Binge Eating

[Kid Dynamite]

I noticed alot of people on this board seem to have eating disorders. How did you develop them? What's the deal? Do you get a taste of something off-limits and find it unable to stop until you're bloated and hurting? Are you punishing yourself for messing up?
If you fuck up on your diet, stop it right when it starts and do some damage control. Think about it. If you get a flat tire, do you jump out and shoot the other three? Hellllll Naaahhhhh. So why do that when you diet? Is it purely in your head? I know someone who eats this way, that's why I'm asking. He doesn't respond to anything me and a freind tell him.
Oh yeah, I'm not trying to talk down to you or tell you you're chicken shit for having a problem. I'm just trying to figure out what triggers it and why you can't stop.

 

[BigbubbaTX]

seratonin

 

[georgie24]

endorphins

 

[evilqueen]

Speaking ONLY for myself, of course...

It's because I have an addictive personality. I gave up drinking 11 years ago, but smoked more. I gave up the cigarettes this past January, and now I work out more.

Following a clean diet is my way of exerting control over SOMETHING. Bingeing is about escaping that control.

I think it's highly unusual that you've never binged.

 

[Cuts]

I just fucking love food bro. I fucking love it.

 

[Kid Dynamite]

Georgie-So eating a shit load releases endorphins and it feels too good to stop?
EQueen-By binge I'm talking about eating excessive amounts uncontrollably. I think you're talking about just taking a break from a strict diet. I think dieting breaks are good. I was asking why some people couldn't bring themselves to stop eating when bingeing.
Cuts-Are you referring to uncontrolled bingeing or just eating alot?

 

[chaste]

kid, you might do some research on binge eating. There is a lot of info on it.

It is a physical and psychological reaction to starvation.

For example, someone (usually very overweight) begins to starve him or herself in an attempt to lose weight. But since the body can only go so long without food, the hunger kicks in. As a result, the person begins to gorge food down because they can't take it. The body is starved so more food is needed to satisfy the person.

In addition, since digestion takes awhile, the person takes in more food since he or she does not feel full yet.

Moreover, the psychological reaction kicks in due to missing food.

Also in this scenario, a person usually craves empty calories (simple carbohydrates: sugar) because the body is deprived of energy and needs glucose to function so it craves sugar. Sugar foods don't fill one up as much as proteins and fats so a person needs and eats more.

All of this together causes the binging situation.

Perhaps you are more disgusted by it, but there are reasons why binge eating occurs.

You might encourage your friends to change their eating and exercise habits to avoid this problem.

 

[evilqueen]

No, I was talking about bingeing.

However, I have managed to control my bingeing by using eca stack. If I don't take it, I'm in real trouble.

 

[Kid Dynamite]

Chaste-I know the basics you stated and I've larned about it on the scientific levels. It was more a personal question to each individual on why they do it and can't stop.
EQueen-Sorry I misunderstood you. But, your response is a good example of why I was asking. I know the scientific aspect of it, just wanted to know personal reasons.

 

[Supergirl515]

my input

As someone who has suffered from every eating disorder under the sun, I figured I would respond to this post...
Yes, binging is your body's reply to starvation and yes, it does normally cause you to crave carbohydrates and sugar.
After being anorexic for a year, when i started recovery, i became a binge eater and can honestly say it is the hardest thing i have ever attempted to overcome...to this day i continue to struggle with it...day in and day out (there was a time where i only ate in the middle of the night because i was so ashamed and just binged for an hour around 2 or 3 am every night)
Now, I binge for a few reasons...
1. sometimes i quesiton my dieting and I wonder if I am heading into anorexia again and following a striict diet could get me there and i get nervous and I start to eat...
2. sometimes I just give into cravings./...
3. sometimes i feel sad and empty and alone because i got very depressed in recovery from my anorexia and i eat to fill a kind of void and emptiness i have
4. i am hypoglycemic from all of the sugar binging i have done and so if i dont eat like every 3 hours i get the worst cravings ever which are almost always unstopable..
there are a lot of reasons people binge...also remember there is a difference between binging and overeating...binging is usually secretive and done in a way that is kinda just like shovelin food into your mouth...quickly and excessively..
overeating can be done in public and is sometimes done quickly but is usually just eating a lot of food...
more than likely both are more related to something psychological than actually being hungry.,...
dont give your friend shit about it...he/she may have an eating disorder and could be struggling with it more than you know...be supportive...it is one of the hardest things to overcome,....
help them find a balance if you can..

