Help! How do you stop bingeing?

[LosingKitty]

After losing 63 lbs and then sitting still for 2 years I then gained 10 lbs back over a years time. Now for several months I have been bingeing on anything and everything 2 to 5 days a week. Not only have I not been able to stay on LC for more than 10 days at a time for the last 2.5 years but now I'm bingeing on fast food, junk food and candy. The weird thing is I was never much of a candy eater I was more of a fried food eater until now. So now just lately I've added another 10 lbs back.

From what I read on the net it sounds like people binge when they are upset primarily but I'm only upset that I am bingeing! I'm not having any more stress than I have had for years.

I've tried "white knuckeling" for days to try to get back into LC but I just cant keep right.

I cant afford therapy and I'm more a take care of things yourself person anyway. Just hoping someone can tell me something that will work for me too.

Thanks for "listening"

[Lowcarbboy]

I went through a similar period last fall, I completely gave up on LC and put on a ton of weight (25 lbs in three weeks!). What got me back on the "right path" was sitting down and planning a week of LC meals, going out and buying the groceries and cooking a bunch of staples on a Sunday so I was prepared for the cravings ahead. It seems like you've been able to get through 10 days, which is a great start, now you just need stock your house/office with go to meals to get you through the next week. I would also focus on getting some LC snack food to have around to fight your snacking cravings. Pork rinds, microwaved pepperoni slices, jicama and dip. Or even grab a bag of the sugar free candies (I know they aren't the best for you but have gotten me through a few cravings without kicking me out of ketosis).

[Leo41]

One of the things I've learned is that there is a physical tendency to binge that is an effect of any significant weight loss or restrictive eating. Often the efforts to undo the damage of a binge by eating less will promote more binges.

I learned this from the best book I've read on this subject Brain Over Binge. It helped me enormously.

What the author (a recovered bulimic) points out is that our brain actually creates urges to binge, and she has techniques for rejecting those urges that have worked for me.

I hope you find a way to get a handle on this problem because it's critical for effective, long-term weight management, IMO.

[kat mommy]

Hi I understand where you are coming from. I too have another 45 to go. I am a binge eater.
This time I have made a mental switch to go LC for life. I do have times where I binge but I get right back on track the very next meal.
I have taken most tings out of the house that causes me to binge ( DH has a few treats).
I do not go shopping alone and always take a list.
I only take the money I need when in the car and I leave credit cards at home.
I leave notes to myself on the frig and inside..do I need this or do I want to get sick ( I binge to the point of gettin sick) is your life worth more than the food in your hand!
If I feel a binge coming.I first make a sweet pepermint tea, if the monster is still there try letting a teaspoon of butter melt on your tounge..I also chew gum..although it has some carbs it is far better than a binge.

[LowCarbLife4Me]

Originally Posted by kat mommy

Hi I understand where you are coming from. I too have another 45 to go. I am a binge eater.
This time I have made a mental switch to go LC for life. I do have times where I binge but I get right back on track the very next meal.
I have taken most tings out of the house that causes me to binge ( DH has a few treats).
I do not go shopping alone and always take a list.
I only take the money I need when in the car and I leave credit cards at home.
I leave notes to myself on the frig and inside..do I need this or do I want to get sick ( I binge to the point of gettin sick) is your life worth more than the food in your hand!
If I feel a binge coming.I first make a sweet pepermint tea, if the monster is still there try letting a teaspoon of butter melt on your tounge..I also chew gum..although it has some carbs it is far better than a binge.

KatMommy you have some great suggestions... I pre-make all of my lunches and most of my breakfast meals on the weekends. I also buy my snacks in bulk and weigh them into 1 to 1-1/2 carb plastic baggies. I find if I have a baggie to grab when I feel the need to binge it really helps. I take 1 and eat it slow, usually by time I finish I'm strong enough to hold off until the next meal.

Preparation and some accountability here can really help you over come your binges. Join one of the challenge groups for some support. I'm in one that just started this week, "Thinner in Three" you are welcome to come and hang with us.

[Star73]

Maybe a candida issue? Check out the candida thread here and google info about it. Since you said you never craved sweets before, but do now, that makes me wonder if you have overgrowth. Have you had antibiotics recently? or before your cravings started? Steroids? Hormones? Just something to think about..

