How do you stop from continual bingeing?

Mental strength is the only thing that will stop me from bingeing. Mental strength = making a choice = decision and commitment. We make decisions all day, every day. I have to ask myself - what do I want the most? Do I really "need" some of that chocolate cake? Or do I WANT a slimmer and healthier body? I ask myself that question every single time I am facing temptation. I also make sure I don't get to the stage of ravenous hunger, that always leads to bingeing. Good luck.

Don't deny yourself something sweet if that's what you binge on. Have some chocolate or a bowl of icecream. A small amount isn't going to hurt. Add it in your log and as long as your hitting your calories you still good. I find if I deny myself for it, I do for alil then go crazy and eat all the sweets in site. Which is a lot cus I work at the hospital and there is a vending machine at the end of the hall :-) So don't deny yourself a treat......just in moderation.

bump...in this situation right now...

For me, a combination of boredom, too much restriction and tiredness lead to binges.
I am now trying to get to bed earlier, do different things to occupy myself and allow myself a few really nice quality chocolates each evening between my dinner and my more nutritious yoghurt/fruit dessert. If you have a moment in the day when you fancy a treat, and deny it, it can be worse in the long run, I have found, and lead to binge eating later. Just try and keep 80% of your food intake nutritious and healthy, and allow the other 20% to be less healthy and see if that works, not that all chocolate etc is totally unhealthy anyway. Aside from that, I would agree on mental strength. Pause and actually think about what you are about to eat, and why you are about to eat it, and if you are actually hungry and need something more substantial than a sweet treat etc.

bump thanks for the advice

I have found that the fake stuff, or even just a tiny bit of the real stuff, makes me want to binge even more. I started out chewing gum when I got the munchies, and all it did was make me obsess over wanting sweets. Cold turkey was the only way for me, but I have very little self control once I get started

I find if I eat junk...I have a hard time stopping myself. Sugar is very addicting. I have been eating clean for 3 weeks. Only eating fresh fruits & veggies grown above the ground but no corn. eating mostly homecooked meals with no sugar or fat. I have been losing pretty good from it. I don't have cravings for the junk either, but if I eat some I'm sure I would be hooked again.

Therapy (originally started for something else) has been helping me figure out WHY I binge. So I'm working hard on the underlying issues--which I never knew even existed until recently, as I had always just figured I was lazy, weak, simply had bad food habits--and the eating part is getting better as a result.

perhaps you're not yet committed to this...return in a couple of months and start the work you could be done by then again

Mental strength is the only thing that will stop me from bingeing. Mental strength = making a choice = decision and commitment. We make decisions all day, every day. I have to ask myself - what do I want the most? Do I really "need" some of that chocolate cake? Or do I WANT a slimmer and healthier body? I ask myself that question every single time I am facing temptation. I also make sure I don't get to the stage of ravenous hunger, that always leads to bingeing. Good luck.

TOTALLY AGREE!! It feels good to say "No, I don't want that." We are having a big party tomorrow for my dad because he is turning 60 years old. I was also told they were ordering pizza. MMmmm, right? Me ...no! I already made sure that I have salad in the fridge and also my lean cuisine pizza (actually pretty tasty) that I can eat instead of the real thing. I'm sure I'll get some slack saying you should have a free day blah blah blah. The thing is I have built in free days. I told myself that I will have a free day everytime I lose 10 lbs. May sound harsh to some, but to me it's realistic. The first week I started my diet, I turned down Fazoli's Taco Casita, Cheeseburger in Paradise, Chinese food, and so much more. I was so proud of myself. I'd rather eat healthy than eat a fattening meal that I'm just going to feel guilty about eating afterwards especially if it's not on my "free day".

Through my extensive research of binge eating, most researchers noted that they don't know what causes it but it usually occurs during RESTRICTIVE DIETING.

My advice? Incorporate flexible dieting into your life. This means that you should eat a combination of micronutrient-dense foods and also micronutrient-sparse foods that tickle your fancy. This won't make you any unhealthier. Abandon this idea that you need to eat "clean" to be healthy, lean, strong, etc. This does nothing but cause psychological roadblocks.

Look at my diary. I ate my cottage pie today, which has my nutrients from potatoes, peas, carrots, beef, tomato paste, and so forth. But I also ate a peep and two mini mr. bigs. This method has not failed me once. I'm never tempted to binge yet I used to binge constantly when I restricted my diet severely. Many other people also incorporated refined foods into their diet with great success. This is because a completely restrictive diet is not superior than one that is flexible. It's a proven fact but people are oblivious to such obvious things.

Not everyone can moderate but it has come to light that more people succeed being flexible than not. Just tell yourself it's okay not to always eat "clean." Every single thing that goes in your mouth doesn't have to be micronutrient-dense foods. If you incorporate something you enjoy everyday then you have no reason to binge because you get to eat it every single day. I eat chocolate every single day without fail.

"Clean" eating is the worst thing to ever happen to dieters. It's nonsensical garbage that no one can clearly define because it's ambiguous, arbitrary, and vague. Toss the word out, never use it again, and live your life. Make your diet fit your life not your life into the diet. As long as you adhere to your macronutrients and calories while getting in micornutrients then you'll do just as good as someone who eats restrictively.

In the end, being overly restrictive is counterproductive and provides no superior health or fat loss benefits. To make my point, check out my chocolate stash yet I only eat two or three things from this everyday. It took me a long time to make behavioural modifications to allow myself not to gorge on this food. I used to be a horrible binge eater but I taught myself it wasn't necessary:

All these suggestions are great. Try everything you can.

If nothing works, find a good weight loss doctor you trust and maybe see what they can offer you.

Phentermine works wonders and is safe, but it is only one option, and like I said, TRY EVERYTHING ELSE FIRST.

Best of luck to you!

I've been unable to stop my bingeing! Just when i think i'm going to eat clean again, I find it so hard to control myself and I make terrible food choices. Gained back the weight I lost, so it feels like what I've worked for is gone. I find that once I get back on track i can stick to it, but i'm finding it so hard. Any tips??

For me, the only way I keep from binging is to avoid all the things that trigger cravings....carbs and sugar! The more carbs and sugar you eat the more you want them. They are highly addictive!

I am an emotional eater, and I really struggle with binging. As of today, I have been binge free for 30 days!

Some things that have been helping me, in no particular order.

Remove the food from the situation. Just trash it. Ruin it if you have to. You can buy more if you need it later.

Remove yourself. For a week or so, I showered a lot. Can't eat in the shower. Go for a walk, a run, stand out in your yard, whatever.

Distraction. This is related to removing yourself, but I sometimes I have to get myself away from the possibility of eating before it will work.

Exploring the emotions. I have been adding a "why" section to my food journal. How did I feel when I decided to eat this, how did I feel afterward. Log it before you eat. If the reason isn't "hungry," I do the above things.

I think it's always a good idea to eat healthy, but I don't distinguish between "good" and "bad" foods, as when the urge hits any food will do. I made myself horribly sick once after eating flour from a bag since it was the only thing I could find in the house.