How do you stop from continual bingeing?

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  • saraann4
    saraann4 Posts: 1,312 Member
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    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".
  • luvmydog2
    luvmydog2 Posts: 243 Member
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    :wink: I try NOT TO HAVE THINGS IN THE HOUSE .....and no change in my purse ...so if i need to binge i have to pull out fantastic plastic ...and that turns me off :laugh: I do crave for sweet things and has always been my down fall ...but now i tell myself ...stop punishing your body ....because that is what we are doing . ..Good luck with your journey ...I am sure you will find an answere soon ...as every one is different .
  • AeolianHarp
    AeolianHarp Posts: 463 Member
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    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:
    108ea87.jpg
  • saraann4
    saraann4 Posts: 1,312 Member
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    Also, you may ask yourself, why am I eating right now? If you are bored, get out of the house and move. Walk your dog. If you don't have a dog, just go for a walk by yourself. Put on your ipod. If you are tired, take a nap. If you stomach is telling you that you are hungry try drinking a glass of water. If that doesn't help, reach for veggies or fruit. They have been helping me.
  • PatasDeGallina
    PatasDeGallina Posts: 155 Member
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    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!
  • watboy
    watboy Posts: 380 Member
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    STOP IT!
  • superstankazz
    superstankazz Posts: 193
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    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!
  • vivo
    vivo Posts: 80
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    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 ;)

    I have to admit that I wasn't as committed than when I first started, but I keep at it instead of giving up and stuffing my face (which i know i'm perfectly capable of doing ;) ) I don't binge often, it's just one of those weak moments, where I could have done better but instead made bad food choices. I just want to learn to retaliate because I find I cant do so instantly

    I'm looking into a clean diet, since processed foods does increase my likelihood of bingeing!
  • DTBurroughs
    DTBurroughs Posts: 21 Member
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    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.
  • vivo
    vivo Posts: 80
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    STOP IT!

    LOL, thanks that actually helps :D
  • AeolianHarp
    AeolianHarp Posts: 463 Member
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    One last thing:

    "“The combination of these data with George’s insightful idea, has merged into a modification of the popular Set-Point Theory of the regulation of body weight. The alternative “Settling Zone” Theory suggests that whereas biology may determine a range of body weights (adiposity) that are maintained fairly constant for long periods of time, within this “zone”, the behaviors responsible for controlling energy intake and energy expenditure are influenced primarily by environmental and cognitive stimuli.”
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12027375?ordinalpos=2&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum

    "And, I’d note again, it’s becoming abundantly clear that, regardless of set points or settling points or whatever you want to call it, the prevailing environment and individual behaviors can overcome either."
    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/set-points-settling-points-and-bodyweight-regulation-part-2.html

    So, processed foods may trigger cravings but, in the end, your behaviour is responsible for any food that goes down that gullet.
  • lisadlocks
    lisadlocks Posts: 212 Member
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    I have found myself binge eating when I am bored, lonely, sad, tired, tooooo hungry or feeling deprived. I also noticed each binge begins with a decision to eat one more and one more and one more. One time, before I started my binge I said enough and drank two bottles of water. The water made me very full for a while and interrupted my ability to eat more in the moment. I was surprised that it worked. Some literature suggests that we are often thirsty when we are hungry. Not quite sure if that applies when binge eating but anything you can do to interupt the pattern can stop the binge. I have also found that everytime I put off something until tomorrow, tomorrow comes. So why not do it today?
  • lucky2too
    lucky2too Posts: 69 Member
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    I don't keep anything I might binge on in the house.I drink water. I keep a container of washed fruit in the refrigerator for those craving moments. I get on my excercise bike or take a walk. I try to keep busy during those evening binge hours. I knit, crochet, paint, play computer games, do crosswords, read.... When all else fails I go to bed. And then every once and awile I binge on something fairly healthy and then forget about it.
  • TrailRunner61
    TrailRunner61 Posts: 2,505 Member
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    I don't binge anymore but in order to stop I had to NOT HAVE ANYTHING I'D BINGE ON in the house. Period. If I do want something that's not healthy, I will only purchase ONE serving of it so I can have a treat and to be able to trust myself to not eat an entire package. I know I can't sit down and eat a whole package of something now but if it was in the house, I'd still do it in a matter of days. No cookies for me. waaaaaaa.
    Good luck and I'll say a prayer for you to give you strength. You can do this!
  • watboy
    watboy Posts: 380 Member
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    I had someone tell me "just stop!" it made sense.
    LOL, thanks that actually helps
  • vivo
    vivo Posts: 80
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    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:
    108ea87.jpg


    Thank you so much for that, I do agree that bingeing does occur more from restrictive dieting. But i do find that I am compulsive, and though I'm aware that certain foods will lead to me overconsuming other foods, I get them anyways. For example I wanted greek yoghurt with the berry coulis, which lead me to buy muesli, one of the foods that I find is hard to limit to a cup.

    I do admire that you're able to have a chocolate stash and teach yourself not to binge. I hope that I'll be able to gradually be able to do that. For now i do find that i'm compulsive. I'm guessing it's because as a child i was highly praised for finishing my food, and tend to be the 'trash can' of the family, finishing the leftovers of others. But as I got older it became a problem, because I have to watch what i eat. I'm able to eat a lot and it takes a while for me to get full so it's definitely a challenge. Food that's accessible makes it harder for me and I have yet to learn that
  • emrys1976
    emrys1976 Posts: 213 Member
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    I agree with a lot of what's been said already, particularly making binge and trigger foods less accessible, eating as much healthy food as possible, and being careful about your level of restriction. Therapy has been vitally important to me through the years to help alleviate some of my worst eating problems. It's so very important to figure out what your trigger emotions are. For instance, if I'm sad I want to go to bed and hide away for a bit - I don't want to eat. If I'm anxious (that includes excitement), I want to eat until I'm miserable. Once you know what emotions lead to that, make a plan for what to do the next time you feel that way. When I realize I'm getting too anxious, I start with breathing and slowing down. If that isn't enough, I move into plan b, which for me is typically shortening the to-do list, which is generally the source of my anxiety. If that doesn't work, I go into what I call "procrastination mode." In that case, I feel really out-of-control and like I can't talk myself out of it. So I say to myself, "I'm not going to binge today, I'll do it tomorrow." If that's too far away, I'll tell myself not this meal, the next meal. If that doesn't work I tell myself I can binge after I eat a healthy meal. Generally speaking, that gives me time to calm down and get back on track. I also cannot tell you how many times eating a little something warded off a binge. If eating a 200 calorie snack can prevent me from creating a 4000+ calorie binge, it's definitely worth it!

    Just a side note - in regards to people who offer advice such as "stop it" or "you're not ready," while that may be sound advice for a person without emotional eating or disordered eating, for anyone who does struggle it is not that simple. It is important that you don't beat yourself up when you "give in" or "fall off the wagon." That sort of self-blaming will actually lead most of us into an even worse cycle of bingeing (or severe restrictions, purging, etc.). Approach your bingeing slip-ups with curiosity and a goal of understanding what it was you were needing. Good luck with everything!

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