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Getting out of a binge

liger99liger99 Raw Newbie

How do you get yourself out of a binge? I find myself saying, "Don't do this, stop eating, walk away," but its like a stranger taking over my body. Please help me

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  • liger99liger99 Raw Newbie

    have any of you guys gone through this?

  • camiheartsrawcamiheartsraw Raw Newbie

    Are you new to the diet?

    In the beginning, it's pretty common to go through a "gourmet" phase and need more calories than after your body adjusts. I'm still at the point where I need more nuts and seeds in my diet and I have to go heavy on the fruit in the morning. You also need to eat more than most of us generally guess is possible. I would eat portions similar to before I was raw vegan, and come home and just grab any food I could find. This is when I would make the really poor food choices. Now I know that my salads are going to be flippin' huge and go heavy on fruits in the mornings. In the morning I'll have a smoothie with 2 bananas, 3/4 cups raspberries, and about 1-2 packed cups of fresh spinach leaves with 1/4 cup hemp seeds. I'll have another 2 bananas and 2 plums for a snack. Lunch is an extremely large salad with oil or nut based dressing - and that's just the first half of the day.

    Bringing fresh fruits with me to work, dates, nuts and making "date cookies" really helped me get to the point that I was finally eating a raw vegan diet. The past month has gone really well, and I find that I plan to eat heavy in the morning and just am not as hungry in the evenings. If I am in a mood to snack, it's because I didn't plan ahead well enough in the morning and was lacking calories.

    Cami

     

  • I sure have. Last night, for example. I was diagnosed as having an eating disroder NOS (not otherwise specified)I have not found an "antidote" to the binges yet, so can't offer you much more than my sympathy. I did buy a book on the issue called "shrink yourself" which was recommended to me, and what I've read so far sounds pretty good. One thing is for sure, there is no easy fix *sigh*

  • joannabananajoannabanana Raw Newbie

    liger, i used to have an eating disorder and would binge all the time ( still do on holidays, but i'm working on it). i read a book called "making peace with food" and it totally changed my life. it's really cheap and you can get it on amazon. there are exercises in it about why you overeat and what voids in your life food fills for you. my favorite exercise was writing a letter to my body. i taped it to my wall in my room just so i can always see it. i really recommend reading it!!

  • I used to have several eating disorders, not diagnosed however. I hardly ate for over a year, and when I did I would throw it up. Additionally, I would exercise by walking/running more that 8 hours a day!

    If you're binging on raw food, I don't see the problem.

    But if you're binging on cooked food and want to stop, here are a few tips:

    1. Only take out a serving of something. It'll be less tempting to continue eating.
    2. Try brushing your teeth. Sometimes it helps with hunger.
    3. Chew gum or ice, and drink lots of water.
    4. And if it's psychological, I agree with Joanna. Try doing activities to understand why you overeat.
    5. If all else fails, try keeping yourself busy; go out of the house... go for a walk... something. I tend to not eat at all when I'm out of the house.

    Hope I could help!

  • Chef ShuannaChef Shuanna Raw Newbie

    What are your binges? Cooked food? Raw Food? Why are you bingeing, is it because you feel like you are depriving yourself or is that you dont know how to make many raw dishes so you go until your starving? Whats the back story? Is there an ED we should know about?

    Cheers!

     

  • I am so very sorry that you are going through this!! Yes, I have been there and it is hell. Forgive yourself and pay attention to every moment. Praise yourself starting the moment after you stop binging. When it comes to binging I have to take one minute...sometimes one second at a time:( I feel like feeling guilty only makes it seem okay to continue binging. You are a beautiful human being and you deserve happiness and binging is not happiness.

    After a binge I also find it helps if I treat myself like I just went through something really rough (like that force taking over your body has harmed you, not yourself) and like I needed to take care of myself. Tell yourself that you love yourself, take a bath and feel that you are still breathing...so overall you are really okay?

    Good luck and take care!

  • You are SO not alone! I know exactly what you mean when you say it feels like a stranger is taking over your body (I refer to it as the monster in me). I struggled with this most of my life while on a non-raw diet; I switched to mostly raw about 9 months ago and I really only got a handle on the problem about a month ago. For me it was definitely a psychological issue, I mean the food didn't even sound good when I was shoving it down!

