Need support from those who struggle with binging..

I don't really have a sweet tooth, even though I get a sugar rage once in a while. My problem is with salty stuff such as chips.
I say you go with what you feel will work for you. For me, is just staying away from it. It works well.
My biggest problem is the quantities... I can eat a lot! If anyone has a tip...

It's tough...it's like a slippery slope sometimes. Just gotta be strong and have some self control. I feel that if you avoid the cravings...they only get worse. Just enjoy in moderation...and drink plenty of water.

Without any in-depth research or study (I'm a non-expert), I think it's hard to live and get healthy with all the pressure we can sometimes put on ourselves. There is no one way to do most things. So you've been craving a sweet for a bit. It seems as if you haven't given in so why not plan to have a sweet at the party. If you decide to have some cake tonite what will help you to have the one small serving you've planned for? Does it help for you to tell your husband and maybe a few friends that you've been struggling and have planned to only have one small piece of cake. Get the small piece of cake and savor each bite. Then when it's gone you're done. Or if after some thought you think the party atmosphere will be too challenging, get your sweet right before the party. Maybe not a McFlurry since it's so high in calorie, but maybe there's a good alternative. But make sure it's a single serving only.

Believe in yourself and your ability to overcome the habit of binge eating. It's great that you are getting support and help to handle this. Don't stress yourself out. Take some deep breaths, collect your thoughts, create a plan, and implement. Just today, just focus on today. You'll do the right thing!!! I'll keep you in my thoughts.

Hi debomommyforh, I have struggled with binge eating for most of my life and have had the opportunity to work with some really great doctors who have helped me to become incredibly mindful of where I go in my head while binging. As I look back now at the struggle I had, I know that I went in waves of denying myself everything and then allowing everything. There are different schools of thought and no one right answer. People will often swing along the spectrum of eating disorders, taking on binge eating and bulimic habits or binge eating and then anorexic habits in an effort to undue what they have "done."

I would usually stop myself from eating any of the cake for example, because I knew that even if I had a piece of it, I would tear myself apart for eating it., even if it was just a little bite. As I started to get better, I started to realize that I could have just one piece. I learned to watch myself think through a binge; often thinking "there won't be any more, so I have to eat it now." Now, I try to be gentle with myself, so if I do decide to have a piece of cake (or whatever) I will talk myself through it and ask myself questions in advance Before: 1. Do I really want this? 2. Why do I want it? 3. Do I feel emotional right now? (If I am emotional, I will usually avid eating for 30 minutes) 4. Will this put me over my calories (if yes, I either won't eat it or if I do decide to eat it, I make sure to exercise it off (I ask myself, "Is it worth 1 hr in the pool for 1/2 a piece of cake?".) There were times when I would eat it and promise myself to exercise and then I woudn't, and ended up feeling terrible about myself, so now I know that if I probably won't be able to work it off, t doesn't go into my mouth.

While I am eating, I talk to myself: Am I enjoying this? If yes, I try to eat it slowly, putting my fork down between bites and letting the taste sit in my mouth. If no, I throw it out.
If i was enjoying it, as I start to finish the piece and look towards the rest of the cake that s left, I remind myself that that is not the ONLY cake. If I want cake later, I can go to the store and buy it any time. It is always accessible to me. For now, I don't have to have another piece.

If I have a party to attend, I will exercise in the morning to 1. give me extra calories incase there is a treat there that I would like to have and 2. to make me think twice if that treat is worth all the hard work I did during the workout earlier that day.

If I overeat, I usually get sulky and pissy and then just want to eat more, but I force myself to go for a walk or exercise. The problem with food addiction and disordered eating is that most people have issues with it and simply don't realize it. When I think about people who struggle with alcohol addiction and places they often avoid (bars, festivals, sports games, etc) I work to do the same. I avoid buffets, fast food restaurants, and take out. I choose not to buy crappy foods to keep around the house that I know I will binge on. I try to avoid big eating parties or going to other peoples homes for dinner unless I know what will be served. On those family get together's that can't be avoided, I make a point of having 1 plate of food and putting off desert until the very end, knowing that I can have it any time, but am choosing not to. If I do decide to have it, that I am having it because I want it, not because I feel an urge to eat. I will also tell myself, if I skip this and want a different treat later that night, I will let myself do that. I usually end up skipping the cake and then not stopping to get a different treat because then I have to think myself through getting off route on my way home, going into the store, picking out what I want, how much $ it will cost me, and that I will have to buy it from the cashier. If I do stop, I will only buy single servings - 1 ice cream bar from a convenience store or 1 chocolate bar or a small bag of whatever.

The most important thing to remember is that if you do eat the cake and go over, as soon as your put your fork down, you're still OK! You're still losing weight and you're still on the right track!

I still wont keep a box of chocolates in the fridge because if I do they will be on my mind until I throw them out or eat them all, and that isn't something I want to do to myself, but I'm getting better and I'm doing a really good job.

It's great that you are premeditating what tonight will be like so that you can create an "escape route" for yourself.

You're doing great!!!

To complicate matters, I've noticed in my own experience, I can be either one of the two types at different times. Depending on my mood and emotional state, sometimes I need to have a little bit of something to win the psychological battle, and sometimes I need to go to extreme lengths to avoid it altogether.

This is me, exactly. Sometimes I can have a little and let it settle my craving. Sometimes a handful of raisins will send me off the deep end of sugar-binge-depravity.

Ask yourself how YOU feel. Do you think you will downward spiral for a slice of cake? If you have the slice, have an escape plan for not having more. I would tell people around me I am only having one slice, so then I would feel embarrassed if I went for seconds. Crowd accountability, heh. I told my class one year that I wasn't eating sugars, and lo and behold, they became my sugar patrol. Their parents would bring cupcakes, and a nice piece of fruit for the teacher. Kids would come around offering left over treats to teachers, and my class would shoo them away at the door.

I'm trying to train my fiancee the same way, haha. ; )

Also, from the Christian aspect, check out the book and devotional Made to Crave. She discusses this a lot. It's been very beneficial for me!