I can't stop binge eating

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I can't stop binge eating

Postby ashlee10z » Fri Jun 03, 2016 1:25 pm

hello all! I've been vegan for 4 years and eat whole foods, lots of potatoes and veggies, drink water, exercise, sleep at least 8 hours...I feel like I'm doing everything right! Except for the fact that I get binge urges all the time and don't know why because I eat until I'm full and am not hungry when I want to binge...I crave vegan junk food for days on end and it drives me insane until I give into the craving and binge. I can eat up to 8,000-10,000 calories on these binge days and it makes me feel absolutely worthless and terrible...these binges happen once or twice a week. I don't know what I'm doing wrong but I am feeling so upset and lost, these binges really make me feel depressed. Any advice would be appreciated
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Re: I can't stop binge eating

Postby Lesliec1 » Tue Jun 07, 2016 5:17 am

If you search this main site for "binge eating", a few things come up, such as:

https://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2005nl/november/051100vol.htm
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Re: I can't stop binge eating sweets

Postby Schmida44 » Wed Jun 08, 2016 6:23 am

Hi there. I have the same problem except I binge eat sweets. I have a terrible sweet tooth. Does anyone have any advice for anyone with a sweet tooth. I try to do a big bowl of fruit after dinner but it just doesn't seem to satisfy my craving. I have always had a sweet tooth and I always hear of people's sweet tooth going away once they eat healthier but I haven't experienced that yet. I feel like I'm having a good large starchy dinner plus lots of veggies. I'm not sure if I just have to "white knuckle" through the cravings for a few days or weeks although this has just led me to binge eating in the past. Or perhaps I should be slowly weaning myself off of dessert. Make it smaller and smaller and with less sugar over a weeks time? I don't eat junk food dessert like cakes or chocolate bars but still homemade "healthier" desserts are bad when you eat them in huge quantities. An example of a dessert I love is to make a pumpkin pie type smoothie with banana, canned pumpkin, maple syrup, dried mulberries. I guess it's just that I eat it until I'm stuffed and then I feel really rotten about myself. I usually get this craving around 8 or 9 at night.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
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Re: I can't stop binge eating

Postby andy13 » Thu Jun 09, 2016 6:51 am

I have seen the program Overeaters Anonymous help people lose all their excess weight and keep it off for years. OA is patterned after Alcoholics Anonymous. If interested, there are many stories of recovery from binge eating through OA on You Tube and elsewhere. Also, most communities have OA meetings and there are also online meetings. There are no dues or fees for OA.
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Re: I can't stop binge eating

Postby Fatdoreen » Sun Jul 31, 2016 1:48 pm

I too am a binge eater, and binge on vegan friendly foods at least once a week. I've been a vegan for six years and am now 35 lbs overweight. I'm hoping following the MWL plan will help put a cease to my binging. I love food, I do not eat sweets or drink soda, but I can eat a loaf a bread or a pound of pasta like it's nobody's business.
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Re: I can't stop binge eating

Postby Franchesca_S. » Sat Aug 27, 2016 9:29 am

There is some great writing in this room.

I’ve read the messages in this room several times because the problem is so familiar. I’ve been a binge eater and years ago when I’d completely given up on losing weight I was just afraid of being unhealthy. In those unenlightened days I had never heard the name McDougall and was eating low fat dairy, chicken and fish. I read an article in Vegetarian Times about the benefits of a very low fat diet and decided to try it. I can’t remember if the article recommended it or I just decided, but my target was to get below 15 grams of fat a day and I tracked and logged every gram. It didn’t take long to find that I couldn’t make the target because all the fat was in that dairy, chicken and fish so I gradually stopped eating them.

The overeating was still a problem and my solution was to sequence the foods: the huge salad first, followed by the huge plate of vegetables. By then I was stuffed but I would still eat the large bowl of starch (rice, couscous, etc). I would simply be too full to eat the non-compliant foods. To my amazement the weight started coming off. I knew that overeating was still a problem but I decided that I would deal with one problem at a time.

Now it’s 20 years later and I follow McDougall and for some reason I can’t explain the binging got better though I can always feel it lurking nearby. When I get home at night I make sure to have the huge plate of broccoli or carrots right away. I carry food with me, bring my lunch to work and always have something on hand. Eating out I check out the website menu and plan what to order so I won’t be tempted by last minute decisions.

One problem at a time.
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Re: I can't stop binge eating

Postby followsun » Mon Oct 10, 2016 6:13 am

Hi,
I am struggling with a similar problem.

What I am trying to do and it seems to work so far, is drink a lot of water/seltzer or tea before and after eating. Sometimes I am really just thirsty but it feels like cravings/hunger.

