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Type 2 and Binge Eating

Inchindown

Well-Known Member
Messages
389
Location
Highlands
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Other
I wonder if anyone might be able to offer any advice on managing type 2 while having a binge eating problem.

My sugar levels are near normal when not bingeing, but rise to around 15 after a binge and can take several days to settle down again.
 
Hey @Inchindown welcome to the club! This is a toughy and many of us can empathize as we are in the same boat.....some things that have worked for me:

1) Go ahead and have whatever it is you are "thinking" you need to indulge in right then, but only eat 1/2 and literally throw the rest in the garbage (Researchers claim after the 2nd or 3rd bite you are just eating to eat)

2) Acknowledge that you want to binge but put on the timer for 20 minutes and have a cuppa while you wait and see if you still "think" you need that binge

3) Ask yourself what is making you "think" you need the binge? Journal your emotions right now, what caused them, what situation put you into the binge mode, what can you do instead?

4) Ask yourself if you are in HALT - Hungry, Angry, Listless (Bored), Tired.....then proceed to correct whatever you answer. IF YOU ARE HUNGRY, then fix a proper snack or meal and put on some lovely music and sit at the table to eat

5) Ask yourself "If I eat this, then what?" How will you feel after? Will you undo the good work you have already been doing in controlling your T2? Be accountable to a journal, a friend, this Forum even and let it all out that you want to binge, so help!!

6) Be kind on yourself even if you have just finished a full binge blow out......this is a marathon, not a sprint, and we are here to cheer you on. There are many, many reasons for a binge and we have to figure out why it has become our default behaviour and it may take a long, long time to finally figure it out...

You did a good thing in asking about this issue that no doubt upsets you, makes you disappointed in yourself, and so forth (Been there, still go there sometimes)....all that negativity will get you down. So list all the good things you have done for yourself and see the positive, not the negative......Basically the battle is in the mind, I believe, and if you can stop it there you are well on your way to controlling those urges to binge and will find healthier ways to deal with things. Blessings/L
 
Good advice from @lindijanice If those strategies fail then I would seek counselling to work out what is at the bottom of your need to binge.

Good luck. Keep posting
 
Hi @Inchindown I can totally relate, I've had the same problem in the past, binge eating at various times, and to be honest, I think it's most definitely one the reasons I'm here on this forum as a T2 newby diagnosed last week. It's going to take a while to get out of bad habits, but I don't want this diagnosis to control my life. I guess in answer to your question, at this point in my current headspace, I would be inclined to say, look at it the other way around. It's not about managing T2 while having a binge eating problem, it's about managing your binge eating whilst having the T2 problem. It's about you controlling it (the binge), and not letting the binge control you. Tackle the mindset as the priority, because one is a cause, one is an effect. I hate it when people say "well don't eat it then", which, if you've had yearssss of bad habits build up, it's not that easy to do. So, when you feel a binge coming on, try to manage it, take control of it, not letting it own you and control you (and your diabetes), you *manage* it, and can try swapping your usual binge foods for better options. I don't mean stop totally and swap to low carb/sugar and veggies or go on some mad diet, but if it's going to happen, you can usually tell when a trigger point kicks in and you get that 'craving' feeling. Try and identify when the binge happens, what's triggering you, when, your feelings at the time, how it makes you want to react, is the binge a rebellion, does it feel like you're in control, does it make you feel powerful to binge eat or is it a form of escapism? Own it. Swap your usual binge foods for better options, then change them gradually. In the past when I've been in super stressed out mode, felt overwhelmed or a trigger kicks in, I admit, I've reached for any **** I could get my hands on. What I found works for me is identifying those triggers and what my reactions are, understanding my emotions and causes, and also, more practically, writing down a list of preferred bingey type foods, then alongside them write a list of better alternatives that will still give you that same level of satisfaction, eg, choc bars swap out for the sugar free sweets in a packet - one is packed full of carbs, fat and sugar, the sugar free isn't at all a hugely better option, but if it's a sugar hit that's needed, a little packet of sugar free sweets which is no sugar (but still has high carbs) is more manageable/better than just smashing through oodles of sweet packets. The same goes for takeaways, fast food, drink/alcohol etc. It's about owning your situation and responses, giving yourself the power to control the binge, and not letting the binge control you (escalate). Be easy on yourself, I hope maybe some of the above helps.
 
