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    Can a binge eater lose weight?

    I really really really want to and need to lose weight but my binge eating
    disorder is causing complications.

    As soon as I start counting calories
    or anything like that I become obsessed. I see everything in terms of calories.
    When I know I have blown it due to a binge I try to restrict my intake to try
    and make up for it and end up bingeing again because I feel so guilty about it.
    I also end up weighing myself every single day.

    When I am not trying to
    lose weight I can manage my binges a lot better but my weight doesnt move. I am
    not sure what to do. I do not want to be #kg for the rest of my life :/
    __________________
    There is something pagan in me that I cannot shake off. In short, I deny nothing, but doubt everything. - Lord Byron

    Come forth into the light of things, let nature be your teacher. -
    William Wordsworth

    #2
    Re: Can a binge eater lose weight?

    Why not try the South Beach Diet? You eat 3 meals a day plus 2 snacks and a dessert. There are 3 phases and I think it is a pretty good diet. You might want to try it. You won't have to weigh yourself everyday or count calories.
    Anubisa

    Dedicated and devoted to Lord Anubis and Lady Bast. A follower of the path of Egyptian Wicca.

    Comment


      #3
      Re: Can a binge eater lose weight?

      Originally posted by anubisa View Post
      Why not try the South Beach Diet? You eat 3 meals a day plus 2 snacks and a dessert. There are 3 phases and I think it is a pretty good diet. You might want to try it. You won't have to weigh yourself everyday or count calories.
      Sounds restrictive.
      There is something pagan in me that I cannot shake off. In short, I deny nothing, but doubt everything. - Lord Byron

      Come forth into the light of things, let nature be your teacher. -
      William Wordsworth

      Comment


        #4
        Re: Can a binge eater lose weight?

        Do you exercise? I'm losing weight atm, and it's a pain in the ass, but in the end it comes down to a reasonably balanced diet and burning more calories than you consume. It's simple math at the end of the day, calories out > calories in = weight loss. You just need to keep at it until you hit the point where you realize you hate being overweight more than you hate missing out on your favorite foods and the emotional comfort they provide. The big thing I found is to not give up: you're gonna screw up both dieting and exercise at times, skip a day or binge on shitty food, that's just life, but you can choose to use that as either motivation to keep going or an excuse to blow it off.

        I personally don't think you need to count every calory, just make some sensible diet choices - cut off fast food, junk food, soft drink, brown bread instead of white, a bit of fruit/veg every day, reduce beer/wine intake if you drink them regularly, and only eat when you're hungry. Throw in exercise, and you should hit a calory deficit fairly easily.

        Sounds restrictive.
        Any change you make is going to seem restrictive. You aren't going to lose weight until you come to terms with the idea of serious and permanent lifestyle changes. There's no way to lose weight while not having to invest time and effort or change your diet and give up some of your favorite foods. Your current lifestyle is the reason you're overweight in the first place, trying to keep it will just result in you continuing to gain more.

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          #5
          Re: Can a binge eater lose weight?

          Originally posted by Aeran View Post
          Do you exercise? I'm losing weight atm, and it's a pain in the ass, but in the end it comes down to a reasonably balanced diet and burning more calories than you consume. It's simple math at the end of the day, calories out > calories in = weight loss. You just need to keep at it until you hit the point where you realize you hate being overweight more than you hate missing out on your favorite foods and the emotional comfort they provide. The big thing I found is to not give up: you're gonna screw up both dieting and exercise at times, skip a day or binge on shitty food, that's just life, but you can choose to use that as either motivation to keep going or an excuse to blow it off.

          I personally don't think you need to count every calory, just make some sensible diet choices - cut off fast food, junk food, soft drink, brown bread instead of white, a bit of fruit/veg every day, reduce beer/wine intake if you drink them regularly, and only eat when you're hungry. Throw in exercise, and you should hit a calory deficit fairly easily.



          Any change you make is going to seem restrictive. You aren't going to lose weight until you come to terms with the idea of serious and permanent lifestyle changes. There's no way to lose weight while not having to invest time and effort or change your diet and give up some of your favorite foods. Your current lifestyle is the reason you're overweight in the first place, trying to keep it will just result in you continuing to gain more.
          Yeah I do exercise. I do some walks here and there and I also do a bit of zumba here and there.

