SubscribeWhy You Binge-Eat and How To Stop
Does this scenario look familiar to anyone? After sticking rigidly to my diet for weeks, I "cracked" and scoffed an entire stick of garlic bread with a tub of onion and garlic dip.
At least the vampires kept away that night...
The body and mind react badly to several weeks of "perfect" dieting. Constant low-level hunger makes you crave food, and forbidding anything makes it perversely more desirable. Weeks of deprivation lead to grabbing the nearest high-fat, high-calorie foods and digging in. So, what can you do to break the pattern?
After a binge is over
You're staring at a pile of chocolate wrappers, crisp packets and biscuits crumbs. You feel horribly stuffed, and a bit sick. And you feel awful because you've "broken" your diet.
There is absolutely no point beating yourself up. It's happened. It's over. Draw a firm mental line and put it behind you. Go and get a bath or a long shower. Once you're feeling calmer, sit down somewhere quiet and work out what led to the binge. (You may find it helps to write this down.)
- Have you eaten enough over the past few days or weeks?
- Where did the "binge" food come from? (If it was in your cupboards, maybe a clear-out is in order ... it's much easier to avoid eating junk if it's not there!)
- How were you feeling? Miserable? Bored? Annoyed? Upset?
- What were your thoughts before you started the binge?
In the middle of a binge
Sometimes, you come to your senses half-way through the family-sized pack of cookies. You realize you've just scoffed your calorie allowance for the day. But it's too late to stop, isn't it?
It's better to eat five cookies than ten. As soon as you realize what you're doing:
- Put the food down. Throw away the rest of the packet. If this seems an awful waste, so much the better; by chucking it out, you show you're serious
- Go and brush your teeth, which should reduce the urge to keep going until you're completely stuffed.
- Make a note of the time, and promise yourself you won't eat anything for the next three hours.
Once you've had a chance to calm down from the binge, be proud; you stopped yourself part-way, which is hard to do. Think through the factors listed for "After a binge is over" above - what led to it? What will you do differently in future?
Before the binge has started
Perhaps you already know what triggers your overeating, or perhaps you're able to work it out from a past binge. If so, take active steps now to avoid the things that set you off. Try:
- Avoiding boredom. Find hobbies to occupy your brain (and hands) in the evenings and at weekends.
- Getting exercise. You'll be much less inclined to wolf down a mars bar when you've spent thirty minutes sweating away in the gym.
- Portion control. Buying a family-sized bag of tortilla chips is never a good idea; "I'll just have a handful a day" won't work. Stick to multipacks.
- Having treats. Don't cut out everything "bad". Have a little treat to look forward to each day. Take the occasional evening off - eat things you really enjoy, though, rather than scoffing everything in sight.
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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.
ReplyThat'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.
ReplyI am in 100% agreement with you, and I'm doing the exact same thing. Slower weight loss, but I bet it sticks, as I am developing new habits and eating smart...not dieting.
ReplyI just found this blog and the comments by Melsky and JimK are right on. I too am "not dieting" and instead have chosen to make small changes for the long haul. I also decided to use food logging and found a free site called nutrimirror.com that has been pretty helpful so far. What I've learned is that I can make some rather minor changes (non-painful) and still see results -I'm stoked. And I absolutely have my piece of dark chocolate every night!
Replyi'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
ReplyI also eat a dark chocolate piece after dinner. It's very satisfying and healthy too.
ReplyI'll second (or third) that. Nibbling on a piece of dark chocolate is a great way to indulge without paying the cost of high sugar / high cals.
ReplyGreat 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.
Replylast 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. :)
Reply2.5 hour in the gym? That's overtraining.
ReplyFF- not necessarily. We don't know his goals, his history, or his body, so it's a bit conclusive to say overtraining. I averaged 2.5-3.5 hours a day fairly intense exercise, 6 days a week every week before I was pregnant. It fit into my training, my inclinations, my abilities, and my goals.
But the going to gym as a punishment to "undo" something is unnerving. That is not good.