Inchindown said:
I wonder if anyone might be able to offer any advice on managing type 2 while having a binge eating problem.

My sugar levels are near normal when not bingeing, but rise to around 15 after a binge and can take several days to settle down again.
Click to expand...

Hi Inchindown - I'm sorry you're struggling with your condition at the moment. I don't know if you have found the following website at all? It's not a site I have used for myself, but it does seem to have some good resources:
https://www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk/

The helpfinder could be helpful: https://helpfinder.beateatingdisorders.org.uk/

When I initially found the site, some time ago, I put my postcode in there and was surprised by what's actually out there. Of course I fully accept that resources out there doesn't necessarily make then accessible for a million reasons, but there may just be something useful there.

I do hope things can become a bit easier for you. As a former eating disorder sufferer, I know life can be miserable when things feel out of control.
 
This might be a very ignorant reply from someone without a binge eating habit. If it is, feel free to tell me (I might learn from it) or ignore.
Would it be at all possible to steer your binges to something with less carbs than usual? If we know your preferenced binge food, we might be able to help you find less carby substitutes.
Good luck, hope things will change for the better for you!
 
Inchindown said:
I wonder if anyone might be able to offer any advice on managing type 2 while having a binge eating problem.

My sugar levels are near normal when not bingeing, but rise to around 15 after a binge and can take several days to settle down again.
Click to expand...

Hi there, what are you bingeing on? Now I wouldn't advocate this as a daily option but when you feel the urge coming on, why not 'binge' on a packet of pork scratchings/low carb sausages/cheese/nuts or other low carb stuff? At least it might keep your levels down and it is VERY hard to over binge on high fat items as you start to feel sick! The problem with bingeing on carbs (apart from the glucose rising from them) is that it is easy to scoff colossal amounts of high carb stuff down in five minutes flat whereas who can eat 3 pork chops easily? Next time you 'feel' it, grab something easy and low carb from the fridge or cupboard, eat it, wait 30 minutes and see how you feel. x
 
Kk123. I don't find it easy to talk about what I binge on. I don't seem to have a conventional bingeing problem. I don't keep any food in the house I would binge on. So when I get the craving I go down to the local supermarket and fill a bag with the stuff I like to binge on.

I don't binge every day, but I can't really identify a trigger event. I could just be sitting watching tv and suddenly a sensation starts in the pit of my stomach. It builds until an irresistible urge to binge comes over me.

At some point I can't resist the urge and a binge becomes unavoidable. The only good thing is I have managed to limit the binges to the 2 hour period leading up to lunchtime. If I can resist then, I'm ok for the rest of the day.

I don't know if this makes any sense, but it has confused the he'll out of me for many years.

I thank all of you who have given me some positive things to think about. I hope they will help.
 
Sounds like a difficult thing to overcome. I smoke (A lot. Wish I didn't) and I think the way it works might be comparable in some ways. Too bad that means I don't have any sensible advice, otherwise I wouldn't smoke.
Just wanted to give you a virtual hug and wish you all the best in finding something workable!

Are you aware of the organisation DWEB, diabetics with eating disorders? Maybe they can advise you. I thought there was a sub forum on here too, but I can't seem to find it.

Good luck!
 
Thanks for the thoughts.

I can definitely tell you that it is easier to quit smoking than to stop bingeing. I stopped smoking in 1978 and that was a breeze compared to battling bingeing.

With smoking you give it up completely, but you still have to eat while you are trying to give up bingeing. It's a conundrum I've yet to conquer.

I'll check the DWEB organisation. I'm open to all the help I can get.
 
Inchindown said:
I wonder if anyone might be able to offer any advice on managing type 2 while having a binge eating problem.

My sugar levels are near normal when not bingeing, but rise to around 15 after a binge and can take several days to settle down again.
Click to expand...
Are you sure it's not a binge but carb cravings?
 

Antje, unfortunately, DWED is a specialist T1 charity.
 

Inchindown, if you were to be doing something every day, late morning, would that mean you wouldn't binge?

