Binge Foods & Binge Behaviors
I want to preface this entire post by saying that these are MY personal lists. The foods and behaviors on these lists are unique to me, and the foods/behaviors on your lists are going to be unique to you.
Now that that is out of the way, let’s get into why this is important!
Most of my life, I knew that I couldn’t handle certain foods very well. Meaning, I couldn’t control myself, have “just one”, or eat certain foods safely. I remember feeling overwhelmingly guilty when I would eat things like chocolate or ice cream, but I would delude myself into thinking it wasn’t that big of a deal. I would also focus on the positive effects instead of the negative to justify the overconsumption.
Then all of a sudden, multiple chocolate bars and entire tubs of ice cream disappeared. - Shugs- How’d that happen?!
The purpose of writing a binge foods list is to become aware of the foods that:
1) You cannot control yourself around.
2) You cannot have “just 1” of.
3) Become the binge or cause a binge on multiple foods.
4) You fear or cannot eat safely.
5) Cause you to lose sanity/serenity.
In certain recovery spaces, like eating disorder treatments, they are very strict about no restrictions. Therefore, the idea of staying away from binge foods for those who have been through treatment centers may not align with the idea of staying away from certain foods. This is okay!
If you are not willing to stay away from binge foods, I applaud you. I am not strong enough to learn moderation - if I were, I would not be here writing about compulsive eating and how to manage it! I have tried many times before and always, without a doubt, ended up in the exact spot where I started.
Additionally, there were certain ritualistic behaviors I used with food that either enhanced the euphoria of the bingeing experience or happened as a result of emotions I did not want to deal with.
The purpose of writing a binge behaviors list is to become aware of behaviors that:
1) Trigger binges.
2) Make it harder to stop eating compulsively.
3) Keep you in compulsive eating cycles.
A Few Disclaimers First…
The method of writing these lists was shown to me through a spiritual recovery program. If you want to continue having all foods or learn moderation, you will be better off seeking help through therapy and eating disorder recovery programs or seeking medical attention. I only share my own experience and what works for me. Therefore, I cannot speak on the medical route of ED recovery. If you do not want to go the same route as me, that’s totally okay and understandable!
If you are still curious about this specific method, please keep reading!
This is a deeply personal experience and should be done in a safe space free of judgment and shame. There is nothing wrong with having a binge foods/behaviors list, nor is there any shame in how long the list becomes.
This is a big step in the awareness category and should be done as honestly and as thoroughly as possible!
It has been said that those who do not recover are usually men and women who are constitutionally incapable of being honest with themselves. Since disordered eating can also be seen as an addiction, the same rule of rigorous honesty applies to recovering compulsive eaters, too.
Additionally, you are welcome to share the list with another person or multiple people if you feel it would be helpful for your recovery. In many ways, it can be freeing, help keep you accountable, or build support through loved ones.
Exposing someone to your list is not a form of asking them to stop eating a certain way or buying certain foods when you are around. If they do not have an issue with those foods/behaviors, they should not have to be responsible for your inability to handle them, and therefore can eat what and how they please. In the same vein, if they choose on their own to change their habits, then that’s just a win!
Learning to exist around certain foods/behaviors, saying no, and building a neutrality to them results in becoming free of food obsession.
An alcoholic is not encouraged to avoid being around alcohol, only not to drink it. We are not encouraged to avoid certain foods; we are only encouraged not to eat them.
Is this very uncomfortable at first? You betcha! But it gets easier the more you do it, I promise!
If you are new to trying to manage your compulsive eating behaviors, then I suggest focusing only on the binge foods list for now and adding the behavior list later, if you wish. This additional list is not something I was suggested to do; it was more something I picked up on while conversing with other recovering compulsive eaters. It has been helpful for me and may be helpful for you too.
