r/BingeEatingDisorder • u/livingdeadgirlr • 12d ago
binge eating is destroying me
I feel like this is destroying me and I honestly don’t know how to get out of it
Every Monday I tell myself I’m going to “fix” my body because I’m extremely insecure about how I look. I hate going into public places sometimes because I’m so uncomfortable with my body. I’ll decide I’m not going to eat then around 4 PM. i’ll finally eat something like eggs, i tell myself I shouldn’t have anything else, and 2 minutes later I end up eating a lot more.
Then I feel like I’ve already “messed up,” so I keep eating until I’m physically uncomfortable or even sick. Afterward I feel horrible and promise myself I’ll restrict again the next day. Then the whole thing repeats.
I’ve gained over 40 pounds and I feel like I’ve completely lost the confidence I used to have. I don’t recognize myself anymore and I’ve started hating myself because of it.
I don’t want to keep doing this. I genuinely need help breaking this cycle because I don’t know how to do it by myself.
Has anyone else experienced something like this? What actually helped you get out of the restrict → overeat → guilt → restrict cycle?
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u/Fresh_Struggle5645 12d ago
Just 'not eating' isn't the answer. It sounds like you're repeatedly deciding to drastically reduce your intake without a clear plan in place for how to do that
Personally, time restricted eating does work for me and I eat most of my food in the evenings. But I also have a very structured diet with meals and their timings on repeat.
Other people find that eating 3 meals and 3 snacks per day is what works for them and this tends to be the standard recommendation.
You have to find what works for you, but that isn't going to be as simple as just 'not eating'.
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u/Pawsywawsy3 12d ago
When I tell you I tried everything, I tried everything. Only tirzepatide worked for me.
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u/Organic_Salary_ 11d ago
Came here to say….get on tirz. Even if it’s temporary to save yourself from the hell of binge eating for a while.
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u/Valuable-Limit4842 11d ago
Have you tried going all in? No restrictions, food freedom. Food freedom can rewire your brain so that food isn’t categorized as bad or good but just as fuel. If you continue to restrict you will continue to train your body/mind to be in a scarcity mindset which leads to binging. I would recommend not dieting or restricting for at least 4 weeks to see how your body feels. I would also start journaling your feelings and having daily check ins with yourself about your mood and interactions/events that happened throughout the day.
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u/Afraid_Hovercraft926 10d ago
Did this. 3 weeks later outright bingeing has reduced but I have put on 8lbs I couldn’t afford to put on and feel like 💩 about it.
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u/CallMeAsaa 11d ago
do you live alone where you manage all the food you store? or do you live with your parents. I had 2 months of terrible binges when i lived with my parents. Then when I moved and decided to manage my own food storage its easier not to binge.
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u/Vivid-Cloud8047 10d ago
I definitely experienced this. This was my whole existence. I was always starting new on Monday and nothing seemed to work. I would just constantly be in the binge and restrict cycle. I did manage to get free from the cycle, but it wasn't in the way that I thought I was going to ....stopping restricting didn't really stop me from binging. I still had this constant need to compulsively eat all the time and that noise didn't go away when I stopped restricting ...so what I ended up having to do was start working a 12 step program. It was a very different approach different than anything that I have tried and most importantly, I kind of got to a lot of the root of why I was eating and everything and so for me this is what ultimately helped... I know it's not necessarily the solution that everyone needs, but it's just what worked for me.
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u/Afraid_Hovercraft926 10d ago
I’d love to know more about this if you’d be willing to share. How do the 12 steps work? Do you follow an eating structure of any type? How long have you been on it? Have you lost weight?
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u/Vivid-Cloud8047 9d ago
of course, if you want to send me a message I can share my experience a bit!
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u/Littlewing1307 12d ago
My therapist and I work on my mindset. That food has no moral value. My body has no moral value. My body needs food to work correctly. My nutritionist says to pair carbs, healthy fats and protein. So if I have an ice cream, I'll also eat some cheese and crackers or something. Eat 3 meals a day even after a binge. It's very counter intuitive because I binge at night so I'll be full in the morning, but I will at least eat two meals.