[flatferenghi]

i thought i had licked it, but i was off again, on again off again for the 1st qtr of 2012. and the off part had me eating everything that did not eat me first. I can give no reason why this happens. it is not about what is eating me. I binge when i am happy, when i am sad, when i am mad etc. i also stay on plan when i am experiencing the same emotions. go figure!!! It reaches a point when i feel i have had enough, and I dust myself off, stand up and begin again.. this time around, i only gained back half of the 70+ lbs it took me 2 years to lose. the good news is that the weather when i do my best and most consistant on plan behavior is beginning. all i can suggest, is to sit down, think about it while enjoying a cold or hot beveridge. that may help. best of luck.ALSO, U HAVE US. that is what we are here for. I too must remember that the next time I am about to pick up a fork and devour a box of Entenmanns, to pick up LCF instead. Love & Profits: FLATFERENGHI

[Abby]

I find that I predominately binge in the evening before bedtime. I therefore try (unsuccessfully at times) to stay out of the kitchen after 9:00P.M. by getting myself upstairs. It's a low-tech solution, but it works.........

[Changeling]

I feel for you! I struggle with the exact same problems of cravings and binges that I try to justify to myself and "start tomorrow".

What I would suggest is to allow yourself to eat as much as you want of delicious meat and fat for the first, say, 3 days ... until ketosis sets in and dulls your appetite and urges. After that things should be a lot easier for you.

That's the deal I make with myself anyway: when I feel the urge to binge and my brain starts coming up with all kinds of justifications for it on auto-pilot, then I treat myself to a huge, delicious meal (see it as a binge if you like) of yummy meat and fat! After that the urge passes, where if my binge contained carbs it would just never end and continue for weeks.

[MicheleS]

not really any advice but sympathy. I am in the same boat.

I find that 1 bite is never enough. If I take just 1, then I am on a binge (literally). Therefore, careful planning of my day helps. This includes diet, exercise, and *me* time. At the end of each day, I brush my teeth and log it. (That's my typical binge-time. *Seeing* my day on paper and literally "closing the book" helps me to resist that 1st bite of sugar.)

FWIW- I am just recently back on the wagon after an MD-prescribed LF diet made me a binging maniac.

[beachguy]

I would urge anyone with a binging/craving problem to check out the Leptin Reset on Jack Kruse's blog. Also check out mamagrok's thread in Success Stories titled Beating sugar addiction, ED, CF, & much more!. It is in the forum at Jack Kruse. She posted recently that she in now 200 days binge free.

I am craving/binge free since last November. As long as I eat my BAB (Big Axx Breakfast), eating is completely under control. If I eat too small a breakfast, I stay hungry all day and tend to eat more calories. I just weighed in this morning at 244, the lowest I have been in 15+ years. Now I am one of those people who finds it easy to stay on plan. This is after over 9 years of failure after failure.

[Aomiel]

I had that same problem awhile back. I was never a sweet eater but all of a sudden that's what I craved...carbs and especially sweet junk. Even though I had no other symptoms of yeast infection, my doctor did the test and I definitely had an overabundance of yeast in my system. Once that was under control, so was the bingeing.

[ElizabethLC]

A couple things that help me...

1. Journaling.. I write about why I want to binge. What will it do for me, what am I hoping to get out of overeating.

2. I am just learning how to meditate and be in the moment. I try to sit still in a calm place and check in with my stomach. What is my stomach saying in terms of hunger? Generally a binge does not originate with my stomach. When I can realize that I am not hungry, a lot of the time I can start to think more rationally about the whole thing.

3. Leptin reset - like Beachguy, the big breakfast helps A Lot. Before I started the Leptin Reset I was hungry every night and would often give in. Since I started the LR I have been able to be more aware of the whole thing, journal, meditate and talk myself out of wanting to binge. It feels less like white-knuckling and more like gaining rational control.

I agree that one bite is never enough. If I am not actually hungry and am fixating on some food, one serving of that food generally does not "satisfy" me, but neither does two or five. At that point, hunger is not the problem, so eating doesn't solve it. If I'm stressed and I eat... then when it's all over, my stress problem is still there AND I just ate a bunch of extra calories.

[svenskamae]

I was anorexic as a teenager and then became bulimic. Going away to college helped some, but I still had binges when I was under stress.

One thing that helped me was not letting my level of calories get so low that I would become ravenous or start bingeing like my mind was on automatic pilot/dissassociating. Trying to "make up for" a binge by starving yourself or eating a low calorie diet that feels like constant denial/punishment is counterproductive, and likely to set off another binge when you feel too ravenous or deprived.

