Disordered Eating: looking for hacks to stop bad habits

[Watkinson.DM]

Every few days I will binge on junk. It ruins my calories. 

I know when I am going to do it. I can feel it in the back of my mind. and with in a few hours I will have a huge bag of chips or pies or lollies.

I don't want to do this.

 

I am looking for 'circuit breakers' that I can use to cut the process before it gets too far along.

Is this something you experience and have over come? 

What strategies do you know of? 

Any and all suggestions welcome. 

[Elastigirl]

The biggest thing for me , is when I have the  feeling of wanting to eat all the junk, I stop and think, why am I feeling this way? If it's because I'm stressed or anxious is there something else that I can do besides eating to curb the craving?

 

Another reason I get that feeling is that I am just being too  rigid with my own food rules, and I start to rebel against myself.  So, instead of thinking all or nothing, I think is there a way  I can loosen things up a bit, without going crazy and eating all the chips. Maybe I just need a day where I go over some on calories. Or maybe I need to say  sure I can have some chips anytime I want, just fit it into my calorie budget. Remember it doesn't have to be all or nothing.

 

Next time you get that feeling, try and determine why you are feeling that way.

 

 

 

[Harriet]

On 3/28/2022 at 1:39 AM, Watkinson.DM said:

Every few days I will binge on junk. It ruins my calories. 

I know when I am going to do it. I can feel it in the back of my mind. and with in a few hours I will have a huge bag of chips or pies or lollies.

I don't want to do this.

 

I am looking for 'circuit breakers' that I can use to cut the process before it gets too far along.

Is this something you experience and have over come? 

What strategies do you know of? 

Any and all suggestions welcome. 

 

The only thing that has helped me was cutting out all sugar and carbs, and filling the void with fat/salt. I was pretty happy on keto for about seven months, with really noticeably reduced hunger, fewer intrusive food thoughts, and virtually no out of control eating. But then I ate some easter eggs so I'm having to quit again. I can't say this will work for anyone else, it's just my experience. But I have read a lot of other people saying that moderation is futile for them and only abstinence from trigger foods works. Trigger foods are somewhat personal, but are very likely to include processed, highly palatable foods that have a combination of refined starch or sugar, added fat, and high caloric density. Also alcohol. If you want to cut out trigger foods, the most important thing is not having them in your immediate environment--you can't expect to get by on willpower forever.

 

But if you do cut out trigger foods, make sure you're still having lots of nice, enjoyable but non addictive foods. Caloric restriction that is too severe or goes on for too long causes backlash eating, in my experience. So does excessively low hedonic value in the diet. Inadequate protein can also cause hunger. Good luck.

[Bent not broken 71]

Hi there, fret not! The body looks at calories on a weekly basis. You overdo today, cut back tomorrow! Budget your cravings, then YOU are in control. (I'd lose my mind if I had to totally abstain from a weekend bourbon, or cold dark beer in the summer!!!) Over budget yesterday? Cut back today! You can also remove the "baddies" from your pantry. Now, if you're having a craving, YOU must get up, go out and bring it back!! Sometimes, it just ain't worth the effort. I hope this helps!

[Conquius]

On 3/27/2022 at 7:39 PM, Watkinson.DM said:

I am looking for 'circuit breakers' that I can use to cut the process before it gets too far along.

 

James Clear's book Atomic Habits might be right up your alley. Clear talks about the Cue -> Craving -> Response -> Reward cycle, and how to hijack that cycle in order to build good habits and break bad ones.

 

I've got a physical copy, but I'm sure it's also available in e-book and audiobook.

[LostValkyrie19]

This is a super late response, but some things I have learned through struggling with binge eating disorder: 

• Very helpful book -  Overcoming Binge Eating by Dr. Christopher G. Fairburn 
  I had read through it 2 times and make myself commit to the steps and following the plan it has you work through, but when I did, I saw really good results. I went from multiple binges a day to only 1 a week if that, and working on that now. So, it might be something you can read through to get you going or help get your mindset right. 
   
• Distracting yourself - have a list of alternate activities you can do
  I have a list taped to my pantry door with a list of activities that I could do first, and it is on a Batman printout - what would he do man? Examples of activities: quick walk, go into another room and just shake for a few min (weirdly works), write out why you are reaching for those snacks? What do you really want/need at that moment? 
   
• Plate it
  If you can't stop the binge, get some food and put it on a plate. Then take that plate to another room and allow yourself to enjoy it. Don't beat yourself up, enjoy the set amount of food, and then move on. 
   
• Compassion
  This was talked about recently in the webinar that Jim hosted on 5 Things holding you back. Compassion for yourself, you can't always be perfect, no one is.  Tough love doesn't work, if it did you wouldn't do this anymore. Be aware of what you are doing, catch that self talk and spin it. Doesn't have to be spun into something positive, just neutral/realistic. 
  This is probably the hardest thing for me. 

These are just some of the things I have been using in my life that have been helping me a lot. It is hard and needs a lot of attention at first, but it gets easier!