I cannot control myself.
I can't stop binge eating. It is taking control of my life. I know this is so common, but I am so terrified of it. I KNOW I shouldn't do it, I DON'T want to do it. I want to stop so bad. I do so well during the day, but then I always blow it at night. It's killing me inside. I've gained ten pounds in the last month, and am so disgusted with myself. I've never been this heavy. Never. Never. Oh god...
Why can't I go to work and resist eating everything in sight? How can I resist getting up and eating so much even when I'm not hungry when I come home at night? It's getting out of hand. I feel so guilty, I feel so ugly and disgusting.
I always tell myself, every single freakin' day that I won't do it today. I won't over eat. I'll stick to the meals I've planned for myself throughout the day. But I just can't. I'm so lost. I don't know how to stop, and I feel like I'm just ruining myself, and I hate myself for it.
Please..please, if you have any advice, I would be so grateful. If you have ever been in the same situation and have over come this, please tell me. I need to know that it's possible. That I can get better, and be healthier and live normally. Please..
I hear ya! I eat ok during the daytime, but at nights all bets are off! I just try to keep busy, I've gotten a lot better than I was...I was doing it everyday and making myself sick! It was just ridiculous. I just eat and realize when I've had enough. I've got a sensitive stomach too, so I try and definitely watch what I eat.
Number 1 and most importantly - Don't hate yourself. People make mistakes when losing weight. Trust me I know I have. I've found ways to correct my binge eating issue. For one, You have to condition your mind to think positively. Don't worry about what if I do this or that. Just do it and know that you can. I keep celery on hand at all times for when I start getting the urge. Also, binge eating can be an emotional response. Find out if something is bothering you and take steps to fix it. Also, within reason, if you feel like you're going to give up, have a meal consisting of things not on your diet and start again the next day. I actually have to eat something unhealthy every 14 days or so to continue losing or I will plateau out. The bottom line is that you can do it if you really want to. You have an entire community of people willing to help so if you need to hop on here and talk to us :) If the binge eating gets too bad you may want to see a doctor. I was at the point of seeing one before I figured out how to trick myself. There isn't any shame in it. Good luck!
Hello! You sounds a lot like me when I used to have a binge eating disorder. It gets emotionally exhausting and you become addicted to resolving all issues with food, it feels so good but it makes you feel sooo disgusting, I know. What I did to stop took me a long time, and it was a gradual change. You need to take it one day at a time.
The more I would tell myself, "tomorrow I am NOT going to overeat" the more I felt the urge to eat.. So I stopped saying that. It was too much pressure. Just like now if I tell myself I am going to have a kick butt workout, I will over think it and not do anything because I feel so much pressure.
Binge eating will not stop just like that, in one day or so. It will take a few days to ween yourself out of it, do this by keeping yourself busy, I know it doesn't sound like the best advice, but it works. Keep your mind off of food as much as possible. After the initial few days of not binging are gone, your routine is broken and after a few weeks you will not crave carbs sugar and junk at night so much, and eventually not at all. I promise that you won't crave them, and won't be missing them. I think the problem with binge eating is that you keep telling yourself you won't do it anymore and your brain gets scared so you keep eating like its your last time ever to binge, but it never is your last time, it is your routine and it messes you up emotionally.
For me, I got really hooked on eating healthy, and I was so excited to start my day and eat all the things I plan on CC because I could control it, and I no longer missed my junk binges. So get excited about being healthy, you will feel good and proud.
Once in a while I will still binge (not nearly as much food as I used to), but I am so broken out of that habit now, that I feel so 'ick' about what I just did that I will not eat anything terrible for a long time just to get all that crap out of my system, I can't handle it being inside of me.
On a side note, I can understand wanting to eat everything while at work, I work in a restaurant with greasy foods and burgers, quesadillas and fries and you're allowed to eat whatever you want. I cook this stuff and I wanted to have a little taste of everything constantly. Well I have a different perspective now, I actually make fun of people that order that crap in my head, because it is disgusting, in my head I am thinking "wow you know you're eating 1000 calories worth of deep fried junk that play no role in your body other than giving you a heart attack".
I switched from eating big bowls of ice cream every night, to half a cup of cottage cheese with strawberries or a bowl of fiber/protein cereal with skim milk and bananas. They are all low in calories and they satisfied me. I also look forward to my snack before bed and I kind of use it as a reward for being healthy all day and it doesn't damage my daily plan, I include it in my 1500 calories.
If you need any support I am here for you :) You certainly sound exactly where I was about a year ago. Don't let yourself slip further into emotional eating, it can ruin your self esteem.
Binging is a substitute for something you're missing. Maybe a new habit and change the binge? Can you go for a walk, take a bath, make hot chocolate and sip it slowly? That helps me and I turn into a monster when I want to binge. Sometimes you may just need to up your cals a little more during the day or eat dinner later (which I don't recommend if you wake up early and food late in the night affects the way you feel in the morning).
Anyhow, having a warm treat seems to help me: 1tbsp cocco, 1tsp vanilla extract, tsp sugar and 1 cup hot milk poured over and mixed is delicious and takes time to sip.
OK firstly forgive yourself. Its normal occurance to binge honestly people do it all the time. You say you eat fine during the day but really are you restricting your calories. You should eat 1000-1100 before your dinner in the evening and keep your sugar levels topped up all day- that way when you get home you are not famished or lethargic, when we're tired and hungry its easy just eat eat eat and get out of hand. I did it for a few years and have found that by keeping my sugar levels steady has prevented binge eating as I recover from restriction eating disorder when its so easy to begin binging but I wont allow it bc I used to binge BIG TIME before, I mean packets of biscuits, bars and bars of chocolate, insane amount Id be sooo sick and adrenaline rushing I know its horrible. Try what I said above maybe and deal with any emotional issues you may be going through.
