How do i stop binge eating??

[Silence]

It's true, we are, to some extent, exploited by food companies - our bodies prefer high sugar, high fat foods because they're easier to digest and that's a kickback from our hunter-gatherer days.
It's not an excuse however. At the end of the day we choose to eat these foods, no one is forcing them down our throats. We have the option to say no and we have a responsibility to ourselves to do that if we ever want to end the binge cycle. Avoid the food altogether and you're a lot less likely to binge on it. I know, I know - it's easier said than done, but it's not impossible.

 

[littlemiss]

I totally agree with the last 2 posts, we are definately more attracted to fatty foods. They feel amazing, it makes me so sad that I have to stop eating all these delicious foods...I am not able just now to eat one fatty thing, I need to stay totally clear or else I binge.

I am calorie counting, and even when I have enough calories to eat a bar of chocolate or to have a chippy...I still don't do it, because I know I wont stop. I hope that one day I will be able to treat myself with my favourite foods without binging afterwards.

 

[CrazyBrit]

That said after five months off the fatty foods, when I DO now have something needlessly fatty it goes right through me. Which can leave me scrabbling frantically for a loo if I was foolish enough to stop in and have something fatty while out shopping.

Keeps you on the straight and narrow, that's for sure!

 

[Daisybank]

Goog advice from everyone. It does help some people to identify their triggers and to put in place strategies to cope and over come them. But sometimes identifying the trigger does not help. If over eating/binge eating is caused by depression then it is much more difficult. If not as simple as a sad film, being bored but much more complex than that then bingeing may seem like the only solace. In moments of clarity of course that person may recognise they need help but often the overwhelming cloud takes over again and they retreat. It is a vicious circle but circles are hard to break. There may seem like no alternatives are available and so the spiral starts again.

 

[littlemiss]

That said after five months off the fatty foods, when I DO now have something needlessly fatty it goes right through me. Which can leave me scrabbling frantically for a loo if I was foolish enough to stop in and have something fatty while out shopping.

Keeps you on the straight and narrow, that's for sure!

Why does this happen?? I've noticed the same thing - on the days I eat fatty things, my stomach kills me the next day, and same as you, running to the toilet...is it just the fat that does it?

 

[Lil Miss Sunshine]

Heya
I went through hell there for a few weeks and I joined this site and it still took me a good 3 weeks of moaning, binging and crying about my binging. I just snapped out of it last week, dont know how or why. Could be the support on this website, everyone is great. Could have been me looking in the mirrow and seeing my arse half way up my back god only knows lol
I am doing Weight Watchers points the past week and i weighed myself this morning and I lost 5 pound. I am over the moon and motivation is kicking in.
Its just so hard, i reckon food is an addiction and when its at that stage its so hard to get out of it. You are eating and eating and you know its not right.
I dont no what to say as i think something just clicks in your head.

 

[gobolino]

Hi Everyone

I too am a binge eater and it really upsets me when people of the "why cant you just have one and really enjoy it" parade just dont understand what we are going through. So I just wanted to add that I feel the pain and understand xxx

Please could anyone who has the Lee Janogly's books "stop binging" and "only fat people skip breakfast" let me know which one is best. Are they much the same or is it worth getting both ? They both have good reviews on amazon so I'd really appreciate anyone who has any views on which to get ?

Many thanks in advance xxx

 

[CrazyBrit]

Why does this happen?? I've noticed the same thing - on the days I eat fatty things, my stomach kills me the next day, and same as you, running to the toilet...is it just the fat that does it?

I really have no idea. It happens to the fella, too, so there's a clear link between eating the fatty rubbish and then having tummy trouble.

I like to use it as a reminder not to go back to the bad old ways

As for the Lee Janogly books, I've only read Only Fat People Skip Breakfast, but it's an excellent book and I'd highly reccommend it.

 

[gobolino]

Cool thanks CrazyBrit

 

[Silence]

I've just bought both from Amazon on Crazy Brit's advice. Reading Stop Bingeing at the moment.

I have to say I know where Daisybank is coming from... it's not just about avoiding trigger foods. I've been known to binge on carrots and porridge (not at the same time, mind) and my trigger foods are usually cake and chocolate. Sometimes it's not the food you eat that makes you binge, but your circumstances and the actual feeling of eating and the physical fullness that comes from bingeing can be a great comfort to some people.
There are a lot of different reasons why people binge at the end of the day.

I recommend The Beck Diet solution from helping to get your mind in the right place when it comes to dieting... it really helped me to get focused and now it's only when I'm really down and out that I do binge and I've learnt to see a binge as a blip rather than a catastrophic end to my diet. It also provides you with a lot of general dieting skills like planning your food, making time for exercise and most importantly how to talk back to that devil on your shoulder.

 

[rani]

well.....ladies i binge at every emotion,if im sad,happy,depressed,stressed etc....it is very hard since i have been like this all my adult life and it messes with my head:cry:. I understand what you ladies are going through and its hard to explain to people why having a normal portion isnt enough..lol...i hope everyone of you the very best with this new lifestyle.xx

 

[Magggie]

Yes
I think slimming world is a bad idea with the free foods
I got into that way of thinking and there you go
thinking you can eat piles of Pasta with a vinegarette dressing is not "free" in any way or form

when I was a kid I was a strict 3 meals a day type kid
no real excess, Yes, I would be given a biscuit or allowed sweets between meals, but I was in no way fat , I was skinny

I do have the philosophy "clear your plate", and a pudding after every meal ingrained

but.
after 2 weeks on a VLCD where I am NOT hungry, I haven't fallen over faint through lack of food, I get grumbles, but wait, and they go, especially with a glass of water
If I could just get over the eating triggers I would be fine

 

[TobiiRheaStarr]

I used to be/am a binge eater. Years ago I used to cook whole packs of frozen food eg nuggets, burgers, waffles etc and eat all of it to myself. I would buy jars of peanut butter and chocolate spread and eat 2 of each a day. I would buy packs of biscuits, chocolate etc and eat it all and on and on. I also used to be bulimic which wasn't nice.

