Is this possible? Have you done it? How?

Home List of Forums + New Post Recipe Box Usergroups Following Log in

Join Now

| | | | |

Forum -> Women's Health -> Healthy Lifestyle/ Weight Loss/ Exercise

View latest: 24h 48h 72h

amother

Tue, Oct 19 2021, 1:39 pm

Anyone get cured from a binge eating disorder.

I am not referring to overeating or omg I binged on chocolate. I'm referring to (when you're in the binge) the compulsion to keep eating looking for more food and more food even when it no longer tastes good or isn't foods you even like until you literally feel sick.

What I've tried?
-regular diets
-therapy
-cutting all carbs and sugar out (OA style)
-not cutting anything out (IE)

My husband thinks that this may be a issue I need to learn to live with, work on so its less often but it may never really go away.

Is there hope?
Any thoughts?

amother

Crimson

Tue, Oct 19 2021, 3:03 pm

So, I am similar in my eating patterns and I agree with your husband. This is something I struggle with and will probably continue to do so.

In the past year, I have lost around 40 lbs. (still should prob lose another 30). A health scare was the big wake up call and the push to change. I still struggle. I have gained back around 7-8 and am working hard to continue losing. But the difference this time around is that I accept the struggle and I don't throw in the towel after 1 or 2 bad days. I wake up willing to try and fail again and I know that I will do this. But its still worth the fight. The level of acceptance that I think perhaps your husband is trying to communicate is what is helping me not gain it all back. Not sure if this makes sense...

amother

Tue, Oct 19 2021, 3:34 pm

amother [ Crimson ] wrote:

This is exactly on the button.

How did you lose your weight? How often are you bingeing now?

amother

Lawngreen

Tue, Oct 19 2021, 3:58 pm

Yes, I was 17 and happened to start taking Concerta for Adhd and it cured my bingeing, b"h.

amother

Lawngreen

Tue, Oct 19 2021, 4:01 pm

amother [ Lawngreen ] wrote:

Yes, I was 17 and happened to start taking Concerta for Adhd and it cured my bingeing, b"h.

Btw I stayed on it until 22 when I finished college, then when I stopped the Concerta I gained 20 lbs in a year (but then did not gain more) but never got the bingeing disorder again b"h.

amother

Lemonlime

Wed, Oct 20 2021, 6:14 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

100% I know people who have recovered. There is a specialized therapy that's relatively new that's supposed to work amazing for binge eating disorder. I got the name of a therapist that specializes in it (and takes my insurance)!from Ayelet Hashachar but Relief may also have some names. It's worth a try to reach out.

amother

Snow

Wed, Oct 20 2021, 7:55 pm

Same boat. Lost 10 pounds but will probably gain it back quickly due to my bad habits.

amother

Seablue

Wed, Oct 20 2021, 8:22 pm

Yes! A combo of IE and therapy. It evolved- never touched on my weight or food at all in therapy. Did IE on my own.

andrea levy

Thu, Oct 21 2021, 1:13 am

amother [ OP ] wrote:

I did it. Non stop eating got me to 315 lbs. I am five one. I could no go 15 minutes without eating. I started recovering 4.5 years ago.

More important than the weightloss, I’m peaceful. I would describe what I do as NSNG ( no sugar no grains.) extremely low carb, no starch, no sweetener (sugar or alternative or non caloric.) I didn’t eat fruit for over three years and rarely do. I eat nutrition dense, not processed food. This ultimately means I buy ingredients, not things with ingredient lists.

I eat to satiety, meaning I am satisfied. I don’t count calories, carbs or anything else. I agree with the poster above that it’s a process and that Continuing to work on it instead of throwing in the towel for whatever reason is key.

I have a PDF that summarizes what I do in a general way. If you want it I’ll email it to you. Each person does it a bit different than other people. Nutrition is very individual.

amother

Feverfew

Thu, Oct 21 2021, 1:35 am

amother [ OP ] wrote:

I am not cured of my binge eating/addiction and I will never be. it is a part of my psyche. But I have been living in recovery for most of 17 years 1 day at a time, maintained a 80-90 pound loss and the insane craving and compulsion is most always gone. That monster is chained in the closet and if he rears his ugly head, I have the tools to quickly beat him into submission.

