Binge eating is hijacking my attempts to lose weight

E

Elektra

Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
I was diagnosed as type 2 diabetic last year but got it into remission after 6 months of careful eating and regular exercise at my local leisure centre. I lost 2 st 7lbs.However I'm still heavily overweight though much more mobile than I used to be. I'm awaiting open heart surgery for aortic valve replacement, which makes it even more important to lose more weight. My problem is that I crave carbs to the extent that on 2 occasions I ended up with Vitamin B12 deficiency as a result of eating insufficient protein. I binge on cake, chocolate, biscuits, bread - and would happily exist on 100% carb diet if I was living alone. I feel very stressed that I can't control my bingeing, and worry that I'll end up back where I started weight wise. I asked for a referral to the Eating Disorder service following advice from my local Talking Therapies team but haven't heard anything - I think there's a long waiting list and that anorexia and bulimia are seen as the priorities. I don't have much faith anyway that they would be able to cure me, as I feel the bingeing is hard-wired into my brain. At present, I still see a diabetic nurse every fortnight but don't discuss my bingeing as I don't think she understands it or is sympathetic. The fortnightly appointments are getting on my nerves, stressing me even more and I want to drop out, but my husband would oppose it as he is worried about my health. Just wondering if anyone out there has coped with an eating disorder without derailing their attempts at a healthier lifestyle, and what helped them.
 
Hi - I'm a binge eater too, I have been all my life, I'm over 20stone at the moment my lowest adult weight was 18stone 7 and my highest was 23stone. I'm only 5ft 1 too.

I have been through two lots of talking therapy once when I was 28 and last year when I was 40. It didn't work - the therapists I've seen didn't understand the condition of being so obsessed with certain foods. I was told to distract myself by running a hot bath. Food addiction is so misunderstood.

I've never smoked, I've never drunk alcohol - I eat.

I'm afraid I don't have any answers and I'm stuck in a bad cycle at the moment. But I just wanted you to know you're not alone.
 
Sorry to hear about your eating disorder. I have a mild version of this from time to time.
Mine seems to be set off by larger portion sizes - the more I eat the more I want to eat. Don't spike your BG.
The less I eat the less I want to eat. Stress is another factor that makes me treat myself after a hard day.
Also I have learned that if I don't buy it - I can't eat it.
I have been having a small relapse into my bad ways at the moment but I will be back to my diet/regime soon as I am putting on weight. If I could live off salads I would be ok - you cannot crave a salad!
Hope you get back on the straight and narrow. Don't buy sweet things they are too addictive.
 
I think this is the biggest thing that will help
lordburnside said:
Also I have learned that if I don't buy it - I can't eat it.
Click to expand...

I have a sugar monster that lurks within me. If I had sweet stuff in the house I'd end up eating it - sweets, cake biscuits, deserts etc.
If I don't have it in the house I'll not run to the shop and buy it, so not having it in the house is the best solution for me too.

Make sure you aren't hungry when you do your weekly shopping, and focus on buying things you like that are part of your healthy eating plans. I think that's probably a good tactic to help deal with it.
 
Elektra said:
I was diagnosed as type 2 diabetic last year but got it into remission after 6 months of careful eating and regular exercise at my local leisure centre. I lost 2 st 7lbs.However I'm still heavily overweight though much more mobile than I used to be. I'm awaiting open heart surgery for aortic valve replacement, which makes it even more important to lose more weight. My problem is that I crave carbs to the extent that on 2 occasions I ended up with Vitamin B12 deficiency as a result of eating insufficient protein. I binge on cake, chocolate, biscuits, bread - and would happily exist on 100% carb diet if I was living alone. I feel very stressed that I can't control my bingeing, and worry that I'll end up back where I started weight wise. I asked for a referral to the Eating Disorder service following advice from my local Talking Therapies team but haven't heard anything - I think there's a long waiting list and that anorexia and bulimia are seen as the priorities. I don't have much faith anyway that they would be able to cure me, as I feel the bingeing is hard-wired into my brain. At present, I still see a diabetic nurse every fortnight but don't discuss my bingeing as I don't think she understands it or is sympathetic. The fortnightly appointments are getting on my nerves, stressing me even more and I want to drop out, but my husband would oppose it as he is worried about my health. Just wondering if anyone out there has coped with an eating disorder without derailing their attempts at a healthier lifestyle, and what helped them.
Click to expand...
What do you consider as binge-eating?
 
Nell83 said:
Hi - I'm a binge eater too, I have been all my life, I'm over 20stone at the moment my lowest adult weight was 18stone 7 and my highest was 23stone. I'm only 5ft 1 too.

