How do i stop binge eating??

[Rayven]

Ok, so i've always been a big girl and loved food but i'm also what i class as a food addict, in the fact that once i start eating i don't seem to be able to stop! Most people will say, 'don't be so stupid of course you can stop, just don't eat as much!' but its just not that easy for me. Sometimes, i'll find myself eating and i don't even know why i'm eating! Sometimes i can't possibly be hungry as i've already stuffed God knows how much food but i STILL find myself wanting something more!
I tried Cambridge (before we moved to Herefordshire) but i just couldn't stick to it! I'm trying Slimfast again, but Day 1 and i've already had a binge this afternoon! I'm so angry with myself!
Does ANYONE have anything to say that could help?! I so want to lose some more weight & get into all my pre-baby clothes but it just seems impossible. :cry:

 

[littlemiss]

Hi Rayven,

Please don't be discouraged when you have a binge. I think that is a problem alot of people have, including myself, I have an all or nothing outlook, for example i'll be good for days then someone will offer me a chocolate, and after i eat one wee tiny thing, I keep going and going..unbelievable, I've been able to stop acting like this in the last year but I can feel it slowly creeping back into my life...

I managed to beat it before because I just wouldn't allow myself any treats...I think thats why I lost so much, I was cal counting, but didn't accept so much as a bite of chocolate for months, untill i was able to trust myself, and I was amazed because I could enjoy it for the taste rather than wanting more. Alot of people would say to me...you shouldn't deprive yourself, your allowed a treat ect, but they didn't know that once I start I cant stop, I hate those sorts of conversations.

Anyway, please keep strong, no one's saying you cant have a binge every so often, but the main thing is that you pick yourself back up again afterwards. Remember, every meal/bit of food counts, and you don't want to ruin your good work!

 

[Lynn8124]

Hello there, a fellow food addict here. :wavey: I truly believe food can be as addictive as drugs or alcohol for some people. I haven't much advice for you as I am trying to conquer my own problems but I just wanted to let you know I understand.

 

[JonathanM]

I was a binge eater for most of my life. Even as a child I remember putting away a whole bag of tiny mars bars in an evening. As an adult, I'd frequently find myself at a loss in the evening and decide that I just really fancied some icecream. So I'd go out, buy ice cream, and crisp and a chocolate to eat on the way home. Then I'd do that several times a week at times.

I remember once looking at a book about binge eating and it said that a useful technique is to keep track of how you are feeling and what is going on when you get the desire to binge. That way you can work out what is causing it psychologically and avoid those stimuli.

I agree that food is addictive but I think in the case of binge eating, it's not the food so much as it is the psychological stuff that's making you eat that is worth looking in to.

Binge eating is tough because people look at it as a failure of the will but instead, I think it's an expression of how powerful the will is as it's forcing you to do things that you don't like and which are ultimately harmful to you. The key to sorting it out is working out why you feel the urge to binge.

 

[Lady_in_London]

Don't take this the wrong way, but if this is a pattern that keeps repeating itself, perhaps cognitive behaviour therapy or a consultation at the eating disorders clinic, both available on the NHS will help you. It helped me. They will tailor the treatment specifically to your views and needs and voila - cured! Ask your GP for a referral.

 

[clairem87]

i am in the exact same boat except that i used to have problems with bulimia. i lost about 4 stone whn i was like that and never told anyone. i'd curbed the ourging but just cant stop the bingeing. i went to my doctor and felt they really werent taking me seriously - i told them i was coming in for pre emptive help cos i didnt wanna end up making myself sick again. i think next time im gonna push more that i'm asking for help, they just want to turn you away with a placation and tell you to come back in a month
sorry for rant - my point was i can totally relate with the feeling that yo uphysically cant stop yourself from eating. i really hope you can either resolve it yourself, or get adequate support!

much loves xx
x

 

