Health & Support

Welcome to BA. My name is Nicole and I'm a binger.

i decided that it could be helpful to have a forum for those of us trying to recover from this evil thing called binge eating disorder (BED). Whenever you have success... post here! Whenever you have struggles... post here! need support to stay out of the cookie jar?.... post here!

i'll be posting my intake of calories everyday in hopes that showing all of you what i eat will keep me from OVER EATING.

anyone with the same struggles??

Hello,

I just found this today and I too am a binger.  I think this is just about the best idea I have stumbled onto in a long time.  So I am gonna start reading and posting daily too, hope there is room for one more!

I am so glad I have found this site... I have great binge tendancies where I can eat an unbelieveable amount of food if I don't watch myself. 

I hate it when I get these binge urges, how do you control yourself when you see chocolate donuts at the office and can't eat just one?   

I don't recognize the "Fullness feeling" until well, I puke.  

Otherwise, I have lost lots of weight but this one issue still lingers.  In some ways I like it but I don't want to like it since I know it isn't healthy. 

Bob

Hi Everyone :)

I'm new to this site. I've struggled with weight my whole life and have developed a binging problem over the last 2 years. I love to pork out on junk at night. I thinks it's a combo of stress (I'm a single mom and going through a hard time right now) and boredom (once kiddo is in bed my computer becomes my enertainment for the evenings). I HATE being like this! I seriously don't usually get that fullness feeling, I just stop when the junk is gone :( I currently weigh 200lbs (at 5'2''). I'm honestly disgusted with myself!

I'm glad I found this site. I don't have any family or friends around me who understand my struggle (I come from a family who thinks God made you fat, you should just accept it and it's easier to be fat, then to workout and miss out on certain foods). I seriously need support! I belong to this other weight loss support group but I find they are always critizing each other rather than motivating :( Hope things are diffrent here....

Hi,
I'm another new member who just found your site and feel like I've finally found a place where I can find people who know what I'm going through. I was a sugar addict for most of my life and I met my goal of getting off sugar by the time I was 40, BUT I still binge eat. The things I eat are healthier, but  1000 calories of anything can't be too good for you! I'm on vacation and have had some great days and some horrible ones,  but I try not to let the horrible ones stop me from getting up and starting over. I have gotten pretty good at putting the binge behind me and starting fresh as soon as I get control.
I managed to eliminate sugar and processed foods from my diet because it was affecting my health. I have diabetes in the family and my glucose was starting to go higher than it should. I monitor my glucose and do the food diary thing. The food diary really helped me to see what I was really eating and it does make me think before blindly eating because I know I'll have to write it down.
My coworkers and I are a pretty tight group, but they don't understand why I just can't have a little of something. I have trigger foods that are strictly off limits and stress is another big problem for me.
I have probably improved my control 50% by eating smaller more frequent meals, eating low glycemic carbs and walking, but there are some days I'm so hungry for junk I could chew wood!!
I'm hoping ya'll continue to inspire me! I wish good control to you all!

Hi Tiger_Lily,
My problem time is in the afternoon,but it really helped me to eliminate all of the junk food from the house. Have you tried drinking  some really  good tasting  herb teas  sweetened with xylitol or stevia? If you are  interested  post   again  and  I'll give you  some  ideas.

I've actually never tried herbal teas before.... any advice would be appreciated :)

Herb teas are great, I really enjoy the flavored ones like white/peach, it is almost good to binge on, if there is such a thing, I have tried the water trick when I want to eat, it just does nothing for me, but I can enjoy some herb tea and wait it out.  I am much like you, afternoons and evenings are hard for me and I sometimes have had too much before I even realize I ate.  I am just realizing that I am a binger so support to get control is a big issue with me right now.  One day at a time sometimes is too hard, I am proud when I make it thru an afternoon.  Thanks for starting this, I really think it may be my break-thru.

I really like Celestial Seasonings Madagascar Vanilla Red and English Toffee. The toffee one tastes like a heath bar! Great for a sweet tooth. There is one called Yerba mate that is just a good tasting tea I've just started drinking that is supposed to have appetite suppressing properties. I think it helps, but i'm not totally convinced yet.  My problem is that I get really hungry so I'm looking for something to curb that. If your eating is more out of habit , maybe the activity of making the tea and the hand to mouth action of drinking it may replace the eating.
Some of these are in grocery stores, but I have to get mine at the health food store.