I have been through two lots of talking therapy once when I was 28 and last year when I was 40. It didn't work - the therapists I've seen didn't understand the condition of being so obsessed with certain foods. I was told to distract myself by running a hot bath. Food addiction is so misunderstood.

I've never smoked, I've never drunk alcohol - I eat.

I'm afraid I don't have any answers and I'm stuck in a bad cycle at the moment. But I just wanted you to know you're not alone.
Click to expand...
Thanks for taking the trouble to reply, and letting me know that I'm not alone. I've struggled most of my life with binge eating phases, but it took off in a big way when I stopped smoking. I haven't smoked now for 8 years but I think I'm using food as a substitute. I don't have any other addictions. Very frustrating, I wouldn't wish it on anyone.
 
beating_my_betes said:
What do you consider as binge-eating?
Click to expand...
What I ate in the space of a few hours earlier today: 2 chocolate eclairs, 8 Ferrero Rocher chocolates, I fruit scone with butter. 6 M&S feta cheese and mint pastries, I Gregg's oval bite chicken & salad roll. That is a fairly typical binge for me. Now the urge to eat has passed but I feel sluggish, fat and fed up with myself. Some days l never stop eating from when I get up till I go to bed.
 
s'nic said:
I think this is the biggest thing that will help


I have a sugar monster that lurks within me. If I had sweet stuff in the house I'd end up eating it - sweets, cake biscuits, deserts etc.
If I don't have it in the house I'll not run to the shop and buy it, so not having it in the house is the best solution for me too.

Make sure you aren't hungry when you do your weekly shopping, and focus on buying things you like that are part of your healthy eating plans. I think that's probably a good tactic to help deal with it.
Click to expand...
I don't keep stuff in the house because I know I'll be tempted. Unfortunately, I will go out and buy stuff if I feel the need for a binge. Not only that, but I'll go out of my way to get the stuff I want to eat. I'm as crafty as an alcoholic at hiding the evidence of what I've eaten. Unfortunately, logic and common sense don't work with eating disorders.
 
I can only suggest that you have things you should eat on hand all the time - and try to avoid having the things you should not eat in the house.
When first diagnosed I was given medication and was soon in a very bad situation, having cooked meat, boiled eggs and salad stuff in the fridge probably saved my life back in 2016.
I devised huge bowls of sugar free jelly, extra gelatine to stiffen it, some sugar free squash, with a bag of frozen berries so it would set in no time, eaten with yoghurt or cream, as it is sweet tasting and filling.
I have no will power - I can resist anything but temptation, but if there is always something to eat, it helps a lot.
 
Elektra said:
I don't keep stuff in the house because I know I'll be tempted. Unfortunately, I will go out and buy stuff if I feel the need for a binge. Not only that, but I'll go out of my way to get the stuff I want to eat. I'm as crafty as an alcoholic at hiding the evidence of what I've eaten. Unfortunately, logic and common sense don't work with eating disorders.
Click to expand...
As an ex smoker you will know that the only person who can stop you is yourself. You found the will to stop smoking, and that suggests that if you dig deep you could find the will not to go buy carbs, and instead make yourself a non-carby (or a slightly carby) snack/meal, then refuse to let yourself go buy stuff.

It won't be easy, but the bottom line is it's a choice - your health or the carbs. Only you can make yourself not go buy stuff to eat (presenting yourself with a diversion may help).
You have to be the one to keep telling yourself 'no'. To keep offering alternatives and or rewards to yourself.

The one reason I never started smoking was seeing my uncle try and fail to give up multiple times as a child (thank you Graham).
He did succeed in the end. He never smoked after his son was born. That was what motivated him.

Something gave you the motivation to quit smoking. Now you need to find the motivation to withstand another addiction. I hope you do find it x
 
Drummer said:
I can only suggest that you have things you should eat on hand all the time - and try to avoid having the things you should not eat in the house.
When first diagnosed I was given medication and was soon in a very bad situation, having cooked meat, boiled eggs and salad stuff in the fridge probably saved my life back in 2016.
I devised huge bowls of sugar free jelly, extra gelatine to stiffen it, some sugar free squash, with a bag of frozen berries so it would set in no time, eaten with yoghurt or cream, as it is sweet tasting and filling.
I have no will power - I can resist anything but temptation, but if there is always something to eat, it helps a lot.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the tip. The bowls of sugar free jelly sound like a good idea and I also like cream and Greek yoghourt. It's worth a try.
 
s'nic said:
As an ex smoker you will know that the only person who can stop you is yourself. You found the will to stop smoking, and that suggests that if you dig deep you could find the will not to go buy carbs, and instead make yourself a non-carby (or a slightly carby) snack/meal, then refuse to let yourself go buy stuff.

