Binge eating disorder

[Ahumanjellyfish]

Hello,

anyone have advice on what has worked for them for binge eating disorder?
Not connected to dieting - more binge when stressed.
I tried intermittent fasting which was oddly helpful after a few years binge started again and full swing bed. Tried mindful eating, not caring, moderation - all not helpful.

tips?

You might find Beat helpful, they're an eating disorder charity. Mindfulness might also be useful, it helps you catch your thoughts so you can try to break the cycle.

You could have a check up and discuss it with your Dr, medication might help. You can find therapists on BACP.

thank you helpful. I’m not vey good at mindfulness I’m in the moment feeling one way then another then binge. I think it’s likely cyclical as currently no desire. It’s definitely an unhelpful habit. I don’t feel it’s related to dieting or trying to lose weight which has prevented seeking ED guidance.
I appreciate your support and helpful advice - thank you.

The only thing that has helped me is mounjaro - but honestly it is pretty life changing not being stuck in the binge/self loathing cycle all the time.
totally worth the money and the side effects (mild nausea) for me

lazjaz it’s great you have found something to help you. Thank you for sharing . Did you have this prescribed or did you buy privately?

I think at times when I’ve had mine u see co troll I have been more self aware and have healthier outlets for my negative feelings. When I am stressed and under pressure and time poor, my self care goes out the window and I binge and purge. Like my “treat” is eating but then I feel crap so can’t keep it in…

what I’m hoping to do is address some of the stresses at work, make a plan to do something positive with my body (Pilates or a hot bath or a brisk walk) each day and make a meal plan as I’m definitely worse with sugar rushes and poor eating days with big gaps and high sugar stuff.

it’s very hard though…

Don’t think we can edit any more- the first line I meant to write was “when I’ve had mine under control”
sorry!

@Ahumanjellyfish private online prescription.
wishing you all the best battling BED- it’s such a horrible eating disorder to be trapped in

I'm just coming in to say hello really.
I have a binge eating disorder (never sought a diagnosis but I categorically do and have for about 20 years) and I have really lost control at this point. I also have a bowel condition which I am aggravating so badly.
Off to see the GP tomorrow about upping my ADs. They have given me a login for some online CBT, I'll give that a try. It's generic though not ED specific.
I'm desperate to see what has been successful for people to break the cycle.
I'm overweight but don't even care about that right now, I just feel so trapped by my eating. It really is ruling my life.
Sorry to derail your thread, I just wanted to reach out x

3 meals and 3 snacks is the recommended meal plan for tackling BED. It is supposed to reduce the size and frequency of binges but it’s still not easy to implement.
Best of luck. I have it too and it is horrendous.

Mounjaro really helps me. If you're considering it, she med is £99 a month for a year including the increases in prescription strength but you need to sort before end of January.

Other than that, as advised mindfulness, meditation. Stress avoidance!

I had therapy for BED with a eating disorder charity.

I can now leave crisps in the cupboard. I'm not shovelling food into my body until I'm sick, however it is the mounjaro that's the quick fix all because it takes away the food noise and actually I don't really enjoy food whilst I take GLP-1 medications.

Thanks for sharing.
I am a bit scared of mounjaro etc as I have diverticular disease and have to be careful, a quick Google tells me that it may not be suitable because it slows down digestion. Will definitely still have a conversation with the GP.
I have found some therapists details linked on the BEAT website and will try 3 meals/ 3 snacks.
Thanks for the advice x

Jumping back on the thread. Sorry to hear others suffer with this. My number one trigger is stress and every day my job is stressful! On my non working days walking/ not being in the house and eating together as a family is helpful , I still look forward to the evening meal but the noise is lessened.
il not sure if that’s helpful. I convinced I have a gene that switches on when stressed, so lowering that state is helpful.
it’s really rubbish and a horrible cycle to be in. I know it can be overcome. Mine isn’t about weight or restriction. Though I’m sure if I dieted I’d be more susceptible to a binge. With perimenopause it’s worsened but that may because the anxiety has.
I hear the Christopher Fairbourne books may be helpful… for me regular meals and snacks can make it worse as I’m thinking about food all day long but appreciate that that is the conventional advice and helpful for lots.

Same for me with perimenopause. I am following the three meals a day and snacks advice struggling as feel so full all the time and piling on weight. Mostly related to being extremely tired or bored.

FWIW, I asked my ED consultant psychiatrist about Mounjaro at my last appointment but he was adamant that it wasn’t suitable for me. He said he is seeing a lot of people with bad side effects from it and he thought I would either increase my number of binges or stop eating completely if I went on it. Obviously that doesn’t mean it won’t help others.

Hello

I know this is an old thread but I did a search for BED and this came up so thought i should add to it rather than start a new one...

I'm struggling at the moment and wondering whether it's worth going to the GP.

I've tried CBT for depression in the past and it wasn't great for me, I think that's all the NHS offers for BED? In which case there wouldn't be much point going to GP.

I've managed to lose weight and eat healthily in the past but stress is a trigger for me and I spiral.

I feel like I know what I should do and how to do it so I'm not sure how helpful counselling would be. Does anyone have any positive experiences?

I have ADHD which I think is connected and I'm hoping to try a drug that can suppress appetite if I'm allowed to have it.

I don't qualify for the weight loss injections, and I also have gallbladder issues so I don't think they would be advised anyway.

Thanks

How could he possibly know that?

Mounjaro is excellent at stopping binge eating as it completely removes the desire to do so. The food noise goes away. I take it at the lowest dose to keep things at bay and eat a proper healthy diet

You’d be better off starting your own thread. My dd has anorexia. A highly trained professional for an eating disorder is expensive. We pay £150 for an hour and that’s good value. She is highly trained and deals with a range of EDs. A counsellor wouldn’t be enough for my dd.

I presume you aren’t diagnosed with an ED. Knowing what to do and having the bandwidth to do it by yourself are 2 different things. It sounds as if you need the support and safe space to get there. So yes, I’d say to seek someone therapy / counselling. If you don’t have an ED then I imagine someone well trained and offering a range of techniques, not just talking therapy could be a good starting point. If it’s an ED, I would be looking more specialised.

Thank you @Mummyoflittledragon

I haven't been diagnosed with an ED but suspect it is that due to the lack of control feeling.

Interesting that you say regular counselling would not be enough as that's how I feel.

Thanks

I’m not sure but he is an expert in the field of ED and he knows me and my history well so I trust his judgement.
That doesn’t mean it isn’t suitable for other people so maybe it wasn’t helpful me posting it at all.
Have you been diagnosed with BED?

I was going to say exactly this. Life changing.

The only thing that has genuinely helped me is reading a book called Intuitive Eating by Elyse Resch and Evelyn Tribole. I have had BED since my teens and am now middle aged so it hasn't been an overnight change but in the six months since I read it I've only binged a couple of times and I can properly objectively look at my binges and understand my triggers now. I feel able to think objectively about what I could do differently next time without judgement or self loathing. I probably sound like I am trying to sell the book, I'm honestly not! I guess the only down side with recommending a book is you do have to put the hard work in, it's not a quick fix, but I feel like I am really getting on top of things now.

One of my biggest triggers is to do with my relationship and feelings of being judged / criticised in that space, especially around body weight and food (which ironically is how I felt in my relationship with my parents when my BED started as a teen). I haven't been strong enough to tackle that one yet because I fear the fallout, but I do feel like knowing and understanding your triggers more deeply is half the battle.

Yes, that’s what my comment pertains to.

Binge eating isn’t the same as having a diagnosed eating disorder though.

I’m not sure I said that at all.