I still binge but as my weight loss plan starts again tomorrow, instead of letting myself have a small amount of "treat" foods, I am going to have none. That has worked in the past so here's hoping.

Good luck.​

 

[littlemiss]

I used to be/am a binge eater. Years ago I used to cook whole packs of frozen food eg nuggets, burgers, waffles etc and eat all of it to myself. I would buy jars of peanut butter and chocolate spread and eat 2 of each a day. I would buy packs of biscuits, chocolate etc and eat it all and on and on. I also used to be bulimic which wasn't nice.​

I still binge but as my weight loss plan starts again tomorrow, instead of letting myself have a small amount of "treat" foods, I am going to have none. That has worked in the past so here's hoping. ​

Good luck.​

I'm totally addicted to fatty food, and the only way I succeed is if I totally cut out all fatty things, one thing totally throws me off course, and I go on a total binge. Alcoholics cut out booze all together, and I think I should cut out fat all together, treats every so often obviously don't work for me, and I did say this was gonna be a life change.

 

[magsmith]

I would recommend Slimming World. I too am a binger - I eat when I'm bored, when I'm stressed, when I'm happy and when I'm sad. The minute you tell yourself you can't eat is when you want to. With Slimming World I find I am eating so much I never go hungry. If I binge, I'll eat about 3 yoghurts on the trot but because I know they are free and don't have the guilt I find it easier to stop. When you think you've blown yet another diet you just keep eating because you get disgusted with yourself. Another thing that helps is exercise especially walking in the fresh air. It gives you the same feel-good factor as a piece of chocolate!! Good luck whatever you decide to do.

 

[makeway]

Great insight from reading these post.
I often eat to concentrate or to help me think ? Why i dont know but can be a very busy,active type of person who finds it hard to relax,can also binge when i want to relax .
Will endeavour to work throught it as take some time off convential foods and enjoy the food packs when i get started,not sure when that is as only made contact via email tonite . Wish me luck.

 

[Magggie]

Magsmith
scientists are coming around to the thinking that modern life and excessive carb eating is making us fat

So eating endless carbs may not be the best idea in the long run

 

[Yambabe]

I think I should cut out fat all together

Wrong. There are certain fats your body needs to stay healthy and work properly. If you cut out fat altogether you will just make yourself ill, and that certainly isn't a sustainable option in the long term.

By all means cut out saturated fats, the best way to do this is to stay clear of processed foods if you can, but whatever you are going to be eating you need to make sure it is balanced enough that you will not lack essential nutrition.

I too am a binge-eater, I've been known to eat tinned peas cold by the spoonful just cos there was nothing else in the cupboard at the time so I do understand where you are all coming from. Full 12-pack of crisps in one sitting? No problem.

I think a food diary, preferably one that has space for you to make "mood" notes, is an invaluable tool to help you get out of the habit of bingeing. Something you can look back on and find your triggers - once you know what they are then you can start to tackle them with say displacement therapy. Want chocolate? Have a glass of water instead. Need bread? Go for a walk. Etc etc..........

 

[BubblyPenguin]

I've just read this entire thread with great interest and can echo many of the things said. I am a binge eater. I am addicted to food. How long have I been one? Probably forever. How long have I accepted this? About a week. Now it's out in the open, I've named it, it feels so much better already.

Last week I was at work, my place of structure and security, where binging is out of the plan (my addictive habit is when I arrive home and stick my head in the fridge and a night of binging continues into the night), that was until I had a weak moment and tucked into the chocolates in the staffroom and once that started, there was no stopping me. Now, I've done this many, many times, but this time was different- it'd been after a period of control and abstinence and it felt a whole lot worse, I wanted to immediately purge myself, go and throw up; I felt dirty inside and that night when I went home I was beside myself and I just broke down. Then I had an epiphany. I realised that I am, indeed, a food addict and that I needed to take control if I wanted to stop feeling like this- just accepting it made it feel better to deal with.

I've started to read the Beck Diet Solution- a totally amazing book, in my opinion, which echoes everything that I have felt in my relationship with food- that activities, which I do religiously, are giving me tools to take control and get my life back.

It's absolutely true, you can, with SW diet, or any diet infact, fill up on your 'free' foods, constantly eating, telling yourself that it's OK, but what happens when that 'free' food turns into something 'just a little naughty', Oh it's just one chocolate, it won't hurt, but it never is and yes it will hurt.

So, my only way out is to change my relationship with food, and that means tackling the root of the problem itself- which is not food, but my desperation to feel good inside, to search for that permanent feeling- the one that drug addicts want when the get their first 'hit', or an alcoholic's first drink of a morning, or a food addict's first nibble at the start of the binge. The effect is temporary, yet we continue in vain, believing that the next bite will give us the comfort or reward we're lacking.

So, I'm at the start of my journey of my recovery. Yes, it'll be hard, yes, I'll make mistakes, yes there are likely to be moments where I'm feeling out of control. However, what I do have is CHOICE. I can choose to break this habit and start living my life the way I am supposed to, not being a prisoner in my relationship with food.

 

[kellierocks]

Folks
I loved reading this thread.
I'm a binge eater, and I know it is my head that needs sorting not my fridge.
I feel so deeply ashamed of my eating, which is done in private.
I'm scared I won't ever be able to sort myself out.