It won't be easy, but the bottom line is it's a choice - your health or the carbs. Only you can make yourself not go buy stuff to eat (presenting yourself with a diversion may help).
You have to be the one to keep telling yourself 'no'. To keep offering alternatives and or rewards to yourself.

The one reason I never started smoking was seeing my uncle try and fail to give up multiple times as a child (thank you Graham).
He did succeed in the end. He never smoked after his son was born. That was what motivated him.

Something gave you the motivation to quit smoking. Now you need to find the motivation to withstand another addiction. I hope you do find it x
Click to expand...
Thank you for your good wishes.
 
JITR said:
Hi @Elektra

You might find this helpful: https://www.zoeharcombe.com/2024/03/why-do-you-overeat/

Phase 1 is a 5 day exclusion diet designed to get rid of cravings. Would be time well spent if it works for you!!!
Click to expand...
Thanks for the tip. I've had a quick read, and it does seem to make sense. The author seems to understand food cravings. As I'm insulin resistant, unstable blood sugar levels must be part of my problem. The main challenge would be ceasing to regard junk food as a treat. I'll look into this book in more depth.
 
Elektra said:
I was diagnosed as type 2 diabetic last year but got it into remission after 6 months of careful eating and regular exercise at my local leisure centre. I lost 2 st 7lbs.However I'm still heavily overweight though much more mobile than I used to be. I'm awaiting open heart surgery for aortic valve replacement, which makes it even more important to lose more weight. My problem is that I crave carbs to the extent that on 2 occasions I ended up with Vitamin B12 deficiency as a result of eating insufficient protein. I binge on cake, chocolate, biscuits, bread - and would happily exist on 100% carb diet if I was living alone. I feel very stressed that I can't control my bingeing, and worry that I'll end up back where I started weight wise. I asked for a referral to the Eating Disorder service following advice from my local Talking Therapies team but haven't heard anything - I think there's a long waiting list and that anorexia and bulimia are seen as the priorities. I don't have much faith anyway that they would be able to cure me, as I feel the bingeing is hard-wired into my brain. At present, I still see a diabetic nurse every fortnight but don't discuss my bingeing as I don't think she understands it or is sympathetic. The fortnightly appointments are getting on my nerves, stressing me even more and I want to drop out, but my husband would oppose it as he is worried about my health. Just wondering if anyone out there has coped with an eating disorder without derailing their attempts at a healthier lifestyle, and what helped them.
Click to expand...
You are not the only one in this nasty situation, I am type 2 as well on metformin (spelt wrong ) I am a shift manager at a major rail station, its very very hard to give up carbs ( I cannot offer advice here) I am 6.1ft 16st, my health and doctor said I should be 12st. But and a big but (no offence here given and apologies given if so, i would be a POW if kept to this weight prisoner of war) I have a strong bone structure so don't come across as obese even by my health advisor verbally speaking. I Try but not hard enough and after a mental breakdown at work have hit the beer and whisky. I am in control with plenty of manual work at home so kind of outweighs. I wish you the very best. And keep up the great work at the gym.
 
Vonchappell said:
You are not the only one in this nasty situation, I am type 2 as well on metformin (spelt wrong ) I am a shift manager at a major rail station, its very very hard to give up carbs ( I cannot offer advice here) I am 6.1ft 16st, my health and doctor said I should be 12st. But and a big but (no offence here given and apologies given if so, i would be a POW if kept to this weight prisoner of war) I have a strong bone structure so don't come across as obese even by my health advisor verbally speaking. I Try but not hard enough and after a mental breakdown at work have hit the beer and whisky. I am in control with plenty of manual work at home so kind of outweighs. I wish you the very best. And keep up the great work at the gym.
Click to expand...
If you are only on metformin then a low carb approach is very suitable and people find successful, it seems hard to think that you need to reduce carbs but low carb is not NO carb and by careful choices and cutting out the high carb foods there is still plenty you can eat without feeling hungry. Basing meals on protein and healthy fats with vegetables, salads and fruit like berries still gives plenty of options for tasty meals. If you look at this link you will see the variety that are still on the menu. https://lowcarbfreshwell.com/
 
