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AIBU?

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Original poster

To ask how to stop binge eating

89 replies

coffeeplease16 · 21/04/2017 13:56

I'm really hoping some of you might be able to help, especially those who have overcome binge eating yourselves - how do I stop???

After recovering from a period of severe restrictive eating I have been caught in a cycle of bingeing and restricting varying from a size 8 to a size 14, dropping weight and then rapidly gaining it

My weight is now at its highest and I'm desperate to stop but I just don't seem able to. I binge mainly on sweet things (especially chocolate in huge quantities) Otherwise my diet is very healthy!

Does anyone have any tips/how did they overcome this? Its got to the point where it affects every area of my life

I have tried most obvious things like don't keep junk in the house (I just go out and buy it especially at night)

Also I am not in a position to seek professional help so please don't suggest that.

OP posts:
Original poster
coffeeplease16 · 21/04/2017 14:02

anyone? would really appreciate it

OP posts:
AlcoholicsUnanimous · 21/04/2017 14:11

I really sympathise. I thought I'd beat the same problem, but have eaten a load of crap over Easter and am finding it hard to stop.
I found that fighting my sugar addiction and replacing chocolate/ biscuits etc with savoury snacks helped to start with, having salted popcorn/ cheese oatcakes etc instead. As time went on, I then reduced my intake of those too. It seemed easier than cutting down on sugary snacks. I just accepted that I was going to binge and changed what I binged on. I have no idea if that's the right way to go, but it worked for me.
Do you get much exercise? I find that it helps as I don't want to undo my good work by eating rubbish.
Good luck to you, it really is difficult.

BorpBorpBorp · 21/04/2017 14:14

I don't have any foolproof advice, I struggle with this too.

Are the foods you binge on foods that you generally restrict? It might help to plan those foods in to your diet, e.g. have 5 squares of chocolate after dinner, but think of it as part of the meal, and know that you will have chocolate again after dinner tomorrow.

Brush your teeth soon after dinner instead of just before you go to bed? Put your pyjamas on right after dinner so it's more of an effort to go out?

When you want to go out and buy food to binge on, take the money that you would have spent, and put it in a piggy bank or jar marked "holiday" or "new TV" or whatever you'd like to save towards. That might help motivate you.

Drink lots of water. I binge eat/snack much more when I am thirsty. I've also had some minor success with changing my binge foods to low calorie foods like air popper popcorn and carrot sticks. It still gives the same hand-to-mouth activity and the same uncomfortable fullness without the same calorific load.

Good luck Flowers

Original poster
coffeeplease16 · 21/04/2017 14:14

Thanks alcoholics, I may try that. I think it is an easy problem to trivialise/other people don't necessarily understand but it is harder than you might think to overcome

OP posts:
sonyaya · 21/04/2017 14:17

It is so tough OP, good luck to you.

I can only suggest what has worked for me: when you are feeling determined to stop, write a note to your future self to read when you want to binge.

Stay full on healthy food. If you have a craving for chocolate and aren't at the stage where you can tell yourself it's ok to just have one bar (because it won't end up just being one), have another sweet treat. Perhaps a quest bar or something (a sweet protein bar, they sell in holland and Barrett) which satisfies the craving but isn't quite chocolate or as nice as chocolate so less temptation to binge.

You can also get some online cbt, though I don't know how good it is.

Good luck Flowers

fueledbybacon · 21/04/2017 14:17

You're a sugar addict. I know because I'm a sugar addict too. I had to cut 100% of the sugar out of my diet and that includes sugar from starch like potatoes and rice.

I'm 12 months off of all sugar, starch, grains and cereals. I can't ever go back to eating them because it's impossible to control. I've never been fitter or healthier and I never overeat because I wasn't over eating steak and eggs like I eat now, I was overeating sugar. It's highly addictive and there is no such thing as moderation if you're addicted to it.

I may sound direct and arsey but it's because I've been through it and it's pretty shit. Now that it's gone from my life I've never been happier.

Missdread · 21/04/2017 14:18

OP I get you... It's like i have to be empty or uncomfortably full :-( when I'm in a restricting phase i cant ever imagine getting big again but it always happens :-( no advice really but handholding x

CloudPerson · 21/04/2017 14:22

Low carbing helps me. It doesn't take long for the cravings to stop, and I get into a better pattern of eating.
The downside is that I'm still me, and when things are stressful, my brain still defaults to needing toast, which then sets off the crappy cycle again!

FriedEggs1 · 21/04/2017 14:27

A great book is Slim for Life: Freedom From the Food and Diet Trap by Jason Vale. He's into juicing but this book focuses on why we overeat certain foods. It's not just a book on why dieting ie Weight Watchers etc doesn't work. I've read it and so has my partner and we both found it a brilliant read and really made us want to stop eating crap and actually crave fruit and vegetables! Hard to imagine when you are a bugger for sugar. Good luck with whatever you decide on x

Tinkerbec · 21/04/2017 14:36

I am the same. It's ridiculous.

Currently also at the top of my fat cycle. Getting fatter by the day. My hear races as I put on quickly. I think I have binged on a stone in just the Easter hols.