Hey everyone!
Im glad more people are posting again... we all need the support! Holidays are the toughest! :)

Im getting some control over my bingeing these days although I still have huge urges to binge and still do often.. just not to the huge extent and frequency I used to. (think 6000 cals.. not good)

I have stopped gaining weight! After 35lbs in 4 months of bingeing. (I should add that I was underweight at that time and am now a normal weight)

I hope everyone is doing well and is feeling great. I really find that bingeing is a vicious, vicious cycle. Once I have one bad binge, I just throw in the towel and let the food win. :( Sad but true.. a single binge can turn into days.

Everyone remember to STOP and THINK. I know it is not that easy and I absolutely HATE when people treat my problem as trivial and something so easy to control. I have a big sign (computer printed) on my fridge and cupboard that say THINK BEFORE YOU EAT.. and sometimes it really, really helps before I open that fridge door and gorge.

Another thing I have learned is dont diet right now. First, get control of this problem and learn to eat normally (WITH occasional desserts.. all things in moderation).. then if you need to, diet, but not now... it has lead to a vicious cycle of losing copious amounts of weights and regaining it, all very quickly.

Happy New Year everyone!

P.S: Crystal Lite is a god-send.. pour your self a glass when you get the urge.

Hi everyone-

I am so glad to see that I am not alone in this battle with food.  I'm only 24 years old and I've been struggling with bulimia/binging for almost 10 years now.  I want and need help more than ever, but unfortunately I cannot afford the expensive doctor bills.  I went to counseling for 2 months and it was a tremendous help, but I could no longer afford to continue going.  Hence, I'm still struggling.  So I am very grateful to see there is a posting for people who struggle too.

Like many of the previous postings I too struggle at night.  I will eat healthfully all day with ease and then if I am home alone at night I sometimes binge.  Most of the time I feel so guilty and disgusted with myself that I'll throw up or if there are people around later and I can't throw up I'll take a laxative.  I am shaving years off of my life and I want more than anything to be healthy.  I was a star athlete in high school and college, and I am currently a high school biology teacher.  I know the repercussions of my behavior and I want to stop.  I think that these postings will help me. 

united2gether, those articles were great.  Thank you!! 

ozfiz, I am going to try some crystal light tomorrow.  I have heard good things!  And deborahann, I'm going to try those herbal teas too. 

My psychologist from 3 years back had me create a coping list of things that I could do to distract myself from thinking about food at night.  Things like painting my nails, writing in my journal, writing to friends, calling friends, going for a walk, leaving my apartment to shop were just some of the ideas I came up with.  It worked for a bit, but then I fell back to my bulimia/binging.  It might work for someone else though.  Just a thought! 

Thank you Nicole for starting this forum! 

Herb teas are great, I really enjoy the flavored ones like white/peach


I like herb teas too, especially chamomile, and peppermint.  I also like the Celestial Seasonings one that has echinacea in it - I'll drink that when I'm not feeling well.  I will usually sweeten it with honey & no milk or cream.  I like some of the other herbal teas too.  I had iced lavender tea one summer at a cookout - it was delicious.  I will have to find a recipe for it.  I think they put something else in it because it also had a slight fruity taste to it as well.  ::ponders::  Will have to look for the English Toffee one - that sounds delicious and I *love* Heath Bars!!  I am 'into' herbs so I'm always reading and looking for more herbal ideas (not just culinary either - want to eventually get certified in Herbal Medicine).

Anyways... I'm glad to see people posting too.  Hope you all have a wonderful - and safe - New  Years Eve & Day.

Happy New Year to all!
I'm celebrating a day without binging and better yet--a day where I felt the urge and got through it. I was even able to sit and watch a movie and nibble popcorn and dry Fiber One without going overboard.
I find that the high fiber cereals are the best for nibbling because they fill you up and it's awful hard to rack up tons of calories at 50 per 1/2 cup. I have to admit I went higher on the cals than I wanted but still an improvement over most of this week. I head back home tomorrow and back to my routine so I think that will help. I do get a lot more exercise here vs. home but I eat better at home.

Hi Everyone,  I'm Vicky and I'm new to this site. I've been reading what everyone has been going through and I am also a binge eater. I found this site and bought a book (binge buster or something like that). I also eat a night. I stress eat. I can do fine all day but go crazy in the evening. I was taking Lexapo for depression which causes cravings for sweets, now that I'm off of it I'm doing somewhat better. I never had a weight problem until my 40's. I've stopped smoking 5-6 years ago for health reasons and have gained up to 210 lbs. Lost it once down to 159lb. and now back up again. I stopped smoking and replaced it with eating. I want to get healthier , knee , back and high bp, and border line dibetic.  I don't want to keep this up since I have to continue to work. I'm so sick of myself. I have planned to start the new year off right, I don't usually do new year resolutions but it happen to come at the right time. I turn 50 this spring and want to do enjoy this time of my life.  Looking forward to talking to all of you, and best wishes for the new year.

