binge eating and can't stop

[kbuchs]

I wonder why some of us do this? Well, I guess it's not rocket science but I have just binged for the third time this week. When I'm doing it I'm not thinking about anything emotional. But I think I'm doing it because I know I won't be able to cheat when my parents come to visit this holiday weekend. So, instead of having a bite of something this weekend I am binging on all the things I won't be able to eat while they are here. The thing is doing this doesn't make me feel better: physically I get nausicious and bloated and emotionally I beat myself up with guilt and hopelessness. I really wish I would stop doing this! Well, just sharing thoughts... :sadblinky

[kellygirl2]

Re: binge eating and can't stop

Hi, Kerry, You are worth it. You are worth being healthy. You are worth feeling good about yourself. You are worth being good to yourself. You are worth facing every difficult challenge you will have to get to your goals. You are worth it.

[2big4mysize]

Re: binge eating and can't stop

Actually yopu have sort of figured it out for yourself.
You are under some stress and your doctor brain checks its library of old cures and guess what? Your brain keeps a file on just about every food you have ever eatten how it made you feel and how you were feeling before you took it and it has many mnay cross references. It knows what foods you have eatten that minic certain neurotransmitters and relieve stress and old comfort foods are there and it prescribed them to you subconciously and you followed orders and poof you are off on a binge cramming them in. The fix is temp so in an hour it says you need moeew and more and it is a viscious cycle.

There are non food fixes we can use like exercise distraction calm breathing meditation yoga walking talking with friends etc that will stimulate similar chemicals in the brain and assist you with your stress.

other emotions have files too feeling blue mad sad whatever your brain has yrs of old memeory files full of stuff it knows help those feelings too.

Try to keep a food notebook and write down how you were feeling before you ate the food you binged on who was with you that you were doing and how you felt 30 min later and 90 min later. you will see some triggering patterns and take steps to avoid them in your future.

HAppy low carbing.

[Desertthorn]

Re: binge eating and can't stop

2big has offered some great advise. I have also binged for what I percieve as no reason except the food is there. I have found that if I keep a bottle of water nearby, I will drink that just as well as eat food. You might want to give it a try.
Keep posting and let us know how your doing as that also helps a great deal.
Lynne

[Bejiitta]

Re: binge eating and can't stop

Emotional attatchment, we want to fill a void inside of us, so we fill it with food, done it myself. No picnic, litteraly lol..

If there was a cure, I'd tell you, however I still do it sometimes. The best thing to do is just not try to dwell on it, and think to yourself "I'll get through this". You'll find every human being in the world has problems and mental quirks. If it isn't food, it's alchahol, if it isn't alchahol it's sex, religon, drugs, or something else. We all become attatched to some matiral ideal to fill a supernatural yearning inside of us. And it never works. It's our imperfect selves showing, we can't help it, but that doesn't make us bad, that makes us human. And as long as we're alive we're going to have to deal with and work with being human.

Also I don't know about the water thing, I drink ten liters of diet coke a day and still sometimes do it. It amazes mom (Who's the only person who knows about my personal flaws and I plan to keep it that way.) that my stomache can handle so much throughout the day. I don't drink the soda out of attatchment though as I have gone weeks without it when we just can't find the time to go to the store, I just would rather not lol. (Which go's to prove: Stay away from soda. It's worse then fricking ciggerates..)

[Malka]

Re: binge eating and can't stop

The next time you crave chocolate doughnuts or what ever, STOP & check your watch, in 15minutes your cravings will be up..Cravings last between 8-14minutes..Use the "STOP WATCH METHOD" to curb your cravings..After 15 minutes drink a large glass of water..CU Malka

[Carbaholic]

Re: binge eating and can't stop

wow - there's such good advice here. Loving the stop watch method!


I understand exactly how you feel with the bingeing and was in fact having this discussion with Mr. Carbaholic just yesterday - he thinks that it's just a matter of willpower and I think it is more of a compulsion: if I know there's a tasty treat in the house, or if there are some chips left on a plate, a chocolate bar in the fridge etc, no matter how full I am (even to the point of feeling sick), I feel anxious and irritable until I have consumed it. Does anyone else get this? It's as though, when I am not on a diet, I think, 'ah, to heck with it - I can eat whatever I want as I will be back on the diet soon enough and unable to eat all this', but then constantly postpone that elusive start date...

I know I have willpower as I gave up a 20-a-day smoking habit 3years ago, and when I am on a diet, I am rigorous, when i am going to the gym, I am almost obsessed. It's almost as though I am an all or nothing kind of person - though I don't know when that started.

It's just seems to be taking that first step, as after about 3days, the cravings have subsided, the scales are my friends again and I get a kick out of saying 'no' to the bad stuff.
The other feeling I really love when am cruising the Atkins highway towards my 'skinny' jeans, is that I am not constantly riddled with guilt over all the junk food I have been consuming.

I woke up this morning (day 2 of this particular atkins induction stint) and felt happy and proud.

