Thanks for this post, sleepingdragon. Very insightful, helpful, humble. Good job!

It's extremely interesting to hear about when/why other people binge. Like some others have said, I'm not aware that my binges are that linked to any particular emotions - of course they might be on a subconscious level, but I'm not aware of that at all. I suppose boredom sometimes does lead to a binge, but it's not really an emotional thing for me - just long-standing habits means that if I'm at a loose end, I often find myself looking for something to eat.

Things that make me binge (I think I share a few of Jalsa's ones here):

1. Disruption to my normal routine around mealtimes (e.g., if I'm travelling in the evening or at lunchtime, if my boyfriend is out and I'm alone when eating my evening meal). I very frequently find myself choosing an excessive amount of food or something very unhealthy at these times, telling myself that it's an unusual scenario and it won't hurt to do it because it's only "once in a while". But the trouble is, it really isn't - it happens for this reason every 2 - 3 weeks, I'd say - and that's way more than I'd like.
2. When I've achieved something difficult, or had a hard or tiring day, I find myself feeling like I deserve something nice, and that's often food.
3. Succumbing to habits. When I first started binge eating as a teenager, it would happen after I'd got the bus home from school, when I arrived to an empty house, before any other family members got home. Thinking of this now, I think I've had this habit for about the past decade! When I walk home from university now, that's when I get something big and unhealthy from the corner shop and scoff it at home, or if I've been working at home that day, this mid to late afternoon, alone in the house time, is when I'm most likely to binge.
4. When there's leftover unhealthy snack food that's already open in the house - for instance, if there's some sort of gathering and there's leftover crisps or biscuits. I find it SERIOUSLY difficult to eat this food in moderation, and I have this warped logic that it's the same number of calories if I eat it all at once rather than over 3 days... but of course it doesn't work like that in reality!
5. When I've had a semi-unhealthy day/period of days already. I'm quite prone to an all-or-nothing attitude, and I tell myself "well, I've already eaten X unhealthy meals/snacks in the past day or week, so it won't make any difference if I binge, since it's not like I've been healthy". Again, of course, this logic is totally wrong - it does make a difference!

Thanks for this post - it was really useful to reflect on this as I don't think I've ever tried to systematically work out the situations that often lead to binging for me and write them down.

I want to thank ValRock for her post-
I have been binging, every day. Today I had Alfredo pasta AND pizza AND breadsticks! I mean come on, why didn't I just eat a loaf of bread? Your post made me face the ugly fact I've been avoiding, and I was getting close to the bottom of the slippery slope. Time to throw out all the processed crap and carbs again and start climbing back up.
Thanks girl!

foods that i try to avoid cause me to binge. today, i had deep fried chicken, and that just made me gorge on cupcakes slathered in nutella afterwards. if there's food i know i shouldn't be eating that is in my presence, i throw caution to the wind and just give in, which is probably not conducive. i'm not sure how i can prevent myself from doing it. that, and stress.

This is such a great thread - thank you CoffeeFueledUnicorn for starting it

What makes me binge - ANYTHING! Ok, seriously:
1. Being tired
2. Being angry w someone and not addressing it directly
3. Quitting something I know I should stick w (e.g., a work project), and telling myself I am not up to the challenge
4. Having something I should do that I don't want to do (e.g., housework)
5. Feeling overwhelmed
6. Being around a trigger food

How do I stop, or not start:
1. Journal
2. Set the timer for 15 minutes and tell myself I won't start bingeing until the timer goes off
3. Do something physical
4. Break up the into small projects that which I am procrastinating - for instance, I do all of the dishes - no other housework until my binge desire rolls
5. Talk to my hubby about my desire to piggy
6. Read a fun book or mag
7. Paint my fingernails
8. Figure out a way to address the person or problem that is bugging me about what is bugging me
9. Get all trigger foods out of the house (of course, I can binge on frozen bread, so this trick isn't always practical)

I am so glad to have this thread to read and reflect on - thank you again

Reasons I binge:
- Stress! Food has a way of calming me down.
- Hunger. If I let myself get too hungry while dieting, I might binge at the next meal.
- Going too long without giving into a craving / being too restrictive

In every case, the binge starts out with a small-to-medium diet slip up, which I beat myself up over. This guilt triggers a full-blown binge that ends up with me ingesting thousands and thousands of calories.

