[EskaDee]

I am writing this in desperation having just eaten an entire order from Domino's pizza myself at the end of a week off work in which I did this pretty much every day. I have come to the conclusion that without the routine and rigour of my day-to-day life at work, I have absolutely no ability to resist bingeing. I work in a school so I have 'mandatory' time off at least every 6-7 weeks and the long summer holidays are coming up at the end of July. I can't avoid time off work and down time, so how do I handle this? What can I do to deal with a lack of structure without turning to binge eating??!

I'm desperate for any suggestions or advice. During this week's holiday I ate fast food every single day and I reverted to my usual full-on binges of eating giant packets of crisps (chips), popcorn and massive chocolate bars one right after the other. I must have consumed thousands of calories, and I wasn't even hungry mostly - just craving crap or eating out of habit. Before this week I planned a whole bunch of healthy, interesting new recipes to try for meals and snacks to make the most of my week off (I've also been to the gym nearly every day) but almost all the ingredients are still in my cupboards as I've eaten so much other junk I haven't even used them None of my usual tricks work without me having some kind of routine to fall back on, and I don't have the money or sufficient places to visit to be on the go all the time to keep myself busy.

I can't do this again for six weeks over the summer, or even fight this any time I have five minutes with nothing to do. What is wrong with me?! Does anyone else have this problem? What can I do to stop this, or help it not be so bad? Thank you in advance if you read this whole drivel, and if you have any suggestions. I think it might have helped a bit even just to 'say' it out loud.

[Andrea85]

This is what so many of us experience every weekend! Without the work structure, we fall into bad habits. I've been in a similar experience. I boredom eat, period. If I am home with nothing to do, I want to eat. It's as simple as that. I distract myself by getting on the computer, watching TV (neither of those make me want to snack), playing with my dogs, etc. I purposely choose activities that do NOT make me want to eat. For example, I cannot read without eating. I just can't. If I'm not eating, I can't focus on the story. Maybe I need more stimulation? Anyways, so if I want to read, I grab a healthy snack. If I don't want to eat more, I put the book away. I also have nothing snack worthy in the house.

If you need structure, can you make a schedule for yourself? You know, schedule a workout from 8am-930am, schedule time to cook a healthy dinner, maybe even grocery shop every day for just that day's meals. Maybe you have a friend with a similar schedule who can help you stay accountable?

What if you fill your time with activities? Is there a cause you could volunteer with this summer? Maybe do your own workout in the morning and do a class in the afternoon (if your gym does that)? There must be places you could go from time to time that are free. The library? A park?

Ultimately, you have to want to make the effort to DO these things. Stop buying all this crud. Make the decision to STOP getting the bad things and make the healthy ones! Also, take it one day at a time. How about TODAY (or even the rest of today, if you've slipped up already), make healthy decisions. Don't worry about yesterday or tomorrow, just do it for today.

[lin43]

I teach only online during the summer, so I know what you're going through. I have had to stop buying all foods that I know I will overeat--e.g., ice cream, chips, etc. I don't have any of that in my house right now. Yes, I can overeat the stuff I do have in my house, but it's not as tempting to me as the other goodies, so I usually don't have a problem with regular foods. Also, make a list of activities to do when the urge to binge strikes. And I don't necessarily mean arduous tasks like cleaning up; I would rather eat than do that! I mean do some fun stuff, like giving yourself a pedicure (I did that today) or going to the library or walking around shopping, etc. Make a list. That way, when the urge strikes, you will have a plan.