I hope someone may have some insight on this.
I have been dealing with losing control and binging for several months now. Before this, all food "issues" were new to me. I never had any! It is definitely emotional eating.

Anyway, I have found a trend as I look back on specific binges and I can't really explain or pinpoint WHY it happens.
The last few binges have occurred AFTER I had GREAT days, where I felt fantastic. The last few episodes have happened after I went out with friends, went to a beach..took pictures, felt so amazing, felt like I looked beautiful. Something happens when I get home. I truly do feel so happy to be where I am physically..but why is it that I tend to lose control AFTER I feel great? After I particularly have a great day?

I'm so confused and it's so unexplainable to me.
I have binged before due to anxiety and stress. I can at least understand that. This, I'm really not sure how to explain Disappointing to say the least.

I don't know how to explain it but I seem to be experiencing the same thing... As for me, I never had binge issues before when I was overweight, but after I lost it, it's become a bit of a problem. The last few days, wonderful days where I ate on plan and felt great about everything unraveled into a binge. I don't quite understand it.
I'll be checking to see if anyone can explain why that happens to some of us

Is it possible that your body is trying to tell you that it needs something nutritionally? Are all binges motivated solely by emotion? Maybe a day at the beach left you dehydrated and your body sent signals that it needed something? Anyone have thoughts on this?

Hmmm I THINK most binges are emotional. That took me a while to even figure out, so I'm still searching for reasons.
But, it's happened in the past after going out with friends, going to dinner, having a nice meal, take pics with the gfs, loving what I saw back at me. Then, I just lose it. I can totally understand if I feot crappy one day. If I was bored at home, feeling lonely, stressed, etc. But this, I just really don't know.
I think there is some sort of emotional issue involved, just not sure what.

Thanks so much for your input!

Oh girl, I have the same problem sometimes... everything is fine and I am proud of myself and lose control. It's weird. I think that it's a sub-conscious sick joke. Like, you are sabotaging yourself because you are happy. At least that's what I think happens to me.

I find it easier to not binge when I'm stressed out or upset because I know that I shouldn't do it. But then, when I'm relaxed, feeling good, proud of myself, I tend to have the "everything's fine" attitude and end up mindlessly eating. Like I said, a sick joke of sabotage because I don't think I deserve relaxation or feeling good about myself.

Same boat, Lakers. The worst time for me is the day of a good weigh-in or Sunday night after a great weekend. I think the excitement comedown is a trigger.

Guys, I am SO exhausted from this and need to get it out again to people who understand.

I went 12 days completely great at home.
Then, last 2 days, I was away for a couple of nights with my friends. Out, having a GREAT time. Great talks, going out at night, dinner, some drinks, took lots of pics. LOVED the pictures, felt confident, beautiful, fantastic.
I come home today. Upload the pics, looking over it..really pleased with myself.

Now, here I am. binged. And binged.

What is going on? I can't keep going like this. This has been a pattern now. It must be the coming home part?? But I was GREAT for the 12 days at home before it. I just...my goodness..the frustration, disappointment, saddness in myself.

I was thinking this, too, because of something that happened to me today. I was feeling really good and really good about how I've been staying on plan the last few days and lost several pounds that I had gained back during my vacation. I even tried on a bunch of clothes today that fit me much better than I was expecting. Then I went out on a playdate with someone I really enjoy and our kids and was having a nice time.

And my little one had a banana -- bananas have been CALLING TO ME lately! -- and he had two bites and handed it to me and refused to eat any more. I sat there staring at that banana for like five minutes before I gave in and ate it. And then I did that thing where I was trying a little of everything to try to satisfy myself -- had some pepitas, some kettle corn, then several cookies. At that point I felt done with eating but still not satisfied. Came home and DOVE into the yogurt -- which also has been calling to me since I started my current way of eating in april.

Just a few minutes ago I had the most screamingly horrendous toe cramps. I've never experienced anything like it and it hurt so bad and lasted for like ten minutes. I googled it and guess what -- treatment is calcium and potassium. I am really starting to think that most or all of the stuff I have be blaming on my psychology is more about biology. I just finished Good Calories Bad Calories recently and it described what I've gone through with my diet and how I feel to a tee. And it's pretty clear that it's more about hormones and carbs than depression and anxiety.

Some people binge as a result of being fatigued; maybe, even though the days were good, you were just feeling a bit sleepy and it came out of that.