I am a runner in my sophomore year at college... RIght now I am at home and my weekly mileage is up to about 70 miles a week; however, I am a binge eater as well, mainly just at night.  I do so well up until after dinner.  I am never full it seems and after dinner I always crave dessert... These dessers are neverending.  They mainly come in the form of tea and cookies or graham crackers, but in excessive amounts that I really don't need, especially after just having eaten a good dinner.  I definitely have the typical feminine sweet tooth and often don't feel satisfied unless I end my meal with something sweet. I also don't eat a lot during the day which could be part of my problem.  But most of the time it really doesn't matter how much I eat during the day because I still get the cravings after dinner, whether I just had a thanksgiving meal or not.  Generally, my meals are not very heavy, but  I really want to break myself of this habit because my weight has gone up about 2 to 3 pounds and I'm not sure if its a result of my increased mileage and muscle build up or if it is a result of my binge eating after dinner.  I am also an emotional eater, which doesn't help my demeanor.  This forum looks very supportive and I look forward to hearing a response.  Happy New Year.

Resolution:  No excessive binging on sweets!  Lose the pounds I have put on as a result of this binging.

Hi Everyone
I'm new here, both in the forums and at calorie count.  I'm so glad that I found this site and these forums because I don't feel so alone and disgusted with myself.  I have been trying to lose 50 pounds for the last ten years.  I lose 30 and put on 40.  I lose 25 and put on 40.  It is so frustrating and disheartening.  I feel like I'm such a failure.  The saddest part is that when I started dieting (back in the old Diet Center days) I was only 8- 10 pounds above my normal weight.  Through dieting, I have managed to add 50 pounds and constantly struggel with my weight.  I have resolved, on this the first day of a new year, to be kind to myself.  To stay within the daily amount of calories I need to lose this weight by September, to not deprive myself of good food and to put that binging monkey back in his cage.
I have such a bad stomach that on some nights (after eating popcorn, cookies and chocolate) I wake up on the verge of vomiting, acid so high that it hurts the back of my throat.  I too, find the evenings the worst, pulled by coming home after work to keep my elderly mother company, or going to the gym to take care of myself.  These are difficult choices but I think I can find a balance and know that with these forums I will be able to share my challenges and success.
Be good everyone and be strong..

'lina

It helps me to see that there are many others that go through the same things as me. Recently I have lost 45lbs, needless to say i gained back almost 15lbs in the last 5 mos. It seems to me that i binge almost every day, all i think about is food and i can eat non stop full or not. Its like im addicted and i really want to stop, but right now i have no motivation i just wanna eat and have a pity party. I want to lose 60 lbs and i am going to start working out again next week. Its the food thing i need help with, how do I get unaddicted????

There is help out there to recover from this type of destructive eating. Emotional eating can become a coping mechanism and addictive. If anyone is serious in reversing the control food has over them, i'm involved in a program that is working miracles in my life. I no longer 'congratulate' myself for a 2-day free of binge eating, because my obsession for un-necessary eating has been removed. I haven't over eaten or binged on anything in almost one year, and there are countless others i know who have conquered overeating for over 8 years...no slips! I have neutrality around food, can be involved in large groups and be 'present' and mindful instead of constantly thinking about food, and am able to wake up every morning with no shameful, guilty feelings and the days of morning dread is over. I only wish i had someone to tell me about this program, FA- Food Addicts in recovery anonymous, sooner. I encourage all to start this new year in a way that will surely make it an amazing one!

Hi Delina, I'm new too, posted yesterday. I have also put myself on the bottom of the list of people I have to take care of. I have an elderly mother (who is difficult) . To make a long story short between her, husband, sick brother, 2 adult children and an grand child in the past 10 years I have gone down hill.  It's taken me some months of thinking about things to realize they are basically killing me. It sounds terrible I know but , I stress eat. I'd visit mom on my way to work (she lives down the road). I'd stop on my way home, listen to her complain, go home feed hubby . Babysit Wed. nights . Try to get everything done on weekends. I'm now going to be 50 this spring. My entire 40's I've gone down hill. Stress of dealing with mom is really bad. I finally had to tell her I couldn't keep her company all the time. It is her choice that she doesn't want to talk to anyone else. My weight has gone out of control, bp too high and other things starting. I don't know if you live with your mom or visit but I hope you can work something out.  Good luck to you and Happy New year. Vicky