Does anybody else binge at home when others are not around, but when others are around say "No" to all junk food

For some reason, if I'm out with my friends I'll maintain healthy eating and won't eat as much. However, when I'm at home by myself (Bored to my mind) I just binge and binge and binge and binge until it breaks me down emotionally. Why can't I eat right when I'm home by myself? I just can never seem to focus when I'm at home by myself.

Edit- Well problem is, I have loads of healthy foods in my house and have learned to never bring in junk food. Buttt, I still binge on all those healthy foods, making them become "junk food". Like I buy peanut butter because its a good natrual fat, but I can just tear that up on a night by myself, lol. Or bread. Oh man, bread is a big bad thing, lol. I could just eat bread and bread. But I still need the bread when I'm actually on a scheduled calorie-count diet thing, lol. But thank you all for your comments, I really appreciate it! I'll try to take them into action!

Just some thoughts from one who used to binge.  I would call this closet eating, just like a closet alcoholic.  You want everyone on the outside to think that you are just like them, and eat healthy.  When you are home, all heck breaks loose.  You say this is breaking you down emotionally, but perhaps you are trying to "stuff down" how you are already feeling.  What is REALLY bugging you?  What are your fears, and why do you feel the need to fill the void with food? 

These are some of the questions you will have to ask yourself before you can begin to break this cycle.  It's hard work, I'm not going to tell you otherwise.  When you begin to eat like this, ask yourself- Am I really hungry, and is this worth how I will feel after?  Try to call a friend or otherwise distract yourself from the food and see if the impulse will pass.  Often, if you take a few minutes it will. 

I hope you find the insight you are looking for here.  There are people here who know exactly how you feel.  You are not alone.  Good luck.

I feel for you because I have somewhat the same problem. If there is any junk food in the house I will eat it until it is gone. Just the thought if it being there consumes me, I just think about it until I have to eat it. I totally believe when ddugan referred to it as a closet alcoholic it was right on, the only difference is alcoholics don't need booze to live, we must face our addiction 3 times or more a day. I went on diets before and never dealt with the reasons I over eat. Since I have been on CC I really started to focus on why I was eating, I am a huge emotional eater and when I start to do well on a diet I self sabotage. I started to really focus on why I was eating and how I felt when I was eating and half the time I wasn't really hungry I would just shut off my brain and mindlessly eat. It isn't easy and it will always be a struggle. Maybe you could just not bring "bad" foods into your house, I had to keep it all out of my house and then when a craving hit I would try water, go on the computer, go out for a walk. I made a deal with myself that if I was still craving it after 2 days I would go and get it. Most often I forget about it.

Hope this helps, good luck.

I am EXACTLY the same. When I'm out and offered anything high kcal or high fat or even something when I'm not really hungry I easily say no. And sometimes my boyfriend has to convince me to let him get me a soda, or ice cream(on those hot days) But then on those days when he works late nights and I'm home alone, I Binge to an EXTREME!! Like not just "Oh I shouldn't have had an extra serving of food, or that ice cream after I already had my share of calories today, I'm talking about so much till I look pregnant! Literally! If you didn't know better you'd think I was. I struggle with Bulimia, but sometimes I naturally throw up from the amounts of my binge. I think we need help. If we cannot crack down on ourselves and have some self-discipline we need someone to coach us!

I find it helps sometimes to go for a walk, just get out of the house. Away from the kitchen. But go without any cash on you, or you may be tempted to pop into a store or gas station and get that something you think/feel you're craving. Or get busy doing something you KNOW will take awhile. And keep your mind busy, so it won't think about going to the kitchen to pass time.

Don't feel alone!  I'm the same way...altho so far I've been able to control it SOMEWHAT....

I don't  have any answers for you...but I'm reading the replies with interest!

I still live at home so I cannot control what is kept in the fridge and pantry. And i have this problem as well. It has gotten better though. I will eat a whole day of healthy foods because everyone is at home and then right when they go out I will dig into all the cookies, chips etc that they have. And I really can't explain why because I dont enjoy the food but oddly enough I can't resist it. Eventually, it all came down to making rules and sticking to it.

