compulsive overeater

brismum10

I have a huge problem no pun intended im addicted to eating but I hate it I cnt stop I binge over and over its like sub consciously I wnt to hurt myself does anybdy have any ideas im ready to give up:-(

Thena81

no! dont give up! pick up gum or try exercising when you want to eat. even if its 10 sit ps, do it. that will benefit more than anything. or, reward yourself with a delish snack when you have reached a goal like under calories or exercised three days a week or more and such

zendarah

Log what you eat Plan a whole days food ahead so you cant make mistakes. Work out if you are a volume eater or a flavor eater. For me, i like to eat large volumes of food, i prefer a punnet of strawberries over just an apple. If you are a flavor eater, find recipes that hit that flavor. For example, craving chocolate? Have a hot chocolate instead of a chocolate bar. Plan to have some slip ups, they happen to everyone, and make a plan to recover from these slipups.

Most importantly, remember "one binge does not a fat kid maketh". Get back on the wagon as soon as you can.

transfixedtoast

I'm not sure if being a compulsive overeater is similar to binge eating disorder, I have binge eating disorder, well bulimia but still, I understand the binges.
When I was trying to recover I'd always write down what I was about to eat, that helped me a fair bit.
Very often eating disorders are used to mask emotions and hide you from your feelings so I would suggest going to your doctor or a psychologist, because dealing with the underlying emotional problems can help the symptoms of overeating compulsivly.

lururu

May I ask if you are overeating in order to comfort yourself? Is it a tool you use to reward yourself? When I started this process I used food for all these things. I have really bad arthritis in my legs and so I am in pain a lot of the time, I used to use that as an excuse to eat anything and everything I wanted. My husband, very sensibly, questioned my behaviour and quietly pointed out that the food wouldn't make my troubles go away, it would only add to them in the end.

With this revelation in mind I made a huge and extremely difficult choice, I chose to stop. It wasn't easy and for the first week i was hungry all the time but eventually I got used to eating less, to eating healthy things if I was hungry. The most important thing I did was to change the way I comfort myself and reward myself, I now try and use experiences rather than food or non-food rewards. If I am in pain I try and make time to do something I really enjoy rather than reaching for food. If I really want food then I reach for fruit or veg or something that is going to fill me up but not ruin my efforts. Eventually you will find joy in losing weight and getting fit

It takes a while to break the association in your mind with food as a comfort or reward, it also takes a little time to adjust your appetite but once you start every minute is one minute less, every hour and day you are one step closer to your goal. If you give up you are back at the start but if you just try and change a little bit everyday, take your time and keep chipping at it you will succeed!

Good luck friend!

Roblyssa

I am also a Brisbane Mum, are you south or north? Perhaps I can offer more than just online support...

I adopt the policy 'there is never gain without some sort of pain', and I repeat this mantra when I am on the treadmill or walking up that hill.

The food is all in the mind. Like the others said, if there is a deeper reason you are eating, you should go see your gp and see if they can refer you to someone, or try some meds? I have been trying to lose weight (this time :ohwell: ) for 6 weeks now. I found MFP a week ago and it has changed my entire perspective of food and the choices I make.

My kids often ask me if I can eat a particular thing (such as M&M's), to which I tell them there is nothing I can't have, but it is the choice I make that will make a difference to my weight.

Some things I will not give up, so I limit the amount of those things. Be honest in your MFP diary, record EVERYTHING, be accountable, and most of all, try and walk 30 minutes a day. Slowly, doesn't matter, just anything will help you with those negative feelings. You will start to like yourself if you see results (no matter how small), but no one will come and hand you a brand new body on a platter. The choices we make are our own and we have no choice but to live with the consequences.

All the very best, add me if you want!! I live at Redbank Plains.

Kellie

TriciaAllen7251

One Word: Therapist. They really do work. I see one 2 times/month. Wish I could afford to see her more.

rose_kassar

some workplaces will pay for 6 sessions with a councelor, for each issue, so realistically you could have a new issue every 6 sessions.

jnhu72

I am a compulsive over eater due to a childhood of sexual abuse. I use food as a drug. I tried a lot of things that didn't work for me, but may work for you. I tried to do the Overeaters Annon. program. You can go to their site and they have online meetings you can do if you don't want to go sit with people. You can try talking to a Psychiatrist about it, often people overeat due to an emotional issue. Writing your thoughts down in a journal was also suggested to me. What finally worked for me was to log everything and to start exercising. I still struggle with it everyday but it is doable to conquer you just have to find the method that works for you.

sainsworth25

Hi - I'm new here, and a compulsive eater. This looked like a good forum to start with. My story: I had Lap-Band surgery over a year ago, November 2010, and have not been losing weight as I should have. The reason is that I am eating compulsively - I've got the "I want it" syndrome. During the day, I sometimes graze not only on my own healthy snacks, but on any cookies/candy/junk someone has brought to the office. When I finish work and get in the car to go home, I think - "oh, at last, I can relax and have something to eat." Then I stop at the nearest convenience store for a bag of popcorn or chips. Pretty much the same thing happens at home. Breakfast and lunch are under control, but this "eating to relax and chill down" thing is destroying my health and making the surgery worthless. Eating is what I want to do to escape, to relax, to feel good, etc. etc. As most people are aware, the lap-band is only a tool. It's there, but I'm continuously eating. I need help, so I'm going to read all these posts here.