Last thing: these lists are not set in stone. Personally, I have had to edit my lists multiple times and will likely continue to edit them as life goes on. The deeper I have gotten into my recovery, the more I have added to and deleted from these lists. They haven’t changed completely, but there have been tweaks here and there (I will continue to update the lists here on my blog as well).
It is okay to revisit them from time to time and figure out what still rings true for you. As we grow, things change, so why wouldn’t these?
Binge Foods List
Below is my most current binge foods list. I will try to update this every 3-4 months, or as needed.
As always, if you have any questions, please submit an inquiry on the Contact page, and I will respond within 24-48 hours.
My list is as follows –
Chocolate and chocolate candies
Hershey’s Reese’s 3 Musketeers M&M’s Kit Kats Tony’s Chocolate, etc.
Gummy candies
Gummy Bears Gummy Worms Peach Rings, etc.
Baked goods
Muffins Scones Brownies Bars Cookies Cakes Sweet Breads – like a Starbucks iced lemon loaf Pastries Cinnamon Rolls
Pies, etc
Full-Sugar Flavored Coffee Syrup
I cannot pour syrups myself.
I can order a Starbucks 1-2 times a month with a limited number of pumps in each coffee, but I cannot have a coffee with full sugar syrup every day.
I can have the sugar-free stuff, but I am not a fan of it.
Certain Jarred Items
Marshmallow Fluff Nutella Caramel topping Canned Frosting
I used to eat these with a spoon right out of the jar. I could eat an entire jar in 1-2 sittings.
Peanut Butter (gets its own category even though it can be placed in the one above)
I can eat it if it’s in a recipe from a restaurant, or if it’s in a protein bar, but I cannot dig PB out of a jar myself, even to put on a sandwich.
Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches belong on this list as well.
If I can avoid PB, I try not to eat it in any case, just to be safe.
Pizza
I have a history of not being able to stop eating this food.
I would buy multiple frozen pizzas or my own large pizza from a pizza joint.
I would eat 1-2 whole frozen pizzas in a sitting or an entire large pizza from a restaurant.
Texas Roadhouse Rolls and Cinnamon Butter
I used to eat baskets of these and plow through several containers of the butter
I cannot have “just one.”
Oreos
These with milk are perfection, but I cannot control myself with them.
Taco Bell
I used to order enough for 3-4 people and would eat 90% of it in one sitting in front of the TV.
Sugar
Some people cannot handle certain ingredients. Mine is sugar!
If I can help it, I stay away from anything that has sugar listed within the first 3 ingredients on the nutrition label.
Ice Cream
I used to eat this every single night. I am not kidding when I say that. I couldn’t stop buying it and eating it, even though I have a lactose sensitivity!
Talk about a lack of control and addiction to a food!
Full Sugar Soda
For the obvious “no sugar” rule.
Sugary Cereal
When I was a kid, I would eat several massive bowls of Fruity Pebbles, Frosted Flakes, Lucky Charms, Cocoa Pebbles, you name it. A box would last maybe a day or 2.
My mom started buying those massive bags of cereal from Walmart because it was cheaper and it lasted a little longer - and by a little, I mean a couple of more days.
My brothers and I always loved those cereals with milk in the morning, and as a nightcap! I eat low-sugar, high-fiber cereals like Catalina Crunch now, and only put about an ounce in my yogurt in the morning. Oh, how the tables have turned!
As of now, that completes my binge foods list!
Binge Behaviors List
I also keep in mind a few behaviors I try to avoid while eating, as they may trigger a binge or some feelings that may cause me to act irritably, discontent, or restless. Using any disordered eating behavior is no longer an option for me, and becoming aware of the habits that were tied to those behaviors is very helpful to keep me abstinent.
As I said earlier, you do not need this list, but if you want to take on both a binge foods list and a binge behaviors list, don’t let me stop you, rockstar!
The behaviors I avoid are as follows -
Eating straight from containers (especially with a spoon)
The only time I lick a spoon is to clear it off after I have measured something out, like my morning yogurt.
