Stopping the diet/binge cycle

anxiousatnight · 2023-03-22T06:07:41+00:00

I have restricted and binged food for as long as I can remember. I'm 34 now, and I can't really recall an age where I wasn't overweight and conscious of what I ate, yet still used food as a comfort, joy and luxury. I've tried most of the diets going and have weighed anywhere between 15 and 10 stone in my adult life. I like exercise and run 3 or 4 times a week, but I cannot stop shovelling crap into my mouth. On Sunday, I decided to stop dieting eat three meals a day. I will aim for healthy, wholesome meals without any faddy diet tricks, with plenty of fruit and veg. There will be treats, but not too many. I will not count syns, calories, but I will be mindful. I am three days in, no binging. I'm feeling much more 'settled' and haven't been hungry. I was 13 stone and 4 lbs on Monday morning and I will weigh in every Monday morning. I know I need to loose weight and I do need to keep an eye on the scales, but my main focus is to stop the binging, eat properly and stop letting food make me feel short term happy, long term miserable.

LadyWithLapdog · 22/03/2023 06:09

Good luck and well done for the running too.

SlashBeef · 22/03/2023 13:05

Well done 🙂 have you considered therapy at all? The only thing that helped me long term was going to therapy. I actually had a gastric sleeve booked but started therapy first and I've lost 7st on my own. I don't think I'll ever be fully "healed" and it's something that I will always need to keep in check but addressing my eating and acknowledging that I was dealing with binge eating disorder changed everything for me. X

Original poster

anxiousatnight · 22/03/2023 17:52

@SlashBeef yes, I'd love to try therapy. I would know where to start. How did you go about it?

Well done on your incredible weight loss. I bet you feel fantastic.

OP posts:

frostyfeb · 22/03/2023 19:19

In the same but my weight has fluctuated from 17st to 10st. My wardrobe is ridiculous. I have clothes in sizes 22-12

I have started saxenda a month ago and can't believe the difference to my relationship with good. It suppresses the appetite I for the first time I can ever remember I really couldn't give a shit about food. My start weight was 17st so felt I needed to do something more drastic

But your approach seems a lot more healthy and balanced

Orangesandlemons77 · 25/03/2023 09:29

Morning! I will join you on this- it's hard to get out of that cycle. I'm on some pain meds which help with that but give me such a hunger!

Blizy · 25/03/2023 09:45

I'm very overweight but can't stop the binge. I lost 3 stone between June and December last year but I've been in binge mode since Christmas and piled the weight back on., I know I shouldn't eat but I just can't stop.

FavouriteDogMug · 25/03/2023 09:54

You might like The Binge Eating therapist on YouTube she also has a good podcast.

startofanewlife4 · 25/03/2023 10:04

I was exactly the same until 12 months ago. I decided to stop dieting and just to eat a healthy, balanced diet and not restrict anything. I have had a couple of wobbles during the year, and a few times (usually when I'm run down or doing too much) where I do slip back into the bingeing tendencies, but this usually lasts a couple of days, I feel physically not great, I don't ever feel guilty about it and end up back eating normally pretty quickly.

In the past 12 months I have lost around a stone. I haven't counted calories and I've eaten what I would have restricted or felt guilty about previously. My IBS is more under control and I am unwell less often. If I am coming down with something I can now feel the change in my body a couple of days before and try to do what I can to help. I have had 1 cold during the past year which lasted about half the time of what it usually would. It could be a coincidence, but I genuinely feel so much better overall.

I used to feel guilty about exercising too. Doing too much, not enjoying it so giving up. I now try to walk as often as I can (this also does wonders for my mental health) whether it is the school run, needing to go to collect a prescription or planned longer walks along the coast or up a mountain with my children or partner. I have also started tabata sessions this year. I plan on 4 a week. They are 4 minutes long. I sometimes do more than 1, but I find 1 good with all the walking I also do. I did tabata steps on Thursday on my stairs, I can still feel it in my legs today!

Orangesandlemons77 · 26/03/2023 12:59

startofanewlife4 · 25/03/2023 10:04

I was exactly the same until 12 months ago. I decided to stop dieting and just to eat a healthy, balanced diet and not restrict anything. I have had a couple of wobbles during the year, and a few times (usually when I'm run down or doing too much) where I do slip back into the bingeing tendencies, but this usually lasts a couple of days, I feel physically not great, I don't ever feel guilty about it and end up back eating normally pretty quickly.

In the past 12 months I have lost around a stone. I haven't counted calories and I've eaten what I would have restricted or felt guilty about previously. My IBS is more under control and I am unwell less often. If I am coming down with something I can now feel the change in my body a couple of days before and try to do what I can to help. I have had 1 cold during the past year which lasted about half the time of what it usually would. It could be a coincidence, but I genuinely feel so much better overall.

I used to feel guilty about exercising too. Doing too much, not enjoying it so giving up. I now try to walk as often as I can (this also does wonders for my mental health) whether it is the school run, needing to go to collect a prescription or planned longer walks along the coast or up a mountain with my children or partner. I have also started tabata sessions this year. I plan on 4 a week. They are 4 minutes long. I sometimes do more than 1, but I find 1 good with all the walking I also do. I did tabata steps on Thursday on my stairs, I can still feel it in my legs today!

This sounds like a really good plan. Glad to hear it is working.