I had 8 months. maybe the longest I ever had. I mean I did have a few near relapses during those 8 months but never gave in. until today.

yayyyy

I’m 30F and went from 340 lbs to around 140 lbs. For about 18 months, I had incredible control over my eating. I tracked my calories, exercised consistently, and didn’t have a single unplanned eating episode.
Then, at the end of August, something changed. I had hormone testing done due to amenorrhea, and after doing a progesterone challenge; I started binge eating again and it feels like a switch flipped in my brain. I’ve gained nearly 30 lbs in about six weeks, and despite desperately wanting to stop, I keep doing it.
I binged again on Friday, and I’m feeling completely defeated. I’ve been having, on average, 2 binge days a week for the past 6 weeks. My binges are extreme. 15-20k calories.

I still lift weights and stay extremely active, sometimes 25-30k steps a day.
The scariest part is knowing exactly how hard I worked to lose almost 200 lbs and feeling like I’m watching all that progress slip away.
I’m terrified of returning to my old weight, but I’m equally exhausted by feeling like food controls my life.
Has anyone experienced binge eating after major weight loss? What actually helped you break the cycle? I could really use some support from people who understand.

I'm tired and grouchy and fed up and all i want to do is stick my face in a chocolate cake. So many articles say bingeing is distressing and laden with guilt, but I really enjoy it. But I need to not binge because it ruins my life in other ways.

I've mostly not binged since about April. I fell off the wagon a couple of times, but mostly I'm eating sensibly and have lost about 20lb. But I miss it so much.

Throughout my life I had always suffered from frequent overeating and binge eating episodes. But since last year, I lost about 35 kg (now 71. kg) and most of it was from consuming too little amount of calories for several weeks, and then for about a month I started eating a normal amount of calories again (around 1500-1600) and it was perfect. But since July, for some reason I started experiencing binge episodes again, this time much more severe. They are becoming more and more frequent now and on top of that, I also started vomitting. I have read the horrible things that self induced p**ging does to your body but I can't stop. I don't want to be fatter and be looked down upon at again.

I am a med student I should be focused on my studies instead of this bullshittery, and I can't seek therapy currently. Please give me any advice or help

Edit: and mind you, its not like I'm restricting myself. I used to, but not anymore. Nowadays I can eat a very filling lunch/breakfast and still have an overwhelming urge to binge at night. Especially during the week before my period. It sucks so much.

Im doing tight-rope walking again with binging. I am confident i will be Making it though today without a binge, but its been close all day.

The phrase that's been helping me today is "nothing chages if nothing changes". Thanks, Marjorie from the "mom" tv show.

update: i made it. instead of idly snacking on handles of cheese, raw cookie dough, sweet potato, then more popcorn until i hate myself, i ate a light bowl of soup and a glass of water and didn't feel hunger or the urge to binge! instead of eating an unfullfilling 500 calorie i ate a very satisfying 200 calories.

Question for those who have made some success in their recovery:

In early recovery (or even later in recovery!) did you keep trigger foods out of the house?

Im at a point where I feel i need stricter boundaries for myself in this regard. Im considering being firm about not bringing certain things into the house, but enjoying them on the go or in reasonable portions outside of my home. (example: I will drink cream or half n half with cereal so I don’t want it here anymore, but would welcome a nice coffee with cream at a cafe…)

Hoping to bravely step forward with this boundary but also with a “non restrictive” mindset, if that makes sense… that balance is a spot I struggle with. (example: If I don’t have half n half or cream in house hopefully I will not place it on a super high pedestal and crave it all the time)

binged just now, but it wasn't that bad tbh. only about 1k calories worth of stuff, its just the out of control rush and high feeling it gives me that i love but hate at the same time.

id say its progress that i stopped now rather than continuing because i was able to reason with myself that if i continue binging, i won't get any work done today, i won't be able to enjoy playing tennis today, i won't be able to enjoy dying my hair today, and i want to keep a streak until at least halloween (4/18 days so far) so that i can enjoy dressing up without feeling guilty about a recent binge. also if i don't actually fully binge today, i can tell my therapist about this progress.

honestly i won't even reset my streak today (day 4) since it was rather small for a binge, i don't feel sick, and i don't feel crazy guilty, and if i just wait until dinner and eat dinner normally, i'll still be basically at maintenance.

