Any advice to stop bingeing?

heya hun,

im danielle, im 15 n im a christian. i was ana for abt 5/6 months til God healed me in jan.

i used to reali struggle wiv binges so i no how u feel. the best way to prevent binges is to eat regually, even if its just a little bit. i no its reali hard to eat even small amounts sometyms but u binge cos ur body doesnt no when u will nxt feed it n ur natural instinct to eat takes ova. if u hav a regular eatin pattern ur less lykly to binge.

other fings i used to do were rite a list of all the reason u dont wanna binge n fings u cud do instead n use them when u wanna binfe. always set urself rewards lyk if u wanna binge n dont reward urself or set a target to not binge for so many days n if u do it reward urself (make it a realistic target tho).

i hope this helps hun. im always here if u wanna talk n ill pray for u hun. stay strong

Danielle xxx

Awww thanks so much for the support.

That's the thing though, I do eat quite regularly when I'm not bingeing, just ultra healthy and quite calorie controlled. It's like I'm used to being so strictly controlled that I wake up some mornings and feel like I can't face another day of it and that's when I binge.

I'm going to really try hard though, the reward tactic seems quite good, I could reward myself by going shopping!

Thanks again for your prayers and support.

Xxxxxxxxx 

heya hunni,

thts alrite i only post on here to support others

its gud tht u do eat regually but maybe if u cant cope wiv the restriction then maybe try n allow urself a bit more. another fing i tried was givin myself a "treat food" when i wanted a binge. there was always one food i craved more than anyfin when i wanted a binge. tht wud b my "treat food" n even if it was somefin tht was a forbidden food havin just tht one fing was betta than eatin loads of forbidden foods if tht makes sence. basicially i ate the one food i craved the most instead of a full binge even if tht food was high cal.

well done for wantin to try hun, shoppin sounds kl, i luv shoppin too.

stay strong hun, ill keep prayin for u n let me no how fings go

Danielle xxx

Hi,

I binge sometimes as well, but i have found that as long as i eat a fair amount of food in a day, enough to keep me going, but not too much that i feel fat, i don't binge. When i restrict myself, it always ends with me bingeing, so i have figured out that the best thing to do is to eat filling meals with lots of nutrients in. I stay satisfied then for longer, and because i am getting the nutrients that i need, i don't need to binge. I also do what Dani said, and eat one piece of high calorie food instead of loads of high calorie food, so then that gets rid of the urge to binge.

Hope this helps,

-xxx-

hey sweetheart,

I went through the same cycle of restriction until I was underweight and then started bingeing in the evenings and then trying not to eat the next day to compensate for the binge.

I would have agreed with Danielle that eating regularly should help you to fight the urge to binge, although it will not make them disappear and you will still have to have a lot of courage to fight the urge to binge when it does appear.

you say that you sometimes have days when you don't binge but then binge the day after. why not try looking at this a different way sweetheart - you have not failed as you may believe because you have binged the day after, you have succeeded in not bingeing for a day and you should be proud!

shopping sounds like a brilliant reward to have sweetie - especially if you come back with something nice!!

am always here if you ever need to talk,

let me know how things are going,

take care,

lexy -xxx-

That sounds quite good for me actually, Thanks so much for the help

 Georgie xxxx

hey sweetheart,

you are more than welcome.

any time.

let me know how things are going,

take care,

lexy -xxx-

hi i've never been underweight, more the opposite really. i have a major obsession with food and have had ever since i can remember. The scary thing foe me is that the binge/starve cycle has been a part of my life for so long i cant remember a time without it. I was always made to feel really really fat when i was younger and although I could have done with losing a few pounds i was never really huge at all (when i look back at the photo's).

