Thread: Bingeing... Why?!!?

Originally Posted by MissUno

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I've decided this time though to get food therapy from an eating disorders service in my area. I think sometimes going on a diet isn't the answer, it's rewiring ourselves psychologically so that eating "right" becomes a natural habit, rather than a chore.

MissUno, we are so on the same lines of thinking here. To have a natural relationship with food is my true goal

Originally Posted by Micci

MissUno, we are so on the same lines of thinking here. To have a natural relationship with food is my true goal

Yes, this would be the goal definitely. To be able to have a healthy and "normal" relationship for food and eating. Rather than it being a friend/enemy all at the same time. Something that brings both pleasure and shame.

Food is supposed to be there to fuel our bodies, not mess up our minds. Hopefully with the counselling we'll get into the right mind set about food and be able to function like those regular folk eh.

Originally Posted by MissUno

Yes, this would be the goal definitely. To be able to have a healthy and "normal" relationship for food and eating. Rather than it being a friend/enemy all at the same time. Something that brings both pleasure and shame.

Food is supposed to be there to fuel our bodies, not mess up our minds. Hopefully with the counselling we'll get into the right mind set about food and be able to function like those regular folk eh.

Hi,

I'd be really interested to hear about your experiences with the eating disorder ..er . what did you call it? .. Clinic/centre/specialist ...

I've gone to a counsellor with the idea of looking specifically at my binging but have instead gone into other things. she is very non-directive and I've found out quite a bit about myself as I respond to the safe listening she gives me. I now think that without sorting out my underlying issues if I stopped binging I'd be likely to pick up some other damaging habit.

I've said while going through these particularly stressful couple of years that eating had kept me sane. Now I'm looking for other ways of preserving my sanity. But am also wondering about doing some CBT in a while alongside the counselling.

I do also find the IOWL podcasts very helpful in gaining that altered mindset but (I whisper this very quietly as I don't want to hurt her feelings) some of her stuff is a bit too ...... er .... Californian for me and teh ad breaks are so very annoying although I do see why they have to be there and it is free after all.

CBT is all the NHS around here offer anyway - there doesn't seem to be anything specifically for binging.

I have tried to set up a real life self help group, advertising on Freecycle, Gumtree and Netmums but have had very little response.

Soooo, go for it MissUno, thanks for responding

I can't really say that I am a binge eater, but I can definitely binge out from time to time. What tends to keep me going is I put a little reward system in place for myself.

I get weighed on a wednesday evening. After that weigh in for the evening, I WILL!! eat so much chocolate and crisps - because that is my night off. Then on a thursday, I tell myself that if I can go all day without having chocolate or crisps, that I can have a nice (W.W's) chocolate pudding after tea (for example). Then on a friday I tell myself I can have a reward on saturday night if I don't have chocolate or crisps. On a sunday I give myself till tuesday before I reward myself, and then it is back to wednesday and it doesn't matter that evening what I eat.

I'm not sure if this will help or not, but I thought I would share what helps me to not snack and binge

Hi there!
Hope you don't mind me joining in - I can relate to so many of your posts with the binge eating, I also want to have a natural relationship with food...or try!

I think I binge because of my many years of always 'dieting' and following some slimming club or another and having an all or nothing attitude towards food - it's either good or bad - when I am good, I am really good and when I am bad, I am really bad

I'm trying really hard to not look at my eating or what I eat as being good or bad but just trying to eat healthy and if I eat too much at one meal, I'm just trying to draw a line and eat healthy at the next meal. In the past if I had one 'bad' meal my mindset would be to just start over again tomorrow and binge the rest of the day. I still think that way, it's my first instinct and it is hard to get rid of 20+ years of a certain way of thinking!
It's so strange how food can have such a hold over us xx

I hate it and the way it affects life so much.

I can go three or four days really healthy and well balanced, then something will hit and I just have to binge and binge and binge.

It makes me depressed. Would be so simple if I didnt have to eat. Part of me thinks adapting to a cambridge diet type solution would help to train myself with normal eating patterns once again. But, finances dont permit.

Its a viscous circle....

Hi, I am so relieved to have found others who have the same bingeing problem as myself at least I don't feel so alone. I don't know why I do it - I think it was initially because a lot of bad things happened in 2008 and then I got stuck in a cycle. I start in the evening at 6.45 (yep, exactly) and stuff myself with my son's school bars and anything else I can find. I can hardly sleep for the pain in my stomach and the nausea and have seen myself grow from a size 8 to a 14 in 2 and a half years. I have begun to eat normally today (I can hardly remember what that is) and have some fruit lined up to snack on.

I have tried counselling at the GP's but it was self-help filling out questionnaires and reading booklets - I was hoping for something like CBT to rewire my head. I measured myself yesterday and my waist is the same size as my hips! Yeuurgh!

Sorry for dull post but I haven't cracked all the pics, charts and stuff yet!

Warm wishes ... Pomooky

Hi Pomooky,

Oh, your story rings so many bells for me. I started to try and look at what was going on for me during binges - it was hard as all I could be aware of while stuffing my face till my stomach hurt was 'eff off reasonable thoughts, I don't care how I will feel about this in five minutes time'

but I kept writing and thinking and writing about what I thought my true motivation was. I still don't think it was entirely about blotting out painful feelings - there was an element of needing to be big to cope with my families enormous difficulties but I think the biggest aspect to this was it was actually a cry for help. As soon as I acknowledged that need and went for counselling my binging decreased.

