jazbcure: i'm so glad you've found a way that works for you!!! it was inspiring to hear your story. i'm sort of doing the same--something similar to IE, but with some "guidelines" built in. I hope it works for me too!

Thanks so much for chiming in. I really love hearing stories of other peoples' success with stopping disordered eating. Honestly, It makes me happy when I hear of people reaching the same goal (not bingeing), but doing it somewhat differently. Like I like Intuitive Eating, but I also like the idea that other methods work as well (like there's more than one way to skin a cat). One common theme though I find with people who are successful at ending biingeing and the food obsession is that they all seem to loosen the restrictions/rules rather than tighten them. It is so counterintuitive. I am finding I am a girl who likes my "routine" and so most days with me look about the same as far as what I eat and when (depending if it's a work day or off day; and with small variations of course like with or without a donut :)); whereas someone else (like southernmavin for example) find that every day can be very different. I think it is important though to be able to be flexible.

Also on the other thread "I eat all day every day" there is a woman who has ended her binge eating and talks about how she first focussed on how to deal with stress. This has been so big for me too this last little while. Just getting rid of the restriction wasn't enough for me; huge definitely, but not enough. I am finally starting to think that I CAN choose to do something other than munching chips aggressively after a hard day. Until now, it has seemed so impossible that anything would come even close to soothing me the way food does, but I can see it could be very possible now. There is a quote in that book "Life is hard, Food is Easy" I would like to share. It reallly rings true to me

"Do you hold on to your emotionss because you don't want to lose your excuse for overeating? If you aren't ready to live without food as a source of emotional confort, you may not want to get past your bad feelings."

I think that's the funny part. When it's been awhile since I've binged, I feel kind of sad like I've lost an old friend that was a security blanket.

Well that's just the kind of thing I'm talking about. Even for something like a candy making you more optimistic, that is such a good thing for a person to know about themselves. It doesn't mean they have to eat massive amounts of candy, but it could mean they could have a candy (or two ;)) and use it to their advantage. Then they would know also just what purpose it served and why they chose it and I think it could really end guilt. Also, carbs could be very soothing for someone in the evening if they are having trouble winding down for sleep, and they may choose not to have a big bowl of pasta with a high fat sauce at lunch if they need to be sharp minded and active after. Also, not such a bad idea to have some carbs to provide some energy in the meal preceding a workout, even if that meal is the night before an early morning workout. I think basically by listening really close to how you feel after eating food, you can use it to your advantage and see it as medicine. Also, It might not be that junk food/unhealthy food makes you feel crappy, but maybe just maybe healthy food makes you feel a little bit better. Not saying it will of course but I think it's worth paying close attention just as a self experiment. Even if the placebo effect begins to kick in, that is hardly a bad thing. It could be a great thing.

Also, I have been paying attention on how long certain foods/meals keep me satisfied for. For example, I had a small bowl of pasta with brocoli and chicken for lunch and it kept me full for 3.5 hours. My morning oatmeal with almond milk sustains me for several hours as well. It is actually the reason why I switched to old fashioned or steel cuts oats from cold cereal. it was not so much due to the nutrition (because the actual nutrition is prettty close), but there was a huge difference in how long I was satisfied for. Anytime I eat cold cereal i am very hungry about 1.5 hours later (with an equal number of calories for both). So with the oatmeal I get double bang for my buck in the sustainability department (and also on in the cost department). Also, I like warm foods in the winter like stews etc., and cold foods like salad on a hot day. Why force yourself to eat salad in the middle of winter if you want something warm? All that does is make your meal very unsatisfying. I don't know about anyone else, but when I use food strategically to make me feel a certain way (energetic, calm, etc.), it makes me feel clever and confident.

The book also talks about learning how to be more assertive in your day to day life. Alot of people who use food to cope are proverbial doormats. I tend to be like this. People who say what they feel and refuse to be walked on have more confidence and tend not to turn to food. Being assertive however, doesn't mean being aggressive. The book also suggests faking it til you make it in the confidence department. Hold your head high and go about your day as though you are a valuable person with alot to offer the world. Soon you may believe it (because it is actually true) and you may feel you do not need your old friend food to rely on so much.

P.S. I am practicing my assertion with my dog and telling her "how I am feeling and why" at any given moment. She officially thinks I'm crazy.

Well I see nothing wrong with having a limit of satiety or fullness. It probably though makes you feel good when you say you don't want bread because you know the reason, and it's not to do with vanity.

I bloat up like a puffer fish when I eat pickles or too much soy sauce. I used to believe it was a curse, but adverse effects to food I now see as a blessing because it helps guide me in knowing what my body wants.