 

[bm2k]

I used to binge eat, and I've now stopped. Intelligent dieting and a fresh outlook on life were the keys behind my recovery.

Previously I would eat too few calories and crave foods - any foods - that resulted in uncontrollable binges and a yo-yo-diet effect where I made no forward progress in terms of fat loss, but also didn't get noticably fat (as a result of the caloric restriction-binge cycle). I actually put on a bit of muscle through my binging, along with some fat of course. For example, I would follow a diet like the T-Mag "Fat Fast" (extremely low-calorie keto diet) for 1-3 weeks, and then give in and binge for a day. Then start the diet the next day. Then binge for a few days in a row and use an excuse like "I'll start dieting again on Monday", etc... It was quite a vicious and depressing cycle.

Finally, I had enough of what I was doing to myself. To the average person I looked fine, but I was sick and tired of my mental state and decided I'd do things the right way. I got serious and ditched the crazy dieting regimes. I wanted things to happen over-night, but finally realised this wasn't possible. Key to my recovery were a few things:
1. John Beradi's "Don't Diet" plan @ T-Mag - its like you're not even on a diet - very balanced, good amount of calories, slow and steady fat loss.
2. Playing competitive sport - in a team situation you can't afford to let your team-mates down. You have to be completely unselfish and reliable.
3. A fresh start in life - I changed university courses and jobs, and my outlook on life also changed. Both my course and job weren't at all interesting to me, and I decided to do things that I enjoyed. I deliberately fell out of contact with people that I didn't feel comfortable around, or people that made me feel like some kind of a lesser person. Around the same time I also took a holiday to a tropical island with a good mate of mine. We spent a week relaxing, thinking, talking, drinking, and partying This was one of the best things I did for myself. Lying around the pool, reading, sleeping - helped get my mind straight and re-assess the things that are really important to me.
4. Finding EF and stumbling across some posts about "refeeds", links to Par's articles etc... These articles, this forum, and some T-Mag articles helped shape my dietary knowledge and thinking to a point where I knew I could really beat this thing for good. As a result I haven't looked back....

That may make it sound easier than it was. To beat an eating disorder without any outside help (still nobody knows!) was one of the most daunting and challenging (and stupid?) tasks I could think of facing. However, I'm proud that I managed to overcome it, and hope that people realise that they can do the same thing too. To some extent I think all ED sufferers will always live with their disorder to some extent - they just get them under-control to a point where they don't really exist any more, but are always in the back of the individual's mind...

Hope that helps

 

[Kid Dynamite]

That's the aspect of the problem I was looking into. The personal reasons why it is done.
Supergirl-I don't ever give this guy shit. I know it would fuck him up even more (how much more I don't know). Anyway, thanks for the info and good luck staying away from ED's.
BM-Cool. Good job.

 

[CongoJoe]

if anyone can go on life without cheating or going ape crazy on food once in a while then you are sick. you gotta enjoy life once in a while and go bizerk. eat the fucking fridge, and when you finish clean out the freezer. then go out to dinner at a pizza place and raid it. and did y'all hear about the chocolate extreme blizzard at dairy queen? oh lord, on the way home after pizza, pick one up to go. those things are heaven sent.

 

[bm2k]

if anyone can go on life without cheating or going ape crazy on food once in a while then you are sick. you gotta enjoy life once in a while and go bizerk. eat the fucking fridge, and when you finish clean out the freezer. then go out to dinner at a pizza place and raid it. and did y'all hear about the chocolate extreme blizzard at dairy queen? oh lord, on the way home after pizza, pick one up to go. those things are heaven sent.

