.

I found myself doing this sometimes also.  I have started planning a little bit of should not eat food (like a Hershey special chocolate minature) into my planned eating charts about 2 -3 times a week.  I can then control the urges better and don't binge so often.  If you do binge, forgive yourself and start back on track!

Wow, I am so impressed with everyone who has posted on this thread.  You all seem to have done a wonderful job with the weight loss and more importantly, have been able to keep it off.  Congratulations on this HUGE accomplishment!

Things were getting a little crazy for me too just a short time ago.  I was eating entire pans of brownies, nearly whole packages of cookies etc...  I called it "Foodicating" and labled myself a "Foodaholic".  The first thing I did to begin to "get a grip" was to start eating smaller pieces of what ever my snack of choice was and I would only put 2 or 3 pieces on my plate or napkin at a time.  I live in a 3 story townhouse, so I would put 3 little mini cookies on my plate and then walk all the way upstairs, sit down and eat them.  If I wanted more, I'd have to walk back down stairs.  This inadvertently slowed me down and really forced me to consider if I really wanted more or if I was just eating based on easy access.  It also forced me to burn a few calories and excercise as I walked up and down the stairs.  Another thing I did was to substitute salty snacks for the sugary ones every other day.  And my last and seemingly most effective course of action was to make a decision to stop bringing anything larger than one serving home at a time.  This means no bags or boxes of cookies, no cakes, no half gallons of ice cream.  I can buy a piece of pie bring it home and eat it (or eat it at a restaurant).  Once I'm done, that's it until the next day or whenever I have the time to go out to buy my next "drug of choice".  Based on the last couple of weeks, this seems to be working but, I'll be the first person to tell you that I'm definitely a work in progress and the battle of the bulge is a challenge for me.  I struggle with it but I absolutely feel like it's worth it... not just for appearances sake but for the health and longevity of my body and all my internal organs.  You're not alone.  Find strength in baby steps and small manageable breathes... You Can Do It!!!

Hunter - Gatherer Food Plan ends cravings!

I can really relate to your binging habit. I got some great help from my doctor. Here's what I had to do to stop the cravings:

First make a note (log) of what kind of food you're eating when you binge. More likely than not it's carbs. All carbs convert to sugars. Anything with an "ose" at the end is a carb. These sugars play havoc with your insulin production causing highs and lows in your blood sugar level, spiking when you're eating them and crashing when you've stopped eating and causing you to feel tired, sleepy and lethargic, making you want to eat again.

Now, this may seem crazy but it really works! (Note: this is NOT the Atkins diet. Carbs are allowed.)

Cut out:

• all grains from your diet. Yes, even whole grains and raw oat meal.
• all sweeteners (sugar, honey, syrups, jams, artificial sweeteners) except for stevia.
• all potatoes, pasta and rice.
• all dairy. (Humans are the only mammal to consume milk after weaning… not natural!)

- Eat lots of VEGETABLES. 75% of each meal should be vegetables. Eat only the part that grows above the ground. The tuberous roots of carrots, parsnips, turnips, beets, etc. contain too much sugar.

- Eat MEATS, POULTRY and WILD FISH. Eat RAW NUTS (except peanuts +/or cashews - they're legumes, not nuts).

- Eat BERRIES - STRAW BERRIES, RASPBERRIES, BLACKBERRIES, BLUEBERRIES, SASKATOONS, GOOSEBERRIES. Avoid all other fruits, especially melons and pineapple and bananas. They're very high in sugar.

Use EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL (first cold press) and COCONUT OIL. Avoid butter, margarine and other types of oils as they have too many chemicals in them used to express the oil.

Carb containing foods consumed should be very low on the glycemic index.  

Drink only WATER, DECAFFINATED TEAS, COFFEES AND INFUSIONS. If you’re going to drink caffeinated tea or coffee, limit yourself to 1 -2 cups of coffee +/or tea a day. AVOID ALL ALCOHOL. There is a huge amount of sugar in alcohol (including wine and beer), even if it doesn’t taste sweet!

Check all the ingredients on the package. If you can’t pronounce or spell it DON’T EAT IT!

What you're doing when you follow this hunter – gather eating plan is turning your body from a sugar-burning and dependant machine into a fat burning machine. In about 4 days of so the cravings will go away and you'll feel so much better. More energy, very little hunger and when you do feel hungry it will be very manageable.

This plan will also detoxify your plus get rid of the cravings. It is a lifetime plan. Our bodies get all the nutrients they need from this food plan. It is the Hunter - Gatherer food plan, the way nature intended us to eat. People who have followed this hunter – gatherer food plan have been known to be able to get off their insulin pills/injections, stop taking high blood pressure medication and cholesterol controlling medication.

