Training & Nutrition - Binge eating

I've got an issue with binge eating. About once every two weeks, I go on an uncontrollable binge, rampaging on any food I can get my hands on, often until my stomach hurts badly and I'm super uncomfortable. I've researched the condition, and it seems that I fit under the binge eating category.

However, most studies and research links binge eating to depression, anxiety, history of sexual abuse, and/or low self-esteem. I don't fit into any of these categories, I'm sure of it. I'm planning on seeing a counselor or psychiatrist or psychologist or someone when I move back home in mid-May, anyway, just to see what they might have to say.

Until then, I'm trying to keep this under control. Has anyone had similar issues? If so, what do you do to combat these binges?

I had (and still have to some extent) this issue. It got me all the way up to 475 pounds and a trip to the surgeon for gastric bypass surgery. Please get some help with this. I tried to combat it myself for way too long and wasted 20 years of my life.

Not to overstate the obvious but binge eating is a psychological issue - you say you don't have any psychological problems that you know of but then you eat until you are about to explode with no explanation - there is no physical justification for this, it is psychological, so go see a doc like you suggested and get it sorted out.

I used to binge eat a bit and found that it was linked to some depression. I changed my habits over time but it takes a lot of work and time and if you have someone that can assist you with that I say go for it. It will only get worse if you don't address it now. Good luck!

One thing you can do for yourself is right when you get the urge to binge eat stop and ask yourself what you are thinking/feeling at that moment. Lots of times the emotions that trigger the eating disappear immediately during and after the eating so identifying how you feel right beforehand can really shed some light on the situation.

Do you feel hungry when you binge? Like a hunger that doesn't go away? Because if you do, it can be that you are just dehydrated... or a parasite.

Binge eating is obviously an eating disorder. One would think this is not something you can get out of without some professional help. Eating disorders are very serious. The fatality rates for anorexia and bulemia are surprisingly high.

Have you lost a lot of weight? I went through a period of binge eating when I was anorexic. It was my body's way of trying to get the nutrients I wasn't giving it.

I had the same problem when I wasn't eating enough to fuel my training. I was especially low on fat in my diet (low fat being the thing for cyclists back then).

You might check your diet on fitday and see if you aren't eating enough.

Is this an overwhelming hunger or emotional eating? If it is hunger then I don't think it fits into the binge eating category which is fueled by emotions in one form or anther.

Hunger wise - I too often have the same problem. I think a lot of endurance athletes experience this to be honest. I'm an Elite XC racer who podiums at my National series often, and in the past have had real problems controlling this! Just an overwhelming hunger. I thought it may be due to dives in blood sugar, but funnily enough, the 6 meals a day plan makes me worse. As has been said, keeping a higher fat content and staying away from sugary/sweet foods seems to calm things down for me. I still have my moments, although I can usually curb it, mind over matter I guess is what it boils down to, but hunger is a tough thing to fight against. I find it especially worse on rest days and after periods of hard training. Also, when my BF% gets low, it seems to be worse, almost like my body is trying to "fight back" to it's natural state. It could also be your body calling out for recovery.

For example, tonight I started getting the hunger pangs real bad. I just forced myself to eat apples which I got fed up of after about 5(!!).

I think it may have something to do with losing weight. I went from about 150 to 135 over the course of three months, then from 135 to 130 over about two weeks. I was in great shape and was performing the best I ever have. Seems like 130 is my ideal race weight. However, like paulclaude said, it seemed like my body was fighting back to get up to 135. I eat, be physically full, and still get the hunger pangs. So I started to eat more food and more calorically rich food, and then a couple of nights, it got out of control. This has been a problem in the past. Like I said, it doesn't seem like an emotional issue.

I think it boils down to a few things: 1) my body wasn't used to me being at 130 lbs. and was "fighting back." 2) I really like food. I aspire to be a chef, and think about new things to cook and flavor combinations all the time. 3) I was "dieting" since the start of the year (basically, just making sure I was eating healthier, which ended up meaning fewer calories and more nutrient rich foods), and once I started eating more calorically-rich foods, my body (my mind?) didn't want to go back.

My plan is to slowly ease back into my eating habits of earlier this year and find a happy medium. "Everything in moderation" is going to be my battle cry.

If so, what do you do to combat these binges? Most type of urges are the result of the loss of competing stimuli. In other words, you set yourself up to do nothing but think about food, and then of course all you can do is eat.

If you can find an activity, like polishing your bike, or washing clothes or straightening you sock drawer - and then do it when your "food binge" starts, you'll slow down how fast you eat enough to give yourself a chance to reflect on the food you've eaten.

Basically, you have to give your mind more chances to think about "other things" when you go into your compulsive mind set.

Seems like 130 is my ideal race weight.

This may or may not be true. Endurance athletes suffering from eating disorders often see huge performance gains when first dropping weight, since they aren't used to competing with such little weight and they haven't lost their strength yet. However, it quickly catches up with them, and they find their strength disappears and they slow down quite a bit. (This often starts a vicious cycle where the person thinks they need to lose even more weight, and they become even weaker, until they reach the point of inflicting so much permanent damage on their body that they can no longer compete, or if they recover, will never reach the level that they were at prior to the ED). I saw this a lot in college...girls would get skinny and super fast for a season or two, and then suddenly fall off the face of the earth. Not saying that you necessarily have an eating disorder, but it's something to be very, very conscious of.

This may or may not be true. Endurance athletes suffering from eating disorders often see huge performance gains when first dropping weight, since they aren't used to competing with such little weight and they haven't lost their strength yet. However, it quickly catches up with them, and they find their strength disappears and they slow down quite a bit. (This often starts a vicious cycle where the person thinks they need to lose even more weight, and they become even weaker, until they reach the point of inflicting so much permanent damage on their body that they can no longer compete, or if they recover, will never reach the level that they were at prior to the ED). I saw this a lot in college...girls would get skinny and super fast for a season or two, and then suddenly fall off the face of the earth. Not saying that you necessarily have an eating disorder, but it's something to be very, very conscious of.

Really skinny girls are gross.

As for the binge eating, when you have these cravings is it often after a long hard ride. Usually after I workout hard and burn a couple thousand calories at once I wont be hungry for a couple hours, but then it hits me and I eat massive ammounts and then Im good.

Can you define "binge eating" for us? With your own example of course, like do you go out and eat 20 big macs, or two chickens? I mean, it's hard to tell what's up with just saying I "binge eat" know what I mean? With that said, I try to diet also, but also hit the weights often to make sure I don't lose power. Also, when I get cravings (and damn it I mean CRAVINGS) for something high in fat and useless to my body I usually drink a ton of water if it's not time to eat yet or have a cup of skim milk with ovaltine. You'll be surprised how well that takes hunger away.

Chicken cutlets and vegetables. Pack that in then have your junk food.

Oh yeah, get a girlfriend. SERIOUSLY!