Why can't i stop bingeing?

Only you know the emotional pain you are stuffing down with so much food in one sitting. Ask yourself what is making you suffer so much that you can't let it get out.

P.S. You can't truly change a behavior until you figure out what is triggering it. It's not about food. It's about using food to mask something. What is that something for you?

I'm not asking you to share anything openly; just trying to guide you, gently I hope.

Hey I had/have the same problem every now and then, and for me the biggest step in learning to control it was figuring out why I binged in the first place. I realised that it's definitely not hunger, and then started to take note of when it was that I got the out-of-control feeling - whenever I was stressed about something or procrastinating. By knowing this, most times (I'm still getting there ok!) I go have a bath or make some tea and try calm myself down. I also stress still about going out for meals with people because restaurant portions are so big. Now, I decide as soon as I get my food what I'm going to eat and what I'll leave, so I don't overdo it. Besides, going out with others for a meal isn't so much about the food as it is about the company, so engage in the conversation and just relax and enjoy yourself. Do your friends know you're trying to lose weight? I find that if you know that others know what you're trying to achieve, you feel more accountable for what you eat, and they can also be supportive in your struggle.

It took a LOT of times of messing up to be able to think 'THIS IS GOING TO MAKE ME FEEL TERRIBLE' *before* I ate it, so expect it to take time, but that's not an excuse not to try! I've also kept a self-development journal which helps me to see how much I have achieved, so I don't get so depressed when I slip up. It will also give you a proper record of how many times you binge. Force yourself to write down what you eat, and if you know that you're eating too much to remember, then you know you're eating way too much for your body to handle. Calorie counting shouldn't be an after-the-fact thing, you should look up the calories of the food you're going to eat before you eat it. And with buffets, I struggle too, but I now think of it as a luxury to have variety - the enjoyment is in choosing something that will taste great and make you feel even greater, not in eating everything and feeling awful after.

You can also try read up on self-control, one of the most underrated skills to master. You could try it on smaller things just to show yourself you can, not food-related. Then when you think you've got it, try move onto food. Good luck, it's hard, I know

Do your friends and family know you're trying to lose weight? As you seem to be going along with their suggestions, I'd say make sure they know you're serious about dropping some weight and give them a chance to be supportive.

Sad to say, the only thing that worked for me is to avoid the triggers. Friend suggests breakfast buffet? Offer to go to a great healthy-food option down the street instead. Don't bring things in the house that you know you'll binge on. Go grocery shopping once a week to avoid temptations. And if you're eating to eat, out of boredom or whatever, allow yourself SOMETHING to binge on - gum, popcorn, clementines - something that won't hurt you in the long run. Plan ahead. And start keeping a diary as to when these binges happen....are you bored, tired, emotional? Once you pinpoint that, it may help you find a different outlet.

I m the sme but u have to learn how to control it . Now u know how feel after u binge . Next time think twice , what s going to happen , how u going to feel, how miserable u will be ( that how I beeing) that might be stop eating . Give ur self a day off 1 day a week. But u have to start again next day . Good luck I'm sure u can do it .

I feel so bad today I have depression, and sometimes it gets the better of me and I either don't want to eat anything or I want to stuff my face and today I stuffed my face. So binge eating for me is an emotional thing, otherwise I'm quite good at avoiding the unhealthy food, but sometimes a girl craves chocolate/

I had a chocolate bar and then had 3 biscuits (cookies) crumbled in fruit yogurt (which tasted great by the way), plus I was supposed to work out, but I was too busy crying and now I'm skipping dinner and feeling bad about myself *sigh* oh my life. I'm still under my calorie goal though, so hopefully it all works out.

Just feel extra bad since I haven't had chocolate in over a year and told myself I'd treat myself to one when I reached my goal *sigh*

I am having the exact same problem. I came to MFP today specifically looking for messages about this issue. Low and behold, here it is! Thanks for sharing. I am feeling pretty down about my horrible eating behavior. Today, my goal is to read posts on this site instead of stuffing my face. I have gained 3 pounds in the last 5 days. And it is not water weight or any other excuse. It is because I went to the buffet. Because I went to the drive though and ate before I went home and had dinner. It is because I sit in front of the tv with a jar of peanut butter and a spoon. I have got to get this under control! I exercise an average of 5 times a week. And hard core workouts too! There is no reason I should be this over weight. So I am right there with ya. I am going to request you as a friend. We can work on this together.

