Anxiety

Do any other bingers out there suffer from post-binge anxiety? I don't get anxious before I binge, but afterwards I literally hyperventilate and can't calm down! I just feel all this fat accumulating on me and start crying and can't breathe! Does anyone know how to cope with this?

I think you're anxious all round, really.  You're anxious that you're overweight, anxious about losing some and then anxious when you find you're overeating.

I'd suggest that you don't diet for the moment but, instead, try to find ways to relax and approach a healthy lifestyle in a spirit of enjoyment rather than desperation.  Making simple, small changes to improve your eating & exercise habits is much less stressful than diving in at the deep end.  Bingeing is often a response to a) straightforward hunger, b) stress and c) feeling that you're being deprived.   If you make small changes to your diet and lifestyle rather than slashing the calories you can avoid hunger.  If you relax and enjoy those changes you can reduce the stress.  And if you aim to eat and snack regularly and enjoy a wide range of foods you can probably not feel deprived either.

If the anxiety and eating problems are stemming from a more general feeling that you can't cope with whatever life is throwing at you then you could easily be experiencing depression.  Have you considered seeing your doctor?

Typically, I am a very calm person. That's always how I've been described. I normally am very stable emotionally and mentally, but I get myself so worked up when I binge because I have such a need to be perfect in everything I do. Being really collected and in control usually comes natural for me, and that's why I get so frustrated when I eat too much.

Perfectionism is an impossible standard to live by unless your first name is 'Saint'   Perfectionists constantly disappoint themselves because they set the bar far too high and think they'll hit it first time.  All the more reason for following what I suggest and making those small changes for the better on a consistent basis rather than going down your current 'all or nothing' route.

Setting the parameters of 'acceptable' wider.  Understanding (and anticipating) that you'll make mistakes.  Finding flexibility rather than aiming to adhere to rigid self-imposed rules.  Work on these aspects and you may find you're as relaxed achieving your healthier lifestyle as you are in other respects.

The definition that you're currently using for eating too much is not enough calories.