Bingeing ...I need advice

Good evening everyone.

I am not posting to get lashed out so please only provide useful information. About 3 months ago I started binge eating sweets. I am currently seeing my nutrionist, psychologist and therapist. But I feel so lost. I have been on anti depressants for 20+ years. I had vsg surgery I Need Sept 2017. From my journey beginning in January 2017 I lost over 220 lbs. my doctors want me to go to maintenance and I think that may be part of my problem. But I'm not sure. Has anyone else had bingeing problems? Like no matter how much you fit against it you can't? Could this have anything to do with my current anti depressants no longer working? I can't go on like this for long. Up and down and hating myself. I exercise a lot. Typically stationary bike 60-75 minutes, 35 minute walk at lunch, and sometimes a walk or on bike again at night. So I'm at a struggle. Am I just starving my body too much now that it is going to bingeing mode? Or perhaps my meds need to be adjusted? My psychologist has given me anti anxiety meds for the time being. Should I take those regularly until I get this under control?

There is a recognized psychological disorder called Binge Eating Disorder (BED). We have people here on OH that suffer from it. You might discuss this possibility with your therapist. I understand there is a medication called Vyvanse that is quite successful in helping people with BED control their urge to binge.

You may be right, as well, that you are subconsciously self-sabotaging because you're afraid to stop losing weight and go into maintenance. It sounds silly to say it, but that could be an issue as well. You've been so successful in losing so much weight, the thought of stopping might be scaring you.

Definitely talk to your psychologist and therapist about this some more. You may also need a different medication. At least you are recognizing that there is a problem. Discuss this at length with your doctors. I hope you find an answer that works for you so that you can go into maintenance and be as successful there as you have been at losing weight. Best of luck to you and congratulations on your amazing weight loss!

Thank you so much. It has been a struggle the whole time and I completely changed my lifestyle. But I refuse to fail and be where I was! So I am even bothered by the fact I will probably gain some back getting to maintenance.

I used to find myself buying boxes of mini-brownies at the grocery store; knowing I shouldn't even put them in my basket, then eating them mindlessly like I couldn't even stop myself. It took making myself not even put them into my basket, and if I HAD put them in my basket, to take them out and put them on an adjacent shelf and walk away.

It's tough, but be mindful of yourself. I was able to stop, and I hope you will be able to do so as well.

Hi Jaime

You have gotten some great advice here. May I suggest you add your surgery date, type and anything else that will help people help you. You can add this by clicking the wheel icon * and Medical History. Click add surgery and save.

If you need help, let me know.

Regards,

Kathy

Member Services

Please talk to a doctor and hopefully make an appointment with a counselor.

BED can be triggered by stress . Extensive Exercise can cause physical stress to the body.

Beside BED - when we work out very hard - we burn sugars. That can cause low BS, then cravings for carbs - sugars. Also ,- very intensive exercise stimulate our body to make more cortisone, the stress hormones. With elvated cortisone - some of us can crave carbs / sugars.

I exercise to gain weight. When i exercise - I need carbs to prevent low BS. But when I start eating carbs - I have problem with how much carbs I eat. Most carbs are like slider food to me, they make my pouch less sensitive to qty of the food.

When I don't exercise- I am not as hungry, plus I don't need to eat carbs to prevent low blood sugar. I eat proteins and some fat and veggies and can stay full for hours.

Maybe you putting too much stress on your body. Some cardio is good, but maybe you can switch some exercise to more calming - like yoga, or start muscle training.

Thank you for your advice. That is the one thing that I struggle with the most is reducing exercise. I have even upped it at times due to binge eating which I know deep down keeps me in this horrible cycle. But my head focuses so much on not wanting to gain weight. I will get this under control as I am seeing various doctors but man I wi**** didn't take so long! Do you have any recommendations to how much exercise I should be doing? That is one issue I have with my old nutritionist she wouldn't even give me a ball park amount!

In addition - what is your current body BMI and body fat ,%?

For me - when I have enough fat on me - I can really push myself because my body has fat reserves that can use. But when I got down to 17-18% body fat - trying to exercise really hard caused a lot of stress on my body and I had to eat carbs so my body can burn during extensive workout. 17-18% body fat in a young woman can be good, but for me- and my age - that was too low. So when I increased intensity of my training- I was losing muscles, I got stressed- had anxiety, because my body was trying to fight me. Instead of getting nice "exercise high (endorphins)" - I was exhausted after 45 - 60 min working out.

To determine your body fat % - I would recommend body DEXA scan. That can give you real data - to determine how much fat you can safely lose. If the body fat % is 20% or below- you may consider doing short cardio then concentrate on body toning. Yoga, weight training, etc - are good for that.

I'm sorry you're feeling such a loss of control. I have BED, and yes, I do struggle to deny myself the release of bingeing. I hope your therapist is familiar with treating eating disorders, because that is where your answers lie. And you may need to adjust medications--I'm not qualified to speak to that.

I would like to offer encouragement. Your body is not in "binge mode", bingeing is a behavior choice not a physiological need.

When I feel out of control, it is usually in response to something. I try to understand what that "something" is, but even if I can't, I remind myself that I choose what I eat. Usually, I end up in a tiring mental battle with myself. One thing that helps me is planning and packing ahead exactly what I am going to eat in a day. When my brain is especially nagging, I try to find something to distract myself, I remind myself that food has never made me feel better, etc.

I'm not trying to oversimplify bingeing--it can be a very insidious problem. More complex than anything I can write here, but I send you my support and hope you can find your answers.

You have already gotten great advice about talking to your doctor about BED. Just want to wish you well and good luck fighting it.