Top products from r/BingeEatingDisorder

I know about a lot of these as I'm quite obsessed with food volume, but those Coco Lite things are exactly what I've been looking for. I love rice cakes with PB2/Pudding Mix/Syrup, but I've been trying to find better options. My best alternative I've found has been these, but they seem expensive:

https://www.amazon.com/Suzies-Whole-Puffed-Crackers-4-9-Ounce/dp/B000FDKUSO

Yours are probably easier to find and less expensive.

I also have a few things to add:

1. Pudding Mix + Fat Free Greek Yogurt = Amazing Dip, 227g FFGY and 8g SSFF pudding mix is like 140 calories or something but is absolutely great on rice cakes/crackers/pretzels/etc.
   
   
2. Protein Powder + 3-4 Table spoons water/milk = Also a great dip, very thick and tasty, especially if you have a blend/casein powder.
   
   
3. PB2 + Sugar Free Pancake Syrup = Probably one of my favorite things ever. Mix 12g PB2 with 15g water, then add 30mL sugar free pancake syrup, I recommend Hungry Jack Butter Flavor personally, and I've tried a ton of syrups believe me. The flavor is amazing and it's great in all the above things I mentioned, as well as on cereal/popcorn/oats/etc.
   
   
4. Kamut Puffs = http://shop.naturespath.com/Kamut-Puffs/p/NPA-620044&c=NaturesPath@ColdCereals
   
   If you love cereal, trust me, this is a life saver. A whole bag is 500 calories, that's nearly a 1/3 of regular cereal. You can easily flavor it with truvia, pudding mix, syrups, pb2, etc. They also have puffed rice which is great too. Might be a little difficult to find but well worth it if you want your cereal fix without a ton of sugar/calories.
   
   
5. Air Popped Popcorn = Honestly I should have listed this first. It's basically impossible to beat this in terms of calories:volume. Definitely buy your own kernels and get an air popper, incredibly cheap, easy to flavor, and not that unhealthy in the grand scheme of things. I typically use coconut cooking spray + seasonings/truvia/cinnamon/etc. PB2/cocoa powder is decent. I've tried to use syrups but it always just makes it soggy, not really sure how to fix that. Hell, I've even started eating it in a bowl with milk, it's basically unsweetened corn pops lol, but really good macros.
   
   I think I'll stop there for now haha, but if anyone is interested in more suggestions just let me know. I've become kind of an "expert" on these types of foods, for better or worse.

I'm so sorry. But please be easy on yourself. You're going through a TON of stress right now. Of course you're going to look for pleasure and comfort in the midst of this storm.

All I can offer is some namby-pamby stuff I learned through dialectical behavior therapy. It struck me as super corny at the time but it's starting to help me now when I'm also going through a lot of stress. Basically one of the things I did through this workbook was make a list of things I could do to give myself comfort/pleasure when I felt stressed instead of binge eating or other destructive behaviors. (It gets more detailed than that, but that's the gist.)

Anyway, making a cup of tea or taking a bath or smelling my favorite perfume sure seems like a weak pleasure compared to getting stoned out of my gourd and shoving my stomach full of food. But just making myself run through those options, even if I don't use any of them, frames it differently for me. Binge eating feels inevitable, most of the time. Like the ONLY way I can comfort myself. But realizing I DO have other options, and that I CAN make a choice, has been really empowering.

And also, congratulate yourself on being honest about your calorie consumption and tracking. That's huge. And give yourself credit for dealing with everything, even if you make less than healthy food choices along the way.

I have found that this book has been amazing at really distilling the reasons why dieting doesn't work. I mean it definitely appeals to my desire to lose weight, but in a logical way that doesn't involve restriction.


She goes through a ton in the book, but I found her most useful advice revolves around how to actually "eat what you want." Like eating without distractions and REALLY choosing what you want to eat (both psychologically and physically).


One quote of hers that I thought perfectly described this disorder:

>binge eating is motivated by a desire to escape from critical self-awareness

​

Hope this helps!

