Hello..

Is there anyone on here are binge free for a length of time?? If so, how did you conquer your impulsive behavior and stayed on track with your plan??

I am a compulsive eater..and I admit, I love my sweets that is so out of control. On Wednesday morning, after I ate a healthy breakfast..went out and brought and binged on 2 boxes of little debbie cakes. I eat out of boredum and even walked 1 mile yesterday and felt lousy since I had that binged. I don't have outside help for my poor food behavior and do need friends who deals with the same issue as I do.

I want to loose weight and many people says when you are ready..Well, I don't know when a person is ready on changing thier ways. I know I have to loose weight but it is a everyday struggle for me.

I hope I can vent out on here.. am shy chick and not good with a large group setting. I need a place to vent out my frustrations on being in control with food and staying on track.

Thank you for listening..

I too am a binge eater. When binge eating disorder was actually recognized as an eating disorder I was in total disbelief. I thought I was the only person who did this.
I have been on maintainence for well over a year and thought I had it licked until I gave myself permission at Christmas to indulge in sweets again. I have been struggling again with on and off binging for a couple of months. I have decided to go back to my weight loss program and get off the sugar and bread again.
I think the secret is to avoid sugar and bread. I know it is difficult but for me it has to be like this. Fruits are a great substitute for me.
A great book is the Thin Commandments' diet by Stephen Gullo.(I think that is his name) He suggests breaking a binge by throwing protein at it - eating four or five meals of low fat protein for a day or two, ALSO writing out a eating plan for the next 24 hours, several days of even a week or longer. Structure is the key to gaining control. I found his book very helpful and you could probably find it in your library.
Just don't give up. Every day that you start over is a new day. If we are nothing else we are persistent. Keep trying and know that you are not alone.

Hi Lilian,

I understand how you feel I am a boredom eater also! Mine is at night watching tv, I am getting that undercontrol now for the most part. I have been reading magazines or doing a cross stitch or playing on the computer. Try to find something that you enjoy that will keep you occupied, its not always easy but it can be done
Feel free to vent on here......I have! Everyone is so welcoming on here and they also understand what you are feeling as they deal with the same problems and frustrations.
Just do the best you can, try and take it day by day!
Stacey

Try not beating yourself up for a binge. I find the angrier I am with myself for what I have done, the worse i will do. I just try to let it go and move on. It has helped me come from 278 to 231 over a year. I know that's slow, but it's progress and slow will still get ya there! Try to enjoy life and not focus as much on food, I know that's easier said than done but try! You can do it I'll give you a hug to help you along
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God Bless,

Christy

Hi Lillian! I am a binger too - and I have been binge free for six weeks. Why I know that isn't too long, I am happy about it! What has been working for me is the south beach diet - in essence removing processed sugars and carbs from my diet. By doing this my binge cravings are virtually eliminated. I still want sweets from time to time but a bit of dark chocolate works for me. In the past eating a little sweet would end up eating the whole box. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know what is working for me. good luck!

Liliann, you're very welcome here. You've come to the right place... we are rarely a large group!

The thing about "dieting when you're ready"?!? I think you've nailed it there. When are we EVER going to be ready? I think we just have to take charge of our situation and do it! Even if it means having little slip-ups (and the occasional big one!) and discouraging moments.
Be the person that you want to be. Don't wait for her to come knocking, because it's not going to happen.

Forgive yourself for your binge yesterday, and congratulate yourself on having a healthy breakfast and walking!! Focus on the positive, and I'll bet you start to see a change in attitude.

We're here for you, sweetie... just let us know when you need a hug or a kick.

I've been binge free for 5 days!! Yes, that's a huge victory for me. I've done everything to try to curb my cravings for my favorite binge foods, which are mostly sugar-laden carb-filled goodies. These cravings make me eat other fattening foods as well. For example, I just don't want to eat ONLY apple pie, I want a meal before it. And when I have the apple pie, the meal before it is not healthy. The ONLY reason I've made 5 days with no bingeing is because I've switched to a low carb diet, like wildlifebio. I'm not following South Beach or Atkings, but I came up with my own plan. It's completely cut out my sugar cravings. Right now, I have a bag of chocolate in the freezer and I have NO desire whatesoever to eat them. There's also donuts in there too! I know it's only been 5 days since my last binge, but this is working for me. And I'm still losing weight. I was on a high carb/low fat diet and I struggled constantly with the bingeing. I know some people say complete denial of your favorites is a no no, but this seems to be working for me. But it's too early to tell, I did have a rough first week, but having the untouched chocolate in the freezer is a HUGE accomplishment for me. There's no way I've ever been able to NOT eat chocolate.

I can't tell you how long I've been binge free or how long I have been free of emotional eating, because I still do it some days. Ultimately what has lead me to weight loss and better eating is gradual change. I've tried things like removing sugar, bread, etc., but the reality is I can't see going the rest of my life never eating these things. So I've learned to eat them in moderation, and the ability to do that did not happen over night. It took a very long time and I had to overcome the false belief that I could not control my eating, that sugar and other foods had some sort of magical power that made me eat them. I know some people here will disagree and have been successful at eliminating certain foods. That just didn't work for me.

The really hard part is that when you are overweight concepts like gradual, and patience are very hard to accept. When you are begining to change your habits slowly you have to first accept that in the begining you won't lose any weight. Over time, the small changes will make a difference and you will lose weight, but it may not happen right away. This is what frequently leads people to go on crash diets and take more drastic measures, because they want results...we all do. But I'll tell you that 9 times out of 10 the crash dieters relapse, and the weight comes back. And the pain and frustration gets even more severe.

