What is the crowd's opinion of Brain over Binge: Why I Was Bulimic, Why Conventional Therapy Didn't Work, and How I Recovered for Good?

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I'm a 22 y/o male, was bulimic for 10 years, but have been recovered for over a year. Highly recommend reading Brain Over Binge by Kathryn Hansen if you haven't. My ED stopped almost immediately, after I read her book. Might not be everyone's cup of tea, but that shift in perspective was all it took for me. Best of luck!

Oh, honey. You ARE sick, even if you don't present with a horribly underweight body. Talk to your GP. They CAN help. Use your access to therapy. It CAN help. Stop worrying about eating healthy, and just worry about nurishing your body and KEEPING IT DOWN until you've reset your B/P habits. Brain over Binge is a book that may help you. https://www.amazon.com/dp/0984481702/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_.m1rCb9PR318M

They have bookstores/Amazon though right? Have you read this book yet? https://www.amazon.com/dp/0984481702/ see if you can get it and it may help you organize your own thoughts about the BED which is how you get obese. The anorexia may be more complicated, but may not be an issue if you can get the BED under control.

Note: I don’t suffer from BED, but binging on some things was part of my problem.

Here’s the car analogy I will leave you with. Right now your eating habits are like driving by alternatively slamming the accelerator to the floor and slamming on the brakes.

Try to find a speed to travel at that doesn’t require such large changes. Focus on steady behavior that maps onto how you need to eat when you are at a weight you find acceptable. Whatever that may be. And try not to work any harder than that. Just aim for consistency. That doesn’t mean no excursions from the routine, it just means that the deviations occurs less frequently maybe once or twice a month.

Hey, I think it's so wonderful that you chose to make changes! Do you have a plan or are you just taking it day by day?

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I don't know if you've heard of that book but something that could be helpful in addition is reading "Brain over Binge" by Kathryn Hansen. She's actually managed to recover by making use of the whole "uhm ok maybe I should just stop, so LET'S" approach and talks about it in detail, which is so encouraging.

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I just noticed that the audiobook is free on Amazon! And I happen to have the pdfs of her books. I'm not sure I'm allowed to link them here but if you're interested just let me know and I'll upload them and send them straight to you!

You can still have issues with binging and maintain a relatively normal weight. It’s actually classified as “exercise bulimia.” I would do the same thing but “you can’t outrun a bad diet.” Eventually, it catches up with you and I’m sure you can agree, it’s exhausting.

I highly suggest picking up Brain Over Binge by Kathryn Hansen and listening to her podcast. She had a similar story and would run for several hours a day to make up for her binges.

Brain Over Binge

I seriously think it's a terrible idea. It just leads to even worse binges when you do break the fast.

I used to have a serious binge eating problem myself, what helping me tremendously was this book.

If no one has suggested it, the book Brain Over Binge has been life-changing for me. I struggle with fast food addiction as well and I’m learning to separate the urges to binge/eat fast food and call it by a different name. Those urges are not my brain - they are an animal instinct that’s responding to addiction. I’m down 13 pounds since reading it and I’m continuing to say “no” to fast food on most occasions. When I do choose fast food - I choose the lowest possible calorie options. Good luck! Take care!

For me, yes, definitely.

If you're able to acknowledge them and not act on it, eventually they should be less strong and even subside. Basically since you aren't "rewarding" the urge with what it's trying to get you to do, why bother trying to get you to give in. The more often you succeed, the more successful you will be going forward.

(This is the basic principle behind the book Brain Over Binge, btw, which I pretty much recommend for anyone who feels like they're fighting a mental battle over food urges.)

There's actually a book called Brain Over Binge where the author alludes to this – there's also another book that's related to this one (can't remember what it's called) that bases food addiction off of alcohol addiction.

She talks about how it's almost a "primal urge" where you will order food even though you're not physically hungry and it's almost as if you feel "powerless". It helped a lot for me, the book basically describes how to reign control over your own subconscious.

I struggled with it for a long time, and still sometimes experience it to a lesser degree, but yes, food addiction is very much a real thing.

