How do I stop binge eating when stressed?

teb_2

Mrs teb here ( I must get my own log in one day). Hands up time, I need help, I'm just not sure from where.

I need to lose weight, simple as that. The problem is that as soon as I get stressed (or hormonal) I immediately want (need! - that's the way I feel) food. Things are very stressful here at home right now and there is no quick fix to sort out the problems unfortunately. I managed to lose 20lbs but I've put 4 lbs of that back on this last week alone, purely because of stress.

I am a sensible sort most of the time but the ONLY thing that gets me through tough times is food. I did speak to my Doctor about it and his advice was less than helpful - ' go home, think about it and don't eat as much' . :rolleyes: I didn't get much sleep last night and tried to go back to bed for an hour today but next door made sure I wasn't going to get any sleep today either. After getting well worked up, I made for the crisps cupboard and devoured 2 bags within seconds along with a chocolate milk roll thing. I felt calmer almost immediately. Needless to say that was the day wasted and the diet was shot to hell. Teb tries to help but I'm like a woman possessed and he just gets growled at.

I know I need to deal better with stress and things I have no control over but I don't know how to. I expect people who don't feel this way will have no true understanding of the compulsion that you can feel at times like this but it really is a problem. Please don't slag me off and tell me I have a choice and I can just stop reaching for food if I really wanted to. Do you think my head hasn't already told me that? I've tried having nothing in the house that could be 'bad' for me but that just means my emotions and mood build until I want to scream. For the sake of a quiet (er) life, sometimes it's better to eat!

I need to tackle the problem rather than just avoiding it or trying to work round it.

We don't have a lot of spare cash that I can use for private 'therapy', lol. Maybe that's just as well as the tv seems to show people coughing up thousands of pounds every year for continuous therapy sessions that seems to do them no good anyway!

How do I break the cycle? For personal reasons I don't want to go into on a public forum, I can't just get up and go out for a walk or something like that, I'm pretty much stuck here indoors and it's a bit like a pressure cooker building up until it blows and I ransack the kitchen.

Please tell me I'm not the only person ever to feel like this? How do other people cope?

Sitrus

I guess you could think of simple things that may help in de-stressing you, e.g. some time relaxing in the bath, listening to music/relaxation tapes, or doing some exercise to release tension - even getting a punch bag might be helpful! The other thing may be about getting lots of fresh or dried fruit or other healthier options, and eating that instead of the unhealthy stuff - only a temporary fix but may make you feel better. You could also think about writing down your feelings rather than 'eating them'

Noctu

*massive hugs*

I can't give you much advice about breaking the cycle I'm afraid, as I'm trying to lose weight also at the moment. However I just wanted you to know that your gain of 4lbs in a week is probably all water retention if you haven't been eating too well recently. Don't beat yourself up about it. It's pretty much physically impossible to 'truly' put on that amount of weight in one week. Drink loads of water - 2l a day - and you'll watch that false gain 'drop' off!

The main thing is that you're not just ignoring what's happening. That's the first step.

There's a lovely bunch of people on Murphy's No More Pies club - a thread in The Arms They're trying (and succeeding!) to lose weight too.

From re-reading your post, could you try distracting yourself when you feel the urge to snack come on? I know it's really difficult but sometimes fooling yourself can be quite effective!! Also, another helpful thing is to not buy the sweets/choccy/crisps from the supermarket. Then you can't have them in to snack on. Sadly for me OH is diabetic so has a supply of lovely choccy bars at the ready just in case!

Without wanting to delve too deeply, could you exercise at all at home or is that not an option?

tiff

My sister is doing the lighter life programme. Its quite extreme as you can only eat their foodpacks, but it is combined with cognitive behaviour therapy to work out the reasons why you eat. She has found that part of it really helpful. You are guaranteed to lose a stone a month, but it does cost tons of money. £66 a week to be exact!

I'm thinking of just doing therapy which is half the cost, to see if that helps me.

teb_2

Noctu wrote:

However I just wanted you to know that your gain of 4lbs in a week is probably all water retention if you haven't been eating too well recently. Don't beat yourself up about it. It's pretty much physically impossible to 'truly' put on that amount of weight in one week.

No, it IS truely possible.

You would be surprised at what one very stressed person can throw down their throat in a very short space of time.

I'm only laughing about it (kind of) otherwise I'd cry.

Thanks for all the advice everyone. I can manage to lose weight admittedly with a bit of a struggle, it's purely the stress thing I have a major problem with.

I know why I do it, I know what brings these feelings on, I just can't seem to deal with them sensibly or stop the ball rolling once it starts. It's more than just snacking, it's like an all consuming feeling that can only be calmed by eating.

