Why cant i stop binge eating?

[JEDI]

the more food around me, the more i eat.

ie:
-supermarket had a great sale on a big bag of potato chips. i bought 3 bags of different flavors. i finished all 3 in 6 days
-costco had a coupon for a 50oz bag of M&m's. gone in 5 days
- i bought 4lbs of low salt bacon. gone in a week.
- 4lbs of ribeye. gone in 4 days

so i've learned to keep low stocks of food in my house. since i dont want to goto the market twice in a week, i actually space the food out to last.

so why do i binge eat, and how do i stop it?

 

[Kaido]

You binge eat because you are locked into a habit.

To change a habit, first identify it, second figure out what you want to replace it with, and third, make it happen. What worked for me was breaking my meals into smaller ones and eating every few hours - so you eat 5 to 7 small meals a day. Like oatmeal for breakfast, half a sandwich at 10am, and the other half at noon. Then you don't have a chance to get hungry during the day and it's easier to say no when your habit to binge kicks in.

 

[Pardus]

i bought 4lbs of low salt bacon. gone in a week.

change your brain.

 

[Pantlegz]

you binge because you're unhappy and you're unhappy because you binge...

Seriously though, the way I stop myself from eating shit I don't need to is by not buying it. I keep next to no sweets or snacks in the house and I'll only buy food to eat for the next week or so. That way I can't eat what's not there. I seem to have much better control in the store than in my house.

 

[XZeroII]

Stop buying so much stuff. You binge eat because you have food laying around.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Stop buying it. I'll eat whatever, especially if I'm in a bad mood. If it's not in the house, I settle for whatever's around, which tends to be a healthy alternative. Learn some self control. What you bring into the house affects what you put into your belly.

 

[the DRIZZLE]

I'm really bad with binge eating too. I just try to keep some low calorie density foods around so that at least I binge on those. For example, I get the 6 pack of romaine lettuce heads at Costco. If you binge on that its not gonna hurt you.

edit: Also never buy huge sizes of junk food even if its a good deal. If you really want it just buy a small size.

 

[highland145]

so why do i binge eat, and how do i stop it?

It's an emotional tie. Eating as a replacement. I would guess that you have done this for a long time, yes? I certainly have. I could have just finished a big meal but all I think about that cake, until it's gone. Every last bite. Been that way as long as I can remember. My son (10) can take it or leave it, sweets, pizza, etc. When he's had enough, that's it.

My solution, same as the others. Keep it out of the house. It won't even cross my mind if it's not there. That's what makes me believe it's an emotional thing and not hunger.

 

[rcpratt]

The only way I could stop myself snacking was to stop buying junk. It's pretty easy to avoid eating it when it's not in the pantry.

 

[polarmystery]

The only way I could stop myself snacking was to stop buying junk. It's pretty easy to avoid eating it when it's not in the pantry.

I do the same thing. I still eat junk but having a lot of healthy options at home make driving to the store to pick up something I might want to eat all the more difficult. The whole, "I want something to eat...do I really want to drive to the store for it when I have all these other things here?" is what I battle constantly...

 

[darkxshade]

This is a problem for a lot of people, me included so I'll make some counterpoints to the "don't buy/stock up on it then" crowd. Sometimes it's sort of hard not to buy junk food either. 2-3 weeks ago, Slickdeals had a frontpage deal for a 30oz container/150 yummy earth lollipops for $4.50 shipped. I knew it was nothing but sugar, I knew it's not good for me but I liked lollipops and have never had these before so bought it anyway cuz it was just too good a deal to pass up. Finished the container in about a week. 3 lollipops/serving for 70 kcal/serving = 3500cals. I keep thinking to myself I just added a lb of fat. It's certainly hard sometimes. :\

 

[abaez]

Yeah, I basically cannot have any snacks in the house or I will eat them. When people come over they are like.. what the hell you have nothing to eat (snacks). Even when I buy the bag of dried fruit at Costco it's gone in like a week.

 

[JEDI]

It's an emotional tie. Eating as a replacement. I would guess that you have done this for a long time, yes? I certainly have. I could have just finished a big meal but all I think about that cake, until it's gone. Every last bite. Been that way as long as I can remember. My son (10) can take it or leave it, sweets, pizza, etc. When he's had enough, that's it.

My solution, same as the others. Keep it out of the house. It won't even cross my mind if it's not there. That's what makes me believe it's an emotional thing and not hunger.

ahh... never thought of that.
how do i break the emotional tie?