How I prevent binges:
- Keeping binge food OUT of the house.
- Not be too restrictive. What this means varies from week to week, depending on my current condition.
- Drinking water, crystal light, diet soda.

I have to agree with you guys that mention binging out of habit. I know I said in the OP that it was an emotional thing, but that's not the case all the time.

I find I binge mostly when i'm facing an extremely stressful day or if I'm avoiding confronting a painful issue in my life. Journaling helps if I'm at home. If I'm at work, keeping healthy snacks or even just bolting to the bathroom to have a good cry (and feel/release rather than numb my feelings) helps.

CoffeeFuelEdUnicorn, thanks for asking. I'm sure many of us now have a higher sense of awareness.

This is a great thread; thank you for all who've posted their experience. Binge eating has been (sometimes still is) a tricky trap for me too.

One of the best tools I ever encountered for stopping binge eating during my journey to my ideal weight is to, simply, stay in the moment.

I noticed that whenever I binged, it was always connected to some uncomfortable feeling I was experiencing. And, in my experience, most of my discomfort was related to anger/resentment (which arises from living in/focusing on the past) or fear (which arises from living in/focusing on the future).

It may sound like some time-worn homily, but this, as others have alluded to, is literally true: the past and the future are illusions. The only moment that is real is right now.

In fact, if you want to get technical about it, quantum physics teaches us that what we call "the past" is merely a remembered string of "right nows". And, conversely, quantum physics teaches us that there is no such thing as "the future" because, when it arrives (which hopefully it will) it will become "right now".

If you're like me, with practice living in the moment, you may come to find that there is never a "right now" when I do not have the personal tools and resourcefulness to be emotionally and physically safe and sound.

When I fully present/invested in the present moment, binge eating becomes a much less appealing solution. In fact, it is not very appealing at all.

Living in the moment took some practice (especially when I had been living my entire life without doing it). I have never become "perfect" at it and don't think any of us are ever supposed to.

Some good tools I've found to live in the moment are:

• Practicing 15 minutes of quiet meditation each day
• Stilling my mind (choosing to turn off my mind's incessant chatter) as often as possible each day
• Paying attention to my breathing

The last two tools I can practice anywhere and at anytime, without them interfering with my normal daily routine. I've learned to take it easy on myself and simply recommit myself to practicing these tools if I "slip" and revert to living in the past or the future.

Thanks for reading,

Greg Kuhn

I am almost EXACTLY the same as you with all of these!!!

You know just reading all these posts is me. I so agree with so much that was posted here. There are times when there is absolutely I cannot control not binging...it is just beyond me. Reading these posts gives me small baby step ideas to try. And trying to be on this web site and trying to find something inspirational every day is helpful too but I don't make it every day.

I haven't binged in 1 month tomorrow!! For me it is something I do in isolation, so almost always in my car, while at work in my office, late at night after everyone is in bed.

I have found that I can't have my trigger foods in the house and that I need to plan out all my daily meals, snacks, etc so that I don't go buy 4 cheese buns and 2 doughnuts for lunch.

I have also been talking out my emotions and letting myself feel and cry.

I binge when I start feeling like I'm not in control of a situation (whether it be school, family, boyfriend, meals) or boredom. I also start to binge when I have trigger foods in the house. Like others on here, I avoid them at all cost in order to control my binging.

Ways I help prevent:
1. organization especially planners for school so it can seem more manageable and a food diary for planning out meals.
2. brushing my teeth to stop the night time snacking.
3. reading an enjoyable book. I can't focus on the book and the food at the same time so I choose the book.

People, I also used to binge out of frustration and stress. I stopped doing it seven months ago, and I never thought I would be able to. I mean to say that it is possible to change a behavior pattern if you find the method that fits you. Have faith! Look for that which works for you and stick to a plan. Good luck!

For me its:

1) Too much self love sometime.. like "oh, I dont need to lose this weight"
2) Super self hate, ya know, "Ill never loose the weight"
3) Too little sleep.... thats always the worse.
4) Me thinking, "I need to go harder" I know my limits, but knowing I have to go further freaks me out sometimes
5) Thinking I can limit a food I love.. I mean I'd love to say "I can only eat half this cupcake" and then relise later I've eaten two. Then I eat again cause I figure I just blew it. Ya know

Trying to find a good medium now