How can I stop my sugar binges and sugar cravings?

Question

I'm 18 years old, attending college, 6'1", and about 160 pounds. I work out regularly and like to eat very healthy.

However, I get these insane sugar cravings and sugar binges almost daily that consists of binging every sugar item I can find around me! This includes ice cream, cookies, chips, power bars, granola bars, cereal, chocolate, donuts, yogurt, plus anything else I forgot to mention ALL in the same night! Even after I get full or feel like I've eaten way too much, I still continue to eat everything just because it tastes so good!

How can I stop myself from doing this? Recently, I've noticed that I do these sugar binges more often at night, when I am bored and have nothing to do. Also, these binges usually occur after sampling ANY junk food or sugar food.

I am not really gaining weight because I eat healthy otherwise and work out a lot. However, these binges make me feel like crap and bloated in the morning, and I want to stop. Any suggestions?

Answer 1

Here are some distractions I use when i feel a desperate urge to binge.

1. make sure other people are around. even them just being there and knowing you cant freely access the kitchen / food helps.
2. do not keep food in your room, and ensure 'binge' food is kept at a minimum. if you are serious, perhaps you could literally ask your parents [if you live with them] to keep them in a locked cupboard if they feel its essential to have cake/chocolate/chips in the house.
3. just WAIT. wait 10 minutes. wait 20 minutes. give yourself a time limit, because sometimes by that time your so frustrated that you havent given in to the urge that you dont want to binge [its unlikely, but test it.]
4. have something to DO after you eat. have this prepared. if you plan to watch a movie, have the movie in sight as you are eating. it will remind you that you are not going to binge. if you are going to do schoolwork, have your diary in front of you. if you are going to do painting, have the paints out.
5. ask yourself where you want to be in a year/month/week. Recover NOW. start your binge/purge free days NOW. you might think "this will be the last time".... remember last time you said that too?

ACTUAL ACTIVITIES:
- Have a shower. you cant eat in the shower.
- do something that [usually] fully engages your mind. Crosswords, puzzles, assignments. have these out BEFORE you start eating.
- change your environment.. get away from food completely. go for a walk somewhere. bike ride [ do not do this to COMPENSATE though]
- craft. this helps me the most. paint, cross stitch, long stitch, work with canvases, soft pastels [use your hands, you cant eat if you are finger painting], collages, drawing, making cards
- make things for the people you love. give you a purpose to not do it for 5 minutes and then go and binge.
- if you are angry and frustrated, find something that you can do to get your anger out. Totem tennis, anyone?
- call a friend or family member and talk
- play an instrument
- redecorate your room / wardrobe
- chat to friends on the internet
essentially, the most effective thing for you not bingeing will be the thing that fulfills the need that you would usually be filled by bingeing. eg. if you binge because you feel isolated, calling a friend will directly fill that need. call friend after friend if need be. if you binge because you feel rejected, call someone you feel accepted by. if you binge because you simply have the house to yourself, make sure you eat with people and have them stick around after the meal! if you binge because you feel worthless and dont feel that you should have eaten the meal, then do something that makes you feel worthwhile - make things for friends, create something, do something productive that you can SEE you are doing something.

MAKE SURE YOU HAVE:

1. a list of people you can call when you feel like you want to binge.

2. a list of things you can do when you do want to binge.
rate both of these activities and people:

eg. Activity: Punching a pillow. Good For: releasing frustrations, initially taking my mind off bingeing.
Activity: Doing an assignment / schoolwork. Good For: showing that i can achieve something.

you really need to make sure you get yourself SUPPORT. no matter if you have been bingeing or struggling with eating disorders for a month or a year, you WILL continue to struggle until you empower yourself and decide that you do not want this life. if it helps write down a list of things you want from life. is bingeing included? er.. no. See a psyc. See family members. See friends. See a team. Art therapist, music therapist.

REMEMBER THE 5 D’S

DELAY your response so you can figure out what exactly is tempting you to binge.
DETERMINE what’s going on. Ask yourself, “Why is my desire to eat so high right now? Am I physically hungry? If not, “what do I really want or need?”
DISTRACT yourself for 10 minutes (WAIT).
DISTANCE yourself, physically, from the temptation.
DECIDE how you will handle it.
- If you’re tired, take a nap. If you’re feeling lonely, call a friend. If you’re feeling anxious, go for a walk or take a bubble bath.
- If you’re having a specific food craving, identify what you really want, go get a single

HOW TO STOP FOOD CRAVINGS

Craving chocolate? Eat a banana. It sometimes satisfies the yearning for chocolate and is much less fattening.

Chew sugarless gum. It speeds up the digestive system, burning more calories, and sometimes kills a craving.

Exercise! Your appetite will temporarily subside and you'll feel better about taking such a proactive approach.

Still craving chocolate? Try a magnesium supplement. Many women are deficient in this mineral, which is found in chocolate.

Craving fatty foods? Eat fish, or take a fish oil or flaxseed oil supplement. You may be low in essential fatty acids. Grab something to drink. Sometimes, cravings for food are really thirst in disguise.

Sweet tooth? Protein, fat and fiber keep blood sugar levels more even and help keep such cravings under control. Watch your caffeine intake. Caffeine seems to make sugar cravings worse.

If your will power weakens at night, try leaving the lights on until the minute you go to bed. Dimmed lights tend to lower inhibitions. Turn off the lights in your kitchen and avoid hanging out there.


Whew!!! It seems that I've gathered a lot of suggestions. I hope one or most of the lists of advices above help you.

Answer 2

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Answer 3

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Answer 4

You simply HAVE to make time to eat. Being short staffed at work is no reason. Either you need to speak with your emplyer, or possibly find emplyment that would be more accomodating to your condition. There is no real trick to fooling yourself out of eating, or getting hypo. You simply have to have something in there for your body to work on. Maybe try Diabetic Boost. It is a meal-replacement drink that I use quite often, designed specifically for Diabetics to have a low glycemic-index, and not a lot of fat. Cheers and best of luck with that.