Help - Cant stop binge eating!!

bobbles87

Hey, hoping someone here can give some advice.

I did weight watchers a whole summer 3 years ago and i went from 11st 8lbs down to 9stone 7lbs. I am 5 ft 4'' so this was within my healthy bmi, although, ideally I would like to be 9stone. Subconsciously I seem to stick to the weight watchers points most days since then and my weight hasnt fluctuated a whole lot.

As always, like most people, I went overboard at xmas and went up to 9stone 11lbs....and even as much as I try to lose over the last month, I cannot get into the proper mind frame.

I was really good for 10 days at the beginning of Jan - jog + walking 3-4miles nearly every evening, eating well, sleeping well. However, when I weighed in my weight had not dropped. Que feeling browned off and just sick and tired of the hole regime then que the binge eating.
Typically for the last 2 weeks, I will be realitively good during the day, but when I get home, I am at my worst, munching through dinner left overs, grazing on chocolate having a few packs of crisps here and there. This is not at all like me. Its as if I have all of a sudden got fed up of always having to watch what I eat, always having to exercise to work of the measly bar of chocolate, and as a result, I can see myself piling on the pounds by the minute.

To be honest, I dont know where this mentality has come from. I am just generally fed up of having to worry about my weight all the time. With these feeling then comes the whole 'screw it, I may as well eat all around me' and then followed by extreme gulit where I proceed to binge some more.

It has really gotten out of hand the past two weeks. I was just wondering if anyone has any advice how to put a stop to this? Its almost like, I ate so much sugar over xmas that my body keeps craving the same levels day in day out no matter how much I try to stop it!

I am off to Oz in 7 weeks, and I would really like to be down closer to 9 stone....so any tips at all re exercise and diet would really help. Think im stuck in an exercise and diet rut.

Also to add, I dont have a car or live near a gym so its v difficult to attend classes etc...


Sorry for the rant!!

Thanks!!

Stench Blossoms

If weight watchers worked for you before then why not try it again?

Have you read the stickies?

bobbles87

Stench Blossoms wrote: »

If weight watchers worked for you before then why not try it again?

Have you read the stickies?

Hi Stench Blossoms - thanks for the reply, I only started reading the stickies there, so hoping to get some tips from them, there is loads of info on there.

WW worked before, but it hasnt helped me lose any more weight in the last 5 months or so, its as if my body has got used to the regime and has plateaued...I always walk/jog in the evening, there used to be a circuit class on in a centre near me and i started to do that to see if it would shock my body, and after 4 weeks, I still had lost nothing so dont know where I am going wrong. The classes have been cancelled for the new year...

Think I just need to get some fresh food and exercise ideas to get rid of this negative attitude!!

Thanks

Oryx

If its an evening only habit, then a few things:

If you can stay off chocolate for a few weeks the cravings go, bear that in mind.
Get rid of all the junk food in the house, make sure you have fruit and nuts there instead.
A handful of raisins kills a sweet tooth craving for me.
If you are wandering around the kitchen looking for picky food, have a glass of water instead. I wont go into why this works but it does.
Throw out or freeze leftovers straight away if you can.

Pixie Girl

OP try not to be so hard on yourself! A 4 pound weight gain isn't that bad especially at Christmas! You are at a healthy weight, I know you want to get down to 9 stone but try not to concentrate on the scales... instead focus on how you feel, you said you were eating well and sleeping well the first couple of weeks in Jan and that was down to you eating right and exercising. I know its easier said than done but try not to have the "sod it" attitude, if you have a bad day/week just remember how good you felt when you were eating right and not bingeing and get back on track. Best of luck

bobbles87

Thanks Orynx, some brill tips in there, i always try to drink at least 2 litres of water in work during the day.....actually dont drink any in the eve's so may be this could be also where I am going wrong!

I have a terrible habit of nibbling everything lately and I know it all adds up so these tips will help me break this habit, thanks!

