My tip for that problem, Jadestone, would be not to eat while you're doing something else.

If you want a snack, wait till a commercial comes on -- or just get up from the computer. Go sit somewhere else. Get your snack, put it on a plate or in a bowl. Eat it slowly, giving it your full attention. You deserve that moment. And the food ought to be good enough to withstand that kind of attention.

That way, you will remember the experience. There won't be an automatic hand-to-mouth thing happening where you can't even really clearly recall having eaten.

Eating while distracted just isn't helpful -- it's the opposite of being mindful about your food & eating habits. And being mindful is really helpful to noticing what you're doing & changing things about it that aren't good for you.

I don't think it is necessarily wrong for one to have a snack while they are watching TV. It's like having popcorn at the movies. I just don't need to eat a whole bag of something, a bowl will do.

Sometimes it seems like nothing will keep a binge away. I have, however, not had one in over a week now which is quite good for me. There have been a couple instances of "d'oh, why did I eat that?" and a few times where I felt itchy and cravey after eating something sweet, but that's it.

What's different/new for me:

-Not counting calories/consciously trying to restrict
-Not weighing or spending too much time pinching inches (the latter is hard)
-Replacing obsession with losing "regain weight" with a casual goal of "eat like a normal person," keeping in the very back of my mind hope that normal eating will lead to slight losses eventually - but even if it doesn't, it's better not to have a binge eating problem
-Focusing on hunger/fullness instead of "should" factors. Letting my stomach instead of my eyes make food choices. If I'm hungry before lunch, I'll eat a snack. If I'm not hungry at 6 pm, I won't force dinner then.
-Showering myself with positive vibes. I wear nice clothes that I don't feel self-conscious in, appreciate my positive points, and try to keep my living/work spaces neat and tidy as a sign of respect to myself

What I've always done:

-Keep trigger foods OUT of the house!

This sounds more like portion control, and so I think you may very well be talking about overeating, rather than bingeing.

There is a compulsive edge to an actual binge -- for example, finishing the bowl would just make you get up & go get that bag & keep eating out of it handful by handful until it was empty.

Thinking of the consequences. I can usually stop a binge by reminding myself of how I'll feel after, and remind myself that if I want to stop binging, I have to stop binging. Those usually help.

Elaine

Thanks for the clarification, I have been having trouble figuring out the difference between binging and over-eating.

This is a great forum and I think for me reading 3 fat chicks information and forums helps. I just can't remember to do it every day. It seems to motivate me to some extent.

I literally have to talk myself out of it. Last night we had the 3 boxes of Girl Scout cookies that we had ordered delivered to the house and it was painful. My favorites are the Caramel Delites and I grabbed a calculator to see how many calories it would be if I ate the entire box. 940 calories. "Not too bad," I thought to myself because I had all intentions of opening up the box and eating them all...not because I wanted to, but because I knew that once I had one cookie I would need to eat them all. "Not too bad"?!?!?!? Are you effing kidding me?!?! So, it took me about 20 minutes of walking around the house and distracting myself with other things and literally saying to myself, "It's not worth it." It was tough, but a lot of self-talk and distraction really helps me.

Genius. This would stop me from eating in a heartbeat.

Another important thing, i think, is to realize that there may be times when you are actually extra hungry, and learn how to distinguish that from the urge to binge. I used to have this mindset where if i went over my allotted 500 calories or whatever for that meal, i'd think, "what is wrong with me, i must be on a binge" and then continue to eat and eat and eat until it turned into a binge. Now, i have changed that thinking. If i eat 500 calories and that is not enough, i eat more. But at a certain point (let's say 800 calories) i say to myself, "Really? you can't STILL be hungry." and i have to be honest with myself with regard to whether i'm really still hungry, or just want to binge. But, the key is to allow myself to eat more if i need to, and not think that is a binge.

The only way I can stop a binge is to not eat whatever is calling me. If I eat just one it's all gone, and then I move on from that to another item and another... I always need to remember that I cannot "just eat one".

I've read the Diet Solution, how to think like a thin person. This is a great book. I finally made the "response cards" that Dr. Beck recommends in her book. "I can not eat just one" "I do not want to eat this" "I will feel awful later if I eat this now." etc. etc. I have a stack in my purse, one at work, and one at the TV. I stop and read them every day, and also as needed. This has really helped.

Last month I took bikini photos in front of my newly hung full length bathroom mirror (yes, there are now two in my home.) Front, side and back photos are on my phone to use as inspiration and binge halting whenever I need. These were horrifying at first. They really sent me into a black mood. But, now they are inspiring.

Wow. I like this idea alot! I am going to do this!

Elaine

Great ideas. This was useful topic.

One of my worst binge triggers is tiredness- absolutley deadly for me. I am going to have to start telling the world to go **** when I get in that state
One thing that helps is eating every three hours and protein snacks

1.) Never go grocery shopping starving
2.) Stay hydrated (Sometimes "hunger" can just be a sign of dehydration)
3.) I weigh myself.
4.) I go to the gym.
5.) Don't skip breakfast
6.) Get enough sleep (when I'm tired, I want to munch to stay awake)
7.) Paint my nails. I start doing something that'll occupy my time.
8.) Browse other weight-loss blogs and forums. (Feel inspired by people who can relate)
9.) I blog and write about it
10.) I go to bed
11.) I call a friend to take my mind off of it
12.) I put on clothes that don't fit anymore
13.) I give myself permission to have it later
14.) Don't have trigger foods lying around the house

If all else fails, I give in to this craving. I buy a small amount of whatever I'm craving and enjoy it (slowly) so my craving doesn't blow up into an all-out binge fest.

I definitely have days when nothing works and I over-indulge. I get over it and start fresh the next day. The important thing is to get back on track!