In my humble opinion a binge is, by definition, emotionally triggered. I only say this because in my experience with binge eating (which spans more than a decade now, in fact closer to two decades) binging means having little to no control over what you are putting in your mouth, or at least feeling that way. It's not eating because you want to or because you feel you're hungry or craving something, it's eating to eat, for the act of stuffing your face with something... Keep in mind that's just my opinion of course.

I've had my share of binges that happened when nothing seemed to be going wrong at all, everything was perfectly in line, I was happy, life was excellent. And then I binged. I've come to the realization that I don't think I deserve to be happy. The reasons behind this thought are too numerous to mention and it took me a long while to come to this conclusion, but that is why I binge when I'm at the pinnacle of happiness. Because I don't think I should be allowed to be that happy. It also comes because I figure I better make myself feel miserable before someone/something/some situation comes along and blindsides me with misery, at least that way I know it's coming.

Now obviously this is very specific to me, but it's my answer to your question. It could be one of the other things previous posters have said, perhaps you were fatigued or coming home from such a wonderful time was a bit anti-climatic and you were feeling down from that. At any rate, I hope you are feeling better about it today.

This happens to me, it seems like, at least twice a week, so I absolutely know how frustrating it can be.

My feeling about it is that there is a reason, whether I have acknowledged it or not, that I got to an unhealthy place with my weight and overall lifestyle in the first place. I can blame it on many little things and some big things, but I believe there is an underlying issue that I may never understand... and I'm ok with that as long as I can manage my health/weight issues (like managing symptoms as opposed to curing a disease) so I can have some of those "highs" (where by clothes are fitting great and I don't mind being in pictures). But with that, unless I manage to "cure" that underlying issue, I will have "lows" even when I'm feeling "high".

Oh, also, I think sometimes we need those binges - not necessarily because our body needs it (for nutritional reasons, etc.) - but so we can teach ourselves, mentally and physically, that we don't need those things, like learning from making a mistake.

So I think the best thing you can do after a binge is to recognize how upset/frustrated/mad you were at yourself for your actions. But I wouldn't put as much pressure on yourself as to make it a point to not do it again, because sometimes you just need to, to know you shouldn't.

I don't know if this makes a whole lot of sense, but those are my thoughts on this.

I've been a binge eater for many years, but my husband has never had emotional-eating issues; however, he will binge on items that are freely available. BTW, he's not overweight, and never really has been. He is a marathoner now, so he's in the best shape of his life. But, if I buy a half gallon of ice cream and he sees it & knows it's there - he is much more likely to eat it until it's gone. Not because he's feeling anything specific, he just wants the ice cream because it's there.

I've found that the less I have in the house, the less likely I am to binge. I have, on many occasions, gone to the grocery store with the sole purpose of buying binge food. Other times, I've bought it because I was out shopping. My husband has never done this. He binges only when stuff is there, in front of him. We're at a restaurant and a huge plate of food is in front of him, he will eat it ALL, even past when he's satisfied.

Perhaps that's what is happening with you? You feel great, but then you see something that, well, tastes good - and that first bite triggers the binge. It's there, you feel good and so you binge.

Lunula- I love Tom Robbins!!

And I agree. It's probably a combination of things- psychology, biology, and just having junk around. Though I have noticed I'm also more likely to binge when I'm feeling good about myself- mostly I think because I feel like, "Oh, I've been doing so well, I should just indulge in a little something- like a GIANT piece of cake!! Even if I eat a HUUUGE piece of cake, that piece of cake by itself won't make me gain, and I've been doing so well! Normal people eat huge pieces of cake every once in a while!" And then I eat a huge piece of cake and as long as I'm indulging it would taste better with hot fudge and ice cream, and compared to all the calories in the cake, the calories in the ice cream don't seem like that much while you're indulging anyway...and it's a slippery slope from there.

But I think it's kind of like Dr. Phil says, when you've got a problem with food, you can't reward yourself with food for weight loss victories, that's like an alcoholic rewarding themselves with a drink after being sober for a month.

Same for me, I notice whenever I'm lacking fruit in y diet, I crave orange flavored sodas! And one soda leads to cookies leads to fries leads to ice cream... might as well binge all of today right? Recently I'm more conscious and in control, i've been 'good' for a few days now... Hope i don't slip up soon...