I am so confused as to what to do. I am a binge eater and can't stop eating although I do try. Food is like a magnet to me and once I start I don't know how to quit.
Every day I try to start my diet and every day I binge. I want to know if I should do this or try another way of eating so I can fix myself once and for all.
Hi Cassy63,
Probably the way forward is to try to do the 12 week plan, but you need to read up and understand how it all works, so do read the the NHSChoices live well lose weight pages, especially the bit about binge eating.
It's also worth reading around these blogs - there have been posts about this before.
My guess is that you need to try to wean yourself off of your bad food habits - a bit like everyone else has to, for that matter - and maybe you need to take a kind of softly, softly, catchee monkee type of approach.
There's an old saying - from a monastic 'rule' of many centuries ago - that "a spoonful of honey is sometimes better than a barrelfull of vinegar".
Try to keep a positive attitude to the changes you are making - don't get into bashing yourself up about it or treating it like some sort of punishment.
So, if you can try and break the behaviour chain that leads to you bingeing, you may find that at first you can kind of mini-binge - binge but not too badly - and in time gain control of it and avoid it all together.
The main mechanisms are:
1) block - make it impossible to do (i.e. nothing in the place to binge on);
2) stall - I'll put if off until ......
3) distract - keep yourself busy with things so you don't notice you want to binge until the urge passes
4) minimise - instead of eating a huge amount, take a controlled and measured amount of food to 'skate the hunger (or urge) off you'.
And do approach your local GP / health services to see if they can offer you any help with the problem if you are unable to get it under control by yourself.
Good luck.
Hi Cassy,
I have 2 things to add to Doikosp's great advice.
1. When you binge, how much did that food actually cost? How much did you spend on that food that you finished off at lightning speed? Try working it out and comparing it to what you can get instead - you could save for a holiday deposit, a makeover, new clothes for when you lose weight, a day out, music, dvds....
2. Once you've read the NHS pages and looked at the plan, sit down and work out what you will be eating every day for the next week. Make sure you include all your meals, drinks and snacks. Then make a list of what you need to make those meals and snacks. Then go to the shop and buy ONLY what is on that list. That way you will only have food in the house that is good to eat.
Having a plan that you can stick to helps a lot of people on here.
Good luck 
HI I tend to do your first point, I find it helps me to keep off the sweets as I know the money I save will o onto some that lasts a lot longer and I can share the memories.
I'm a binge eater, too! I'm not all that bad, but I find the worst thing is thinking too much. The more I think about food the more I'm prone to go devour everything in the kitchen.
The only thing that works for me is not having anything in the house to binge on. We don't stock our cupboards up. Our weekly shop is only things like veg, fruit, meats, and sometimes we get crumpets or muffins, but I will invariably eat those quite quickly with PB and honey. The only easy snacking food we buy is fruit, really. And for when I want something a bit more sinful, I have treats in the freezer, but even that used to be impossible, as I'd just eat the load of whatever was in the freezer anyways. I've now grown able to reason with myself in the amount of time it would take to defrost a treat I can usually talk myself out of it or vow to have just one.
When I cook I do tend to cook more than we need for the evening meal, and it used to be that we would go back to the pot after we'd finished and polish off the rest. Now I've taken to dishing out the extra serving and putting it away before we even sit down to eat. That way it really does become tomorrow's lunch as planned.
One thing that initially helped me was that when I first wanted to take control of eating I told myself I would only put a morsel in my mouth AFTER I'd written it down. I don't always pre-plan now, but I did find that having to write it down would deter me from eating it half the time, and it meant I stopped a binge before it could happen. It takes a lot of dedication for a few days of doing this, but it's a way of retraining yourself to be satisfied with only a small amount of something.
I still have slip ups, and you always will, but they tend to not be as bad as they used to be. Instead of devouring an entire sleeve of biscuits I'll have 5 and call that a binge. And it FEELS like a binge, too. The other day I polished off the dark chocolate we'd been slowly eating a square at a time. It was inevitable, really, I knew I wasn't ready to have a large bar of chocolate in the fridge calling my name. I ended up eating about 35g and that felt like a binge, even though I'd have easily gone through 100g before.
Take it day by day and keep posting blogs about how you do. It will really help you keep track of progress you make, and having the support of others who might have been where you are or are where you are is so valuable.
Good luck!
I have just joined here and posted my first post but then found your post and this really helps me.
Try having a cup of tea, coffee or low cal hot choc at the first sign of the munchies, this can sometimes help. Other tactics I have used are cleaning my teeth or sucking sugar free mints, both stalled my munchie attacks in the early days until I was able to take control. Retraining yourself to take control wont happen overnight so dont beat yourself up if you give in to the munchies, just take a little more control every day and in a few weeks you'll be automatically reaching for healthier choices. It's not easy but dont give up. Good luck
Boy life's unfair when you love food but it loves you back on your hips and thighs! I've just started to take control again after hiding upstairs eating chocolate and cakes so hubby wouldn't see and even weekly weigh in at weight watchers didn't stop me for past couple of months. What hit me was taking a hard look in mirror and not liking the unhealthy looking person looking back! So every time you feel tempted you will have to remind yourself how much you want to lose weight, that the taste and enjoyment of eating is temporary fix and you know what....you can do it just remember there will be slip ups but in time there will be less. Good luck
Thank you all for your replies. I am sorry I didn't reply myself but It has taken me this long to sort my head out. I have lost 1 and a half stone although I do still have the urge to binge hence the reason it has taken me so long to lose the weight. I will take on board all the things you have told me. Thank you.
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