I thought this was...

EmotionalEater84

a battle I had to fight alone!

I wish I had this "full" feeling "normal" people talk about. I'm one of those people who can eat until I'm sick or literally rolling out the door. I know it's an emotional and psychological things, but learning this "full" feeling is something I've never had to do in my entire life.

Now, I portion control, but again, this doesn't help me knowing what "full" is. I feel like I'm treating the symptoms and not the problem.

I'm new to the group and am excited to look around. I had no idea this was a big of thing as it is .. I've recently discovered OA also and who knew! Obviously I had done NO research, but my eyes are open now.

OA seems to be a little too religious for my liking so it probably won't be on my list.

I find I can go without binging throughout the week, but as soon as my weekend starts and my triggers hit .. it's all downhill. My family influences and enable my eating habits a lot. My dad has the same condition as me and feels the "gratification" food gives him. He's also a chef .. imagine that! Anyways, I love that I can talk to people who are in the same boat as me .. so, I am very pleased to have found all of you!!

crepes_

That's what's kept me hesitant about OA. I encourage everyone to seek out whatever help they can get for this, and if they have a spiritual guidance, that does make it easier. But it does feel like a bit of pressure for someone who doesn't have that connection with a religious figure or anything. But there are still other organizations!

If you live in the right place for it, NEDA can offer some good chat rooms and support numbers that you can call. You can call them to talk to you whenever you're feeling a binge coming on. They'll keep your information so you don't have to re-explain your issues every time you call. They can also give you 3 week check-in calls to see where you are, and help you find profesional help. Very good resource!

Welcome to the group! There are so many awesome people here that provide really great support. Check out the Me. vs The Binge thread, as well as the thread where you share your victories and what you're proud of during your day.

BoubouChan

Yes, you do hear this often: "Eat when you're hungry. Stop when you're full." Seems easy enough, but it's really something that has to be learned when you're a binge eater.

When you've been either binging or dieting for years, eating normally seems daunting. It's weird. One thing that really helps is to "eat without distraction", as Geneen Roth puts it. I admit that most of the time I still eat while doing something else at the same time. But for a while I did make the choice to eat every meal and snack without any distraction and it helps. It allows you to focus on the tastes, the textures, the way your stomach feels, etc. That way it's easier to tell you've had enough.

99.9% of my binges happen while I'm watching TV or reading. Keeping my mind occupied with those things stops me from really and I mean really having to THINK about what I'm doing, and feel its effect on me. I zone out and quickly enough I've eaten the entire package of whatever junk food I had in my hands. I've even thought about cancelling my Netflix subscription to help with my binging!