[klare]

hi there,
i would also put myself in this catergory.. childhood of stealing vast amounts of food then saving pocket money to replace what I had infact nicked ( from parents) once i was earning my own money it got even worse..i always smile when i hear people saying that they can put away a whole packet of biscuits.. can do that whilst getting out the rest of the food that I am about to devour .. i dont have a 'feeling sick' mechanism even when I have eaten 1000's of calories so nothing to stop me from keeping on and on ....
i have to say that I have learned to recognse that I am emotional eater ... doesnt matter what the emotion is, good or bad.. i reward it or recognise it with food .. the only diet plan that has worked for me ( and continues to do so, is the slimming world one... when i feel a binge coming on i make the biggest pile of slimming world chips you can imagine ( cause they are free food) and i eat them until i cant physically move any more! and it has never let me down yet ... i have always continued to loose ( i think my record one day was 15 proper sized baking potatoes in one day on top of the rest of the food on the plan) ..... I dont honestly know that there is a cure for emotional / addict eaters unless you have either a lot of time and or money to invest, and for most of us we have neither, so sometimes, i feel, its about accepting what or who you are ( and we all have our crutches whether it be food, fags, alcohol, drugs etc) and then learning to 'manage' it rather than spending out entire lives fighting it.
Thats my humble opinion anyway

 

[littlemiss]

Hi Klare,

I can totally relate to what you've been through, once I go on a binge, there is no stopping me. I've been known to make huge pots of macaroni cheese with full blocks of cheese melted in..and eat the whole thing myself...I have also eaten up to 10 packets of crisps at a time, and chocolate OMG that is worse, i've eaten full packs...massive bars...i literally eat til its finished with chocolate, thats why i'm trying to totally cut it out my diet.

I would constantly think about food, all the time, even when staying somewhere o/night i had to take supplies..serious food addiction..which is now under control although i have had a cpl of slip ups.

Good luck

 

[clairem87]

littlemiss how have u managed to get yr addiction under control?? i need to do it but dont know how x

 

[Just Peachy]

Hi Little Miss,

I binged for quite a long time and was even bulimic at the same time for a couple years, bad times. I can totally relate and what I do suggest is that you fully understand why it is you do that, and try to make new habits for yourself, i.e. when you feel a binge coming, do something not food related to distract yourself until the urge goes away. Should take about 15 mins. It's hard but it's the only way to reprogram your brain, at the minute it doesn't know how to do anything else probably.

Temptation is much easier to avoid when you don't have easy access to what you're craving. I gave or threw away all the stuff I couldn't eat or knew I would wanna eat at the start of my diet. I try to always have some healthy sweet things (that's my weakness) such as flavoured herbal teas like pear and vanilla, a light yoghurt (Muller make desserty ones, fantastic!) or a wonderful fruit salad with mango and honey in it that tastes amazing. If I really need something, I'll have something like that and I won't feel hungry or guilty afterwards.

I don't know if you're like me, but I never knew when I was actually hungry for most of my life. I just loved food so much, whenever I felt like eating something, I just would, regardless of whether I was hungry or not. To actually feel that hunger is a matter of reprogramming yourself too I think. It's hard, but feasible.

Hope that helps, best of luck x

 

[littlemiss]

Hi

There is so many good idea's on this thread.

I used to go food shopping and just basically buy whatever i wanted, and because it was there i'd binge on it. The big thing that stopped me binging was I stopped buying what I wanted, started working out what meals i'd be making through-out the week, and write down bananas..fruit ect for snacking..I got stuff for my 5 yr old but i kept it in the bag in the cupboard and never had any because I knew that she needed all the stuff for school, and my OH, he buys his own chocolate now and keeps it hidden. I only had a problem with daytime binging when I was working part time.

I still get really strong desires to stuff my face, but because I only keep meals and fruit in the house..there is nothing i can do about it, as normally its late at night when daughter is in bed and shop is shut. The only fattening thing I keep in the house is oven chips.

