I hope this is alright, I didn't see a March thread and I am in need of someplace to vent.

I've been having a really hard time with cravings and bingeing lately. Last night. I ate an entire bag of sugar free caramels and gummy bears (and yes, the stories are true). And even though I felt so ill, I kept eating and had pork rinds and a burger with bacon and salami. I was up all night feeling nauseous and today is no better. While I haven't binged I just feel so... gross. It's definitely been a hard few days. I just needed to talk it out. How do you guys cope with the need?

I'm in a similar spot right now...I had lost 40 pounds but have gained back about 15 due to massive amounts of stress in my life for the past few months (which for me leads to binge eating.) I'm so frustrated with myself but am trying to get a handle on it. I've been working on fixing the stressors in my life first (for example, I got a new job) and then I'm going to work on getting my eating back on track. I was so close to my goal weight...and now it seems so far again. Sigh.

As for how to cope with the bingeing...my new job is helping a lot, and I'm starting a side gig tomorrow that will fill a lot of the time in my evenings that would have been spent sitting around trying not to binge. So literally, distraction. Changing things up enough in my life to break myself out of the destructive routine I had settled into. For the next couple of months (the duration of my side gig), I'm hoping this will be enough.

(First post!)

Gosh, but that sounds familiar, ThousandSunny ---- been there, ate that.

A couple of little things I can think of that might have contributed: did you eat enough during the day (skipping breakfast for me almost guarantees I binge out that night) and are you drinking enough water? I personally wouldn't need these factors to fall face first into the food, but they can contribute.

What to do to stop the need once it hits? Well, if I knew that, would I weigh 250 pounds? LOL! Distraction can help, drinking water can help, 5 minutes of silly dancing to music I like can help.

Remember that you AREN'T that need. You're the one with the power to say "Bad dog!" to that need. If you're alone, go ahead and put your hands on your hips, bend over to aggressively get in its face and tell it "NO!" Mean it. Own it.

And know that you are still a wonderful, intelligent, creative loving person despite it.



Thanks for starting this thread!

Hello, new person Heepwahealthy!

I just started posting here after a long break today, so I feel like I'm a new person, too. Congratulations on finding a support group --- and don't forget to check out all the great resources 3FC provides.

Hi! I am back on here after a few months absence and a 16lb regain. I have been binging on breads, bagels, tortilla chips, and pasta - and I think those are the main culprits for my weight gain. I'm trying to get myself under control again and get this weight off. I already had tortilla chips and salsa and guacamole today. The salsa and guacamole are ok, as long as I eat them with carrot chips, cucumber slices, or zucchini slices. However, any flour based carb causes me to overeat and binge. I need to be more mindful with my eating - I absolutely hate how I look right now - thick and chunky, like the salsa.

This is amazing and I am SO going to try this the next time I am struggling!!!

Welcome Back, Guacamole!

GREAT plan to use carrot chips, etc. so you can have your salsa without the trigger --- that's smart! (And I'm sooo stealing it! lol) I know it's disheartening to gain back some of the pounds that were so hard to ditch ( just call us the human yo-yos, right?) but don't get sad -- get mad! Anger is more energizing and gets you revved up again to kick those pounds to the curb again.

Just don't be mad at yourself, be mad at that dang alien chip in your head that broadcasts all those voices urging you to overeat. The alien invasion force doesn't realize that YOU have the power to tell those voices to shutupalready! YOU buy the food and YOU move the arms and YOU can march over to the garbage to dump out bad choices that snuck in under the radar.

Those silly green men aren't going to know what hit 'em.

Thanks for all the chatter, this helps! It is important to remember I'm the one with the power, thanks for the reminder. I just have to chant it when the little voice says "You're hungry, forget the plan!"

LOVE this thread! I have only gone about 4 days without a binge so far this week, and I am finding that what EVERYONE always tells you - eat slowly - has been working for me. Since I am known to inhale 1000s of calories at a time in a matter of minutes, having to actually put my fork down and chew EVERYTHING in my mouth before picking it back up has been working really, really well.

How to break the binge? I've been working on this one for years. I've learned a few things about myself and how I handle stress. When I'm stressed, I eat. When I'm happy, I eat. When I'm bored, I eat. So, it turns out, I eat whenever I feel any kind of emotion or change my energy. I like the distraction method that everyone is suggesting. I distract myself with a large bottle of water with ice, brushing my teeth, or chewing gum. The minty flavor tends to ward off my cravings.

I've also done the exact opposite of this, with some surprising results. Lately, I've been confronting myself about my habits without shaming myself. I've defined what compulsive eating looks like for me and what purpose it serves me. Honestly, it feels good (temporarily). So good, that it's become a long standing habit that suits many situations in my life. The "feeling good" part of the binge drives me to snack, but my focus has been on the outcome of my choice to eat to the point of discomfort. I'm looking at the results of the binge with a neutral, nonjudgmental perspective.

For me, the desire to feel good has been driving my binge eating with the opposite effect. I actually feel worse - sick, depressed, guilty, ashamed, powerless - after chasing a few minutes of physical pleasure from food. Taking a step back, recognizing my cycle, and acknowledging it helps me move past my cravings. If I eat a handful of gummy bears - ok, fine - that's better than the entire bag. But then I move on and find something else to do because I know my binge cycle is being triggered by boredom or stress.

Looking at my binge cycle, I am starting to realize that in that moment, I am not eating to serve myself. I'm not hungry. Instead, I'm feeding a mindless cycle with a 100% chance of regret afterwards. Realizing this without blaming myself reminds me of my power of choice. The power I have over food - the inanimate objects that I purchase, I bring home, and I decide to put into my mouth - and I don't let food control me.

This new perspective has been a challenge. What - don't blame myself? Blaming, shaming, and beating myself up also does not serve me. It doesn't help me accomplish my goals. I have been journaling often (hence this long post, lol) and changing the way I think about myself and food.

It's all about the journey, right? Thanks for reading this. Hope this was as helpful to read as it was to write.

-ThinkAgain

LOVE this post, ThinkAgain! I feel like you basically just told my entire story. I need to work on adopting your new perspective. I would love to get to where you are.

Thanks brd88! I'm back on 3FC after a long time away. I figure the more I write and talk about this new perspective will create better long-term eating, thinking, and feeling habits. I really appreciate your feedback