ReplySo tell me, 2.5 hours of mostly cardio, or intense weight lifting?
ReplyI don't know what s/he did, but I would spend about 12-15 hours a week cardio, and 5-7 hours a week fairly intense strength training.
Reply(I am an endurance athlete; and just love working out. It's my thing. I'm cut down now because of my pregnancy and MISS it like woah.)
both, actually. 30-40 mins of intense cardio, 20 mins for arms, 20 mins for abs, 10-15 for legs/glutes. the rest of the time is spent on trips to the water fountain, waiting for machines, and stretching.
i'm a small-framed 24 year old female, 99 lbs and 5'2". i'm naturally predisposed to be chubby, so what might be overtraining for others is not overtraining for me. though i'm only a hair above being technically underweight according to my BMI, i have more energy than ever and i haven't gotten sick once since i started working out (knock on wood - it's been 3.5 years now). it's great!
ReplyHere'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).
ReplyWhere 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.
ReplyAre you Regina Wilshire of "Weight of the Evidence"?
ReplyYes =)
ReplyGreat point, Regina, I could (and probably should!) have gone into more detail on that. Thanks for adding to the article :-)
For me, the physiological and psychological aspects are intrinsically linked (eg. I feel lethargic and lazy if I eat too much sugar).
Ali
ReplyHey - there's another article for you to write now! LOL
ReplyBrushing 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."
ReplyBinges 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.
ReplyI have an issue that I dont know how to deal with (regarding binge eating). Maybe someone can help me?
ReplyI 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.
Perhaps if you didn't buy them and have them in the house you wouldn't eat them?
ReplyBest advice.
ReplyMissy, I have had binge eating disorder for years - i have lost a tremendous amount of weight over the last 11 years. I know this may not help but you really have to think of it as being "in control" of yourself. Ask yourself "Why do i lose control?" and maybe you will start seeing the light and be able to control your actions a bit more. its like anything else with addiction - gambling - alchohol, etc...you HAVE to take control of yourself. Why would you want to wake up every morning and hate yourself - do you not have any respect for yourself? (not being mean) just a thought....i have found that i have to make a conscience effort EVERY single day of my life to maintain my weight. and it ain't fun but its gotta be done! you can do it missy just try a little harder to say NO.
ReplyRecommend don't buy bread, and only natural peanut butter. Buy low-carb water crackers instead and use them to satiate hunger. I always have those right before a workout. Only 4g carbs per cracker.
ReplyI recommend the book "Intuitive Eating". It helped me realize that the more you tell yourself no and try to control food the harder it is to stop eating.
ReplyAre 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
ReplyMissy!
ReplyWhat Regina said does work for many of us. Not having something in the house is a good idea. If your problem is as difficult for you as you say, I think you might benefit from professional psychiatric help. Perhaps in your area there is someone who specializes in disordered eating and they can offer a comprehensive treatment plan for you. I hope this is helpful.
Just a couple of comments from a weight management ally. :)
1. A quarter box of Fiber One for dinner is no where near a disaster from my perspective. Low on calories, high on fiber. Please don't beat yourself up for that. Fiber One is a staple of my diet for that reason. When I need to snack on something, I reach for Fiber One and I mix it up with some seeds and slivers of nuts.
2. The middle of the night binge -- I am soooo there with you. I don't keep anything I'm uncomfortable with food-wise in my place, but I volunteer overnights at an HIV/AIDS shelter where there is an ABUNDANCE of sweets, carbs and other sugary-goodness. When I first started my weight-loss journey five years ago, I would wake up in the morning there with crumbs on my belly everytime! It's really a challenge and I don't know if I've permanently conquered it or not, but before I go to sleep I write about how I'm feeling about all those carbs in the kitchen. That and a little prayer gets me through the night! No more crumbs on my belly... for now! :)
ReplySounds like you have an eating disorder and should seek professional help from a psychologist and/or a psychiatrist. Going on an anti-depressant might be helpful. You are not alone, many people have eds where they binge at night. It could be physical or psychological or both. I think you should definitely talk to your doctor. What is waking you up at night?
