Binging: Break the Addiction

Hi everyone! I am a 16 year old who has recovered from anorexia but in the process developed the habit of binge eating.  At the beginning of this summer I was 112 lbs, but now I weigh 123 lbs! I seriously need help breaking this addiction before it takes over my life.  I  want to help others with this same addiction and be able to have support and give support. So anyone who wants to join is welcome. Let's become anti-addiction/anti-bingers and pro-health!!! :]

I have a problem with late-night binging (because sleep is for wimps! haha, not). I generally try distracting myself by exercising, doing homework, chatting with friends. When I really have to give in I eat healthy stuff. Grapes are a favorite because they're bite-sized, so you can munch on them the way you would chips or popcorn. You know how sometimes you just want to munch on something continuously as opposed to eating a sandwich or whatever? I also try drinking unsweetened tea or water instead, and my mom buys this ultra-high-fiber ceral called All Bran, which admittedly tastes pretty awful. It's like munching on wood or something.

Haha I know what you mean fushingfeef! I usually binge at night too. It's not always easy to turn to healthy food when you feel a binge coming on.  Distracting is a good way to prevent binges.  I think what we need to build up is some willpower! The ability to say no I'm not going to binge and stick with it.  Do you have any ideas of strong motivations to keep in mind when a binge is coming on?

So far I've come up with: In the end eating is not going to make you feel better/ Binging makes you gain weight, and you don't want that/ Your body does not deserve this substance abuse...respect your body and yourself, you wouldn't put a cigarrette in your mouth so why are you reaching for that chocolate...haha I like that one :]

Hey! I just started, well, stopping binging this week! I binged all weekend and realized that it really doesn't make me happy! I just decided that it doesn't make me happy, that i can have a treat every three days if i'm good and that i just amn't going to lose the weight if i keep doing it, so if I really want to be thin, then i have to sacrifice.

P.S. I know this is kind of random but if you want something to eat even if you have eaten all your cals. but still want to binge, eat either low fat yogurt with banana slices, or a whole wheat pita with peanut butter (they're below 250 cals!) and eat them slowly!

I have the same problem as all of you. Actually i just had one of these last night and it was awful. i felt so sick but kept eating and eating. Yeah this would be an awesome way to give support to eachother.

AUGH, I just got back from nearly starving to death at my boyfriend's place (not his fault--we were in a tough spot) and I got home and saw all these great snacks and well.. *cough* did I eat or did I eat, jeez... =\ cookies, chips, chocolate.. you name it basically. Time to quit that! Good luck everyone in this topic! (me included! -.o)

I think another way of stopping this dreadful addiction would be to give yourself a treat everyday. Like, two little cookies, a tall frappucino, a 1/2 cup of ice cream (it's more than you'd think), etc. That will keep you from needing to binge. That's what I'm going to do...

Hi all of you. I'm glad to hear that you want to quit binging. Remember, binging not only makes you gain weight, but it can also lead to obesity= diabetes, high cholesterol, heart disease...tons of deadly sicknesses.  You would think that with all these downsides I would stop binging, but I'm one of those people who has been putting off the struggle to stop.  I need more motivation, but I don't know what to do. Any ideas?

By the way, everyone who has continued to NOT binge...GOOD JOB! Those of you like me who are still having trouble, there is still hope if we set our minds to it and really, truly want to put our binging to an end. This is a step by step thing. Have patience  and be loving towards yourself :)

hey, i'm recovering from anorexia and bulimia and i cannot break the habit of binging.  i'm just coming here for some advice and support and to offer some support myself.   anyone have any amazing ways to not binge?  i know that going for a walk sometimes helps, but if anyone knows something better i'm willing to hear it.   thanks.

thanks for the advice.  evenings are always hardest for me too.

keep fighting!

Thank you so much for starting this thread Marina. I can't wait to stop this binging habit. Afternoons and evenings are the hardest for me.