Limit my budget: I usually don't carry much cash and limit the amount of money available on my card so I have enough for emergencies but not enough for a binge.

Plan my meals and always have a snack for emergencies, sugar-free chocolate has been a lifesaver.

I try to keep "smart snacking", for example, these things have been my salvation Don't Worry Meringues
(https://www.amazon.com/DIABETIC-DELICIOUS-MERINGUES-calories-Preservatives/dp/B07XYJ2R57/ref=lp_14485366011_1_1_a_it?srs=14485366011&ie=UTF8&qid=1573223646&sr=8-1) they are so delicious and only one calorie per piece, at first I thought welp I'm going to binge the whole container but after 8-9 I was able to stop myself, now I eat them every day when I start to feel binge-anxiety and they help so much, guilty free.

I try to eat as healthy as possible but also don't limit myself too much because I realized when I do that, my brain urges me to binge so bad, so I just adjust if I want to eat something junky with my calorie intake number and play with it, this has been the hardest because when I start it's really hard to stop but depriving myself of those foods only make it worse, I usually eat those things on Fridays only.

Exercise. I run and I joined a gym, at first I was not happy at all but when you start to see results, it boosts your motivation so much.

Sometimes I just have the urge to eat nonstop again but I feel that I have a little bit of control now and I don't want that to change. Before this I tried so many times, there were so many 1st days, now that I feel there's progress I'm willing to keep it going. Don't give up.

If you think Brain Over Binge is helpful, definitely read this book- https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1250004047/ref=od_aui_detailpages00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Brain Over Binge is great for starting to understand how the cycle works but this book helped me a TON more. It gives actionable steps so you'll have more clear direction. Even though I wasn't ready to stop tracking food when I read the book, I was able to take what I needed from the principals and work on it. Now that I'm ready to stop tracking, I've been able to do so without anxiety because I've already practiced the skills discussed like mindful eating, respecting hunger/fullness etc.

I don't log my food, but I do make lists of green light, yellow light, and red light foods. Green light foods are those that have never triggered a binge. For me it's mostly unprocessed foods, especially fruits and vegetables. Yellow light foods are those that could potentially trigger a binge but often do not- minimally processed foods (for me, one example is pasta made from lentils). Red light foods are those that always or often trigger a binge- for me that's stuff like cheez its, american cheese, bread of any kind, almost anything with sugar in it.

Once I made those lists I just tried really hard to stay within mostly green light foods. If I eat a yellow or red light food I note it down in my normal planner (bloom undated planner purchased on amazon- I LOVE it because if I miss a day or even a few days it doesn't matter, I can pick up right where I left off because of the format) and note how my body and mind feel later that day or the next day. If I eat yellow or red light foods my body and or mind usually feel worse after, so tracking those foods helps me remember that they are tied to how I feel on a daily basis. I may be able to convince myself in the moment that I don't care about weight loss (as an excuse for bingeing when I really feel the urge) but I can't convince myself that I enjoy the shitty feelings that come after.

edited to add: this is the planner I love! I like that it is undated and has places on each page to track water intake and write down your meals.

I have had some success with both, mainly #2 coupled with IF/OMAD. IF/OMAD worked because I found that the end of the day was when I would most want to snack and overeat. My eating window was 4p-8p. Since you're already putting/keeping food at the forefront of your mind, it kind of made me a bit more mindful as I ate.

Even though my binges were not necessarily about the food (ie I wasn't doing it because I was hungry or even because the food was all that satisfying or it made me feel better) the appetite suppressants seemed to help not because they made me less hungry (which I really wasn't anyway), but they made food a bit more unappealing.

Currently I am on antidepressants and I have yet to have a binge during the 4 weeks since I've started. Prior to getting anything prescribed, I took St Johns Wort for a couple months and it helped A LOT, though not as well as the prescription meds, for my depression and anxiety. I then decided to give SAM-e a try, and it works a bit better, but is more expensive.

The antidepressants have quieted my mind and taken away a lot of things that drove me to "cope" through binging. If you happen to have Kindle Unlimited, I highly recommend this book I found it much more helpful than the CBT exercises my therapist was giving me.

