binge? You don't need to be "healthy" all week.

When you eat calories for the day, include into your maconutrients and calories something you've been craving. Problem solved. My diary is open, so I implore you to see that I eat whatever the heck I want. And guess what? I never binge.

Also, how many meals a day are you eating? Maybe you should consider doing 2-3 meals a day instead so that way you have larger, more satisfying meals. I only eat 3 meals a day and dang I love being stuffed! If you check my diary (March 27th), I had 1082 calories (1lb of food) from burgers and a small chocolate bar. Sometimes I'll make a gigantic burrito (that weighs around 3lbs) and eat that. I think it only takes up around 1300 calories or something like that.

rude!!!!!!!!!!! If we were all inteligent when it came to food we wouldnt be on here we all make bad choices this does not make them dumb!! This is a daily struggle for alot!

You SOOOOOO do not understand true Binge Eating. And you are very judgemental....That is like telling an alcholic...it's EASY. Just don't drink. Um...hello?! Very judgemental harsh words....and annoying.

^^ This!!

Or telling someone suffering from anorexia to 'just eat.' Or someone suffering with depression to 'just cheer up!'

Binge eating isn't something I'm able to give advice on - Thankfully it isn't an issue I have. Just wanted to add my two cents. No point in being rude when someone is looking for honest help!

Ok I read some but I got tired of the bashing and people who really have no clue. There are several reasons people binge eat and it is individual for everyone. I highly suggest Overeaters anonymous. Once I learned what foods I specifically need to stear clear from I have been better able to control my binges. I still have trouble usually when I have been really stressed. Some people have certain types of food they are more likely to binge on and some people will binge on anything available. Try to keep a diary of the type of foods you eat when you binge. If possible do not keep these foods in your house. Each day try to reaffirm the fact that you are not going to binge today. Pray write sticky notes. If you catch yourself before, durring, or after a binge and this takes practice and willpower, stop and tell yourself to start again right then. Do not give yourself the OK to continue the binge and just start again tomorrow. I had some success changing my habbit over to gum chewing. I also eat a small meal 100-200 cals every 2-3 hours. For me sugar and fatty foods set me off so I stear clear and try to keep them out of the house as much as possible. If it matters I am not a registered dietician or anything but I am a registered Nurse and recovering Binge eater. Some of this stuff sounded hokey to me when I first heard of Overeaters anonymous but when I got real with myself it really has helped. Feel free to add me as a friend and maybe we can help each other.

Ok I read some but I got tired of the bashing and people who really have no clue. There are several reasons people binge eat and it is individual for everyone. I highly suggest Overeaters anonymous. Once I learned what foods I specifically need to stear clear from I have been better able to control my binges. I still have trouble usually when I have been really stressed. Some people have certain types of food they are more likely to binge on and some people will binge on anything available. Try to keep a diary of the type of foods you eat when you binge. If possible do not keep these foods in your house. Each day try to reaffirm the fact that you are not going to binge today. Pray write sticky notes. If you catch yourself before, durring, or after a binge and this takes practice and willpower, stop and tell yourself to start again right then. Do not give yourself the OK to continue the binge and just start again tomorrow. I had some success changing my habbit over to gum chewing. I also eat a small meal 100-200 cals every 2-3 hours. For me sugar and fatty foods set me off so I stear clear and try to keep them out of the house as much as possible. If it matters I am not a registered dietician or anything but I am a registered Nurse and recovering Binge eater. Some of this stuff sounded hokey to me when I first heard of Overeaters anonymous but when I got real with myself it really has helped. Feel free to add me as a friend and maybe we can help each other.

This is great advice!!! Do this!!

People getting rowdy about binge eating. There is a level of accountability that must be taken. I don't disagree that it may be a disorder but I used to be a binge eater. Maybe I don't understand because I got over it so easily by simply creating a healthy relationship with food and being logical. Let's be real at the moment. You guys are referring to food as "unhealthy." There is nothing unhealthy about what you ate at that point in time. The food isn't unhealthy but your dietary habits. To me, there are no healthy or unhealthy foods.

I never, ever feel guilty eating food. Guilt as the result of eating is illogical. It just simply signals that you have a poor relationship with food. Eat. Live life. It's a joy of life. People assume that once you need to start losing fat, you need to eat salads, grilled chicken, no red meat, no chocolate bars, no this or that. It's all no and very few yeses then we wonder why we binge when presented for that delectable "no" food. And once it hits our mouth after we give in? We can't stop. The pleasure is too good.

Maybe it's different for other people but that's how it was for me. My life changed quite quickly and easily and, again, it may very well be because I chose to educate myself instead of feeding into nonsensical, mass media-driven garbage that made me uncomfortable with food.

Maybe I don't understand because there are so many people who use psychology as a scapegoat and do not want to be culpable. I held myself responsible for being obese (208lbs @ 5'6") and for eating a lot of food. I used to say, "I can't control myself" but, in actuality, I chose to eat every bite.

Do you think if you go see help that the advice will be any different than mine? That you'll have your hand held and told that you aren't accountable for your actions then put on medication? I highly doubt it but considering that prescribed medication for psychological disorders is normal now then I could be quite wrong.

Love me or hate me, there is a dash of truth to what I say.

There is a difference between over eating and binge eating. Mentally, binge eating tears you apart on the inside. You have no idea what you are talking about...it is not easy to overcome. You learned to eat healthy, which is great but you dont fight with what true binge eating is. It is a compulsion...It takes over you and you eat until you cant stop. You eat alone, you lie about what you eat, you send people away so you can binge. Its not...oh my god I ate 3 pieces of pizza and Im such a fatty...its sitting in your apartment with an entire pizza and consuming it, hiding the box and not talking about it. You then mentally beat your self up, wallow in self loathing and swear to never do it again until you cant overcome the urge again. It is a TRUE problem and the fact that you are so quick to dismiss it and basically call people who deal with it weak shows your ignorance.