I have found looking at a photo of me looking awful helps and kills my appetite a bit. Not sure if this is a good idea though. Also looking at pics when I was thin help but I don't know if this addresses it completely.

I tried CBT ;didn't work.

I think I may have to try quitting sugar completely like fueled. I don't really like meat but I am sure that is lots we could eat.

I also agree with exercise and brushing my teeth. Also being full or empty. How do you get a happy medium? I just don't know.

Raasay · 21/04/2017 14:37

Have you tried keeping a food diary?

I find that writing down everything I eat really help keeps me on track. If I don't want to put down 10 biscuits in my log then I shouldn't be eating ten biscuits.

It's a kind of self accountability.

The MyFitnessPal app is very easy to use, but a notebook works just as well.

The other thing to do is have less of your binge favourites in the house.

CaptainBraandPants · 21/04/2017 14:40

Like fueledbybacon ( great name, btw) I am a sugar addict and it's only since low carbing that I have broken the cycle. Almost three months for me. But I have to be constantly vigilant and it is a change for life, not a quick fix. Flowers

wizzywig · 21/04/2017 14:42

fueledbybacon your post is brilliant. Its totally honest, im exactly the same. I am just starting my journey into getting rid of sugar in my diet. Like youve said, i cant just have a little bit or control what i eat. Its shitty

SmileEachDay · 21/04/2017 14:43

It's not a great idea to advise people with severely disordered eating over the internet.

We don't have a rounded picture of your situation. EDs are very complex and very difficult to work through. They aren't about the eating.

Best of luck though, OP.

wizzywig · 21/04/2017 14:44

And easter and christmas is so so hard

Justanothernameonthepage · 21/04/2017 14:48

I found that researching health and ethical considerations worked for me. It means I don't buy anything made by Nestle, artificial sweeteners or with Palm Oil. Means it's a lot harder to just go and pick up chocolate/crisps etc. I also bought a microwave popcorn maker for when I really need to snack.

UpTop · 21/04/2017 14:51

Op, if you go to the eating disorder section of MN you will find a long running thread for support in this area.

JumpingJellybeanz · 21/04/2017 14:54

I've overcome this problem after seeing an eating disorders specialist. The short version is that you have to stabilise your blood sugar. Binge eating occurs as a result of peaks and troughs in your blood sugar.

If you're prone to binge eating then you should eat something every 3 hours, regardless of how hungry you feel. 3 small meals plus 3 snacks spread out every 3 hours.

lifesjoys · 21/04/2017 14:54

Fueledbybacon, are you some sort of god?? How the hell have you managed to stay away from sugar for 12 months?? Shock

Please tell me how you did it!!

I binge eat too & am a sugar addict, it's ruining my life

deranger01 · 21/04/2017 14:55

i wish i knew - look at your routine, some of the books advocate eating at set times and having a plan of what you're going to eat beforehand and sticking to it. Signalling meal endings with a cup of tea too. There is also the find and fix your triggers school of thought - I find tiredness has a lot to do with it, not getting enough sleep. The ED section does have a lot of people on it.

Saggingninja · 21/04/2017 14:57

Hi Coffee

This is a good site - it's also free serene

Could the issue be the feelings you are trying to avoid/push away when you binge? (Durrr) As I'm sure you know cbt works by showing you that if you can change the way you think you can also change how you behave. So some people avoid uncomfortable feelings with food, others with drink/drugs/overwork. It's just the method of avoiding those feelings that differs.

Anyway I've found cbt helpful and this site is very good. xxx Flowers

Whatsername17 · 21/04/2017 15:03

I've had CBT for bulimia. Bulimia is a cycle of restrict, binge, purge. The strategy that helped me the most is to meal plan and then record everything I ate. Sometimes, the thought of having to write down 3 packets of biscuits was enough to stop me. Sometimes it wasn't but it did then help me to identify my trigger. Usually, it was missing a meal. Eat something every 4 hours to keep blood sugar steady. Plan to eat something that you consider 'naughty' then have a list of distractions to stop you eating too much. For example, if I plan to eat a bar of chocolate after my kids are in bed, I'll eat it and then go for a bath and brush my teeth. Helps me to stop at one bar of chocolate.

Wedrine4me · 21/04/2017 15:05

Me too. I'm not an emotional eater. I just crave crap. Overall my diet is pretty healthy but it is just all the rubbish on top. I set out with good intentions but then cave.

The times I have actually lost weight were when I virtually cut everything remotely unhealthy out. I'm definitely all or nothing.

SemiNormal · 21/04/2017 15:09

fueledbybacon and others who have cut out sugar completely can I just ask if that includes fruit, lactose etc ... absolutely ALL sugar? Do you find it really limits what you can eat? Sorry for all the questions I'm a sugar addict (my vice is the evil Coca Cola) I think my only option would be completely sugar free but really worried about what I can/can't eat. Any websites you suggest telling me what I could/couldn't eat?

IHeartDodo · 21/04/2017 15:21

I did the south beach diet which helped me. It breaks the sugar habit.
Also you can have as much as you want, but only certain foods. Changing the snacking habit is easier than stopping, and when your only options are carrot sticks or nuts the snacking naturally decreases.
Also swap milk chocolate for dark.

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