Hi! I am a binge eater. This latest binge is lasting way too long. I need some help. Through the years I have gotten some help from many sources. The one that worked was expensive counseling with doctor monitored blood tests & meal replacements and exercise. After stopping for two years, I am going through it again. But now I am retired and the money is just not there for this. So I am looking for a good self help book, and anything else to get back control or to manage it. I have had a lifetime of healthy eating and binge eating. I want a healthy relationship with food again. Not this binging overeating out of control thing. I am getting so big, and now I am taking 2 kinds of blood pressure medicine and cholesterol meds and the weight is affecting my arthritis.
This is hurting me and I seem to have no control. My husband says just stop eating so much. I wish I could. I really wish I could.
This fitness pal site seems to be a good place to start. Thanks for reading my rant.

Welcome for MFP and to BE Support Group!! It is too bad when people and especially love ones feel you just need to stop eating to lose weight. When you are a binge eater or have an addiction to food it is so much more than just stop eating.

Below is a good email article I received from WW with some good reminders and I feel some are very applicable to binging and others are not. I hope some of you find them helpful reminders! Have a good day!

12 Ways to Stop Overeating
Here are 12 tips to help you regain control of your eating habits.
Article By: Megan Gressor


You've done it by the book for a while. Watched your diet, made healthy choices, exercised every day. Then suddenly you're undoing all your hard work by saying, "I might as well give up. I'll never lose weight!"

"All-or-nothing" thinking doesn't help. People who overeat often feel out of control and disgusted with themselves. It becomes a vicious cycle, leading to low self-esteem and even more eating.

To regain control of your eating habits, ask yourself why you overeat. Is it your way of coping with stressful events? Has gorging on "forbidden" treats become a substitute for other pleasures lacking in your life? Do you use food to soothe, distract or reward yourself?

Breaking It Down
Once you've identified trigger factors, work out other ways to address them. Don't beat yourself up with every little lapse. Instead, focus on positive things you can do to replace or avoid overeating. Pay attention to how you feel when you eat certain foods; you'll start to notice patterns emerging (eating after a family argument, for example, or when you're bored, lonely or disappointed). Consider alternative ways to lift your mood when the urge threatens. Perhaps call a friend, go for a walk or see a movie.

Breaking the Habit
Here are some tips for winning the battle:

1.Take it slow. Crash dieting is more likely to end in losing control than a slow, steady loss of a pound or two each week.


2.Don't cheat yourself! Eat a sensible amount of food each day.


3.Allow occasional treats. If you don't totally cut out "forbidden" foods (such as those donuts that you love), you're more likely to stay on track, because deprivation often leads to overeating. Opt for low-fat versions of favorite foods.


4.Reward yourself for every win — how about a bath or a walk just to enjoy a sunset rather than a reward consisting of junk food.


5.Plan ahead to stay in control. Facing a big test or other ordeal that you fear will send you straight to the cookie jar? Try to keep healthy snacks around to nibble on instead, and exercise to offset your munching — and calm you down, too!


6.Share your feelings — sad, bad or otherwise — with family or friends.


7.Seek support from others trying to lose weight — family, friends or online buddies. They're there to help, and want to see you succeed.


8.Look to calming alternatives if stress is your trigger. Anything from deep breathing to yoga to arts and crafts could help. And don't forget: Exercise is a great tranquillizer. (It also reduces your appetite!)


9.Count to ten. Is overeating your way of coping with anger? Consider other ways of dealing with negative emotions, such as learning assertiveness techniques.


10.Find other ways to fill the void. If you typically overeat when you're looking for emotional nourishment; stop. Feed your spirit by caring for yourself as well as you can during times when you feel unloved, under-appreciated or unworthy. Be your own biggest fan and try to focus on your successes, not to the occasional lapse.


11.Be patient and forgiving of yourself. Long-established complex habits won't change overnight.


12.Avoid all-or-nothing thinking, such as "I've already blown my weight loss plan, I might as well finish off the box." Accept that you may go off the rails from time to time. So you've lost six pounds and regained three? It's important to congratulate yourself for the pounds that you lost. You're doing a great job!

We are battling with our own minds. We are mentally ill. That is a big gulp to swallow. Especially if being "mentally ill" isn't accepted in your family, or community, or religion - or by yourself. Society as a whole doesn't really understand what it means to be mentally ill and I think most people who don't know much about it are afraid of that terminology. It is the unknown. The media has depicted the mentally ill in a much more negative, non-controlled, humiliating manner - and IMO it hasn't been very accurate in general. I hope this continues to improve.

So very true!!

Thanks Diane!! That is a good thread! I have not read as many as you but when I was your age and on the bus in my middle to late twenties I had more time to read. Now I just don't have time to read when I am done reading and study for my ministry.

Welcome Never full!