Binge eating

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i started a new med and I am binge eating and gaining a lot of weight, but it's done wonders for my chronic migraines. I went from feeling pain and misery and being bedridden with them most days to almost never having one all month. I can't stop taking it. But my frontal lobe is not developed and I have no impulse control with any aspect of life. Especially food, sleep, and other basics I won't mention.

What should I do? How do I get myself to put the food down and not eat it all. I gained thirteen pounds since November. My family has a history of diabetes and obesity/eating disorders.

This is a lengthy post so bear with me.

Eating impulse control does not only come from your own psyche but an arguably larger part also comes from your stomach. Not eating at all is not a solution, the right solution is to eat the right things. If you want to improve your eating habits first know your own body. Let me explain why and how you are experiencing this.

Binge eating is in almost all cases caused by eating products high in simple carbohydrates such as sugar, corn starch, high-fructose corn syrup or glucose syrup. A lot of products bought in stores are loaded with this to make you consume more than you need or to create a constant craving. These products are absorbed quickly and easily by your body since they need little digestion. Because of this their glycemic index is very high, meaning that your blood sugar will spike quickly after consumption. After spiking your blood sugar your body releases a dose of insulin to reduce the blood sugar after which the glucose is stored as glycogen in the muscles and liver. But since the product you ate is already digested and your blood sugar is quickly reduced due to the insulin you become hungry again. This is also the primary reason why people get diabetes, spiking the blood sugar very often with products such as sugar, corn starch and glucose syrup causes a tolerance against insulin. The companies who each try to compete with each other putting more and more high-fructose corn syrup or glucose syrup in their products are primarily responsibly for the diabetes epidemic in many countries.

To stop binge eating you simply have to eat food with the right nutritious value. It doesn't have to be extremely healthy, it just needs to actually provide your body with nutrition. Avoid products that contain almost only simple carbohydrates such as potato chips or pizza. Start looking at the macro-nutrients of your meals such that every single meal you eat ( even snacks ) contain some form of protein. Meals that are high in protein will feed you with rich nutrients that keeps you satisfied for a much longer time. If your stomach is satisfied you will not get the signal to eat again for a long time.

Example of what I eat in a day ( note that I do fitness and weight lifting so adjust calories to need ):

Breakfast
- quark with oats and nuts
This is high in protein, healthy fats and complex carbohydrates. This will offer all the healthy nutrition you need for the morning.

Lunch
- 4 whole grain lean smoked chicken sandwiches with a tomato slice
This one is high in protein and complex carbohydrates but low in fat. I add the tomato slice in the sandwich purely for the taste since it contrasts dry bread and lean meat, but it's a healthy addition too. Four sandwiches might be excessive if you are not planning to be active that day.
- Two pieces of fruit of choice: apple, banana, orange, ... whatever I feel like that day.
Eating fruit at least once a day is very healthy due to their fiber and vitamin content.

Dinner
- 2 fish fillets with some salt, pepper and herbs ( ~300g ), I prefer to use alaska pollock or pangasius
- peeled tomatoes ( ~150g )
- vegetables ( ~150g ), usually some carrots, spinach and green beans
- bell pepper ( ~100g )
- green olives ( ~50g )
This one is very high in protein, has almost only healthy fats and has quite low carbohydrates. I just put all in a skillet with some coconut oil and let it cook on low fire, constantly scoop the juice from the tomatoes over the fish for an even and moist cook. An easy and healthy dish anyone can make.

Evening
- protein shake using 2 scoops of protein powder ( I use 50/50 whey and casein )
If you have a problem with snacking in the evening, this is your solution. Protein powder is very low in calories and will keep you satisfied for a very long time.
- low sugar granola bar with berries
Healthy snack for the evening.


As you can see eating healthy can be tasty too! Hope this helps, I too had an eating disorder until I took complete control of my diet. Plan out your nutrition ahead and do not eat outside of what you have planned to eat. Most of the time you won't feel like overeating at all because this kind of diet keeps you filled with good stuff. Now I've been eating relatively healthy for quite a while and don't even miss unhealthy food any more, the craving is simply completely gone and I feel much better throughout the day.