I appreciate that is massively, hugely, unrealistically simplistic, so don't think I think finding a hobby or something for 10-12 or 11-13:00 would fix it all.

Can I ask if you have any food intolerance you know of?
 
Inchindown said:
I'm not sure I could tell the difference. But I have been diagnosed by a psychiatrist as having binge eating disorder.
Click to expand...
If it's any encouragement I had a period of carb bingeing about 19yrs ago.
I don't binge anymore. I can feel a carb crave 'talking' to me. So I get up and munch on the cooked veg I'd made earlier (just in case). I do whatever I have to to make the veg tasty, to me. It always works. Even a fatty protein can curb my appetite.
 
DCUKMod said:
Antje, unfortunately, DWED is a specialist T1 charity.
Click to expand...
Oh, thanks, I assumed an organization with a name stating they are for diabetics was, well, for diabetics. I could imagine that they might have some useful advise, even if they are aiming at T1's.
Do you know about the sub forum on this site (if it exists) for eating disorders?

Edit: I'm too tired to properly see if this sounds sour or not. If it does , please believe me it's not meant that way, the 'Oh, thanks' is genuine
 
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Comfort foods are often high carb foods.
Just remember eating resets your bodies needs. Starving for long periods without a structure can enhance binges. Psychologically you are left deprived and so give yourself permission to gorge due to absence. A nasty cycle to get into that kind of habit. Very bad habit.
 
hi
im type 2 using 2 insulins
i was a binger and had to not bring food
in my house except for maybe the days worth
or i would eat a weeks worth of food at once
or if i bought more than a meal or 2s worth
and i knew i would binge i would throw it all
away and sometimes even run short on food money
it was so hopeless
and i asked for help but no one took it
seriously maybe because i didnt fit a defined
category?
so anyway what i finally did was start on sept 9
just shortly ago OMAD
ive been able to stop binging and have reduced
my insulin amounts
i know we are all different in our diabetes
but i hope i have been of some hope
 
I think you need good quality counselling to help you to get to the bottom of this. There is a reason you do this, but it is buried deep. I needed 28 counselling sessions to get to the root of my binge eating problem. If I eat too much now it's a conscious decision, not that overpowering urge that you just can't stop. Generally nowadays I only eat when I am hungry, it's so good to be free of that self destructive urge. I was lucky, my GP referred me to a counsellor for 8 sessions and she just happened to be the right one for me.

I really don't think you will be able to beat this until you get help. Can you think of any childhood memories regarding lunch time that would make you want to binge. Maybe school dinners? Being bullied in the playground after lunch? Being made to finish a meal you just didn't like? I used to binge to keep nightmares away, then one day I realised they weren't nightmares at all, they were memories.
 
Thanks for the comments.

I did have several sessions with a psychiatrist who first diagnosed me with an eating disorder. She said she had referred me to a psychologist in order to seek out the underlying cause of my problem.

That was 2 years ago.

I don't think lunchtime has any significance in my story. I used to binge at any time of the day, but have now managed to limit it to around the lunchtime period.

Looking back to my childhood. I remember coming home from school and finding there was little or no food to eat. I come from a poor family and my parents did their best with what they had. This was in the 1950s before the benefit cash giveaway society we have today.

I know I always used to wolf my food down and I would clean up any leftovers. I remember when I joined the Royal Navy I couldn't believe how much food there was to eat.

However, I'm not totally convinced that my problem can be put totally on my childhood eating habits. Overeating has always been with me but it has got worse in recent years. I'm currently 67 years old.

I have several health conditions and have had to give up most of my hobbies. I wonder whether boredom or lack of activity may be exacerbating any problems I may have.

The one thing I'm sure of is my problems are likely to be from more than one simple source. I don't think there will be much help coming from the medical profession. I asked two different doctors for help but one laughed at me and thought I was joking when I suggested I had an eating problem. The other doctor told me not to waste his time and that I should just get a hold of myself. I only got referred to the psychiatrist after a session with the senior diabetes nurse at the GP surgery.

I even tried to go privately to a cognitive behavioural therapist but she was fully booked up for at least 2 years.

So it's looking to me like I'm on my own for now. Chatting on this forum is giving me some hope and some ideas that might help. So thanks guys for all your comments.
 
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