I am an athlete and need to watch what I eat, but almost every night now I end up binge eating like a a whole loaf of bread with some peanut butter, or a whole box of donuts, and a tub of ice cream and a whole box of cereal, all in one night! I can't stop. What do I do?
By Khera Smith from Sarasota, FL
Add your voice! Click below to answer. ThriftyFun is powered by your wisdom!
I would guess your body is trying to tell you something. Try to fill your stomach with something before you think you may binge, or try eating several healthy snacks when you are not hungry. Eating several small meals might help. Don't let yourself get hungry. As much as I hate giving this suggestion, you may want to see a doctor.
For starters, try not having these types of foods around. Pick up some fruits, veggies, pretzels, sherbet, granola bars, juices, and other lower calorie snacks that are easy to get to and ready when you are. If you have a family, or a grocery store is just around the corner, this might be harder to accomplish.
Keeping junk foods out of the house is good for everyone. If nothing discourages the behavior it could be wise to check with a doctor for input and suggestions. If you get too fat, you won't be much of an athlete for long. Good luck!
I know your pain. I am also a struggling binge eater and the worst kind of all (the night binger) like you. Forget about what everyone says about eating healthy until your full or that noise. You are just in a routine. You've trained your mind/stomach to anticipate a big meal every night. I'm guessing you don't eat breakfast because you're probably full from the night before.
Before I continue, you have to know you're destroying your digestive system and you're throwing your whole body out of balance. Now, you have to break this routine. Forget about eating bananas or whatever to stay full. What you have to do is just fight it for 2-3 days.
Go to sleep hungry, you'll wake up hungry by the second day. You have to eat at the times that you should be eating for the next few days. No matter how hard it is, eat at those 3 times. After a few days, you'll just get hungry at the right times.
Also, you probably have a bad digestive routine at the moment. Once you start eating at the right times, you'll digest better and you won't have that bloated feeling anymore.
Remember, all it takes is 1 or 2 nights of night eating and you risk falling back into the routine.
Binge eating has nothing to do with being hungry, just like being an alcoholic has nothing to do with being thirsty. There's a reason you're doing this. Be it lonely, angry, bored whatever.
I have a binge-eating disorder and have gone to Overeater's Anonymous for about 8 years. It has helped tremendously. I have lost weight and while I still have occasional binges, they are of shorter duration and with healthier foods. I don't keep foods in the house which are highly tempting to me. Good luck. I found this to be very hard and really appreciate OA. I find it important to keep going to meetings. In relation to food, I am like an alcoholic, except that I can't totally stop eating.
Binge eating is an emotional disorder and as Chef4u stated, you need to figure out the underlying reason(s). Animalmcburger's advice is an excellent start but you might also want to consider professional therapy to help you work through what is eating at you (no pun intended) and the sooner the better before the problem gets out of hand. Here's a link that might be helpful to you:
www.helpguide.org/
I have a few suggestions for you.
First is to have three normal-size meals and three snacks every day. Represent at least three food groups at every meal. The three snacks should be healthy and have no more than 150-200 calories in them.
Tell yourself that no foods are off limits to you, but there are some foods that you need to limit where, when, and how much of them you eat. Create rules about these foods and write them down in places where you can see them often.
Keep a food and emotions journal.
Here's an example of my rules: no bagged chips in my house unless it is a very special occasion like a party (and not just a pity party or a party where I'm the only guest!). I can eat chips at other people's homes or an occasional very small bag away from home. My husband can have as many chips as he wants if he doesn't bring them in the house.
For donuts-you can eat them at a bakery, but you don't need them at home. Ice cream can be eaten at an ice cream shop or get a little serving for one to have at home. Limit your cereal to oatmeal or cream of wheat which require some prep time before eating, or try and see if buying little individual packages and allowing yourself one per day can help.
Try new to you snacks at night such as carrots, celery and a dip or peanut butter in the celery. Try a low calorie popsicle.
Try mindful eating where you create just a small plate of the snack and not mindless eating where you keep eating until it's all gone.
Truly taste each bite-some foods don't taste nearly as good as you think they do if you let them linger in your mouth and think about the taste.
Try the Tyra Bank's method of just three bites of any food.
Try turning off the kitchen light and don't allow yourself to go in there between 7pm and 7am. Maybe have a no food in the living room or bedroom rule.
Good luck and have fun creating rules and new ideas for yourself that you can live with. You can do it!
This is hard when you live with someone who brings junk food into the house. Sometimes I can avoid but sometimes I binge. I've gotten to the point where sometimes nothing but junk carbs will satisfy my hunger.
Wash your mouth with mouthwash if you feel like eating and you know you are not hungry. Mint is very good at making people not want to eat becausee their mouth feels so clean.
Wheat and breads and the like are very addicting and hard to come off of.
I would tell you to make sure you eat at least an apple before each meal, and also drink a glass of milk before each meal.
The idea here is not to limit your eating but to make yourself eat the good foods first. Also, coming off of wheat can cause withdrawals.
It will feel so much better when you are eating more protein than bread. Bread and such makes you eat more because it makes you more hungry in the long run if you dont pair it with protein.
I would also buy a bag of baby carrots and put it with each meal you eat. Just grab them out of the freezer. Each week, take one healty fruit or vegetable and add it to your menu. You might make yourself eat oatmeal for breakfast for a couple of days, and sweeten it with maple syrup.
Make sure you eat that with a protein.
Make sure your vitamins are up to date. Also maybe start taking a B12 and magnesium. These add lots of energy and they help one to feel less depressed.
Sometimes eating like this is a sign of being allergic to bread and other carbs. The craving is often a sign you need it the least. Just eat lots of good food before and also drink plenty of water.
Blessings, Robyn
Add your voice! Click below to answer. ThriftyFun is powered by your wisdom!