Thank you everone for supporting each other, and special thabks to United2gether for those websites. Here's some very helpful stuff I found from them:

 1. Withdrawal is unavoidable but not permanent. First, you have physical withdrawal: feeling bloated, lack of hunger signals, the incredible binge, weight gain, possible edema, electrolyte imbalances, nausea, constipation, dizzy spells, and insomnia. It's part and parcel. Everyone goes through this! If your problem is COE, there will be extreme hunger, insomnia, fatigue and nausea. Think of it like detoxing off of drugs or alcohol. You have to be very careful during the first few weeks of recovery because if you don't work carefully with your mealplan, it can be dangerous to your health...rather like alcohol withdrawal. Secondly, mentally you will feel depressed, anxious, angry, etc. All those emotions you were hiding/numbing come back fast and furious. Not to mention that your measure of self-worth is pretty damn low when you start your recovery. It is so important that you have support behind you or it can seem absolutely hopeless. However, just like withdrawal from drugs, it passes. It's NOT permanent!!!

2. Know your triggers. Make a list of your triggers...ALL of them. What I mean by that are internal triggers like shame, boredom, anger, fear, etc.; and external triggers including obvious things like scales, etc. and things like family, financial problems, weather, unwanted sexual attention, etc. After you've made a list, imprint it on your brain. A list won't help unless that information is in your mental stores.

3. Build a recovery peer group. For me, an online recovery peer group is support enough. But I don't know what I'd do without it. For other people, it may take a real time group to keep you accountable. OA is a great organization that's free, ABA/EDA are great organizations, ANAD is too, and there may be other groups in your area. Some of them cost money. If you can afford it, go! Skimping on recovery is a part of the general rule of relapsing as listed above. Keep in mind that if you are in a relationship where the other person (parent, child, sibling, friend, partner, etc.) is addicted, Alanon and Naranon can be excellent resources even if their addiction is not limited to substances. One other important point: make sure there are plenty of people in your group who are in recovery! There's a 12-step phrase 'stick with the winners.' Make sure your 'winners' are actually winners!

4. Write down an emergency phone list and keep it with you at all times. On the top of this list should be your therapist, your internist (or pediatrician, cardiologist, GP, etc.), your dietician, and your pdoc. If you are involved in a 12-step, your sponsor should be up there, too. Fill in the rest of the list with people who are supportive of your recovery till you get at least 10 names/numbers. This should include peers and friends instead of partners and/or family. There are too many emotional strings attached to family and romance. They should never be the first resort when you are teetering on the edge of relapse. Other numbers (beyond the 10) you might consider including are the hotlines for the Good Samaritans (for suicidality) and EDA, AA, ANAD, Alanon, etc.

5. Make a list of affirmations about yourself. Many of us (almost all of us) believe that we're the scum of the earth half the time. This is especially true in relapse mode. So...make a list of at least 10 affirmations and keep it with you at all times. Post it on your bathroom mirror and your car visor as well. Don't try to come up with extensive, elaborate affirmations. They should be as basic as necessary. You don't even have to believe them for now. For example: I am a human, and I have a right to be cared for. I am loved. I care about myself. I deserve good mental and physical health. I deny myself when I deny my problems. Etc.

6. Develop a mantra that works for you. For me I always said 'I am worth it' when I was struggling. My sponsor in AA said 'I love me'. Other people I know used 'I can do this', 'I'll do it for me', and 'Easy does it'.

7. Make a "God" box. This seems stupid, but I'm serious here. Make a sack or a box or something. This is your 'God' box. Everytime something gets overwhelming or hard, write it on a slip of paper and drop it in your 'God' box. Then, try to practice radical acceptance instead of ruminating on the said problem.

8. Know your symptoms. What I mean by this is that you should be able to recognize a slip coming. This is different from triggers. This is being able to recognize those thoughts that come along and say 'ya know...I don't really need to eat my snack tonight' or 'lots of people exercise for hours at a time' or 'ya know...I've got this under control enough to go on a diet again' or 'I really should keep laxatives around for when I'm constipated', etc. This also includes 'I don't really think I need my meds; I feel fine right now' or 'my meds are so expensive; I think I'll stop taking them'. Be aware of behaviors, too. For example, progressively being later and later to work or school, buying magazines about people losing weight, letting your sleep habits fall by the wayside, etc. Lastly, be overly aware of things like flashbacks, nightmares, etc. Knowing your symptoms is as important as knowing your triggers.

