Things that keep binges away
 

I have noticed several things that help me to not binge.

1. Do not eat the 1st bite. (most important imo)
2. Go do something else, paint nails, exercise, etc...
3. Preparedness. Eat something healthy before I go somewhere where I know there will be trigger foods. Bring something healthy to share.
4. Eat balanced meals at regular times. No skipping meals especially breakfast.
5. Exercise. It makes me feel better about myself even if it's just a walk to the mailbox.
6. Staying hydrated. If I'm hydrated I cant confuse thirst with hunger.


What do you do to help you to not binge?

Eat protein. I don't binge on protein...i might eat too much cheese but i would never eat 8 servings of cheese, whereas i could easily eat 8 servings of cookies during a binge. Once i start the sugar, i can't stop. Peanut butter is also dangerous for me. But meat and cheese are relatively safe. Veggies are safe too.

I reach for the hard boiled eggs in the fridge. That helps me.

this sounds bad because i know there are a lot of people who dont have food to eat.. but when times get desperate, i ruin my food.
ie. i pour water on it, i mix whatever i can see into it, i throw it out.. anything to make it not-edible.
but this has to happen before it starts. but everytime i do it, i feel terrible for wasting the food.. but i know that if i ate it, i would feel even MORE terrible

I come onto 3fc and read the new posts and look at my profile to remember how far I have come and how much I have left to do. It takes the immediate urge away and then I can concentrate on planning the rest of my day so that I am out of the house and away from temptation.

i talk or I blog!!;)

1. Sometimes I'll go to the kitchen, take a bite, then put it away and go back to my room and try to do other things.
2. (really unhealthy and something else I need to break) I'll smoke
3. I play a game that keeps my hands and mind busy.
4. I'll twitch (that's what my roomie calls it)

- Don't let myself get too hungry.
- Get out of the kitchen. Commit to not going anywhere near it until the next meal-time.
- Call a friend.
- Get out of doors & walk, walk, walk.

For me exercise, chewing gum & just going out to stores to walk around works. I also love peanut butter, so I'll eat some. If I start eating too much, I'll get angry pour water on it and throw it away.

- Make the kitchen off-limit (meaning I don't even walk in there, let alone go open the refrigerator door and check its content repeatedly, etc)
- I go WEIGHT MYSELF. Yeah that's usually a buzz kill.
- Like everyone else said, do something else. I usually brush my teeth because once I brushed/flossed/rinsed I don't want to go ruin my minty fresh mouth with food. That usually works really well.
- I don't keep binge foods in the house, or if they're there for my partner I stuff them at the very back of the cupboards and on the top shelves where I can't reach. For me that's breakfast cereal, chocolate, cookies, and those *60-calories-Only* individual chocolate mousse or cheesecake cups of which I end up eating the whole pack of 6 if I buy it at all.
- I come here and write long replies to keep my mind occupied for as long as possible! (LOL)

-chewing gum vigerously (worked this week)
-be somewhere you cannot binge (visit someone, I wont binge in front of people)
-go to a movie (and do not go near the candy bar)
-find a cupboard or two to clean, or the bathroom, linen press, kitchen, pantry...
-try on some skinny clothes from my wardrobe
-go online and visit forums like this one
-DON'T TAKE THE FIRST BITE! (the biggest thing for me!)
-force myself to think about it? as my internal dialoge says Its ok, you have stuffed up enjoy it and get back on track tomorrow..> that is NOT right! a 2000 + calorie binge is NOT OK! and takes a week or more to burn off, and tomorrow is so damn hard to start again when your carb/sugar and fat cravings get into full swing .. really THINK about it!

Oh, and if you dare to go a little deeper than just distracting yourself:

Sit with yourself. Just sit there. Try to get behind the thought of the food & ask yourself some questions. Such as:

-What am I feeling?
- Is there something bothering me?
- Am I pretending something is NOT bothering me when actually, it is?
- What am I running from?
- And okay, so if I face it, and acknowledge it is bothering me, what can I do about resolving it? Will eating something actually resolve it?
- If I do eat something, how will I feel minutes later, after having eaten it? Will I still feel good about what I've done? Or will I feel guilty, disappointed in myself, depressed, a little sick to my stomach?

This process is a whole lot tougher than just distracting yourself & trying to make the time pass till the urge passes. A lot of people don't even want to attempt doing it. But for me, it can be incredibly worthwhile & it is really what keeps me from bingeing when the going gets rough.

I think this is a very helpful thread for everyone struggling with binging. We should keep this going!

I've hung a full length mirror by the kitchen entrance... I stop and look at myself if I want something I know I dont really want to eat.

I've put "NO!" signs on the freezer door (ice cream) and snack cabinet. This doesn't always work, but it slows me down and makes me think about what I'm about to do.

I like Saef's advice! Food is usually a way to escape feelings for me... so this really hits home:

"Sit with yourself. Just sit there. Try to get behind the thought of the food & ask yourself some questions. Such as:

-What am I feeling?
- Is there something bothering me?
- Am I pretending something is NOT bothering me when actually, it is?
- What am I running from?
- And okay, so if I face it, and acknowledge it is bothering me, what can I do about resolving it? Will eating something actually resolve it?
- If I do eat something, how will I feel minutes later, after having eaten it? Will I still feel good about what I've done? Or will I feel guilty, disappointed in myself, depressed, a little sick to my stomach?

