I'm new to the community and desperately need help on this topic!
Now I have started working (I was unemployed for 6 months after university), I can no longer spend the whole day binge eating. However, now I get home at 6pm and spend the next 5 hours stuffing my face with everything thats in site. I'll eat and eat and eat until i have that sickly full feeling in my stomach (which I find suprisingly comforting).
The problem is Im not too sure why I do it, therefore I'm not sure how to solve the problem... Its definately not hunger. But, I have a feeling its a combination of me no longer being a heavy smoker (cut down from smoking 15 a day to 1 a day), and perhaps boredom.
It would be great if anyone could give me any pointers to stop my post-work binging. The only idea I have is to start being a heavy smoker again, which I really dont want to do.
I would suggest finding something to do in the evenings to help with your boredom...go for a walk, take a fitness class..anything to help you from being bored.
Are you eating enough calories throughout the day? Perhaps you could 'plan' a day of eating..and in that plan allow yourself to have some healthier snacks in the evenings. Have lots of prepared veggie snacks and fruits and if you are going to snack allow yourself those.
Honestly I sometimes have this problem but I find that if I work out I am less likely to eat like crazy in the evening..what would be the point in working out really..lol.
You really need to find some type of activity that will get you up and away from that kitchen. Right now it's all about changing habits. You've already kicked the most difficult habit which is smoking (hopefully I'll be there soon too), now you just have to replace your bingeing habit with something more productive. Once your mind and body is able to focus on and look forward to something besides eating you'll be headed in the right direction.
I gained most of my weight (probably around 50 pounds) eating and watching TV right after I graduated from college and started working a stressful day job. The thing that helped me is I started working out AS SOON AS I GET HOME, no excuses. I think it helps me stay in control after my workouts because I know how hard I just worked so I am less likely to eat all night. After my workout I shower, cook a healthy dinner, eat, clean the kitchen, and find a way to keep myself occupied for a couple hours.
I guess this works for me because I work at 7am every morning, so there is no way I will work out before I go into work
Congratulations on quitting smoking. I am, unfortunately, still fighting that battle.
Do you eat during the day? I find that when I get home and have the urge to binge its usually because I've skipped a meal or had fast food for lunch at work (in addition to stress and anxiety of course).
Lately, I've been separating myself from the kitchen....i.e. going into my room to watch TV or read (even clean) instead of the living room which is adjacent to the kitchen.
Do you eat during the day? I find that when I get home and have the urge to binge its usually because I've skipped a meal or had fast food for lunch at work (in addition to stress and anxiety of course).
Me too! I co-op, which means I work full time alternating semesters with an engineering firm, and a lot of times this fall I would be so focused on work that I'd forget to eat lunch or wouldn't have time. Then I would come home and eat my entire dorm room. For me, it does help to keep little snacks in my desk drawer or have littler meals throughout the work day. I don't worry about binging on those because I share an office and there's no way I could binge in front of a co-worker, especially a male. I'm self-conscious about food anyway, as I'm sure a lot of us are. I also carry a water bottle to work, drink it all day, and then fill it up before I leave and drink that on the way home.
I think you may be flailing around a little because your old routine has been disrupted, and you have not thought out clearly what you want your new routine to be.
You need to think out the time between your returning home from work & going to bed. Like actually, block it out. And think what you need & want to do.
You don't want your life narrowing down to work & then sitting at home, bingeing. That's not good. And not just because of the eating part. Enriching your life is why you would do things like taking a class or exercising, or going somewhere, doing something. Life is so rich, I'd hate to see you missing out on adding another dimension to it.
I agree with the others....set up your own personal eating guidelines, bring your planned meals with you during the day, decide on dinner ahead of time, make a decision that when dinner is over, you do something else until bedtime.
For an example, I do best with three meals a day and snacks only occasionally. I have a hard time limiting snacks, so I have learned the right amount to eat for each meal. I use a nutritional software to track everything I eat and take the few minutes each day it takes to plan out what I will eat and review it again in the evening to update any changes and to look at reports about how I did and all that. It gives me wonderful encouragement to see progress. So you could set aside some evening time to invest in your goals and dreams as though it were a hobby. I collect photo's of clothes I would love to wear if I were a normal weight. These small things inspire me not to ruin my dream by eating when I don't need to.
I also highly recommend some sort of hand work if you watch TV. I knit and embroider. Some find this a good time to exercise, but it's okay to relax too if you've had a long hard day....how about a hot bubble bath and candles? Soothing music? I am sure you can find things to do if you want to change up your routine.
Also....and I realize it depends on whether you live with others...but try not to keep binge type foods around. The healthier the food is in your cupboards, the less likely you will do damage to your body (high sugar/salt/preservatives...etc)
I pop a large bag (not the 100 cal bags) of smart pop and put tobasco and worstershire on it. The strong flavor I LOVE and it's allot of food for minimal calories. I think knowing that you are going to want to much and going with it in as healthy a way as you can is key.
Help! How do I stop post-work binging?