9. Recognize loss of symptom control. This may seem obvious, but what I mean by this is recognizing depression, anxiety, ED/SI/CD thoughts, maladaptive behaviors. Basically if you know your symptoms, don't go into denial as soon as they start to rear their heads. Be consciously aware of symptoms creeping up.

10. Keep a journal. I cannot stress the importance of this. If you put your thoughts out on paper, you will begin to notice patterns. If it's on paper, you can't deny it. Kinda like a business contract is made legal when it's on paper, if you write down those emotions, the thoughts, your fears, etc. you can't deny that they're there. And since they're in concrete form you can share them with your sponsor, T, dietician, etc. So...I highly encourage keeping a journal for accountability.

11. Do recovery assignments. I didn't really hit recovery until I started doing regular recovery assignments in treatment. This could be updating lists of triggers, going over your affirmations, writing about your feelings, writing about past abuse, goodbye letters to your ED/SI/CD, etc. This has been one of my saving graces in recovery.

12. Attend regular therapy appointments/keep in regular contact with your sponsor or whomever. As much as we hate to admit it, we cannot work recovery on our own. WE CANNOT WORK RECOVERY ON OUR OWN!!! We need help, and that is one of the hardest things to accept and ask for. So...get into therapy. If you can't afford therapy, go to a 12-step group and get sponsor. This is so extremely important if you're in relapse mode or just in recovery.

13. Develop healthy coping skills. Make a list of 10 things that are healthy coping skills. These can be things like hot showers, knitting, writing, drawing, crochet, taking a walk, napping (as long as it's healthy napping), baking, etc. Here's the important point: use them when you're struggling!

14. Practice radical acceptance. Life is hardly perfect. We are hardly perfect. Yet we tend to expect it to be, and when something goes wrong we crash and burn. It's not our fault, but we assume it is. We assume that we must either punish ourselves or numb the pain somehow. The best phrase I ever learned was 'it is what it is!' Punishing ourselves and numbing the pain will not make a situation go away. All you are doing is avoiding the truth. So...practice radical acceptance and turn to your healthy coping skills.

15. Pray. I'm not getting religious on you! That said, we tend to discount that there is always something more powerful than each of us. Whether it's science, nature, the sheer number of people who are already in recovery, God, HaShem, Goddess, Allah, the spirit of someone deceased whom you were close to (grandmother, grandfather, brother, partner, etc.), there is a greater Something than you and me individually. So...I challenge you to get up in the morning and pray 'Help me get through this day without ED/SI/CD/etc'. Then at night when you're about to go to bed pray 'Thank you for getting me through this day without ED/SI/CD/etc.'


Also...

• Never ever let yourself get so hungry that the urge to binge is overwhelming. People who recover from bulimia say that they eat regularly. Because they are never ravenous, they have no physical reason to binge eat. Hunger is the most powerful binge trigger there is. It is a recognized fact that the longer one has dieted, and the more severely calories have been restricted, the higher the risk of binge eating.

• Never ever deprive yourself of good-tasting food, even if it has more fat and calories than "safe" diet foods. If you refuse to eat appealing foods that you really want, you will feel deprived and crave them. Then you are vulnerable to bingeing. Remember Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden? The one food they were not supposed to eat was the one they could not stay away from.

• Until you have achieved some balance and perspective, stay away from temptation. Don't go to all-you-can-eat salad bars. If ice cream is a binge trigger, don't keep it in your freezer. When you want potato salad, for example, or rocky road ice cream, go to a sit-down restaurant and order a single portion, ideally as part of a balanced meal. By doing so, you accomplish three things. You avoid depriving yourself. You avoid the urges to binge created by deprivation, and you also learn how to integrate normal food into a reasonable and healthy meal plan.