Vonchappell said:
You are not the only one in this nasty situation, I am type 2 as well on metformin (spelt wrong ) I am a shift manager at a major rail station, its very very hard to give up carbs ( I cannot offer advice here) I am 6.1ft 16st, my health and doctor said I should be 12st. But and a big but (no offence here given and apologies given if so, i would be a POW if kept to this weight prisoner of war) I have a strong bone structure so don't come across as obese even by my health advisor verbally speaking. I Try but not hard enough and after a mental breakdown at work have hit the beer and whisky. I am in control with plenty of manual work at home so kind of outweighs. I wish you the very best. And keep up the great work at the gym.
Click to expand...
Vonchappell said:
You are not the only one in this nasty situation, I am type 2 as well on metformin (spelt wrong ) I am a shift manager at a major rail station, its very very hard to give up carbs ( I cannot offer advice here) I am 6.1ft 16st, my health and doctor said I should be 12st. But and a big but (no offence here given and apologies given if so, i would be a POW if kept to this weight prisoner of war) I have a strong bone structure so don't come across as obese even by my health advisor verbally speaking. I Try but not hard enough and after a mental breakdown at work have hit the beer and whisky. I am in control with plenty of manual work at home so kind of outweighs. I wish you the very best. And keep up the great work at the gym.
Click to expand...
I've been lucky enough to avoid metformin so far. Just by cutting back a bit on carbs and doing much more exercise I brought my sugar levels down from 48 to 42, so am back in the prediabetic range. Was told by my nurse that they only put patients on metformin if their blood sugars are up to 58. But since January I've struggled with bingeing attacks. The cardiac surgeon says my weight isn't high enough for surgery to pose a real risk, but losing some more weight would speed my recovery. I'm 13 st 7lbs and 5' 2" and very small boned, so really could do with losing about another 3 st. The BMI chart says I would be the correct weight at a maximum of 9st 10lbs but can't imagine being that weight and able to keep it off. Thanks for the good wishes. I'm trying to keep up with the exercise so I don't lose all the good I have gained.
 
Elektra said:
I've been lucky enough to avoid metformin so far. Just by cutting back a bit on carbs and doing much more exercise I brought my sugar levels down from 48 to 42, so am back in the prediabetic range. Was told by my nurse that they only put patients on metformin if their blood sugars are up to 58. But since January I've struggled with bingeing attacks. The cardiac surgeon says my weight isn't high enough for surgery to pose a real risk, but losing some more weight would speed my recovery. I'm 13 st 7lbs and 5' 2" and very small boned, so really could do with losing about another 3 st. The BMI chart says I would be the correct weight at a maximum of 9st 10lbs but can't imagine being that weight and able to keep it off. Thanks for the good wishes. I'm trying to keep up with the exercise so I don't lose all the good I have gained.
Click to expand...
Many many years ago before diabetes reared it's head I did Slimming World and at 5'1'' my target weight was 7 stone 10lbs. The lowest I got was 8 stone 12lbs and I looked skeletal.
Never been anywhere near that since.
 
First, don't have food in the house you shouldn't eat such as biscuits, cake etc. Fats and Proteins help keep you feeling full so have plenty of these. My wife has to avoid seeing food otherwise she will just keep eating as her appetite control doesn't switch off. Good luck with the Aortic valve replacement. I have a bi-cuspid valve but hope it never needs replacement
 
Elektra said:
What I ate in the space of a few hours earlier today: 2 chocolate eclairs, 8 Ferrero Rocher chocolates, I fruit scone with butter. 6 M&S feta cheese and mint pastries, I Gregg's oval bite chicken & salad roll. That is a fairly typical binge for me. Now the urge to eat has passed but I feel sluggish, fat and fed up with myself. Some days l never stop eating from when I get up till I go to bed.
Click to expand...
I'm no expert, although I've had decades of my own over-eating experience, along with less frequent binge episodes. So take what I say with a pinch of reduced-sodium salt.

Your description of what you've eaten is definitely a large amount of food. But when you say that it was spread over a few hours, it makes me think that perhaps it wasn't necessarily a binge. Whether you would agree depends on how or whether you see a distinction between bingeing and over-eating (even if compulsive).

For me there's a qualitative difference between over-eating and bingeing. To my mind, bingeing is far more frenzied; violent, even. It's more 'Walking Dead' gorging and less 'everyone falling asleep after too much, on Xmas day'. That's not to say that general/chronic eating isn't also self-destructive. However, I think the reasons why both happen may also be slightly different.

The other thing that sticks out from the foods you mention is that this is not really carb-addiction. Carb addiction is really a misnomer, but It's not even clear that this is what people would call food addiction.

None of this is to say that what you believe is wrong. Just trying to offer a different perspective.
 
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