to ask how to stop bingeing

[WaterandSandy]

Just eaten half a Victoria sponge, family bag of maltesers and family bag of peanut M&Ms and that’s by lunchtime. It’s like this every day.
Dont say WLI but any other suggestions would be welcome

That is amazing @Goinggonegone, I hope you feel very proud of yourself. ❤️

I’m two weeks in now and down 2.3kg. I’m having a terrible time relationship-wise so I’m pleased I haven’t reverted to bingeing as I would have done previously. I’m determined not to let anyone drag me back down this time. Hope everyone has a great bank holiday Monday x

Thanks @WaterandSandy I actually am proud of myself. Because today I did it again. I normally binge when I have a migraine and I had one today and I DIDN'T. I know I haven't found a miracle cure and there will be fluctuations but I feel excited Ive found something that helps and that I'm making changes after all these years.
Im so sorry youre having relationship problems. Good for you, not letting them drag you back down.!
Welcome @GallstoneGertie xx

And also @WaterandSandy congratulations on your weight loss!
I dont weight myself but kmow from a few years ago that im in the obese range.

Wow @Goinggonegone thats brilliant that you have found something that works for you. Isn’t it great to wake up in the morning without the sinking feeling from remembering the binge from the day before?

I’m obese too so it’s only a small loss but at least it’s going in the right direction for once 😀

Oh that sinking feeling- yes!

How is everyone getting on?

I had some bad news yesterday so I’ve been lying on the sofa all day feeling sorry for myself. The urge to binge is strong but have resisted so far.

Hi Op! I found motivation in your post and gave myself a real ass/kick! I am doing well. Trying to follow the slimming world plan have you tried it? I have cut out all sugary things that I struggle with as I can’t cut down I will eat the whole thing! How are you doing? Sorry to hear about the bad news :-( well done for pushing through your cravings today.

Today, for about the millionth time, I proved to myself that the word “moderation” is completely missing from my dictionary. Added several treats to my online delivery and convinced myself that I could do what normal ppl do, and eat one and have one each day till the weekend. So an hour later I had inhaled the lot.

It’s just far too easy to get a delivery.

I eat too many convenience meals, but it helps for just now to spend as little time as possible in the kitchen. I enjoy salad and want to eat more healthily.

Hi @sodoffbeforemycupofcoff thanks for joining the thread. You’re doing so well to have cut out all sugary things - I’m the same as you that I can’t just cut down as will still scoff the lot!
I did try SW a few years ago but I can’t cook anything at the moment so I just eat ready meals and prepared salads. Not very healthy but better than bingeing on sugary junk. It’s great that you have found something that is working for you. Do you attend SW meetings?

Oh no @GallstoneGertie, I know how you feel. I’ve done the same thing hundreds of times in the past. I have finally stopped adding anything sweet to my grocery delivery now because I know I can’t control myself if it is in the house.

You are doing so well so don’t get discouraged by one tiny blip. It’s a new day tomorrow 💐

Don’t have it in the house. That is the simple answer.

It’s not simple to me though. I don’t find it easy to not have it in the house and I tend to get panicky if I know it’s not there. I have gone to extreme lengths to go out and get a huge stash when I can’t resist the urge to binge.

Sorry to hear that. I think perhaps CBT- talking therapies could be helpful to you as it sounds like you have a compulsion to have these things around you. Could you substitute for some healthier snacks? With junk food, the more you have the more you will want.

I’m doing OK for the past 16 days by not having it in the house but it’s still early days so I’m not getting complacent

I hate to bang the UPF drum but cutting it out is what finally healed my relationship with food and stopped me bingeing.

Read Ultra Processed People if you haven't already. It helped take away some of my shame about what a pathetic person I was with no willpower when I started to understand that these substances are specifically designed to be addictive.

So I cut it out. I didn't change anything else at first. I could have crisps but they had to be the varieties that are just potatoes, oil and salt. I could have chocolate but it had to be the type that doesn't have palm oil and emulsifiers in it.

It helped because I didn't feel like I was restricting myself. And slowly I realised that I can't actually eat an entire loaf of sourdough bread the way I could eat a loaf of Warburtons. It was finally swapping to eating actual food, rather than food-adjacent substances that unlocked everything else for me.

Thanks so much @GameOfJones, that is really helpful. I’ll take a look at that book and try to make some improvements in my diet.

Eating meals is a great start. That is an achievement if it is ready meals or cooked it’s a hot meal and not junk! I don’t currently no. I am going off what I knew when I used to! Just the basics really

Absolutely. Any day we don’t binge is a success, however we achieve it. 🎉

It’s hard if not impossible to keep the sweet stuff out the house. Study leave is on, and the kiddo is adding crisps and chocolate to my orders or going to the shops every day to dampen down nervousness.

I had some chocolate and biscuits to be sociable, but didn’t feel the need to hide away and eat a vast quantity on my own. Just posting here about these urges is making a difference for me.

Thats brilliant, @GallstoneGertie Im glad it is helping you too.
I had another day lying around feeling bad but I would normally have gone to the shop to get loads of junk to console myself so Im still taking it as a good day as I didn’t.

I already "dont have it in the house" but the shop is a 5 minute walk away.
When I lived further from a shop I used to binge on rice cakes and low fat yoghurt. I can binge on anything m, it seems.
When I tried SW I gained weight on the free foods...
Sorry youre struggling @WaterandSandy but very well done not binging! It's supposed to get easier over time as you resist the urge.
That's great @GallstoneGertie. To just have a small amount.

It would be great if that worked but honestly when I've been in a binge cycle someone would need to take me to and from work to prevent me going in a shop. We don't treat addicts like that actually, noone expects them to really go cold turkey without addressing what behind it. What really helps is counselling a Nd dealing with what causes the binging and gaining genuine tools to deal with it. 90% of the time my debit is great. High protein, high veg, moderate fruit. Wholgrain everything but when I binge it's awful and my whole diet deteriorates because it's a sign of something else wrong.

I know what you mean @Velumental, it really is so very very difficult.
This might be completely wrong but I’m wondering if your diet is too good most of the time to be sustainable indefinitely and that contributes to the binge cycles? Maybe if you allowed yourself more leeway to eat what you enjoy, that would reduce the all or nothing feeling and the urge to binge?
Im obviously no expert so sorry if that doesn’t resonate with you.
My psychiatrist suggested handing over control of my money to my partner so I didn’t have the cash to buy junk but I don’t think that is practical for an adult
I haven’t found not having the food in the house enough to stop me bingeing in the past but it is working now for some reason despite massive external stresses. Today is day 18 so don’t despair. If I can do it then anyone can when they find what works for them. ❤️