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

Who knows, still finding the balance, I can have some treats, but crisps, biscuits, refined sugar immediately trigger binges. It's complicated by PCOS so if I eat badly I get in a physical round of high insulin a d sugar cravings. Then to lose weight I need to be extremely strict but I can gain half a stone from a few days of binging then it comes off really slowly.

I couldn’t eat crisps, biscuits, refined sugar without bingeing either. What seems to be working for me at the moment is having whatever I want (savoury) for meals. I was eating so many calories of sweet junk that I am losing weight just by stopping that, but I plan to try to improve my meals too.

It sounds even more difficult for you if you are dealing with PCOS too but it is inevitable that being extremely strict after bingeing will eventually lead to another binge no matter how strong your willpower is.

OP weird question but have you had your blood sugar tested lately? I found mine was actually just into the prediabetic range (I'm slim but was definitely eating too much chocolate over Christmas and have another autoimmune disease, low iron and sleep deprived so still waiting on answers after another more recent blood test).

But I got told to cut out all sugar, including honey and that black and white rules made it way easier to go cold turkey. And the less I've had it, the less I've wanted it.

I am prediabetic too but it didn’t help me make any changes to my diet, probably because I don’t care about myself.
Ive also got high cholesterol and heart disease but still carried on abusing my body. 🤷‍♀️

I blew it today. I had a very upsetting therapy session on Tuesday, got through that and the next day, despite feeling devastated Today I was feeling rubbish, probably because of meds reduction, and then my dogs had a fight. So I went full binge to try and calm the terrible way I was feeling.

Stop buying the stuff, or restrict it to just a few treats.

A DD’s partner lost 5 stone through a) a lot of walking, and b) just stopping buying all the chocolate/biscuits/etc. he used to stuff himself with.

Someone else I used to work with was in the habit of eating loads of Mars Bars, KitKats, crisps etc., plus literally gallons of full fat Coke every week.

I honestly hardly recognised her when I bumped into her after a couple of years - she’d lost 5 stone too! She told me she’d just cut out all the
stuff listed above.

I think in a way you need to commit to the discomfort of hunger, boredom and cravings. Embrace that feeling and recognise it is you becoming the version of you that you want to be. Instead of trying to hide from that, have a strict daily diet you can actually stick to and do not buy or consume anything outside of that. Expect to yearn for those foods and do not give in to that feeling, as the food won’t make you happier, healthier or thinner. Make sure the diet you commit to is sustainable, even if that means you are allowed one small chocolate bar a day. Though I found it easier to go cold turkey.

While i don’t have a binge eating disorder, i was hooked on sugar. I had to eat strictly and consistently for 2 months before I stopped craving sugar so strongly.

Meds really are the easiest way to support recovery from a binge eating disorder, but otherwise things like hypnotherapy could help you

Sounds like you have an awful lot to deal with at the moment so try not to beat yourself up 💐
You are doing so well to have some binge-free days

Which meds are used to support recovery from BED? I have only heard of fluoxetine

Thank you, that's really kind of you to say. I know I am doing better than I was and making progress, it's just a long, slow road. Would you mind if I PMed you? Not to dump a load of stuff on you, but in something relevant to our conversation?

Yes, that’s fine to PM me.

Day 19 done. I don’t have any cravings for sweet junk any more but I am worried what would happen if I did have something sweet again. I don’t want to think I’ve failed and ruined everything so I might as well eat loads. Im an all-or-nothing kind of person unfortunately

How is everyone else getting on?

Hi there. Well done!
Would you be happy to never eat anything sweet again? Or do you think you will want to at some point?
I've not binged sgain but ate mainly protein yoghurts and protein bars yesterday as I was stressed and having a migraine. So not the healthiest, but could have been a lot worse. I ate a stick of celery and some.beetroot in the evening lol so I could tell myself I had vegetables.

Think of it as an addiction. If you were recovering from heroin addiction or alcohol addiction, you couldn’t have a small but just to check or treat yourself as within a few days you’ll be strung out again.
Treat it like an addiction.
My Dsis has a book of sweet treat recommendations made with honey, vanilla extract etc, they’re really nice x she bakes her own crisp too, she has an under active thyroid so finds it better to have no sugar.
If you give in to the internal monster sweet treats, the beast that you’re suffocating, it’ll be back with vengeance.

You’re doing really well @WaterandSandy

As another all-or-nothing person, my experience is not to check whether I can risk a small quantity of binge food. I know if I risk it, that the food noise will ramp up exponentially until I give in to it. That’s my own personal experience. I’ve also found that sweeteners can trigger a binge.

Unfortunately, there are always people who’ll bang on about “everything in moderation”, or “just one won’t hurt”, and I simply don’t discuss anything with them.

I can’t remember ever not being like this. The food noise almost entirely disappears after about seven to ten days of cutting out junk and sweet stuff.

Last night I had my wrap with shredded lettuce and tiny pieces of chicken. Felt calm and relaxed, got a few things done.

edited for clarity

Unfortunately, there are always people who’ll bang on about “everything in moderation”, or “just one won’t hurt”, and I simply don’t discuss anything with them.

@GallstoneGertie
I agree. In my experience (teenage anorexia followed by binge eating disorder, a few decades of more or less respite then recent resurgence of severe binge eating) such people know nothing of eating disorders and, probably unintentionally, adopt a very patronising tone when saying such things.

I'm also an all-or-nothing personality. That said, until the return of bingeing a couple of years ago, I could have a little very dark chocolate each day, and occasionally something very sugary, without it triggering weeks of full-on bingeing, but I seem to have lost that ability. I'm hoping the dark chocolate habit may become possible again at some point, but who knows.

Well done @Goinggonegone Celery and beetroot is very healthy 😀

Thanks @EmeraldShamrock000, that is so true. I really struggled to resist the beast this evening as I’m tired, stressed, lonely and depressed but I managed it.

You are really making huge progress @GallstoneGertie but are you sure that you are eating enough or are you restricting your total intake too much?

Hi @TreesAtSea, sorry to hear that you graduated from anorexia to BED like me. There seems to be a lot of us unfortunately ☹️

You’re doing amazing. I found listening to podcasts on recovery really helpful, light at the end of the tunnel. Over eaters recovery stories on YouTube. You’ll realise you’re not alone, you’re part of a group of people who help each other and understand the triggers.

I am a binger too and I find it helps if I prepare a little container with my 'treats' in it. Then I choose five or six things I enjoy but are not just pure junk, like a Babybel light, some grapes, a Freddo, some Greek yogurt with honey. I can keep telling myself I have the treat box in the evening when I am watching TV, and so I open it then and graze from it, instead of constantly opening the fridge. Make sure it has some slightly naughty things or you won't feel you've rewarded yourself, and have things which are picky so you don't just wodge a huge cupcake in your mouth in a oner.
All the best.x

https://www.overeatersanonymous.ie/our-stories/

Thanks, I’ll take a look at those