BED

[Cabron]

No, not bed. Binge eating disorder.
Lately I've been eating way more food than any normal person should eat or even want to eat. I had four pieces of toast, and I would have kept eating if I could (kitchen was busy).
Today I looked up the symptoms, and I have close to all of them. I'm so sad and scared. I would tell my mum but she doesn't want to hear about it (she thinks I'm looking for attention). What can I do?

[Casey.]

Hey Shiane,

We all overeat sometimes, and that's okay. However, sometimes it gets to the point where it becomes unhealthy and scary. Don't worry about the label, however, just try and focus on not binging. It's easier said than done. You have to take baby steps, and it's hard work, but it can be done. One way to stop binging, is to stop eating when your full. Like say you eat a serving of something, wait fifteen minutes before getting anything else, let your stomach settle. Also, if your going for a while without eating, that can lead to binging.

Try talking to your mum, let her know that it really is an issue. You could also try talking to your school counselor, or your school nurse, they are there to help you.

Just hang in there, and feel free to pm me if you need anything.

[Jen]

Hi Shiane,

I'm sorry to hear that you're struggling right now. It sounds like you're pretty sure you meet criteria for BED. Remember that everyone overeats from time to time, but that's not necessarily binging--it just might FEEL like binging. I only say that to make sure that you're not self-diagnosing based on how it feels.

Are you restricting during the day? If so, see if you can stop that and get back to normalized eating (small, frequent meals) as that will help to prevent binges.

Do you fin that you binge more often when you're tired, or emotional, or around certain people? Binging is a coping mechanism, and it helps to figure out just what you are coping with. See if you can identify a pattern--if there is a particular time you feel like binging, or if there are any common factors in your binges.

When you feel the urge to binge, or to overeat, tell yourself "STOP". Figure out if you are physically hungry (if you haven't eaten enough calories to constitute a meal or snack, if your stomach is growling, if it's been a while since you've last eaten, etc.) or emotionally hungry. If it's physical hunger, then eat. If it's emotional hunger, do something else instead--call a friend, go online, go for a walk, put on music, etc. Distract yourself.

I'm sorry to hear that your mom hasn't been more responsive. Could you talk to her again and let her know that this is a legitimate problem? If not, I'd definitely think about reaching out to another adult--maybe a teacher, guidance counselor, school nurse, etc. It's definitely important to have support.

Hang in there, Shiane. It gets better.
<3

[emma01]

Hey. I have never really felt the need to binge, so I really don't know what it is like, but I may have a few ideas to help stop.

Drink water...its really good for you, and makes you feel fuller.
Eat slowly, this way your body will feel like its eating (for example) toast for 15 mins, when really its only one or two pieces.
Chew gum, the chewing will make your brain think its eating, and the minty aftertaste is enough to put anyone off food.
Replace the unhealthy stuff with fruit, veges, nuts etc. Then if you do binge, you will end up eating half the amount of fat than if you went for chocolate and burgers.

Of course, these ideas are only to stop a BINGE, and 4 pieces of toast every now and again is really not a binge, and the ideas are not to be used to stop eating. I would never recommend that you do that INSTEAD of eating. You need AT LEAST 3 good meals a day.

You should talk to your mum if you feel this will be a real problem. It's better to get it sorted out soon. Hope things go well for you!