I had that compulsion for more more more. I'd run from sweet to salt to smooth to crunchy to hot to cold just looking for that food fix that would make it ok to stop. But the compulsion to eat continued translating into obesity and self hatred. I have accepted that this compulsion is an addiction, a behavior I cannot stop that is damaging to me. I have done the research... even writing a paper on addiction. As far as I know, the only program proven to treat addiction with long term success are AA type 12 step programs (xxx anonymous). That is what is working for me.

amother

Saddlebrown

Thu, Oct 21 2021, 8:10 am

I have done it.
I’m not cured I still get cravings & sometimes I do eat. But I’m learning to stop myself & when it does happen it’s so much less then it used to be.
I’ve lost 65 lbs I gained 15 back & now I’m working on loosing it again.
I look at it as a chronic issue that constantly needs to be worked on. Once I accepted that it became easier to deal with.
I try to stick to a clean low carb low sugar diet but I do have some things I normally avoid.
It’s not easy controlling my portions when I do have a bit of sugar or carbs but I’m getting better at it.
I’ve accepted that it is going to be a life long struggle for me but being obese is a also a struggle. I prefer to struggle with my food then with being obese.
For me thinking of it like that helps me.

amother

Thu, Oct 21 2021, 10:18 am

amother [ Seablue ] wrote:

Yes! A combo of IE and therapy. It evolved- never touched on my weight or food at all in therapy. Did IE on my own.

Can you tell me more? I have been to therapy and I have done IE and neither has made a difference. Or a significant enough difference.

amother

Thu, Oct 21 2021, 10:21 am

amother [ Feverfew ] wrote:

The OA diets were too strict and I binged for freedom from them. Those were the worse binges because there was a strong sense of relief and power when I let myself eat the house down.

I wonder if there is a way to fight the compulsion without an OA or very restrictive diet.

amother

Seablue

Thu, Oct 21 2021, 11:17 am

amother [ OP ] wrote:

Can you tell me more? I have been to therapy and I have done IE and neither has made a difference. Or a significant enough difference.

Sure! In therapy I addressed a lot of my thoughts, where they came from, and knowing the difference between what was true and what were "beliefs" from the outside. I learned to pause, to meditate, to feel deeply and be comfortable feeling.

Alongside, I was reading the IE book and listening to some podcasts. The premise of IE is so deeply about inner feeling and awareness that hand in hand it really helped.

I can now eat a lot if I choose to and not fall into the guilt-binge-guilt-binge cycle. I can emotionally eat, realize what it is, and choose to eat or find another option for comfort/predictibility/ dopamine.

Food has lost its "power".

amother

Feverfew

Thu, Oct 21 2021, 11:18 am

amother [ OP ] wrote:

if you stick with an OA type program long enough, you will be rewarded with freedom from the compulsion. But its hard work to get to that stage. I am on Greysheet and the feeling of freedom from the compulsion that caused endless binging is priceless. You speak of relief and power... that is what I feel at a normal weight. How amazing that I can maintain this for 17 years. What a relief! And then I remember that it is not MY power. The steps teach me and meetings reinforce that it is the power of Hashem that helps me keep obesity and binging and compulsion in the deep dark past. Hashem keeps the compulsion from wielding power over my mind and body.

amother

Plum

Thu, Oct 21 2021, 8:00 pm

I'm someone who has other compulsive behavior but not eating. What helped me is to put more into my schedule -when I'm busier I engage much less in my compulsive behavior. So I do something I enjoy, find paid work,, volunteer work,, garden etc.Could a compulsive eater compensate by making their lives much busier?

amother

Snow

Thu, Oct 21 2021, 8:04 pm

Yes but as a mother of young children I find a lot of my business is child care which is mindless amd doesn’t fulfill me. I suppose if I worked full time amd sent my children out for long hours it might help but it would take too much of a toll on the rest of my life. It’s a hard balance.

cbg

Thu, Oct 21 2021, 8:20 pm

amother [ Feverfew ] wrote:

Feverfew can you PM me
I’m looking for some help

amother

Maroon

Thu, Oct 21 2021, 8:48 pm

I binged forever snd ever. 20+ years.
Only way to stop is to completely stop trying to restrict (diet)

Read geneen Roth, brain over binge (book and podcast)

Last edited by amother on Sat, Mar 05 2022, 8:03 pm; edited 1 time in total

amother

Maroon

Thu, Oct 21 2021, 8:49 pm

I should have said bh I have stopped. Only thing that helped was to stop restricting.
Haven’t lost or gained in 8 years but at least I don’t binge? Idk being fat sucks too. Not gonna lie