So I had a binge last night. Sigh. Potato chips are one of the foods that I binge on frequently and I cannot seem to have just a couple. My parents put them in a separate cupboard for this reason (they know my weaknesses) but I happened upon them last night, and I had way too many.

The thing is, I was actually hungry last night. I usually get hungry at bedtime, because I eat dinner at 6-7pm and by 10-11 pm I am getting hungry again. I had some SF Jell-O for a snack, but it didn't fill me up at all, and then I start to scavenge about the kitchen for something more filling. I knew while I was eating that I should stop, but I couldn't/didn't.

I want to sort of "reprogram" myself to reach for fruit at that time on night, when I am hungry. I did so great all during the day yesterday and even had room in my daily cals for a 100-150 calorie snack, so an apple or half a banana would have been perfect.

How do you reprogram yourself to reach for the fruit, at your vulnerable times, instead of the chips, or whatever? Just for today, I want to make that my goal.

I want to make a resolution that before I grab chips or another binge food, I come here and post first. I know that will help a little, but it won't do the hard work for me.

What do you guys say to yourself, in that moment just before you start to dig into that big bag of chips, or whatever, to make yourself stop?

I completely understand the dilemma. I do the same thing.

On my successful nights, I really have to switch my focus. If I'm actually legitimately hungry, I do try to have something healthy. I usually crave sugar and I read somewhere that that means you dont have enough protein in your diet because you are looking for a quick energy fix. I try to have hummus or cottage cheese around. You might need a bit more than just a fruit. Like apple and cottage cheese or hummus and carrots or something small.

If I'm just craving, this sometimes goes away if I do something - clean, leave the house and go for a walk, do one of my french lesson cd's, do some laundry, call someone, come on the internet on this site, write in my journal or look at the pictures I have in my journal for inspiration, write an email to someone that I've been putting off, do some reorganizing, etc.
sometimes ill have a tea just to have a warm feeling in my stomach.

I try to stop myself to think about what my goal is and why I dont want to overeat.

I hope you have a great day.

What it is about that 10 o'clock hour that makes us want to snack???? When you've had a great day it seems so defeating to wreck it all just before going to bed, yet it's something that many of us struggle with....

I hear ya about not reaching for an apple - who wants that when you can go for the chips and ice cream?!?! One way to help this - which can be difficult when living with parents - is to get rid of the chips/trigger foods all together. Would your parents consider not having bad foods around the house in order to help you with your goals?? For me, if it's not there then I can't eat it. Most of the time I'm not willing to bust out my hat and coat so I can drive the 5 minutes to the store and get what I am craving.

I also agree with Bikini: any activity to take your mind off your hunger can help.

Be dilligent, remember your goals and why you are doing this, and at the end of the night, think of all the mini-food battles you have fought throughout the day and tell yourself that you are not willing to throw in the towel over a silly bag of chips. YOU CAN DO THIS.

Unfortunately, I have a very stubborn father (stubborn personality-wise as well as in his terrible eating habits) who does not see any reason that he should have to give up "his" chips just so I don't binge. He believes that not eating is a simple matter of willpower, which I don't believe.

Ugh, don't get me started about my dad, he is very critical of my weight and my eating habits, it seems like at least 2-3 times a day he will see me eating and say, "THAT'S low-calorie?" or "Are you sure you should be eating that?" etc etc, you get the idea. We have an extremely distant relationship and unfortunately for the next couple of months it seems like I will still be living at home.

I understand your frustration. i have a similar relationship with my father. He just doesnt understand and probably never will. Im sure that has help to contribute to your rebellion to eat the chips when they dont know?
Have you tried counselling or a binge eating group? Doing this alone is hard. there is only so much the internet can provide and that might help. I sort of realized my dad wasn't going to change and I couldnt blame him for my eating but I do understand that there are a lot of different things that help shape the person you are today - certainly the relationship with your family is one of them.

Try not to let your dad's comments affect you any more. Easier said than done - I know. but I've started to tell my dad that I dont want to listen to him. Why should you have to listen to a comment like that. Is it possible to talk to your dad and help him to understand what you are gonig through? Or maybe provide him with some reading material that might help him understand. I found I really had to educate my family and even now, I dont think they understand totally but it has gotten better. My father doesnt make as many comments. I think though the feeling that you are alone and have to act more in control than you feel makes it even harder. Your family needs to know what you are going through in order to be able to help. Perhaps then they will be willing to make a couple changes for you if they know how important it is.

I agree that this is not just about will power but people who dont have the same issues dont know that. Would you tell an alcoholic to just stop drinking?

It will be extra hard for you if you dont have control over what is brought into the house but that doesnt mean it is impossible. Take it one day at a time. Eating chips one day is not a failure.

By 10 I'm totally sleepy, so I am thinking more about sleep than food. If I am thinking about food, I just go to sleep anyways.

Another thing to try is the 'Nerd Diet'.

It's really weird, but if you can get yourself addicted to an MMO like World of Warcraft, you can find yourself playing for hours on end into the night trying to level up your character. Time flies, you forget you were supposed to eat supper. If you start in the morning you forget breakfast and then lunch, and then check the time only to see it's 2 pm before you hastily scarf something down in the fastest effort to return to the game you left paused. It worked for me for awhile, especially at night before I started getting tired!

In short, I guess anything you can get obsessed about late at night would make you forget to eat. =)

Boy, I know how you feel! The big thing for me is to NOT take that first bite of something that I pretty much know will start a binge. It's a lot easier to stop at 0 bites than at 3 or 4. If I'm legitimately hungry at night, I find that frozen grapes often do the trick. They're sweet, plus, it takes a while to eat them, so you feel like you've had more than you really have. A cup is only about 108 cal, or something in that ballpark. I can also do a cup of some kind of healthy breakfast cereal, though I realize that cereal is a trigger for a lot of people. Sometimes, if I don't have stuff to do, I just go to bed. That's the most surefire method.