ReplyI used to do that, too, until I realized I simply wasn't getting enough to eat during the day. Once I started eating a little more during my waking hours, I stopped waking up in the middle of the night hungry.
ReplyGreat tips Ali! This can really be a make-or-break time for most people - it is a very useful guide.
ReplyAre 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
ReplyCarbs 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.
ReplyA snack before bed of protien and fat is a good idea.
ReplyGood 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.
ReplyI 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).
ReplyThe 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!
ReplyThis 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.
ReplyQUITO!!!
Great to have you back! I've missed your contributions. How've you been keeping?
ReplyDitto on that! I've wondered where you've been also. I figured you were enjoying all the lovely sites of John Muir country and developing your substance.
ReplyHi Mike and Dr. J! I've been keeping busy is all. Plus, when I noticed that I was starting to confuse "lose" and "loose" I thought I should take a break ^_^ Thanks for the kind words...
ReplyYou 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??
ReplyI just want to clarify. It is in my DREAMS that I am binging and out of control. In my dreams, I'm going to the grocery store and loading up on cookies and ice cream, and going by my cafe (that used to be my weakness when i binged) and buying bags of bagels and muffins to eat all in one sitting...
ReplyI remember reading about how dreams can sometimes function to deal with things that are difficult while in the awake state. Perhaps you are processing your problem and it's actually helpful for you. Just a thought.
ReplyWhen I dream about food at night it is always about something I my body is low on - occasionally I dream about big steaks, it means I need more iron, and sometimes I am in a bakery and I can't get to the doughnuts and no-one will serve me - means low blood sugar!!
ReplyDont bulimics do this too?
ReplySo 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 :-)
ReplyI 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?
ReplyThis 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.
ReplyHi Roger! Best wishes for your upcoming effort...
Is the spoonful of peanut butter supposed to control your appetite the next day or just immediately? For me, a spoonful of nut butter (almond or walnut in my case) is a good snack. It is high calorie - a tablespoon of peanut butter is near 100 calories - but it doesn't take much in my case to make me feel satiated. But, it's immediate, in that it wouldn't affect my hunger hours later.
Peanuts have other good properites. Richard Mattes at Purdue, in 2003, did a small study that indicates eating a small number of peanuts daily (2/3 of a cup = 500 calories, which is not a small number of calories) lowered triglyceride levels without changing body weight (even when the 500 calories were additional: see http://www.purdue.edu/UNS/html4ever/030731.Mattes.peanuts.html).
Talk more with your friend about this. Having a few peanuts may be better since it takes time to eat them. If you do go the peanut butter route, I'd go with the "just peanuts" product - a lot of peanut butter has stuff added to keep it from separating, and sugar added to be more attractive to children.
As you do this, do keep a food log. Write down everything you eat and keep track of the calories. Jim of this blog has a spreadsheet that is very convenient to use, or you can use many web sites.
ReplyThanks 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.
ReplyThe spreadsheet I recalled is at http://www.diet-blog.com/archives/2007/05/16/how_to_make_your_own_diet_plan.php but there's several sections of this blog on food diaries. Look under "tips and tools" in "categories" above.
ReplyIn terms of food logs- I've been using thedailyplate.com and it is SO HELPFUL! you can type in any food and it'll give you all the nutritional info- they have thousands of generic foods as well as brand items and even meals from restaurants. If an item isn't listed and you know the nutritional info, you can add it to the database yourself. You just click a button to add it to "your plate" and it tallies all your calories, fat, protein, etc. for the day! You can also add physical fitness to calculate daily "net cals" and you can set weight loss goals - dailyplate will calculate the number of calories you need to reach your goal, whether you want to do it by 1 lb a week, 2, etc.
i've also upgraded to "gold membership" which is pretty cheap and gives you extra options but the basic version is FREE! it's been very useful for me in terms of becoming more aware of how many calories i consume and maintaining a healthy weight.
good luck!!!
ReplyWhile 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.
Reply