The bad news: i still haven't gotten past binge eating. Both were extreme problems i used to deal with. In fact, the snacking was probably worse because it happened whether i was dieting or not. The binging only happens when i'm dieting and restricting calories. In mid-January, i made a concerted effort to cut out snacking. It's worked! I used to snack ALL DAY at work...i'd bring baggies full of cereal, crackers, etc etc and just eat them ALL DAY...and that REALLY adds up...i'm not talking a cracker here, a cracker there, i'm talking CONSTANT eating. I'm so happy to be rid of that nasty habit. Now, if only i could figure out how to stop binge eating! Unlike the snacking, quitting cold turkey does not seem to work for me.

Could you incorporate planned mini-binges into your weight loss regimen? That what I did, and it worked for me. As you'll often hear on this board, the key is to PLAN. (Failing to plan is planning to fail.)

F.

The amazing news is that if you're strong enough to stop one behavior that is inconsistent with your goals, then you're strong enough to stop the other. You were so smart to decide to tackle one issue, and then do the other.

I'm sure others will have some amazing advice to help with the binge eating, but I'm just going to say "YAY!" to your current victory!

Surfergirl, that is so great that you cut out snacking. I've found that to be a big problem for me, too. During the past month or so, it seems that I nibble nonstop. Every time I go into the kitchen for something, I was nibbling. I'm trying to stop and have done better, but haven't yet stopped it entirely.

I think freelance offers some good advice about binging: Can you plan a day or two in which you know you'll be eating a lot more calories. I calorie cycle (using a weekly total), and that allows me to have some really big meals and/or treats during the week.

Yes, i have thought about incorporating small "binges" (although i think it would be more appropriate to call them "cheats" or "treats") into my diet on a regular basis. I haven't figured out how yet. I'm thinking maybe a high calorie day every week or so--at maybe 500-700 calories above maintenance. Not sure yet. The other option (or maybe combining both options) would be, once every couple of weeks, to "spend" most of my calories on something completely junky. Like, if i'm seriously craving a large piece of cheesecake, then eat 800 calories of healthy food during the day, and then spend 1000 calories on cheesecake for dinner or something.

Edited to add: just to be clear, i don't consider 1000 calories of cheesecake or eating 700 calories above maintenance to be remotely close to a real binge. For me, a binge results in eating around 4000 calories total for the day--sometimes even more. I don't think there's any way i could work that kind of thing into my diet though (and even if i could, it wouldn't be healthy behavior). Though honestly, i WISH i could. Sadly, i actually enjoy my binges.

This might sound silly, but that just really resonated with me. It's no wonder that it's hard to stop and to avoid them sometimes because you get to eat all kinds of delicious food. Who doesn't like that?

The excessive amount of calories is the issue of course. You want to be happy with your body AND you want to eat all that yumminess. Don't we all? I think that doing the bi-monthly or monthly large treat day/meal might help you with that.

I can understand... it's easy to say "fit treats into your diet" but it's not easy to fit a pint of Ben and Jerry's or a huge slice of Cheesecake into your diet, and frankly sometimes a few bites isn't enough!

hmm, I can't offer any help, because the only thing that keeps me sane is realizing I am going to have 3500 calorie days at least once a week.

I believe in cheat *days* though. I actually stop losing weight when I try to cut them out.

Congrats on managing to deal with compulsive snacking! That's something you should be really proud about, it's not an easy thing to overcome! I'm sure you'll find the strength to banish binge eating from your life as well. Take it slowly, one step at the time, you're on the right track.

Thank you so much. Everyone on this board is so supportive...and i don't mean just this thread, but every time. Feeling bad about myself just makes the binging worse, so it really helps to have people who understand and make me feel normal. Sometimes i feel bad that i don't reach out to people enough, since i get so much help here. Thanks again!

i have some days that are vbetter than others with the food.I'm trying to fit extra exercising into days when I overeat and try to pick healthier things to eat.I'll be glad when school gets out for the summer so I won't be around it daily for a couple months