And, I defy you to follow this plan and not lose weight and keep it off!

I have this problem as well.  I find that brushing my teeth when I'm done eating for the night helps me avoid going back for more food.  I know my teeth are clean and don't want to dirty them again.  Alternately, I'll go for a short walk or even do a few crunches or pushups in the house.  My food cravings are usually caused by boredom or sadness, so I get moving!  Best of luck. I know you can do it!

I discovered that the need to snack for me is completely in my head. 99% of the time it's not because I'm hungry at all but just because I'm bored and mentally my body feels like it needs something to chew on... like an addiction to eating. So I chew gum and drink water. The chewing helps my body think I am eating something and the water helps fill me up to make sure I don't go and eat something for real.

Congrats on your weight loss!

I have to admit clean teeth are a deterent for me too.  I have to sleep with a retainer in so once I brush and floss at night, I don't want to do it again so I never eat again.  That helps at night but during the day I brush (but don't floss) after meals anyway and am not put off by the brushing alone. 

  Wow, I was actually googling this same problem on Sunday. I went to a wedding over the weekend and even though I eat healthy 99.9% of the time when I eat bad I do it to the point I almost throw up. I don't know how to stop it, it's as if something takes over me that erases all rational thoughts. It only happens when food is free like at a wedding with all you can eat apps, or a food tasting. By the end of the evening I'm literally in pain barely able to walk. I try reminding myself the sacrifice I do everyday by waking up at 5am to go work out, and about the miles I run everyday to stay fit but nothing seems to work.

Great job on your fantastic weight loss!  What ever you do, don't let this one thing take away the glory of what you have done.  Losing 100 pounds is TOUGH.  You should be very proud of yourself.

Binge eating like you describe can have a lot of causes.  My theory is that there are two common causes.  One is nutrient deficiency.  You are craving something because your body is lacking something.  You continue eating it because you have not fulfilled your body's need for that nutrient.  I have no scientific evidence for this.  Its just a theory.

Secondly, this behavior is very much like that of an alcoholic.  Many of us are overweight because of a food addiction.  We are not eating in moderation and we KNOW we shouldn't be eating the way we are but do it anyway.  This makes us feel ashamed and guilty which perpetuates the problem.  If this is the case, you are going in the right direction.  Take a look at the 12-step program for Overeaters Anonymous.  It may not be your thing, but it sure can't hurt!

I had this problem also.  What worked for me is whenever I had the craving to start, I just removed myself from the food.. usually meant going for a walk. The exercise gained helped me lose more weight and the quiet time to reflect usually led up to deciding that I wasn't hungry to begin with.  And plus, I was so thirsty when I came back all I could do was fill up on water.

That hunter gatherer person was right--once you eliminate the carbs from your diet, you will eliminate the cravings......worked for me.
I was a carb/sugar addict. I lived on 100-calorie snacks.

Now I eat lean protein and veggies and nuts and I eat every 3 to 4 hours and it works. I have so much more energy. I don't get hungry in between. I don't crave the sweets anymore.

I have lost 23 pounds and over 20 inches.

A personal trainer at Lucille Roberts put me on this diet...

Works!

I have found that oven baked sweet potatoes (the dark orange type that are sweet and are sometimes called yams) are a great substitute for cravings. They are extremely filling because of the fiber but sweet enough (without adding any sugar) that they taste like a dessert. I eat a large one if I am having a craving for sweets. I usually bake several at a time and keep them in the refrigerator for those moments.

Not sure if that will satisfy your craving, but they have managed to help me stave mine off many times!

good luck!

First timer here. Lost over 100 lb 3 years ago, took 3 years to lose and have kept it off. No dieting but healthy eating and lots of exercise. That's my intro.

I've found that night time cravings are usually caused by one of the following:

My diet wasn't balanced in the past 24 hours - often its not eating enough, or not eating adequate proteins or carbs.

Going off track - eating out or at a special event - likely for me its having refined sugar which I normally never eat.

Years from now we'll find out that TV, magazines & internet have been programmed to tap into our "pleasure seeking" hormones which for us is getting satisfaction from food. 

The most important I think is the chemical reaction going off in our brains. Some will say its emotions, perhaps. Even if you ask yourself "am i really hungry?" lots of us eat no matter the answer. Until science has uncovered the answer to why our brain gets "hungry" when our body isn't, we have to override the switch manually. How we do this is a personal choice.