I have been overweight most of my life. I know I have an unhealthy relationship with food. I have been on both sides of the fence with eating disorders.

I have tried eating nothing but grapefruit juice and 20 croutons a day for several months while doing 2 hardcore workouts a day. "So not healthy” Lost 40 pounds had an ulcer but looked great in my bathing suit. This was at age 17;

To

Training for competitive bodybuilding shows, working out super hard 1-2 times per day but eating a ton of protein, low fat, and low carbs. I was very lean and fit at 178lbs. Fully obsessed with everything I put in my mouth and every second I spent at the gym. It was all I thought about.

To

Now I am 41 , 240 lbs at 5'7 hiding food from my family so they do not see me eat. Well actually I have been back on the wagon for 6 days now! Feeling so much better.

I have been a closet eater since my childhood. I was taught that eating was something to be embarrassed of. This is horrible. I know it is an irrational feeling but I cannot help it. I know I made the choice to eat the foods that have gotten me to this horrible place, and then I go crazy and try to fix it again.

I have been to these and so many more places with my struggles for weight management. I could write a book for sure. It is a mental disorder, and unhealthy view of food that is instilled in me. It is so embedded in me I do not think it will ever go away. Even when I eat a "healthy" food I feel guilty at times.

Looking back at all of my struggles there has always been an obsessive behavior , from starving myself, to working out way more than normal people should, to eating entire bags of candy or boxes of cookies in one sitting.

At 41 I hope this time I can find a way to learn moderation. I have gone back to the way of eating that works best for me. I track every single food I eat, and what I have found helped me keep my weight off for the longest time before "2 1/2 years" was giving myself a cheat day every week. I will not add this until I lose at least half of my weight or more but this made a huge difference for me in the past. I would eat "clean" all week and choose 1 day where I ate really anything I wanted all day. By the time the day was over I was so ready to go back to my "clean" eating. It was funny when I gave myself that freedom I really could not eat so horribly simply because I would get so full but even a small blizzard from Dairy Queen would be enough to get me through to the next cheat day.

A TRUE binge eater does not just "get over it". It is like having any other addiction to drugs or alcohol. The problem with being a food addict is we cannot just STOP eating. Food is neccessary to live so unlike an alcoholic or drug addict you cannot avoid your addiction. You will ALWAYS be an addict.

I am very knowledgable about nutrition, I know what I should eat and how I should eat so education is not the problem. I also know that not everyone can eat whatever they want. Everyone has a different body chemistry, different metabolism, different sensitivities. If you have been blessed to be able to eat whatever you want good for you but do not make the mistake to think that everyone can do this.

Just stop, pack a bag and head for the gym. Exercise is amazing, and you know that sick bloated feeling you get after you binge? Well the opposite of that feeling is the feeling you get when you get back from a hard sweaty workout. A happy satisfied feeling. Just stop eating and exercise. You can do it.

I run 10+ miles a week, Zumba, and weight train. Exercise does not make a difference in binge eating for some people.

I used to binge...it usually was when i denied myself something for too long.

So maybe eat what you like but in moderation...so you dont feel like youre missing out?

Thank you PeggyWoodson! I don't binge because I feel deprived typically its because I'm stressed or because I have emotional ties to foods and once I start eating unhealthy things I have a hard time stopping.

That's my issue: once I start I can't stop.

Same. I can practice moderation for sure....and was doing so well with emotional eating until these last few weeks and boom! It was like damn it had been almost a year. For me it's definitely stress-mental, physical, and emotional. I think it's just something that takes time to overcome....

Same

Thank you PeggyWoodson! I don't binge because I feel deprived typically its because I'm stressed or because I have emotional ties to foods and once I start eating unhealthy things I have a hard time stopping.

This is exactly what I do....things like mashed potatoes, chips and dip, bread, pasta....all these things are things I lived on as a kid and it's nostalgic. I don't deny myself of food, I deny myself of large portions of the bad foods. I allow myself one treat everyday, under 150 calories, typically a piece of chocolate or a weight watchers ice cream. If I didn't do so well on my calories throughout the day then I just don't treat myself. Some people view this as a bad habit, but it works for me. We could be friends and help each other!

I binge every once in awhile and its more the mindset of when I'm binging that scares me than actually eating the food.

Looking at it from the behavior modification standpoint (I'm a special ed teacher), you first need to figure out what triggers the behavior of binge eating, which is easier said then done. It may help to write down what happened before the binge eating, and keep a log to see if their is a pattern. From reading the posts, it seems that many of you kno w your triggers. Its unrealistic think that we can change what triggers the binge eating, but you may be able to reduce it. For example, stress from life is hard to completely get rid of, but there are ways to reduce it.

too funny, im a special education teacher and ABA is my side job as well as my specialty! i never thought about taking this approach, but when i do try to apply this to myself and my last few binges (becoming farther and farther apart!!!) i find it incredibly challenging to find out what the direct antecedent is: it could be time since last meal, reduced calories in preparation for the pools in vegas in 3 weeks (gotta look good in that bikini and save up LOTS of alcohol calories ), the heat wave we had happening, the job promotion i just got, talking to my mom on the phone... it is so hard to do an ABC chart on myself, but i think i will try to next time i get the urge! i know for me its not stress, happiness, or lacking calories that make me binge- it literally feels like a little gremlin inside me takes control, but i will look at it from a behavioral point of view next time.

Two additional tools I relied on: lots and lots of decaf coffee & chewing gum - both helped calm the urge to binge