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

Not RTFT but cut out the carbs and pile up the veg. Eat carbs like lentils or beans or boiled potatoes (not mash/baked and not rice or pasta) eat a bit of protein and fat with the food. If you want a pudding have it but only have a portion.

I do NOT buy multipacks or cakes or biscuits because I'll eat the whole lot.

I do NOT eat in the evenings because I will ''just have two biscuits" and there will be an empty packet a few minutes later.

It's not easy to begin with but you get used to it quickly

Perpetually stressed and unhappy for the last 45 years really. Bingeing is all
i know to cope and survive.

If the urge to eat is emotional/stress, I suck on a boiled sweet. It works for me.

I'll probably have three in a row but it's better than a cake or packet of biscuits.

You need to not feel deprived. If you lapse, don't think 'I'll start again tomorrow morning', accept is as being a blip and forget it.

HUG, @WaterandSandy .

Try to keep busy. If you do something like go to the gym, you can hate the gym not yourself. Exercise helps a lot for improving self esteem.

I would track when/where you are triggered to binge and try to journal about how you're feeling. Knowing what triggers the behaviours can be so helpful. I'd also try finding some counselling, this is something that's really hard to stop without professional help.
Lastly, I'd say to try and set down any shame you may be feeling. The binging is a symptom/ a coping mechanism and being hard on yourself will just make it worse 💗💗

I can empathise with the OP. I went through a phase like that when I was younger, for years, where I’d easily get through loads of sugary food on a daily basis, shrouded in secrecy and self-loathing.

My body just got used to sugar and kept wanting more, I’d trained it that quick sugar was the default. I also found I’d get blood sugar spikes and crashes, so I’d feel hungry again quite quickly and reach for more of the same. I read multiple books on nutrition but it didn’t help me at the time and just made me feel worse about myself.

My weight yo-yoed a lot. I’d have periods where I could ignore 'the calling', but it would always come back. Then after about 15 years of this, I got into fitness. I started going to gym classes, doing other sports, and socialising with people whose hobbies were fitness-related, and that really helped shift things.

Now if I want a treat, I’ll make a big salad with lots of dressing e.g. proper olive oil, avocado, cheese i.e
things with fat that are actually satisfying, rather than reaching for sugar.

I also don’t keep chocolate, cakes or biscuits in the house. I’ll occasionally buy a slice of cake and eat it out somewhere, but if I’ve got a whole box at home I will still eat it all, even now, so I just don’t put myself in that position. I’ve refused those kinds of gifts before, and I’ve also thrown things away (taken out of the packaging so I won’t fish it back out). It sounds extreme, but I know my limits.

There’s a lot of research now around the gut microbiome. What you eat influences the types of bacteria in your gut, and those can in turn affect appetite and cravings. So if you’re eating a lot of sugar regularly, it can reinforce that cycle. I suggest you read up on this if you are interested.

I think I’ll always have that tendency towards sugar. It didn’t change overnight, but over time it calmed down as I shifted my habits and focus. Maybe replacing it with something else isn’t perfect, but it’s what worked for me, and I’m much slimmer, have more energy, and am much happier in my body now.

...set down any shame you may be feeling. The binging is a symptom/ a coping mechanism and being hard on yourself will just make it worse Absolutely.

There is no need to feel shame. It's ok if you do but don't dwell on it. To err is human.

I wolfed down an easter egg earlier when I wasn't even hungry. I'm not going to waste my time feeling bad about it. I'll just not buy another one.

Yeah in my experience this is a big part of it, honestly. You need to find different coping strategies, and try to deal directly with the underlying things that are wrong in your life. That’s not all of it, but it is part of it.

As others have said, I also found healthy nourishing meals that I actually enjoyed eating and looked forward to were also helpful in terms of quieting the food noise and not having cravings. Junk only ever makes you want more junk.

You have my total sympathy as it’s definitely something I’ve struggled with.

Bit harsh. I'm not the one eating a whole cake and more.

I wasn't trying to be a dick. You asked how to not binge and you have to just not do it. Don't have the food in the house. Physically stop yourself. Picture the consequences.

I’d recommend that you read Ultra Processed People, it will help you understand the cycle you are trapped in. It’s not your fault, the food industry invests millions of pounds into designing addictive food products. Then the hard part, stop eating UPF foods.

Change your mindset to think of eating a wide variety of healthy wholefoods to nourish your body and satisfy your appetite. Once you break the habit you’ll wonder why you ever ate the crap before and you’ll feed so much better.

