Newbie question: anyone else had binge eating problems?

[kittysmama]

Hi! this is my first post & I just discovered No-S today so, if I've missed something, I apologise

I love the absolute simplicity of this and I agree that in terms of psychology it seems to tick all the boxes: clear guide lines, minimal use of self-discipline (as the guidelines are so clear and non-negotiable), flexibility for special occasions/weekends and sustainable in the long term as no major food groups are barred - common sense required.

My query was if anyone here had success doing this without it triggering off their binge eating? I have lost (and regained) forty pounds before, doing all kinds of wacko diets and I think I broke something in my brain. I think I have lost belief that I can resist the call of the sugar-snack - even if there is nothing in the house truly snack worthy or chocolatey, I will eat a small dry bowl of my kids' cereal... I know.

I really, really want to get a handle on my eating: to be the boss of my brain. I would love to hear from others who have beaten this. I have tried anti-depressants (I ate more!!), psychologists, counselling, endless workbooks and programmes... none of them work (for more than a few days or hours).

I wnt to give this a REAL shot and be strict until New Year to see how it does at my worst time of year - so since tomorrow is a S-day, how can I "not be an idiot" and undo all the benefit of the N days? That's my biggest worry. (the 5:2 diet just sent me over a cliff).

Should I try?? (genuinely concerned).

[MaggieMae]

Hi! Glad you discovered no s! I haven't been doing this very long, but it's already making me feel more sane about food. I have a loooong history of dieting/anorexia/bulimia/binge eating. I know what you mean about something in our brains being "broken". Definitely give this a shot! I am a sugar addict. If there was nothing sweet in the house, I would take baking chocolate chips and mix them in a bowl with nuts and eat them. Here I am, on a Friday, and no desire to snack or eat sweets because I know that tomorrow is an S day! We're not "unfixable". I don't know if you read the book yet or not, but there is a section about how it takes many tries at something before you become successful (other no S'ers can word that better, I'm sure). In the last few years, I have started no S probably 8 times and gave up because I had a "failure". So, don't give up....just keep getting back on board. It will eventually click. Good luck!

[elegantportions]

Welcome aboard!!! You are definitely not alone. Just read several of the most recent testimonials for proof and encouragement.

[milliem]

I think many people can 'be an idiot' at the start of S days. I've also rifled through my kitchen cupboards mixing together any old sweet thing to get a fix! Lets just say the invention of microwave mug cakes has NOT been helpful...

The trick is focusing on the N days and getting a solid streak of those down. Lets be honest 5 days in a row of sensible eating can be a challenge. The idea (as far as I see it) is that when you are satisfied with three healthy meals per day 5 days a week, binging on sweets and snacks for the remaining two days becomes less appealing. I've definitely found in the past that the less sweet things I eat the less I crave!

So, work on the N days, be kind to yourself and remember it takes persistence to make these behaviours habits

[kittysmama]

Thank you all! That's really helpful. Today is definitely an S day but ... even though I had my treats, I definitely didn't enjoy them as much... I suppose that's good! I'm going to get my big girl boots on and go for it thank you xxx

[leafy_greens]

My query was if anyone here had success doing this without it triggering off their binge eating? I have lost (and regained) forty pounds before, doing all kinds of wacko diets and I think I broke something in my brain. I think I have lost belief that I can resist the call of the sugar-snack - even if there is nothing in the house truly snack worthy or chocolatey, I will eat a small dry bowl of my kids' cereal... I know.

I think more people here have this problem than don't have this problem. Not everyone (myself included) has had a complete binge recovery after starting No S. It's an ongoing battle. But No S is the best option there is for people like us, in my opinion. There are some who I think are really lucky and No S seems to cure their binges. Hopefully you are one of them. Regardless what happens, keep trying.

[Skelton]

I think more people here have this problem than don't have this problem. Not everyone (myself included) has had a complete binge recovery after starting No S. It's an ongoing battle. But No S is the best option there is for people like us, in my opinion. There are some who I think are really lucky and No S seems to cure their binges. Hopefully you are one of them. Regardless what happens, keep trying.