• When you do feel powerful urges to binge, postpone the act for thirty minutes. Surely you can wait half an hour. During that time think about what is going on in your life. What stresses are you facing? What is missing right now from your life that you need in order to be happy and avoid the looming binge? Make a list of things you could you do instead of binge eating to deal with your situation. If you are truly committed to recovery, at least some of the time you will choose one of these healthier behaviors instead of binge food.

• Take charge of your life. Stop using words like, "I wish," "I want," "I hope," and "I can't." They are weak victim words. Say instead things like, "I choose," even if you are choosing to binge. Say, "I will," even if the thing you will do is vomit. These are words that express responsibility, power, and control. If you can choose to binge, then by implication at some future time you can choose NOT to binge. If you will vomit, then next week or next month or next year you can choose to say, "I WON'T vomit."

• If you feel yourself slipping back into unhealthy habits, call your therapist and schedule an appointment. Returning to counseling in no way means you have failed. It means only that it's time to reevaluate and fine tune your recovery plan.

This is some great advice, I know it's long but READ IT!!!

I did it the other day, it was my first time doing it in a long long time. I just completely spaced out and started eating random foods when I wasn't even hungry. I think I do it from stress and we didn't have anything remotely healthy to eat so I ended up eating foods that were unhealthy and that led to purging. It's difficult to get over doing it, it can be compulsive at times, wanting to do it, but I've done it a lot less in the past month. It can eat at you if you let it, but I'm definitely trying to have more self control and realize that food isn't my enemy. I hope we all can help each other with it, it's a bad problem and it doesn't seem to just dissapear like people assume it would.

at the beginning of this summer i weighed 97 pounds, now i weigh over 130.  but i think i might be better.  i just finished a 30 hour fast with my youth group... i had terrible binging problems but now i... i hope.  (I'm 5'7" by the way)

i used to binge a few thousand calories at a time... till i moaned and cried aloud in pain and was in intense pain in any position.  no matter how hard i'd try, i couldnt get to sleep, it hurt too much, so i ended up eating more.

a friend told me once about the internal power she feels when she realizes she's binging and tells herself "No.  *breath*  Stop.  *breath*  Now."  If you're eating something really crappy, throw it away.  Pour mustard all over it so you don't want to it eat, anything.  It's wasting food, but your body doesnt need it any more than the garbage can does.  That can give you a sense of power as well.

You're welcome shorelover! We're in this together and we'll get through this together!

Litadoll, don't beat yourself up over your little slip. Remember you are a wonderful person who is worthy of food, but also worthy of good care...that means your body deserves better than empty calories that it doesn't need. Remember, you love yourself and you would never hurt someone you love. I know it's difficult to stop binging but you can get through this. Heck, I can get through this...I need to and so do you.

In fact, since tomorrow is Sunday I'm going to try my best to refrain from binging this week...I hear the first week is the hardest. Wish me luck everyone, no actually wish me strength and self control, thats what I need :)

Julia, I too have eaten until it hurts and then been unable to sleep.  We can't keep doing this to ourselves, we don't deserve this punishment. Binging is a self-destructive habit that I'm sure everyone would love to live without. Don't worry about wasting food, it's only temporary. You won't need to throw away food after you get through this.

united2gether, thank you! Those websites were extremely helpful, especially the second one. I would also reccommend to everyone checking out the anti-binge link in the second website!

Here are the anti-binge strategies that shorelover was talking about. I highly recommend reading them as well.

When shopping, make a list before going. ALWAYS shop on a full stomach. Stick to ONLY those items on your list.

Never eat from a bag or box. Always portion out single-serving sizes into a bowl or onto a plate. Put the rest away before you BEGIN to eat.

Avoid eating in front of the TV, or when engaging in other activities. Make meals an event. Set the table, turn off the TV, and focus on enjoying your meal.

NEVER LET MORE THAN 3-4 HOURS PASS BETWEEN MEALS!!!!!!! Eat every 3-4 hours WHETHER YOU HAVE BINGED OR NOT! If you wait too long, you WILL be setting yourself up for a binge.