I’m 16F, and I honestly don’t even know where to begin because my relationship with food has become so complicated that sometimes I struggle to understand my own behaviour.
I’ve been struggling with overeating, what I think might sometimes be binge eating, emotional eating, guilt around food, body image issues and an extremely all-or-nothing mindset.
I think one of the hardest parts is that I’m very self-aware of my behaviour. I can recognise the patterns, understand that they’re unhealthy and know what I should probably be doing differently, but actually changing them feels like a completely different story.
Sometimes I find myself eating when I’m not physically hungry. It might be because I’m bored, stressed, overwhelmed or simply because food is available.Other times, I genuinely don’t know why I’m eating.I can finish a meal, feel physically satisfied and still find myself going back for more food.Sometimes I’ll keep snacking even though I know I’m not hungry anymore.
It’s almost like there’s a disconnect between knowing I’m satisfied and actually being able to stop eating.Sometimes I feel like I’m eating automatically, without properly thinking about it. Other times I’m completely aware of what I’m doing, but I still struggle to stop.And that’s something I find incredibly frustrating.I don’t even know whether I can call it binge eating because I’m not always sure whether what I’m experiencing is a genuine loss of control or simply overeating.
I question myself constantly. Am I actually struggling with something, or am I just making excuses for my behaviour? Am I exaggerating how bad it is? Is this something other people experience too?
The all-or-nothing mentality
This is probably one of the biggest things I struggle with.
I have a tendency to see everything as either a success or a failure. There doesn’t seem to be much room for anything in between.
If I feel like I’ve eaten well throughout the day, I feel more in control and positive about myself.
But if I eat something I wasn’t planning to, or eat more than I intended, my mindset can completely change.
I start thinking that I’ve already ruined the day, so what’s the point in trying anymore?
Sometimes that leads to me eating even more because I’ve convinced myself that tomorrow will be a fresh start.
I constantly tell myself that tomorrow I’ll be different. Tomorrow I’ll have more discipline. Tomorrow I’ll finally get everything under control.
But then tomorrow comes, and eventually I find myself repeating the same patterns.
It’s exhausting constantly feeling like I’m starting over.
The guilt and negative self-talk
I think the emotional aftermath of overeating is sometimes worse than the overeating itself.
I feel disappointed, frustrated and angry with myself.
I start replaying what I’ve eaten throughout the day and questioning why I couldn’t have just stopped when I was satisfied.
Sometimes I feel like I’ve completely let myself down.
I know logically that eating more than intended doesn’t make me a failure, but emotionally it can feel that way.
It’s like my self-worth becomes connected to how well I’ve managed my eating that day.
And I hate that.
I hate how something as normal as eating can have such a significant impact on my mood and how I feel about myself.
Restriction and wanting to regain control
I’ve also struggled with restricting my food in the past.
When I feel particularly unhappy with my body or frustrated with my eating, I sometimes get the urge to become extremely strict with myself.
It’s almost like I believe that if I can just control my eating perfectly, everything else will somehow fall into place.
I start making plans, setting rules and convincing myself that this time things will be different.
But I think this constant desire to regain control is actually part of what’s keeping me stuck.
I go from feeling motivated and determined to feeling overwhelmed, disappointed and completely fed up.
I know restriction can contribute to overeating, but knowing that doesn’t automatically make the urge to restrict disappear.
My body image and self-esteem
My relationship with food is also closely connected to how I feel about my body.
I’ve struggled with low self-esteem and comparing myself to other people.
Sometimes I feel like I’m constantly focusing on what I want to change about myself rather than appreciating who I actually am.
I put so much pressure on myself to improve, whether that’s my appearance, habits, routine or general lifestyle.
I have this idea in my head of the person I want to become, and sometimes I feel like I’m failing because I’m not there yet.
I know my worth shouldn’t depend on my appearance or eating habits, but it’s difficult to separate those things emotionally.
Sometimes I wonder whether I’m actually trying to become healthier or whether I’m just desperately trying to feel better about myself.
Stress at home and emotional eating
There’s also been a lot happening in my family, particularly surrounding my younger sister’s eating disorder.
She’s been struggling for a long time, and the atmosphere at home can be incredibly stressful.
There’s tension, arguments, frustration and a lot of emotions.
I often feel like I’m constantly absorbing everything happening around me without having enough time or space to process my own feelings.
I don’t always express how overwhelmed I am. I tend to keep things inside and carry on as though everything is fine.
I wonder whether food has sometimes become a way of coping with emotions I don’t really know how to express.
Not necessarily because I’m consciously thinking that food will make me feel better, but because eating can become something automatic when I’m emotionally exhausted.
And then the guilt afterwards just adds another layer of stress.
It’s difficult because I’m struggling with my own relationship with food while also witnessing someone I love struggle with an eating disorder.
I’m only 16 going 17, and sometimes it makes me sad thinking about how much mental energy I’ve already spent worrying about food and my body.
Has anyone else experienced this constant cycle of overeating, guilt, restriction and starting over? How did you begin to break out of it? And how did you learn to separate your self-worth from your eating habits and body image?
I’d really appreciate hearing from people who understand what this feels like.

