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

If sweets are your downfall, frozen grapes are amazing, as are frozen berries blended up so they turn into slush and mixed into thick, Greek yoghurt.

I agree about the sugar and processed carbs, though. If I eat white bread, I'll binge; wholewheat and seeded batch loaves I can get away with, but white bread is guaranteed to have me binging on sugary jelly sweets later in the day.

I’m a massive over eater rather than a binge eater and my brain doesn’t seem to know when I’m full. I can eat until I vomit. I used to be anorexic and part of me wishes I could go back to that but I’ve lost that immense willpower. I really sympathise with you OP and am following for ideas

I am a binge eater too OP and something that has actually worked for me is fasting. As you have anorexia in your history this might be a terrible idea so speak to a doctor. But my thing is I am extreme. So trying to walk the middle path just doesn't work for me.

I did the fast 800 for two weeks, and because 800 cal is so little I had to plan a daily menu that was exactly the same every day and exactly 800 cal. Zero wiggle room. No need to think about food at all - there just was what was in my plan and that was it. If I ate or bought anything not in that daily menu, I had failed, simple as that.

When I came off it after two weeks, the impulse to binge was much much weaker. I am a psychological binger so it's still there, but the almost desperate, imperative feeling to eat a lot when under emotional stress was significantly weaker. There is a physical component to sugar addiction which does make it a cycle. I'm in a much better place now. Still not perfect but much less out of control.

Totally relate to you, OP. I've been binge eating too. I try to eat three times a day but end up eating 3-4 times in the name of snacks.

Try reading The Hunger Code, it explains a lot of the reasons we eat, different types of hunger (including Hedonic hunger) and how to address the root causes. Really interesting insights that differ from the usual "just eat fewer calories"

Sorry you are struggling too. I had a period of starving myself a couple of years ago and lost 18kg in two months. It is strangely satisfying and addictive and definitely feels better than bingeing.

You mentioned a psychiatrist.
Are you taking any drugs for mental health issues or have you had talking therapy?
If yes, what kind of therapy?

What's your trigger OP? Mine is boredom, I work from home a lot and my job is dull, so I reach for food for entertainment and comfort.
I do not binge on office days or days/weekends where I am busy.
Once you know your trigger (are you hungry/bored/sad etc) then you can try and distract yourself from the binge and take control.
It takes time but I have gone from having no control to being able to stop mid-binge and reset.
I also listened to a podcast about binge eating disorder and the presenter said the first step initially was to not let yourself get hungry as this can lead to overeating and poor choices, I ate as soon as I felt hungry and the noise went away, but if I sat with the hunger too long then I would end up binge eating.

I know, it’s genius. She could write a series of 1 sentence self-help books.

How to stop smoking? Just stop doing it.
How to stop drinking? Just stop doing it.

There’s a common theme emerging 🤷‍♀️

I explain comfort eating this way. When we were little and grumpy/bored or unhappy we would often be given something sweet to cheer us up, and it worked pretty much instantly and our subconscious learned a powerful lesson – that biscuits or chocolate or cake could magically make you feel better. That same strategy is still being applied, even though it's adding to your problems, not solving them.

There are lots of diets, supplements, etc which may work in the short term but until the basic belief that comfort food will make you happy is invalidated you will always come back to it. It IS possible to change the way you think but it has to be at a subconscious level.

Given that you've been stressed and unhappy for 45 years it would be best to tackle both issues in tandem.

You clearly have no knowledge or understanding of this topic so please stop. If self control was all it took then clearly this wouldn't exist. Please go get some education before you continue to give nonsense advice. You're doing more harm than good.

Plan what you are going to eat tomorrow. Write down what you are going to eat and stick to it. Make sure it is healthy and balanced.

Once you have done the first day - you will feel a sense of achievement. Then continue. Planning your meals reduces those impulse buys.

Avoid junk food aisle in the supermarket as well. If you don't see the junk, you are less likely to want to buy it.

This. I find eating protein at breakfast and lunch helps prevent sugar seeking. When I would restrict it would hit mid morning or late afternoon and my brain was desperately pointing me towards high sugar, quick sugar foods.

Thanks for all the kind comments and useful suggestions.

I’ve made it through the day without any sweet junk 🎉

Lunch : Meal deal sandwich, packet of crisps and Diet Coke (600 calories)

Dinner : M&S ultra thin pizza, salad and coleslaw (500 calories)

Evening snack : Banana (100 calories)

Hopefully I can manage the same tomorrow. One day at a time.

Well done, but again this seems like quite severe restriction which can make your body go a bit mad and (theoretically and simplified) send lots of hunger hormones that then make you binge.