So my advice, and what has worked for me, is instead of focusing on completely eliminating binges, work on bingeing less frequently, eating less during each subsequent binge and eating healthier, low calorie foods on a binge. But accept the fact that you may binge tomorrow. Instead of allowing it to make you feel bad or judge yourself, accept it and find comfort in the fact that you are working on it. Know that you are not alone in your battle, completely celebrate the times when you had the urge to binge, but did not, or were able to step in and control the amount of food you ate. It takes practice and you will never be perfect. But if you are like me, you will be living your life and one day you won't be able to recall the last time you binged or even the last time you had issues controlling the amount you ate.

Another thing that has helped me a lot is focussing on sensory stimulation. I sit at a computer at work all day long, and I my mind and body can go kind of numb. Food is a natural mood lifter, and stimulates my sense of taste, while also offering me comfort and stress relief. But stimulating other senses can be equally as powerful. Smells are very powerful for me, as is my sense of touch. I keep hand lotion in my desk drawer and when I need a break, I spend a few minutes massaging the lotion on my hands and pressing on the pressure points between my thumb and forefinger. There are hundreds of other sensory stimulation activities you can try - everything from music, to massage. Sounds hokey, I know...

Thank you all for your replies and sharing your story.

Wildlife... Great job of being binge free for 6 weeks! Keep it going!!

Harpo...Great job to you too of 5 days binge free.. That is good and keep up the good work..and see on your siggy line of your loss so far..amazing!!

Good morning, good morning, good morning, Liliann!

Today is a brand spanking new day! Yesterday, its Little Debbie cakes, are history.

I'm so proud of you for walking a mile. That's absolutely fantastic! Keep up the good work, kiddo!

As far as curbing the binges, do you think sugarless gum might help? It's sweet, so may satisfy your craving for something sweet, but has only 5 calories per stick. You can chew up a whole package, the big 15-stick package, and still have ingested only 75 calories.

I'm not sure on the net carbs because I never really understood that concept, even when I was following Atkins. I think the gum may not go well if you're straight low-carbing it. But if you count net carbs, it may be ok. Any low-carbers know the answer to that one?

I keep gum and a bottle of water on my desk where my computer is. The gum keeps my mouth and taste buds busy, the computer keeps my hands and mind busy.

Chewing gum won't change the binging behavior, but it may be a good substitute while you learn to change the behavior.

Don't know if you're a computer gamer, but games can also keep your hands and mind busy. Text Twist is a Yahoo game where you find as many words as you can using the 6 letters they give you. You are on a timer. You must find at least one 6-letter word to advance. It's free, you can play real-time (no downloading needed) and is really fast-paced. Added benefit, you'll increase your vocabulary when you play! And you cannot eat while playing. I know. I've tried!

Know that we're all here pulling for you, sweetie. You can do this, I know you can! More importantly, you know you can! ((hugs))

Thanks Lena.. I have tried chewing gum and it does not work.. Have a good day and be good to yourself.. We can do it!!

Rats, I wish that could have been an option for you.

How are you doing so far today, dear?

This morning am doing pretty good..ate a balanced breakfast..wanted to go for a walk, but way to cold and windy..bummer! Looking forward to spring to get started with walking. I did have a few pringles just now. The book that am reading making sense. According to the book,it is okay to eat binge foods that you crave..in time, those cravings will lessen. I am not following anything and challenge myself of not getting on that scale..will miss it..but I come in terms of accepting this weight and not letting me get so negative about who I am of being compassion, good hearted gal and not let my weight or food control me. Some interesting project am learning.

Hi Liliann!

I can totally relate to the boredom and binge eating! I also have a sweet tooth the size of Montana!

I have managed to lose 30lbs since Dec 2, 2005 and have decreased the amount and duration of my binges. I still struggle, at times, but have found a few things to really help me overcome the binge monster.

1. Awareness of eating. Before, I would eat and couldn't honestly tell you what I'd eaten. Mindless eating. I know I am still very capable of that so I try to avoid situations where it is most likely to occur. Like eating while watching tv and/or surfing the internet. When I eat, I force myself to sit at the kitchen table and turn off the tv. I make sure to have a large glass of water and TRY to put my fork down between bites. This also means NO eating straight out of the refrig or from serving bowls. Somehow, I mentally think that food consumed this way has no calories---WRONG! Food must be on a plate.

2. Making myself accountable by keeping an honest and accurate record of what I eat on fitday.com. If I overdo it during the day, like today I've already had 900 calories, I will cut back at lunch and supper. Many nights I sit down and eat only a salad for supper.

3. Keeping my house as "binge-free" as possible. I try to keep huge bags of lettuce, baby carrots, low calorie stuff to munch on. I also try to keep high calorie food that will torture the binge monster OUT of my house---such as cake, candy, sweets, etc. This may not stop a binge but it will definitely control the calories I consume. How bad can a lettuce binge be?

4. Forgiving and loving myself regardless of binges. When I get disgusted with myself after a binge I tend to get worse. Kinda the all or nothing mentality---(well, I've screwed it up so why not eat the entire cake and gallon of ice cream?!?!?)

5. Planning and controlling my "trigger" foods. I try to make sure that I have portion control---only buy a small quantity of something sweet and/or consume it in a restaurant. I plan for the calories and adjust my other intake.

6. PROTEIN really really helps me decrease my appetite. I learned that from 3FC. I try to combine a low fat protein with a high fiber food to get the binge monster back in its cage.