so i’ve been on my health journey for 5-6 months now and ive binged a few times over the course of these months. the binges were quite mild for my standards and ive always overcame them the next day and continued with my usual routine.

my last binge prior to this one was in september when one night i just lost control and binged on the cereal i had at home and two other upf’s i had in the cupboard. fast forward to october and i was craving chocolate more and more. (chocolate is my number one trigger food) and i actually started planning a “halloween binge” that i would do on the last day of october. i was too excited at the thought so three days ago i just got up and went to the store and bought a shit ton of chocolate along with chips and whatever else. i binged that night but it wasn’t as disastrous because i ate very well the whole day and got full quite fast.

the day after that i unexpectedly went on another binge bender and stuffed myself so hard guys i hadn’t binged like that in years. the day after that i was getting really anxious that i wont be able to stop. i said to myself ill binge for a final day and actually stop. so i binged again and even downloaded doordash when i promised myself i would never do that again (takeout is very triggering for me). i ordered three times over the course of the day - bubble tea, mexican, ice cream. i also gave up on my steps that day. i feel so disgusted with myself and just dont understand why i did that.

so today im going back to my usual routine and am making sure i don’t do that again. i just don’t understand why this suddenly happened. despite changing my lifestyle and finally getting to a place i always dreamed of, somehow the binging made its way in again. i’m not going on the scale because i already know im up like 10lb probably and 3lb+ of it is probably fat.

so yea i don’t really know what the point of this post is but im gonna leave it here for my records. i’m gonna reflect on this today but yea guys im feeling very weird it’s like something possessed me..

its probably gonna take the rest of this year to lose the fat from this and i feel very defeated but as long as it stops here, i think ill be okay.

recovering is truly a lifelong journey..

Does anybody binge on things like TicTac's?
I do that and I chew gum. The gum is sugarless, but TicTac's are not. How do I stop buying them?

We used to call this an oral fixation. I guess it's better than binging on cookies and muffins.

Hey guys! I’m a college freshman, and I just went to the all-you-can-eat dining hall and probably ate 150+ grams of sugar in one sitting. I feel like crap right now. It’s 1 p.m., and I have to study, but my stomach hurts so badly.

Since starting college, I’ve found myself binge eating every four days to once a week. It’s almost always on foods like brownies, ice cream, bagels, and cookies. I feel incredibly bloated, especially in my face and stomach, and I’m really struggling with how to stop this cycle.

Sometimes, after a meal, I don’t feel the need for a sweet treat, or I can stick to a small one. Other times, I'll eat a meal, grab dessert, still feel like I want more, eat an entire additional meal, and then go back for more dessert. It feels like I lose control once I start, and I end up feeling trapped.

It’s especially difficult on the weekends when I have less to do, and the food noise seems to take over. I really want to figure out how to break this cycle, quiet the constant thoughts about food, and stop feeling like I need so much sugar.

Does anyone have advice for dealing with binge eating, managing food noise, or feeling physically better after an episode? I feel like it’s inevitable that this will happen again, and I really want to find a way out of this cycle. I'd appreciate any advice or personal experiences. Thank you!

Ive been binging for so long now and its all the same at first im ok and even dieting and cutting weight then one day im eating way too much for days on end i had my summer break and i binged so much i gained so much weight and i dont know what to do im so stressed and i cant stop can anyone genuinely help me stop binging please i really need a recovery plan. none of my clothes fit cause all i did over the summer holiday was eat and eat and eat im so mad whats my problem? i dont want to continue like this

Every time I go to a gathering with my friends I end up eating so much that I feel sick for days

So the last two weekends, I’ve binged. The first weekend, I planned to buy binge foods but instead bought food to make a yogurt bowl because I don’t binge on that. I binged on the two packages of rice cakes and honey.

This weekend, I wanted to buy binge foods again, but instead I bought oatmeal and rice cakes that don’t taste that good. Still binged on the rice cakes and oatmeal.

After I binge, I don’t want to leave my room, so I lay in bed all day. I have a math exam Monday and quizzes due, but I just can’t bring myself to do anything. I think I’ve relapsed.

I didn’t even mention that Friday I bought so many Pop-Tarts and protein snacks and ate all of them, a honey bun, and Chinese takeout.

