[Candeka]

Things that make me binge include :

Bordem and exhaustion. If I have had a long day at work or school, I would come home and just stuff my face all night as a way of relaxing. Depending on the time of the month, it can get very very bad as my stomach turns into a black whole 3 days out of the month.

[sh3l5]

My worst times for bingeing are when I am alone and when I am bored. You'd think by now I'd use the alone time to get in vast amounts of exercise...

[Bubees]

Originally Posted by Sonia Banana

What makes me binge: pure habit. I've overeaten since I was a kid and it has nothing to do with if I'm sad or happy. I'm more vulnerable when I feel strong emotions, but they're not truly to blame.

How I avoid it: Whenever I want to eat but am not hungry I simply ignore it. No matter how tempting it is, bingeing is just a habit and it can't control me.

I have the same problem, mine is more out of habit. I am trying to learn to ignore too but sometimes the voices just takes over. I am trying to keep myself busy. This forum is a first step.

[lizfromvt]

I think I started binging, do to anxiety issues. Using food as a drug calmed me. Then for years it was a combination of Habit and pure sugar/carb addiction. I would go to bed thinking about sugar and wake up thinking about sugar. And I would spend the rest of the time eating it.

Since February I have been eating very low carb. That constant voice in my head that told me to eat has been silenced. I have had 3 slip up's in those 7 months. And each time it went from, planing on eating just one meal out, getting what I wanted, to a 2-3 day binge. It was a combination of all or nothing thinking and just eating those foods with causes the physical addiction to kick in. I felt horrible during those days. To the point I even considered the ER, while on vacation, but I had no idea where it was.

I know I will never be perfect with my diet. But I have accepted that I will never be a person that can have carbs or sugar as part of their life. Right now I am just taking it one day at a time, and I am thankful for each day I feel great and I am in control.

[Jalsa]

Lots of things -
tiredness must be at the top of the list
stress and frustration-which aren't always together come next
getting hungry because I haven't eaten enough at meal time to carry me through
not being able to get access to healthy fund when I am hungry
being unwell - self medication
cravings
eating what I did not really fancy and feeling unsatisfied
reward for getting things done -

[Emane]

Lack of sleep
Frustration!!
Anger
Boredom

This year I have identified frustration as the major one. Frustration to me means not getting what I need from the profound to the mundane.

[mescelestus]

Feeling lonely, feeling extreme self hatred, feeling extreme anxiety. Drinking alcohol (more than two drinks lets say) Being way too tired and can't go home...

[BreathingSpace]

I honestly think I binge because I'm addicted to the guilt feeling afterward.

I've just recently come to this realization, which is good in a way because if I know what the problem is, it's easier for me to try and come up with solutions to try and solve it.

[5yearscancerfree]

Crazy as this seems, my bingeing STARTS when my house is a mess! I grew up in a dysfunctional yucky household and it scares me half to death to realize i am slipping back into my parents' ways. Usually just about the time the house looks "dirty" (although it really isn't), I start to binge and then I binge for several days, until I am so sick of fast food and fat food that I actually crave a huge salad and some detoxing tea. So, take the house, the crazy work, the cranky customers, budget issues, worries about my kids and you have a wonderful recipe for a Binge Marathon. Crazy as it seems, if I can keep my house neat and tidy, I am able to resist bingeing. I am reading this great book, called "will power's not enough" (recovering from addictions of every kind) and it has really been helpful.