I'm a binge eater... how do I stop?

Everyone talks about binging....Does anyone DARE bring up purging? Is it a dirty secret? Is anyone out there afraid to talk about it? I just clicked on a random link about binging and not one topic was about purging.

Hi everyone. My first post. It's good to have others. I binge because it's my way of "stealing" a little joy. I need to change what gives me joy.

This was my problem!

I used to eat healthy for weeks, then eat a piece of cheesecake and POOF, there goes all my work and i'd gain about 20 pounds in a 3 month time span.

What I did was eat in moderation. For example, instead of depriving yourself completely from sweets, eat them once in a while in a small portion. Once every week allow yourself to have a small slice of chocolate cake or chips.
If that doesn't work for you, you can try to find healthy sweets. A lot of things from organic stores are delicious and healthy. Just make sure you eat small portions and keep track of what you're eating!

I totally empathize with you. I'm just like that and haven't been able to get over it. It's what keeps me from ever keeping the weight off. Very interested to hear what others say on how to stop.

There's no easy solution as far as I can tell. But you could try ACT therapy (acceptance and commitment therapy) which is essentially a western psychiatric version of eastern mindfulness techniques.

For me, the urge is always still there, but I find that the more care and love I put into my food, the less it surfaces. So I'd actually suggest learning to cook - like proper gourmet cooking. It really helps to feel satisfied with your food.

Identifying your triggers helps. Really analyse where your mind is going during those binges, and what led up to them. Sometimes you can modify your behaviors to avoid the triggers altogether.

There's a good book called "The End of Overeating" by David Kessler, which has some interesting info on how our brains are primed for binges with refined carb and high fat content foods. Reading it helped me to understand the power of the biological drives that were behind some of my behaviors, and knowing that also reduced them.

Finally, self forgiveness is key. You've got to get to that mental place where if you have a binge, you don't beat yourself up about it, you just make a promise to do better with the next meal and then let it go and move on. If you can do that, your long-term weight loss trend will still be downwards, so the binges really won't matter at all. It's only if you turn slip-ups into give-ups that you lose the game.

What helps me, is exercising in the morning. By getting my workout out of the way, when I feel like cheating or binging out I think to myself: "Do I really want to completely undo everything I did this morning? what the hell did I bust my *kitten* for anyway?"
Or, I do things like look at a dress I'd like to wear for my birthday in 2 months, that I wouldn't dare try to wear now, and then realize that that cookie isn't friggin worth it, turning heads in that dress is worth all the hard work!

That usually is enough motivation for me to stay on track.

whose the arthur for the book "Think and Grow Thin"

I struggle with this too.. infact ive gained 4lbs this week just from binging! it seems when i start eating i cant stop i neither feel hungry or full i just wanna stuff my face! Its very annoying and i feel so guilty at my weight gain but yet even today i was grazing on sweets! Some tips i use that do work unless im on a serious rampage.. green tea or water! Painting my nails, going for a walk, or stick on a dvd in a room with no food to munch on!

I can be amazing at eating well for so long. Weeks of healthy balanced eating.

Then one teenie tiny slip up, like a handful of doritos at lunch can send me into a downward spiral.

I don't know how to prevent this from happening. I have always struggled with binge eating and I have yet to find a way to stop. Anyone do this? Or have advice for me?

I have struggled with binge eating too - it falls into two categories for me 1) I binge because my diet is too restrictive 2) There is some emotion that I am uncomfortable with, and I try to comfort myself/block it out with food.

The answer to 1) has been to make sure I am eating enough, frequently enough. A nutritionist recommended I eat every 4 hours while I am awake and to be careful around foods that are too easily swallowed. It takes about 20 mins for the message to get back to your brain that you're full. So, I have foods I like, say macaroni and cheese, but I will add broccoli or something else that requires more chewing, so that I naturally slow down. A handful of Doritos will not impact your weight loss efforts - why not find a way to incorporate the things you like into your meal plans? I myself just had a fluffernutter for breakfast, because I have been craving it. I bought some bread that comes in small slices to help keep the calories down.

The answer to 2) has been more elusive and I continue to work on that. There is a workbook called Food and Feelings that I think is great. http://www.amazon.com/The-Food-Feelings-Workbook-Emotional/dp/0936077204 I also like books by Geneen Roth who writes about emotional eating.

A therapist recommended planning out some activity that I will consciously turn to when I feel distressed - it could be a walk, playing/pounding clay, getting out my Dover coloring books and colored pencils, anything. We make our lives very flat when we use food to solve all our problems.

I also try to learn from a binge - just be curious "Gee, I notice I am not eating mindfully...I wonder why?" Sometimes I can trace back to where I started feeling distressed. Making a mistake is not the end of the world - it really is an opportunity to learn about yourself and what is going on in your head and heart.

:happy:

I do this too....some reason once i have a handful of something bad my brain thinks it's okay to keep eating more ¬.¬