I did go through a phase about 4 months ago when i started binging on chocolate, I started buying it from the shop (packs of 4 dairy milks ect) and take them home and eat them in the bathroom so OH didnt see. As I knew he'd make me feel bad, either that or i'd sit in bed at night with the lights off eating. I didnt really gain too much weight, but after a few days my insides were doing cartwheels, and i was feeling bloated..having headaches and being grumpy again, i felt back to the way i was..i thought to myself, i want to feel healthy again so i stopped.

I used to hear it all the time before i made my life change - dont buy rubbish when you go for your weekly shop and i thought to myself surely thats not gonna stop me stuffing my face, but it really does..because when it gets to 9 oclock and there's no rubbish in the house to eat, you give in and feel better for it when you go to bed, then the next night is not quite as hard, and it goes on like that untill one day you cant even stand the sight of fatty things (trust me it does happen)

Oh and I find that going shopping in a good mood really works...I watch some sort of weight loss related programme on the telly before i'd go for my weekly, it puts you in the right frame of mind, i've cancelled my weekly shop plenty of times because i've had a hard cpl of days and i know i'd pick up rubbish.

Sorry for the long reply. Its so hard to put things into the right words sometimes. I have an overwhelming desire to help people over come food addiction, as I know exactly how it feels and trust me that addiction is still there, its just a case of doing the right things untill its gone completely (if it ever goes)

 

[vanda]

Great words of advice from everyone. There seem to be a lot of binge eaters around - me included. I figured out that I started to do this when I was married and my ex went away for a while on business. I hated being left alone and ate to comfort myself. Now I love being on my own but still use food to comfort myself or when I am bored.

Am in the process of making a anti binge box - not exactly sure what I'm going to include yet, but the idea is to fill the box with ideas of things to do that will take about 15 -20 mins. When the urge to binge strikes pick something from the box to do to distract yourself. Not sure how successful this wil be but has got to be worth a go.

 

[Just Peachy]

That's a really good idea. I did something along those lines. I made a list and posted it in my room and I gave it a title: "Things to do when I'm bored", it's more subtle that way.

Just came up with silly things to do like paint my nails, tidy my room, waste time on facebook or on here, go for a walk, ring someone, shop for smaller clothes online (wishful thinking) etc.

It's been a week now and I've not had as many cravings as I thought, but I didn't give in once and always did something off the list; seems to be working.

Let us know what you put in your box

 

[Silence]

I'm a binge eater too... I overeat massively and sometimes can't stop even though I feel sick.
I think the key thing for stopping bingeing is to break the habit. I don't know about any of you, but I binge at more or less the same time every day - the cravings start at 4:30 when I get out of work and I can spent the rest of the evening eating. It is an addiction. Being able to recognise what triggers a binge and what ignites the addiction and learning to avoid those things are important steps in learning how to break the binge cycle.
I'm currently working on a programme called The Beck Diet Solution which teaches you how to break those habits, how to cope with emotional eating and in general how to succeed in losing weight. It's a cognitive therapy book written by an experienced psychiatrist which focuses on changing your attitude and your behaviour. If you're really struggling with binge eating I'd recommend reading it.

 

[Magggie]

I failed on the slimming world as I am veggie and stopped losing on the green diet
I seem to bedoing much much better on the exante
all temptation is taken away
day 8 and I haven't slipped once
so I am not hungry
I know that

as for cognative behaviour therapy, yep, addicted enough for that

but the "lessons" were on an afternoon, and I work fulltime
helpful eh?

 

[KookieDoh]

I reccomend "Stop bingeing" or "Only fat people skip breakfast" by Lee Janogly. Pop her name in google, it will pop up!

 

[shelz]

I was down to 105lbs christmas 2008, driven to annorexia by an ex who just didnt show me any attention or affection at all. I'd exercise to make myself feel better and hardly let any food pass my lips because its the only thing I really really felt in control of. I was 25 and could fit into age 11 trousers, allbeit a bit short in the leg!

