I'm not on a structured diet. I avoid bread, any sort of sweets, cheese, any sort of soda, you get the gist. Foods like fruit, noodles, milk etc I eat in heavy moderation. I've been very successful on this plan, eating between 1000 and 1300 calories a day, with the occasional binge day (once-twice a month or so) and I've lost about 25 pounds like this so far.

But recently I find myself going nuts any time I treat myself. I'll buy a bag of cheesepuffs or a half container of icecream to 'last me the week', intending to eat a tiny bit a day until it's gone, then not buy anymore. But then once I get a taste of it it's like I go crazy. It's not just that I enjoy it, I crave it to the point of not being able to think about anything else until i've stuffed myself with it. Because of the way i usually eat, this sudden influx of fatty/sugary food makes me sick.

How do I keep this from happening? Do I just never treat myself? Is there some way to force myself to stop thinking about the food when it's available? I'm getting desperate and feel out of control in this area.

Hello, i also had the same tendencies. Some foods will trigger a binge for me. I caannot have certain foods in my house in mutiple servings. If i really want ice cream i will buy a small or child size ice cream at DQ or McD. I eat it and enjoy it, then it is over and I find I do not focus or obsess over it like I would during a binge. I have learned to accept this is where i am right now. I may not always be like this, I hope not. But it is better that I am honest with myself and keep the triggers out of my hands. I wish you good luck!

+1

Our body goes through physiological reactions to food. Those reactions are beyond our conscious control. So we feel out of control during those reactions because we are. We could force our mind to overpower our body's reaction to food, but forcing the behavior that our mind wants when our body wants a conflicting behavior is a frustrating and difficult experience. I think it's best to note our body's reactions and then do what we can not to trigger them.

If you're able to eat a single serving of those foods w/o triggering a ravenous appetite for all foods, it sounds like you'd be able to function well with buying a single serving.

As Opine said, this may be where you're at now but that doesn't mean it will necessarily last forever.

Be kind to yourself.

Congratulations on all your success!

Also, I'm hesitant to say this b/c different techniques work for different people, but you may be consuming too few calories, especially on the days when you're on the low range of your calorie scale.

I bet you have - congrats! I actually find that number of calories to be REALLY restrictive!

It isn't a "treat" if it's to last you the week.

I firmly believe that the only way to not binge is to not restrict. This often means letting go of our weight loss goals while getting used to a "generous with myself" attitude instead of a "I can't have it" attitude. It makes a huge difference on my stress, I start to not have those horrible binges, and then I realise my weight has normalised a bit. All because of *relaxing*.

Honestly, I recommend better treats. No cheap icecream or cheetos.
1. Decide when you're going to have the treat, make sure it's good quality - a pastry with a tea, a sundae, a cheese tasting platter and glass of wine. Be less impulsive, delay the gratification, look forward to it.
2.Only buy one portion to bring home - or better yet, go to a special cafe or restaurant for it (and do have a friend join you and make it a really nice experience.) If it comes in a "size", only ever order "small".
3. Enjoy that damn treat! Live is too short to eat cheap bad food, too short to feel bad about what we eat.
4. Walk back home, and on with the rest of the day!


Scientifically, I think that blood sugar/insulin resistance has a major impact on my cravings. Research has helped me get a grip on this too.

Honestly, I struggle to eat more than 1300-1400 calories on most days without feeling like i'm overeating. I get very little excercise aside from walking between classes on campus during the week, so I'm not burning much.

I think i'm just going to have to accept this being the case for most foods, and resign myself to never bringing 'multiserving' treats home with me, if no amount of swearing will actually keep me from eating it all in one day.

Thank you all for the advice, it's nice to know i'm not the only one that feels these kinds of powerful impulses.

i just read something today...i'm reading about low carb diets and they say not only do they make you lose weight they curb your appetite...so someone that eats lots of carbs is more likely to eat more often...food for thought

Hello - I have a great e-book on binge eating and diet. If anyone is interested I can send you a free pdf. Let me know.

I feel your pain. Something that worked well for me is that when I treat myself, I go out for that treat. So instead of going to the store and buying a gallon of ice cream or buying an entire cake, or whatever your consider to be treat for yourself -- I instead go to a restaurant and treat myself there. That way I KNOW I am only getting the portion served to me and there are no leftovers. And even if there are, I don't take them with me. It's like a safe way to cheat. It's cheating with training wheels

But honestly, after a while, I just began view food differently. I began to view it as fuel for my body and fuel for my workouts rather than just something to do when I'm bored while watching TV. But if you're not to that point yet, definitely do the cheating with training wheels. If you don't have the junk in your house, you're far less likely to leave your house to get your hands on the junk. When you cheat, go to a restaurant and only eat the portion served to you. Let me know if this works for you or what you think.

Also - anytime you get a craving for something sweet, drink a glass of water and eat a piece of fruit. The natural sugars should be enough to pacify your sweet tooth. My favorite go-to when I have a sweet craving is an apple with a small portion of peanut butter. Delish!

Don't try and force your diet to change in one day, your body needs to get used to the change. However set goals for yourself so you don't go back to your old diet.