Compulsive Eating?

RobynLB

Is eating an entire bag of chocolate chips over the course of several hours considered compulsive overeating, or is that within the range of "normal" eating behavior or not? This isn't a regular thing, I might do it once a month or less, and I'm not overweight.

However, I can't have sweets at home because I will literally just keep going back and eating them until they are gone. Do I have an eating disorder, no will power, or just a crazy sweet tooth? I will only do this with chocolate... not any / all foods.

Umeboshi

I don't think it's an eating disorder, but that does strike me as compulsive overeating at least when sweets are involved.

ubermensch13

If you aren't overweight, why do you care? You obviously take care of yourself normally, stay active and don't do it often......seriously, food is not the enemy.

YouDoNotKnowMe

You don't need to be overweight to have an eating disorder.

If you can't keep certain foods in your house, you probably need to ask yourself some hard questions. Have you been known to go through a package of celery in that time? Do you obsess over apples in the fruit basket? In THE HUNGER FIX, Dr. Pam Peeke suggests doing the Yale Food Addiction Scale rating. At least then you'll some kind of baseline not offered up by non-professionals.

Firefox7275

You can have a less than optimally healthy relationship with food without it being an eating disorder - occasional binging can be down to hormonal fluctuations, stressful life events or just not having eaten right that day so your blood sugar was low. It would be slightly more concerning if you ate well after you felt sick and wasn't enjoying the food at all, than if you were feeling fine at the end. Let's be honest: anyone that gets drunk one evening a month doesn't have an optimally healthy relationship with alcohol, but you would not label them an alcoholic.

RobynLB

You don't need to be overweight to have an eating disorder.

If you can't keep certain foods in your house, you probably need to ask yourself some hard questions. Have you been known to go through a package of celery in that time? Do you obsess over apples in the fruit basket? In THE HUNGER FIX, Dr. Pam Peeke suggests doing the Yale Food Addiction Scale rating. At least then you'll some kind of baseline not offered up by non-professionals.

It's just with chocolate... I don't really like anything else enough to want to eat a ton of it...

Emma_Problema

Please excuse me if this is rude, but I find this question pretty damn stupid and a bit offensive. There are people that have actual eating disorders and feel completely out of control in terms of their consumption of food. Eating a lot of cookies is one thing. Like the Lays ad says, there are some foods where you "can't have just one". Our bodies are programmed to want fat, salt, and sugar and we crave those things.

The idea that you might have disordered eating for devouring a bag of something monthly, is pretty ridiculous and I think makes light of people who actually do struggle with food on a daily basis. Perhaps I am being sensitive because I have struggled with disordered eating and my mother is a diabetic who is currently attending Overeater's Anonymous meetings because she can't seem to control her binging even though it's killing her. However, please do think before you type. Disordered eating is a serious issue and comparing it to a case of the munchies or a sweet tooth trivializes it.

RobynLB

Please excuse me if this is rude, but I find this question pretty damn stupid and a bit offensive. There are people that have actual eating disorders and feel completely out of control in terms of their consumption of food. Eating a lot of cookies is one thing. Like the Lays ad says, there are some foods where you "can't have just one". Our bodies are programmed to want fat, salt, and sugar and we crave those things.

The idea that you might have disordered eating for devouring a bag of something monthly, is pretty ridiculous and I think makes light of people who actually do struggle with food on a daily basis. Perhaps I am being sensitive because I have struggled with disordered eating and my mother is a diabetic who is currently attending Overeater's Anonymous meetings because she can't seem to control her binging even though it's killing her. However, please do think before you type. Disordered eating is a serious issue and comparing it to a case of the munchies or a sweet tooth trivializes it.

I felt this was a legitimate question. I'm not trying to trivialize anything. Maybe you should think before you jump all over someone like a rabid dog.

LaComadreja14

The same thing happens to me. Sometimes I'll be sitting and watching TV or at the computer and some how I magically find myself infront of the fridge/pantry looking for sweets (and after that salty foods). I have found that in order to stop myself I can not have those foods in my house and if they are at work, I have to keep busy so I keep my mind off of them. The people I work with are very sweet and can't not offer me food - even when I ask them not too - because they feel like it'd be rude, so I have to take it upon myself to keep reminding myself not to even go near it.

If those foods are in my house it's cuz my fiancee brings them home from work and again, I just have to keep myself busy with other things or continue to remind myself not to even go there. It's not as much about will power as it is about reminding your self that you can't eat to fill time, one can (and usually does) lead to overeating (at least for me, lol)

BurtHuttz

I felt this was a legitimate question. I'm not trying to trivialize anything. Maybe you should think before you jump all over someone like a rabid dog.

It was a legitimate, tactful question that clearly came from a place of concern for your health and concern about your behavior. Anyone else's hot-button issues aside, it was reasonable and you don't seem insensitive for wondering.

Incidentally, I don't think that it's symptomatic of disordered eating, but rather emblematic of the problem with processed foods. There is no meaningful nutritional content, so you're never really "satisfied". You might want a delicious roast chicken breast but you aren't going to eat a package of six because at a certain point, your body has simply had more than it can process. Not with cookies.