I also found that eating big salads full of crunchy stuff like greens, chopped raw vegetables, chopped tomatoes, crumbled cheese, sunflower seeds, olives, and low carb dressing was the least destructive form of stress eating I could do. I have a BIG salad bowl and when I've crunched my way through its contents, I've released a lot of agressive/angry feelings and actually had a healthy meal that I don't have to feel guilty about.

There are a number of books on binge eating that are written very sympathetically and with some good suggestions for coping. I'm sorry that I don't remember titles (I think at least one is by Kim Chernin), but you may be able to find a number that would make you feel less alone and hopeless, if you look in your local library or on amazon.com.

Good luck. I felt such despair and shame and aloneness when I did big binges (and purges). I admire you for coming here for help.

[Pheelyx]

Before low carb, I would binge on any high carb food I could find till I was miserable. Now I still binge, but only on LC food. I don't know if it's because I'm not eating carbs, but I can now stop myself before I'm completely stuffed. I also discovered that a lot of my binges were caused by my daily weighing. I am now weighing only once a week and it has helped some. I am one week binge free today.

I would definitely recommend getting all the high carb crap out of your house. So at least if you binge it won't be as bad. I would definitely work on discovering what is causing the binge. Because once you know that it will be easier to solve the problem. I have seen other people suggest talking and reasoning with yourself when you feel a binge coming on. So far that has been working for me. But I haven't been that long without a binge, so will have to see if that will work for the long haul.

[steady]

A lifelong binger here. To be honest with you, I had to get really tough on myself and give no excuse to binge. Bingeing served itself, it became a habit when I didn't know what else to do. Sometimes, I started eating a normal meal and ended with a binge. Why? I realize I was procrastinating or delaying a period of food restriction or take a "time out" from the present, and then excused the binge as prevent or fortifiying myself to tackle future hunger/uncomfortableness that may or may not happen. Bingeing never got me anywhere; food is available everywhere. So why do I feel this need to stuff my face until I am about to explode? Bottom line, unresolved/ issues. You may equate LC with restriction/deprivation and binge in a moment of weakness. Truthfully, low carbing may not be your issue in itself, may be your interpretation of low carbing brings feelings of restriction and deprivation. You need to address your feeling about it, RIGHT NOW...binge later if you want to...you probably won't. Settle your mind issues, decide on your plan, follow it, and I guarantee bingeing will not be an issue. You need to consciously make a choice, not do something because you "should".

[brehede]

For me JUDDD has helped (although might do the opposite given calorie restrictions!). I keep LC also but have very loose UDs so that I don't feel deprived at all. For me that helps because I am only restricting every second day and don't have the same cravings.

Good luck - the key is getting a few days straight!

[CurvyAFGirl]

Try the book "Brain over binge" it really helped me. I haven't had a binge since reading this book, and I have been back on STRICT LC since. It has been so easy. The book was recommended to me in another thread.

http://www.lowcarbfriends.com/bbs/be...-thoughts.html

[LowCarbPanda86]

Also a *former* binger (former is in astericks because I have to fight tooth and nail to keep that binge monster at bay) all I can do is wish you luck and hope you find the help that adresses your specific triggers (everyone binges for different reasons despite what "experts" may "think") I used to binge primarily out of boredom and sometimes just to numb myself from whatever. I will be completely honest and say if for some reason I ever get completely out of ketosis I know I would binge again...maybe worse. To help myself (and I know this wil offend some and also may not work for you or anyone else) I hang pictures of myself on my fridge where I was almost 300 pounds. It personaly disgusts me (again this is my help tactic...may not work for you) and I then only go to the fridge when appropriate (I.e. hungry, thirsty) I keep myself busy and make sure my bf and I spend quality time thatrevolves around us and not food (for example our dates are most usually always centered around activities OTHER than eating). I also use the fact that I am a girly girl and love hair, nails clothes and fix my boredom with hopping, manis and pedis are done weekly. These things all replace the high I got from bingeing and also numb me in a sense..woah I kind of went on and on here sorry...hope this helps somhow. Good luck!

Oh and try not having ANY pre-made, ready to eat convenience type foods in your house. If you have to actually cook then sometimes that urge is diminished because the reward of food is not instant ....k now I'm done forreal!

[SrfrGirl]

SPOILER ALERT:Some of these ideas may disgust you.

