Diet Community

Hope someone has some ideas since so far i wasn't able to come up with something that would help me to manage binging.......

This is a tough issue Dr. Peeke! I know I have my moments where I have given in to a binge, even though I knew I was going to feel incredibly guilty afterwards. For the majority of times I am able to stop myself but there have been a few times when I have let myself go...I guess that is just being human! The times when I am able to tough it out I think about where I have been and where I want to be. I might grab a nice big grapefruit or orange so I am eating something, just not something that is bad for me! Since I log my calories daily I look at what I have eaten for the day and if I am at the high end, that can sometimes be the deterent I need to not binge...just seeing those numbers can be enough to push me in the right direction. I wish I could offer up some great advice that would make this an easier issue to deal with but this is an issue I struggle with just as much as anyone else :)

Let me preface this by saying, it's not always easy to be healthy. Since I began eating better in Oct. 09 I have lost 90 lbs. of ugly fat. Eating a well balanced diet usually keeps me out of things I know are not for my best health, but there are times. Then, I get over it quick and go back to my routine of an egg or 2 for breakfast with whole wheat bread, then mid morning snack of fruit of some kind. Lunch is usually 6oz lean chicken white meat or 5oz shrimp or 4oz beef. A snack of fruit mid aft & dinner, like lunch with veggies & salad, using light mayo & spices for dressing. Then later snack sometimes is not the best, but when it is not, I think of it as tricking metabolism, like I have read about and go on from there. Another 50 lb. for me to reach maintenance - Gook Luck & Have Fun. I have taken up golf and plan to actually swim in my pool when it warms up a bit more. Now, how to spell 'Svelte'

Binging, hmmmmmmmm this could be my middle name, or maybe my first?? I am at the beginning of my journey and I don't trust myself at all with my vise...sugar, so I have completely removed any trace of it from my home and my office at work. My husband thought I was a 'freak' at first when the salad dressings and ketchup were hiting the garbage can, but he too has seen a difference having a clean home. Literally the only thing sweet in our home is agave nectar for our son. I bought a mini fridge for work so that I don't have to go to the comunal staff lounge where on any given day their is an obsene amount of sugary foods to purchase or for FREE. And I just can't handle being around it. I'm anticipating this getting better as my will power gets stronger, but for now, I am so afraid to be around it! I also am journaling everything I eat so that is helping keep eating a concious decision not a 'knee-jerk" response. I've also noticed I'm chewing alot of sugarfree gum. Good focus for all!

Hi Dr Peeke
as you know I started my healthy eating plan in 2003 and I am still haveing an occasional binge like episode. I keep a rather safe enviroment so my binge like behavior is usually nuts or extra fruit. dark chocolate..if by chance I have the forbidden foods (holiday baked goods) around I seem better able to control those ..I seem to have enough fear of fat returning to control myslef around the real sweets... I have occasionally been aware that sometimes this is false hunger that I am feeling .. when that happens I drink ice water.. or do some sort of exercise to occupy myself... and I check in to these exchanges.. for support.
I have noticed that sometimes I get tired and sleepy confused with hunger...
Hugs Judy:)

Candy is kept in places where it goes unseen. I don't keep known binge type foods in the house. (Ok, so sometimes a bakery expedition goes wild)

I don't watch tv but one hour a week and we don't eat in front of the tv with the exception of the Super Bowl.

I tend to take a bath, knit, wash the counter. Mostly-it is keeping it out of the house.

Hi there. The reason I posted this question is because I know it's a bear. Here's something I have found during my years working with wonderful people like yourself.

Watch out for the terrible three. Beware when, for whatever reason, you feel:

Helpless

Hopeless

Defeated

Binging per se is often associated with depression and feeling down. When you start feeling any of these, red alert! First, be aware of situations that bring this on. Think back and look at your own patterns. Is it stress associated with your job, home relationships, self esteem issues, body image or whatever. Take a minute and study yourself.