    Every time I would do it I would feel bad about myself and then one day I said to myself, "if you love and respect yourself, then you need to stop doing this," and that helped a lot. But it was a breakthrough for me and it had to come when it was ready. I think that it is a place we all must come to on our own time. And until you are able to get there, try not to beat yourself up too much. Try to love yourself no matter what you do.

    I don't know how helpful that was for YOU, but I wish you luck on your journey with this issue. It is a really tough thing to break! :)

  • AVLAVL Raw Newbie

    Join the club! I also have a binging problem, along with other eating/exercise disorder. I feel like I have 2 parts to myself when I want to binge. Part of me is saying "don't do it, you'll feel bloated and really guilty afterward". The other part is telling me "come on just eat it, it tastes so good. It doesn't matter if you just have one bite, one bite is nothing". But then I end eating a lot more than what I wanted to eat and feel absolutely horrible about it. The next day I tell myself that this is a new day and that I won't binge today and I will only eat what's on my "meal plan" (in my head), but it doesn't always happen as planned :(

  • Dancin DurianDancin Durian Raw Newbie

    Hello! I think the first step that you sook- to admit and ask for help, is the best thing you could have done! I feel like you should reward yourself for doing that. I have had a very bad eating disorder myself, and I really believe that it is almost one hundred percent mental, but it is easier to start dealing with the physical at first, and then as your awareness of what you are doing grows, you will be tackleing the mental side of it. Maybe just try writing in a journal, write down what foods triggered you, what you were feeling at the time of the binge, write down what it was that you had eaten that day before. Try and look for patterns. Then, if you feel stronge enough, try writing these things down BEFORE you start to binge. When you feel the urge, instead of going straight for the food, give yourself the time of repfection, and distance yourself from the situation. If you plan yourself an excape from the binge-ie writing in your journal, it gives you time to stop and think and become aware of what you are feeling. Even tell yourself that you can still binge if you still really have to, just after you have taken your step back. You will start to notice patterns. Then I would suggest getting some professional councel. And if you go with your journal, you will have already done the first step of finding out some of your triggers, which will be a really big asset in your therapy. Unless you can figure it out and work it out yourself. I know that for me at least, I have definate emotional triggers that caused my eating disorder behaviour, as a copeing mechanism or a distraction. Takleing your bingeing problem is going to bring up emotions that you are not comfortable with, but it is worth it. You will find things that work for you. It is just hard to go alone. You have us, but if our support is not enough, do not hesitate to get more help. You are worth it, and your happiness and freedom is possible! Good luck!

  • luxdivonluxdivon Raw Newbie

    my bingeing was almost entirely composed of guilt. When I was SAD, I would eat 3-4 cookies, but then the addictive quality/my emotions would kick in, and I would think "i just want one more" but then one more would become 4, and the more I ate, the more I wanted. I would eat so much of the container that I would instantly feel guilty, but then feeling guilty and so close to having finished them, I would continue to eat until the whole container was empty. I had the same pattern with sleep. I would wake up, and feel guilty because I thought I slept in to late. But I couldn't get up when I set my alarm, and so because I had slept late i felt SO guilty that i was depressed, and so then I didn't want to get up at all. So I would lay in bed for hours more, and finally just stop, and get up. EFT is a great tool to start tapping into your cycles. The stranger might be your unconscious self trying to help, or it might be part of your cycles. Finding a place/person environment where you feel safe, with someone you trust can allow you to open up and vocalize these difficult emotional blocks. We all have them inside, I just released one concerning accepting wealth in my life yesterday, and another one concerning intimacy today. With bingeing mine was I ate a cookie - I ate too many cookies - I hate myself and I want more cookies. I feel guilty for wanting more, I feel guilty for eating more, and I am going to eat more because I feel guilty. I am depressed because I failed. I am a failure. I feel horrible. I can't ever let myself do this again. I must follow this exactly or i'm a failure. I AM a failure. I have to do something that will make me feel better, so that i can forget i'm a failure. The only thing that will make me feel better is eating. So the cycle is created. The only real solution imho is to confront, accept, and release those emotions attached to why you want to binge in the first place. With those emotions gone, you will no longer Need to binge to satisfy the emotion. ..wow i just hit upon my next dive. . . it's like with the cookie, i eat one, and then it's like i lose all control of being able to stop. I do the same thing with money. Granted i don't have alot, but the cycle is there. I spend, and I spend until there is nothing left. And I feel like I have no control once i've started. Don't ever feel like you're alone. :) we're all here with ya. (p.s. sorry my posts are so long!)