I used to go from container to container scooping out as big of bites as I could manage. It was more efficient than chewing.
I do not go into a jar or container to eat directly out of it unless it is a single-serve item, such as a personal-sized apple sauce.
Licking my fingers
I used to dig my hands into food and eat in a very messy manner.
I try my best to keep my fingers out of my mouth.
If my hands get covered in food, I try to remember to wash/wipe them off instead of licking them “clean.”
Eating while standing
I am sure there are circumstances where someone needs to eat standing up, but since I only eat meals and an optional snack daily, standing isn’t an option.
I used to stand in front of the pantry and eat food directly from it. Often, I didn’t bother taking the time to bring it to the couch or sit down with it somewhere because I was trying to shovel as much in as quickly as possible before I could get caught by a family member. Standing while eating reminds me of this very rushed, urgent, and anxious behavior.
The only time standing may be okay is if I need to taste test while cooking, or if I already measured something out and eat a piece of it while waiting for the rest of my meal, but the bulk of meals are eaten sitting down.
I try to always eat at my kitchen table; however, sometimes I am very busy and have to eat at my work desk.
As long as I am sitting and can eat within 15-30 minutes of putting my meal together, we are good to go.
Eating while preparing food
This is a huge no-no for me because I will overeat as I am measuring out a meal. Typically, if I am really hungry, I am tempted to make myself a little snack before I start making my meal. But then I end up eating way too much in one sitting (or 2 very close together sittings). The goal is to not eat too much at every meal, extend the time taken up by eating (each meal as a beginning, a middle, and an end, and when it ends, it ends), and eating unmeasured food WHILE I am preparing measured food allows me to rationalize that the unmeasured food “doesn’t count.”
Delusional, I know, which is why I don’t do it!
If I get really hungry or hangry, I know it makes me slightly irrational. To fight that delusional mental process, I focus on my movements and my breathing so I don’t start eating compulsively as I am preparing a meal. When I focus on the movements or breathing, it’s easier to focus on the truth, which is that it’s “Just a few more steps and then I’ll be sitting down at the table eating.” It’s also a great exercise in patience!
Eating in bed
Other than the obvious reasons like getting crumbs in my bed or messing up my sheets, I do not do this because it reminds me of all the times I have polished off entire tubs of ice cream or family-size boxes of Hostess baked goods.
I also do not like falling asleep on a full stomach. It gives me major indigestion, gas, and stomach aches that wake me up.
Eating off the floor or out of the garbage
I do not use the 5-second rule or care if an item has not been opened but was thrown away. I do not eat anything that falls on the floor or was placed in the garbage.
Eating off of other people’s plates
As a kid, my dad always grabbed food off our plates without asking, whenever he wanted. I learned that that behavior was okay until a childhood friend corrected me, and I was quite humiliated about it.
Now, I recognize the behavior to be quite compulsive when I think about doing it. To help me stop the urge, I remind myself that I have my own meal designed from the meal plan, I have plenty of food to nourish my body, and I don’t need to be eating someone else’s food. Additionally, I don’t want to cross someone else’s food boundaries or be disrespectful; therefore, I refrain from this behavior altogether.
Eating on the couch
This is actually not a hard and fast rule. I am not super triggered by this behavior unless I do it with takeout night after night.
Sometimes, I want to eat a meal while watching TV, and just sit back and chillax once I am finished. However, if it begins to make me want to keep eating, I avoid doing it and revisit it later.
That completes my binge behavior list as of now! I am curious to know yours, so drop an inquiry!
Final thoughts
As I said before, these lists are flexible and not set in stone. You may find that certain foods/behaviors are going to be on these lists for the entirety of your life! Or you may notice at some point that certain foods/behaviors no longer need to be there. Either way, they are unique and specific to you.
The only “rule” is that you be 100% honest and self-aware when creating or editing these lists. As long as you are honest, you can recover.