I am not terribly overweight at the moment but i obsess about the gym and there is never a moment i dont think about food. i binge eat at least 2/3 times a week and sometimes purge after eating but not all the time. and then to make myself feel better after binging i sit for ages making new workout plans for the gym to burn it all off or think to starve myself the next day (i never manage to starve myself completely) and then when i eat i feel soooo bad.

my family want to help but they really have no idea how to and we are not really the type of family to support each other emotionally. sometimes i feel like i am fighting a losing battle and i feel that my friends are bored of listening. to be honest sometimes i bore myself (and am now boring you!).

i just want to be rid of this noose around my neck and i just want to be happy with myself and at the moment it feels like that will only happen by me being thin!

thank you for allowing me to have a platform to vent.

i could do with some advice on how to break the cycle and overcome the irrational urge during those moments when it feels like there is no other way out but to eat.

hey sweetheart,

how are things going for you at the moment?

these boards are a fantastic place to vent sweetheart. everyone on here is so supportive and you will never bore us!!

we know that it's not an easy thing to go through, and are always here if you ever need to talk.

take care sweetheart,

lexy -xxx-

thanks so much. things are so up and down. the good days are so good, but the bad days are so bad. i feel like i am drained all the time, its like there is this huge weight (pardon the pun) hanging over me. then when it gets too much i cave in, in the vain hope that it will go away. and to be honest in those few moments it does go away, but then it comes back  getting harder and harder everytime.

i cant eat nothing without it being such a big deal, when ever i look at anyone (boy or girl) the first thing i look at is their weight. that just seems to be the most important thing to me all the time. i dont want it to matter, i want to be able to put things in perspective but there is none.

its all i think about morning, noon and night and it scares me sometimes how much importance i place on being thinner and food.

hey sweetheart,

I know what you mean. I have relapsed over the past few weeks, and all I seem to be thinking about is food and how to make myself thinner.

It's so hard because I feel torn between wanting to get better and wanting to be thinner.

may I ask how old you are and how long you've been having difficulties?

take care sweetheart,

lexy -xxx-

hiya 'gonnabeatit' - i'm lil, don't think we've spoken before. i just wanted to post coz you really struck a note with me too... after i recovered from anorexia i started binging and wasn't exactly overweight, but now am back to just underweight... anyway now i'm binging and purging all the time,(had a good patch just recently now i've gone and ruined it all and i feel awful and disgusting and huge) like you, i spend ages - almost all day - thinking about food, looking at people in the street trying to figure out if they're thinner than me etc

i'm literally obsessed with food and eating, i hate it but at the same time i love it. it's like some kind of morbid fascination.  i'm living away from home at the moment and the extent to which i go to hide my habits from my flatmates is shocking, especially as they're otherwise really good friends and i hate the lying and deception.

a while ago i went through a good phase - i found having loads to do, not being in the house too much and eating around others really helped. the only problem is that now i haven't got the energy or determination to fight it.

anyway maybe being busy and surrounded by people could help? also when you feel a binge coming on try going for a walk... worked for me sometimes.

always here if you want a rant

lil x

Hi lil,

Thanks so much. You are so right about the love/relationship element of it. I have just started having counselling sessions (actually today was my first session), I have tried seeing counsellors before but I havnt been able to get past the first 2/3 sessions. Havnt really found the right counsellor, I hope that this one wil help.

I am living with my folks at the moment and even though most of them know about it, they dont really know what to do and because I am not physically ill i dont think they really consider this a serious ilness (or if they do they really dont know how to deal with it). I will be moving abroad in a few months and will be living by myself (well probably with housemates) but that is really worrying me!

