so hard to stop binging

why is it that once you start binging, it's so very hard to stop. I was binging for a month due to stress and I can't get away from it. It's like hell. The cravings are enormous. The doc says it's all in my head.

It really is hard. Every time you say, just this once... never again. And then the next evening it happens all over again. If you ever figure it out, let me know.

I find that if I plan out each day and have all the foods I need on hand, and if I don't have any of my binge trigger foods in the house, then I don't have so many cravings.

It's as if I'm giving my body what it needs, so it doesn't crave anything else.

Also, I keep a large supply of prepared nibble foods - celery, carrots, radishes, etc.  I go to those first.  If I need something sweet, I have sugar free jello.  The little cups that you buy are expensive compared to what you make yourself, but they keep longer because they are sealed.

I guess if the cravings are purely psychological, this might not work, but it's worth a try.

oh gee, i keeps on going back n binge again, like couple days lately. BBut i tried to fight it though, yea, n i figured that the only thing that keeps me from binging is when i worked out. I was on my period last week n my bf just had a bday last night, guess what? another binging day :(

Binges are sometimes self driven mentally or a result of a physical demand from the body. Once you give in to a food binge or an alcohol binge, our bodies may demand more intake. Sugar plays with the panceas and can create spikes in your blood sugar causing you to crave more sugar to emotionally feel better or to spike up your energy and make you feel more alert.  For me once I clean up my system which takes a mind set, good support from friends here and at the gym to turn my situation around. Unfortunately, after a week or two of good behavior, my mind starts in with a kind of third party talk. I start thinking "You've been good, you can eat what ever food I shouldn't be eating, and I go off. It is a vicious cycle and for many of us the reason we don't drop weight and yoyo in our poundage.

Slimladyrunner, I disagree with your doc. It is not always in your head. I think its a complex combination of things that include your mind, but it is definetly not just a mental game. Thanks
M

A lot of it IS in your head; not that you're making it up, but rather, you most likely suffer from black and white thinking, i.e.: I screwed up, so what's the use? The thing is, life is one big gray area.

The first thing I did when I stopped binging was fully accept myself where I was; that way , when I made a mistake, I didn't want to throw it all in the trash and feel hopleless; rather, I used the mistake as a tool to understand myself better.

There's a lot more I could say about this, as I have battleed binging for years, and have actually overcome it.

If anyone wants to know more,. feel free to email me at shaktidance8@yahoo.com

Here are a few articles that I found useful.  I, too, am a binger and several years back I discovered an author named Geneen Roth who has written several books about binge eating and how to take control.  These articles are written by her.  I hope they help.

Article 1
Article 2
Article 3
Article 4

Hope they help.

The first step towards change is acceptance. Once you accept yourself, you open the door to change. That's all you have to do. Change is not something you do. It's something you allow.
?Will Garcia

The key is to plan out your day. In the morning think of everything you are going to eat, add up the calories, and think about how happy you will be if you stay at or near that goal. All it takes is will power. I find that if im craving something bad ill stop and think about how i will feel after I eat it. After a few minutes most of the time the craving has past.