The Binge Eater's Group Support Journal page 2

[unsuperb]

I wanted to describe my binges because they can be pretty severe and It might help someone else to know that they are not crazy or alone in this. Most days I eat fully Primal until after dinner. I will feel fine with little urge to binge. Suddenly, I will begin to picture a certain high carb food. My mind will begin to obsess on that food. I may try to pep talk myself out of it, but another part of my mind is saying "Oh go ahead, you deserve it, tomorrow is another day". (I call this voice Scarlett O'Hara)
Eventually I give in. I'll eat the food I was thinking about. Then I'll eat something else and so on. I will eat for 2-3 hrs straight and then fall into bed like a drunk on a bender. Being tired and stressed/annoyed seems to be a big trigger problem for me.

Here is a typical binge:
Ice Cream
Cereal with milk
Bread and PB
Fruit snacks
Graham Crackers
Chips
Candy

*Now the reason for my weight regain becomes clear. I do this at least 3x a week. Afterwards, I feel great remorse and self loathing, but I can't seem to stop it from happening. BTW all of the above is in the house for my husband and kids. Bad, I know.

This sounds a lot like the binges I have. And if it starts at the beginning of the week, it tends to carry through till the end because I have this mental block about starting things (being "good") mid-week. I can't even blame my partner for having stuff in the house as she's strictly paleo. I actively go out and purchase it *sigh*

[demuralist]

And the cheat....I had to make cupcakes last night as a thank you to my husband's class for their donation to my father-in-law's charity. I didn't eat any of the cake-batter or cake once baked-but the icing is a different story. I had a pretty significant amount of it, probably 1/2C, dollop here dollop there for taste testing got a bit out of hand. But man it was one of my best batches ever!

I am not sure about calling this a binge, per se, I think it was more about opportunity. I didn't go looking for it, and I didn't actually eat as much as I would have I think, but icing is definitely my downfall. I guess I could have made something else that didn't include my downfall, so maybe my binges are just sneakier than they used to be.

I then felt like crap all night, tummy and joints. I don't know if the joints are related to the sugar but I sure hope so.

[Pebbles67]

Well I had an opportunity eat a thon myself yesterday. There was a lot of stress around keeping the party secret and I was acting as my SIL's right hand gal.. When we finally got it all set up, I started out ok and then got into the chips, then the cookies. I just kept eating the rest of the night. I think my inability to stop until bed is like some people being unable to start a diet on any day but Monday. This morning I am tired and bloated, but ready to eat clean again. Sadly, W30 for Sept is now a W28 (hopefully).

[demuralist]

60 minutes had a bit on last night about the flavorings that they add to foods to essentially make them addictive. Of course they said "not addictive so much as make you want to keep coming back for more" it is not "so much that we are trying to get people to eat more at one sitting as that we want them to keep buying it". Basically said that if it comes in a box, package or bag flavors have been added to "enhance" the taste experience. Part of the reason that our fresh often don't taste the way we think it should or how we remember it from being a kid is that our taste buds are not sensitive to those flavors, and partly because the packaged have been enhanced so in comparison fresh is not flavor enhanced. I knew all of this but seeing them just chat it up and not take responsibility for how it has contributed to the way Americans eat was irritating.

They actually said that they shoot for a flavor burst up front with a very short linger so that you will want to eat more of it. So once you put one in your mouth, well you are a goner.

Don't get me wrong, I strongly believe in personal responsibility, but come on, the pusher has to take some responsibility.

Of course that doesn't excuse my little adventure, since it was made from scratch, I was the pusher and the buyer.

Today is a new day.

[RitaRose]

60 minutes had a bit on last night about the flavorings that they add to foods to essentially make them addictive. Of course they said "not addictive so much as make you want to keep coming back for more" it is not "so much that we are trying to get people to eat more at one sitting as that we want them to keep buying it". Basically said that if it comes in a box, package or bag flavors have been added to "enhance" the taste experience. Part of the reason that our fresh often don't taste the way we think it should or how we remember it from being a kid is that our taste buds are not sensitive to those flavors, and partly because the packaged have been enhanced so in comparison fresh is not flavor enhanced. I knew all of this but seeing them just chat it up and not take responsibility for how it has contributed to the way Americans eat was irritating.