I agree with you leafy.

I haven't had complete binge recovery, but it's far easier for me to control when I'm following No S, vanilla No S that is.
If I start to think about other diets, it definitely triggers more binges. More frequent and more volume of food. I still find it a huge challenge, but focusing on No S as it's written and taking my 'diety thoughts' away definitely helps me. I also keep coming back to No S because I truly believe it's sane and sensible.

kittysmama, it's helpful to read the No S Testimonials. We have several active posters who have definitely found No S helpful in this regard, and less active posters who found a solution in No S and probably don't visit the boards very often because, well, they're doing so much better now and food isn't a big focus for them any longer.

[tacodiscos]

I have binge eating problems and keep a journal on the daily check in page about it! I gain and lose the same 25 lbs all the time.... But I am doing okay the last four months. It's been the most sane 4 months of my life!

I really like the book Brain Over Binge and I am almost done with The Beck Diet Solution. I have been focusing on training my brain... and it's been working so far!

I wish you well and I would love to keep in touch! I know how you feel!

[oolala53]

I wouldn't say it won't trigger binges, but if you keep working the program and surrender deep inside to the double concepts of moderation and the value of reducing the problem behavior, you have a better chance with this than with much else that's out there no matter what the websites promise. I started No S for the exact reasons you talk about. It seemed like the best of both worlds between IE and a diet. It has worked out that way for me, though there were plenty of S days gone wild for a long time. I consider my eating manageable and acceptable. I'm almost six years in after the previous nearly 4 decades of disordered eating.

[Sarah-lara]

You could call me a binge eater, though it usually takes me all day to eat the crazy amount of food rather than one sitting. It's the same thing in terms of what it does to the body, but I know that some people wouldn't count me as a binger even though I definitely relate with feeling out of control.

I like having the clear "no snacking" rule with No-S precisely because it keeps me from eating big meals between my meals. Like right now I'm frustrated about something and want to eat. It's a funny feeling because if you'd have asked me if I ate when frustrated, I'd have said, "how should I know? I never really stop eating long enough to figure that stuff out."

So, no, I don't find this to be a trigger. I just need to stick with No-S this time around and I think I'll be way ahead of where I was, even if I have a bad day every now and then.

There is a funny book on one man's BED called "I'm With Fatty" by Ugel. It won't give you diet answers at all, but it will remind you that this is all a process and that setbacks happen but working on the problem is better than letting it all go to the toilet.

I actually gained weight with four months of 5:2 (and people on their forum told me I just didn't "believe hard enough.") Nobody should ever tell me I can eat all I want guilt-free within certain hours because I can really pack it in! The researcher who originated that idea (Krista Varady) set it at 4:3 and for temporary use only. Plus IIRC she had a lab component wherein people had to come in and get monitored and weighed by a doctor. It's hard for me to imagine that not boosting their results. And something else -- I noticed last year a lot of 5:2 success stories are British. Good for them for being a success story, but I wonder if things are different in America, where high-calorie food is darn near everywhere. Just a thought; I'm not a food scientist or nutritionist.

[tacodiscos]

You could call me a binge eater, though it usually takes me all day to eat the crazy amount of food rather than one sitting. It's the same thing in terms of what it does to the body, but I know that some people wouldn't count me as a binger even though I definitely relate with feeling out of control.

I like having the clear "no snacking" rule with No-S precisely because it keeps me from eating big meals between my meals. Like right now I'm frustrated about something and want to eat. It's a funny feeling because if you'd have asked me if I ate when frustrated, I'd have said, "how should I know? I never really stop eating long enough to figure that stuff out."

So, no, I don't find this to be a trigger. I just need to stick with No-S this time around and I think I'll be way ahead of where I was, even if I have a bad day every now and then.

There is a funny book on one man's BED called "I'm With Fatty" by Ugel. It won't give you diet answers at all, but it will remind you that this is all a process and that setbacks happen but working on the problem is better than letting it all go to the toilet.

