I have an eating disorder

[LarryByrd]

It's taken me two and half years to realize it but I have an eating disorder. I always thought my problem was just a phase, but not it's continually worsening. Food has always been my worse enemy. While most individuals have enemies with people, mine lays with food. It's constantly on my mind. What I want to eat for breakfast, lunch, dinner, right now, tomorrow, and the next, are always circulating through my mind. Therefore, I can't stop thinking about food.

The eating disorder that I'm describing is "binge eating" disorder. Specifically, my binges resolve around sugary foods. It's nothing for me to go through a whole box of cereal in the matter of one day, on top of my normal foods. It's not a problem for me to indulge in an entire bag of cookies. The problem is this, I know that what I'm doing is wrong, and I know that I'm gonna have to make it up in the gym the next day. Additionally, I'm a nursing student, who cares a lot of how his image is portrayed on his patients. I'm a pretty big kid, or used to be (as you can see from the picture). I've come a long way in my weight loss conquest. I started out weighing 270lbs, and now I'm at 205lbs. I'd like to be a lean 205lbs, but I'm probably at an 18% BF. I used to be at 10% 8 months ago, but these binges have been killing me lately.

A friend of mine suggests that since I eat healthy 75%, I'm depriving my body of the sugars it needs.

A typical diet for me looks like this:

Breakfast (8am)
Egg White Omelet (4 servings of eggs)
1/2 cup oatmeal with 1/2 banana.
Fruit (2 servings)
Coffee
6 oz yogurt
3 hard boiled eggs (no yolk).

Lunch (12 or 1pm)
6oz chicken breast on two pieces of toast.
1 apple.

3pm (post workout)
Fat Free milk with muscle milk protein
1/2 banana
2 tbsp Natty PB

Dinner (6 / 7pm)
Spinach Wrap: Turkey (loaded with it), lettuce, tomato, vinegar and oil.
6 oz chicken breast with 1 cup of brown rice
Salad (optional).

Before bed (9pm):
1 serving of nuts

Up until a few months ago, I used to eat like this 7/7 days a week, now I eat like this 4/7 days of the week, cheating HARDCORE (with the binges) 3 out of 7 of those days.

Because I've felt so guilty with the binges, I've been doing a lot more running. Days that I workout, I run for 2.5 miles prior to lifting.

Days that I don't workout, I run 5 miles.

I'm probably doing anywhere from 14-18 miles of running a week, sometimes coupled with weight lifting.

Maybe I'm just putting too much stress on my body. If anybody could offer any advice, that would be appreciated.

Oh, and by the way, I drink about 1 gallon of water a day, usually carrying around the gallon and drinking it throughout the day.

If anybody can relate, and tell me how they solve their 'sweet' hunger pangs, that would be greatly appreciated.

[MJFan1]

Damn that sucks man, it's good to admit it and get some help.

Here's an ED Support Group Thread:

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...70778&page=178

Good Luck man.

[wnc817]

I think you are being too hard on yourself. It is ok to eat more when you are hungry. Also, try not to deny yourself of foods that you like, like cookies. If you are having cravings, then you might not have enough fat in your diet. Also, you could try eating a cookie or two as part of one of your meals, without eating the whole box.

And are you hungry when you binge? If so, maybe try refeed days, where you eat more carbs and less fat. Pick one day per week where you eat at or slightly above maintenance, getting most of your carbs from whole grains.

So, basically, have a refeed day once per week, and make sure you are normally getting 20%+ of your cals from fats. And don't feel bad about eating cereal or cookies, especially when you have been doing so well.

If you are binging more than once a week, maybe start with 2 refeeds per week, or take a break and eat at maintenence for a month.

[Kdubs50]

dude i can totally relate 29389073978978957894375913%. im going through the EXACT same thing. sucks doesnt it? I wish i could be of more help but im struggling a lot as well and also looking for something to help me. I am seeing a counselor for it tho. I guess it comes down to how bad u want it and ur self control really bc how do u suppose ur going to stop binging if u cant even control urself?

[draybin]

It's nothing for me to go through a whole box of cereal in the matter of one day

This.

[illiniguy09]

Maybe a few days a week you could replace part of your meals with some cookies or cereal.