          I have to be careful not to restrict too much as this triggers binges. I need to go on hunger rather than eating at particular times to manage the binging which obviously makes losing weight difficult.
          There is something pagan in me that I cannot shake off. In short, I deny nothing, but doubt everything. - Lord Byron

          Come forth into the light of things, let nature be your teacher. -
          William Wordsworth

          Comment


            #6
            Re: Can a binge eater lose weight?

            I'd try and intensify that exercise a bit, even just 15 minutes on a treadmill every day can be enough to tip you over the edge into a caloric deficit.

            This might seem a bit off topic, but do you practice any kind of meditation or internal development system? I've found that the discipline these practices develop has been of huge benefit to me in getting into shape and losing weight.

            You could also look into yoga, there are systems of yoga which actually give you a rather intense workout. This one comes particularly recommended from another website I read (http://www.ddpyoga.com/) but I'm sure you could find others if you want classes in person.

            Comment


              #7
              Re: Can a binge eater lose weight?

              Don't diet, though eventually you will have to count/restrict calories to lose weight. Exercise is important, but it alone will not lose your fat. I speak from experience, and I've lost 46 lbs this year with about 20-25 to go to get to my happy place. I'm on a maintenance break right now, and those are important so you don't mess up your metabolism as you lose.

              If you are bingeing, you need to address that first. You have to figure out why you do it, and deal with it. You have to get past the emotional baggage -- its frankly more important than the size of your body anyway. Don't expect to be perfect and never screw up, but you have to change the whole way you look at food.

              I'd suggest reading some of Geneen Roth's books. They talk about the emotional side of eating that tends to be ignored when people set out on a quest for small jeans. Once you realize hunger is a trigger to eat, not stuff yourself until you throw up, the rest is easy. Less calories in than you burn = weight lost. Simple as that, and harder than it sounds.

              Comment


                #8
                Re: Can a binge eater lose weight?

                I don't know you personally so I don't know what you're doing, but it could be that you're trying to be too restrictive. Sometimes when you cut too much, you set yourself up for failure because you feel deprived. This causes you to binge. Your best bet is to reduce calories slowly and let your body get used to the reduced intake. Replace common snack foods with alternatives you like to help keep you from binging. For example, I really like chips/crisps, so I make salted, air-popped popcorn or kale chips and eat those instead. I also really love chocolate and I find that fruit satisfies my sweet tooth a lot of the time.

                If you still can't help but binge, maybe it might help you to talk to a counsellor? It's a real eating disorder for a lot of people and sometimes it can be really hard to get over on your own.

                Comment


                  #9
                  Re: Can a binge eater lose weight?

                  Are you actually getting some sort of therapy or medical treatment for your binge eating? Binge eating disorder is, you know, an actual eating disorder. It's all well and good for us to talk about weight loss tips, but if you're not getting some sort of actual treatment, I don't think it's going to help much. I'm assuming you know the basics of weight loss... use more calories than you eat. That's really the only way to do it. However, as you've pointed out... very often for binge eaters, trying to control calories leads to more issues. If you legitimately have an eating disorder, you probably need more than what folks here can give. Like any other disorder or medical condition, if you're not getting the appropriate help, it's quite hard to get better...

                  Originally posted by dgirl1986 View Post
                  Yeah I do exercise. I do some walks here and there and I also do a bit of zumba here and there.
                  How often is "here and there?" Thirty minutes daily is usually the minimum I see recommended, where sixty minutes seems to be an even better goal to shoot for - especially for people trying to lose weight. I know it's not always easy trying to fit that into a day-to-day schedule (I shoot for 60 mins daily, but I can't always make it), but it might be about all you can do for right now.
                  Hearth and Hedge

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Re: Can a binge eater lose weight?

                    Originally posted by Gardenia View Post
                    How often is "here and there?" Thirty minutes daily is usually the minimum I see recommended, where sixty minutes seems to be an even better goal to shoot for - especially for people trying to lose weight. I know it's not always easy trying to fit that into a day-to-day schedule (I shoot for 60 mins daily, but I can't always make it), but it might be about all you can do for right now.
                    for just maintenance, I do 60 minutes cardio three times a week, plus an aquafit class, plus yoga once a week. For weight loss, I would up that to 60 minutes of something that gets your heart rate up, 6 days a week. IMO.


                    Mostly art.

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                      #11
                      Re: Can a binge eater lose weight?

                      Thanks for all the responses.

