Hello Everyone,

This is my first post on the site (though I have read many) and I'm looking for feedback from women regarding the success of low-carbing with existing binge eating disorder. I'm a reasonably fit woman (ran a marathon this year) who is slightly overweight and have dealt with binge-eating issues for a long time (~15 years). I started on a low carb diet in January 2014 after reading Good Calories, Bad Calories and realizing that I was really out of control with my sugar cravings.

While I had success initially losing weight (155-->146) I have really struggled over the past month at 25 g of carbs per day. I've started bingeing once/week and it is hard for me to maintain my motivation after working so hard to track my intakes (cal 1500-1800, carb 25 g, protein 80-115g, fat ~80-100g) and not losing any weight after Induction. I feel like my energy level has been pretty low and i'm really having difficulty exercising. It seems like if i'm not feeling great and not getting results why not just eat that pack of oreos-- you know what I mean? I feel like the harder I try to control my diet the more likely I am to binge and while I am convinced of the health benefits of low carb I am questioning if whether it is the right diet for me.

Has anyone made any progress in this area?

Thanks

Meh. I can control it now, but it doesn't mean it has gone away. Kind of like when you get in good shape and can run up a few flights of stairs. It's kinda easy and you don't feel like you will collapse anymore, but you're still breathing hard at the top.

Low carbing helps control it , in that you aren't getting the same physiological urges to binge. But there is still often an emotional or cognitive urge to binge. I am trying Overeaters anonymous to help with this. You could also look into Julia Ross's book The mood cure, she suggests various supplements that can help.

If Good Calories, Bad Calories inspired you to low carb eating, why are you "working so hard to track my intakes"? Other than keeping processed carby foods out of your diet, much of that book focused on how futile calorie counting is. Same in Why We Get Fat. You should not have low energy levels on LC, likely leading to possible binge issues.

Many authors in the primal/paleo world also focus on removing food intolerances and food quality, not counting calories and macros. Have you tried a 30 day elimination diet to see if an intolerance to possibly dairy or eggs, may trigger binges? Whole30, JJ Virgin, Your Personal Paleo Code, or similar.

One obesity researcher who has written much on binge eating, since she was a binge eater herself in the past, is Zoe Harcombe. Her book Why Do You Overeat is only $2.99 on Kindle, net down, the top three are 1. Food Intolerances, 2. Candida overgrowth or 3. Hypoglycemia. The unique aspect of Why do you overeat? is its psychological approach. In it Zoe Harcombe explains the six core emotions that drive overeating. She has much more information on her blogs, obesity lectures on YouTube, and podcasts.

Please do not try "to control your diet"! Your body is not a bank account.

All the best,

ps: There is a low carb/paleo dietician/runner in DT Chicago.
http://www.paleoinfused.com
I read her blog and like it but have not met her, so this is not a personal recommendation. Still working on a Chicago friend to see her for nutritional counseling. Maybe a visit to her would help you? She works out of a gym and may have advice to tweak your foods as well.

Thank you for your responses everyone!

Janet- I really appreciate your response and I will definitely look contacting the dietician you recommended. My reasoning for tracking my intakes was that eating low carb dose eliminate many empty calories and helps with satiety but for people without a lot of weight to lose (granted I do have ~20 lb) I think you do need to watch your intakes because in the end it does come down to calorie intake. I think I may have jumped the gun with being impatient and not embracing that over the long term as my eating habits correct themselves and I stop bingeing my weight will decrease. And I believe that eating LC does really help with my binge triggers.

Hi and welcome.

I know for me, there's no way I could calorie count, marathon run, AND try to work on a binge problem. You're serving too many different masters here.

The most important aspects of low-carb eating to eliminate my binge problems are (a) getting it out of my system and eliminating the cravings, naturally, but more importantly (b) having 'permission' to go ahead and eat to satiety without weight gain. If I had to stop after 1 boiled egg and 3 strawberries and 1 cup of coffee with 2 tsp half-and-half because that's what The Calorie Master said I could have... that's going to make me say, "forget it." Your brain will always fight you... and win. Anyone would be driven to binge this way.

(Okay, slight exaggeration on the tininess of that breakfast, but... )

I think another big one is gluten. It binds with opioid receptors in your brain, so yes, it's literally addictive. Try ditching it 100%.

Good luck.

On my low-carb diet fails from years gone by, I cheated by doing the same things that you mentioned. I'd found some excuse (not feeling well, lack of progress, a special occasion, etc.) and use it to talk myself into a cheat. I would always go for the worst possible things... cookies, French fries, cake, candy - pretty much anything that would spike my blood sugar like a bomb. Cravings would kick back in immediately an getting back on track was very hard and often did not happen.

Since starting my "low-carb lifestyle" change over 3 months ago, I vowed never to cheat like that again. No more sugar bombs - ever. If I feel compelled to eat something extra, it will be stuff with some fat or at least have low GI characteristics... a hand full of mixed nuts, baby carrots and ranch dip, a spicy peperoni stick, etc. I may go over my carb limit for the day, but it does not sabotage my diet. Next day, I'm usually back on track.

I tracked calories, fats, & protein as well as carbs for about a month. Too much work! So now I track only carbs. As long as I stay low carb & don't stint the fats, the calories & protein take care of themselves.

I'm also in OA - love it! As Muffles said, it helps with the emotional side of binging; low carb high fat, with NO grains or sugar, helps the physical side. The cravings come and go now - they used to camp out and stay for a long time.

The weekly binge eating is just reinforcing the behavior. It may be enough to keep you from progressing in your weight loss. I find I just have to muscle my way past it and then the desire fades.

Also, many people on the diet have lost fat, but gained muscle. So the scales may not change much but their body changes a lot. Could that be the case for you?

I recovered from 40 years of bingeing. In my experience it's a response to a lack of fuel at the cellular level, period. The emotional is just fallout from that. Of course if you're starving at the cellular level your body wants fast carbs, it's the fastest energy there is. And the emotional is panic and anxiety, which fast carbs also eases.

The lack of fuel at the cellular level could mean, you are low carb but you're not getting glucose fast enough from protein and fat; or you are emptying glycogen all the time and not refilling; or you need more protein than you're getting; or insulin is high preventing the flow of stored fat. You get the idea.
If you are daily sugar-burning exercise, and only 25 g of carb and 100 g of fat, you might not have enough available energy for your workouts, and that's the setup for the binges.

Have you looked at your calorie deficit? If it's more than 30%, that triggers bingeing also for susceptible individuals. Again with fuel starvation at the cellular level.