1. Get all binge and junk foods out of your house and into a garbage bag. Take out the garbage. Don't buy anymore. Hide your money.

2. Grocery shop so that you can make/have safe meals. Boil eggs and keep in the fridge. Keep cooked meats in tupperware for snacks. But safe snacks. If you can have Adkins bars or sugar free jello, get them but only allow yourself one or a half of one. Keep them behind a cabinet, so you don't see them. There should be no foods you can see when you walk in your kitchen. Put everthing away and wrapped well. Make it hard to get to them.

3. Don't eat out. Don't trust what restaurants put in food. Maybe your food fell on the floor. Do this: Imagine they spit in it, step on it, put carbs in it, and too much salt. Don't trust them!

4.Throw away all alchoholic beverages and mixers and do not buy any or let anyone bring any in. Alcohol makes you gain weight, and makes you get an appetite. You will want to eat. Get rid of it.

5.Brush your teeth. Often. You won't want to binge when your mouth is clean. Go have your teeth cleaned at the dentist every 3 months. Get the whitened. You won't want to get food in between your teeth. When you are hungry put whitening strips on your teeth.

6. Get out of the house and do activities where there is no food. Bring a water bottle. Slip some safe snacks like cheese stix in your purse. Go to a botanical gardens, shop for clothes, or go to a holocaust museum (I couldn't eat for days after going there).

7. Go to bed early. If you are not awake, you can't eat. Research shows that you lose weight if you sleep more. My boyfriend only gets only 3-4 hours of sleep a night and I see the empty packages of popcorn, and various foods when I wake up. Don't be ashamed to go to sleep early. It works.

8. Get a sleep study to see if you have sleep apnea. If so get CPAP. People with sleep apnea gain weight and want to binge eat, without treatment for it.

9. Weigh yourself every morning and if you didn't lose weight, make yourself drink coffee, tea, or broth, and eat dinner only. You will see a loss the next morning.

10. Keep broth or bullion at your office to make a hot cup of broth. It will stave hunger pangs.

11. Don't eat pre-packaged spice paks like McCormick roast beef cooking spices that have the bags with them. If you cook in the bag, throw away the spice pak and make your own from real spices and herbs. The pre-packaged ones have ingedients in them that bypass the appestat in your brain and cause you to think you still need to eat.

12.If you have pain, go to a pain care doctor and get treated. If you are in pain you will want to eat and also drink alcohol to kill the pain. Remember to tell your doctor you want medications or treatment that will not cause weight gain, because some do. Botox shots in muscles for spasms do not cause weight gain. Cortisteroid shots can, so must be accompanied by lasix.

13. Cleanses help with cravings. Do a parasite cleanse. Do a liver/galbladder cleanse. Most important do a candida cleanse (you only have to this once a year and you are great for the rest of the year. Canidida gets deep in your colon and buries itself and is easily cured by a supplement that cleanses the beast). Go get a colonic. Get body wraps.

14. Take Metformin. I promise you will have to force yourself to eat after taking it. You will not want to see binge food. Don't drink alcohol with it or you will vomit. Don't eat carbs or sugar while taking it or you will be pooping liquid. It also causes weight loss, esp. in non-diabetics.

15. Drink cold, cold water. It makes you less hungry and makes your body work harder as it has it has to warm the water first.

16. Remember: The government allows a certain amount of cockroach eggs and rat droppings in chocolate and junk food. Think about it. Yuck.

[Portia]

subbing to this great thread.

[Abby]

Srfrgirl, I agree with all of your points except #13 and #14. Candida is NOT an issue in establishing a weight loss plan. I also would NEVER recommend the use of Metformin except in folks who have either established Type II Diabetes Mellitus or Pre-Diabetes which has NOT responded to diet and exercise.

Good Luck,

[Erin57]

I just recently started doing a fast from 7-11 daily and it has helped. I stay pretty strict paleo due to so many food intolerances. I was borrowing the same 4 lbs. every week and starting to feel deprived. I would gain from 174 to 178 every weekend and then go back down to 174 by early week. I was also eating too much protein which kept me in a constant state of hunger.

I tried JUDD a few times but got very dizzy and could not sleep at night due to the extreme chills. It also did make me binge.

I ate from 11-7 for the past week and went from 174.8 when I started last Monday to 173.2 today. This is AFTER Fri and Sat which are my worst eating days. I had boiled potato for supper last night and still did not see a jump in weight like I usually do.