(Imagine the hulk losing his temper, turning green and ripping his shirt - that's how I feel inside if I dont eat when I get really stressed. Mind you I do think I'm better looking and I'm not quite as big )

Btw, to the person who pm'd me, I tried to reply but your box is full.

Katmc2k

hello

i am studying for my law finals at the moment (eek!) and spending all day in front of books stressing out just makes me want to raid the food cupboard, out of boredom and stress etc.

i know it doesnt treat the cause (ie your underlying stress) BUT i have emptied the entire house of chocolate, crisps, ice cream, fizzy juice and so on. (it wasn't easy living with two teenage boys, but if they want junk food in the house they keep it in their rooms, and nowhere near me-those are the rules now!) I then went to iceland (the greatest student shop) and bought a punnet of grapes, strawberries, raspberries, bananas, natural yoghurt, sweet and crispy salad, avocado, pine nuts etc and i have trained myself so that those are my new comfort foods. I eat HUGE amounts of them whenever I need to and have very little guiltl, and as I have no choice (eat that or go hungry) it has worked for me.

i'm not saying its the answer as dealing with the stress and breaking the cycle is, but it has really helped me reduce my guilt about binging, and if you are trying to lose weight eating raw fruit and veg all day will surely help? now i crave those foods instead of chocolate (most of the time)

hope this helps a wee bit x

mutley74

you bing eat because the feeling you get and emotional state it gives you when eating. When you feel like eating at that moment in time you need to change the pattern. i.e ask youself why are you eating?
Next time you want to binge..stop there and say something stupid to yourself and jump up and say "stupid me stupid me i will be fat and ugly if i keep doing this" for example. Why? Because being unreasonable to yourself is the only way to learn to become reasonable and actually re-programme your brain to change your actions.

Change it by just drinking water or eating fruit, or going for a job etc.

I have not read all your thread in depth (its late for me!) but its all about like using NLP i.e how to reprogramme your brain and how it works. When you binge eat its not because you are hungry its cause the food lets you recreate a time when you feel better emotionally. hence once can keep eating. It happens to me sometimes and even though i have learned to stop it still happens at times.

all the best

belfastgirl23

Just to say (in an american accent) I feel your pain.

Had a stressful meeting today, came back and had a scone (not even hungry). Just polished off two rounds of jam on toast too and did plenty of eating in between

My only tip is do not have a crisp cupboard. Do not have a chocolate cupboard. Repeat as necessary for wine, cheese etc. Seriously though if you have to go out and get something it can make you think twice. At least if you're going to overeat, do it on stuff that will fill you up fast or will be in some way healthy.

Also (and I'm still working on this) one bad day does not make that big a difference. If you're climbing a hill and you slip back a few paces, does that mean you should then start running downhill? Tomorrow is another day.

Good luck. Rest easy knowing you're not the only one

buxtonrabbitgreen

I started cycling 6 weeks ago. It was on docs orders to help a knee problem. Well the knee is no better yet, BUT cycling 30-60 mins a day and I have lost a stone without cutting out any food at all and i am well pleased. Also I find it quite therepuetic (except when I am going up hill) as I am going at a different pace and think about all sorts. When I get back if I fancy a piece of cake I have it. I guess as long as I don't start slacking the weight will continue to go.

janb5

Hiya, just read this thread and wanted to recommend a book that I have found really good.

It is `Stop Bingeing` by Lee Janogly. Very down to earth and helpful and EASY to read. Goood luck, we`ve all been there!

rainbowrisin

I wonder if CBT might well be of use - I would go back to your GP (or go to a different one if yours is a tad dismissive) and see if you can get a referral to a psychologist.
With CBT you change the way you think about a situation - it's really useful for dealing with anxiety, bad habits and stress.

Positive affirmation can be helpful too - just keep saying to yourself (with a deep breath every time) "I feel sooo calm today" or "I handle pressure really well". Say it with confidence, nice and loud, as often as you can. The more you say it, the more real it will become. Just think about how many times you've said / thought "I must have a bag of crisps or my head will explode" - or similar. That thought habit just needs to be replaced with one that's more helpful.

You can also try and picture the crisps covered in maggots every time you open the packet (sorry, not nice, but often effective).

Drink a glass of water and wait 20 minutes is also an oldie but a goodie.

If you have particular Binge foods (mine is french bread with butter, but all else is pretty safe) then it's probably worth not buying them. I'm sure there are treats the family like which don't trigger the binge urge, so buy them instead.

Don't beat yourself up over it. You do really well to loose weight in the first place, so you obviously have a considerable amount of self control anyway. I reckon with a bit of fine tuning you'll be absolutely flying.
HTH and Best of Luck.