Why You Binge-Eat and How To Stop

Great tips had a recent lapse myself, but I know I shouldn't be so hard on myself even though I have gained a few pounds.

That's part of the reason I don't "diet" I just eat less and try to get tons of exercise and build up my muscles. The weight is coming off much slower than it would if I was on more of a structured diet plan but I think I have a much better chance of sustaining my loss and not messing up my metabolism, and because I do actually eat stuff I like every day I'm not tempted to binge eat.

i've gotten in the habbit of having one dove chocolate piece after dinner, and that keeps me from wanting donuts and other sweets well after dinner is over... in the evening time is when i feel the most urge to eat something sugary, whether it is Lucky Charms or Kashi Go Lean, i can't keep my mouth shut- but that one little nibble right after dinner is so satisfying that i no longer binge on high-carb items just before laying down to sleep. having this guide line for AFTER a binge is very calming- great article

Great post, Ali!

I think it is important to understand that weight loss and getting past bad habits is a journey. You can not flip a switch and be doing all the right things all the time, as much as we all hope we could.

We are going to have successes and failures. We just need to keep learning from the failures and finding what works to keep us on a "better" path rather than the "perfect" path. For some it will be the Dove chocolates, for others an extra run scheduled after a slice of cheesecake.

last night during dinnertime, i had nothing prepared. i refuse to spend my money on unhealthy and fattening take-out, so i scarfed down a quarter of a box of Fiber One cereal (no milk) and washed it down with 20 oz of water. i promptly hauled my butt to the gym for 2.5 hours. damage undone. :)

Here's a novel idea - don't starve yourself! Severely calorie restricted diets are unsustainable, and the vast majority of people gain back more than they lost after they've spent a good deal of time on the latest fad diet.

Instead, try focusing on eating real FOOD a la Michael Pollan. Get off the Western Diet- eat more vegetables, no processed food, and make sure your meat isn't industrially raised (grass fed, free-range).

Where you were correct and could have truly had an impact here - Have you eaten enough over the past few days or weeks? - you strayed from and unfortunately presented the problem as psychological rather than physiological (which it is for the vast majority of people). This isn't to say that disordered eating doesn't happen, nor is it never an issue of behavior - but, if you review the evidence, physiology is what is the underlying driving force that compels one to binge...there is only so long a person can and will tolerate nutritional deficiency (for both energy and essential nutrients), thus when the body triggers the signal "enough is enough" one is driven to eat something to resolve the underlying problem of a nutritionally inadequate diet....and the inadequacy may be from insufficient energy (as in calorie restricted diets), inadequate essential nutrients (most often amino acids are lacking) or a combination of both.

Brushing your teeth is a really good one, it just forces that second of thought in which I normally realize "Oh, right, I don't want to eat this."

Binges stopped for me once I stopped punishing myself/disliking myself, started eating more even when trying to lose weight, and allowed myself occasional treats-- no "bad" food-- just food I eat a lot less often than others.

I have an issue that I dont know how to deal with (regarding binge eating). Maybe someone can help me?
I am so good all day. I do not starve, but i eat healthy. EVERY night I wake in the middle of the night and go out to kitchen and eat carbs. I cant stop. I try so hard. Bread with peanut butter, corn flakes, anything. I hate myself every morning and promise that I will not do it that night. But I do. It is destroying all my hard work. I cry over it. I am at a loss. I ahve tried sleeping pills, locking kitchen, whole works. Doesnt matter.

Great tips Ali! This can really be a make-or-break time for most people - it is a very useful guide.

Are you going to bed hungry? Make sure you eat a reasonable-sized dinner. Perhaps trying too hard to "be good" in the day means your poor body is crying out for some food when you want to sleep.

It is really hard to break bad habits, but keeping the "trigger foods" and junk out of the house, as others have suggested, will definitely help.

Good luck!

Ali

Carbs in the middle of the night? Try a bedtime snack of protein and fat.

If I eat any packaged cookies, 5 or 10, doesn't matter, in 2 hours I will be having a low blood sugar episode. Doesn't matter that I swore I wouldn't eat for 3 hours, I'll have to. Low carb, gluten-free cookies I can handle, though.

Good article I agree if you happen to binge don`t beat yourself up. realize what has happened and get back on the horse, (exercise program) this is a journey and some mistakes are expected.