 

[ShawnD1]

I'm more curious how that stuff physically fits inside you. I can't eat 4 mcdonalds cheeseburgers even if I really really really wanted to. You're talking about eating a pound of steak per day in addition to other stuff.


Half-serious suggestion: drink more coffee. Caffeine makes the stomach contract a bunch so it's hard to eat.
Exercise helps too. Things like running too hard and biking too hard can make people throw up because the stomach contracts.

 

[darkxshade]

ahh... never thought of that.
how do i break the emotional tie?

To me, it feels almost like an addiction. The notion of instant gratification that is within your grasp sort of nags at you until you cave. You can't not have food in your home at all so first step for me was to blunt this by stocking up on healthy foods only like fruits or stuff that are otherwise too much work to prepare and eat like canned goods or raw meats.

For some reason it always only happens when I'm at home at night meaning I don't feel these cravings at all at work... likely because I've gotten used to the idea that there just isn't any food around during the day so eating is at the back of my mind. After realizing this, I find that it helps if immediately after dinner, I'd go out for a stroll if it's nice or to occupy myself so that I don't think about eating. My worst enemy when it comes to eating is when I have nothing to do or if I'm doing something rather benign.

 

[wheresmybacon]

Just like a normal drinker can't understand how I could possibly drink a half-gallon of vodka in a day, I can't understand binge eating. My solution to my drink problem is I don't drink.

Unfortunately for people with this binge eating thing, they can't just not eat. I would suggest what pretty much everyone else here is - don't keep junk food in the house.

 

[iluvdeal]

ahh... never thought of that.
how do i break the emotional tie?

Through self examination. Do you notice your binge eating is usually triggered by some type of situation in your life? People commonly overeat when they are stressed, anxious, or depressed. Figure out what your trigger is and then find more effective ways to handle it rather than trying to self medicate yourself with food, binging is you avoiding the real issues at hand.

First things first though, stop buying crap food.

 

[JEDI]

Through self examination. Do you notice your binge eating is usually triggered by some type of situation in your life? People commonly overeat when they are stressed, anxious, or depressed. Figure out what your trigger is and then find more effective ways to handle it rather than trying to self medicate yourself with food, binging is you avoiding the real issues at hand.

First things first though, stop buying crap food.

i have stopped buying crap food. heck, i;ve stopped stocking up on food.

but at work today the boss brought in donuts for the staff meeting. he's never done that before.

everyone had a donut. after the meeting, the donuts were placed in the common area. i and a couple of others had one b4 going back to our desks. then an hr later i went back and got a 3rd one, which was the last donut.

it was like i couldnt help it. WTF?!

 

[Alone]

Will power; work on it. Personally, I have nearly none. But if you can identify the problem, make a point to remember what it is. If you don't really want it (ie: want to get fit) don't fucking eat it. It's a simple concept which is sometimes hard to implement.

Your body will crave things it's used to having. Once you've given up all the sweet your body will get used to it and not want it so much.

I used to crave Doritos. Not chips in general, just Doritos. It has gotten better to the point that I don't buy them anymore, but if friends have some I'll eat the. No will power.

 

[*kjm]

You can do it.... I used to eat just like you do up untill a couple weeks ago.... so 44yrs of that. I never did have health problems or weight problems. I work out and keep busy around the house to keep in shape.

I found out I have type 1 diabetes and they put me on insulin. The day they told me I HAD to stop eating big amounts of food and just plain eating all day long because my blood sugar was through the roof.

Well in one day I started eating at 8am/noon/6pm and snack at 9pm. All healthy food and I dont miss the old stuff much at all... it did take getting diabetes to see how bad I was eating.

Maybe act like you just got told you have it or think about the shots and blood tests I'm going through and how much you would hate it

 

[magomago]

yup I agree with the comments echoed here - just don't buy it. I'm the same way. If I buy shit, I want to eat it. It isn't a lack of self control or anything - I like to take advantage of what I have. I don't like to have it sit there storing for ever and ever unless I'm just too lazy to cook it. But when I control what I put around me, I naturally gravitate towards things that aren't all that bad for me.

Eating a meal works the same way - I prefer to eat until I'm done. If there is extra food I will eat it. I can't be like some people that have the same meal that they munch on for two hours. I'd rather cut it up into portions ahead of time and then tackle it that way.

 

[wheresmybacon]

In my completely non-professional opinion, I think there's got to be, for some people, some sort of addictive component to the feeding process. It's bigger than having no willpower; it'd be more akin to explaining the process of why some people get addicted to uppers, some opiates, some booze, some nothing at all.