Then, when you're in that situation, you need to be armed with a way to get out. Look at what you did which was terrific. You grounded yourself with your own logged numbers. It helps to snap you out of your Binge Trance.

What really helps is to go back to your Target Motivation (see my blogs about this at Every Day Fitness with Dr. Peeke). You need your mantra that breaks the knee jerk into the fridge when you feel like a binge. Could also be to call on a support person who can help you at that moment.

Say some gratitudes. Realize things aren't as bad as you thought. Again, it's bringing you back to reality out of a darker place.

Finally, many people binge out of habit which may not be associated with depression or feeling down. New habits must be drilled into your brain with constant practice. There will be slips and that's OK. You are indeed human. All great success is founded on many slip-ups. That's how you learn. Locked and loaded with your Target Motivation, your mantra, with reality based reminders to keep on track and your support system, you can get out of that binge mode. Yes you'll be slugging it out, but such is our journey to attain a healthy and fit body and keep it there!

Dr Peeke

John, Amen to your point about it not easy to be healthy. Hey remember, you didn't lose excess fat. You don't want to find it again. You removed it and are striving to keep it off permanently.

You said something important John. You said that once you've gove off the wagon, you "get over it quick" and get right back onto your normal routine. That's the point! People who derail for a bit but who can regroup expeditiously will be successful in keeping the weight off. You don't wallow in the fact that you digressed. You see it, and move on.

Your diet's looking good and I hope you'e integrating lots of great cardio and weight lifting as well. Physical activity keeps the weight off for life. Otherwise it will always be a struggle. Walking around the links sounds good to me!

Remind yourself of your motivation to take off all of this weight. Keep that mantra front and center in your mind as you practice your healthy lifestyle habits every day.

And indeed, you will be svelte and fit if you believe you can do it.

Keep up the tremendous effort!

Dr Peeke

Hi there and good for you getting rolling on this journey. And you are absolutely correct. Refined sugar is absolutely nothing but trouble for most people, especially those who have the genetics for addiction--- look in your family line as addictive tendencies are passed on. Yes, it is amazing how much sugar is found in most foods. When you eat it, and usually over eat it, your blood sugars fly high as well as insulin, which spikes then crashes leaving you with a wicked appetite for more food.

Keep it clean. Know where the hidden refined sugars are. Keep most of your eating with whole foods, and lean proteins. Lots of veggies. Watch your servings of fruit. Although fruit contains natural fructose, just make sure you don't over do it. Choose low glycemic fruits like blueberries.

And, don't forget that exercise really helps with appetite control as well. Get fit!

Good luck, Dr. Peeke

Hi there Judy. Wonderful to hear your cybervoice. All of your points are excellent, like everyone else who has responded. Here are some thoughts.

1) Your current binge is really different that what you used to do. You are now having what I refer to as "toned down binges". Relatively speaking, they're nowhere near as bad as years ago.

2) Your fear of becoming fat again is a strong mental anchor that does help to rein you in. It's a center core of your Target Motivation that keeps you on track most of the time.

3) False hunger is a real problem for most people. Always remember that hunger is a biological need and appetite is a psychological need. Striving to eat every 3-4 hours helps to rein in runaway appetite by keeping you satiated.

4) Watch out for confusing hunger and fatigue. If you're tired please sleep. If you're truly hungry and it's a snack or meal time, then eat. So many people think that by eating something, they'll have energy by eating. Wrong.

Hey Judy, we're always here for you. All of us supporting you and everyone else on this exchange.