[John9600gt]

Yeah man, I have a binge eating disorder too. Now I'm developing the other extreme of that, by doing a PSMF.

For me, I can't eat a normal portion of anything (unless its like chicken breast). I need 2, or 3, then some other food with it.

The other disorder I have is the 'yo-yo diet symptom'. Where I overeat one day, then way lower than maintenence one day back to overeating another day. It remains stable, but it's not efficent.

I think the best tip for a binge eating disorder is just to go COLD TURKEY. That's what I did man when I started my PSMF. I got rid of every food that I love to eat (sugary, carbs, BREAD, cereals, cookies, chips, pizzas) and went cold turkey completely. This is extreme too, but sometimes you have to fight fire with fire when dealing with disorders. The saying "out of sight, out of mind" really helps to combat binge eating..

And for those of you out there thinking "just eat normal sized portions", it's impossible (for me anyway). Try the cold turkey method and see how you feel with it, then just run with it from there. I'm doing a PSMF, you should try it out

[trance__dreamer]

you guys really gotta address the emotional reasons why.

it's not about the food itself.
it's about self-love/self-acceptance/acceptance from others in today's skinny/lean-obsessed society (pop culture, how guys lust after porn stars/lingerie models/pin up models/etc.)

it's ALL about how you're not getting any love/acceptance.
so, you self-medicate/distract yourself from your feelings/numb the pain with food.
or you self-sabotage yourself with food on purpose to punish yourself --> 'cause you don't think you deserve any --> 'cause you don't look a certain way (due to the food). cycle --> cycle --> cycle!

ugh. it's a cycle: you're sad 'cause you eat, & you eat 'cause you're sad.

all of this getting lean stuff is ALL based on love/acceptance. why the hell are we striving to look the way we do? to attract a mate. & we want to attract a mate, 'cause as human beings, we're programed to seek out true companionship.

ugh. this was the EXACT reason for my obesity in the past. dad got cancer/died --> felt sad --> ate --> even more sad 'cause i ate. i was big --> couldn't attract/seek romance ---> sad ---> ate --> even more sad.
it's also the reason why i still struggle w/ emotional eating. it's getting better, though. i'm seeing a new guy (he knows about the misc. ), & he isn't giving me any problems whatsoever. so, i haven't been emotional eating. feels good, man.

self-worth is a powerful thing, my friends, & sadness is truly a horrible feeling. & it's truly unfortunate that we turn to food for comfort.
hmm...i suggest you guys find out the reasons behind the food itself. is it 'cause you can't get a date? is it 'cause you've never been kissed? is it 'cause your relationships fail...possibly 'cause you act like an idiot due to low self-worth?

...sorry to get all serious. but it's also important to be real w/ topics like this. =/

[Kdubs50]

Yeah man, I have a binge eating disorder too. Now I'm developing the other extreme of that, by doing a PSMF.

For me, I can't eat a normal portion of anything (unless its like chicken breast). I need 2, or 3, then some other food with it.

The other disorder I have is the 'yo-yo diet symptom'. Where I overeat one day, then way lower than maintenence one day back to overeating another day. It remains stable, but it's not efficent.

I think the best tip for a binge eating disorder is just to go COLD TURKEY. That's what I did man when I started my PSMF. I got rid of every food that I love to eat (sugary, carbs, BREAD, cereals, cookies, chips, pizzas) and went cold turkey completely. This is extreme too, but sometimes you have to fight fire with fire when dealing with disorders. The saying "out of sight, out of mind" really helps to combat binge eating..

And for those of you out there thinking "just eat normal sized portions", it's impossible (for me anyway). Try the cold turkey method and see how you feel with it, then just run with it from there. I'm doing a PSMF, you should try it out

i no i hate when people think that u can just eat normal servings its a lot harder than they think its like an all or nothing mentality

[LarryByrd]

you guys really gotta address the emotional reasons why.

it's not about the food itself.
it's about self-love/self-acceptance/acceptance from others in today's skinny/lean-obsessed society (pop culture, how guys lust after porn stars/lingerie models/pin up models/etc.)

it's ALL about how you're not getting any love/acceptance.
so, you self-medicate/distract yourself from your feelings/numb the pain with food.
or you self-sabotage yourself with food on purpose to punish yourself --> 'cause you don't think you deserve any --> 'cause you don't look a certain way (due to the food). cycle --> cycle --> cycle!