  • liger99liger99 Raw Newbie

    Thank you all so much. Your words make me feel a little better.

    I've been bulimic for 5 years, on and off. I was 260 lbs at my highest an 134 at my lowest (in july) I was 170 when I started raw, and stayed 100% for 3 1/2 months. Suddenly, I couldn't deal with the emotional detox, and just binged. and purged. then fasted. then binge-purge-raw. Again and again I keep doing this, going through this destructive cycle. But, it has to end. It is now a life or death situation. Bulimia kills, and raw food beats bulimia-I know it can!

    If I stay bulimic, I die. If I stay raw, I live. And I choose life.

    P.S. They should add a separate forum for ED's; it seems like a lot of people on here have them.

  • freewitheftfreewitheft Raw Newbie

    liger99, EFT has been a lifesaver for me as well (hence my handle freewitheft, lol). When I was SAD I was overweight and EFT alone is what took the pounds off. Before I focused on food, though, I took on other emotional issues. The end result is that I feel like I've hit the reset button on myself. ;) When I started on food/weight issues I tapped about 5-10 minutes every day. After 3 weeks the weight just started coming off without even trying - I wasn't noticing the change in how much I ate or what I was eating, it just happened. I lost 25 pounds in the first 3 months, and about 50 pounds total in a year. Really an amazing experience. I've accomplished a lot of other things on my journey since then, but I give all the credit to EFT for getting my head in the right place and getting me started down the path.

     

  • liger99liger99 Raw Newbie

    EFT has always been confusing for me, though. I never had the time to learn it. But, it really seems to help a lot of people. Maybe it will help me. Even after m last post about it being a life or death situation, I still dove right into cooked foods. WHY WHY WHY!?!?!?!? I feels so powerless.

  • freewitheftfreewitheft Raw Newbie

    It's very helpful to even just see someone doing it when you're getting started. Maybe there's something on YouTube? I'll look around and see! I took a couple classes with a lady who was certified and I think it really helped me get down to some core issues faster than I would have on my own. She had been doing it for quite a while and was pretty intuitive when it came to other people's issues. ;) The first class was her "how to be happy" class and the second was for weight loss. She incorporated other stuff like meditation, muscle testing, and drawing exercises too. I imagine it's like anything else - there are probably good and bad practitioners out there.

    A common issue people have is that you have to verbalize the negative issue / situation / emotion before following up with the positive to clear it out. There are ways around this like tapping about just the feeling itself while thinking about the trauma without specifically naming it. The more specific you can get the better, though, so it might be something to try easing into. HTH!

  • freewitheftfreewitheft Raw Newbie

    Here you go:

    The first is by Gary Craig, founder of EFT. The second is a demo that shows the points to tap. Just want to point out that I repeat the same phrase throughout the tapping..."even though I ______, I deeply and completely love and accept myself". :)

  • I am with you. I have suffered from basically a binge eating disorder and various variations on that theme for longer than not (about 20 years of the last 30, I've been struggling with food in some way). I've only been on raw foods for a week. But it's been a week without binging and without cravings and that is HUGE for me. On raw foods, I've been able to permit myself to eat more calories than I've been comfortable allowing myself on a daily basis otherwise. Otherwise, I always had a goal of 500 or maybe 800 calories, which I'd stick to for a few days, and then I'd go WAY over and feel awful and eat a bunch of processed crap food. Now, I eat more like 1000 - 1500 calories, but I feel good, and I don't obsess anymore and I feel "safe" eating that, if that makes any sense. My weight is going down and I am able to stick to it. For me, to be honest, ... I am not entirely convinced that I buy into all aspects of the raw food argument, but I think that fresh fruits and vegetables are certainly healthy and that cooking starts to break things down, and living within the framework of "raw", I never feel like I could eat a small piece of ... whatever ... bread and cheese or pastry or whatever, and it would send me on a spiral downwards. But now, raw foods are filling and yummy, but nothing sets me off into food-addict behavior. The other day I was really upset about something, and I did take a refill on my evening salad plus have some blended banana with blueberry as unplanned dessert, and that did take my higher in calories than normal, but I still felt like a success because I had stayed raw and I had not binged and had not eaten processed junk.

