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I had a binge on "paleo-acceptable" foods (depending on who you ask about what's acceptable), so I'm not in a sugar/gluten high-and-crash situation, but nevertheless the physical discomfort is pretty bad (thankfully, no mental turmoil as with SAD foods).

I had loads of beef, chicken, coconut oil, coconut oil mixed with cocoa powder mixed with desiccated coconut mixed with almond butter mixed with whole yogurt, bag of pine nuts, 1/2 jar almond butter with an avocado and blueberries, salmon, several blocks of cheese, and I'm not sure if I'm missing anything out. I'm pretty sure it's added up to more than 5000 kcal (I'm a short girl, shouldn't be eating more than 2000)

Unfortunately I struggle with binge eating and was hoping the paleo lifestyle would help me beat it. I admit that these foods have less of a "more-ish" factor than grains, but then overdoing them hurts more as they feel heavier in the stomach!

I feel like I am about to give birth to a massive cement brick or something, it is not pleasant. Any tips on how to ease the pain? I'm trying to sip on some grean tea now...

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Let's see, we're at about 25 hours now. How are you? I'm hoping you're fine. If you're still sore, you may have strained something and that may take a few days to repair. Just take it easy on your gut for a while, okay? – Nance Jan 8 2012 at 16:35
Yeah feeling better now, thanks! Still not 100%, but I guess I'm used to that, being a regular binger and all.. – Pching Jan 9 2012 at 15:11

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Ginger tea, it's anti-inflammatory in the gut off the hizzle. Works like a charm for shizzle.

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Not to sound like a party pooper, but I have tried this ginger tea before and it just added to my discomfort. So don't feel bad if it doesn't work for you. – trentasaurus Jan 8 2012 at 9:06
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Fasting after a binge is about the only way I've been able to deal with it.

I used to take large amounts of fiber after a non-paleo binge that also had probiotics in it (Psyllium w/Acidophilus) and it seemed to help... but fasting for 24hr seemed to rectify it even better.

Breaking fasts with just meat prevents binging, and the upset stomach/GI (as long as you don't eat heavily salted/seasoned meat, I found that out the hard way breaking a 2-day IF with a pound of brisket from a BBQ joint).

Next time I might experiment with a little kimchi on the side, as it has helped my gut in the past. Just don't use the spicy stuff, because if it fails to fix the gut problems, fire in equals fire out... the only thing worse than leaky gut is leaky lavabutt.

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+1 for leaky lavabutt – JeezLoise Mar 28 2012 at 0:09
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i'm sorry to say there's probably not much to do except for wait it out. a walk might help though!

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I ate too big a meal after my first longer IF--ugh. I would not drink a lot of liquid so your digestion can get to work. I also like a 1/2 teaspoon baking soda in a little warm water.

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I would recommend against any baking soda, it might put too much pressure on a too full stomach. – Melinda Jan 7 2012 at 20:32
Yeah, the LAST thing you need is for baking soda to foam up from acid in the stomach. That could actually be life-threatening. – Nance Jan 8 2012 at 2:36
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Hi, Pching! The good news is that this discomfort is primarily from your distended stomach--and if you happen to have a hiatal hernia, the discomfort is probably sharper as some of the food you ate is blocked from entering the main body of the stomach AND the herniated part of the stomach is probably squeezing the other occupants of your chest cavity.

Try different positions--is it better if you lean forward? Get on all fours and either rock forward or back?

Within a few hours, it should definitely start to feel better as the food breaks down and hopefully is released from the stomach into the small intestine.

If your stomach acid or bile salts could be insufficient, taking either or both of those by mouth could hasten your relief a little but, as meret said, you'll probably find it takes a little while to ease the blockage.

With luck, this won't hurt all the way through or cause systemic symptoms. However, if your pain gets worse and worse edging on unbearable head for the ER.

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I think it feels better in fetal position. Everything feels better in fetal position! With a few pillows of course. How do I know if stomach acid or bile salts are insufficient? – Pching Jan 7 2012 at 18:49
If it takes more than 5-7 hours for digestion to proceed and your stomach stays full and uncomfortable, you may not have enough acid/bile to handle all the food you ate. – Nance Jan 7 2012 at 18:56
it usually takes longer than that to recover! I think it's been about 4-5 hours now and while it's not painful anymore, I am still uncomfortably full and bloated. – Pching Jan 7 2012 at 21:18
That's great! I recently read up on digestion times. Meat had a typical time of 4-5 hrs and other food types were less. – Nance Jan 7 2012 at 21:50
Well, not great that you were still uncomfortable but great that the pain was gone. Sheesh, I have to shake my head at myself sometimes. – Nance Jan 8 2012 at 2:35
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Laying down if you are in a place to do so. A nap. A good long slow walk. The bottom line is that your body just needs some time. You might consider some ACV with warm water and sip it slowly.

