BINGEING support group

Hi everyone.

I'm a very healthy eater from day to day. VERY healthy. And I'm quite proud of my diet and my will power. I eat whole grains, lean meats, fruits and vegetables and low fat dairy products. I also eat portions of nuts and drink lots of water.

But I have a problem. I'm in university, and tend to go out to the bars on the weekends every now and then. Now, I can deal with a night of drinking, because I can control how much I drink and I dont drink really hefty sugary drinks. My problem is my loss of will power to junk food when I drink. I eat so much... SO MUCH chocolate when I'm drunk! So much that sometimes I feel ill the next day, but of course, I get back on track and dont drop my calories the next day because I know it's unhealthy recoil.

After this rant, I propose creating this group to support and track / log how many days myself and any others interested in joining can go binge free. I still dont mind having small portions of chocolate throughout the day because they might be just 5g portions. I just want to be able to motivate myself to stay on track and not destroy my healthy diet every weekend.

So, I'm going to start out. Since I went all out last night, today is...

Days without bingeing: 1 (I know the whole day hasnt gone by, but I know I'll control it today haha)

Thanks! 

Ah!  Am home on the couch working on a project for the fabulous job (ha. ha.)...and I feel like I NEED some chocolate!  But i f I start, I know I won't be able to stop!  What to do?!  Already brushed my teeth and am boiling water for tea... help!

Hey liora, don't deprive yourself of the chocolate. Take a little peice and then put it somewhere hard to get to or try the tea. That might help. I'm about to have some m&ms, but they I put them into todays calorie limit. (:

Hey all. I'm just gonna stick my little nose right in the middle of this popular thread! Need a little support and guidance. I'm normally not the type to post much, I usually just sift through and read what others have to say, but now that I've found some folks that share my eating issues maybe speaking up a bit will help in the recovering process. I've always used this site as reference for losing weight; that has always been my number one. But lately I'm discovering how much my eating problems have taken a hold of my life and especially my happiness, and that the most important thing should be getting healthy and learning to put binge eating behind me, weight loss can come second. The most frustrating thing is that I feel there is no one I can talk to about it. That's why this site is so great! No one I'm close to knows and it is so important to have people to talk to. I have tried to tell my boyfriend about my overeating and bingeing but I don't think he took me seriously and just sort of shrugged me off. Makes me think twice about being with this guy for the rest of my life since your partner should be your #1 supporter and listener but that's an entirely different topic..

Hm.. now that has me thinking because maybe it IS the topic. Now I'm going to go and get all psychological (and at some point you really have to in order to understand all of it) but maybe the unhappiness and frustration I feel is effecting me on an unconcious level which is a direct connection to my overeating..

Definitely have to ponder that one... but I'm ready to begin getting healthy and sharing in everyone's support for eachother!

Liora,

Sometimes when I have a strong craving for something I'll try to imagine how I'll feel after I eat whatever it is I'm craving. If I think that I'll be okay with it, then I'll have a piece. If I imagine myself eating the chocolate and I know that I'll be extremely upset and beat myself up over it for the next day, then I won't indulge because having the joy of chocolate for 5 minutes is not worth the self sabotage I'd have to face for the next day or so (and also the potential binge!)

Hope this helps.

Thanks for the support, kae and littlefish (and welcome to the latter!!)!  Okay, I had some chocolate earlier today, so I'm trying to avoid it right now since I already had my "indulgence" for the day...littlefish, your suggestion is exactly what I've been trying to do for the past few hours!  I'm trying to imagine how I'll feel tomorrow morning when I'm getting dressed if I eat chocolate tonight and can't stop...so I had some sugar free jello to satisfy the "sweet" craving, and hopefully I'll be done w/my work project in an hour or so and can just go to bed!

I'm discovering (I think I mentioned this) that I eat to comfort myself...usually when I'm relaxing and it makes me feel even better and taken care of (that is, not necessarily to make myself feel better if I'm feeling bad).  So, my question for y'all is this: If you have a similar issue, what do you do instead of eat/binge?  Finding something to keep busy is NOT good for me, because the point is to relax...so anyone have any ideas?

Again, welcome, littlefish!  These women are SO amazing.  I don't think I could ever say enough wonderful stuff about them!!  And good for you for wanting to take control of your unhealthy habits before worrying about the number on the scale.  You are already going in the right direction :)

Welcome littlefish! These women have helped me a lot through all this, and it definetely helps having somewhere to post about your day whether it was good or bad and having some support.

Liora- do you like reading? That is definitely relaxing. What about watching one of your favorite movies, or just lying in bed listening to some slow music. Um, theres arts and crafts. Just some things that I would do if I was trying to relax. When I'm trying not to binge, I usually get a glass of crystal light and watch a movie or dance(not relaxing).

Anyways, my day was pretty good. I did about 40 minutes of dancing which was good. I'm glad I found something I can do in the privacy of my own room. haha. The last two days I've been eating m&m's. I know it's healthier to eat dark chocolate, but I find that it takes me longer to eat m&ms and it get's rid of my chocolate craving. I always binge on sweets, so I figure if I can incorporate them into my calorie allowance it will help me get further without binging. And plus, I still have an A for the day. (:

Tomorrow I might be going out shopping, and last two times I did that I was bloated and had a stomache and ended up binging. So I hope that won't happen tomorrow. Well everyone, good luck and have wonderful healthy days!