    So for me, at least for now, the raw food framework (and in particular, the simple raw foods, not gourmet raw, not "processed" raw food) is the first time I'm feeling at peace with food. It's the first time I am excited to see what my diet may do for me, other than hoping that restricting will make me thin.

    I hope this can be a new chapter in my life, because I have tried EVERYTHING else ... therapies, medications... and I feel this could be really empowering.

  • sorry what is EFT?

  • luxdivonluxdivon Raw Newbie

    spekgirl, eft, is the emotional freedom technique.

    From emofree.com website" In essence, EFT is an emotional version of acupuncture wherein we stimulate certain meridian points by tapping on them with our fingertips. This addresses a new cause for emotional issues (unbalanced energy meridians). Properly done, this frequently reduces the therapeutic process from months or years down to hours or minutes. And, since emotional stress can contribute to pain, disease and physical ailments, we often find that EFT provides astonishing physical relief."

    Spekgirl please know that tapping does bring up intense emotional issues/memories/disturbances. It is literally bringing up to the surface, whatever it is that you're running away from. You must accept this and be willing to face whatever it is. It's very hard at first. It, like anything, gets much easier with practice. And imho, it is absolutely essential to do so, if you are to change the cycles within you that are destroying you instead of helping you grow. You might not want to undertake it alone. Having someone that is a healer to work with you would be best. Then when you are overwhelmed, they can help you, instead of being sent back to an emotionally volatile place. Hope this helps!

  • zinfandelzinfandel Raw Newbie

    instead of restricting number of raw calories, i feel best restricting times that i eat. i try to eat as close to between 12pm-5pm as possible. i don't think any one would recommend extreme calorie restriction.

  • thank you i might check it out xxxxx

  • Linger99,

    Just some of my thoughts/suggestions on the binging. For me (I can't say how it is for others) I truly feel the binging is a deeper, subconscious issue. Eating healthy, and high raw is/was good for me. But, I would end up finding myself binging after several weeks of healthy high (or a few times) 100% raw. It seemed so self defeating. For me, eating just raw foods did not take the binging urge away. I would suggest to you to check out books on dealing with the WHY of binging (as several people have already pointed out.

    Hypnosis may help too (you can get takes if you can not afford a "session.") Someone already mentioned the "tapping method. (EFT)"

    Definately check it out for free online.

    I believe I had good success with the Gabriel Method book and downloadable hypnosis. It isn't raw oriented. But, it appears to have taken the stress about eating away for me. And I haven't truly binged big time in the last several months.

  • liger99liger99 Raw Newbie

    I will check it out. Im desperate for something, anything, that will help me. I do have another question: What do you do AFTER a binge? Do you fast, sleep, etc?

  • zinfandelzinfandel Raw Newbie

    juicy fruits will help flush out your body. like grapes, melons, etc. fasting would probably cause a binge to be more likely in the future.

    stay calm. perhaps find someone to talk to who can calm you down.

  • LilEarthMuffinLilEarthMuffin Raw Newbie

    liger99 after i bing, i return to a 100% raw diet. i dont deny my body of anything, because that is how troubled eating starts and ive been there before. eat a much fresh veggies and fruits as you like. :)

     

  • What if the bingeing is actually on fruits? Does this just suggest a calorie deficiency for the day, especially if exercise is involved?

  • Dancin DurianDancin Durian Raw Newbie

    It is possble ianpenk. Get a cron-o-meter, it will you track how much you had in the day. It could also just be a nutrient definciency, if you are low iron you will crave sweets, same if you are just tiered in general.

  • Good to know! Do you have any other information about what certain deficiencies cause certain cravings like a website or table or something? Thanks!

  • luxdivonluxdivon Raw Newbie

    So I'd like to share a mini-accomplishment tonight. We got doing some music mixing at a friends house, and i was so tired and hungry i didn't even care, we were at the grocery store. I first grabbed a ham and cheese sandwich on a croissant, but then after seeing the peanut butter, i realized that would fill the craving just as well. So we got some peanut butter & celery and a lara bar, instead of a ham, cheese, & bread SAD meal. Granted not all raw. but to me, that was accomplishment. Especially because it wasn't that hard, after i thought of the peanut butter.

  • sv3sv3 Raw Newbie

    Nice one luxdivon, it's always a great feeling when you know you've made a good decision.

    I have moments like that when I can feel myself veering in a shop to the crisp isle and I'm always so proud when I just keep walking past. I always give myself an imaginary pat on the back!

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