Looking for advice / shared experiences with sugar binge eating
I’ve struggled with binge eating for years, mainly large amounts of sugary foods (chocolate, sweets, desserts) in short periods. Once it starts it feels automatic and hard to stop.
Pattern:
Cycles of calorie tracking/restriction (around 1600–1900 kcal) followed by big sugar binges (sometimes 4000+ kcal)
Weight has fluctuated a lot over the years
Strong triggers: work stress (especially after calls or stressful moments), boredom, anxiety, and the feeling that “the day is already ruined”
Recent weeks have been particularly bad — multiple binges close together, often driven by stress at work
I get strong cravings for specific “forbidden” or rare sweets and have eaten them secretly
After binges I get body aches, stiffness, brain fog, fatigue and feel wiped out
I’ve tried increasing calories a bit, deleting social media, breathing techniques, urge surfing, naming the real need, and started magnesium. I prefer to keep some flexibility with eating (including intermittent fasting) rather than strict regular meals.
Main goal is to stop the binge cycle and the automatic “stress → chocolate” response, not just lose weight.
Any advice, similar experiences, or things that actually helped would be really appreciated.