ugh. it's a cycle: you're sad 'cause you eat, & you eat 'cause you're sad.

all of this getting lean stuff is ALL based on love/acceptance. why the hell are we striving to look the way we do? to attract a mate. & we want to attract a mate, 'cause as human beings, we're programed to seek out true companionship.

ugh. this was the EXACT reason for my obesity in the past. dad got cancer/died --> felt sad --> ate --> even more sad 'cause i ate. i was big --> couldn't attract/seek romance ---> sad ---> ate --> even more sad.
it's also the reason why i still struggle w/ emotional eating. it's getting better, though. i'm seeing a new guy (he knows about the misc. ), & he isn't giving me any problems whatsoever. so, i haven't been emotional eating. feels good, man.

self-worth is a powerful thing, my friends, & sadness is truly a horrible feeling. & it's truly unfortunate that we turn to food for comfort.
hmm...i suggest you guys find out the reasons behind the food itself. is it 'cause you can't get a date? is it 'cause you've never been kissed? is it 'cause your relationships fail...possibly 'cause you act like an idiot due to low self-worth?

...sorry to get all serious. but it's also important to be real w/ topics like this. =/

Hey now, I ain't got a problem in the attraction department, I still have my fair share of getting some action every once in a while, but they're always flings. Maybe you're right though, I can't really (or don't think) I can find someone who appreciates me for who I am inside my skin. I do have to say that physical attractiveness definitely makes it easier for finding a mate, but I fully believe that attraction isn't a choice because I can talk a girls ear off all night. For me, I just want to be in shape, and look good in my body, and get people to look up to me as a role model. I try and set dieting goals, but they always seem to back fire on me.

My main goal is to just be able to take my shirt off and look in the mirror and say, 'Damn, look at all that hard work and look how it's paid off', but my dream keeps running into this eating barricade.

Lately though, I do have to admit, I've been a little more depressed than the past few months, but most of that is probably weighed heavily on my body image (and not sticking to my dieting goals) than anything else.

[trance__dreamer]

Hey now, I ain't got a problem in the attraction department, I still have my fair share of getting some action every once in a while, but they're always flings. Maybe you're right though, I can't really (or don't think) I can find someone who appreciates me for who I am inside my skin. I do have to say that physical attractiveness definitely makes it easier for finding a mate, but I fully believe that attraction isn't a choice because I can talk a girls ear off all night. For me, I just want to be in shape, and look good in my body, and get people to look up to me as a role model. I try and set dieting goals, but they always seem to back fire on me.

My main goal is to just be able to take my shirt off and look in the mirror and say, 'Damn, look at all that hard work and look how it's paid off', but my dream keeps running into this eating barricade.

Lately though, I do have to admit, I've been a little more depressed than the past few months, but most of that is probably weighed heavily on my body image (and not sticking to my dieting goals) than anything else.

that's cool. the thing is, sometimes our goals get in the way of living life more more comfortably. so, we gotta ask ourselves: what's more important to us...reaching our goals or living life more comfortably? ... especially if our goals are extreme & we aren't natural meso's/ecto's or whatever the case may be.

for me, my goal was to start loving myself again/self respect/self worth --> higher self esteem --> by not constantly shoveling truck-loads of food into me to distract myself from what i was going through --> low self-love, etc. ... VICIOUS CYCLE.
my other goal was to start attracting guys --> looking like i respect myself more --> by not emotional eating ... which was caused by not attracting guys in the 1st place ... VICIOUS CYCLE.

it was also to get healthy; especially since my dad passed away from cancer (... cancer = cell damage/inflamation: 2nd-hand smoke & some poor'ish food choices, probably.)

anyway. & i realized that the way i stand right now, i'm attracting guys just fine. i've achieved that goal. but i've recently (since joining here) created a new goal of going above & beyond having an average physique/better than that of most overweight females around here & into that of a fitness competitor. however, i kinda got confused along the way; didn't see that i already achieved my 1st goal & started to think that i'd only get to my 1st goal if i got to my new goal of being 17.5% bf/whatever.

also, this new goal makes living life a bit more uncomfortable. & it's starting to affect my 1st goal. 1 recently relationship was demolished, in part, by my stage prep/whatever. so, my old goal was destroyed by my new goal. so, now, i'm stuck here re-thinking everything. & i'm starting to come to the realization that my 1st goal (boyfriend) is more important to me than my 2nd goal (bodyfat).