It's surprising easy for me after I got started. I have been enjoying my wine with dinner and have included some higher carb paleo breads and muffins. I never have to go to bed hungry and don't feel as if I am missing out on anything. It seems to have reset my hunger signals also. I'm surprisingly not that hungry when 11 AM rolls around.

I stay Paleo because I have so many issues with dairy, gluten, soy and artificial anything.


I chose the 8 hour daily eating window over one or 2 full fasts because it is something I can see myself continuing to do over the long haul.

[Star73]

Originally Posted by Abby

Srfrgirl, I agree with all of your points except #13 and #14. Candida is NOT an issue in establishing a weight loss plan. I also would NEVER recommend the use of Metformin except in folks who have either established Type II Diabetes Mellitus or Pre-Diabetes which has NOT responded to diet and exercise.

Good Luck,

I disagree. Candida can cause intense cravings for sweets which does affect weight loss. Maybe not in establishing a weight loss plan, but you certainly need to control the candida if you have overgrowth to help you be successful in your weight loss.

As far as metformin goes, it certainly isn't for everyone. I agree with you there. However, it is prescribed for more than just diabetes and pre-diabetes. People with PCOS and insulin resistance can benefit from it also.

[SrfrGirl]

Originally Posted by Star73

I disagree. Candida can cause intense cravings for sweets which does affect weight loss. Maybe not in establishing a weight loss plan, but you certainly need to control the candida if you have overgrowth to help you be successful in your weight loss.

As far as metformin goes, it certainly isn't for everyone. I agree with you there. However, it is prescribed for more than just diabetes and pre-diabetes. People with PCOS and insulin resistance can benefit from it also.

I totally agree!
And-Metformin is not for everyone but it works. It helps a lot of people with PCOS and insulin resistance as Star has pointed out.
A candida cleanse really stopped my cravings. And I have lost weight on Metformin.

[SrfrGirl]

Sunny: How are you doing?

You can do this. See how everyone is behind you?

[LosingKitty]

Thanks for all the great ideas.
I stay out of the carb food my husband, son & grandchildren have. I cook ahead for the week and portion out my food. Unfortunately I can eat all kinds of bad things at work for free in our Employee Dining Room and the planned food I bring goes uneaten. I also stop for fast food before or after work.
I know I have to just be strong and DO IT, I know what to eat and what not to do.
Not bringing money or credit cards is a good idea for not stopping for fast food. I usually shop after work but I maybe shouldn't trust myself to shop alone until I get things back under control.
Two of you mentioned the same book, I will definitely order that.
A lot of the problem lately is I am so lethargic at home.

You have all given me a lot to think over and I really do appreciate each of you taking the time to offer help.

[Star73]

Originally Posted by SrfrGirl

I totally agree!
And-Metformin is not for everyone but it works. It helps a lot of people with PCOS and insulin resistance as Star has pointed out.
A candida cleanse really stopped my cravings. And I have lost weight on Metformin.

Which candida cleanse did you use? You can PM me if you want

Originally Posted by LosingKitty

Thanks for all the great ideas.
I stay out of the carb food my husband, son & grandchildren have. I cook ahead for the week and portion out my food. Unfortunately I can eat all kinds of bad things at work for free in our Employee Dining Room and the planned food I bring goes uneaten. I also stop for fast food before or after work.
I know I have to just be strong and DO IT, I know what to eat and what not to do.
Not bringing money or credit cards is a good idea for not stopping for fast food. I usually shop after work but I maybe shouldn't trust myself to shop alone until I get things back under control.
Two of you mentioned the same book, I will definitely order that.
A lot of the problem lately is I am so lethargic at home.

You have all given me a lot to think over and I really do appreciate each of you taking the time to offer help.

Hang in there! Just take it day by day

[cfine]

I am absolutely terrified of eating anything off plan. Every time I have ever tried to do LC, as soon as I eat one thing that I shoudn't, the binge monster comes out of the closet and get me!! Then it takes me months(or years) to get back to it.

I even dream(nightmare really) that I am eating something bad and try to stop myself in my dream. It's terrible! I am praying for the continued will to go on without deviating from my plan. I just take one day at a time and check my blood sugars regularly. As soon as I stop doing that one thing, I trick myself into thinking that I'm fine and that I can eat what I want.

I can't, so I've had to just get over myself. LOL!

[shelby'snana]

I would like to know what candida cleanse you used also, if that's ok ??