Binge eating

You’ve got to account for your metabolism, you can’t lose weight as soon as you restrict calories, because you body notices the loss and builds on fat-reserves. The first symptom of a diet is weight-gain, though your body will adjust, it is annoying when you don’t have that knowledge.. weirdly the first thing that happens when you try to gain weight after a restricted diet is weight-loss..:’D

Im not saying its a healthy strategy but I just keep calories below 1500, until my body figures it out, the only reason I gained the damned-weight is because of peer-pressure, and having forgotten why I keep a low body-fat percentage after such a long-time benign happy with my weight.. I lose the complex-carbs and dairy, and off I go..

I felt the same, and just cutting down on my food didn't seem to help. I'm not saying it's for everyone but keto is the only thing that's worked for me. I will try to go back to a regular diet when I reach my target weight but I have a feeling it won't be easy to keep what I've lost off.

Good luck with whatever regime you plan to adopt to get your body fat down. It's so tough to be disciplined with our dietary intake, but worth the effort when you get results. The bit that perplexes me is that I know how much better I feel when I'm not overweight and yet still I let myself get to the point where my size disgusts me.

Hi Noodles,

Thanks for your reply. Your experience of keto sounds very much like mine. But I find that even if I eat unhealthy fat like sausages I still lose weight. I'm astounded at just how much I can eat some days and still don't gain, as long as I leave those carbs alone. I tend to stick to the maximum of 23g of carbs per day that is recommended to stay in a keto state and somehow it works. Not only do I weigh less, and feel better, but my concentration seems much sharper too, and I don't seem to get food cravings generally. The weekend binges have been part of my life as long as I can remember, even before I put on lots of weight, but as you say, you can get away with it one day a week if you're being strict for the other 6 days. I also exercise a lot more now which really helps too, especially my mental wellbeing. I think I've thought about my binge eating more deeply since I was diagnosed with ASD because I am looking more deeply in general at all of my behavioural patterns now. I'm happy about some of my autistic traits, and wouldn't want to change them, but would definitely like to learn how to control other aspects better. I'd like to be in a relationship again but now realise just how hard it must have been for my previous partner, and I don't blame her for not wanting to put up with my more challenging habits. I've had some really good advice from people on this site, and have already implemented many of them to good effect. It's a long game though and as I've been told there's no 'cure' as such, just help and therapy. Accepting and embracing the facts is the first step on a positive journey for me.

It’s not that I cannot binge eat, but I don’t do it because it makes me feel revolting in my skin to have higher fat percentages, I’m 10% body fat atm moment and I feel so overloaded in myself. Sitting on chairs feels awful and wearing seat belts feels awful, Im just hoping that I can get back below the 7% mark so I can hope to feel normal again, but even then it’ll take a while for my skin to re-adjust..:(

Hi,

I love Keto – although it is not supposedly sustainable forever, assuming you are not diabetic it can be very good. Of course, I am not a doctor, so my advice is only my experiences.

Keto comes with pros and cons. One con is that if you eat lots you will still put on weight (like any diet). The advantage is that if you eat healthy fat, it will drop off fast.

Carbs are tricky when you eat them your body taxes it 20% ish and stores them as a fuel reserve. This means you only received 80% of your meal as food, which promotes hunger. Carbs are addictive and actually, if you are doing keto it is ok to have some – especially (just in case this is relevant to anyone reading this) for women going through peri or menopause. These poor souls need more carbs on keto as the body processes it more during MP.

Most people can have a binge day on keto – it’s called carb-cycling and it restocks your body with carbs. Yes, you will bloat and of course, put on weight but it will drop off just as fast when you return to keto.

One way to tell if you need a carb cycle is if your body aches (not from exercise).

That’s an amazing weight loss - Well done! I am glad you are enjoying the energy too. I did keto for about a year and a half. Hated coming off of it. Lost three stone and ate like a king. I had great fun. I went back on it about five weeks ago and have lost about a stone (which I put back on after stopping).

The only way you will rid yourself of your carb cravings is to outlast the cravings and then they will go – usually in under two weeks. Like I said they are addictive as hell! That’s why you return again and again.

When you do stop you will hit withdrawal symptoms, headaches, etc. I am sure that you have experienced and heard of keto flu. This is when the symptoms kick in. I use a bottle of water with a small pinch of Himalayan pink sea salt, a sprinkle of electrolytes, and a dash of (bottled) lemon juice for flavour. I sip this when any symptoms kick in.

Keto is its own beast – great if you learn the science and problematic if you are prone to high cholesterol or not that sure about healthy fats Vs unhealthy. Of course, if you have diabetes one DEFINITELY NO!

I mean obviously, I cannot speak about any of your own personal internal challenges or Autism and maybe it is all that? But did you always do  that?

I can speak of the addiction of the carbs calling you. They are tricky blighters! Maybe because you go back to them you are not giving your body the detox it needs to flush the cravings? Dunno just throwing some ideas out there.

Excellent suggestion. This Friday I am going to buy a single item and wait until I'm relaxed and settled before eating it as slowly as possible, making it an event in itself. I can see where that would heighten the experience and reduce the need for further stimulation. Great advice. Thank you.

Twitch said:

don't realise I've overdone it until I've finished.

This happens if you eat while distracted - try focussing on the junk food and give yourself a sensible limit to see how that goes - easier to stop and more enjoyable.

No, I don't feel any remorse to my behaviour in this regard.  I think it is weird.....but I'm coming to terms with the fact that this phrase applies to me holistically.  So long as my bodily functions are sound and proper, that my weight and energy levels are at what I consider to be "good"....then I'm just keeping on, keeping on.