As concerning and uncomfortable your current situation is, you know you will want to address the binge eating at some point. I've binged too in my pre-Paleo days and have knocked down a fair amount of calories at one time eating Paleo foods. In either situation, you need to find out what your trigger foods are. For many, it is the nuts and nut butters. Coconut oil and chocolate combined is also a pretty decadent combo. Once you identify what your triggers are, then you should determine how best to address the triggers (eg never having the foods; having them in small portions on a regular basis; etc). Paleo has allowed me to avoid binge eating because the foods are so filling. Be sure and eat enough of your "meal" and that way you won't have the room for the trigger foods.

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Good advice. I like to make pre-emptive strikes with fatty meat if I feel any risk of binge fever (my term.) – Nance Jan 7 2012 at 19:28
Yep. If that trigger food is sitting there, an extra helping of ribeye is a very nice "cure." – Tom R. Jan 7 2012 at 21:50
I'm not sure if fatty meat would be a good "cure" in my case. For one thing, I'm really not a fan of it (I can feel the eyes rolling at me already), which might in fact make me want what I really want even more. Unless it's a hunger thing. – Pching Jan 7 2012 at 22:15
@Pching, hey no eyes rolling here. Been there, done that--even left work early to go home and binge. Anyhow, if ribeyes aren't yummy for you they definitely won't do. Try to find a filling, healthy food that you can eat at the first "warning tingle" of an approaching binge and you may find it dulls it just enough for you to ignore or distract. – Nance Jan 8 2012 at 2:34
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I can totally relate, binge eating is real and very difficult to control. Be strong. Digestive enzymes come in handy for me, especially for the discomfort.

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Make sure you're drinking enough water, even though I know you already feel full. Don't drink water to bursting, but sip it constantly. All that nut butter really is essentially a brick right now, so you want to water it down some.

Also, just as a comfort, here's an answer I wrote to someone else's question in which I discuss some of my old binges which look EXACTLY like yours (nut butter mixed with paleo "flour" mixed with yogurt, which I describe as noxious, because it totally is). http://paleohacks.com/questions/83644/any-good-books-tips-on-binge-emotional-bored-over-eating/83724#83724

I overcame my bingeing too. Everyone has different experiences and advice, so I'll let you hunt around PH yourself or pose the question before offering advice. But you can totally beat this.

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Beef, chicken, pine nuts, avocado and blueberries all could have quite reasonably been eaten by a caveman, so I'd put my money on none of those being the main culprits.

Coconut oil, cocoa powder, dessicated coconut, almond butter and yogurt are all processed foods, one way or another, and while they may have health benefits individually, in moderation, they are substances I would advise caution with.

Also, whilst the whole "eat high fibre foods, like grains" stuff is clearly a load of crap, a couple of carrots or salad leaves would probably help your digestive system out!

Our closest animal relative, the chimpanzee, eats loads of leaves and plenty of root vegetables. I imagine my digestive system to not be too far away from his overall, so I make sure I eat those things too.

Remember that a caveman was first of all a wholefoods junkie!

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I don't think the "culprit" is necessarily any one food in particular - it's the volume of food in a binge which is so taxing to the digestive system. There is such as a thing as too much of a good thing. – Renee Jan 8 2012 at 2:23
These artificial foods certainly have a greater chance of clogging up your system – I'm_with_Raquel Jan 8 2012 at 5:00
i agree,living food is the best nutrition. it has all the unknowns in it that have yet to be discovered to be life giving. im not waiting on the future. I cant, i live in the here and now. – coprophagous Jan 8 2012 at 8:00
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Pretty much all about the position, hands and knees and letting the stomach hang is usually the only relief I can find for that sort of thing. There's a window as well where a brisk walk in fresh air helps get things moving.

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I agree with meret's advice. It would be a good time for a "constitutional" walk. In fact, I pretty sure it is the best thing you can do right now ;-)

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Actually, depending on just how distended his stomach is and if he has a hiatal hernia walking might stress his chest/belly a lot. IMO he should walk only if it seems to make him feel better. – Nance Jan 7 2012 at 19:27
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I prefer "she", Nance :P – Pching Jan 7 2012 at 19:43
Hey, sorry! I thought I re-did that to he/she. Must be a different one. Anyhow, glad to know it's she and I hope I remember. I am old, you know. – Nance Jan 7 2012 at 21:50
No worries ! :) – Pching Jan 7 2012 at 22:17
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If you want to encourage that cement brick along, I find hanging out in the squat position for like a half an hour and drinking hot water with lemon can help move things along.

Good luck, hope you feel better soon. And don't forget to forgive yourself - your colon is already taking a beating, don't need to punish yourself any more!

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oh man i have a solution for everybody, just take a few grams of vitamine C and lots of water. relief in hours. its harmless. and may even be healthy.

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ah i do the same thing...between last night and this morning i ate two sticks of butter, the meat of one whole mature coconut and a lot of roasted pumpkin seeds after having eaten plenty of food for the day. now just walking and waiting and really really trying not to do the same thing all over again. it is much different then prepaleo, but certainly not any better because the habit is still the same

i think that being sure to properly fuel ones self during the day is necessary, this means not only with food, but with friends, hobbies, distractions and patients of all sorts. if you have emotional support just call someone when the urge hits and say "duuuuuuh......" just to save you those few precious seconds where you kind of almost have the will to change your mind...work on that constantly and your will should start growing.

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