Its a shame it took me a year and going from a 14 to an 18, but there you go, I can now call myself an ex-binger. Today, something bad happened to my son all due to carelessness on the part of people who were meant to be looking after him.

I'm furious, but not eating. Mind you, typing this is helping with that right now.

There are podcasts that also helped me look at my motivations around weight loss, have a Google on Inside Out Weight Loss podcasts as I don't think I can put a link here.

Hugs to everyone struggling with food issues - its hell but it doesn't have to be forever.

Oh, one last thing - my counselling is not via the GP as all they could offer was CBT which I suspect would also involve a lot of what you describe. We have locally a low cost community counselling service - maybe you have one too.

xxx

Hi Micci - I will have a try at those podcasts and feel better already for joining Minimins. I have got a little food diary as I don't think I will have the patience to write down 4 flake bars, 2 lemon slices, 3 crunchies etc (how revolting!).

There is a local centre but I just cannot walk through the door and join the "fatties or skinnies with food problems" club if you know what I mean. I'm quite a private person and find it much easier to let loose on this forum.

Thanks for taking the time to reply, I'm sure this forum will help me out. I've given up thinking why I have binged in the past and will try to look to the future, the summer and my size 8 clothes buried away in a drawer!

Warm wishes Pomooky XX

This might not be much use to you all but it may help some. I was a binger, and a very serious one, for many years. It started in my teens and went on from there. To lose weight I had had to either fast/starve, or eat very very little. When I 'cheated' I would just lose control and go mad.

I found out that my binge eating was triggered by carbohydrates - starches and sugars - and that if I cut them right back or even out my raging hunger would calm down and leave me in peace.

I am addicted to carbs - a carboholic! It's that simple. My body cannot process sugars and starches the way other people's can. Eating them sets up cravings I cannot fight off, and I end up gorging. No matter how 'good' I am, for how many days, eventually I will crack - and eat the cupboard out.

This is why I low carb. I can't eat meat cos I am vegetarian but I do veggie Atkins and it has transformed my life. I am not 100% perfect but I have lost ten stones and kept them off for eleven years now.

My Dad passed away in October of last year and it hit me hard so I have had a few wobbles and now have a regained stone to lose but I will soon sort that out.

If you really must have sweet treats, and I do from time to time, have sugar free chocolate and candies, cakes and biscuits or bake your own. There are lots of recipes and a ton of good advice on the Atkins forum here.

My 'trigger' was usually biscuits. To this day I am wary around them because once I have a few I know I won't be able to stop. We all have triggers - for one of my friends it is chocolate.

Atkins is misunderstood. It's not all meat and eggs. It's very healthy with loads of vegetables and even berries and melon. And that is just in the weight loss phases.

I know of others here who say that the only thing that stops them bingeing is low carbing. Without the carbs, the cravings don't happen. It is like magic, truly.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do xx

Hi, well I've bought lots of fruit today - not a big fan 'tho - and those jelly things and yoghurts. I have also read a great post on here (I think in strugglers section) titled All about Fred. It really made me think and I'm going to have a crack at it. I have cut out wine as this alters my thoughts and makes me a bit reckless - even one glass! I'm not sure Ribena light will hit the spot though.

I think my brain is programmed to binge in the evenings after so many years (!) doing it. I stopped going to counselling after the C said "when you feel down and have unhelpful thoughts etc etc" and I just thought that it wasn't right for me - I quite often binge when I've had a great day and I'm feeling positive. This made me realise that it's just a bad habit. I am going to use the Fred thing to break it if I can. Read the post if you haven't already - its by KD.
Pomooky125 XX

Originally Posted by Pomooky125

Hi Micci - I will have a try at those podcasts and feel better already for joining Minimins. I have got a little food diary as I don't think I will have the patience to write down 4 flake bars, 2 lemon slices, 3 crunchies etc (how revolting!).

There is a local centre but I just cannot walk through the door and join the "fatties or skinnies with food problems" club if you know what I mean. I'm quite a private person and find it much easier to let loose on this forum.

Thanks for taking the time to reply, I'm sure this forum will help me out. I've given up thinking why I have binged in the past and will try to look to the future, the summer and my size 8 clothes buried away in a drawer!

Warm wishes Pomooky XX

Hi Pomooky,

how's it going? Sorry I didn't get back to this thread before.

Micci xxx

Hi Micci, Sparkle and everyone battling the binge. I am doing well - I've lost 3 lb and haven't binged for 7 days (yeah, I know this sounds pathetic but after almost 3 years of 8 out of 10 nights binging, this is a breakthrough). I have the "All about Fred" thing in my mind and the sun today has also made me think that I won't be able to hide inside my chunky parka much longer. (eek! Short sleeves and beach stuff).

I am still not drinking wine (ooh, I love it) and have deleted it from my favourites list on the online shopping thingy. Snacks are keeping me going - bit of fruit, low cal cereal bars and a couple of squares of Lindt at night... Here's to another week.

Love and best wishes Pomooky

i am in the bingeing shoes and i keep starting every morning. am so confused ans sad as i work my butts off almost everyday in the gym only to stuff my face later in the day. surely their must be a slotion to this?????

Thank you so much for this information Micci - I'm going to google those podcasts now - thanks again!