I’ve been Sunday binging for almost 2 years… like EVERY.SINGLE.SUNDAY and I’m not sure I’ll ever stop… so does binging ever end? Has anyone ever stopped binging and never binged again? Really? I hate being 10 pounds heavier ever ****ing Monday!! I know I’m going to be bloated and miserable, but I can’t seem to stop. Honestly, if binging didn’t cause bloating… I would probably keep binging forever, but I can’t stand being so… ‘plump’ on Mondays & Tuesdays. I know this all sounds so silly. Would medication or a therapist help - advice?

I used to binge eat a lot too - mostly when I was living at home with my parents and my sister, who eats a lot of junk food - so there was always tons of it lying around.

I only stopped when I moved out and started grocery shopping for myself. If you know what foods trigger you and what you usually like to binge on, stop buying them. For example, potato chips, Doritos, cheetos, anything like that is a big no-no for me. I know that once I pop open the bag, I'll finish the whole thing, so I stop myself from buying it at the store.

Looking into your psychological motivations for binging also helped me get it under control. A therapist can definitely help with that. In my case, I was putting myself through a really restricted calorie diet - lost 20 lbs and was almost at my goal before I just snapped and started binge eating uncontrollably every night. I make sure I don't dip below 1500 calories for the day now. If you're binging only on Sundays, maybe you're not eating enough earlier in the week?

Actually, a lot of women I know do this - put themselves through really restricted diets on weekdays and then pig out on the weekend - probably not the best way to lose weight and keep it off.

If that is the only day you have trouble, is there an activity that you can do on Sundays that will keep you from binging?

I don't think doctors give out appetite suppressant meds unless your BMI is over 30, in most cases it has to be even more. Except in extreme cases, I don't think it's a good idea. I would guess that you are binging because you aren't getting a full, balanced diet and your body is telling you of that deficiency. If you see a specialist maybe a nutritionist?

Krazy, if you're really 98 pounds and 5'5", which is what your sidebar profile says, that is underweight. The binging might be because your body just really wants food to fuel it, and feels like it was deprived so it's eating a bunch on Sunday to make up for it. Adding some more calories during the week might release some of that urge.

(Though maybe your sidebar profile is wrong and that's not your weight, in which case, ignore this.)

Very true, I assumed it was KGs and she was trying to lose weight (like real weight). But then I read your post and looked at her profile picture. I think her body is trying to say "I'M SO HUNGRY, PLEASE FEED ME." I usually don't yell here but this is concerning.

Hi Krazy, I recently had an appt with a nutritionist to help me figure out how much I actually need. She has a great deal of experience working with people with disordered eating. She told me that the drives to binge can be divided into 2 broad categories: physiological hunger & psychological, including emotional, habits, rituals, etc.

Folks who binge have one or the other drives going on; some have different combos of both. To address the more complex psychological issues that drive binge eating, it's necessary to eat enough. Otherwise we're dealing also with an even stronger urge that is fueled by physical hunger. That primal hunger, once awakened by severe calorie restriction, almost always takes an extra amount of food to satisfy.

I encourage anyone who is binge eating to consider talking to a nutritionist with credentials & experience for disordered eating/eating disorders.

Thanks all! I think I’ll try eating more during the week and see if that helps. I don’t count calories… but I might start.

Yes it can end, in my case I've reduced my binging down 90% in a year. Like you, I would continue binging forever if it didn't cause so much weight gain. That's because binging serves a purpose in my life - it has always been my most reliable coping mechanism with all the emotions I can't seem to deal with. After seeing a NT who specializes in ED I've been able to find other ways to cope while simultaneously healing my abusive relationship with food.

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) has proven beneficial for binge-eating disorder. Perhaps you can look into it.

F.

Edited to add: If you weigh 98 pounds at 5'5", you need therapy not so much for the bingeing, but for the thoughts and feelings that compel you to starve yourself to such an unhealthy weight. Please get yourself to a therapist and be honest about your behaviours. That's your best shot at healing yourself.

If it's calories you're worrying about, and you just want to be full, you can try drinking water as a replacement.

I second this. If you're restricting and you're already underweight, then the binging is a clear sign that your body is rebelling against not getting enough food.

And if this has been going on for a while, then eating more likely won't put an end to the urges since it's already become a habit - but it will keep them from getting even stronger. I highly recommend the book Brain Over Binge!