Tips To Help Stopping Binge/Overeating

[AimeeMarie]

I've had issues with binge or overeating for a long time now, and no matter what I can't seem to stop. Anyone have some tips or tricks that will help?

[debbyWeiss]

have u tried the apps for logging in the food u eat? ive been doing that for the past few days and so far its been doing wonders for me. i use the app Lose It.

[m0tiv8]

Binge eating has more to do with one's psyche than the mere task of tracking calories in.  Oftentimes a person binge eats in attempt to manage unpleasant emotions.  Depression and binge eating have been linked along with the inability to express how one feels (lonliness, stress, feelings of inadequacy, anxiety, fear).  I would suggest  becoming self-aware of how you use food to manage emotions.  Listen to your body and process how you are feeling.  Develop a healthier relationship with food by reminding yourself that you eat to meet your body's nutritional needs, not emotional needs.  When prompted to binge eat, try substituting a healthier habit like journaling or going for a walk instead, both of which may assist with recognizing the emotion behind the behavior. 

[HelenaFitbit]

Hey there @AimeeMarie! My tip is drinking a glass of water before your meal, since plenty of times we mistake hunger for thirst.  

Also, check the real reasons why you are over eating, stress, boredom?  If you think you are overeating for emotional reasons, I recommend to take a look on Overeaters Anonymous' website https://www.oa.org/

You can do this! Welcome to the forums 

[kariealice]

Been binging a long time, horrible weekly cycle of eating almost non-stop for 3-4 days, then starve 3-4 days. Once the first bite goes in, I just keep eating. For me, it's deinitely a mental problem: therapy did not help. Food journaling did nothing. Started daily walking which helps keep weight down, but starving 3 days to stay level is not healthy. Did Optifast program 5 years ago, lost 55 pounds, was easy to NOT binge, and did not gain weight back. Doing different things with serious rules keeps me motivated. Heart issues and arthritis pain are also motivators. Having to focus on new program seems to help. Binging being out of control again, I started using FitBit this week, forcing myself to adhere all day long and it is working: don't know how long it will last. Joined TOPS 3 years ago which has helped a lot since it is so affordable (only $32/year), very supportive and there is accountability of weighing in each week. Must find something you are able to adhere to: have to keep changing/shaking it up to keep motiviated. Really really hard problem to live with!

[HelenaFitbit]

I know how this feels, honestly I couldn't recommend enough to check with the OA support groups. 

Really, take a look on Overeaters Anonymous' website https://www.oa.org/ and see for a meeting near your area. 

Stay strong! 

[CaliSeaBreeze]

I am in the same boat.  I've binged all of my life.  I think it's because I stuff my negative feelings with food so I can feel comforted.

What I am doing now to change it -- I used to think my binges were discrete, well, not when I'm packing on the weight from them, they aren't.  I also think it doesn't matter, I will forget about all the food by tomorrow. (I binged last night). So, what I did was track all those binge foods and amounts into my FB food tracker last night while binging.  I'm over 1,000 calories above what I should have eaten yesterday.  It's a big Flashing warning sign for me of what I will see the next time I binge.  It's not something hidden anymore...it's there for me to see it. 

Do I want my food record to keep showing those embarassing amounts?  No.  Then I need to get it in check.  Only I can make that difference.

I am using a help that keeps my mouth occupied: real licorice sticks.  They are wood. It's also known as an African Toothbrush or Neem.  It has a somewhat bitter/astringent taste and a smoky-like artichoke/aspargus flavor.  Once you continue to run it over your teeth and gums that flavor/astringency disapates.  I lost the stick I was using all week so I think that could be why the binge last night...my mouth wasn't busy with something in it. 

Just love yourself no matter what.  Be your best friend and tell yourself what you would tell a friend in the same situation.  Counseling may help.  Getting in touch with your emotions and dealing with issues may help.  Once you are aware of what you are doing, or caught in binge-mode....hold yourself accountable and write down everything you put in your mouth.  Good luck to you and all who suffer with this.

[TinyTarzan]

I use weekends to prepare my weekday meals, which is mostly a chili and a chicken soup divided into Tupperware type containers.  Eat small portions every few hours and stay hydrated.

My biggest problem is sitting down on a couch to watch TV, which is right next to the kitchen. If I want to watch TV, my best bet is to go downstairs to the basement and watch TV while on a treadmill.

