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Eating disorders

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Binge eaters accountability thread

601 replies

LucyLatimer · 11/06/2022 09:21

A thread to check in and say how we are feeling with no judgment. Taking one day at a time.

OP posts:
Orangesandlemons77 · 30/06/2022 15:57

I had a bad day yesterday, was recovering from this bug for a start but still tired, and then DC was off school sick so was stuck at home...didn't have a proper breakfast as still felt a bit funny, but then ended up craving and eating junk!

I have started realising that for me having breakfast really helps. And I have spent time in the past reading bad things about breakfast- even this book called Breakfast is a Dangerous Meal about how it sets your blood sugars in a bad pattern for the rest of the day etc etc. and tends to be full of sugar / carbs etc etc - anyway just trying to ignore that stuff and feed myself how I feel better with.

Anyway I ate cereal the other day and it didn't make me hungry all day...

LucyLatimer · 30/06/2022 15:59

I see what you mean. I always think that I should try to avoid breakfast or leave as late as possible, but I just get starving then. Morning is my most dangerous binge time too. Hope you feel better!

OP posts:
Orangesandlemons77 · 30/06/2022 16:09

Thanks! Have done better today. Yes we can internalise all this negative stuff about meals from 'diet books' I think.

I have read something else regarding mental health that it can be helpful to have stable blood sugars through the day so eating regularly is good for that.

Breathmiller · 30/06/2022 17:09

I definitely find not missing out any meals useful. I've spent years missing breakfast and it hasn't done me any good. So I'm trying this way. Breakfast, lunch and dinner. Snacks in between if I'm hungry.

I was at a talk years ago with an ayurveda specialist and he said that all this fasting isn't great. In ayurveda they suggest fasting as something you do in between breakfast and dinner. I quite liked that idea. Stopping all this feast and famine. It helps me a lot actually. I think my body is start to trust that I will eat later. I don't need to stuff as much as I can because it may be a looong time til I allow it more fuel. I need to keep this rhythm going. Im hoping my body will start to trust me again. We've not been the best of friends for many a year.

Breathmiller · 30/06/2022 17:23

I meant between breakfast, lunch and dinner.

MistyRock · 30/06/2022 17:34

I'm not having such a good day. The sliced chicken for lunch was off. So I didn't have my wrap, it then left me hungry. So I go on a food hunt and all I have is crap. I had a bath but put leggings and a t shirt on so I'm in the idea outfit for stuffing my face. I'm a bloody idiot. Moral of the story. Don't skip meals and get proper clothes on.

cheeseisthebest · 30/06/2022 17:47

I definitely agree about breakfast. If I have a filling breakfast it does stop me binging. Something high protein is good cos it will really fill you up.
I'm also starting a new job on Monday plus my youngest children finishing primary in less than 3 weeks. Lots of busyness and potential stress.

Breathmiller · 30/06/2022 18:11

mistyrock sorry* *you had a disappointing lunch. Meals should never be disappointing.

I hear you on the clothing choice. I've been trying not to ditch my bra (which digs in uncomfortably if I've overeaten) and getting my slouchy jammy bottoms on as soon as I get home. Elasticated waists are very forgiving of expanding bellies. So, I've been keeping my clothes on til bedtime.

It would be so good to not have to think about all these things. It's quite exhausting.

cheeseisthebest · 30/06/2022 19:20

I have elasticated waist jeans Blush

MistyRock · 30/06/2022 21:33

It's all extremely exhausting. Tomorrow is a new day.

Breathmiller · 30/06/2022 22:41

I didn't binge today. 3 meals again. Laat day of work tomorrow before my holidays and it's a very short day. I must not celebrate with masses of food.

pedropony76 · 01/07/2022 08:43

Hey all, how’s everyone been? I was reading the comments and I’ve seen it hasn’t been a great week for some.

I’ve had the week from HELL. The binge eating has been non stoppable. I’ve literally eaten anything in sight as I’ve been really emotional this week. I’ve just had my first period after having DS2 who’s 9 weeks old. I totally wasn’t expecting to be so emotional and hormonal.

