Okay guys, krissycontagious brought it up but I thought this would be a good idea for a thread. A lot of people seem to be struggling with binging recently (myself included) so I thought it would be a good idea to start a thread with tips on how to prevent or stop a binge (especially with Easter around the corner). They might not work for everyone, it’s a good idea to try as many as possible.
Of course, these are in conjunction with professional help. If you have a eating disorder, or any problems with your eating then it’s best to get professional help. They know a hell of a lot more than me ;)
Identify your trigger foods. Take notice of what you eat on a binge. If every time you eat a square of chocolate that triggers you into binging then maybe it would be a good idea to try to avoid chocolate? I know it seems simple, but a lot of people don’t think about these things so therefore you don’t notice. Another thing that helps with this, so you don’t deprive yourself of a food group or whatever, is say have a couple of squares of chocolate then ask someone to take the chocolate off you and make sure you don’t go and raid the fridge.
Make sure you’re eating enough. Again, sounds obvious, but a lot of the time when you binge it’s because you aren’t eating enough and your body is crying out for nutrients. So make sure you’re eating enough.
Meal plans. Meal plans can help to prevent you binging as everything is planned out and it gives you a structure to follow. Another ting that helps with this is having six to eight small meals in a day rather than the three big ones as this helps keep you feeling fuller for longer and can help stop you binging.
Identify reasons for binging. Write down how you feel before a binge. If you find out why you’re binging, whether that be hunger, boredom or emotional issues, then you can stop yourself from binging.
Distract yourself. If you think you’re starting to binge then try to distract yourself. Head over to the fun and distractions board, go out and take a walk to anywhere (don’t take money), draw, paint. Just get yourself away from the kitchen and food and get yourself busy.
Add your own tips guys. The more we get the better :)
There are in my mind two different binges - the binges that happen when you restrict and the binges that happen due to bullimia or C.O.E.
If you are eating enough (2000 calories a day) then you should have enough nutrients - it is one which often people don't realise they feel they are eating alot because they are eating but calorie wise it is a tiny proportion of what you should be eating. Purging, abusing laxatives etc. also mean that you will screw up your eating. We all need food and restricting/abusing our bodies - leads to hunger - leads to a binge - leads to restricting/abusing our bodies.
Shop when you are full - I find that I am far more likely to buy binge food if I go shopping when I am hungry because that looks yummy and wow look how scrum that looks and then I set of home and eat it all. If I go shopping with a list having eaten reasonably I dont get tempted by unnecessary items.
Identifying your trigger food is a really good way of identifying a binge but don't block whole food groups from your diet because they are 'bad' or 'unhealthy'. All food is good if eaten in moderation but eating Fried food day in day out is unhealthy so is eating only salad or only eating fruit. A balanced diet and a balanced mind are so important. I used to think I've messed my diet up because I ate that fatty chocolate I may as well eat more now and boom binge time.
Do a food diary (be careful with this if you restrict because it can trigger and thus lead to more binges)- The heading's should be as follow's:
Time,
Meal (e.g. Brekkie, lunch, snack),
Place (Where did you eat - kitchen, sitting room, etc),
Food,
Drink,
Binge,
Purge,
Laxatives,
Other,
Feeling after eating (i.e. hungry, full, stuffed),
Emotions prior to and after eating.
Do this for several weeks and see what is happening can you identify any commonalities between the binges?
Don't beat yourself up tomorrow is a new day, a new week, a new month and things will improve eventually.
xooxx
When we lose twenty pounds... we may be losing the twenty best pounds we have! We may be losing the pounds that contain our genius, our humanity, our love and honesty. ~Woody Allen
Is a chocolate muffin loving glitter ball
i like this thread.the last week, i was eating the least i could, i mean i was eating healthy, but just [calories removed] a day, which isn't normal, as you should eat 2000 calories a day, so i was wondering why this week i have been binging and here is the answer.
random.swirls you are right.when i go shopping and im hungry, i always buy stuff that i don't need and when i go home im tempted to eat it all.also when i eat a bit of chocolate and i have messed up with my diet, i eat more because i think that i have already messed up.
Last edited by -Tough-Cookie- : 23-10-2009 at 01:20 PM.
Reason: Please remember posting numbers is against the ED Forum rules
My RYL family:
I-used-to-be-positive is my big sister razorxkissedxwrists is my mommy alyssa.star is my sister phoenixflames_forever is my cousin concreteangel, helpmydeath, xxbeckyxx and queer fringe are my little sisters bob--says--hi is my twin
Thanks for the idea of doing a food diary random.swirls, I think that might actually help me alot. I tend to eat with no conception of when I'm full or not, and then I feel like I've binged without even realizing it, often times. Great ideas everyone!
Like a tree I stand, reaching for the light, gaining strength from the darkness at my roots. I am mangled from the torments of life, but in my uniqueness I am beautiful.
Bulimia has purged my soul. This can't be control.
[center]" I know what it's like to want to die. How it hurts to smile. How you try to fit in but you can't. How you hurt yourself on the outside to try to kill the thing on the inside."
" my precious, precious child, I love you and I would never, never leave you during your times of trials and suffering. When you see only one set of footprints it was then that I carried you" you were carried out of are lifes into the next and when its my time to leave this life I know i will be carried into the next life with you.
I wish i had my world complete again.
'Can we protend that airplanes in the night sky are like shooting stars, i could really use a wish right now' BoB
L_M_G is my mummy :) inkerman and razorbladedarling are my two non-identical twin sprogs (concieved on same day) Scabette< cos she has the cutest puppy dog eyes and i cant resist!feeling-afraid< my bottle of glitter!! which i just have to have :Pmidnight stars< my gorgeous sister, whom i love to bits ;) Dance With The Fairy< *star*gazing*buddie :] Broken-Fairy is my partner in crime ;) little_miss is my real life saviour PaperClip is my stationary queen
One thing I find really helpful is to pay attention to your thoughts - I know it sounds strange, but the thing is that our thoughts are what cause our actions in all situations. But we have some thoughts that are so automatic and so repetitive that we don't really pick them up 'till the things are already done.
I have these automatic thoughts right before I binge. Always. So, once I've figured that out I can, now and then, recognize I'm having these thoughts and stop them before I binge. What I do is to snap my hand at a table or something and actually say (or at least think) the word "stop", and then I deliberately think about something else.
I know it sounds reeeeaaally weird, but give it a try, it always works for me.
what helps me when i'm eating things that aren't "safe foods" is never eating out of the box or container it came in. like, if i'm going to eat chips i put a few handfuls of them in a bowl and then i put the bag away and go far away from the kitchen to eat them. so, when i get to the bottom of the bowl, it helps remind me that it's time to stop. going far away from the kitchen helps as a guard against mindlessly going back for more, i often catch myself when i'm going down the stairs.
I eat a lot of unhealthy foods. I feel I'm addicted to what's inside them. How do you get past the withdraw from what's inside? I can't have the things I want in life so I eat. What's a good way to stop the baby monster inside?
well, what kind of things do you feel like you are addicted to in the foods?
i ate for comfort for years and i sometimes still do, but the thing that helped me the most was finding understanding people i could talk to, when im upset and have the urge to binge/purge, i try to talk to someone. it doesn't even have to be about what's bothering you, sometimes it's enough to just get your mind off of it, but it difinitely also helps to talk about whats bothering you. it doesn't have to be in person either, phone and internet are very helpful as well.
Like a tree I stand, reaching for the light, gaining strength from the darkness at my roots. I am mangled from the torments of life, but in my uniqueness I am beautiful. 
