I am a binge eater and just can't have certain foods in the house or I will eat the entire box/bag (cheezits are my weakness...)

I don't diet, I work on changing habits so that I eat and drink better.

Track everything you eat. It is not a punishment, it is a log. I find that the act of tracking helps me stop and think "Do I want to write this down?" Sometimes the answer is yea, but a lot of the time the answer is no.

Identify one thing that you want to change. Say it is too many sweets. Look at your log and see what your main culprit is. Can you cut the amount of that thing that you eat in half? Aim for that for a week or two. Then try and halve it again. It is amazing how small changes can cause large changes. Or is there something you can replace it with that might be better? I found that a Kind chocolate with nuts bar feeds my sweet tooth better than a Snickers bar. It has the chocolate and buts that I like but it has more protein and less sugar. It fills me up and cuts my craving.

Deprivation does not work for me. If I say none of something, I just want it more. So having a small amount satisfies my desire to have it but is not bad for me.

I love french fries so I have french fries once a week. A while back it was a large order a day. I started by cutting down the size, then the number of days.

My main way to control my sweet tooth is not to buy any treats. None. If they're in the house, I will eat them. so I don't buy them.

Also eating balanced meals that are filling to avoid snacking.

Fitbit. Walking 10K steps a day.

Drinking a glass of lemon water with Inulin (a fiber and prebiotic) 30 minutes before every single meal.

Eating delicious homemade food with tons of veggies and fruits. Having snacks like boiled sweet potatoes, bananas, yogurt, string cheese, eggs and nuts on hand AT ALL TIMES.

Loads of green tea. Taking magnesium.

I do not try and prevent myself from eating food from outside - but, that food is only eaten AFTER I eat a serving of my home food. This is fantastic because with the lemon water and inulin and veggie heavy home meal, I am pretty full already. That means that I am satisfied eating very little of any of the bad foods and I never feel deprived.

I like the Brain over Binge podcast. Their take is a lot less heavy than "you're eating your feelings" and a lot less exhausting. It's just a habit you've formed and you need to break it. That's it. You're not a bad person, you're not dealing with emotional trauma, blah blah, you've just activated something in your brain that is making you eat when you don't really need to.

Prozac.

I feel you OP.

I tried so many different strategies and none of them worked for me. Here is what worked for me.

1) Examine your emotional relationship with food. My relationship with food was bad. It was basically a hold your breath strategy. Hold off on eating "bad" foods for as long as you can, and then when you can't hold off any longer, then I would binge. It was a very similar relationship with my time, my money and of course, food. So, I had to change the way I treated food. There is no bad or good food anymore. I just try to eat in moderation. If I want to eat chips or ice cream, I don't "hold my breath" I just eat one serving and stick to that. That has made a life changing difference in my relationship with food.

2) I had to pay someone (a nutritionist) to learn the first lesson. We would talk a lot about food choices, quantity, etc and when she asked why I did certain things with food, she helped me understand that I didn't have to treat food in that way (hold your breath method). I feel like because I paid her, I should listen to her or I would be wasting my money. She also helped keep me accountable.

Good luck and hugs! You can do it!

Anonymous wrote:I’m only now realizing the damage I’ve done. I’ve been eating takeout all the time because I don’t have time or interest in cooking. I’ve also had my groceries delivered. For me, I think part of this might be actually engaging with the food I eat. Choosing fruits and vegetables that look appealing, bypassing the snack aisle, baking brownies if I must have one, cooking a bit again. At least, that’s my plan for winter break when I have a second to breathe. I also don’t think we realize how much we might be using food to self medicate and self soothe through the pandemic, regardless of whether we have a history of having a bad relationship with food. Finding other ways to soothe ourselves, especially in cold weather, is going to be key. Experiment with different distractions, whether you sit in front of a fire pit or take a walk while listening to favorite songs. And don’t be hard on yourself. So many of us have gained weight and are doing what we can to stay sane at a totally insane moment in history.

+1. I realized I was snacking to self soothe, and so switched to drinking herbal tea instead. The act of making tea and drinking it is something I always associated with calmness, so the switch was easy to make. So now I'm drinking tea multiple times a day, but with no caffeine and no calories, it's a great switch.

This book really helped me but you do have to work at it.

https://www.amazon.com/Skinny-School-Secrets-Finally-Forever/dp/0692370722

I’ve been the same weight for about 5 years now and only started gaining in the last few months with this darn pandemic. Definitely be kind to yourself, but put some strategies in place to limit the damage. Getting back on track is harder to do the longer you wait.

I’m only now realizing the damage I’ve done. I’ve been eating takeout all the time because I don’t have time or interest in cooking. I’ve also had my groceries delivered. For me, I think part of this might be actually engaging with the food I eat. Choosing fruits and vegetables that look appealing, bypassing the snack aisle, baking brownies if I must have one, cooking a bit again. At least, that’s my plan for winter break when I have a second to breathe. I also don’t think we realize how much we might be using food to self medicate and self soothe through the pandemic, regardless of whether we have a history of having a bad relationship with food. Finding other ways to soothe ourselves, especially in cold weather, is going to be key. Experiment with different distractions, whether you sit in front of a fire pit or take a walk while listening to favorite songs. And don’t be hard on yourself. So many of us have gained weight and are doing what we can to stay sane at a totally insane moment in history.

Do what you can to set your environment up for success. For me it’s things like:
—having lots of fruits & vegetables on hand
—buying lemons and having them out so I can make water taste better. Or buying something like LeCroix and keeping some cold in the fridge
—refusing to bring some foods in the house. For me that’s Oreos & potato chips.
—Setting some timing rules for yourself. Put them on sticky notes on the cabinet. No eating after 7pm. Make the kitchen off-limits.
—Only eating at the table. No eating in front of tv or other screen. You’re more likely to eat mindlessly.

The Busy Physicians Guide to Weight Loss has a couple good episodes on binging. I found the podcast very helpful for reframing my thinking and not getting stuck in the past.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/weight-loss-for-busy-physicians/id1199570390

I suggest you see a therapist to begin identifying the underlying reasons that are causing you to overeat.

Binging is usually triggered by another unresolved issue.

And take care of yourself. Remember that it’s incredibly more difficult to lose a pound than gain one.

How do you deal with the mental road blocks of dieting? I am binging and eating horribly. I’m gaining weight slowly.