[steve4848]

you guys really gotta address the emotional reasons why.

it's not about the food itself.
it's about self-love/self-acceptance/acceptance from others in today's skinny/lean-obsessed society (pop culture, how guys lust after porn stars/lingerie models/pin up models/etc.)

it's ALL about how you're not getting any love/acceptance.
so, you self-medicate/distract yourself from your feelings/numb the pain with food.
or you self-sabotage yourself with food on purpose to punish yourself --> 'cause you don't think you deserve any --> 'cause you don't look a certain way (due to the food). cycle --> cycle --> cycle!

ugh. it's a cycle: you're sad 'cause you eat, & you eat 'cause you're sad.

all of this getting lean stuff is ALL based on love/acceptance. why the hell are we striving to look the way we do? to attract a mate. & we want to attract a mate, 'cause as human beings, we're programed to seek out true companionship.

ugh. this was the EXACT reason for my obesity in the past. dad got cancer/died --> felt sad --> ate --> even more sad 'cause i ate. i was big --> couldn't attract/seek romance ---> sad ---> ate --> even more sad.
it's also the reason why i still struggle w/ emotional eating. it's getting better, though. i'm seeing a new guy (he knows about the misc. ), & he isn't giving me any problems whatsoever. so, i haven't been emotional eating. feels good, man.

self-worth is a powerful thing, my friends, & sadness is truly a horrible feeling. & it's truly unfortunate that we turn to food for comfort.
hmm...i suggest you guys find out the reasons behind the food itself. is it 'cause you can't get a date? is it 'cause you've never been kissed? is it 'cause your relationships fail...possibly 'cause you act like an idiot due to low self-worth?

...sorry to get all serious. but it's also important to be real w/ topics like this. =/

what?????

I do the same thing... eat good for 4-5 days a week and binge the rest. I know why too.. its because i love food!

[steve4848]

and if by living life more comfortably means eating how ever you want all the time then you will soon find your self obese and living life miserably just like 50 percent (? not sure what the % is, know its high) of america. living life obese is probably not too comfortable...

[CostalChic]

you guys really gotta address the emotional reasons why.

it's not about the food itself.
it's about self-love/self-acceptance/acceptance from others in today's skinny/lean-obsessed society (pop culture, how guys lust after porn stars/lingerie models/pin up models/etc.)

it's ALL about how you're not getting any love/acceptance.
so, you self-medicate/distract yourself from your feelings/numb the pain with food.
or you self-sabotage yourself with food on purpose to punish yourself --> 'cause you don't think you deserve any --> 'cause you don't look a certain way (due to the food). cycle --> cycle --> cycle!

ugh. it's a cycle: you're sad 'cause you eat, & you eat 'cause you're sad.

all of this getting lean stuff is ALL based on love/acceptance. why the hell are we striving to look the way we do? to attract a mate. & we want to attract a mate, 'cause as human beings, we're programed to seek out true companionship.

ugh. this was the EXACT reason for my obesity in the past. dad got cancer/died --> felt sad --> ate --> even more sad 'cause i ate. i was big --> couldn't attract/seek romance ---> sad ---> ate --> even more sad.
it's also the reason why i still struggle w/ emotional eating. it's getting better, though. i'm seeing a new guy (he knows about the misc. ), & he isn't giving me any problems whatsoever. so, i haven't been emotional eating. feels good, man.

self-worth is a powerful thing, my friends, & sadness is truly a horrible feeling. & it's truly unfortunate that we turn to food for comfort.
hmm...i suggest you guys find out the reasons behind the food itself. is it 'cause you can't get a date? is it 'cause you've never been kissed? is it 'cause your relationships fail...possibly 'cause you act like an idiot due to low self-worth?

...sorry to get all serious. but it's also important to be real w/ topics like this. =/

It's not always about lack of love/attention. lol =) I'm in a deeply committed, loving relationship to a wonderful man, my bestfriend...but I can STILL eat like a horse on the weekends.