For me I realized this a while back and I keep adjusting my diet to try to override the switch. For me its eating more at lunch, eating less at dinner and I've actually cut out afternoon snacks (most of the time).  I do keep things in the house that are healthy and nothing that isn't healthy. I agree that going out to get one serving of whatever you crave is a better idea than having on hand 100 calorie servings. For me healthy eating will always come first; junk food isn't an option. So on hand I have of fruit (not eating veges for snacks, no way except maybe baked potato/sweet potato if I'm desperate), almonds, walnuts, dried fruit, low fat cheese, fruit bars (need chewy sometimes), Shreddies (only box cereal I eat because it has 50% iron requirements - not big meat eater), steel cut oatmeal,  and barley flakes. I don't ever get a salt craving. To drink I make caramel steamer (with sugarfree syrup), herbal teas, iced blueberry tea (my favorite right now). Now with that all said if I can't satisfy my craving with this I know its a chemical reaction to my diet in the past 24 hours & I just have to tough it out. As others say in that case I will go to bed early, go for a walk (don't need more exercise but this helps), brush my teeth, soak in tub, read instead of TV (this helps a lot because you have to focus and you aren't merely a viewer). Changing either my relocating my body or refocusing the brain is the only way. If I keep sitting in front of TV all I think about is food, and then the commercials I think can send me over the edge.

What ever works but be kind to yourself. You aren't alone and even the most respected scientists haven't got this figured out. If I told you in 10 years they'll know what causes this "drive" and how to manage it in a healthy way you may actually think less in terms of "being bad" and more likely realize this problem has been a human evolution issue; you didn't cause this on your own.  

Dear nnylyma,

I think most of us who are or have been very overweight can relate.  I wish I knew why, but I think the reasons are different for each of us.  I have been able to get a slight handle on this ( I can now stop much sooner than I used to) only after much introspection, and forgiving myself and loving myself.  I don't know if this helps, but it's what I believe.

Pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and start all over again.

I think it's because of a chemical release in the brain. Your not feeding your body your feeding the part of your brain that is demanding pleasure.

GIRL I AM JUST LIKE YOU BUT I THINK WORSE! I lost 80 pounds and have kept it off for about 4 years give or take my lastest 15 pound weight gain! I have really bad issues when it comes to food. I will eat a WHOLE box of cereal or a WHOLE FAMILY size bag of pretzels in ONE sitting after eating a meal..... IT'S BAD!!! I tell myself to stop but I don't listen, I think to myself "well if you eat this all now then you won't have any for tomorrow and you will be done with it" THEN when I am shopping I will buy the same thing and tell myself I won't do it again but I do! I have tried eveything and nothing is helping me. SO PLEASE if you find something that works PLEASE let me know because I CAN'T STOP! GOOD LUCK TO YOU!

I see you've gotten many replies, but I too have the same exact problem, but I also practically swallow the food whole and really fast which is even worse.

So what always helps for me is:

-Painting my nails-I don't want to mess up my nails by rubbing them against chip bags or something

-Swishing with minty mouthwash-the burning in my mouth and watery eyes is enough to take my mind off of the food

-Taking a shower-it kind of relieves you

and I always take deep breathes too, it helps slow my heart rate down when i'm gulping down food.

I've gotten better, but theres still that one time every couple of months that I just get out of control. Hope this helps =]

Original Post by kidtangerine:

One is too many and a thousand is never enough. 

boy, are you right. i could not have said it better.

in addition, it's almost as if since i KNOW the amount of calories in it, i'll go over a serving size's worth. especially if it's something i concocted through experimentation 'just for a taste test' but then i go nomnomnom.

Hi nnylyma. I just signed up about 30 minutes ago and I had to respond to your post: why do you eat to the point of pain? I have done this myself, and it is not something I did when I was overweight (I've lost about 60 pounds). I read somewhere that when we binge eat, we're "eating our feelings" to paraphrase Mean Girls. It's hard to think about a problem when we're shoving food in our mouths. If you keep a food journal, you might want to go back and see if you were stressed out/angry/bored etc. when you binged. I'm in the process of doing this right now. This winter, I gained about 11 pounds after I had kept it off for about 2.5 years. When I look back, it was a stressful time, and I am in a graduate program, so I go to a lot of functions that involve eating. For me, I know I have to retrain my brain and start doing what I did before: no trigger foods in the house, no eating in front of the tv or standing up, watch all portions. Losing weight is exciting, maintaining is an ordeal, but it is worth it! A diet book I really like is The Beck Diet Solution by Judith Beck, it is based on cognitive-behavioral therapy, and it has solid research to back it up. I hope this might help you, good luck!