I had binge disorder for almost a year and then I read the book Brain Over Binge and my disorder completely went away. I think everyone struggling with this needs to read it. http://www.amazon.com/Brain-over-Binge-Conventional-Recovered/dp/0984481702/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1433711413&sr=8-1&keywords=brain+over+binge

Hey I have also struggled with this I'm seeing a therapist now. If you can afford it it's a great option. Also check out /r/foodaddiction, /r/eatingdisorders and also this book (not just for bulimics): http://www.amazon.com/Brain-over-Binge-Conventional-Recovered/dp/0984481702

I can't recommend Brain Over Binge highly enough. It's the only thing that's worked for me after over a decade of binge eating.

> Dealing with binge eating is about identifying the underlying problem as it' snot about the food it's about something else.

Not necessarily true. I highly recommend reading the book Brain Over Binge. Really resonated with me and made a lot more sense than the conventional therapy notion of "binging is symbolic" and "you must heal your psychological problems to stop binging."

She covers binging from the perspective of a bulimic, but a lot of what she says can hold true for binging without purging.

> Binging is not about hunger.

Agreed. In my experience, it was about neurological pathways and habit and rationalization.

>Yeah, pretty much, exacerbated by anxiety. Have you ever consulted somebody, or is that a self-diagnosis? I've thought about getting outside help before, because my eating habits are definitely not normal, but at the same time they never seemed severe enough to classify as a formal eating disorder. Well, and partly shame about talking about it.

I understand the anxiety thing. I think my BED was exacerbated by anxiety and depression, as I was severely depressed for many many years. I still have pretty bad anxiety (mostly generalized and social) but its a bit more manageable without the depression added on top lol

Well to try to shorten my story.. A few years ago I hit complete rock bottom and was basically forced to be admitted to a local hospital psychiatric unit by my psychologist/psychiatrist combo. I was an inpatient twice and an outpatient for a few months.. During all that time I was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, which is linked to binge eating.

So I mean I guess its a combo of self-diagnosis and "official." I tried to get help for my BED while I was in therapy but to be honest nothing they told me to do really helped me...

Even w/o the doctors and all I knew my eating was not at ALL normal and if you are bingeing heavily every day, feel like you cant stop thinking about food, plan your day around food, cant seem to take your hands off food, cant seem to stop yourself from eating, etc, you definitely qualify as having an eating disorder.

It certainly sucks that overeating disorders dont get the attention as undereating/restricting disorders. I think that makes it way harder to get help..

I quit all the therapy and drugs and stuff years ago, as none of it did anything for me. I had to find my own way to tackle my issues haha

Here's the link to Brain over Binge on Amazon.

Here's the link to Rational Recovery (its actually meant for drugs/alcohol) but it resonated with me and my food addiction

And this video helped me find these resources.

I paid for the book but have not bought anything else. There are a lot of scams and stuff out there in regards to this ED and many other issues and I don't think I should have to shell out tons of money to tackle my eating disorder (thats just wrong). So I say try for books as they don't cost an arm and a leg, there are many BED books on amazon with different techniques and approaches.

And youtube is a great resource, TONS of videos of people suffering from binge eating and how they overcame it. Some of them suck, some of them are good, just have to keep searching.

Btw I don't cut out or replace any foods in my diet; I still eat sweets and carbs and all that good stuff. I don't believe that completely abstaining from sugar or starch will ever help because one day when I eat a cookie, a huge relapse will be waiting. My goal has been to learn to moderate, be more mindful, stop eating with tv and distractions, change all my habits, and listen to my cravings, not feel guilty about food, etc. I don't "replace" sweets with fruit lol That does not work. I eat a sweet at least once a day. I am working on eating slower, tasting my food, things like that. Personally, I completely skipped over anything I read that said "never eat sugar ever again." Thats the Overeaters Anonymous approach, and I just dont think thats at all realistic. We all deserve to enjoy birthdays, holidays, etc.

Sorry this got so long. Please feel free to message me any time. I know people think binge eating is just a bullshit disorder or problem, but if anyone knows how real it is, its me.

Hey there OP, you've already gotten a lot of great advice but I just wanted to say I'm sorry for what you've been through and there is truly always hope.

It sounds like you may be struggling with BED. Many of us have been through the same sorts of thing - I developed BED from being denied anything salty or sugary or delicious as a kid, so that when I DID get my hands on it I went nuts, and that continued into my adulthood. I had a lot of shame and guilt around anything that tasted good.

Binge eating disorder is real and is a fucking bitch to deal with. We feel ya.