[LindaFaye]

I know How You Feel

I didn't cheat in front of my husband but when I was out gone to town by myself
I would buy a box of debbie cakes and a few candy bars and eat them before I headed
back home thinking I was hiding I guess but I knew inside knew it was wrong.
I said in another post I have been on the diet for 5 years the frist 3 1/2 years I didn't
cheat at all and lost 90 pounds then I cheated once and that once turned into a
1 1/2 trying to get back on track but 1 month and 4 days ago I told myself it's now
are never that I needed to get back on track and do it right with know cheating at all.
The frist 2 weeks was hard I had bad headaches ect. but so for I'm doing good I just hope the
carbman stays away and I can be a success on the diet again because my eating had got so
out of control that it started to scare me--I thought why the whole box of pies along with the
candy bars and I ate it so fast that afterwards I would be sick and had to deal with the pain.
Why I over ate I don't know all I remember is when I was little my uncle would say your
mama and daddy can't afford to take you out to eat and buy you junk not that we didn't have good meals they just can't afford to go out to eat and only a coke and candy bar on friday which was a treat for me and I thought nothing of it until he said that so from that day on I told myself when you grow up and have the money you will go out to eat and buy all the junk I want
and I did until I gained up to 220 pounds then I knew I had to do something about it and put my inter self insise locked up are my heath would go down and cause heath problems somewhere along the way--I try to tell myself that I need food to live not to live for--I still have my days but I'm not going to let this beat me I'm going to beat it because I'm worth being happy and being a success once again and I wish everyone great success on this board know one know what you're going though really unless they have been there and as a team and support we can do this.
Thanks I needed to vent plus it might help someone along the way---Linda
Past----220/135/135 1 1/2 years ago at my goal weight
Today---160.8/153.2/135

[Desertthorn]

Re: binge eating and can't stop

Great story LInda, Im sure it will help all of us who are emotional eaters.

[hypnogirl]

Re: binge eating and can't stop

If you really want to look into controlling those binges...find yourself a good, experienced hypnotherapist. One who will regress you back to examine when and why this all started..and let it go!!!!!

If you email me I can help you find someone in your area.
j.

[jellybee201]

Re: binge eating and can't stop

Over eating is a disorder. It can do real harm to your body. I think seeing someone might help. I wish I stuck it out with my councler. So if it continues plz look into that. You have amazing ppl here to give advice. But over-eating is so hard to control if it's deeper then just wanting one bite of something. Not being able to get control can turn into really harmful emotional stuff.

As other posters said. Your worth it!!! It's better to allow yourself to have something so you don't feel deprived. Depriving yourself only makes it 100 times worst. But even allow yourself to have certain things might not help. Might take someone else helping you.

If you ever need to talk let me know. Any kind of eating disorder is hard to deal with alone.

Take care!

[tachielyn]

Re: binge eating and can't stop

Wow!!! I kow exactly how some of you feel. I thought I was about the only one that "snuck" food!! I wentto the gracery store probably about a month ago and killed a box of Crispy creme doughnuts. I always felt like I had to hide eating sweet stuff in front of the hubby because he'd say I thought you started a diet. Then I would get ticked that he said it (even though he was right). Shockingly since I started Atkins I have managed to control myself (which I have never done before). But I was a terrible binge eater. I could eat 2 sandwiches, a bowl of ice cream and THEN go see if we had any candy laying around anywhere. I thought I was depressed then thought "well aren't you supposed to LOSE weight when your depressed" then realized that I was depressed because I was miserable with myself. ANd ate because I was already fat so it really wouldn't matter if I gained another 10 pounds. Now here I sit...IMPATIENTLY waiting for all this weight to come off. Hoping that some miracle will happen and I will wake up and see a major weight loss. But I am sticking with this because I know it will come. Even if it isn't over night.

[mickigirl]

Re: binge eating and can't stop

carbaholic...reading your post was really eerie, as i am exactly like you in every regard. i must day it's comforting to see that i am not the only one like this!
we can beat this thing,and be really proud of ourselves.
oh and the 15 minute wait works....your cravings go by the end of that time, that's what i do after a meal....go on the computer and talk to you guys until my craving has disappeared.

[cleochatra]

Re: binge eating and can't stop

I really recommend seeking help outside of simply dieting. There are deeper issues with bingers than carbs versus no-carbs. If you find yourself binging cyclically, look at support gtoups like overeater's anonymous, greysheet or another 12-step group which can lend you support for that specific issue. And also consider seeking help from a doctor. It's not your fault, and it's not Atkin's fault, and it can be remedied to a large extent with the proper treatment!

I hope you'll be well.

[mickigirl]

Re: binge eating and can't stop

i personally think that unless you're buliemic, atkins can rid you of your cravings to binge if you stick at it. it stabilises your blood sugar levels and therefore one is less prone to binging. at least it works for me. i guess if you are purging yourself of food after eating by means of excessive use of laxatives or vomiting, then yes, you need more help than simply dieting. here in the uk we have overeaters anon. however in my experience, doctors in my country know very little about the issues with overeating, and frankly aren't interested. if they do show some interest they tend to refer you to a psychologist, where there is a long waiting list anyway. a friend of mine who was a serious buliemic was given anti-depressants, prozac i think. but of course pills are a quick fix, and are never going to cure the root cause.