My current solution is working perfectly. I bought a lockable box and asked my sister to put all bingeable foods inside. Only she can open it and only she can take foods out. So instead of binging on a 5 lb bag of pecans, I ask my sister to weigh out an ounce. I'm kind of like a pet now but who cares. Try it!

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00002N9F9/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I love Geneen Roth! I cannot recommend this book enough for anyone who struggles with food related issues.

When Food Is Love: Exploring the Relationship Between Eating and Intimacy https://www.amazon.com/dp/0452268184/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_gz1SzbYTY0P8W

I wonder if you and your husband would be interested in doing something together.

Go to Amazon (or your favorite book site) and search for: binge eating disorder workbook

and look through the results and see what might be a good fit for you. Buy two copies -- physical copies with paper pages that you can write on. Make sure it's a workbook that asks you questions and makes you work through your answers. This book is an example of a book that you write your answers in. I haven't tried any of these personally, so you'll have to choose on your own.

You and husband together do two chapters each week. Share your answers. Bring him on the inside of your secrecy veil. Turn off the shame -- this is a disorder and it's fixable, it's not a moral/ethical failing or make you a bad person. So shame/guilt is misplaced, but you do have work to do and without therapy options then you are your own therapy.

Talk through the questions. Share openly. He's your husband, he's an intimate. He isn't a therapist and he will do things that therapists shouldn't -- and you'll both have to muddle through that. But if you think you can do it, this is an option.

I think it helps that I'm going through a Dialectical Behavior Therapy workbook as well.

It directed me to make a few index cards to look at when I get overwhelmed. I picked it up because I sort of fall apart when I get stressed and needed help.


this is the book https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/1572245131/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Been working with this book with my therapist. Had to take a long pause to work through other issues but I've liked it so far.

Eat What You Love

I completely understand. I’ll have a meal with friends, and as we’re signing our checks, I’m already planning which fast food places to stop at on the way home. I revolve my entire life around food. One thing that has been really helpful for me is the book Brain Over Binge. Might be worth checking out. I was desperate and willing to try anything and this book helped a lot.

Read Never Binge Again. It's not very long and will be very interesting to you.

Thank you.

I did use their store locator. The two I want are not available nearby.

Here's a link to the lean cuisine lightly breaded lemon chicken patties with rice and brocolli: https://www.amazon.com/Lean-Cuisine-Comfort-Chicken-Frozen/dp/B000RABADY


Here's a link to the Lean Cuisine Roasted turkey breast with gravy, stuffing, whipped potatoes & green beans accented with cranberries:
https://www.instacart.com/products/93312-lean-cuisine-dinnertime-collection-roasted-turkey-breast-with-gravy-stuffing-whipped-potatoes-green-beans-accented-with-cranberries-roasted-turkey-breast-12-oz

I just started seeing an eating disorders therapist and she recommended https://smile.amazon.com/Intuitive-Eating-Revolutionary-Program-Works/dp/B009LB5MFM/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1538584844&sr=8-2&keywords=intuitive+eating+workbook

This thing changed my life - https://smile.amazon.com/Kitchen-Safe-Locking-Container-Height/dp/B00E92JXHG/

I don't keep binge food in the house. The second I start thinking about going out and buying some, I lock my wallet up in here until the stores are closed.

This is the book: https://www.amazon.com/Brain-over-Binge-Recovery-Guide/dp/0984481745

I did Overeater's anonymous and for about 4-6 months it really helped me and then I went back to my ED, I think because it was an avoidance thing rather than dealing with my underlying issues (though it def may work for other people). The Chemistry of Joy workbook was helpful to me and this book was a bit fluffy but the ideas in it are the same ones I've been working on w my therapist that have really helped me stop binge eating: https://www.amazon.com/When-You-Refrigerator-Pull-Chair/dp/0786885084

It’s called Overcoming Your Eating Disorder Workbook. It’s blue and gold. I got it off amazon.

Here’s the link: Overcoming Your Eating Disorder