Binge-Eating

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Replies

  • joyw37
    joyw37 Posts: 38
    I understand binge eating.

    If i eat one m&m(or chips, or donuts etc, etc), i'm going to probably eat the whole bag, and won't feel satisfied until I feel sick. The ONLY thing i have found that works for ME is to cut out processed foods and sugar. Whenever I do that, I don't even think about binge eating. Not really sure why, but I don't. The problem is though, once I eat just one bite of something sweet, the process starts over and it is SO very hard to get back on track. I totally know i'm a food addict.
  • lawkat
    lawkat Posts: 538 Member
    I struggle with being an emotional binge eater. It is tough some days to not eat everything in my fridge. What I do is when I get that feeling to binge, I try to think about why I want to eat. I will try to find something to occupy myself or try to sit down and resolve the issue. Generally distraction helps a lot and I feel less likely to eat anymore. There are a number of books out there about emotional eating and how you can combat it, one step at a time.

    Try and stop yourself before you go on a binge. Think about why you are eating and does eating a bag of chips really help solve the problem. The answer should be no, food is not the solution. You have to remind yourself of that. I know it sounds far easier than it sounds, but was the first step for me to help deal with my emotional eating.
  • kristenlees122
    kristenlees122 Posts: 242
    i binge eat because i deprive myself. i try and be so 'good' and then i end up eating everything in sight. its stupid, and horrible, and i hate the way i feel, and i need to learn moderation... i also need to get rid of my emotions, as they seem to tie in as well. lol
  • Natihilator
    Natihilator Posts: 1,778 Member
    There are two types of binge eating, each the result of something different:
    1) caused by deprivation or monotony...a lot of people will binge when they deprive themselves. Also, eating the same things all the time will cause it because your body and mind get bored. I used to think eating the same thing all the time worked for me until I realized that by every weekend, I was going overboard to the point of making myself sick. Once I learned to incorporate variety, I was much better off.

    2) caused by emotional issues...I feel for anyone that binges due to emotional troubles. It is the hardest to pin point and fix considering the cause can be something so underlying that it takes hours of treatment to get to the root. I know that for me, I can trace it back to child hood. Anytime something difficult happened, my mom fixed it with us going out to eat, etc. If emotional binging is what is going on, I suggest OA or some other form of "treatment". Try some groups on here to start with.

    It does get better with awareness and being proactive to heal. I promise.

    I totally agree with those two different reasons for binge eating, and I was a practitioner of both.

    For the past several months I have been hyper aware of situations or feelings that might bring about an urge to binge, and have for the most part kept it in check. What people don't tell you is that even though you may win the 'binge war', the aftermath is still hard to deal with. Honestly, it does feel a bit empty and lonely at times to be upset about something and not pacify yourself with food.

    As far as my diet, I don't restrict anything, but that also doesn't mean that I eat any amount of anything I want, any time I want it. Having no dietary restrictions is a very strong mental tool to keep myself desiring the forbidden foods, and I think it also really does help with keeping me from bingeing - if I can eat it anyway and fit it into my calorie goal, then why eat a huge amount of it and hate myself during/afterwards.
  • kdeaux1959
    kdeaux1959 Posts: 2,675 Member
    You have successfully started STEP ONE.... You are on MFP. Track daily and maintain your portions (honestly) within the restraints of the program. Even after you reach your goal, continue to monitor. However, for me (the world's most pathological binge eater), once I start controlling my eating patterns, I tend to control it fairly wll.. Essetially I go from OCD eating to OCD weight loss - but only to the appropriate level... No anorexia here... I suppose as long as I am OCD in a healthy way, it will be ok...
  • mischa_12
    mischa_12 Posts: 126 Member
    I'm a binge eater also. I have been all my life but it's only now started to spiral out of control again to the point. No one in my family believes me that it's an actual eating disorder.
    Sometimes I eat so much that the next day my stomach is so tender and sore to touch, I have no energy throughout the day and my self esteem is zero.
    Lately I've been finding myself throwing up after a really heavy binge...which of course doesn't reverse what I just did.