They actually said that they shoot for a flavor burst up front with a very short linger so that you will want to eat more of it. So once you put one in your mouth, well you are a goner.

Don't get me wrong, I strongly believe in personal responsibility, but come on, the pusher has to take some responsibility.

Of course that doesn't excuse my little adventure, since it was made from scratch, I was the pusher and the buyer.

Today is a new day.

I saw that too. Though I knew before I watched, it was still a little creepy.

[KimT]

Chris, sneaky little bingeses (if you've watched Lord of the Rings, you know the voice to use).

Anyway, I too had my binge this weekend and am paying for it. Some ice cream Friday and Saturday. Yesterday was a picnic and while the hostess, a woman I barely know, knows some of our food restrictions and did a fantastic job, I still made bad choices. She made gazpacho (which I'd never had) and hello tomatoes. The main meal was great, but included some white potatoes. She had guac and crackers and cheese (I avoided that stuff) and I took fruit salsa with cinnamon sugar pita chips. What was I thinking??? Too much sugar and grain together and I ate a lot of it. I don't eat fruit often at all and that was just crazy. I topped it all off with a small piece of cake and a piece of homemade toffee.

So today I have to work, which means 4 hours in the car traveling, and we have another picnic tonight. I'm puffy, up almost 3 pounds, and in pain (fibro sucks when I don't eat right) and would prefer to lay around the rest of the day! Had a normal breakfast, but 1 meal will not correct it.

I sympathize with the struggles of everyone. I off to work and back on track.

Have a great day!

[demuralist]

heehee

I am impressed that you were able to do 1 piece of homemade toffee! I do best if I don't even think about tasting, once started I have serious trouble stopping at one of anything.

[MissPiggy]

Hi there,

Binge eating here too last couple of weeks. don't really know what triggered it. I do it primal style, but it is still binging and it still feels awful being so out of control (bit of a control freak I am).
I am thinking on starting an whole 30 for tomorrow to get it under control, and that itself triggered another binge attack...
binging primal style goes like this for me:
- half a jar of almond butter
- 150g parmesan cheese
- home made chocolate
- lots of almond flour pastry
- hazelnut butter
- more chocolate

in between I add some healthy things like broccolisoup, or home made yoghurt, in the hope to stop it. But usually only bedtime does. So looking forward to an early night....and hopefully start the whole30 tomorrow.

[Pebbles67]

I made it through clean today and am going to bed early. I was in tears a little while ago when I realized that I don't really fit into the clothes that I was wearing to school last spring. I can't even wear a skirt or dress because my bad ankle (circulation issues) looks like crap and will definitely get the attention of my new students.

[Sigi]

60 minutes had a bit on last night about the flavorings that they add to foods to essentially make them addictive. Of course they said "not addictive so much as make you want to keep coming back for more" it is not "so much that we are trying to get people to eat more at one sitting as that we want them to keep buying it". Basically said that if it comes in a box, package or bag flavors have been added to "enhance" the taste experience. Part of the reason that our fresh often don't taste the way we think it should or how we remember it from being a kid is that our taste buds are not sensitive to those flavors, and partly because the packaged have been enhanced so in comparison fresh is not flavor enhanced. I knew all of this but seeing them just chat it up and not take responsibility for how it has contributed to the way Americans eat was irritating.

They actually said that they shoot for a flavor burst up front with a very short linger so that you will want to eat more of it. So once you put one in your mouth, well you are a goner.

Don't get me wrong, I strongly believe in personal responsibility, but come on, the pusher has to take some responsibility.

Of course that doesn't excuse my little adventure, since it was made from scratch, I was the pusher and the buyer.

Today is a new day.

Chris, further to this, you might want to look into "The End of Overeating" by David Kessler. I've recommended it here before, and I think it might interest you. It's a comprehensive examination (from the former head of the FDA) of how food manufacturers finesse their products to make them pleasurable and highly addictive via their sensory stimuli. Fascinating book with amazing insights into commercial food production (I don't know how he got all those industry insiders to openly tell him what they did). Jaw-dropping stuff. It certainly explained to me the brain chemistry/physiological reasons for why so many people have trouble giving up eating crap - and it's alarming. You may not agree with all the conclusions/recommendations he comes to for dealing with conditioned hyper-eating, but it's still really interesting reading.