Dr Peeke

HI there Louise! So, you're a smart one keeping the binge foods out of the house and/or out of sight. Well done indeed. Eating in front of the TV is a great place to binge so you control how much of that you do each week. You know what will precipitate a binge. Well done. Also, I agree that keeping as busy as possible and staying away from the kitchen is also key.
Well done!
Dr Peeke

Dear Dr. peeke i would like to reply to this and thank you. I do beleive that the cause of my overeating is feelings of chronic lonliness and emptiness that have been been around for years. I think I was very lonely as a child and now living alone as an adult (age 55) I turn to food. I think at this point, it is more an compulsive urge. I feel I want something I go to the refrigerator and boom I am eating. This pattern has existed for me over 30 years and i am overweight by 50 pounds. The problem with this pattern is it keeps me in isolation and away from people especially men. I would love to hear and appreciate a response Thank you Susie Catherine

I have not had a large amount of weight to lose, but have been trying to get healthy and into the best shape I have ever been in. I have no skills at dieting - I enjoy food too much and thought I was not athletic. What has worked for me is I have periodically for a couple weeks eaten as healthy as possible, helps with the plateau effect and wrote this all down. It also refocusing me to healthy eating habits and portion sizes (my problem). After that, it seems odd, but if I've been having a craving for something terrible for me, I schedule it. Obviously you don't want to schedule those days often :) If it is say some yummy Chicken Alfredo with garlic bread, I'll eat a very healthy breakfast and lunch, only a yogurt for a snack and then eat only half the meal. In Wisconsin, half the meal is usually a more appropriate portion anyway. I then do the same thing the next day and eat the leftovers for supper. I make a point to stick rigidly to my workouts over these days and try to stick to a reasonable and healthy diet the rest of the time. You can't give up food that you love, but if you eat healthier and schedule in a day, you'll slowly crave it less and when you do give into it, you'll eat less each time. After eating healtier longer, I've noticed that a lot of the rich foods I would eat a lot of before give me a stomach ache now. That alone keeps me from eating too much of it now! If your binging is with junk food for snacking, scheduling still applies. I usually would give into my cravings for this right after dinner. I also would put the chips into a bowl, so I don't eat the whole bag. Again, eat healthy all day and have your snack right after dinner. That way you will have ate good all day and if you eat it right after dinner, you aren't as hungry so you will eat less of your bing food. Occassionally, nothing will work and you'll just want to sit in front of the TV with a bag of doritos and nothing will help. That is fine, just start eating good and working out the next day as if it never happened and try to give into to that craving as little as possible. We all slide off the healthy wagon from time to time. It is important to remind yourself how much better you are doing. For example, if you used to eat like that every night, and now you are eating a more balanced diet, walking and give in once a week to the craving. You are still much healthier than before. Slowly, even with weekly binging of doritos, you will still see results and this will help slowly reduce what you eat binging and how often you do. Results you can see in the mirror and in how your clothes fit is the greatest motivator! And sorry, contrary to what they all say, dieting alone or pills are not enough. Physical activity is necessary, you will feel much better and see results faster. I walked in a 10k last summer. I saw all the runners and the energy of the event. Slowly, I began running. I did not see any pounds come off, clothes fit a little better though. I started eating a little better, only minimal results. Then, I added strength training this winter. That is when I finally saw results. I only had about 15 pounds to lose, but it took the combination of the 3 to get close to where I want to be. I have only lost 10 pounds so far, but slowly working on the last 5. The pounds are not really important as much as what you look like. The pounds are only real helpful in staying on track. In the beginning the scale may not move at all, depending what you have to lose. But I weighed myself everyday, so I would make sure I was sliding back. Now, I still have a little weight to lose, but I feel much healthier, I wore a biking and looked rather good in it I must say and I am planning to run in the 10k this summer. Sorry for the long answer and hope it helps!

I stock my house with food that I is healthy (or healthier) in the event I feel the need to binge. But over the years my need to binge has decreased because before I go for anything I always ask myself "what's eating me" versus "what can I eat" like I used to do. This way it forces me to address whatever issue was making me turn to comfort food and finally resolving it instead of pushing it down AND compouding it with more weight. So now when I feel the need to snack because I'm bored or whatever, I have something like sugar snap peas and hummus instead of chips and dip. It has made a world of difference. I'm 5'8" and just turned 41 and used to be a size 10 and now I'm a size 4 or 6. I exercise 4 or 5 days a week, which I found is another thing that curbs appetite!