 

[Safeway]

I didn't read all of the posts above, but let me relate:

I have the same problem you have. If there is food available, I will eat it. I ended up making it a point to stop buying ice cream, chips, candy, and similar junk food because if it was there, it was eaten. Here are some examples:

5 pound jar of Jelly Belly jelly beans. I love them, and they are a small snack for most people - 5 here, 5 there. I would sit down with the jar in my lap and just eat them. I went through a pound of Dr. Pepper and Red Apple beans in an hour.

Easter chocolate. After I stopped buying candy, somehow, it shows up. I eat it. I ate a few pounds of chocolate in a single day. Let me tell you now, I paid for that dearly the next day (actually, a few days later because my GI tract was so static.)

Chips and salsa. Open a bag of chips and a jar of salsa and keep eating until the jar of salsa is gone. Then, probably keep eating the chips.

The fact that a lot of this behavior made me sick did not matter. The fact that I felt physical consequences was secondary. The food was delicious and I loved eating it.

To finally get over this, I had to make it a point to focus on my long term health and well being. I began working out and joined a Crossfit gym. I focused on competitive cycling. I attended Crossfit and Olympic lifting certifications. Once my focus was on my level of fitness, then food began to matter, but not as it had previously "mattered."

Food is an energy source, first and foremost. If you eat the wrong shit, you will sabotage your athletic performance in both the short and long term. Too much chocolate and refined carbs, and you'll be donked the next day at the gym. You will also likely over eat, put on additional body fat, and your metabolic conditioning and cardio endurance will suffer. Eat insufficient protein and your muscle development and your ability to maintain muscle mass while cutting will be greatly diminished.

Food stopped being an emotional destination and became an energy source. Just like you train with weights and time on the bike, I train with intelligent nutrition.

It was a paradigm shift that took place in my mind. That said, it is still a struggle to keep on track day in, day out. I have no doubt in my mind that this is an addiction. Everyone has their comfort food, but this type of binging you describe transcends beyond mere eating for comfort. It is an addiction that you need to get in check.

Also, everyone in the thread, please see my signature and help me out.

P.S. This might not be the most fluid post I have ever written and likely contains maybe errors and jumps in reasoning and topic. Sorry.

 

[highland145]

*snip*

Food stopped being an emotional destination and became an energy source. Just like you train with weights and time on the bike, I train with intelligent nutrition.

Just an observation (not being critical). Trading one "addiction" for another, albeit a good one. I've done this. Prior to getting married, the gym 7 days a week. I "enjoyed" the hunger pangs as a sign I was doing it "right." Still couldn't have the junk around.

In the last several years I've have cycled back towards this. 6 days of something, weights/cardio but there is still excess food around because of the family. And I drink too much.

 

[Safeway]

Just an observation (not being critical). Trading one "addiction" for another, albeit a good one. I've done this. Prior to getting married, the gym 7 days a week. I "enjoyed" the hunger pangs as a sign I was doing it "right." Still couldn't have the junk around.

In the last several years I've have cycled back towards this. 6 days of something, weights/cardio but there is still excess food around because of the family. And I drink too much.

I wish eating healthy was my new addiction, but it is not. I still eat slightly below my maintenance intake and very, very rarely have 'hunger pains' - and when I do, I drop everything and get a bite to eat.

Right now, I am having a problem with over-compensation. Cycling is a sport that has well-known over-compensation issues. I feel the same level of appetite increase after biking 10 miles or biking 40 to 80 miles. For most people, a 10 mile ride is their long distance. During that ride, they may only burn 300 or 400 calories due to the short distance and probable slow speed, but upon completion, think that a nice 1200 calorie bowl of spaghetti is well deserved. I have to keep track of power data recordings in order to accurately keep track of my caloric burn, otherwise, I will over-compensate.

That said, after a 4-hour, 80+ mile endurance weekend ride, I will definitely eat a balanced meal of steak and sweet potatoes with butter or spaghetti and italian sausage since I usually burn over 1200 calories an hour at that pace.

Garmin Edge figures 1700 calories per hour given my weight, etc., but by using pure power output and the human body's % efficiency, it is actually closer to 1200 to 1300.

The Garmin might see me going 50 mph and might figure 8000 calories per hour for a limited duration whereas the power output will reflect the 19% grade descent and 70 mph tail wind and show that I am burning ZERO calories per hour since I am coasting!

All this because you talked about eating habits and said 'cycle' in your post. I am ADD.