Protein, protein, protein! This can't be stressed enough. Protein balances your blood sugar and aids in tissue repair- essential for anyone recovering from an eating disorder! Protein also helps to promote feelings of satiety, so you're less likely to feel hungry all the time.

If you want to eat ice cream, candy, cookies, cake, etc, by all means, do so. Part of 'normal' eating is being able to eat such things. However, to avoid major blood sugar swings, ALWAYS eat desserts AFTER a full meal. That way, you'll be getting in adequate nutrition during your meal, and you'll be less hungry, and therefore less likely to binge on the dessert.

Make sure that your kitchen is well-stocked with 'safe' foods. If you have plenty of food available that you feel comfortable eating, it can prevent those I'm-super-hungry-and-there's-no-food trips to the grocery store, which usually end up with the purchasing of binge food.

Restrict the amount of money you carry with you. If you have a habit of stopping at fast food places after class, or before work, make this more difficult by leaving your cash at home.

When cooking, avoid tasting. For some, picking at food triggers binges. This can also happen for some people when they keep returning to the kitchen for little bites of food all day long. Chewing gum helps keep your mouth busy, and satisfies your need to taste something.

Avoid unnecessary exposure to food. If you work around food, or enjoy cooking, you may want to reconsider these things. Spending a lot of time around food can be problematic. If it's not necessary, try to avoid food except during meals, preparation of meals, and shopping.

If you choose to keep binge food around, be sure to store it where it is out of sight. Sometimes, just the sight of a binge food can trigger a binge.

Sit down and ask yourself why you are tempted to binge. Are you hungry? Bored? Sad? Lonely?

Go for a walk, call a friend, turn on the TV, or find some other distracting activity

Paint your fingernails, learn to knit, or find some other way to keep your hands busy.

Soak the binge food in water.

Calculate how much money you would be spending on binge food right now. Every time you succeed in avoiding a binge, put that money in a jar. Save up for something special.

If you tend to binge out of boredom and you are NOT hungry (keep in mind that many people often think they're not hungry when they actually ARE), try drinking hot coffee or tea or munching on celery. Chew gum or suck on mints.

Find another way to indulge your senses. Light a fragrant candle, take a bubble bath, go outside and sniff the fresh air, touch something warm and fuzzy, etc.

Hey Marina--I did the same thing. I started recovering from anorexia and became a total binge eater. I haven't binged in almost 6 months, and the key for me was focusing on my health (i.e. only putting healthy things in my body--no more processed foods), knowing and avoiding my triggers (I still won't allow myself to eat ice cream because it's just too dangerous), and, most importantly, eating ALL the time. I literally eat every 2-3 hours. This prevents me from ever really being hungry and it allows me to never feel deprived. One thing that can cause binge eating is if you aren't giving your body the adequate number of calories it needs to survive--so if you can't break the cycle it may be because, day to day, you simply aren't eating enough. I promise, if that's the case, once you up your calories you will lose weight. I increased my calories and lost 8 lbs in 6 weeks. I feel fantastic!

Wow thats amazing! Thank u so much runner girl I'm going to start trying that and I'm doing weight watchers too so that should help me lose some weight, but not too much. Being healthy is what's most important. : )

Runner-girl, thank you so much for the 'eating every 2-3 hours' tip. I am going to try that starting tomorrow. Part of my problem is that I try to restrict myself in the morning to make up for the overeating on the previous day, but in reality, doing this is just setting me up for failure. I am going to try eating heathy snacks every 2-3 hours with occational treats that are under 100 cal such as three dark choc Hershey's kisses or a 100 cal JELLO pudding cup or a cheddar-flavored rice cake. I am also aiming to exercise every day and to drink lots of water.

Also, I used one of the tips from a link posted by united2gether and wrote down 10 affirmations and a mantra. I read over these affirmations and this mantra every night before going to bed.

Hopefully, these tips will help me and some of you as well.