Cut my big portions in half and eat slow and mindfully. Wait 15 minutes to eat more, and by that time it feels like the food registers in my stomach and don't need more.

Not buying vegan junk food or having it around at home, cause like you I can really binge on it. Avoid foods I can binge on like pasta or tofu.

Schedule "cheat" days. I eat out with family once a week and allow myself to eat the most vegan/vegetarian option, but only that one meal ate the restaurant.
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Re: I can't stop binge eating

Postby Jerry Angelo » Mon Oct 10, 2016 7:03 am

followsun wrote:
Wait 15 minutes to eat more, and by that time it feels like the food registers in my stomach and don't need more.


Yup, definitely...
I remember (when I used to go to restaurants) having had the appetizer or the salad and then having the entre delayed 20 minutes or so and my hunger disappeared. There's something to that faulty or delayed switch in some of us...

Also, boredom has a huge impact on me... If I can't distract myself or get busy I will want to eat. In my case I try not to make too much ahead of time because it's too easy to get to and eat.
108 Pounds Lost Since Sept 2014 - And Counting
No more pre diabetes! Eternally grateful to Dr. McDougall! And Jeff Novick!!!
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Re: I can't stop binge eating

Postby spudnik » Sat Nov 19, 2016 12:00 pm

Just expressing deep gratitude for this thread! So much great advice here. <3
"Diligence is the only way out." - Doug Lisle
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Re: I can't stop binge eating

Postby brittasmom » Thu Dec 22, 2016 11:24 pm

I have been a binger all my life. I am 66 years old and have struggled with it all these years. I have joined groups ,read extensively into strategies,triggers, and have tried a million ways to stop. I recently read a book " Brain Over Binge" . It has been the answer for me . The author tells her story and how she stopped. The urge s start from dieting. It makes so much sense . I have gone from nightly binging to no binging in one week. I still struggle with overeating when eating but I no longer roam the kitchen when I get the urge. She explains how to turn them off. I also am using the same principles to turn off my urge to overeat at meals and I really think it will come shortly. When you understand the problem you can find the solution. I am so MAD that it took 60 yrs to figure it out !!! :crybaby:
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Re: I can't stop binge eating

Postby SweetPea » Fri Dec 23, 2016 6:53 am

Brittasmom, I found that book's message powerful as well. It makes sense to me that when trying to follow an extremely restrictive diet or using intense short-term deprivation tactics with food (which we must eat to live), we end up triggering our own fears and survival instinct, ultimately sabotaging ourselves and our long-term goals instead.

Finding ways of connecting with myself as I progress in this path (and life in general:) helps me better understand how to give myself what I'm truly seeking.

Thank you so much for posting. I'd like to read that book again.

I'm so glad you're finding some peace with this issue. ♥
~♥~ It's never too late to go after what you want. ~♥~
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Re: I can't stop binge eating

Postby sjbell » Fri Dec 23, 2016 7:14 am

I'm in the same camp- I binge on chocolate. I didn't before I had children but recently it happens too often. I think prayer, clearing your house of trigger foods and eating well are all good tips. For me the worst part is the guilt, self loathing and sugar 'hangover' are the biggest problems. It consumes too much mental energy. I don't want to live in the cycle anymore ....
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Re: I can't stop binge eating

Postby sjbell » Fri Dec 23, 2016 1:51 pm

Thank you for this- you are right. At the minute my childrren have lots of Christmas sweets that have been gifted to them-you are right it's about learning to create new habits and a new me ...
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Re: I can't stop binge eating

Postby judynew » Fri Dec 23, 2016 4:39 pm

Thanks for posting the link to Dr Lisle's webinar. It is very helpful and I'm sure I'll watch it over and over. This past few days have not been good and I really relate to what Dr Lisle says about scanning the environment in case there is any rich food hanging around that I need to stuff in before anyone else gets it. That's me. As he points out, I'm not scanning for celery sticks or bags of salad. The only answer for me is to keep my environment completely on plan and, at this time of year, I can't always be in a safe food environment. The other thing is that Christmas has always included a lot of stress for me and that tends to make me very vulnerable to bad stuff. It's important to remember that the comfort of eating off plan food cannot compensate for the bad feelings I get after eating it.
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Re: I can't stop binge eating

Postby stillcrazy » Sun Aug 18, 2019 11:36 am

Browsing some older posts this morning, I came across this thread which was chock-full of great posts. I found it very helpful too since I am a binge eater and I think the thing that has kept me from successfully losing weight over the past couple of years of WFPB eating has been falling into binges that are sometimes hard to climb out of again. I am hoping that my post brings it to the top of the MWL board so it’s easily found by me and others. Such good suggestions from people “who have been there!”
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