Days w/o binging: 6!

I would like to join this thread.  I binged really bad yesterday on easter candy.  I actually felt physically sick today.  My stomach ached.  I have a new resolution to not do that to my body.  So day number one is today for me.  I only ate 1200 cals today and also worked out for about an hour and a half. 

The weekends are triggers for some mini binges after a night out with friends and a few drinks.  So I need to get control of that.  Last weekend was good as far as that goes.  But the other terrible binge trigger for me is going home.  I think I feel as if I am 13 again and can eat whatever I want like I used too when I lived at home.  I need to realize I am at a new point in my life.....my twenties and to embrase that rather than reverting back to wanting to be young where my parents take care of me.  So that is more of an emotional challenge. 

So thats me. 

littlefish and tlstot, welcome! read through as much of this post as you can...we ARE all in the same boat so it's very friendly here and supportive and we're all determined to get out of this behavioral stuff together!

liora, this is the time when people recommend YOGA. I think that kind of thing would really help you. It's restful but active...you have to be fully engaged. Plus it calms your mind. If you have a CD player, I use a CD called Yoga conditioning for weight loss...by Gaiam. You build strength but relax, too!!! I'm like kae w/the reading, that works for me.

this is day 7. so far I am feeling fine.

Liora, I find the best thing to do when tempted to binge is to either find someone to keep you company or get out of the house! Anything that keeps you away from the food and at the same time stops you laying around being inactive is the best option.

I purged again yesterday and now I'm getting acid reflux, it's really painful :/ I need to break the cycle I've gotten in to NOW before it starts getting worse and what makes this so stupid is that I've completely brought it on myself. Hopefully the acid reflux will provide me with an incentive to not binge eat, and make better food choices because I've found the food I tend to binge on always makes it worse...

Anyway. Here's to day one of being binge-free!

Jolie and Sharon..Thanks for you nice words the other day!  I ended up weighing myself this morning, and was down to where I had been pre-sodium-fest of Saturday night (phew!)...So I am feeling much better.

Welcome littlefish and tlstot!! I'm so excited when more people join up and share their stories and suggestions. 

Liora, very good point about binge eating being something that is triggered when you are in "relax" mode...SAME thing happens here!  If you don't want to to save calories for dessert, or think that even that little amount may trigger a binge (which is a legit danger), then I recommend boiling some water and pouring it into a mug.  The warm sensation of holding the mug is so strangely relaxing; and it is so hot at first you have to wait to drink the hot water.  Because it has nothing in it it isn't triggering.  For me, that little bit of sweetness in tea or hot chocolate can be enough to set off a desire to binge eat.  But, presonally, I save enough calories on most days to eat about <200 calories of a mixed ziplock bag of candy (a few jelly beans, twizlers, swedish fish) while I watch TV in a room as far away from the kitchen as possible.  I just gotta have my sweets!

Day without bingeing: 3

rampant: girl you gotta stop purging!  It is only fueling the vicious cycle of binge-purge.  you can do it!! Just try really REALLY hard to plan out exactly what you are going to eat for a few days (be a little OCD); maybe purposefully eat a small amount of calories OVER your target calorie goal (so still below your maintenance calories!) and then go track your feelings about it in a journal or something and don't purge!  If you can start to learn what you feel like when you "over-eat" (though still within a controlled range) and also see that the world does not end when you have  a few extra calories in there, then you might learn to stop the binge-purge cycle, a cycle which, if anything, stops you from losing weight.

I'm just stopping in for a second between clients...you folks are the best...love the advice and encouragement we all give eachother...right now I'm reading creedy...cool! take care all!

Just checking in.  I hope everyone's day is going well!  This is day 2 with no binges.  YEAH! 

I am going to work on reading though the posts.  Thanks for the welcomes everyone!

I'm coming to terms with my drunken binges. I need your help, guys!
Okay so yesterday I ate:
Breakfast: 1/2 cup cottage cheese, 1 heaping tablespoon of yogurt, and an apple.
Lunch: 2 slices whole wheat bread, 1/2 can tuna, about a teaspoon of light mayo.
Snack: some jelly beans and candy corn.
Dinner: 1 cup Progresso soup

Then that night I drank a 40 oz of Bud Light and a mixed drink with cranberry juice.

I felt okay, like I wasn't going to have a drunken binge, but once I got home, it just HIT me. I ate about 1.5 cups of milk, a couple handfuls of cereal, maybe a cup of cottage cheese, a banana, the REST of my jelly beans, candy corn (about 1 cup), 2 pieces of chocolate, a little slice of cream pie, and like 2.5 protein bars...ODD..I know.
But then I got up and made myself throw up. I felt terrible. I can't remember if I mostly threw up beer or what.
This morning I weighed myself and it says I'm still 103 pounds (5'4). I'm not hungry. I know I still have to gain weight...but for people that know about eating disorders, waking up and realizing you ate a bunch of food while you were drunk is just about the same as waking up after a night of drinking naked in a public park.
I do this all the time: get drunk, binge, wake up, starve all day, and speed walk on the treadmill for 30 mins to an hour. This HAS to be hurting my body. I just don't know what to do with myself today. So far I speedwalked on the treadmill for 20 minutes and had a cup of coffee.
Am I going to gain weight from all this? What do I eat today? What help does drinking lots of water do?
PLEASE HELP!!!

