What do YOU do to stop a binge BEFORE it happens

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Replies

  • ellie0213
    ellie0213 Posts: 516 Member
    If your bingeing is actually craving food then there are tons of good ideas here. If your bingeing is actually emotional eating then you need to deal with the emotion. Easier said than done...but it is doable. Emotional eating is eating instead of feeling. This is so me. What I am trying is writing and praying to get to the heart of the hurts and stress. Planning what you are going to eat for the day can help by giving you the next thing to eat. So if you do start to binge you start with chicken breast and salad instead of potato chips and cookies. Some days I eat my snacks and lunch all at once before I can stop myself or am willing to stop. It does get better. Exercise endorphins help with the negative emotions. Hang in there! :flowerforyou:
  • archgrrrl
    archgrrrl Posts: 62
    For me binging has very little to do with cravings or being hungry. I binge when I'm stressed so what I've tried to do is binge on healthier foods. Last time instead of buying drive thru I went home and got out everything I wanted to eat. I ate a salad, salsa and chips, cottage cheese and one light beer. I ate til I was satisfied, hit maybe 1000 calories and was still around my goal for the day. I was surprised because in the past I would eat 2500 in a single binge. With not eating as much in general, I get fuller sooner so if I were to even try eating what I have it the past, it would be a complete waste of money and I'm trying to save for vacation. What better motivator then not having work for a week? Lol

    Me too! When I feel the need to binge, it's not because I am being restrictive with my calories or food choices. It's my method for coping with stress in my life. Obviously I need to work on different coping techniques, but until then I do the same and binge on healthier foods. My last binge consisted of beef jerky, a bowl of cheerios, a few graham crackers, a Fig Newton, and a couple squares of dark chocolate. For me, that's a triumph! In the past, it would've been Taco Bell, Little Debbie, and Ben & Jerry!
  • 81Katz
    81Katz Posts: 7,074 Member
    I dont buy or keep the junk food around me. When its staring you in the face its a lot harder to abstain from it.

    While I know that *I* am responsible for *me* and *my* choices it's very hard when I am living with the king of sweets and salt. Sometimes tempting and always very frustrating!
  • mcriley9906
    mcriley9906 Posts: 12
    Binge eating.. oh boy i'm so good at that.. not so good at eating right.. I have two young kids.. and during the day i seem to do ok.. I don't eat junk in front of my kids.. don't want them having it.. don't eat it right.. But my problem is when they go to bed or i'm by myself.. I then eat.. eat eat....i have tried everything to stop this.. or control it.. seems i am weak... I make jewelry i read, i clean.. but i always go back to eating..... and i'm a picky eater.. so it's hard..any idea's on this one...
  • NicoleG_86
    NicoleG_86 Posts: 61 Member
    I was a binge eater before I started losing weight. It's a big reason why I refusing to call what I am doing a diet. I am not on a diet, I have made a permanent life change.

    ^ This is how it is for me. I have to stop calling it a "diet". I am making a life change for my well being and I have to look at it that way. I have lost weight in the past just to gain it all back because I went off my "diet". Unfortunately, I am not the type of person who can get the weight off with a short diet and then be fine. I do literally have to make a life change.

    Planning my weekend meals in advance really helps too.
  • kellyreynolds14
    kellyreynolds14 Posts: 56
    A few things that are critical to keeping to my calorie range and stopping binging (imho):
    1) drink water CONSISTENTLY throughout the day (my weekness is that I hate water so this is constantly a challenge but it works WONDERS!) I have started to drink green tea. I heat a pot of water first thing in the morning and first thing when I get home and have my cup of tea. Seems to be working so far. Also try to have water every time you eat something, even if it is only a sip or two. Get in that habit.
    2) Do not leave trigger foods in your home. I belive this is the second most important, after drinking water. I had leftover cake after easter so I tossed it right away. Easter candy my mother-in-law insisted on giving us - I took it to work and let my cowerkers dig in instead of me. Get rid of leftovers that will tempt you. It only takes a second of weekness and WAM - you just ate 2000 calories because it was within reach during a moment of blind weakness. If it isn't in the house then your will power doesn't get strained as much. Also I found that when I do splurge on a nice dinner out my new resolve is to not take the leftovers home (because I know it will be gone as soon as I get home).
    3) One of my biggest triggers is when the house is a mess and I have 3 loads of half done laundry and I just got home from a long 10 hour day at work. I do NOT want to do chores so my stall method is to sit down and eat dinner. Then, when I STILL don't want to do my chores, I eat something else, then something else after that, etc. etc. I find that when my house is clean I don't have the never-ending-dinner problem any more.