Unfortunately you don't understand what an eating disorder really is.

 

[Kid Dynamite]

if anyone can go on life without cheating or going ape crazy on food once in a while then you are sick. you gotta enjoy life once in a while and go bizerk. eat the fucking fridge, and when you finish clean out the freezer. then go out to dinner at a pizza place and raid it. and did y'all hear about the chocolate extreme blizzard at dairy queen? oh lord, on the way home after pizza, pick one up to go. those things are heaven sent.

Yeah, that's fine to have cheat meals or days. Binge Eating: Some people start and psychologicaly can't stop.

 

[littlesurfer]

It's usually a combination of individual factors that triggers a cycle of bingeing. The best way to heal is to figure out what those factors are and plan your life such that they don't occur (at least simultaneously).

For me it's the following:

1- deprivation from food in the past (whether b/c of monetary reasons or strict dieting)

2- loneliness (not having your friends/family close by)

3- living alone/ isolation

4- lack of sun

5- boredom

6- feeling fat/ failure


I think everyone is different. For example, some people binge when they are under stress, whereas, when I am under pressure and my mind is occupied, I am far less likely to binge.

I've also noticed that a lot people who binge are perfectionists. It takes a lot of practice to learn to forgive yourself for having gone off track just a little.

 

[georgie24]

I noticed alot of people on this board seem to have eating disorders. How did you develop them? What's the deal? Do you get a taste of something off-limits and find it unable to stop until you're bloated and hurting? Are you punishing yourself for messing up?
If you fuck up on your diet, stop it right when it starts and do some damage control. Think about it. If you get a flat tire, do you jump out and shoot the other three? Hellllll Naaahhhhh. So why do that when you diet? Is it purely in your head? I know someone who eats this way, that's why I'm asking. He doesn't respond to anything me and a freind tell him.
Oh yeah, I'm not trying to talk down to you or tell you you're chicken shit for having a problem. I'm just trying to figure out what triggers it and why you can't stop.

YOU WONT UNDERSTAND THE DYNAMIC OF OF THE SITUATION TILL YOU BEEN THERE. PLAIN AND SIMPLE

 

[Kid Dynamite]

Okay. Seems everyone has their own personal reasons for it. If you suffer from it, good luck beating it. -KD

 

[rebellifter]

Kid Dynamite,
I agree with your post 100%
I have been battling a diet/binging process for a while now and I am committed to beating it. Your advise about the flat tire and shooting the other 3 has helped me out a lot over the past 2 days!!! Great Post, everyone brought up some interesting points.

thanks!!!

 

[Bobarell]

Thanks everyone....I have had this problem in past. In fact the recent past. I have been dieting now for 2 months and have had great progress. Before that I was depressed about what life had given me and ate like a horse. In a matter of 2 months I put on 20 pounds of just FAT.

Since I started dieting I don't think about all the shit that has happened to me recently and spend most of my time concentrating on WO's and diets. I know it isn't the best thing to do, but it keeps me from getting in the dumps.

 

[Kid Dynamite]

Rebellifter-Awesome. I'm glad this thread has helped you out some. Good luck beating the problem.

Bobarell-If you concentrate your energy into something positive, like focusing on your workouts and diet, then that's great. You can focus on accomplishing your goals in building your body, and in turn it will help you in life. Using your time in the gym as an escape from life's pressures and problems is good therapy. Good job and keep it up.

 

[Avatar]

lemme add a depressing fact to this thread. Binge eating is an eating disorder called Bulimia Nervosa and is known to be mainly genetic and hormonal.

 

[Snappy]

Binge eating is an eating disorder called Bulimia Nervosa and is known to be mainly genetic and hormonal.

Actually, binge eating is usually known as compulsive over eating (COE) while bulimia is binge eating followed by some form of purging. FYI.

IMHO, eating disorders are not mainly genetic and hormonal, but mainly a symptom of psychological problems.