This process is a whole lot tougher than just distracting yourself & trying to make the time pass till the urge passes. A lot of people don't even want to attempt doing it. But for me, it can be incredibly worthwhile & it is really what keeps me from bingeing when the going gets rough."

How about tips for people who don't realize they are binging? I never thought I was a binge eater until like...yesterday. My binging habits are while I am watching TV or on the computer, and I grab a snack and bring the whole bag. The extent of my emotional binging is if I am upset I will have a doughnut or two but I have never eaten a whole package.

So I guess my tip for the nonchalant binge eater is that if you are going to have a snack while watching TV or whatever, put some on a plate or pour it in a bowl and never bring the entire container.

That is what I am going to try and do for now on.

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. :carrot:

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!

My main things are ~

• My big bowl of salad that I make up that I snack from
• Not having anything too bingy in the house
• smoke (yeh I know :( )
• think about how unhappy I get when I put weight on instead of lose it
• Tell my husband and he talks me out of it

Going for a walk!
It's my TOM so cravings are hard, but possible, to keep at bay and sometimes it feels like it's too much. After class around 430-5 I had a small apple and then some mango slices from Trader Joes to feed my craving, but it didn't work. Around 530 I was going to give in and eat dinner early (even though I knew it wouldn't cut it and good chance I'd want to eat again later), but instead I decided I NO and put on my shoes. I walked 10 minutes to 7-11 to get a VitWaterZERO and since it was nice out I ended up going on a 40 minute walk. Not only did my craving of 'just wanting to eat' go away, I got in some additional exercise! (already had a good workout this morning)

This has worked in the past before too! Get out, separate yourself from temptation, and reconnect with feeling good - and normal at least. ;)

I taped a bikini to my Fridge! It helps you turn away from all the treats for a while, but ater a while I find I'm not noticing it so much anymore... think I'll replace the bikini with a really cute top that doesn't look so good on me anymore :)

Making eating the focal point saves me from binging. Eating at the table, without reading and without television and savoring every bite makes it about the meal and me, and not about the demons!

Why do we think, "I WILL EAT THEM ALL"??
 

This is a really good topic, enjoyed reading all of them. I use and will use many of these!

Question though...why is it that we think this way (in the above quote)? Once we have just one cookie, you know you will eat them all before the fact.

I go through this alot, and think this way...once i eat just one, i will eat them ALL. I mean, really, whyy??? Why do i think this way? I know some of you do as well, since many of you mentioned to not keep binge foods in the house, and also not to eat one bite.

Sorry, but i'm not understanding the mentality of BED, although I am suffering from BED and trying to regain control of my eating. To be honest, I'm not sure why i go extreme myself.

Thanks all!

So here is my contribution to the list of ideas on how to stop a binge:

Ask yourself...WHYY???

If you cannot answer the question with a legitamate answer, then don't do it.

Feeling bad does not constitute a legit answer.

Thanks for reading! Hope this works for some of you!

I find that sometimes, allowing myself to have a small binge on a "safe" food (like pickles or celery or something else VERY low calorie, usually raw spinach and vinegar is a good thing). That way it lets me feel like I've gotten the binge out, but in reality I've only eaten maybe 200 calories at the most.

Instead of going into my bedroom with chips, I do it with a bag of salad greens. Later on, I dont even want the chips.

I find that the BEST solution is to not keep unsafe food in the house. I live with my mother and father and sisters, and wile my mother is very food-conscious and only buys healthy organic stuff for my sisters and I, my dad loves his junk food, and so there is constantly an unmonitored cabinet filled with sugar cereals, junk food, and candy that often tempts me when I was home alone.

To combat this, I have gone vegan, and cut out processed foods. That way, if I slip up and binge, I havnt eaten cookies and cakes and candies and fries and pizza. I've eaten cabbage and an apple and a few handfuls of grapes, which makes binging NEXT TIME look less appealing.

I've given it to my dog before... which is absolutely horrible for the dog, no doubt, but I've done it.

How to keep binges at bay
 

The ONLY thing that works for me is to NOT EAT IT. Not even a bite.

To keep binges from attacking the only thing that has worked is to eat only healthy foods. It takes about 2-3 weeks, but the urges for sugar and junk stop. They just STOP - completely and without a thought.

So, just hang in there a few short weeks - eat NO junk - and you'll be amazed that one day you wake up with absolutely no cravings... and therefore no binges. (Note: junk is anything with sugar, deep fried anything, white rice/pasta/bread etc...)

You'll still need to learn how to control your appetite by carefully watching portions to keep losing weight. Remember that all calories count - no matter where they come from.:D

AND - you may want to refrain from junk altogether, until you have lost a considerable amount of weight... just to be certain those binges stay away!;)

A trigger for binging for me is isolating myself. When I isolate I get lonely which makes me want to binge. So I try to get out and do stuff even when I don't want to.