Well it's too bad raw foods can make you feel bad, but it's great to be able to know that about yourself. I think just trying to be tuned in helps take the focus away from weight and shape.

Just a quote to share before going to bed:

"The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new." - Socrates

Thank you for posting. Your story definitely gives me hope! Good luck in your journey!

You are hilarious!! My dog thinks I am a hot mess too, always trying to protect me from everything. He definitely feeds off my anxiety and stress. My kids can't even pet him....he such a little jerk....good thing he is cute!

So I feel like today was an epic fail, but tomorrow is a new day. I think I have realized how much of an emotional eater I am. I have been excited, stressed about getting ready for our trip tomorrow, I haven't been able to stop eating all day. I at least got a salad to go with my supper....we were having pizza and I haven't had it for months, so I was worried about eating 5-6 pieces....this way I only had 2....fairly small pieces too, but have been grazing on crap all evening. I did go to he gym and did an hour on the treadmill mostly a pretty big incline so that is good I guess. Trying to let the guilt go, but seriously worried about clothes fighting in a week if I have too many more days like this. It is hard....I ave all these things.....reminders in my phone, of how to eat, asking if I am truly hungry, is this food the best to fuel my body....but I forget it....I forget to read them to remind myself. I may set an alarm on my phone to remind me to look at them a couple times a day. Maybe that will help. I have a salad packed for the hours and of our drive tomorrow, some fruit and cut up veggies. I have solidified today that carby foods most times gets me every time especially when stressed, so need to remind myself how I feel. Wish my phone could sense my urges and zap me or something to snap me out of it lol. Maybe I will create a new app;)

I love that!!! Thanks so much for sharing!!!

Jazbcure thanks so much for sharing your story!!! I am always so happy to read that this approach actually works and you can be free and lose weight at the same time

I feel like i'm a big carbs person, there more, the better. if i eat yoghurt and fruit for breakfast, i'll be hungry 2 hours later (are you f* kidding me? i can't be hungry after such a short time!) but if i eat carbs in like whole-grain bread or whole grain crispbread (us Germans, we do have a HUGE variety of bread), i last until lunch. Then the game starts anew. The 'I get very hungry shortly' especially holds for fruit, which is really sad, because i love apples, pears, pineable, bananas, berries, kiwis... basically every fruit. Did anybody else notice the same pattern?

I notice it with fruit, if I eat fruit by itself it makes me very hungry very soon. I have to pair it with protein. For example apples slices with peanut butter, grapes and cheese, or nuts and cheese.

But I notice the opposite with bread. Whenever I eat carbs I want more much sooner, where if I eat yogurt with nuts in the morning it will last me a while. The less carbs I eat the less hungry I feel.

:carrot: Halloechen Landsfrau!!! Ich kann Dir leider keine PN schicken, hab es gerade mal versucht.

I love the German bread and miss it!!! It is way different than the bread in the states. Overhere the bread doesn´t fill me up one bit, but in Europe bakery food for breakfast is the best. And it is funny - everybody bashes carbs, but French and Italiens are the slimmest people out there and especially the French would stab you with a knife if you were to take away their bread...

Absolutely.

I can eat a carb-laden breakfast (hash browns, biscuits, etc) at 10:00 am and not be hungry again for 8 hours. And at that I will likely only eat a very small amount .... that's when I will eat the yogurt with fruit.

Yesterday I ate a bacon egg and cheese sandwich WITH hash browns at 10:00 am and then went shopping, something I loathe doing. But I needed to find something to wear to a wedding (and other events) next weekend. I went to eight stores in three different shopping centers and was tied up all day long. I got home, did some things around here, and it suddenly hit me - I'm hungry! This was about 6:00 pm. Never thought about food one time until then.

So yes, carbs satisfy me big time. Lots of people will say it was the protein, and sure that helped me too. But I've eaten JUST protein for breakfast (eggs, cheese, bacon) and when I do that it lasts about four hours. If it had been fruit and yogurt I'd have lasted about two hours before needing something to eat.

Me, too. I always say that if I could just eat a sandwich for every meal, I would probably never be hungry. Somehow, it's the combination of carbs, protein, and some fat (from mayo) that seems to keep me full.

Haha, das ist ja lustig! Die Deutschen sind echt überall...

When I lived in the US, i consumed gigantic amounts of bagels w/ cream cheese, any kind of mexican food and smoothies- oh dear god, i love smoothies. I probably had like 3 every day and then beer and the oh-so-famous jungle juice. And that was pre-dieting. College kids :D

But back to IE: I've just eaten a large amount of candy. it started off innocently but at some point i just loose control. i can't even bring myself to a stop! what do i do! i know i'm frustrated, i now where it comes from but i just can't stop. HELP!