    I hate being this way and it's nice to have other people who understand what I'm going through too.

    Feel free to add me.
  • crimsontech
    crimsontech Posts: 234 Member
    I am definitely a binge eater (recovering, I hope). Here are some ways to help (from my own opinions and experiences):

    1) Log what you eat before you eat it. See what it's going to do to your goal for the day and give yourself an opportunity to change your mind before it's already in your stomach.

    2) Take it a day at a time. Focus on just moving the scale downward 1 pound. Then think about how great it felt to lose that pound and remember that a binge can jeopardize that progress. I worked so hard to get where I am that I would hate to do it all again just for the short-term happiness of eating.

    3) If you do overeat, don't let it ruin your day! It takes 3500 calories above what you burn in exercise and maintenance to gain one pound of fat. If you have a bad day and the scale jumps 3 pounds in one day, it's WATER. You probably ate too much sodium along with all those calories and your body is holding onto the water AND the extra food in your system. Just get back on track and it will go away within a couple of days. I *just* went through this, this very week... I had gained a few pounds for no reason (I ate at my goal but didn't exercise much) and over the last few days, with exercise and proper eating, my body shed the excess water and waste (like 6 pounds of it!) and I'm as low as I've weighed in years. (Just got under 300 pounds!)

    4) Do NOT, under any circumstances, buy the stuff that you binge on! This will take some practice and discipline, but it makes it easier to resist when you don't have it in the house!

    5) DO satisfy your cravings... find healthier versions of what you like (I make a tasty 350 calorie pizza!) or just budget the calories and enjoy what you want once in a while. Just don't feel guilty about it and don't let it convince you that you've 'ruined it'.

    6) Focus on filling up on healthy food more than you focus on denying yourself the yummy stuff. I think we can ALL find a veggie we like. I can stuff my face on carrots, celery, or a whole cucumber and get that comforting full feeling in a couple hundred calories instead of a couple THOUSAND.

    7) Talk to friends on here who get what you're going through. We encourage each other to stick to the plan and be smart!

    Good luck to all of us! :D
  • LiftBigtoGetFit
    LiftBigtoGetFit Posts: 3,399 Member
    one of the biggest things I have found to help me is planning out my day's meal a head of time. when I plan ahead and have the food either prepared or ready to be prepared I do good. if I don't take the time to plan ahead I find myself falling back into old habits like eating half a bag of chips or vending machine goodies. I have gotten better over the last 6 to 8 weeks but still have by bad days (when i am coming off of night shift/going back to day shift) don't let it discourage you and plan ahead as much as possible. :)
  • aimesylou
    aimesylou Posts: 5
    When I was in recovery from anorexia the restriction had been so bad I went totally the other way and swung into binge eating, so I know how awful it feels. My therapist at the time got me to keep a food diary but rather than just what I was eating I had to write down what was happening at the time I was eating. E.g. where I was, how I was feeling.

    I hated it at the time but it enables you to realise what's causing it. Eating disorders are almost always rooted in something deeper; chances are your eating isn't rational it's emotional. Realising what's causing you to use food to block out the pain is key. If you don't deal with the underlying issues you'll never be free of it.

    Every now and then I still binge but generally speaking I feel much more balanced and like I'm gradually figuring out what a normal eating pattern is.
  • Weighinginwithmy02
    Weighinginwithmy02 Posts: 369 Member
    I didn't bother to read every snarky post so sorry if I repeat. I got help for my binge eating. It was the only way I could break the cycle. I would eat until I was so full I could have easily been sick. I had no awareness of what "full" or "hungry" meant. I just knew that if I wasn't miserably stuffed then I wasn't done. I didn't allow myself to really feel much without medicating with food.