W/ me, I eat clean and methodically throughout the week (I weigh EVERYTHING), but as soon as Saturday comes...bad news. lol I will literally stay home and eat instead of going out....crazy shiiaat.

I've been trying SO hard to control it, but it's like, once I eat something bad, I say "F*uck it, and go on an eating rampage. lol I can usually confine it to Saturdays, sometimes it intrudes into my Sunday, but never through the week.

[LarryByrd]

It's not always about lack of love/attention. lol =) I'm in a deeply committed, loving relationship to a wonderful man, my bestfriend...but I can STILL eat like a horse on the weekends.

W/ me, I eat clean and methodically throughout the week (I weigh EVERYTHING), but as soon as Saturday comes...bad news. lol I will literally stay home and eat instead of going out....crazy shiiaat.

I've been trying SO hard to control it, but it's like, once I eat something bad, I say "F*uck it, and go on an eating rampage. lol I can usually confine it to Saturdays, sometimes it intrudes into my Sunday, but never through the week.

Ha, totally feel you on this one. I do so well all week, and then that weekend rolls around and then BAAM! I figure, hell, I already went through 3 somoa cookies, why not just eat 10 more? I don't know if this is a psychological problem, or a "my body needs ****ing food problem", but I feel like **** psychologially afterward errrrrtime.

Honestly, I found that having a scheduled diet, helped me the most, and not eating anything that I didn't set aside for myself. I especially find it hardest when I go out with my friends and they're all eating their french toasts @ ihop or whatever, and I'm ordering a Egg white omelet, bowl of oatmeal, and side of fruit. What pisses me off even more is that my friends eat like that all the time and they don't gain a single pound (talk about good genetics) and I just look at it and the pounds start packin.

Anyways, I'm going to segue here just a little bit, I came across this program last night that talks about emotions, and how we can learn to master our emotions. The audio program talks about emotions being "action statements" that our brain interprets when something is out of wack in our environement or with ourselves. Anger for instance, occurs in people who's standards have been violated by another person or when we have violated them ourselves. The author talks about quick fix strategies to get rid of our anger that way we don't feel it. I figure since hunger is an emotion too, there has got to be a quick fix to solving that problem (other than eating to our hearts content).

Here is the program if you guys are interested in downloading it, I promise this ain't a virus; I hope it will offer some guidance for those of us with controlling our emotions such as hunger....

http://rapidshare.com/files/10909880...r_Emotions.rar

P.S. use the free download option

[Bramble]

ive been through the same i get mega bad cravings but dont so what i used to and think i will have a small amount of chocolate to dull my craving, it doesnt work it just turning me into a mad man and end up eating my self stupid. as the guy above me said go cold turkey. and to stop your cheat meals turning into a binge day save the cheat meal for the very last thing you eat before bed if you have the cheat meal at the start of the day your likely to turn it into a binge

[CostalChic]

Have you ever tried allowing yourself to eat a little less methodically during the week, allowing some room for "junk food" and such?

lol yeah...that particular trick doesn't work w/ me. I know it's "all about moderation", but for some reason, that doesn't click in my head. There are three reasons I have convinced myself not to eat junk throughout the week:
1) I want to be completely primed for my workout in the afternoon, no crap, just fuel.
2) I have VERY low self control once I start..aka, if I eat 1 chip, or 1 cookie, my mind will think "well, I've already F*cked up, why not eat the whole bad (and yes, I realize how little sense this makes lol)
3) I was a total pig on the weekend and I do not deserve ANY crap all week. I've got to make up for my "indiscretions".
Ps- I realize how ridiculous this thought process is, but that's how my mind works. I'm totally and unequivocally addicted to food. And w/ everything in life I have a go big or go home mentality so it makes being less strict w/ diet really tough for me.

Keeping in mind I'm not maintaining at the moment, I'm actively trying to reduce fat. I've decided to have 1 cheat MEAL every week (no junk, just more food, and 1 cheat DAY per month. There, my mind is set-it is done. =)

[SteR-]

I had this problem when I was like 17-18 years old. I used to be a pretty big kid and lost the weight but I still couldn't keep a handle on my eating. I'd basically plan to eat strictly and cleanly and do so for 4-5 days of the week, then I'd snap and binge on a ridiculous amount of junk food (some days in excess of 10,000 cals a day). Then of course I'd feel guilty, starve myself for the next few days and so the cycle would repeat.