Do you restrict/not allow yourself to eat certain things during the day? Do you ignore certain cravings during the day? If so this could be why you overeat at night. I have found that if I just eat what I am wanting or craving throughout the day I eat less at night. Just let yourself have what you want, the second your brain/body thinks you are restricting (such as not allowing yourself to have some chips or a candy bar or something) it just wants it even more until you cannot control yourself and you have a whole bag of chips or 5 candy bars, etc.
In short, just eat what ya' feel like eating!
Good Luck.
You can control yourself. It is a choice that you have so decide right now you are going to get a grip and take the control back. You are in control of you, period. Do not allow anyone or anything control you besides you. You feel out of control but ultimately you are in control. Take a stand in your life and decide you will be in control. If you binge enough if will become a habit that you feel like you have to "feed" daily. A hectic, stressful day made it seem okay for me to binge. I'm still not to the root of my problem. Your entire situation mirrors my own. That is exactly how it was for me. I felt the same way you are feeling. I know it's awful. I know just how out of control you feel. You have to get pissed and decide you want to change. If not, nothing will change, it will get worse. I think what got me started with the whole bingeing was restricting food. I most certainly agree with chocoloco67. I heard from someone or somewhere if you can make it 3 days you can kick it. For me, it was more like 4 or 5 days because day 3 I still wanted to binge like no other mother. And once you have achieved this you will already be on your way to recovery. Set a date to stop. Prepare for that day to come, mentally and physically, and when it does come you will be ready. It will be a fight but you can win. Just make the choice to be an overcomer and don't allow quitting to be an option. You have to want to get better and you will get better. You will come out on top. I will talk with you anytime you want. You can do it, we can all do it. We are overcomers.
I am so overwhelmed by all of your kind responses. I don't think I was expecting all of this support and encouragement. But...I really am so glad.
It's so easy, I think, to make goals and plan how to acheive them. To say you're going to be better and do the best you can every day. I realize that when I say that I'm going to do better next time, it's like a scape goat; because there's going to be a next time, it's ok to binge right now. And I hadn't really noticed that until now, and from reading the responses.
And while I'm overwhelmed by the responses, (In a good, warm, fuzzy way!), I am also overwhelmed period. There are so many tips...so many things to try to stop, that I feel like I can't possibly do them all. But..I'll try. I think the best way to start off would be to just live one day at a time. I'm always stressing about the next day, the next meal, that while I'm busy thinking about the future, I'm too busy to notice that in the present I'm scarfing down so much junk food that I don't realize it until I'm physically sick.
I'm really ashamed to say it, but I just binged an hour ago. And I feel...so blah. There's no joy in it, and I just wish that well, maybe I was a super picky eater and hated everything, that way I wouldn't eat as much. xD Ha. If that makes sense.
I wish I didn't like food either but I do haha. I just have to do what you said and live day-to-day. Just keep plenty of healthy food around to build your meals from each day and you'll be fine. Celery is mostly water so it's great for snacking. As everyone said we're here if you need anything from tips to encouragement. Have a great day :)
-Chris
Haha it happens. But you're right. Tomorrow is another day.
Undereating causes overeating. If you have been dieting (restricting) your body will sooner or later regard this as a famine. Your body has no idea you are trying to diet on purpose, all it knows is that its job is to keep you from starving, by inspiring you to eat.
Our body will inspire us to eat, against our will-power, and this is our survival instinct at work. When you binge, this is your survival instinct strongholding you to eat, because your body is trying to keep you alive. It is all because when we diet, we are not giving our body enough food when it needs it. We are restricting calories, and fat grams, and sooner or later our body won't take it anymore, no matter how strong a dieter's willpower is. This is why 98% of all dieters regain lost weight within 5 years.
There is a way to speed up metabolism and allow our bodies to adjust to more calories so it burns them efficiently, and weight is lost. Unlike dieting, when metabolism is slowed, actually eating when you sense hunger cues is the best way to stay in tune with your body's needs. But you need to do it consistently in order to get your metabolism revved up, so your body will get the signal it doesn't have to "store up for winter" anymore.
I know this to be true because I have experienced it. As a former dieter and binger, I know the fear that a binge brings about, and the hate, and the shame, and the bewilderment of how could I be doing this? When I realized that the dieting lifestyle was causing me to binge, I stopped dieting in Feb 2008, and have never felt happier or more free. A $5.00 used book from amazon changed my life.
Which book was that, swanhilda? I would be interested in reading it! :) And I know you're right about how undereating causes overeating. It just makes perfect sense. So...
For the past two days...I'm happy to say I haven't binged!! I'm so proud of myself! I'm trying very hard not to think about food so much, I had been thinking about it constantly, and now I am trying to do what was suggested: to just eat when I'm hungry.
I feel like the ultimate test is tomorrow...but then again, why stress so much about it? I'm going to have a little bit of everything, but I'm going to stop when I'm full. Instead of obsessing that I'm eating that or whatever. I'm actually looking forward to defeating this urge to binge!
And stormcat3, (Scarlett? ;P), sometimes it's best to laugh at the silly things we do. I feel like that's better than getting depressed and angry at myself for binging or messing up. We're only human, after all, and we make mistakes. At least we're trying to remedy them, right? I believe in you! :D
A question to you all! What do you do to stop from binging? Do you go outside? Exercise? Paint or draw or something? I'm curious to find if doing something different when I feel the urge will help.
"How to Become Naturally Thin By Eating More" by Jean Antonello.
Breaking out of food jail is another book by her too- its good but paul mc kenna's books are excellent too to raise confidence, and another one "change ur life in 7 days" is class!