 

[Kid Dynamite]

Snappy hit it right: Bulimia Nervosa is Binge eating followed by purging (laxatives, diruretics, induced vomiting). It is usually cycles of normal to low calorie eating followed by a binge and purge session. Binge eating usually occurs after days to weeks of low calorie eating, but there is no attempt to purge. People often use eating disorders as a way to try to control something in their life. It's a pretty deep issue. Bulimics and Binge eaters are usually of normal weight and size, too, unlike anorexics. No matter what method of purging they use, alotta that food is getting absorbed. So they stay the same or gain weight, then try to diet again and, well, repeat the cycle.

 

[rippedup]

I had this problem and it severely affected my life. I was on the verge of becoming bulimic.
If I ate a piece of a non-bbing food, I would go on an all out binge and would feel like absolute crap afterwrads, depressed and hating myself.

My only solution to the problem was not to put any of these foods in my mouth, and it was quite an extreme one too; I haven't had one cheat meal since Dec. 2000. It's true.

I had to put all my energy on my willpower in order not to be tempted and resist the urge to binge again. At first, it was very hard, but then became easier and easier.

Today I'm not even tempted by junk food, dessert or anything different than chicken breasts, tuna and other bbing foods.

I still believe I need to overcome this situation by being able to eat a cheat meal without going insane and getting depressed.

Hopefully soon.

 

[littlesurfer]

lemme add a depressing fact to this thread. Binge eating is an eating disorder called Bulimia Nervosa and is known to be mainly genetic and hormonal.

Sorry but this hits too close to home.

Although, certain personality traits (e.g. perfectionism, addictive personality etc.) may make a person more likely to suffer from binge eating, it is NOT genetic or hormonal. I recovered by understanding and changing the source of the problem. I didn't have to take medication.

 

[Supergirl515]

no..

lemme add a depressing fact to this thread. Binge eating is an eating disorder called Bulimia Nervosa and is known to be mainly genetic and hormonal.

Binge eating and bulimia are two different disorders. A bulimic person purges the binge, a binge eater does not.

 

[Avatar]

Sorry but this hits too close to home.

Although, certain personality traits (e.g. perfectionism, addictive personality etc.) may make a person more likely to suffer from binge eating, it is NOT genetic or hormonal. I recovered by understanding and changing the source of the problem. I didn't have to take medication.

actually there is a strong degree of hormones and genetics involved. Not 100%, and it can be overcomed, but there is certainly other factors causing the stressors, or in this case the disorder.

Read up a bit on the hormone insulin, for example, and you'll understand a little bit more.

 

[Kid Dynamite]

Sorry but this hits too close to home.

Although, certain personality traits (e.g. perfectionism, addictive personality etc.) may make a person more likely to suffer from binge eating, it is NOT genetic or hormonal. I recovered by understanding and changing the source of the problem. I didn't have to take medication.

One often doesn't have to take medication to beat this problem. Therapy and, like you said, understandment of the problem are very important.

 

[littlesurfer]

actually there is a strong degree of hormones and genetics involved

Could you please explain your reasoning for this?

My reason for believing that binge eating is not genetic or hormonal is that I only needed to change my external circumstances to recover. I didn't have to control my suger intake or take medication. Infact, just the opposite, I stopped depriving myself from food.

However, this may not be the case is all circumstances, and I am interested to hear your explanation of how binge eating is related to hormones and genetics.

 

[Kid Dynamite]

littlesurfer-
Were you using your control of food and food restrictions to block out another problem or to gain an element of control in your life? Most of what I've studied and read up on states that it is common. Just wondering.
I'll let someone else answer the hormonal and genetic questions, but I believe it has to do with a person's blood sugar levels.

 

[fawnmarie]

Um... hormones come into the picture ALOT for people without eating disorders, too. Hormonal binging is a normal reaction that everyone can suffer if they have the wrong information about how/what to eat. Insulin is not really an issue specific to eating disorders. Lots of "normal" people suffer from insulin sensitiviy and carbohydrate addiction (which is really just seratonin addiction) and are able to overcome it with proper information about how to eat. When they DO learn how to eat to control their brain chemistry and their hormonal reactions, they are relieved, because it all finally makes some damn sense. Even if they DO occasional give in and eat that pizza, or cake or whatever. At least they know and accept what is happening to them and how to control it, and it can be controlled and corrected.