Oh yeah ... don't keep junky food around like cookies or sweet cereals. I usually satisfy hunger cravings by drink milk with protein whey.

[Taurus21]

A recent trick I have come across is on the more spiritual side. Say a prayer/blessing to whatever deity you may follow or to yourself that goes something like asking the deity or your higher self to override your limited perceptions and keep you on your true path (courtesy of Sonia Choquette). I find that when I focus on this idea I have a better day with less binging and more motivation.

[SherryRueter]

Today - starting a 7 day journal....

1) What amd I obsessing on:

2) What is going on now(during)? What happens Before? What about afterwards?

3) What are your triggers? Why do you want to 'bolt' or 'escape' right now with food?

complete this sentance:

I fill up with food so I don't have to experience ______________________ (ie: boredom,painful experience, frustration, anxiety)

Books to consider:

:"Women Food and God"

"The Wisom of theEnneagram" by Don Richard Riso and Russ Hudson. 

I hope to post here a few times a week.

[Brown-eyedG2]

I completely understand.. All these above are helpful honestly I've not binged since I'm eating cleanly and satisfyingly.

I will eat chips or sweets but I don't overdo it now. I'm eating way more protien and half plate cooked veggies along with low carb. Salads with protien too. Upping my fat intake has satieted me. If I eat the white stuff it's small or I find the cravings unbelievable to want more. It's working so far.

[SherryRueter]

I listened to a Podcast a day or two ago. Let me see what I can remember, as I wanted to share it with you all.

Here is the podcast, incase any of you listen....It was from the Podcast : I'm too Busy for Nutritionw ith Karl Pilz  .... "10: Lies: " Calories In = Calories Out"  & "Eat Less, Exercise More"

The podcast was centered around eating healthy and how we all have these times when we really want to just pig out.  As we get older, obviously it has more immediate impacts...ahh the joy of youth!  So, then we start obsessing and thinking about what we did. This is similar to praying over something over and over again.  And you know what they say, the things you think about will come to pass.  You just have to focus on something long enough, and the law of attraction says that you will eventually get it.

So we think and stew about how we can't lose weight, or how we are just going to binge on twinkies(eewww, I wouldn't pick twinkies - but you get the point).  We think and think and think about it.  What we need to do is to just acknowlege what we are thinking, "I wanted a treat, I had it. Its over. " and then move on and think about what we really want ...  I am now re-focused on my health and nutrition goals. I am going to be drinking a lot of water today as well as eating healthy foods and getting in my exercise.   Start to think about what the scale WILL say.... what your healthy choices are going to be for LUNCH or whatever....start to train your thoughts to be forward focused on the future and what you want to happen.   "I want XXXXX".... therefore, as the law of attraction says, you will attract it and it will happen.

This was powerful for me.  I do think that I focus way more on the negative and not on the forward facing events of what I want the future to be.  I spend more of my time thinking of ways to mentally punish myself which, really doesn't help.   Being a big people pleaser, its easy for me to really like to help others accomplish their fitness and nutrition goals and to give them a word of encouragement or advice.  However, its a LOT harder for me to raise my hand and say "HELP".

I'm working on it though. I am starting slowly to admit to my groom that I have some sort of problem/pattern that keeps re-occuring.  I haven't gotten into the weeds(details) of what I all actually eat to make a 4# weight gain  happen overnight...but I'm starting to at least share more, which I think will be an important part of me, regaining a life of normal-cy.   One step at a time. 

[Rybecka80]

Try the podcast The Psychology of Eating.  You're basically listening in on someone's therapy session.   I see myself in many of them and have picked up a lot of tips on how to handle my issues with food/exercise. 

[SusanHope]

There are some fabuolous tips in this thread. I would like to suggest perhaps doing something in the evenings that take you away from food temptations, for example, taking a local dance class but it can be any new hobby.

I go to Salsa dance classes 2 or 3 times a week and although smoking is not related to this topic, it is/was a huge addiction for me and apart from all the other brilliant benefits of dancing, I always found it so much fun that I never, ever thought about or needed a smoke when I was dancing.

I had a heart attack 9 weeks ago now, from a bad diet, family history and mainly the heavy smoking for too many years, my doctors tell me the dancing probably helped me get through that and recover more quickly.