Honestly for me, the only way I managed to fix it was when I realised I didn't have to starve myself and be so strict all the time. It's okay to eat a little bit of junk food every so often, just as long as you can keep a handle on it. I used to have the mindset that I had to eat 100% clean the whole time and if I ate so much as 1 cookie, the diet was broken and then I'd snap and just stuff myself full of crap (i'm a perfectionist at heart lol).

Even now while I'm cutting I'll eat junk food. The trick is just to make sure it falls within your calories for the day and not over-do it. Some days you may eat a little more crap than you'd like but you have to learn to just not get stressed out about it - just try to eat cleaner for the next few days or do a little extra cardio. Over time you get used to it and learn not to stress and the urge to binge will fade away.

Hope this helps

[legenbass25]

lol yeah...that particular trick doesn't work w/ me. I know it's "all about moderation", but for some reason, that doesn't click in my head. There are three reasons I have convinced myself not to eat junk throughout the week:
1) I want to be completely primed for my workout in the afternoon, no crap, just fuel.
2) I have VERY low self control once I start..aka, if I eat 1 chip, or 1 cookie, my mind will think "well, I've already F*cked up, why not eat the whole bad (and yes, I realize how little sense this makes lol)
3) I was a total pig on the weekend and I do not deserve ANY crap all week. I've got to make up for my "indiscretions".
Ps- I realize how ridiculous this thought process is, but that's how my mind works. I'm totally and unequivocally addicted to food. And w/ everything in life I have a go big or go home mentality so it makes being less strict w/ diet really tough for me.

Keeping in mind I'm not maintaining at the moment, I'm actively trying to reduce fat. I've decided to have 1 cheat MEAL every week (no junk, just more food, and 1 cheat DAY per month. There, my mind is set-it is done. =)

Totally get this. Especially with the cookies. Basically once the sugar spike hits me I'm done, I'm all of a sudden I'm that much more hungry and I just crave more sugar. It sucks for sure, Christmas time was rough this year with all of the amazing food around all the time.

Maybe a suggestion for your #3: Instead of saying you don't deserve eating junk during the week because you binged on the weekend say "I deserve to indulge a little this weekend because I was so good during the week". I know it's not really that easy to flip it like that but it's a different way to think about.

[foxbody351w]

Doing a Keto diet or the Anabolic Diet might help you with your binges. I know it helped me. You get to eat some of the "bad" foods you crave on the weekends and eat clean during the week...it works for some, you may give it a try.

[trance__dreamer]

It's not always about lack of love/attention. lol =) I'm in a deeply committed, loving relationship to a wonderful man, my bestfriend...but I can STILL eat like a horse on the weekends.

W/ me, I eat clean and methodically throughout the week (I weigh EVERYTHING), but as soon as Saturday comes...bad news. lol I will literally stay home and eat instead of going out....crazy shiiaat.

I've been trying SO hard to control it, but it's like, once I eat something bad, I say "F*uck it, and go on an eating rampage. lol I can usually confine it to Saturdays, sometimes it intrudes into my Sunday, but never through the week.

hmm...maybe not a lack of love/attention from the opposite sex. but maybe a lack of love for yourself. binging is a serious self-destructive behaviour. if you truly loved yourself, you wouldn't do it. you'd find other more productive ways to cope w/ your stress. this is the way i believe about my emotional eating. i believe that i'm still not 100% self-loving yet. if i were, i wouldn't have eaten a box of sugary kids cereal in 15 minutes last night while i was stressing over something in my personal life. & the after math, in regards to physical symptoms, is horrible. i haven't binged on sugar in about a month & forgot just how poorly my body handles it.

[CostalChic]

Doing a Keto diet or the Anabolic Diet might help you with your binges. I know it helped me. You get to eat some of the "bad" foods you crave on the weekends and eat clean during the week...it works for some, you may give it a try.

I currently follow the anabolic diet. Love it. I would see more progress if I controlled my weekends however. SO, today is the first weekend of my experiment. Instead of carb loading on Saturday, I'm carb loading on Friday. This is beneficial to me because I can more easily make it part of my mon-fri controlled diet. So, instead of packing meat and veg for my work food, I packed oatmeal and rice. I allowed myself to cheat last night. I made homemade pizza and had few double chocolate chip cookies. =D But that's where it ended. NO ALL DAY SATURDAY BINGE FEST.