    Actually at the center I went to they had group therapy where anorexics, bulemics, food obsessed, bingers, morbidly obese... the whole lot of us were in the same room because we all had very unhealthy relationships with food and wrong way of thinking in regards to food. None of us dealt with our emotions, we just ate or totally didn't eat. Group work combined with cognitive behavior therapy, combined with psychology, combined with seeing a licensed dietician... it's what worked for me. I have never been this calm in in control over my food issues in my entire life. Ever. It is so liberating. I can't even describe the difference getting help made in my life.

    I "graduated" from therapy about 8 months ago and I have been binge free for over a year. At the center I went to they encouraged things like OA meetings. If you really think you have a problem then get help. Go to an OA meeting (it's free) if you can't afford help. Just take action.
  • wychwych
    wychwych Posts: 21
    Don't you sometimes hate the English language.

    Being Depressed can mean many things from feeling a bit down, to having a psychological illness which impacts on you life and requires professional intervention, to being so unwell that you are suicidal.

    Likewise someone who describes themselves as a binge eater could be unable to resist things they are trying to avoid or not be able to stop themselves when they have a biscuit or cookie and go on to eat the whole packet or someone who periodically has to eat everything in the cupboard, despite feeling physically unwell as a result.................

    the sad thing about both conditions is everyone thinks they are an expert, even if they have just been a bit down or have given in to a eating a bar of chocolate.
  • nesstle
    nesstle Posts: 62
    Hey there

    Im a binge eater to . I fall into the category of emotional eating.
    I havnt yet pinpointed exactly what casues it.
    But i think it is a control issue, when things feel out of control, or I feel like my choices have been taken away from me, I use food as a way to get back at the person/situation.
    Usually its some Fast food, and order around $20 worth and stuff it down my face so fast. And by god do I feel like such crap afterwards.
    And its that feeling of I control this situation, i can at least control that i can eat what i want.
    How I wish it was the other way round that I controled it by not eating all I can.

    There is the other side of binge eating which i think is more from bordem, im not entirly sure, but its usally when ive allready eaten. And it can be a healthy chicken and vege dinner, but I want to eat for the sake of it.

    Its a hard struggle but i am trying to control it. Because itf i dont then i want to purge afterwards and its slippery slope back to bulima from there.

    Add me if you like
  • yesthistime
    yesthistime Posts: 2,051 Member
    Don't you sometimes hate the English language.

    Being Depressed can mean many things from feeling a bit down, to having a psychological illness which impacts on you life and requires professional intervention, to being so unwell that you are suicidal.

    Likewise someone who describes themselves as a binge eater could be unable to resist things they are trying to avoid or not be able to stop themselves when they have a biscuit or cookie and go on to eat the whole packet or someone who periodically has to eat everything in the cupboard, despite feeling physically unwell as a result.................

    the sad thing about both conditions is everyone thinks they are an expert, even if they have just been a bit down or have given in to a eating a bar of chocolate.

    Yes. And because of the misuse/overuse of the terms, it can be difficult for those who suffer from clinical depression or binge-eating disorder to be taken seriously in these forums.
  • LucyvdPelt
    LucyvdPelt Posts: 34 Member
    i binge out of boredom - weekends are a killer

    i think i will try to go for a walk whenever i feel the urge to stuff my face - any other strategies besides the ones mentioned above that might help?
  • joannea1988
    joannea1988 Posts: 73
    i am a binge eater, but its started to help when i get the urge to do some house work, sometimes go out for a walk, the walk helps if im stress binge eating, i cant have just a little bit of food when im craving a binge it opens a can of worms. I still have moments honestly easter i was nearly on 5000 calories, it shocked me though, i try not to have bad foods in ie crisps , chocolate , ice cream mmmmm, anyway dont know if this helps, but it helps me a little x
  • LucyvdPelt
    LucyvdPelt Posts: 34 Member
    thanks - i think the housework is a very good idea - neclect mine at times anyhow :-)

    doing anything might really help to break that cycle
  • Lyra89
    Lyra89 Posts: 674 Member
    People with binge eating disorder please add me, I'm looking for as much support as I can get from others going through the same x

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