To ask how to stop binge eating

[coffeeplease16]

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.

kiki your sister is not greedy, it is just that for some people, eating carbs, particularly the sweet ones, cause an insatiable craving for more and more. That was me until March 2016.

danger, I've never been healthier after cutting carbs and starches/grains, including all fruits. Whilst the human body requires proteins and fats to function, it does not actually require carbs so the current advice to eat a 'balanced diet' is precisely what got me obese for forty years in the first place , as I cannot cope with processed carbs/grains/starches. I eat about 20 carbs a day mostly in the form of green leafy vegetables now.

I feel full for hours, do not ever feel the need to snack between meals (lunch and dinner only) and cook everything from scratch. I get my boundless energy from my own body fat rather than processed carbs. It is a win-win.

OP, give yourself a month without any sugar either added to or containing. Once you're away from the addictive response you'll see the benefits.

There is a lot of really sensible and (I have found) useful advice in the book 'Naturally Thin' by Bethenny Frankel. I think giving up whole food types/groups is one of those marmite things that works brilliantly for a very small number of people, but is unachievable for most. The book talks about having smaller portions, trying to eat wholesome food as much as possible etc. I found it helpful anyway.

Binge eating is a symptom not a cause
as are all other "eating disorders"

until you have your head in the right place your body cannot follow
so put your effort into getting your head into the right place

when your brain and body are united in wanting you to hit "happy weight" it will happen

This is a good thread for me - I'm seriously listening as I think I'm carb sensitive and need to move away from them one question when people say less than 20g of carbs a day how do you know what is 20g ?

Parsley, it is 20 carbs a day.

For example, 100 grams of spinach is 2.6 carbs.
100 grams of asparagus ia 3.9 carbs.
100 grams of courgette is 3.1 carbs.
100 grams of cauliflower is 5 carbs.
100 grams of sprouts is 3.1 carbs.
100 grams of mushrooms is 3.3 carbs.
100 grams of green peppers is 4.6 carbs (red 7 carbs).

100 grams of swede is 9 carbs (I occasionally use this as a potato chip substitute, fried).

Potatoes (100g) is 17 carbs
Sweet potato (100g) 20 carbs
Carrots (100g) 10 carbs
Sweetcorn (100g) 19 carbs

I am just giving the 100g weight as an example, but you can see the big difference in some veggies over others.

If I want to know the carb of any veggie (or fruit) I google it. Hope this helps, Parsley.

Check out the www.dietdoctor.com webpage too. They have loads of super recipes.

mycats I said that 'some' people find it useful- as you have pointed out you were obese for 40 years and low carbs are sometimes recommended for obese/type 2 diabetes. But OP has essentially said she has an eating disorder. As someone who has successfully recovered from eating disorders I am simply passing on what the professionals advise people with eating disorders to do, and indeed what I was advised to as OP doesn't want to see a professional. My concerns are that if someone has managed to starve themselves in the past cutting out food groups is generally accepted to be a bad idea. Size 14 is not obese! Ultimately it's down to OP to decide what is best for her- I'm simply pointing out what someone trained in dealing with eating disorders would say.

Thank you mycats I need to really look into it I think my other problem is I get overloaded by information what I'm doing what I shd be doing and then end up doing nothing and eating ! It's only a stone I need to shape up

Get addicted to something like Mindfulness.

I don't think another restrictive diet is the way to go.
I've been in the cycle of restrictive eating and binging and craving the things I tell myself I can't have.

Ive found that the best way for me to go was to completely remove myself from the diet culture.
I know what is healthy and what isn't so I try to be mindful about that as in eat at least 5 a day. I still have chocolate/crisps/cheese when I want them but I try to ask myself "do I really want it or can I do something else?". If I can easily go and do something else then I do. If I really do want some chocolate I just have it.
I read a lot on intuitive eating and mindful eating and that's helped. It's a learning journey. Your body needs to learn that these foods aren't going to be restricted anymore and that'll take away the urgent cravings.
I also do exercise classes twice a week and take my dog for walks as much as I can. Exercise makes me feel good mentally and physically. I don't do any of this to be thin. That's not the be all and end all for me.
I want to be strong and healthy so thats my aim.

There's a reason most diets have a not for people with eating disorders disclaimer. I love a fad diet but the people I know who've recovered properly stick to a plan and a normal eating regime.

I think the advice is different if you have an eating disorder vs you struggle with your weight a bit, the latter category 5/2 etc will help with by if you have an eating disorder, you ideally need professional help.

FYI - John Yudkin predicted all this in his book Pure, White and Deadly. Published in the 70s it addressed why the rate in heart disease was shooting up. He questioned the accepted belief that fat was the problem because we had been eating butter etc for hundreds of years and our physionomy hadn't changed. But what had was our consumption of sugar.

The sugar industry didn't want to hear this as they had already 'decided' that fat was the problem and when you remove fat from a product it tastes like cardboard. So they pumped it full of sugar. John Yudkin's research was buried.

Of course he was right. Here's a pdf of his original book

Pure White Deadly

Can I recommend this book?

www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/1138797375/ref=dp_ob_neva_mobile?tag=mumsnetforum-21

"Getting better bite by bite".For binge eating and bulimia. It really,really helped me.Good luck x

I'm a right one for healthy eating until about 5pm then I start grazing and before I know it I've had a full on binge fest and totally undone any sensible eating in the daytime. I'm also a sugar addict and one day will try and break the cycle but generally I can keep a lid on it with the following:

Have bowls of picking fruit (grapes, cut melon, berries etc) & veg sticks pre-prepared in the fridge

Make plain popcorn - it's pretty bland compared to the cinema style stuff a sweet tooth will crave but will do the job if I've nothing else in when the munchies attack!

Drink LOTS of water

Eat a proper balanced meal earlier in the evening (around 6) and if you're hungry later have another small meal (soup, salad, small portion of pasta) - 2 meals will still be less calories & rubbish than a binge!

Exercise - if I go out to a class or swimming I'm hungry but much more likely to eat something healthy

Have a bath & go to bed earlier - at least you're not eating