                      Counselling for eating disorders is really expensive. I really cant afford it so I am doing it on my own. I actually had the binges pretty much under control for the most part before I tried to lose weight. I am morbidly obese. I cannot go on like this as I am. If a binge eater cannot diet to lose weight then maybe the only way I can lose weight is to purge with excercise every time I eat something naughty.
                      There is something pagan in me that I cannot shake off. In short, I deny nothing, but doubt everything. - Lord Byron

                      Come forth into the light of things, let nature be your teacher. -
                      William Wordsworth

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Re: Can a binge eater lose weight?

                        I cannot go on like this as I am. If a binge eater cannot diet to lose weight then maybe the only way I can lose weight is to purge with excercise every time I eat something naughty.
                        That's really not a good idea, I imagine it would end up being completely counterproductive.

                        If you're morbidly obese, you should be speaking to a doctor about this, not the internet. At a minimum, they could refer you to a nutritionist who could help you put together a decent diet plan.

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Re: Can a binge eater lose weight?

                          Originally posted by dgirl1986 View Post
                          Thanks for all the responses.

                          Counselling for eating disorders is really expensive. I really cant afford it so I am doing it on my own. I actually had the binges pretty much under control for the most part before I tried to lose weight. I am morbidly obese. I cannot go on like this as I am. If a binge eater cannot diet to lose weight then maybe the only way I can lose weight is to purge with excercise every time I eat something naughty.
                          Does your public health insurance cover counselling when it's a clearcut physical health issue? It could be something to look into. I also know that in Canada mental health is pretty underfunded, but there are hotlines and stuff like that.

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Re: Can a binge eater lose weight?

                            Originally posted by dgirl1986 View Post
                            When I know I have blown it due to a binge I try to restrict my intake to try
                            and make up for it and end up bingeing again because I feel so guilty about it.
                            I also end up weighing myself every single day.
                            Oh, I've been here. Not fun.

                            I used to be obese. I lost a lot of weight by counting calories but was still binging twice a week, and starving myself the next day to make up for it. While I was more or less a healthy weight, I was still wrecking my body. I managed to break the cycle by giving up sugar and processed food. Now I cook almost everything from scratch, eat organic wherever possible, and eat plenty healthy fat like butter, cheese, coconut oil and olive oil. The healthy fat means that I'm satiated (for the first time in my life) and no longer feel the urge to binge. The last of the weight I wanted rid of dropped off quickly, and I feel a sort of inner glow (seriously. Cheesy as it sounds, I do feel fantastic).

                            While I feel most comfortable continuing to count calories, most people who switch to eating real food seem to prefer not to, and find their weight levels out because their natural 'I'm full' signal kicks in. Both binge eating and sugar cancel that signal out, but it's still there underneath it all if you give your body a chance to recover.

                            I wish you lots of luck, however you decide to deal with this.

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Re: Can a binge eater lose weight?

                              A bit of an update from my blog...


                              Counting calories is possibly one of the worst things a binge eater or bulimic could do when they are trying to not only get a handle on their eating disorder but when also trying to lose weight. I have had to give up looking at calories completely. Instead of helping me my progress went completely backwards. When I reached out to the facebook binge support groups when this happened, I found that other binge eaters had similar or the same experience when attempting to use this method.

                              I started off ok...but I then was trying to find ways to cut calories in main meals so I could use those calorie points elsewhere. I would feel guilty for having a certain salad or soup because it was X amount of calories. I would skip dinner so that I could eat the type of foods that I was wanting to binge on. I would weight myself every day and it got to the point where I convinced myself that it was a good idea to cut back on the day food so I could binge on blocks of chocolate.

                              I was becoming not only a slave to numbers but a slave to this guilt notion when it came to food. When you feel guilty because you are eating a normal yoghurt, you know there is a problem. The guilt and the obsessive planning around food was increasing my urge to binge. Depriving myself was increasing my urge to binge. My obsession over weight and how it wasn’t going anywhere was increasing my urge to binge.

                              So now I have started over and instead of calorie counting I am now trying the use of a photo food diary app so I have a visual reference of what I have consumed in a day, week and month. I am also working on getting rid of that guilt mentality when it comes to food and also need to try and remove that programming in my brain that thinks of tasty foods as rewards (which comes from childhood events). It has been 5 days now and it seems to be going ok, weight has dropped 700grams, and I have only weighed myself twice. This is an improvement. We shall see how this continues.
                              There is something pagan in me that I cannot shake off. In short, I deny nothing, but doubt everything. - Lord Byron

                              Come forth into the light of things, let nature be your teacher. -
                              William Wordsworth

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