Binge eating - not connected to dieting

[Ahumanjellyfish]

i have started binge and comfort eating during my working days. I start to dread the day and thinking what can get me through it and impulsively overeat on anything carbohydrate based.

I have some hormones going on currently too (I’m perimenopausal but still have a distinct luteal phase despite hrt).

the bingeing feels like a way to cope and I’m at a loss as to why it’s started or what to do about it as I feel pretty down when not bingeing.

has anything consistently worked for anyone? Weirdly this is not related to dieting that wasn’t my main concern. The side effects I am having are reflux, feeling I’ll and I just don’t like doing something that seems so unhelpful but in the moment it’s tough.

any thoughts or advice appreciated.

You have entered the carb cycle.
Feel at bit down, eat some carbs. Does it make you feel better, of course it does, sugar, fat, yummy taste, hits the spot. Your body then does an insulin release to turn this yummy stuff into energy, works great in the short term. But actually insulin brings your blood sugar right down until you feel starving, because you have low blood sugar. Hence you start the cycle again.

The horrible secret is, that to break the blood sugar highs and lows, you have to reduce overall carb intake. What gives us highs and lows does vary a bit between people, without a blood glucose monitor we have to assume you are rather average.

Make your snacks healthyish; mini apple or pear with a spoon of peanut butter, carrot sticks with some tahini thinned out with orange juice and soy sauce. White cabbage, olives and pumpkin seeds. You need a snack that requires chewing, you jaw will feed back info to your brain, tastes yummy (olives or high taste stuff) your taste buds feed back to your brain. Include some protein, fat and fibre. Mrs Joe Average could probably half their carb intake and double the veggies.

It takes a couple of weeks to do the shift over, you might get some headaches. Find the foods that scratch your itch, without firing the insulin. The even more boring news is that you have to stick to it for about three months for the effects to kick in.

Sorry, there is no magic bullet.