To top it off, I’ve officially ended things with the kids dad so I’ve eaten absolutely everything in sight. It’s got to the point where my back teeth hurt so much because of how much I’ve stuffed my face. Really disappointed in myself as I’ve been doing relatively well recently. Today’s a new day but I don’t have much hope

Orangesandlemons77 · 01/07/2022 08:46

pedropony76 · 01/07/2022 08:43

Hey all, how’s everyone been? I was reading the comments and I’ve seen it hasn’t been a great week for some.

I’ve had the week from HELL. The binge eating has been non stoppable. I’ve literally eaten anything in sight as I’ve been really emotional this week. I’ve just had my first period after having DS2 who’s 9 weeks old. I totally wasn’t expecting to be so emotional and hormonal.

To top it off, I’ve officially ended things with the kids dad so I’ve eaten absolutely everything in sight. It’s got to the point where my back teeth hurt so much because of how much I’ve stuffed my face. Really disappointed in myself as I’ve been doing relatively well recently. Today’s a new day but I don’t have much hope

Oh, you have had a lot to deal with, be kind to yourself Flowers with a newborn it is exhausting on it's own without the rest... hope today is better for you

pedropony76 · 01/07/2022 08:54

Thank you so much @Orangesandlemons77 I really appreciate it!

I also have a 14 month old so God help me😂 I love this thread though, it’s like a little supportive community. If anyone has any tips of how they’ve recently decreased their binge eating then I’d love to give it a go x

cheeseisthebest · 01/07/2022 09:06

You must be so tired which definitely leads to binging! And what a time you're having xx

cheeseisthebest · 01/07/2022 11:20

What do people reckon to this idea?
Buying one treat a day and then saving for whenever is your difficult time.
So eg buying a 2 finger kitkat and knowing I can have it in the evening with a cuppa. I'm wondering if psychologically that might stop binging if I know I'm allowing myself a treat later on?
Possibly worth a try.

MistyRock · 01/07/2022 11:44

@pedropony76 oh no. Don't be so hard on yourself, you are going through a terrible time. Maybe allow yourself to binge eat until Sunday? Then on Sunday try and have 3 proper meals and allow yourself 2 snacks of WHATEVER you want. Be it a chocolate bar or a big packet of crisps. Once you've nourished your body and gained some control you might find the urge to binge subsides!?!?

MistyRock · 01/07/2022 11:45

@cheeseisthebest that sounds like a good plan, but it wouldn't work for me as its too reminiscent of dieting and would give me the big fat urge to eat lots of 2 finger Kit Kats! 😂

MistyRock · 01/07/2022 12:07

So far I'm having a better day. I did wake up with that familiar feeing of dread. But I'm doing okay. I've emailed the airline chasing up my refund and now I'm going out for a few hours to get a breather from everyone. It's the school holidays here.

MistyRock · 01/07/2022 12:16

I'm actually off to look for jeans in the sale. Mango Soho jeans. Good for slim hips and bum but big tummy /waist. The regular fit my leg length too and I'm 5ft 10in!

Breathmiller · 01/07/2022 13:23

Oh pedropony that is a lot to be dealing* *with. In fact any one of these things are a lot to deal with, baby, toddler and the end of a relationship, having them altogether is hard.
I hope things can settle for you a bit. Rest as much as you can. Can you get some help from family or friends? Maybe they can make you some meals and put it in the freezer? Sorry you're having all this going on. Go easy on yourself.

I have found my binging decreasing definitely although I need to stay vigilant or it sneaks back up on me then bam, i seem to be back in the depths of it.

As for what has helped...

•A thread on here to stop me drinking made me feel that anything was possible. If I could stop drinking then maybe I could address my challenges with food.

• I did a few things last year. I did a hypnosis of Paul McKenna's (How to make you thin - terrible title and not indicative of the content). It actually made me like myself more and realise it was nothing to do with being thin. It was emotional. Which I kind of always knew.

