@animallib
Firstly, you're not alone. I've struggled with addressing my binge eating all my life, and I know how hard it can be, and how misunderstood you can feel. Please remember though, there's far more to you as a person than what you eat, how you look, or how much you weigh.
These are my top tips to manage it. They're not fool proof, I'm no expert, I'm still overweight. But I do feel now I have some control.
1. You are worth it. You're worth looking after and caring for, and the best person to care for you, is YOU! You're the one in control here, but you're not a human trashcan, so respect yourself.
2. You will not get through your life without ever having a treat. So don't feel guilty about it. Enjoy what you eat, but try and stay disciplined and focused for the majority of the time, but not 100% of the time. It's okay to let loose sometimes.
3. Just try to eat a sensible and balanced diet. Small changes reap small rewards, which over time become big differences. This is for life, so play the long game. No quick fixes.....in my experience at least, they don't work long term.
4. If you find yourself having a period where you're eating more and not sustaining a weight loss, at least try not to put weight back on. Over my lifetime I've lost my body weight and more. Had I kept it off, there'd be nothing left of me by now. But I didn't. I regained it, and more, and that's really demoralising. So try, really try hard, to not give in entirely. Just keep a lid on it. Because.....
5. One lapse is not the end. If you binge, fair enough, you've done it. Feeling bad about it won't change it. So see it for what it was. A temporary lapse. Not an excuse to kick yourself, not an excuse to eat everything in sight. Just a one off.
Overeaters anonymous have some helpful phrases, like one day at a time, and just for today. So just for today, don't binge. But if you do, it doesn't make you a bad person, and tomorrow's a new day. Good luck ❤️