People with eating disorders are fighting their underlying obsession with food, and it is NOT so easy for them. There is definitely a psychological factor here, because even when they DO know what's going on, intellectually, it's hard for them to accept. They STILL are compelled to starve and binge, and they constantly have to use their willpower and intellect to override their obsession.

I think every person with an eating disorder who can accomplish this feat and recover is a freakin' hero! To me it's like having dyslexia and reading "War and Peace" ANYWAY. Or having one leg and still signing up for the marathon.

A "norm" that binges, diets and diets and then when presented with a pizza says what the hell, I've been good - and eats the pizza in front of god and everyone. And probably too much.

A person with an eating disorder will feel compelled to starve themselves despite the pizza until they break down and wait til everyone's gone and then eat it all.

So, there is no comparison with normal/hormonal binging and eating disorder binging - with both of them, insulin plays a huge factor, but there is a deep psychological glitch there that they have to fight. Now the glitch may be genetic or traumatic, may be a reaction to something that happened or brain chemistry.

I have never had an eating disorder, and consider myself lucky because of it, because I have come what some might think as damned close. Some people THOUGHT I did, and expressed worry that I was becoming anorexic. But I lacked the psychological glitch. I just had a hell of a lot of control over my eating and a great deal of will. So, binging never became an issue, because I could eat enough when I needed to, and WANTED to. There were no demons sitting on my shoulder every time I picked up a fork. An eating disorder is a little like a demon you can't control, trying to tell you lies about what you are, and who you are, and what your worth is, even though you really know better, and everything else in your life is telling you you're okay. You just can't shut that little voice up.

Like I said, I think anyone with an eating disorder who manages to gag that little bastard is a hero and should be applauded. Not every handicap is visible to the eye.

Fawn

 

[littlesurfer]

Kid Dynamite- For me, my disorder had to do with deprivation (from my loved ones, my home, the sun, a career I was actually interested in, and from FOOD). But it's very individual. Eating disorders come in all degrees. I only had it for short spurts during my time in law school. Moving back home to sunny california helped immensely in my recovery.

I don't know if this will help your friend, but hanging out with him is probably the most valuable thing you can do. While I was at school I had only one friend who didn't give up on me and wouldn't let me keep myself in isolation (believe me I tried). Rather, he would force me to go out on walks with him or just to sit somewhere and chat. If it weren't for him forcing me to have some human contact, then I don't know how things would have turned out. But I know that his constant care got me through school and back home.

Fawnmarie- I absolutely agree with everything you've said. My eating disorder was triggered at a latter stage in my life and was very short lived. I was already confident with at least my intellect at this point. I know a handful of women who are coping with Bulimia at much younger ages. It is a very difficult struggle. But I believe that recovery is possible, even in the most severe cases.

 

[bm2k]

A "norm" that binges, diets and diets and then when presented with a pizza says what the hell, I've been good - and eats the pizza in front of god and everyone. And probably too much.

A person with an eating disorder will feel compelled to starve themselves despite the pizza until they break down and wait til everyone's gone and then eat it all.

This summarises the behaviour of somebody with an ED perfectly. It accurately portrays the shame and suffering the individual feels...

Great post

 

[Kid Dynamite]

Good post Fawnmarie.

 

[Kid Dynamite]

Dealing with the "secretive binge" is a problem. I've left for the weekend and come back to discover that a jar of peanutbutter the guy has had for 2 weeks, that was full when we left, is gone. I've seen the elimination rationale, too. The eater thinks that once this food is gone it won't hurt em, so they eat the rest (ex: a box of cereal, a huge bag of mixed nuts and dried fruit. Seen the guy do this) and try to start over the next day. Then the cycle continues.