    There are so many more techniques I have developed over time, the stuggle for me is that I need to use the techniques that I know work! Habit, Habit, Habit. I cannot give enough emphasis on making healthy eating a HABIT. I am still working on it of course.

    Oh and lastly, alcohol is seriously evil. Even if I budget for 1 beer after I have it, I am weakend and my eating goals often seem less important etc, etc. I would just offer to be the DD from now on out becuase hang overs suck and so does the gilt after a night of binging.

    GOOD luck and sorry for rambling!

    Oh and try our different recipies that are low calorie until you find a bunch of low calorie food you WANT to eat. Then you will fill up on great food, that you want to eat. It is a win win.

    Ok, now I'm really done :-)
  • Hippie_Soul
    Hippie_Soul Posts: 190 Member
    bumpity bumpity bump bump.....
  • fontinathefox
    fontinathefox Posts: 124 Member
    What about those of you who have recognised emotional eating, what do you do to stop it? I've realised recently that my fall-down is definitely when I'm feeling stressed or upset about something, but I don't know how to stop myself from doing it.
  • Inglebert
    Inglebert Posts: 34 Member
    Hello, haven't read through all these yet, but you're asking what I do. So here I go - binging is one of my biggest problems, and over the last few weeks I really feel I'm getting somewhere with preventing, controlling and reducing these (i.e. even when I do binge, it's not as much as it used to be).

    1. I use a neuro-linguistic-programming/hypnosis track to "reprogramme" my brain to not binge. There is one that works through a simulated binge that I have successfully used when a binge is imminent.

    2. The old ones help - brushing teeth, drinking tea/coffee/water, waiting 20 minutes (no that never works!).

    3. Go to bed - often binges try to happen when really I should go to bed.

    4. Crystallised ginger - one or two lumps are sweet and strong-tasting. Nothing tastes good afterwards, so can kill a binge.

    Key to these is wanting to not binge. If you don't get to that stage, you will binge.
  • go4itjoanna
    go4itjoanna Posts: 69 Member
    I brush my teeth. It really helps. Also drink a lot of water.
  • silvereve
    silvereve Posts: 69 Member
    I remember to H.A.L.T.. I do an internal check to see if I am really Hungry, if I am Angry about something, if I am Lonely, or if I am Tired.

    I love that word play! Great Idea and very useful! Thanks for posting.
  • silvereve
    silvereve Posts: 69 Member
    I remember to H.A.L.T.. I do an internal check to see if I am really Hungry, if I am Angry about something, if I am Lonely, or if I am Tired.

    Also, I wait a bit of time say an hour or some other amount that seems manageable before I eat that trigger food. Chances are I will forget about it or if I remember I might not really want it anymore.

    I ask myself how will I feel about myself if I give in to the binge.

    Thanks for the word play great idea!
  • AeolianHarp
    AeolianHarp Posts: 463 Member
    The thing that helped me stop binging was learning that it's okay to eat processed or junk foods in your diet on a regular basis as long as it does not make up significant quantity of it.

    I include everything in my diet ranging from chocolate to ice cream to cookies to whatever. If I want it, I will eat and fit it into my macronutrients and calories.

    Speaking of macronutrients and calories, this is another thing that helps me prevent binging. I have a set amount of calories, protein, carbs, and fat. I don't eat beyond what I have and this keeps me in line.