Try to increase the protein, maybe have a boiled egg for breakfast and add a babybel light to your snack. Or have some whole fat Greek yoghurt as a treat. They’ll help satiate you.

Thanks. I’m going out for a cooked brunch tomorrow so that will have lots of protein, albeit not very healthy. I’m not going to worry too much about being really healthy to start off with, just to avoid sweet junk.

This looks like a good improvement, well done OP!

As the weeks go on Id be making some little swaps, mainly because its quite carb heavy - eating that I know I'd be more likely to binge later in the day because carbs make me do that, so maybe as the weeks go on you can reduce carbs until evening meal time?

Things like crisps are just empty calories, perhaps you could swap for a punnet of strawberries and a couple of oranges for those calories and feel a lot more full - but these can be longer term changes.

Diet coke would make me crave more crap later too.

Well done on today x

Thanks. I agree it’s not healthy but it is an improvement from bingeing on sweet junk so it’s ok as a first step.
I will hopefully take all the healthy suggestions on board going forward

Sounds like a really positive step, the first day is always the hardest so you should be proud of yourself, breaking the sugar/junk cycle is so so difficult!

Thanks, the support on this thread seems to have really helped me as it’s a long time since I had a binge-free day.

@WaterandSandy , Im the same , I can binge as well as the next person, but three years of maintaining a healthy weight, I have proven to myself time , time again, that as long as I dont have the first sweet treat, I can avoid them for the day. If I reach for a biscuit - that's me totally buggered, sweet tooth gets lit and Im away

I also have the same problem with white bread and butter

So yes I have to avoid them, not buy them. Sure I snack still, but I choose healthier snacks now - so I might have a small portion of cheddar cut into small chunks , or an egg, chicken breast , greek yoghurt and frozen fruits , bowl of HM soup, bowl of Dahl

Snacks dont need to be sweet treats , often for me a snack is a small left over portion of the previous nights dinner

I also now only take my first food of the day when Im actually hungry . I rise at 5am and it can easily be 2pm before I want to eat . It won't be a huge feed, but it will be a filling feed, today it was gone 3pm and I had an open sandwich - dark rye, cottage cheese, salad, pickles and mackerel - not to everyones taste I know but I like it and it works for me :)

I eat out, go for breakfast etc same as the next person, but breakfast I avoid the sausage and the breads, taking poached eggs - 2, bacon - I cut the fat off, beans mushrooms , tomatoes , so not as exciting as a full English, but some over bugger has cooked it and it does me grand , Local pub we eat at, I adore their salt and chilli chicken, their portions are HUGE ( seriously this isnt a mums net thing, they are seriously huge ) so I ask for a starter sized portion - means I get what I want and dont over eat

Having to control weight isnt easy, I do have to think about what Im eating a lot but I never binge and say sod it anymore. If I binge then so be it, the next meal is back to normal and I dont dwell on it or beat myself up. Cant change it so might as well make it easier for myself by forgiving myself and moving on

I hope you find a way forward for you , I started this weight loss 3 years ago this weekend with SW . I knew I needed accountability and stepping up each week kept me focussed for sure. I still pop in every few weeks , I seem to gain around 4/5 lb. lose it, find it, but I dont allow it to go above that , else Im back to feeling like im "dieting " and who wants to be on a diet for so many years?

I just now thinks Im learning and training myself into a healthier life , and I still have bad habits

Wow, you are so self-disciplined. That gives me something to aspire to, but it will take a while

That’s amazing, well done!

I was wondering how you got on today but didn’t want to ask in case you had binged and I didn’t want you to feel shame.

I agree with your approach of having whatever you want for those 3 meals a day and just focusing on not binging.

Maybe this thread is what will be the turning point and motivation for you? I remember reading a thread a while ago from someone with a UPF addiction. The thread really helped her to stay on track and she had amazing results. It was really inspiring.

As you say, one day at a time, so super well done for today. Wish you well for tomorrow!

Thank you, that’s so kind x

I feel you! It took a while but I overcame the binge/ starve cycle after reading the book "overcoming overeating". It's a hard read in places and you have to follow the advice which is very very hard (e.g. buy everything you want in the supermarket and have it constantly available... was absolutely terrifying to me at the time I thought i would literally eat myself to death or something) but it actually worked. I don't have a perfect diet or a terrible one but ten plus years on I've never starved or binged again and I have a much healthier relationship with food. (And I'm a totally normal size)
Good luck.

www.amazon.co.uk/Overcoming-Overeating-Break-Healthier-Satisfying/dp/1456413333