NOW, this morning (sat) it's back to low carb. AND, I'm going to the gym today (which I usually don't do on the weekends), yay! I'll keep it low impact, some cardio, foam rolling, stretching, etc.

hmm...maybe not a lack of love/attention from the opposite sex. but maybe a lack of love for yourself. binging is a serious self-destructive behaviour. if you truly loved yourself, you wouldn't do it. you'd find other more productive ways to cope w/ your stress. this is the way i believe about my emotional eating. i believe that i'm still not 100% self-loving yet. if i were, i wouldn't have eaten a box of sugary kids cereal in 15 minutes last night while i was stressing over something in my personal life. & the after math, in regards to physical symptoms, is horrible. i haven't binged on sugar in about a month & forgot just how poorly my body handles it.

You could be right. After all, it IS very self destructive behavior. Although, I think I tend to be like most people where some days I believe I'm incredible, some days...not so much. lol

As far as my binges go, I'm not doing it whilst wallowing in self pity or anything. Rather, I actually CONVINCE myself it's a wonderful idea and thoughtfully enjoy every minute of it. lol THAT is crazy and irrational. lol However, now that I've acknowledged (thank you bb forum!) I seem to be having an easier time controlling it! Look at me today for instance. Normally I would be sitting at the computer at 5:00am binging on trail mix laced w/ smarties and peanut butter cups. lol But right now I'm enjoying a black coffee waiting for my omelet to cook. =)

[chaunce54]

It's taken me two and half years to realize it but I have an eating disorder. I always thought my problem was just a phase, but not it's continually worsening. Food has always been my worse enemy. While most individuals have enemies with people, mine lays with food. It's constantly on my mind. What I want to eat for breakfast, lunch, dinner, right now, tomorrow, and the next, are always circulating through my mind. Therefore, I can't stop thinking about food.

The eating disorder that I'm describing is "binge eating" disorder. Specifically, my binges resolve around sugary foods. It's nothing for me to go through a whole box of cereal in the matter of one day, on top of my normal foods. It's not a problem for me to indulge in an entire bag of cookies. The problem is this, I know that what I'm doing is wrong, and I know that I'm gonna have to make it up in the gym the next day. Additionally, I'm a nursing student, who cares a lot of how his image is portrayed on his patients. I'm a pretty big kid, or used to be (as you can see from the picture). I've come a long way in my weight loss conquest. I started out weighing 270lbs, and now I'm at 205lbs. I'd like to be a lean 205lbs, but I'm probably at an 18% BF. I used to be at 10% 8 months ago, but these binges have been killing me lately.

A friend of mine suggests that since I eat healthy 75%, I'm depriving my body of the sugars it needs.

A typical diet for me looks like this:

Breakfast (8am)
Egg White Omelet (4 servings of eggs)
1/2 cup oatmeal with 1/2 banana.
Fruit (2 servings)
Coffee
6 oz yogurt
3 hard boiled eggs (no yolk).

Lunch (12 or 1pm)
6oz chicken breast on two pieces of toast.
1 apple.

3pm (post workout)
Fat Free milk with muscle milk protein
1/2 banana
2 tbsp Natty PB

Dinner (6 / 7pm)
Spinach Wrap: Turkey (loaded with it), lettuce, tomato, vinegar and oil.
6 oz chicken breast with 1 cup of brown rice
Salad (optional).

Before bed (9pm):
1 serving of nuts

Up until a few months ago, I used to eat like this 7/7 days a week, now I eat like this 4/7 days of the week, cheating HARDCORE (with the binges) 3 out of 7 of those days.

Because I've felt so guilty with the binges, I've been doing a lot more running. Days that I workout, I run for 2.5 miles prior to lifting.

Days that I don't workout, I run 5 miles.

I'm probably doing anywhere from 14-18 miles of running a week, sometimes coupled with weight lifting.

Maybe I'm just putting too much stress on my body. If anybody could offer any advice, that would be appreciated.

Oh, and by the way, I drink about 1 gallon of water a day, usually carrying around the gallon and drinking it throughout the day.