I found that I binged on certain specific foods when I was fat and the absolute only thing that worked for me was to just NOT have the food around me at all. I once bought a box of Chips Ahoy cookies to eat while I was studying and I was so stressed about the upcoming exam that I ate the entire box at once. Ice cream was another big one...I'd often find myself digging into the carton with a spoon just shoveling it in. When I stopped buying my "trigger" foods, I didn't binge on them and I never thought to replace them with different binge foods. I also found that planning out my mealtimes helped a lot as well. If I only allow myself to eat at certain times, I can reassure myself that I'll be eating at X o'clock, so I won't feel compelled to graze on junk.

Preventing boredom is pretty key too. I used to eat a lot when I was bored...it was just something to do, I guess. Now I try to find other things to do with my time instead of eat (like knit or paint my nails or something).

The problem I had is when "free" food is offered to me. Like today we had a staff development lunch and I had a serving of EVERYTHING and 5 MINI desserts. UGH. I felt awful after since I'd been so good but... I had to ... I had this urge to be "bad". *sigh* But will get back on track tomorrow. Oatmeal and FIBER here I come. I do like these tips btw. I really enjoy reading this site and (for the most part) everyone is so nice. Love all the GREAT comments too!

This is only marginally related, perhaps but - adjusting your diet to something healthier often requires you to do mentally unhealthy things, like becoming fixated. (Getting started on exercise can do the same. Bijou seems to have tied the two together. God knows I've tied the two together many times.) So, if you binge, you might try relaxing a bit. For example, have a weekly meal with a friend in which you don't count the calories, and in which you enjoy the whole event.

You know, I have had binge eating disorder for a few years now, and I don't know how, but I went 7 months without a binge episode, and in the process lost 50 pounds...Then I went to New York for a week and all of my old habits came back. I basically spent the entire month of january binging non stop, just like I had before. Sneaking food in private, binging constantly....I was able to get back on track and now have not binged for a month, but here is my question...

I now find myself binging IN MY SLEEP. I wake up and I have these horrible nightmares where I am binging again, and I'm beating myself up in my dreams because it's happening again. Is this normal??

Dont bulimics do this too?
So the only difference between bulimics and binge eaters is the purging?
I never binge, i eat very healthy and let myself "go" by whatever I feel like when ever I want in small quantities of course.

Thanks everyone for your comments and advice on the night eating thing. It is much appreciated :-)
I am alreayd on antidepressant; I have been for many years.
I think I might have an eating disorder. I'm not sure, and it's a scary thought. I try to starve myself as much as possible throughout the day, and maybe my body is rebelling at night. I am 133 pounds now (at 5'8) and think I'm the biggest cow in the world. I also thought that when I was 120 pounds. I think I may need some help with this.
Right now though I just want to stop the night binges. Its also HUGELY affecting my sleep...I am never rested. When I do eat, it is usually carbs, so maybe my blood sugar is crashing at night and waking me up to eat?

This is a good article, but what do you do if you can't avoid foods that set you off on a binge? My parents refuse to cook healthily and its becoming an issue. I want so badly to eat healthily but when dinner is a bucket of KFC, mac n cheese, and cole slaw, its a bit difficult...

I am hoping to move out soon, so I obviously won't buy food like that, but any advice for what you do when you have to eat food you KNOW will trigger a binge?

This is my first post on this blog. I am very overweight, and I am getting ready to start what I consider an eating life change rather than a diet. I know my problem is portion control,but I do find myself benge eating as well. A good friend of mine, who is a personal trainer told me once that to prevent that kind of thing, you should have 1 spoonful of peanut butter before bed, then you wont have any cravings. I would like all your input on that.

Thanks for the advice, I will take that into consideration. I do like peanuts, but like almonds alot more. I have tried the peanut butter from stores like Whole foods before and it is ok. I may just do the almonds route instead. I can by them in bulk and unsalted. They acually taste really good compared to those can varietes.

Where is that spreadsheet located on this site? I have considered keeping a food log, but wasnt sure how to go about doing it. My wife and I usually plan our meals out a week in advance so that spreadsheet will help.

While I find I get susceptible to binging, I find mostly what causes it is not eating frequently enough and not giving myself unhealthy treats from time to time. I deprive myself for so long that when I get a chance to have some unhealthy stuff I really go overboard.