Veg- Yes, drinking lots of water will help clean out your system.  Oh, I remember the college drinking days durring the week!  Just start a new day.  Put the binge behind you! 

Another thing that would help is to eat enough durring the day so you are not ravenously (sp?) hunry after a night of drinking, and then just hope for snack when you get home. 

HTH---

Can I join this support group.  I just had almost a whole cheesecake (over 2000kcals), and had already had over 2000kcals for the day (including almost a box of cereal and 8yogurts).  Its because I've been on my own in my student house since sunday morning and its driving me insane.  Im supposed to be studying but I'm just so bored and hate being on my own.  I'm going home to parents tomorrow now.  I'm just so sick of this, I've been bingeing on and off for a 18months now and whenever I feel like i'm beginning to make progress I do something stupid like eat a cheesecake argh!!!

cheesecake??? LOVE cheesecake! beclaw, welcome...I'd suggest that you read back through our post (browse if you will) and look for anything of help that relates to where you are now.  you came to the right place! And, it sounds like you know that the problem IS boredom. Go study at the library...bring some HEALTHY snacks (fruit/nuts/veg sticks) just get out of the house for now. of course, overcoming The Binge is a process...but for now, getting out is a good plan.

veg4, I agree w/tlstot...you need to eat more nutritious food during the day and drink plenty of water.

Veg4, have you consulted a professional? I just read your profile and it looks like you really DO want to gain weight and be healthy. It is a process. So you got yourself into some bad behaviors, cut out one of them NOW...drinking when you are not really giving your body the right nutrition is going to seriously hurt you! Stop drinking. If you really want to help yourself than stop drinking. You can always go back to drinking (in moderation) once you have figured out how to eat healthy...your body and mind need fuel to function properly.

Can you stop drinking alcohol and consult a professional??? Please give us an idea if you are willing to do these things.

Original Post by veg4life17:

I'm coming to terms with my drunken binges. I need your help, guys!
Okay so yesterday I ate:
Breakfast: 1/2 cup cottage cheese, 1 heaping tablespoon of yogurt, and an apple.
Lunch: 2 slices whole wheat bread, 1/2 can tuna, about a teaspoon of light mayo.
Snack: some jelly beans and candy corn.
Dinner: 1 cup Progresso soup

Then that night I drank a 40 oz of Bud Light and a mixed drink with cranberry juice.

I felt okay, like I wasn't going to have a drunken binge, but once I got home, it just HIT me. I ate about 1.5 cups of milk, a couple handfuls of cereal, maybe a cup of cottage cheese, a banana, the REST of my jelly beans, candy corn (about 1 cup), 2 pieces of chocolate, a little slice of cream pie, and like 2.5 protein bars...ODD..I know.
But then I got up and made myself throw up. I felt terrible. I can't remember if I mostly threw up beer or what.
This morning I weighed myself and it says I'm still 103 pounds (5'4). I'm not hungry. I know I still have to gain weight...but for people that know about eating disorders, waking up and realizing you ate a bunch of food while you were drunk is just about the same as waking up after a night of drinking naked in a public park.
I do this all the time: get drunk, binge, wake up, starve all day, and speed walk on the treadmill for 30 mins to an hour. This HAS to be hurting my body. I just don't know what to do with myself today. So far I speedwalked on the treadmill for 20 minutes and had a cup of coffee.
Am I going to gain weight from all this? What do I eat today? What help does drinking lots of water do?
PLEASE HELP!!!

 Veg4life17 ....

Hello there..... I'm Molly, one of the Volunteer Moderators here at CC. Your post causes me some concern, and I am wondering if you are actively seeking and receiving professional treatment for your eating issues? And meeting regularly with a doctor and dietician to help you achieve a healthy weight in a healthy way?  If not, I really must encourage you to do so immediately.  Perhaps you could get your family involved, as well.

There are dozens of resources listed for you in the Health and Support Forum, as well as a number of CC posters there who are actively seeking recovery from problems with eating.  Please check them out if you haven't already done so.  Your post ends with "PLEASE HELP" .... and understand that is precisely what we are trying to do.

Please let us know that you are actively seeking to get better and that you are getting some help with this.

=^..^= MOLLY

Someone suggested to me that the Health & Support forum may be better suited to helping folks whose problems including drinking and those who are just starting out and may need some extra support!

Everyone that comes to CC can find what they need here! There is a lot of support everyway you turn...but it's up to all of us to help point one another in the right direction. so, veg4 and anyone else that wants to pursue it, please access the H&S forum and ask specific questions there. And certainly, continue to post here to let us all know how things are going!