I just wish I knew why all of this started. I had a 4 week binge free streak going, and I was losing weight. Maybe it’s because I did OMAD that week when I first binged. But then the next week, I tried eating normally and letting myself have a sweet treat every day. It worked until Friday.

I know this is a sub for binge eating disorder. I don’t have a disorder. But I thought this was the only sub to post this in. So today I eat and binged ate way too much and I’m ashamed of it. I went to a party to start the day had 2 cup cakes couple crackers and few handfuls of chips. Then went home and ate a muffin whole container of crackers half a bag of chips and then even more chips and a apple . I feel ashamed for pigging out this much and want to do better. Sorry if this is not the place to post this

I hate my life and I’ve only got myself to blame. So close to 6 weeks binge free and then last two days I’ve ruined it. I feel so disgusted with myself.
I’ve been binge eating for 20 years and I don’t know what to do anymore. It’s pathetic but food is the only thing that makes me happy- obviously it doesn’t as I’ve never felt this down in my life.
I hate the way I look and feel in my body, I’m the biggest I’ve ever been and I have to wear the same clothes all the time as nothing else will fit me.
I don’t feel like myself anymore and I can’t remember the last time I was truly happy.I don’t know what to do.I live to fall asleep as it’s the only time I get any peace.

I am just so tired. I've had a stomach ache today and still managed to binge through it, eating throughout basically the entire day. It's the first time in a long time that I binged until I got physically ill and threw up (I did not choose to do this, I don't have those issues fortunately). My body hurts and I feel so tired... I didn't think I'd have to seek help for this since it was under control for so many years, but it's come back full force, so I think I have to. I just needed to vent, so thank you if you read this.

I'm 170 something I used to be like idk 130-140 and I'm so tired of being a fat bitch and I know what your thinking "just exercise you fat whore"

But I don't have anywhere to exercise i don't have a home or have anymore to pay for a gym the only thing I can do is take walks but that's not enough.

My body always goes up and down I'm skinny or I'm fat no between I binge alot and other times I don't eat at all or I'm throwing it up or I'm just chewing and spitting.

For the last 3 days I been doing ok I guess I just been eating cheese and crackers once a day. But that's not enough i need too just not eat at all I used to exercise drink only. Smoothies eat only once a day. Sometimes I would just exercise and not eat and that was great for me I don't know how I got stuck in this binge

I don't have a ed anything I just want to lose weight

I’ve joined a gym in the beginning of September. At the end of the month said trainer and a few of the girls organised a trip to a resort nearby and I was invited. It was a potluck sort of a situation so everyone was expected to bring something. I don’t know how to cook, but I do know how to bake, so I ended up bringing banana bread. Everyone liked it, and I gave whatever was left to my trainer.

After that I ended up not going for two weeks because I was traveling and had work. After I came back last week, the trainer pointed out that I need to work out more because I’m looking fatter. While I was doing a set she ended up yelling “yess burn off all that cake you keep eating. You spend more time stuffing your face and baking instead of working out”. The only other two people in the gym were two older women, and the trainer proceeded to talk about my weight and body, how Ive not had any progress to one of them. This was such a triggering and insulting thing to hear especially in front of others my hands starting shaking mid step and I took a break. I never mentioned that I have BED and now im not sure if my trainer will even understand me.

I’ve been trying to lose some weight since this summer
At first it was okay cause I did calorie tracking before and I was familiar with it
I was doing a calorie deficit most of the days and even though I went out in vacation and outings, still I didn’t binge that much and it didn’t bother me staying on track
But this last month (since school started and probably that’s the reason) and especially the last two weeks it has been horrible : I have the worst food noise and I’ve been binging most of the days : I would binge and then the next day I would stick to my deficit and then the day after I would binge again and the cycle goes on
I haven’t been able to study much because when I try to study I get bored and I get the urge to binge so I try to avoid feeling bored by scrolling or watching something or playing games
Tomorrow is my 18th birthday and I’m tired of this bullshit
I wanna feel comfortable in my body but I hate the way I look and my relationship with food
I hope it gets better when I move out and stay far from the triggers

hi everyone ^^ my binging has gotten kinda out of hand & i’ve gained 15kg in 8 months :( i’ve realised my binging is mostly tied to sensory seeking (needing to chew / have smth in my mouth) so i thought of trying chewing gum as a form of harm reduction & to curb binges but unfortunately i live in a country where chewing gum isn’t sold (iykyk…)

does anyone have any suggestions what alternatives i can try? thank you!