    This doesn't work for everyone but it worked perfectly for me. Once I recognized I'm not unhealthy for eating refined grains, processed foods, and so forth, it was a huge weight off my shoulders. I could eat with zero guilt and now I have a perfectly healthy relationship with food.
  • myfitnessnmhoy
    myfitnessnmhoy Posts: 2,105 Member
    Don't know about a "binge", but there are certain foods here at work from our cafeteria that smell really good, and sadly I sit near the cafeteria.

    I suppress both my appetite (which isn't as necessary once I rebalanced my diet to more proteins and fats and fewer carbs, especially sugars!) and the lovely aroma of pizza and other goodies with cinnamon gum.

    Once people start walking by me with big honkin' slabs of pizza, I pop a piece of gum and start chewing. If I can't smell it, I'm not as desperate for it.

    Actual binges I solve in a much simpler way. I leverage my slight tendency toward OCD and enter everything I eat into the mobile app. I eat whatever I want, but I'm honest to myself about what I'm eating. And I find that yes, I CAN refuse that last slice of chocolate cake on the tray, if it means I can sip another half-glass of good wine.

    My "binges" have started focusing on getting a small portion of the really tasty stuff, and taking my time over it, savoring every morsel to its fullest.

    I've also switched to dark chocolate chips for my dessert. Godiva 60% chips are about 5 calories each. Get a small bowl of them and suck on them instead of gobbling them down, and it's amazing how good a dessert you can get out of a couple hundred calories. They last for about an hour. Best enjoyed with a glass of good wine. ;)

    And I earn three chocolate chips a minute on the elliptical trainer! (grin)
  • myak623
    myak623 Posts: 615 Member
    I try to plan my meals ahead and I don't restrict anything. Most binging comes from a diet that is too restrictive. If you like chocolate cake w/ ice cream, don't look at it as bad. Find ways to fit a little into your day/week and still stay under calories.
  • IHeartNewMe
    IHeartNewMe Posts: 150 Member
    Get a hobby and get away from the kitchen!
  • malliexo
    malliexo Posts: 76 Member
    Here is what I do. I ask myself. Why am I binging? Am I hungry? Am I craving something? Once I figure out why I'm binging I eat I handle it.

    Last night I was starving when I got home. I started cooking dinner and instead of grabbing fattening treats, I ate a ton of baby carrots. I satisfied by hunger and cooked dinner. I controlled what could have been a binge. Did I eat a ton of carrots? Yes. Did I feel guilty about it? Not at all!

    If I realize I'm craving something I will eat something else and fill up and then have like one cookie. I satisfied the craving without wrecking my diet.

    I hope this helps!


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  • kendra0224
    kendra0224 Posts: 35
    I have found that being realistic about cravings, meals, etc is what is really going to let me be successful on this journey. I have a snack drawer in my kitchen that has chocolate, candy, and other little snack foods - ALL under 100 calories. That way if I get a craving or feel like I want something sweet I have low cal options. I look at it like, if I don't enjoy what I am eating the likelihood of me successfully losing weight is going to be really low. It's not that I don't have the willpower to not eat "junk" food, it's that I want to enjoy my life, but be healthy at the same time.
  • emilyc19
    emilyc19 Posts: 71 Member
    bump!
  • sarah307
    sarah307 Posts: 1,363 Member
    bump
  • Inglebert
    Inglebert Posts: 34 Member
    3) One of my biggest triggers is when the house is a mess and I have 3 loads of half done laundry and I just got home from a long 10 hour day at work. I do NOT want to do chores so my stall method is to sit down and eat dinner. Then, when I STILL don't want to do my chores, I eat something else, then something else after that, etc. etc. I find that when my house is clean I don't have the never-ending-dinner problem any more.

    This is one of my biggest triggers too! Am finding that getting up and doing the stuff not only keeps me from trickle-bingeing, but I am getting into the habit of being more active, and it's a pleasant cycle of improvement.
  • fontinathefox
    fontinathefox Posts: 124 Member
    Get a hobby and get away from the kitchen!

    The problem for me is the kitchen IS my hobby!
  • ripley821
    ripley821 Posts: 11 Member
    Just found this thread and found it really helpful!
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