I'd like to recommend not JUST focusing on your calories but also working to tackle your bingeing. Because even if you take the weight off, it can come back easily if you don't have some tools to help you with binge urges. I once lost over 100lbs in my teen years; and gained it all back because despite that I had NO coping mechanisms to use when I had binge urges.

I've been successfully treating my BED with concepts from the book Brain Over Binge. My bingeing is a lot less frequent and much more under control now, even when I do binge, its usually not that bad. I also used the website Rational Recovery, and replaced the words "alcohol" with "food" and "drinking" with "bingeing." I realized I was/am addicted to food, and it can be helpful to read and research things involving addiction. Some concepts that have helped people quit smoking, drugs, or drinking, can also help with food addiction.

Here is the Amazon link to the book

Here is the website to Rational Recovery

Here are some Youtube videos that might help

Another

There are TONS more Youtube videos out there on this topic, and a wealth of advice, information and tips to read and research. There's a good chance you will find something that works for you!

I can't guarantee your binge eating will go away forever (I still have my moments), but it could improve enough for you to live a better life.

I recommend these books:

Brain Over Binge

Intuitive Eating

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I was able to get a hold of my binge eating after reading the book Brain Over Binge. You should check it out.

Yup! This one (:

This book https://www.amazon.com/Brain-over-Binge-Conventional-Recovered/dp/0984481702

(Of course this won’t work for everyone) but I really like these books: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Brain-over-Binge-Conventional-Recovered/dp/0984481702/ref=pd_lpo_3?pd_rd_i=0984481702&psc=1 And https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rational-Recovery-Cure-Substance-Addiction/dp/0671528580

It's this one by Kathryn Hansen https://www.amazon.com/Brain-over-Binge-Conventional-Recovered/dp/0984481702

Shaming does absolutely nothing for "health" (which so many average to unhealthy thin people obsess over when it comes to fat people) and only encourages eating disorders. I'm stressing only.

I've been all over the spectrum. I was an overweight pre-teen turned a teenager with an eating disorder (bulimia) which led me to lose weight- but also to therapy and anti-anxiety medication at 15. I recovered and gained a lot of weight back, which my college self worked hard to get off. It became extreme and I was doing 80 minutes of cardio on top of biking to work and eating ~1200 calories a day (while being unable to cope and eating 3000 calories a sitting because I was just so damn hungry) to keep myself at 117 pounds. I then got into weight-lifting, turned my obsession over calories into macros, which was just as unhealthy. I even became a manager at a gym I was so obsessed. Now graduated, in therapy and on medication again, I don't count calories and sit at a healthy ~130lbs without going to bed hungry or spending my life on a treadmill. I eat healthy, workout 5-6 times a week, but I'm 100% a part of the anti-diet and body positive movement.

Please note, then nowhere in my journey have I ever been unhealthy. I've had a gym membership since 14. At 180 pounds I didn't have any health concerns, and the most unhealthy behaviors I've done was puking up my food or binging because of my hunger when I was (surprise!) trying to diet.

You can say that my story is "different" but it's not. My parents and peers had the same mentality you did as I was growing up. I remember vividly my dad yelling at me that if I didn't stop being "lazy" that I would be (and I quote) "300 pounds and absolutely disgusting." Telling anyone this, especially children who are extremely more likely to develop an eating disorder if they diet because their brains aren't matured enough to handle what's basically a famine, is dangerous.

With any movement, there's going to be extremes. So much of the body-positive movement works to fight against stories like mine - a healthy teenager wanting to lose ~10 pounds because then they'll be "beautiful" turning into a lifelong struggle with food. If allowing fat people to just exist as fat people and be okay with their body angers you, seek help and look internally. Also, If you want to throw stones however, look at the health and fitness movement and the bullshit they promote as well.

Also: Any minor on here wishing to lose weight (especially if it's vanity pounds) please read the book Brain over Binge and know that you can have a healthier lifestyle without dieting or starving yourself.