If anybody can relate, and tell me how they solve their 'sweet' hunger pangs, that would be greatly appreciated.

Try doing Atkins for a while to break your addiction to sugar and bad carbs. I used to eat at least 2 boxes of Cocoa Pebbles a week. I would have 2 bowls for breakfast, and sometimes another 2 bowls at night, only an hour or two before bedtime.

I started doing Atkins about a year ago. It really helps you realize all the sugar and carbs you eat, and after a couple of weeks of watching carbs, I didn't have as many urges to eat sweets. Its not that hard to stick to either, because you can eat a lot of other foods so that you don't feel hungry.

Perhaps doing this for a month or two can curb your cravings, and then you can gradually add in good carbs working towards a more traditional low fat calorie in vs calorie out diet without having cravings for sugary foods like cereal (which I have recently done myself). If you do choose to go this route, make sure you get the book and read it. There is a lot of sound nutritional advice in there even if you don't believe in the diet itself.

[MonsterMikeLB]

I think that there is something more emotional that you experience from eating, which we unfortunately cannot help you with. However, I would say to try some moderation, and you will make yourself miserable if you eat well 6 days of the week and then pig out on the 7th. Instead of eating the entire bag of cookies in one day, have one cookie every day. I think that everyone who body builds or works out has some type of eating problem, with different degrees of severity. Since you are in nursing I am sure that you know some type of medical professional that could help you get to the root of your problems. You will be miserable if you continue to be controlled by your food.

[cyclistgod]

All the problems of weight-gain, food addictions and binge-eating are caused by the american capitalist propaganda and system of pizzas, tacos, burgers and cakes which creates a hunger for fattening foods thru the excessive bombing of propaganda of fattening foods the whole day and every where in America.

The USA is a society with just too much fattening foods, it is real hard not to be fat in America

.

that's cool. the thing is, sometimes our goals get in the way of living life more more comfortably. so, we gotta ask ourselves: what's more important to us...reaching our goals or living life more comfortably? ... especially if our goals are extreme & we aren't natural meso's/ecto's or whatever the case may be.

for me, my goal was to start loving myself again/self respect/self worth --> higher self esteem --> by not constantly shoveling truck-loads of food into me to distract myself from what i was going through --> low self-love, etc. ... VICIOUS CYCLE.
my other goal was to start attracting guys --> looking like i respect myself more --> by not emotional eating ... which was caused by not attracting guys in the 1st place ... VICIOUS CYCLE.

it was also to get healthy; especially since my dad passed away from cancer (... cancer = cell damage/inflamation: 2nd-hand smoke & some poor'ish food choices, probably.)

anyway. & i realized that the way i stand right now, i'm attracting guys just fine. i've achieved that goal. but i've recently (since joining here) created a new goal of going above & beyond having an average physique/better than that of most overweight females around here & into that of a fitness competitor. however, i kinda got confused along the way; didn't see that i already achieved my 1st goal & started to think that i'd only get to my 1st goal if i got to my new goal of being 17.5% bf/whatever.

also, this new goal makes living life a bit more uncomfortable. & it's starting to affect my 1st goal. 1 recently relationship was demolished, in part, by my stage prep/whatever. so, my old goal was destroyed by my new goal. so, now, i'm stuck here re-thinking everything. & i'm starting to come to the realization that my 1st goal (boyfriend) is more important to me than my 2nd goal (bodyfat).

[gbardahl]

just my 2 cent but I would recommend taking a really good multi-vitamin. Every since I have started one my binge cravings are gone. Again, I'm not saying it will work for everyone but you can give it a try. Ultimately, having the willpower to change will make the biggest difference!!!! Keep up the battle.

[crupiea]

Try lowering your carbs for a week and see how it goes. I did this and it pretty much ended my sweets cravings altogether.

Your diet looks fine but for example you are eating alot of carbs for breakfast. Oatmeal and 2.5 fruits. I was doing that too and it caused me all sorts of problems that took me a year to figure out.

I discovered that i had hypoglycemia which messed up my blood sugar and made me hungry for sweets all the time.

I dropped the carbs at breakfast and only eat 1 fruit per day now. I am still eating 6 times per day but always have to have at least 40g of protein minimum per meal or something as close as I can get to that. By default it lowers the carbs.

This worked wonders for me right away.