For me it has been about finding other ways to express myself, and mfp helps me with that. If someone said to me just 2 weeks ago, lets go to a buffet, I'd be all over it! But now, I would say to them, come on over and I'll make us some egg white omlettes! I have had to admit to friends and family that I have a problem with binge eating, and that was NO easy task! But once you admit it to someone that cares about you and won't judge you, it may help. I agree with the others, you have to figure out your triggers, is it stress, depression, or just wanting to fit in with friends? Once you know, you'll be able to control it better. Also, having a motivatior to lose weight helps me keep binging in check. I look at a picture of myself at my heaviest and know that I don't ever want to be like that again! I have a long way to go, but just take it one day at a time. The more you beat yourself up over your binges, the more your going to binge and the guiltier you will feel. I hope you can have the kind of luck I've had on mfp!

I have the same problem -I don't know why I do it; I know how rubbish I feel after binging and I know how bad it is for me but I still can't help myself. Like you, I don't remember what I ate -it's just one big calorific haze. Everyone is different, but here are some things that helped me:
1) Write down how you feel before the binge. Then, when you're in a clearer head space, look at what you wrote and try to figure out what emotions are triggering the binge. That way you can work out how to avoid getting in situations where you want to eat a lot
2) Avoid trigger foods. I agree with all the other posters -its too easy if they're in reach. It's hard to say no when people ask you out, but if you tell some close friends or family what you're trying to do, they may stop inadvertedly putting you in uncomfortable situations
3) Forgive yourself. After binging, its so tempting not to eat to try and make up for the calories you ate before, but this will just lead to another binge. In addition, if you hate yourself and your body you're less likely to take care of it.

Hope some of this helped. Feel free to send a friend request (that goes for everyone) as I'm happy to provide support

Looking at your diary for the past week or so, I noticed that you have been many HUNDREDS of calories below your target each day. I'd suggest that you've either been physically or emotionally depriving yourself and have set yourself up to binge when faced with temptation. Perhaps you should eat more throughout the week and you won't have such a problem, IMHO. Best of luck to you!

Whenever I have gone on a diet I've had such a hard time with binging! I would always give up and end up pigging out. But I found that after upping my calories to the correct amount I should be eating (calculated from BMR and TDEE) I feel much more satisfied with this amount of calories and I find myself satisfied with eating just healthy food with this amount of calories, instead of restricting myself to some ridiculously low amount of calories. But I've been binging this whole week, since I got so frustrated with being at a plateau, but I'm going to start up fresh next week with this new amount of calories.

It sounds like a habit to me first and fore most. What will it mean if you just say no outright to your friend?

Concentrate on eating the right foods and not having a calorie restrictions. Once you get yur sugar levels balanced you won't crave things as much and can separate the need from desire when you think about food.

It takes t e and it's trial and error.

I'm only a few weeks in and I used to be a terrible binger.

I've found the best way for me to avoid the binge is to either A: earn it with exercise or B: have a good think about how much exercise it will take to burn it off. Try to log it before you eat it, and hopefully it will be terrifying enough to make you not go there!

I absolutely killed myself at the gym on Saturday so I could eat whatever I wanted at a birthday party that afternoon. I burned over 1000 calories doing Body Balance, then AquaZumba, then laps of the pool for another 1/2 hour. Almost 3 hours of exercise. I went to the party absolutely PSYCHED about being able to eat guilt free, and once I was there I thought "All that work, to throw it away on caramel slice???" And I ended up only eating back about 500, mostly on carrot sticks, dip and birthday cake! I had a calorie defecit of about 600 for the day, which is HUGE for me because I'm usually lucky to have 20 left out of my 1470 :noway:

You will get there, I promise. Hang in there. Think about why you're doing this. I wish you the best of luck on your journey!!

Still cannot find a solution to this myself. At home, once I am into it, I can eat pretty darn clean and junk free for weeks at a time, but as soon as I am in a different environment, like my mum's, I seem to totally let go of my usually rigid control and eat desserts, chocolate, cookies and whatever else I can while away from home, and away from the scale and the gym and my usual routine. I don't like feeling overfull, so intermittent fasting wouldn't work for me. I do know I have to totally avoid anything bread/pastry.refined sugar based to keep up the clean eating. It takes just one less clean meal for me to spiral out of control and eat what I want.

Yet I have more energy and my mood improves when I allow these foods, whereas eating totally clean with mostly protein, fruit and vegetables and dairy seems to leave me depressed and agitated all the time. It is really seeming impossible to find a solution for me personally.

This is always a struggle~I do try to avoid triggers, plan ahead, & keep my favorites out of the house altogether. I admit I blew today off....not really because of emotions but more we were camping & sometimes you just want a hot dog...or two. Anyway I know I'm often an all or nothing person so I tend to think "today is ruined so I'll just eat whatever I want now"_ I realise this is NOT true so am trying to focus on changing my thinking. I may have not followed my diet plan today but I will be back on track tommorrow & will still go for a run tonight to balance it a bit. Biggest thing is I will not give up!