As for your father, that's too bad he's not more sensitive to your struggle with your weight. My dad (who is a decent, good guy) used to call me "Porky" when I was a kid - say 10 or 12 yrs. He was just joking, but the irony is that I wasn't even slightly fat, but I have always had a bum, even when thin. The very same shape that my daughers (8 and 10, neither overweight) have. I think that was the start of my poor body image, and the diet/binge roller coaster that I eventually found myself on. I don't think he had, or has, a clue of the effect that it had on me.

More recently, I asked my Mom to talk to him though, because he'd do things like buy my kids candy (he's a great grandpa, by the way), then tease them that they would get fat from eating all that junk. Or he'd say that they needed to eat all the food on their plates in order to get dessert (as was done back when I was a kid). As I said, neither kid is overweight, and I am trying to raise them to make (mostly!) healthy food choices, and eat until they have had enough, not until they have eaten an externally dictated amount. We don't talk about "fat" except in the context of it not being healthy to be too heavy.

My mom "gets it", and did talk to him, thankfully he doesn't usually do that stuff any more. If/when he has a little slip, a quick comment from me is enough to remind him.

Although fruit may work for some, I find it is too sweet and just makes me more hungry. I allot a snack bag (100 calories) of the lowfat microwave popcorn. You can dip in mustard, hot sauce, etc for more flavor. It is portion controlled, it is allotted which means I don't go down the whole "I screwed up, I am out of control" road, and 100 calories of what is actually a decent food is nothing to get buggy about. If I am super hungry I will have it with a few grape tomatoes and a thin shaving of hard cheese like swiss bringing the calories up to around 130. Then I am DONE. After that I have some nice teas that I do a whole process on- get out the tea pot, warm it, select the tea, select the cup, find a program like a soap re-run or gardening, and relax myself into sleep.

The key for me is to use those 100 calories that you have left. Plan to eat them - plan WHAT you will eat. Have healthy alternatives within easy reach (easier than grabbing the chips). Since you love chips, you probably want something salty and carbohydrate based. Think about what you could have that would be on your plan and within your calories. Maybe a few nuts, a pita with hummus, dry cereal, popcorn, whole wheat crackers, etc.

The key is to plan ahead and have healthy choices available and ready to grab.

Ignore your dad - there will always be temptations in life - this is a good opportunity to show yourself that you CAN do this!

Parents can be evil.

My dad is a pig, and when I was a teenager he used to call me fat and tell me that I'd never find a man if I was a blip. I didn't have self control and he always had ****ty snacks in the house. And he'd eat two or three servings of cake or whatever after dinner. It drove me crazy.

I blame my dad for my binge/restrict/binge/restrict... lifestyle, and for me taking any little crack about my weight to heart.

I wish I could have a body that I liked. I wish i could be healthy and happy and content with how I look.

I have the same problem with only having a little bit of bad food. I binge really easily and I have to watch what I put in my hand.

MY TIPS:
1. Don't allow yourself to touch bad food. Don't even pick it up or put it in your hand. Once you''ve touched the bag or box it's easier to start a pig out.

2. Always eat something healthy / yucky first. I almost always chose sourkrout. It's really healthy but it kills your appitite for anything else.

3. Make a list of "Healthy Binge" foods such as popped corn, veggies, soup, etc. then when you feel like you're about to start a binge make sure you eat from the list FIRST - then have a cup of water and see if you still need the original craving.

Good luck hun.

Man. It must be rough having comments like that from your father.

For me, it's just a good degree of guilt from my mother. She has radically changed her lifestyle to remove any foods with wheat or gluten, which she attributes her past cravings and binges to. She's lost a ton of weight and looks fabulous, and what's more impressive, has been maintaining it fantastically for months upon months, even now allowing herself to insert a bit of sugar and alcohol back into her diet without any ill effects. She's a great role model and a fitness instructor to boot.

However, I find myself waiting for the evenings when she's spending the night at her boyfriend's house and planning binges for myself like... entire boxes of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese. When she's not there, I don't feel bad until after my binge. If she is around, I feel to embarrassed to binge most of the time. She never really says anything, she just gives me these little sidelong glances that I know are silently saying, "Hm, Jess, white flour pasta with processed cheese powder and lots of fattening butter. HEALTHY CHOICE."

Criticism from the family can be the worst kind to take, so I wish you the best of luck in that respect. Is there any way your father could be convinced to hide his chips in his bedroom for your sake? Or is he a bit too stubborn for that?

My method of stopping myself from snarfing down that bag of chips (Sour Cream & Onion Ruffles are my absolute DOWNFALL) is a bit radical if you have serious body image issues, but... I find the best way to convince myself to say "no" is to go to the full-length mirror in my bedroom, strip down and examine everything that I'm trying to change in my body. It reminds me of the journey that I'm on, the goal that I'm trying to attain, and.. brutally enough, everything that brings down my self-esteem: those jeans I no longer fit into, the stretch marks that are starting to appear on my hips, the closeness of my thighs.

Understandably, this may not work for everybody and maybe not with every craving, but it can be a pretty good junk food deterrent at times!

Best of luck sweetie, and congrats on that first five pounds!

honestly, i had to tell my dad [in my brain at least] to f*ck off. that was when i started making healthy choices for myself and ate for myself. not out of rebellion or to soothe as much. you have to decide what is best for you

yes it isnt fair that family members criticize and fat fathers can sit there and stuff themselves while us poor females must eat naked salads and such but letting them get to you will not help in the long run, just leave you feeling more powerless and deflated. believe me! so pretend you have the most awesome and accepting and loving family and go from there..b/c you do (well virtual family at least)