Looking at your flare I think we are ED sisters :) I'm 5'4", 32, with EDNOS. What you wrote is really relatable. A couple of thoughts for you in no particular order:

• Would you talk to a therapist who specializes in ED? In my experience, psychologists and MDs who don't specialize in ED aren't helpful. The difference is night and day.
• Would you consider talking to a dietitian? I thought I knew a lot about food and nutrition. After talking to a professional, I was kind of horrified by what I'd been chronically doing to my body by restricting. At 32, the effects are catching up to me. Like, permanent memory loss. :(
• My TDEE is 1750 calories. While that's perfectly reasonable for some people (especially those without disordered eating tendencies)...for me, a 500 calorie deficit would trigger food obsessiveness and binging for me. What works instead -- eating keto (very high fat, very low carb diet) and having a very small deficit (1500, for example)
• ED always seems to make people feel like they have to lose weight really fast. Isn't it better to lose slowly (.5 a week) than to maintain or gain?
• Lots of people don't look the part of an eating disorder -- that's a stereotype. Don't wait until you're underweight or losing hair to seek help. If you have obsessive thoughts or feel out of control, you don't have to live that way. It's OK to ask for help. An eating disorder specialist will understand this; a regular doctor might not. You might have to advocate for yourself or insist on an ED specialist.
• The book "Brain Over Binge" has been really helpful for a lot of people in understanding why they binge (or feel out of control around food) and possibly how to stop. If you are interested and can't afford it, put it on your Amazon wish list and I"ll get it for you.
  

And remember, when it comes to eating disorders, it's not about the food. It's really not. The counting, the weighing, the body checks, the obsessive thoughts -- they're all a distraction. There's a reason, or many underlying reasons, why you're going through this. You don't have to live this way and you're not alone.

I've been doing this for 19+ years and only starting recovering about 2.5 years ago. I don't have all the answers and your journey will be very different from mine. But these are all the things that came to mind reading your post and I hope you find a way through it :) :) :)

Hey have you read Brain Over Binge? I thought it was pretty helpful. https://www.amazon.com/Brain-over-Binge-Conventional-Recovered/dp/0984481702

Read the reviews on this book:

https://www.amazon.com/Brain-over-Binge-Conventional-Recovered/dp/0984481702

Just know that there is hope.

This one? https://www.amazon.com/Brain-over-Binge-Conventional-Recovered/dp/0984481702

I dunno, even if I did wanna buy it I won't have money until febuary 1st, that's when it comes in

I've been reading a book called Brain over Binge by Kathryn Hansen off and on to start trying to deal with my eating issues. I've been finding it very helpful so far, she talks about how she got into these bingeing habits and how she would "purge" by spending hours and hours at the gym the next day trying to undo the damage. She also talks about how traditional therapy and exploring the idea that the bingeing was replacing something or was as a result of some unresolved trauma or emotion wasn't working. Then one day she was in the book store browsing the eating disorder books when she happened to decide to wander over to the addiction recovery section. She ended up picking up the book Rational Recovery by Jack Trimpey. She started reading it and things started clicking into place for her. As she was reading she would basically just replace the words alcohol or drugs with 'food' and it all still made sense. I haven't gotten much farther than that yet but she talks about how this book Rational Recovery explains how to basically stop your addiction very quickly basically by using mindfulness techniques and separating out your primitive, animalistic brain responsible for survival urges and where your addictive urges come from with the conscious, evolved human brain, the part of the mind for acting on those urges. She was explaining how it's important to realize there's a distinct difference between the two and that the animal part can't actually make you act on anything, that's the conscious mind, so you can choose to not act on those addictive urges instead of giving into them or even feeling like you have no control over them. She realized she had been basically just giving into the urges as a way to alleviate the upsetting and uncomfortable feelings they were causing.

I think I might give Rational Recovery a try after I finish Brain Over Binge.

https://www.amazon.com/Brain-over-Binge-Conventional-Recovered/dp/0984481702

never read it, but I intend to

My favourite motivational YouTube video

Brain Over Binge (book)

http://www.amazon.com/Brain-over-Binge-Conventional-Recovered/dp/0984481702/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

I look forward to reading this! Sometimes a concept just clicks. I loved this one:

http://www.amazon.com/Brain-over-Binge-Conventional-Recovered/dp/0984481702

http://www.amazon.de/Brain-over-Binge-Conventional-Recovered/dp/0984481702/ref=sr_1_1/279-1882819-9691824?ie=UTF8&qid=1457932940&sr=8-1&keywords=brain+over+binge

I've been reading this

http://www.amazon.com/Brain-over-Binge-Conventional-Recovered/dp/0984481702

it's been pretty helpful