I gave up smoking 9 weeks ago BTW.  But I wanted to add that that other benefits I have had from dancing is I sleep better, less aches and pains, no headaches, increased self confidence, a huge circle of brilliant friends, the list is endless, what I think about all of the time now is how can I do more dancing, when is my next class, other stuff just gets in the way of that, including eating lol.

So perhaps finiding something like that, alongside the other advise in this thread might also help?

Good luck,

Sue

[Selena1979]

Hi

Hubby and I have been binge eaters for a long time, I am sure the mental link ties sitting on the sofa watching TV with craving junk food....cravings we used to just give into time and again!

However, we have decided to kick these habits and say hell to the world of Fitbit and so far, so good.

This first step for us was recognising when we most likely to bing eat....such as sofa dwelling, sunday lunch, cooked breakfasts etc.  Then we worked out healthier alternatives to the binge meals and got more active to reduce our time on the sofa.  This has really helped but doesn't stop us wanting to pick at stuff if we watch a film for example.

So, we have brought a popcorn machine from Argos, which air pops the kernels.  This is great in it's own or, if we want something more indulgent then we serve up a small dish (approx 15mls) of Choc-Shot (14cals per serving).  It feels indulgent but is actually working OK for us.

Also we serve up a fresh fruit salad or small portions of what we are craving to kind of get that fix when needed.

Hope that sharing what is helping us, might help someone else 🙂

[tamado]

Here's what I have been doing.

For meal times, pre-log your meals to determine how much you want to eat.  Then, you won't log it later and regret.  Logging itself helps so much with awareness.  Eat nothing you do not log and soon you feel acocuntible to your log.

For snack times, try to find alternatives (like some listed above).  Air pop a bit of popcorn with a little butter but not all the time, that kind of thing.  I also find that I was replacing a food indulgence with booze.  Beer has too many calories so I'd have an ounce or two on the rocks and that was starting to add up. I saw a meme that had a list of things to make life better including "drink less alcohol and more tea" and I thought that was a good notion.  Now my wife and I make herbal tea most evenings.  It is warm and comforting as food and a nice thing to enjoy together.  

If you log your calories for a while I think you will find you just start reducing.  I know I have (dramatically).  The tea has helped to be something "indulgent" without consequence.  I hope this helps.  Find that place in you where you deserve better than filling your face with calories you don't need.  Change your routine and habits, etc (I used to use Nicotine and I had to learn to do that when I quit - it's an addiction thing).

[snowie]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Overcoming-Overeating-Conquer-Obsession-Forever/dp/009182561X

This book helped me enormously.

[Cheri__1]

Yes, By drinking a glass of water about 10-20 min before I eat something I get full much quicker and I end up eating less than I would normally.

[meow]

Sometimes it helps me to think through this acronym to see whether I am actually hungry - BALT (Bored, Angry, Lonely, Tired). If at least one of those applies, I have a glass of water, set a timer for half an hour and find something to keep myself occupied. If I still feel hungry once the timer is up, then I eat.

As for the volume of food, I have to say that it is not so much an issue for me anymore as my appetite has been affected by medication for an unrelated issue. But what used to help was to take a serving of what I was planning on eating into a bowl, and put the rest of the package away, so I would have to make a deliberate effort to get more rather than it just being conveniently there. If to eat a tub of ice cream I have to go to the freezer five times, I am less inclined to do it.

Binge eating/overeating is just like any other addiction, it is a means of ameliorating your discomfort. There is an underlying problem that you need to address as a long-term goal. x

[Montrose1]

There will always be sources of frustration in life and although sometimes it might not feel that way, you do have a choice how you respond to those frustration. In order for you to successfully stop overeating you must know how to identify when you're no longer hungry you that you can stop eating. This is a technique that Dr Judith Beck uses and has written in her book. It's a technique that I use with my clients. 

To practice not overeating I'd ask the client to pick one meal, preferably lunch or dinner. I tell them that I want them to purposely give them self a larger portion than they would normally. At the beginning of the meal, push the extra portion to the side on their plate. Then eat only what would be considered a normal portion. If they are tempted to eat the extra food, I ask them to use anti-craving techniques which I also teach them. For example; Don't give yourself a choice. Distance yourself from the food. Imagine the aftermath of giving in. Drink a no- or low calorie beverage