Unfortunately there is nowhere there to slap your hand when you reach for something you shouldnt eat and thats when it all comes down to will power and self control. And they are vital to losing weight. I made a rule that if I didn't buy it, then I dont eat it. As far as the peanut butter and bread, I had that same problem as well. So, even though it is healthy, I stopped buying it. If you can't control yourself around it then do not bring it into your house because you are setting yourself up for failure. And i assure you there are ways to living withought those items, atleast for now.

In the end, you have to help yourself. We can all give you our two cents but it won't really matter if you continue to binge. For me, it just clicked one day that I didn't want to feel like a failure because food was taking over my life. So, I just ignored the cravings and stuck to eating healthy. After a while, it doesn't become a chore. It becomes a way of life and gets much easier.

I know this is a bit pathetic, but whenever I feel like binging, I go to this site: www.websudoku.com and make a deal with myself that if I do 3, I can have whatever Im craving. By the time Im finished the need is gone!

I think its just a case of finding what works for you.

YES this is soo me.  my friends and family think i have soo much willpower, and only eat the healthiest food- meanwhile, when im alone i can suddenly get the urge to binge, and eat anything! but thankfully, i'm getting this under control now- a lot of the urge came from restricting i think, but after i stopped restricting i still binged for like 3 weeks straight.  basically its sugar i crave tho so now i got rid of almost every bit of sugar from the house (the stuff left is stuff that doesn't tempt me).  i dont restrict- i eat as much carbs and veggies as i want for breakfast, as much protein and veggies as i want for lunch, and then instead of a formal dinner i just snack on veggies, fruits, and fats (like avocado) the rest of the nite.  all the fruits and veggies make u so stuffed that even if i think what the heck, im just gonna have bread/crackers/cereal later in the day (when the cravings really kick in) i just don't have the room for it in my stomach.  see, with sugar it didn't really matter if i had the room cuz the taste was just so good and it seemed to not take up that much room (altho im talking cookies, cake and chocolate) but with bread and other starchy things that i crave, i can resist easily enough when im stuffed.  and btw, my entire day that keeps me so full is less than the amount of calories in one of my binges (binges= about 2000 cal, current day calories (i dont count but now thinking back on my day and estimating)= 16-1800)

Yes! It's so difficult to stay strong when my twin walks around munching a Family size bag of Doritos, uggghh. And I buy blueberry bagels to have my carbs in the morning, and yesterday I went crazy and ended up eating 3 throughout the day! I'm on track today, but usually I can do much better if I'm at college and control what I buy and just don't buy Doritos or Oreos or ice cream or Cheez-its. Temptations!

i think alot of people have this problem. i do but im getting over it (i think haha). i used to restrict too much, exercise too much for several days and then end up going nuts like clockwork after a little while. id get so mad at myself because i couldnt stick to my healthy eating schedule. until i realized it wasnt healthy. i am much more active than i realized, which means i need more cals which i couldnt get over.

anyway, its been probably a little over a month since ive started trying to get all of my issues under control. at first i was little messed up and i didn't get full easily. its gotten so much easier now. each time i did binge, i did the minimum possible damage. i havent gotten near the 3000 cal/day mark in a really long time. when i do overeat now, i usually realize its because i didnt eat enough the day before or earlier in the day for all of my activity.

its definitely hardest when im alone. but if you really try every single time, you will evenutally be successful. once you are successful just one time, you know you can resist that urge which makes it easier to do the next time and so on. also, i try not to beat myself up too badly when i make mistakes. i used to have the all or nothing idea, like if i ate soemthing bad i may as well stuff myself silly which is so stupid if you think about it.

i found that when im alone and tempted to binge, ill make myself a hot cup of tea and do something i really enjoy, like play on my computer, read a good book, watch a good movie..whatever. boiling the tea and fixing it too my liking keeps me busy and i know im getting a sweet little treat. the hot liquid fills up my stomach. and doing something i enjoy helps to get my mind off food. after 15 minutes or so, im so proud of myself i dont even want to binge anymore.

p.s. love the sudoku idea!

i did the same thing tonight..I realize though that I don't get enough all day..i wait till the end of the day and then i am ravenous so even though i am eating healthy i am not gettingi enough throughout the day so it is exagerated by the end of the night. i am mad at myself because it is a bad cycle. Plus I don't get enough when i exerecise so that makes me more ravenous so iend up like tonighti had 3000 calories, but when i looked at how much i have exercised and moved around the past week, it makes sense that i'd need at least 2200-2500 cal. so that does'nt make me feel SO bad for taking in 3000 today.

tomorrow is another day right?

