Can't Stop Binge Eating

Hey, this is my first post on this forum.

I am 5'6. In December, I weighed 215 pounds. I began calorie counting to the extreme, eating 500 calories a day, sometimes doing the 2468, sometimes fasting, and then by March was down to 175. Then, at the beginning of May, I weighed 159, and I was happy with myself.

That's when it started.

I would binge insane amounts and then fast. I have been doing this untill about a few weeks ago, where I have found that I cannot fast anymore and have just been eating nonstop.

Within a month, I have ballooned up to 186, and I absolutely hate myself for it. Prom is coming up soon and I want to stop this before I don't fit my dress anymore. I feel disgusting and worthless every day.

Has anyone ever had a problem like this? What did you do/do you reccommend I do to help tame these ridiculous behaviors?

Thank you!

The problem isn't the binge-eating, really, it was the fasting...... When you deprive a body of energy it will strike back with a vengeance because 'self-preservation' is a powerful urge.  So overeating is a pretty predictable outcome.... But it will pass.

How to tame the behaviour.... draw a line under it and decide to start fresh.   Your first aim can't be to lose weight for now.  It has to be to get eating back into some kind of regular pattern.  Matching your energy needs with filling, nutritious foods.  Very simple measures you can do immediately

• Regular meals and snacks.  Plan your day out on paper if necessary. If you skip meals what happens is that your blood-sugars crash and your body will send you looking for sugary/starchy/fatty foods to get them back up again. i.e. the type of foods that people tend to binge on.  Always start the day with a good-sized breakfast.
• Good quality, healthy, wholefoods.  Base your meals around lots and lots of vegetables and other high-fibre foods like wholegrains and fruit.  Vegetables are very filling, nutritious and bulky but very low in calories.  Fill half your plate at each meal with them before adding anything like pasta, meat or potatoes.   Conversely, try to ease back on sugary foods and drinks... these tend to make things worse
• Flavoursome, interesting foods are more satisfying in smaller amounts than bland, boring foods.  
• Eat more slowly, preferably sat at a table.  Make time for meals.  Give food priority and savour what you eat.  If you rush meals, eat on the hoof, graze on small snacks, or eat absent-mindedly whilst doing something else you can eat a lot but not feel satisfied.
• Drink enough fluids.   Warm drinks are more satisfying than cold ones and sometimes you can be thirsty but mistake it for hunger
• Remove the foods you binge on from your environment.  Sounds obvious but if it's not there, you can't eat it.
• If you still feel hungry..... have a light snack and enjoy it slowly.  Under no circumstances think you have to 'tough it out' or suffer feeling hungry.... that will trigger a binge.

All this you can do without counting calories and you should find that you are less likely to binge-eat as a result.  Don't expect it to stop *click* like flicking a switch... that's not realistic.... and do expect a few slip-ups - doesn't mean it's not working.     If you include some regular gentle exercise in your day you should find your shape changes for the better with a better diet and a more regular eating pattern.  Once you've got a reasonable balance and you're feeling happier and more in charge of the situation, that's the time to think again about losing weight.  But next time, do it sensibly rather than crash-dieting and ending up in the same mess.

Thank you so much! This is exactly what I needed to hear, and you're totally right; focusing on eating normally should be my first priority. I'm going to try following all of your advice. I'm going to go throw out that half-bag of chips right now!

Thank you very much for replying with such helpful information. :) You've just helped me so much! :)

That's really good to know.  Even if you only take up one or two of my suggestions I think you'll find it helps.   BTW... I recommend this website a lot to young people. http://www.eatwell.gov.uk/agesandstages/teens / It's got more good ideas on how to 'eat better' and 'be more active' which I think are more constructive for teens wishing to control their weight than a lot of the  'eat less' and 'count calories' messages aimed at older people.

As I said earlier.  Everyone overeats from time to time so don't get discouraged if things don't right themselves straight away.   If you like that sensation of a full tummy (and most of us do!) and you have a big appetite then satisfy it with lots more veggies.  It's tough to overdo it on broccoli

I have a feeling you'll be just fine.  Good luck

You can do this.You need to find a low calorie snack that you can eat through out the day.Many times we don't eat all day and then in the evening or when we have too much time on our hands we eat everything that can't get out of our way.

So,keep busy away from food sources.Keep a snack around through out the day.Sugar free jello is a great one it is sweet but only10 cacalories per serving and cheap.South Beach bars are good too.But break them in half and make one 2 snacks.

Let me know if you need help.

Max

i cant stop bingeing too, i eat all day for no reason, but luckily im not gaining weight. you need to make a routine, of times you should eat, that should stop the binges- eat frequent meals, dont skip anything and eat enough calories- like 2500 minimum, and just do exercise on top, you will be fine.

Try to keep yourself busy and try to avoid being idle (just watching TV, doing internet, etc). I find that personally, I eat nonstop when I am bored or have nothing to do or I just have food laying around. Another thing is that binging and fasting is really bad for your body, and may even cause your body to try to gain weight the next time food comes in. Try to keep healthy, low calorie snacks on hand, so that even if you do "binge," the calories do not add up.

Try some airpopped popcorn. I love the stuff!

Also, if you are really craving something, don't try to avoid it. You should eat it but only a tinny tiny bit.

Good luck!