Pixie Girl, I know 4lbs isnt bad, I just sometimes get browned off that I have to work so hard to lose it and then when I dont see the results on the scale it is really really disheartening and so the cycle of binge eating begins!

But we're nearly at the beginning of a new month so its onwards and downwards from here, i reckon i need to focus on adding some more protein to my diet.

Are there any you tube fitness vids anyone can recommend for resistance?? Because all i do almost daily is cardio and from reading posts on here i reckon this is where I could be going wrong....

Thanks!

RedXIV

If it makes you feel better OP I've been on a health kick since new years and one of the things that helped was about 2 days before I started I literally gorged myself in ridiculous rich chocolate, to the point where I can't bear the thoughts of any more. Like you the evenings are terrible for me, and if I'm sitting still, I'll be thinking of food (thinking of food now actually ) I found the glass of water trick really helps alot and keeping my hands busy stops the casual nibbling. In my case its video games but I'm sure anything would work? My OH paints her nails etc, so this may be more up your street

mochamajesty

OP,

I have been in the same situation. You have received great advice. I find that keeping busy helps a lot. In my experience, it's not enough to break a habit, you have to replace it with something else. I used to veg in front of the TV at night, now I read, perform so light exercise (like yoga or Pilates), catch up on emails, etc. I found that by not associating "nighttime" with "eating", I was able to break the habit. Some nights I even went to bed early so I wouldn't eat anything.

saa

*****This only mainly applies to "BED" but a lot of the advice is pretty helpful to fight habitual eating issues*****
You're putting so much focus on the numbers on the scales and not on sorting out the emotional issue or coping mechanism causing the binge eating, you feel like you need to binge eat but what can you replace that is not self destructive. So even if the binge eating isn't a big issue still when you get a craving find something else to or force yourself to eat something appropriate and the body will get used to it, the mind however might not so the rest of this is applicable if that is the issue at hand.

I know how much pressure binge eating is and there will come a point where you might not be able to take the stress or put on a small amount of weight and feel so much like a failure you stop fighting the problem and you wake up being 14 stone (or maybe that's just me).

You weren't being really "good" to yourself for those days because eating is not a moral thing you sound like you've done really well but you were causing a lot of tension for yourself and then you snapped, I have been there you feel like the world is going to end and panicky and you need a trigger food, and then you have it, then you feel bad so you have it again.

Don't get hung up on sugar addiction, that passes easily, so does hunger emotional hunger is sudden and shocking psychical hunger is gentle, emotional cravings for food do pass but once you figure out why you're doing this those cravings pass by quicker and quicker that you don't see what you'll get out of having that bar.

All I can say for myself is that I needed to talk to someone for a year as it started ten years ago it was only three years ago I wanted to get healthy and I kept giving up after a month because the emotional reason for eating couldn't be ignored it had to be dealt with properly and no amount of exercise or diet did that for me.

Identify what you do panic or comfort eat and I promise you then the weight will be easy to maintain or lose without that monkey on your back, I noticed I would binge and put on weight for half the year then binge and exercise to loose it for the other half with one month every year where I would tell myself I'm never going to binge again and tbh I got so scared of the fear of never ever having that comfort again. It worked for me at one stage for a while but it stopped working for me and I have replaced binging with listening to my body, meditating, stopped buying junk or trigger foods for my house, if I want a bar or cheesecake I buy one portion in the shops or when I'm out and stop eating when I'm full, leaving one mouthful of each meal has great benefits mentally for learning that you don't have to finish everything, planning and eating enough nutritious food so I never let myself get into a vulnerable state.

saa

Oh and to clarify for OP I'm not saying you have a problem you probably need to just make sure your body is not lacking in some nutrients causing these cravings or fake hunger and either cut all junk out bare the cravings until your body gets used to it within a month or two or find a way to incorporate small bits of junk into your diet, like buy one pack of crisps/small bar have it in the house so when you get a craving you only eat a normal portion, craving is satisfied and there is no need to worry, you have a plan.