I feel relaxed when I start eating junk food, and irritated if I deny myself the treats, but I also feel regret after I've eaten far too much. It's as if I'm on a mission to fulfil a quota and don't realise I've overdone it until I've finished.

Twitch said:

I don't keep junk food at home so there's nothing to tempt me

This is the way!

I find the easiest way to keep those demons at bay is to allow myself a specific reward (e.g. 100g bar of chocolate or big mars bar / bounty) on a specific occasion.

To make the most of it I purposefully switch off the TV and focus entirely on the treat while eating it - savouring every small mouthfull, noting how much is left and generally making a real meal out of it.

This means the sensations of enjoyment are heightened to give a bigger dopamine hit. It also means that you don't get to the end of it and don't remember tasting it like you do if watching a film at the same time.

The high lasts a lot longer and seems to keep the craving satisfied for longer.

I avoid having more in the house to stop relapses of eating more and give a reasonable gap between these treats so it does not become common and devalued.

I've also changed to just having breakfast and lunch with a small, healthy snack in the evenings and this is helping me lose weight quite effectively.

Oh my days, you have pretty much listed all the things I choose when I decide to binge. Basically sugar, fat, and carbs. If you over indulge do you ever feel remorse afterwards? I hate myself for eating so much crap then go right ahead and do it again the following weekend. 

Hi Iain,

What you're saying makes a lot of sense. It is definitely a quick fix I'm after and nothing seems to scratch that itch like junk food. Because that type of food only satisfies certain cravings it does leave you searching for something more. I've never done drugs but I can imagine it's a similar principle. Starting on the soft stuff then moving on to harder fixes when they no longer get you where you want to be.

I used to eat loads of fruit and I think because it's so high in sugar it was one of the main reasons I struggled to lose weight. On keto it's a bit of a no no, apart from certain berries, so for now I'm going to carry on while I'm still losing weight. Once I hit target I will go back to a more balanced diet, and hopefully maintain the growing exercise regime I have developed since I shed a few kilos.

I'm also quite a keen writer so try to occupy myself with that as much as possible. I'm just coming to the end of my fourth book and the prospect of publishing my next work acts as a great distraction to the point where I sometimes forget to eat at all when the words are flowing. I don't keep junk food at home so there's nothing to tempt me meaning I would have to walk away from my laptop to get something from a local shop. I think finishing work early on a Friday has become the trigger for stopping on the way home to buy crap food. Maybe it's that I need to break free of. I'm not sure binge eating is an autistic trait in itself but I'm discovering more and more just how much routines are. Breaking routines upsets me more than I realised, especially if it's due to someone else, in which case the blame game comes into play. Because the binge eating is a solitary routine I feel like I should be able to break it if I try a little harder. Easier said than done when it denies you a reward your brain tells you that you really deserve.

Thanks for the advice.

Hi there,

Definitely agree about seeing certain food as rewarding but not so much the denial of carbs being a motivation for me. I used to do exactly the same thing long before I ever went on the keto diet. I understand that a balanced diet is the ideal scenario but simply cutting down my general calorie intake has never seemed to helped me to lose weight. Keto has been a revelation, and while it may not be the healthiest diet I believe that losing visceral body fat is more conducive to good health at this stage. I've become far more active since I've lost weight so it's become a positive upward spiral. Once I reach my target weight I will return to a more normal diet and try to cut down portion sizes etc. As for the binge eating, I'm hoping that as I lose more weight I will learn to cut that down too. If I can get to the point where I can be satisfied with just a single bag of crisps, or one chocolate bar whilst watching my favourite film, then I would be happy with that. It's so hard to maintain discipline though isn't it. Thanks for your advice. I'm probably the worst person to offer anything helpful regarding eating disorders but always happy to listen if you need to share.

For me, food comatosed me; now, I'm eating less, I'm more irate.

My eating patterns are considered very odd.  I eat when I am hungry, and don't if I am not.   I can binge eat anything, if I am hungry.  I am often hungry...so I OFTEN binge eat!  I try to surround myself with available apples, bananas and nuts .... but Haribo, posh chocolate cookies, cured meats, cheeses, toast can all be readily boshed away in a shark feeding frenzy.  That said, I often go 12 hours without any food during the day.

Thankfully, I seem able to maintain a pretty consistent and healthy weight and shape despite my weird and highly variable eating habits.  Unfortunately, my teeth do seem to struggle though.

Twitch said:

I sit watching TV on a Friday night stuffing myself until I almost feel sick because I bought way too much.

Been there - got the therapy and found a way out.

What is most likely happening is that you are substituting the junk food as a source of dopamine for your brain (that quick sense of pleasure you get from giving yourself the reward) - giving more and more is not working so you keep trying.

The way out is to find healthy replacements for the dopamine source - maybe take up exercise, charity work or something else that makes you feel more wholesome.

Short term try to find healther "quick hits" like fruit, but in moderation.

It takes discipline to stop the junk coming in and creativity to find the replacement, but you should be able to do it.

Hi Twitch

Yes I totally get this. I think it comes from a couple of things - for me 1. being conditioned to view food as reward or something to gain and 2. denial of a huge and (arguably) essential food group. 

I crave whatever I am not getting and also I was raised in a house where you earned food rewards for good behaviour, like a dog. I think if we can get out of the habit of saying 'its Friday I deserve a food treat' and start saying 'It's Friday so I'm going to watch my favourite film/see my favourite person/do my nails/get an early night' etc, we might be able to condition ourselves out of it. 

I don't know if BE is an autistic thing, but I have an eating disorder and I'm also probably autistic, I don't know if you can draw a line between cause and effect on that though. 

Here to chat if you need to talk :)