The whole busy thing sometimes works with me, but the thing i find with that is either i get really hungry and just go and buy junk food or if i dont eat then when i get home i make up for it. if i know that i am going to be out all day (which is usually the case) i make my lunch from home and take all my snacks (fruit) so i know i will have food. it panics me the idea of being without food because i know i will buy bad food.

today is a good day, but then the fear with good days are that the bad day must be looming and sometimes the anxiety of one coming along gets so bad i succumb unable to wait any longer.

the idea of a life without food being the forefront and a meal being a meal and a bar of chocolate or piece of cake just being that seems like a dream.

i do try when i have bad days to isolate that day rather then carry it through to the next. it doesnt always work and sometimes i do have two/three bad days in a row. there are times however when i can wake up the next day and rationally think "ok yesterday was a bad day, but i am going to leave it there, i cant make it go away but i can make today a good one". it doesnt so much take away the obsession but it does make me feel better about myself when i have a day without binging (which is sometimes just as important)

i am determined to beat it, i'm sick of this controlling my life - i just really have no idea how?

this site is really helping, makes me realise that i am not alone in this.

you definitely aren't alone in this at all! i'm abroad at the moment, just coming towards the end of a year abroad and at times it's been great, the change of scenery, new places, new people have all really helped. i'll be honest though - there have been bad times and i wish i'd got some help before i came then i think i would have enjoyed the year even more.

i can also relate to not looking ill - when i was anorexic i was really bad, admitted for almost a year etc, so obsviously i don't look anything like that now. this sounds crazy but somethimes i think it'd be easier if i was that ill again coz then maybe i could get more help. i'm glad your family know about it - i can't tell mine, have already put them through so much with ana that i don't want them to worry about me making myself so sick. but it's hard to keep to yourself and that's why i'm glad i've found these boards!

anyway i'm glad you had a good day... take it a day at a time and i hope things improve. i'm going away with a friend this weekend so am hoping that will help.

keep in touch x

Binging can be just as harmful as restricting, My advice would be to look at what exactly are you craving.

Usually when we crave foods it is because our bodies need certain nutrients, and binges can be a form of comfort eating.  

All the best!

wow, im so glad the girls are supporting you you have a huge amount of replies here :-) hope u find mine babe,im emma-have similar prblems and an in therapy atm. ihave been quite severely bulimic,and i guess the hardest part is changeing behaviours tht i know cause my bulimea-BUT what really helps is recogniseing and understanding my illness. i used to wake up everyday thinking and praying not today i wont do it il be beter and feel better.

Ultimately its not about any of that- i no how horrific it feels hun,and im not even gna try and put it into words.- wat leads to the binges is the starveing yourself,but its prbably the "starveing your self" that you sometimes thrive on for feelings of success and worth. You can suceed and show your worth in so many more incredible ways.ways u deserve to feel-and enjoy- I can honestly say nothing good or postive has come out of the years i have spent on this. they have all just been thrown away,lost, wasted.

il never look back and smile upon these days.ever.maybe il never even remember them i will hv just felt the pain.

so what i get told i need to do is to try and combat the restricting cause all the bingeing is is my body keeping myself alive cause scientifically it needs the food and it understands that. i no you might be scared to put this behind you. but things only get worse and your always going to have to face that change today tomorrow even next year.

your very brave for facing this-but talking to some1 and not being alone helps.try walking the dog,really helps.baths and reading. but in the end you cant hide from what your body needs and deserves which is food.

you may not lke this,and neither do ii, bt its a fact. But i know your mind does not deserve this pain and distress, i no how lost you become and desperate. but if you find somewhre a will to belive you can beat this and you find the courage to face what needs to be faced then it wil get better and youl start to see life not food the nest time you get up in the morning all my love emmaxxxxx with you all the way

thanks so much for the reply, and it does help just to know that there are others out there who find having a healthy relationship with food so difficult. today has not been a great day. it hasnt been the worst but it just scares me so much when i binge. it feels like there is darkness all around and i am refusing to switch the light on because then i will be able to see what it is i am doing to myself. the last few weeks have been fairly good and i have been feeling and looking much better. but then today when i was at the gym i got a funny comment from one of the guys there and so that made me feel bad, so then as a result i had a terrible workout which made me feel worse. Then when i got home i started to obsess about the other things that i feel are not so great with life at the moment like the lack of boyfriend.

the whole process seems to snowball and before i know it i am back in the kitchen, and then i punish myself in my mind for days after that.

 the counsellor is helping we have only had a couple of sessions, but i am hoping that it will make some difference.

sorry today has been a negative one

hey sweetheat,

we all have negative days. that is human nature unfortunately!

hope things are more positive tomorrow sweetheart

I've had a really bad couple of days of bingeing as well.