We split up, I was so megaly unhappy that all I did was eat eat eat and eat some more. By summer last year I was a huge 168lbs again, almost as big as I had started off at. I felt so sick, still do to have let myself get that big again.

I guess what I'm trying to say is I ate because I was unhappy, unloved and uncared for. I was bored most nights and got comfort from eating even if I wasnt hungry. Could this perhaps be part of the reason you binge eat?

I notice your from Herefordshire, where abouts are you? I'm in a little village about 4 miles outta town. Nice to see someone local on the forum

 

[florabell]

Hi everyone

I have just read this thread through from beginning to end, nodding all the way through. I too am a binge eater. I can do alright during the day but at night I just want to eat and eat and I can keep going without getting sick. I see it as an addiction as well, it is so difficult to live with but I am going to try that book The Beck Diet solution. I have tried seeing a therapist but I don't feel she understood. I'm going to try Slimming World as well as like someone else said, it seems to be the best for binge eaters.

Going to struggle without the comfort blanket of endless chocolate and sugar!

 

[CrazyBrit]

There's a surprising amount of therapists who might be excellent at helping with bereavement, anorexia, depression and phobias but who suddenly turn rubbish when a fat person arrives and says "I can't control my eating". Obesity is one of our undefeated bigotries - it's still socially acceptable to mock the fatties and suggest maybe they don't eat so many pies. And therapists are only human, just like the rest of us

I'd suggest trying a different therapist. I'd also double the reccommendation for Lee Janogly's books - I particularly liked Only Fat People Skip Breakfast. Extremely edifying.

Slimming World is very attractive to binge eaters, but that doesn't necessarily make it the best solution. Binge eating is an emotional disorder, and Slimming World's "solution" is to promise you as many "free" foods as you like. You can eat carrots and Muller Lite yoghurts until they come out of your ears, but this doesn't help you resolve your emotional eating, and it doesn't help reduce the size of your stomach.

Rather than searching for a diet which works, you need to get to the root of why you binge eat. Start keeping a diary. Every time you go for the snackies, write down what you ate and what you were feeling before, during, and after doing so. Also note what you were doing before the binge. See if you can spot any emerging patterns linking emotional state to the urge to binge.

Is getting upset about something sending you to the fridge? Is it because you're up late at night and feeling bored or tired? Is it because you spoke to someone who upset you? Is it because a film made you cry? (Don't laugh, I've buried myself in a burger to hide the tears after a trip to the cinema, believe me ). Try to identify what triggered the feelings which are sending you reaching for the foods.

If a therapist who doesn't understand you cannot help you, use a therapist who does understand you: Yourself.

You can put a stop to it. You really, really can. You just need to approach it as a problem which needs to be solved. Gather data. Investigate. Evaluate trends. And once you've identified triggers, remove them from your life.

Is it being up late that does it? Go to bed early. Is it watching weepies? Don't watch them. Is it someone saying something mean? Stop speaking to that person. There are as many possible solutions as there are potential triggers.

Stop buying calorific things. You eat them because they are to hand. If you don't have chocolate, cakes, crisps, or whatever other treats are tempting you in the house, you can't go to them and eat them. If they are in the house, your brain natters away at you. "The cake's in the fridge. It'll go stale if you don't eat it. The cake's in the fridge. In the fridge, there is a cake. CAKE. IN. FRIDGE. EAT! CAKE! CAKE CAKE CAKE!"

Finally, if you want an early helping hand, write "How will you feel tomorrow?" on every cupboard or fridge door that stands between you and the edibles.

 

[butterflybow]

Going to add a psych perspective here (excuse me, I get into uni and I think I'm Dr Phil). Anyway- I am prone to bingeing (my vice is chip shop, I will eat mine and my boyfriends and my moms and want to go back ) but greasy, delicious fat-filled foods are what our bodies like and what was best for our ancestors. The food corporations know that when we eat these foods we get highs similar to cocaine (seriously!!). So these addictions are not our fault, our biology is exploited. Well, that's what I'm sticking to .