How can I stop myself binge eating?

[LondonLady1]

I have put on almost a stone since being made redundant four months ago. I know what it means to be fit and healthy ( I used to be a fitness instructor) but I have always been a secret binge eater.
I lead a 'normal' life for long stretches at a time. Sometimes even years, but then something changes... Not necessarily a big life changer like redundancy and I am back to sneaking in bars of chocolate, packets of biscuits and family size packs of sweets. I can't just eat them... I devour them. Then I feel crap and guilty and put on weight.
What is wrong with me? And what can I do to break this cycle?
I really need to start feeling good about myself again or I will never get back on my feet again.

[Talkinpeace]

My first suggestion is to be more mindful about what you eat.
Log it on MyFitnessPal - even if its a 400g Dairy Milk followed by a whole pack of choccie digies
the point is to stop hiding from yourself what you are eating.
Only then can you start to evaluate your state of mind.

Put the MFP app on your phone and look up the foods as you put them in your trolley .... then you can restrict them being in the house

and then, have a go at 'closing the kitchen' between meals ...
again, part of being mindful about your eating
as then the self control can be brought back in little steps to reduce the emotional impact of eating ....

[LondonLady1]

Thanks for the suggestions TP. I do need to think more about my actions...it's so easy to eat mindlessly. It's the secrecy that is the bigger problem. I've been doing it on and off since my teens. I'm early 50s now so it's hard.

[Talkinpeace]

Hmmm, long term habit to break.
But there are several issues to focus your mind.
At our age (I'm 48) we need to look after our bodies so that we stay healthy as long as possible : managing bone density and the insulin system are the critical two.

Keep a mood and food diary. Be as honest with yourself as you can.
Do you do yoga? The mindfulness parts of that are very good for learning to compartmentalise emotions.
The binges will never ever stop until you understand the triggers.
Once you understand the triggers, the binges will be easy to control.