Only thing that’s stopped me is Mounjaro 🤷‍♀️

“Just not do it” Thanks for your contribution. Problem solved. If only I’d asked you 45 years ago.

Sending solidarity. I suffer from Binge Eating Disorder too.

WLI worked for me during the first six months of 2025, and luckily I’ve kept the weight off, but you’ve made it clear that they’re not an option.

No advice sadly, but I just wanted you to know that you’re not alone. BED is a sod to deal with.

Thanks. My psychiatrist said WLI were not suitable for me but I need to clarify why. I’m so glad they are working for you though. If you don’t mind me asking, how much have you lost and are you down to a healthy BMI now?

To be fair to the PP, the only thing you can do if you are not willing to try WLI’s is use will power.

Since you posted your OP, you have gone on to eat another half of a Victoria sponge so it doesn’t sound as though you’re ready to start making the changes you need to. You are still in the land of excuses.

You didn’t need to eat the other half in order to start afresh tomorrow. You could have just thrown it away.

(I’m not being judgemental, I was anorexic for years. I have lived in the land of excuses and said to myself more times than I care to think about “tomorrow I’ll be better”. I was lying to myself.)

I don’t agree that willpower is the answer.
I’ve been anorexic too and it is actually much easier for me to starve myself than to eat normally.

Weight loss medication- it stops any addictive behaviour. I’ve even stopped drinking alcohol!

Did you even read my OP?

The only thing that helped me break the sugar craving cycle was a continuous glucose monitor. I used lingo, £60 for 2 weeks. It helped me see the sugar spikes and it then it really focussed my mind trying to avoid them. It helped me rapidly reduce sugar and after a week of better eating I didn’t crave sweet stuff nearly as much. After two weeks I could think clearly enough to not be totally overwhelmed by the craving and make the choices I wanted to.

@WaterandSandyi haven’t read all the replies so apologies if I’m repeating what others have said.

I binge eat, and I don’t think family realised how bad it was until I listed all the junk I had managed to consume between breakfast and lunch. People think it’s as simple as, just don’t put it in your mouth…but it’s not that simple unfortunately.

I am a comfort eater; so stress, feeling down, and even when I’m happy, it’s food that I turn to.

For me, I’ve tried to replace food with other ways of dealing with situations. Journaling has helped a little, trying to work through emotions.

my weight goes up and down, times when I manage to follow a diet plan, exercise and lose; but then unfortunately it’s a cycle for me, and I’m usually back or weigh more than I did (and have pcos which doesn’t help).

I recently purchased a walking pad, and I have to tell myself, eaten x means I have to walk for hour (or more). This has been working for a little while so far. This and the journaling are helping somewhat.

Hope you find something that works for you

That might actually work for me to see the damage I am going to myself. I know the theory but to see it in practice is more powerful

But willpower is the only answer if you will not use drugs. There literally isn’t anything else.

There are tips and tricks and therapy etc etc but none of those work without willpower.

But saying just don’t do it is no help at all. Others have suggested strategies which have helped them to stop.

I’m having a relatively sustained period of stable eating thanks to ChatGPT. I spent a while giving it my life story with food etc and everything I’ve learnt about myself. Then asked for help. I can rant and ‘yell’ at it without worrying about being rude and it’s actually really helping to keep me on track.

Its suggested the same as someone upthread; I’m actually feeling like I’m eating more to start with as I HAVE to have 3 proper meals a day and 2 snacks AND a final ‘tea and 2 biscuits’ at night. ‘We’ worked on a plan for ages until I felt
comfortable with it. ive effectively handed over control of what I eat to AI so I don’t obsess - I just eat what’s next on the plan.

sounds mad but give it a try - your own personalised always there eating disorder coach

I am a serial snacker and a complete sugar addict. I've tried everything over the years and never been successful but I've started taking glucomannan (from bulk) and it's changed my life. It's a fibre that swells in your stomach and makes meal digestion slower. I got through the initial 2 weeks sugar come down by not buying anything sweet for me (am restricted due to food allergies), I bought a pack of marshmallows and had 3 on an evening for the sugar kick if I needed it. I'm on week 4 ISH and I don't even crave it anymore. I haven't had any glucomannan for 3 days now and my eating habits are so much better, I'm not snacking, my meal portions are smaller automatically and I am full, I also don't crave the sugar any more. It could be worth a shot!