• doing some mindfulness around intuitive eating. That actually made me soar in weight because it came after a famine so it was like the floodgates opened and I used it as a good excuse to eat anything as nothing was off the table (literally) . But, I do find it useful now to add to my list of tools.

• some things that I've done along the way, like My fitness Pal have made me realise what a healthy plate looks like. My portion sizes, even of 'healthy food' was way out of whack. I wouldn't do it again but it has informed me a lot.

• letting go of dieting! This is the biggest one. Letting my body trust that there will be no restrictions. When I need a more supportive structure, after a binge or a period of binging or dieting I go to 3 meals and 3 snacks. It helps me to reset. Some of these snack are tiny. But I stick to it. Then, as I'm in now, after a period of 3 meals/3 snacks I naturally seem to move to 3 meals. Maybe 1 snack if I fancy it. That's the only rule as such. That I can't actively miss a meal. Of course there are times when life gets in the way but I try to stick to proper meals. And make them nice, enjoyable, tasty and filling. And treats. Everyone having an ice cream cone? Why not me too? I used to find myself in the group being the only one denying myself and the only one overweight. That was very telling. Because they might have an ice cream cone at the beach and enjoy it, i will deny myself and battle with myself over it then feel so shit I buy a box of ice creams after and eat them all! Crazy. So i stopped being the only one not enjoying a treat.

• i try to eat my 5 a day. I had a thread on here trying to eat our 10 a day and it was great. It helped me think about what I can eat rather than what I can't. Again, it was quite prescriptive and I want to step away from that. So I make better choices and try to get at least my 5 a day within my meals but its not the end of the world if i am less than that some days.

• this thread has really helped. Massively. I am so glad I found it. Just having a place to write the thought processes out and know you understand where I'm coming from is so helpful.

Breathmiller · 01/07/2022 13:56

Just realised some more.

• although crisps are not out of the equation altogethe, i am aware that they are a real trigger food so I try to minimise how much I have in the house. So, I can still have crisps but don't have a house full of them or I can't stop. And they trigger a binge. so I can have crisps but I know they bloat me up so I try to keep them to a minimum.

• wearing clothes that fit me. Not squeezing into trousers that are too tight, that makes me feel horrible. And I don't want to feel horrible.

• also, looking at what I need. And are there other tools in my toolkit. Am I tired? Then rest. Do I feel the need for a treat? Then buy something small other than food. Am i in need of comfort? Ask for a hug. Do i need pamapered a bit? Have a bath and do my nails and hair.

Meditate. Yoga. Walks in nature. Talk to someone. Do an online jigsaw and listen to music or a podcast. Lie down. Or move. I was swimming for a bit. Sometimes outside. Can I find comfort in other ways than other than food? Or, am I actually hungry and a normal reasonable amount of food is the right thing. Am I thirsty? Grumpy? What do I really need? That has helped me massively.

In the alcohol thread we started a conversation about our tool box. What can we have in there that helps when we were reaching for a drink. Same with food that isn't needed. A lot of the time I threw myself in a bath. Like a young child. Out of sorts? Throw them in the bath. 😊. I had a LOT of baths when I was stopping in the beginning. I'm surprised I wasn't a wrinkled prune.

pedropony76 · 01/07/2022 17:04

Thank you for all of the supportive comments guys! Thank you for the tips given too, I’m definitely going to try some things mentioned.

My son was also in NICU for 6 weeks and has only been home for nearly 4 weeks so it’s been a super stressful time. I’ve just ordered chinese but I’m going to try my best not to overeat. I’ll only eat what I want and save the rest for tomorrow instead of stuffing my face until I feel sick. My mum has my 14 month old tonight so hopefully I can get a bit of rest!

Less stress means I’ll eat less haha:)

MistyRock · 01/07/2022 17:45

I hope you manage to get some good quality sleep and enjoy your take away.

pedropony76 · 01/07/2022 17:56

Thank you Misty!

Hope all is well with you x