I haven't exercised at all this week and feel soooo bad!! I just havent had time!

let me know how things are going,

take care sweetheart,

lexy -xxx-

today has been an exceptionally bad day. I had a really good 3 weeks and then all of a sudden it has gone back to * to * times a week. I am not purging but binging and I am not starving myself the next day! I am really worried that i am going to put on weight in fact i feel like i am. usually that stops me from binging but i cant seem to stop this time. things at home are not great, i feel so alientated from my family, i am really hating being single! i was out tonight and everywhere i looked i saw thin women walking around and i hated them. i feel like such a fat frump all the time and all i want is to look like them. i sit and imagine what it must feel like to be thin and attractive. i feel so disgusting when i look in the mirror and it is so difficult when i have to walk around pretending that everything is ok! these bad days are so bad and i am finding it is taking all my energy from me. can this ever go away? will this ever go away, will i ever be able to deal with my issues and challenges in life without turning to food as my solace. anything inspirational would be great right now as i really am at an all time low of lonliness!

awww sweetheart!! *hugs*

I don't have any inspirational advice, but I do want to tell you that you are doing sooo incredibly well. you had a good 3 weeks hunni, no matter if you never do it again, those 3 weeks cannot EVER be taken away, and you made those 3 weeks happen! you should feel so proud of yourself!

let me know how you are doing,

take care sweetheart,

lexy -xxx-

hey guys, i kinda need some help again. i'm not sure how much sense this is going to make but i am going to give it a go. i have been seeing a counsellor for like a month now and i do feel like we are getting somewhere, i am feeling a lot better about myself. i just cant shake the eating thing, i thought that once i started to work through my issues the eating would get better but it really isnt. sometimes i am not feeling that sad about anything but i feel really really hungry. i make sure that i eat throughout the day little bits so i dont starve myself (i never have) but still it is always in the evening i just go mad and cant stop. i feel really hungry it doesnt matter how much i eat. its so wierd and i wondered if anyone else feels like this or could shed some light as to why i am doing this.

i'm not feeling down and out all the time and the whole lonliness issue is betting much better, i am even improving my relationship with my family, but food always defeats me everytime - i cant win with it!

any thoughts? please tell me if this doesnt make any sense i can try to elaborate.

hope everyone is doing ok!

hey guys, i kinda need some help again. i'm not sure how much sense this is going to make but i am going to give it a go. i have been seeing a counsellor for like a month now and i do feel like we are getting somewhere, i am feeling a lot better about myself. i just cant shake the eating thing, i thought that once i started to work through my issues the eating would get better but it really isnt. sometimes i am not feeling that sad about anything but i feel really really hungry. i make sure that i eat throughout the day little bits so i dont starve myself (i never have) but still it is always in the evening i just go mad and cant stop. i feel really hungry it doesnt matter how much i eat. its so wierd and i wondered if anyone else feels like this or could shed some light as to why i am doing this.

i'm not feeling down and out all the time and the whole lonliness issue is betting much better, i am even improving my relationship with my family, but food always defeats me everytime - i cant win with it!

any thoughts? please tell me if this doesnt make any sense i can try to elaborate.

hope everyone is doing ok!

hey sweetheart,

it makes perfect sense, but I can't really shed any light I'm afraid ...

it's great to hear from you though!! I've missed you!!

glad to hear that you are getting on well with your counsellor and feeling much better. =)

let me know how things are going,

keep in touch! (even if its only once a month =)).

take care gorgeous,

lexy -xxx-