I've had a long history with binging....like many of you I'm sure, food has been my moral support. I would sit and stuff myself until I felt sick whenever I was bored, upset or lonely.
Whenever I've dieted in the past, I was happier because food didn't control my life the way it does when I "don't diet" aka allow myself to binge often.
Then depression hit, and made things a lot worse. I would eat so much that I finally actually gained weight (through my teen years I fluctuated ten pounds often...I'm tall so it wasn't noticeable). Anyway, I gained fifty pounds because of the mass amounts I'd eat. Finally, I've gotten past the depression and have lost thirty five or forty pounds....it's been a bit since I've weighed myself....but here's the thing...I want to lose fifteen more pounds, or ten...and I have began binging again. I do good most of the week, sometimes two weeks in a row and then I'll have a day where I'll just lose it and binge big time. I will seriously feel so horrible and sick that I can't leave the house because I binge so badly....
I just want this to be done....I've started allowing myself a candy bar worked into my calories each day and that's helped a bit (I used to just have a day where I ate "what I wanted" but that turned into binging) but I don't know what to do to get rid of this FOREVER.
I want to just be done with it. I hate myself so much when I'm done binging, but then it takes me like three days to recover and I'll do badly again the next day.
Like I mentioned, I eat some chocolate worked into my calories each day because it seems to help. I allow myself around 1600-1800 calories a day....I try to let the actual calorie count fluctuate enough that it won't be the same every single day....I should probably eat less than 1800 but with my height it still seems to be effective, if not a bit slower.
I should probably mention that I do work out, and that the weather has a bad effect on me....I am 10x more likely to binge if it's crappy out...luckily Spring is coming....
Anyway, sorry for the rambling nature and the novel. But can anybody please offer tips? It's good just knowing I'm not alone, although I hate to think that anyone else goes through this...I just want to be done binging, I know I'd reach my goal in so much less time if I could just STOP...
You are not alone at all. A lot of what you said sounds just like me. But, I didn't start binging until 7 mo. ago, after I lost 65 lbs. I stuck to my diet without one cheat til I lost all the weight. I think that's why i started binging. Lost a large amount of weight twice before when I was younger but it never happened then and I was dieting so stupidly( low calories + fat), why now? I lost the weight this time eating natural whole foods and I love it, still do. I am 4 days binge free right now and I learned some tricks in the past couple weeks that helped me not to binge as often, not longer than 10 days though. If you get the urge, eat berries, any kind, they are all good for you and add them into your calorie intake. Even if you eat alot of them, it's ok. Don't buy the foods you know you will go after, don't have them in the house. Do something to take your mind off of thinking about binging or just leave the house. I know it's really hard, even going for a walk will help. Look in the mirror and ask yourself if the binge is worth all the weight you gain or if it's worth feeling sick for three days or even the guilt that you feel. It's not worth it at all, remember that. Hope this helps, good luck.
hi there - sorry you're struggling. this time of year is always a real drag for me too.
i echo what fruitlady said: during these times, we have to create a fail-safe environment by keeping the red-light foods out of the house. for me, that's anything that's mostly sugar - from candy to granola and other sugary cereals, peanut butter can be a problem sometimes, the list goes on and on.
when i'm on track, i can have such things in the house and they're not a problem. but when i'm in "binge mode," that's just not possible.
if you already have red-light foods in the house, dump them in the trash NOW and dump nasty stuff on top of them to make them inedible. just doing that will help restore your sense of well being and control.
ShihtzuX2 and Fruitlady are absolutely right. Yesterday was the worst binge I've had in about 9 months.
During the binge, I knew I was out of control and should stop, but I didn't beat myself up over it. I remind myself periodically that one bad day won't automatically wreck all the good I've done these past few months.
This morning, I'm back on track because I believe success or failure in getting healthy really hinges on how we recover from the bad days.
So, what remains of the high carb stuff that has been creeping up the past few weeks is gone (the Kashi Go Lean Crunch, Skinny Cows, fat free chocolate pudding, etc.). I had a healthy breakfast and will be putting together my mid-morning snack pretty soon.
I agree. Keep anything bad out of the house in the first place. Don't buy large amounts of any snack. If you need to eat sweets, go for a handful of raisins, or some fruit before thinking of hitting the chocolate. I love those dried bananna chips, and they have potassium in them. Dried fruit and so on expands in your stomach and makes you feel full, but it can also make you sick if you have too much.
Ugh....please help....I'm tired of binging...