I understand how you feel because it happens to me sometimes.  In fact, sometimes I have a craving for something and I wait until everybody's gone in order to indulge.  I think it has something to do with 1) anxiety and 2) boredom. I notice that when I'm engaged doing something I enjoy my mind goes off the food. If there is something that is bothering me, I try to distract myself by eating. Try to find activities that you really, really enjoy: read books that you find really fun, watch a movie, play a game on your computer or console of preference, read a funny  website, invite a friend for a walk outside, go to the beach (if you live near a beach), organize your music collection -anything goes! The sudoku idea someone posted previously is awesome.  And also, it's definitely a matter of finding out how food makes you feel, what are you compensating for? Remember to see food as something similar to other vices (cigarrette, alcohol).  It's basically a pleasruable activity where you gratify yourself when you feel down. In my case, I have discovered that when I overeat I do so mostly out of boredom and/or anxiety, or even as a way to procrastinate.

For me it helps to not deprive myself too much when other people are around. IIf I were to go to a birthday pary, and deny myself a little sliver of cake I would probably feel more inclined to overdo the snacking at home. It's not like I go to birthday parties everyday, so one tiny slice at each one won't kill me. I don't like staying in the house too much either. Luckily, I have a little chihuahua who keeps me busy, always trying to get me to take him out. My mind is always moving, and I have a lot to do so I don't really have as much time to overeat anymore.

I think it is good to have an accountability partner also. My mother has a great sense of humor and when I have binged in the past and told her, we make jokes about ourselves and I usually feel better after, but it makes me want to do it less. If you find someone who will not judge you, but cares about you and wants you healthy, try getting into a habit of callling them when you want to be naughty. My mom, my sisters and i are all working on it, and I hate the thought of them getting slim while i am still chubby.

There are also certain foods that make me really full and less interested in eating. Like this orowheat double fiber bread. On sandwich on that and I don't want anymore food for a minute. Especially if I eat it slow. Ecxercise is how I vent all of my anger, so I no longer need food for that. I get it all out at the gym now :)

who does not do that at times????????

I see your edit, but I've had to start labelling some foods "bad" even if they are technically "good."

I do not keep cherries in the house.

I do not keep any "pleasant" bread in the house.  No french loaves or rosemary etc etc... Just 35 calorie per slice sandwich bread.

I don't buy tamales, because I know that 1 doesn't fill me up.  At 250 calories, I can't afford 2 at breakfast because I know I'll snack at work as well.

I CAN keep cookies, because I know I can stop at just 1.  I can keep cereal because it's just never had binge appeal to me.  I keep peanut butter, but it's better-than-PB and only has 50 calories per T.

Basically, it's not about getting rid of "bad" food, it's about getting rid of food that's bad for YOU.

yes. this is so me.

when im out i feel really good because i dont really eat much at all, i make sure i eat less than anyone. 

but at home i do binge. im not really sure what a binge is...i think i could control it if i actually thought but i dont...its just mindless eating.

it sucks.

yeah i am pissed at myself i did it again today, but sugar gets me nuts..i literally if i have even a TINY bit of sugar it just sets me off to crave more.  Since i am NOT supposed to have sugar if I have even a little bit i crave anything sweet in site! does this happen to anyone else???

Also I notice, that I don't drink enough water...this could be also it, I don't drink enough before and after i exercise, so i will think "oh i am just really hungry" and then later on after i eat a lot of crap i get SO thirsty! 

I hate this though it's bad.

Original Post by audreyhip:

yeah i am pissed at myself i did it again today, but sugar gets me nuts..i literally if i have even a TINY bit of sugar it just sets me off to crave more.  Since i am NOT supposed to have sugar if I have even a little bit i crave anything sweet in site! does this happen to anyone else???

In my social psych class we read about a study where they made dieters eat the exact same amount of calories worth of "bad" food or "good" food.  The people who had to eat bad food later were recorded eating LOADS, even though they were no farther off their diet than the people who had eaten good food.  It's a mental thing and you have to overcome it!  Say to yourself, "This is not failure, this is 200 calories.  Just like any other 200 calories.  What would I do right now if I had eaten this much broccoli?  Nothing."