I actually gained weight with four months of 5:2 (and people on their forum told me I just didn't "believe hard enough.") Nobody should ever tell me I can eat all I want guilt-free within certain hours because I can really pack it in! The researcher who originated that idea (Krista Varady) set it at 4:3 and for temporary use only. Plus IIRC she had a lab component wherein people had to come in and get monitored and weighed by a doctor. It's hard for me to imagine that not boosting their results. And something else -- I noticed last year a lot of 5:2 success stories are British. Good for them for being a success story, but I wonder if things are different in America, where high-calorie food is darn near everywhere. Just a thought; I'm not a food scientist or nutritionist.

We are so alike!

[bonnieUK]

I tried the 5:2 diet for a couple of weeks and found it caused crazy rebound binges (and I had been doing No S for years, I should know better than to deviate into fad diets).

Having dealt with orthorexia issues (No S has been a big help there) I think I've realised that binge eating tends to be a reaction to a period of restriction, or perhaps an over-reaction, and I don't think it is all psychological, I think there is a biological element to it, someone (can't remember who) said "for every diet there is an equal and opposite binge"

I think overly restrictive dieting is kind of like one day deciding that you'll cut your sleep down by a few hours per night. Of course, you can manage on less sleep for a while, but after a while, something in you will fight back and you'll need a "sleep binge".

I have found that the only way to avoid binge eating is to not be overly restrictive in the first place.

Another thing that helped me is to really focus on quality not quantity, if I'm going to have an S, it has to be something that really makes it worthwhile.

[oolala53]

Sara-lara, I always suspected that the 5:2 thing could so easily be overcome by gorging. Certainly most of my bingeing/compulsive eating was confined to 5 hours or 8 at most. That's another version, right? The 16 hour fast rather than the five-hour one. But to be honest, in the old binge days, I didn't fast the rest of the time. I still had a breakfast or something.

However, I do think when I retire, it might happen more naturally to eat even less often. My appetite has decreased, but my hours are such that I can't just have a leisurely brunch instead of breakfast and lunch, which is how things might change.

I think for the rhythm of most of our days, three eating events is still psychologically best, and psychological is what the major battle is.

Kittysmama, you CAN resist the call of the sugar. It just may take awhile to realize it. Or you may decide it's not worth it and drop them because you realize there are so many other great foods to eat! No need to decide now. But i would caution not to go into the holiday season thinking this might be your last one eating sweets. Rather think, I've had MANY sweets before and will have many chances over my lifetime to enjoy more. No need to go overboard now.

[Sarah-lara]

Yeah there's an "8 hour diet" (Men's Health book) that is also called intermittent fasting, where you only eat in a small window of the day, usually 6-8 hours. Out of all the many styles of dieting I like that and No-S the best in that neither of them feels like a punishment to me. But I still keep a rough calorie count in my head with either one or else I go off the deep end.

For right now when I'm on a medicine that makes me hungry throughout the day (no way I could fast for long periods) and with my husband having to eat regular meals for his diabetes care, No-S makes the most sense by far.

[osoniye]

For right now when I'm on a medicine that makes me hungry throughout the day (no way I could fast for long periods) and with my husband having to eat regular meals for his diabetes care, No-S makes the most sense by far.

It seems like NoS can go along with a wide variety of schedules and special considerations. Welcome aboard!

[AmiePants1985]

I've always had a serious problem with binge eating (especially when no one else is home and I can pig out in peace). So...I built a binge meal into my week. Every Thursday night my partner and I do "Takeout Thursday" when we get off work because it is the start of our weekend, and I allow myself to order everything I'm craving and then I eat until I am full. After two months on No-S I get full a lot sooner and usually end up saving half or more for the next day, but knowing I have the freedom to eat whatever I want that night and I can have three appetizers and two entrees if I really want them seems to curb my urge to binge and if I want to binge on a Tuesday night I just remind myself that it will be Thursday night soon. Anyway, don't know if that helps, but I hope it did, and good luck!