CW: 290, SW: 290, GW: 150
I have tried IF off and on for several years now, and I can’t seem to stick to it due to my binge eating disorder. I have tried OMAD, 20:4, 16:8, and extended water fasting. OMAD seemed to be the easiest to start out with as I could fast all day and then have a massive binge, but it doesn’t really serve any purpose as I’m still consuming more calories than my body needs in a day. Extended water fasting of 24+ hours helps me in actually losing the weight, but it causes me to think about food all day everyday.
I have tried losing myself in projects, hobbies, work, exercising, etc., to distract me from thinking about food all day. I’ve tried staying motivated with others’ progress pics and diving into shows and YouTube channels about IF and benefits of losing weight. Nothing seems to stick. I also have some medical conditions that might be affecting my weight loss. But I’m seeking advice here specifically about moving past the binging and starting to eat healthy while incorporating IF.
I’m not looking for any advice along the lines of “just be disciplined” or “you just need to be motivated” as I’ve been told that my whole life. I know that, and I am trying my hardest. I’m just desperate.
Make doing the right thing far more convenient than not.
I emptied the house of anything convenient…simple ingredients requiring prep, or frozen premake only.
Nothing I could eat without at least half an hour of prep.
Large batches of soups and stews, packaged in meal sizes and frozen was a favorite for a while.
These days I eat mostly meat…so I keep it all in the freezer…
After dinner I take enough steak for the following days dinner out of the freezer and put it in the fridge to thaw.
If I am truly hungry after dinner I will eat more…but…I need to take the time to thaw another couple pounds of steak…
Before that I would do similar with soups and curries and stews, etc…freezer full of options, planned amount out to thaw.
Before that I didn’t keep food in the house…I forced myself to go buy ingredients each day and only get enough for the planned dinner. If I wanted more after…another trip the the store. But that was alotmof work.
IF can be triggering for someone with binge eating disorder, because you end up eating more in a short period of time. It might not be the right thing for you.
Are you getting any kind of treatment for your binge eating disorder? That’s not the kind of thing you can just willpower your way out of — it takes professional support and guidance. I’m just an untrained person on the internet, and this is honestly beyond what I can or should be trying to help with. This is very much the point at which the only useful advice is “Talk to a doctor.”
Well I haven’t struggled with anything as hard as binge eating, but I did go through a period where I was turning to food a lot and have a few failed weight loss attempts under my belt. So if it helps, here’s what I found different this time around.
Based on my previous attempts, I found that you’re absolutely right. It’s not just about discipline and motivation. Willpower would only last me so long. Eventually life got in the way, habits get interrupted, and my discipline and willpower were stretched thin. I would have success for a few months then fall back to where I was before.
For me, I had to let go of the negativity. I was eventually always hitting a point of wanting food more than not liking how I looked. I had to find something(s) I wanted more and it needed to be a positive process of wanting to improve myself. It sounds a little silly, but flipping that script really helped me.
I even made a dumb goal for myself, do a pullup for the first time in my life.
Before I would exercise because I ate too much and felt I needed to burn some calories. Now I work out because I want to. I like how it makes me feel, seeing the changes in my body, and how it’s moving me towards my goal. Or it’s much easier to pass up snacks in the breakroom because I want to, not because I can’t have them.
I don’t know your life or situation, but stay strong, get some help if you can, and good luck on your journey.
I was a binge eater. I would eat everything in front of me. After I quit sugar, I no longer have craving problem. It’s hard to quit sugar as a sugar addicted person and it may take a month to quit but it worths it.
You should check out Dr Rob Cywes on YouTube, he’ll explain this a lot better than me, but basically:
If you are eating actual, real food, then by all means, binge the F out of it until you are stuffed, every damn day. You will not gain any weight. You will lose weight until you are down to your ideal body weight and maintain it, forever.
Actual, real food is meat, veggies, and fat from either animals (butter, ghee, tallow, lard) or if not those then extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil.
Probably smart advice to stay away from potatoes, rice, and all grains.
If you do that, you can and should eat until you are stuffed every day and you will not have any issues with your weight ever again