I think it just so happens that you love cookies. You could stop if you had to, and you can stop yourself from buying them in the first place, which I think means you're okay.

To reiterate, however, your question was reasonable and not stupid.

victoriavoodoo

There was nothing wrong with the question.
OP, i'm the same way with sweets. I think its just a bad habit, and maybe not so bad if it isn't adversely affecting your health/stopping you from reaching your goals(or so i tell myself, not giving up my chocolate lol)

I choose not to keep confectioner's sugar, malted milk powder, and a few other strange ones on hand for the same reason(so don't feel bad about the chocolate chips lol). Not having it around is the easy solution, but it works. If someone in my household wanted those items around and my easy solution no longer worked, I think I could summon up some willpower, but since it isn't causing any problems I don't feel the need to. The easy fix works just fine.

BurtHuttz

I realize I misread chocolate chip cookies when you actually said chocolate chips; same premise holds, please read in the correct food :-)

psuLemon

Everyone, please stay on topic. This is a legitimate question, not a debate on if the OP has an eating disorder because she splurges occasionally. Below is the forum guidelines if you would like to review them.



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Swissmiss

I may have that problem. If I never take the first bite then I don't want to eat. BUT...once I have that first bite then I can't stop.

girlonabikedc

"And if that's a legitimate question, then you are either completely uneducated or just foolish"

Be careful of that mirror you keep staring into.


Why are you eating that entire bag of chocolate? Is it because you like it? Hungry? Or do you feel you have to & can't stop yourself?

lizzybethclaire

There are certain foods I cannot have in the house because I an just sit and eat them all day long. These include fruit snacks, blueberry pop tarts, and cut up cheese. I will sometimes eat if it is there, not sure if that is compulsive though.

jennfranklin

CHIPS!!! I can deal without the sweets most of the time, I love the crisp, salt, of chips! YUM! I can eat the whole bag!

billsica

It looks to me like you are developing an eating disorder for sure. If you can't stop with one bag of cookies, whats next? A whole cake. your bad of cookies is your gateway to an out of control ED.

tinak33

I'm the same way.....
I can't have certain foods around or I will sit and eat them until they are gone or until my stomach hurts.
I have a tendency to binge when I'm sitting at home. My need to "munch" on something, turns into a 3000 calorie intake and an upset stomach for a day or 2....
I have to be very careful about what foods I keep in my apartment... And give myself constant "pep talks". haha

broodmom

Mmm, yum. If you were doing this a lot you'd soon be overweight. It's nice you know that you can't have certain foods around. I have trouble with potato salad, cookies, other things, so thankfully my husband, who doesn't have health problems, isn't a big snacker. I succeeded in passing up the Autumn Mix candy this year, so I'm kind of proud of myself.

I wouldn't worry about it and instead use your slip-ups as lessons to help yourself avoid the extras when you can.

One tip (and it doesn't always work for me, I admit): If you have a craving for chocolate chips, for instance, try to satisfy that initial craving, then throw away the extra. I've even gone so far as to squirt dishwashing liquid over stuff I didn't want to be tempted with. Really, stuff like that isn't really so expensive, and I keep reminding myself I used to spend $5 or more on fast food meals, and the waste is worth it.

FredDoyle

It looks to me like you are developing an eating disorder for sure. If you can't stop with one bag of cookies, whats next? A whole cake. your bad of cookies is your gateway to an out of control ED.

Chips, not cookies. The OP said a whole bag of chocolate chips. That's a lot of chocolate...

Susan_Rae_1

I realize I misread chocolate chip cookies when you actually said chocolate chips; same premise holds, please read in the correct food :-)

Ha! I read Chocolate Chip Cookies too. I even had a Chips Ahoy vision.

I would say a once in a while thing is not a big deal. When you can't stop, or if you do it emotionally, there might be a problem. I struggle with compulsive eating when I feel really down and when I'm unhappy -- I can relate.

Susan_Rae_1

Is eating an entire bag of chocolate chips over the course of several hours considered compulsive overeating, or is that within the range of "normal" eating behavior or not? This isn't a regular thing, I might do it once a month or less, and I'm not overweight.

However, I can't have sweets at home because I will literally just keep going back and eating them until they are gone. Do I have an eating disorder, no will power, or just a crazy sweet tooth? I will only do this with chocolate... not any / all foods.

I can't keep sweets in the house either because when I get moody I get into them and then figure what the heck and eat more and then...

Amazonbella

I think that most people have a vice or something that they get their hands on and can't stop eatting whether it's cookies, chips, booze, ect. The difference with compulsive eating is usually it's high amounts of food in a little time, so say 12 cinnamon rolls in 20 minutes. A lot of times a compulsive eater will "hide" what they are eating too, or make different trips to different fast food drive-thrus to get their "fix" but not be judged by going to the same one. I'm no expert by any means, but I think you are okay, regardless of being 'fit' or not, an increase in large amounts of sugar can have other problems, just as too much salt or alcohol. An occassional, "OH MY GOSH I ATE ALL THAT" moment, you are probably good especially since you realize what you did isn't the ideal way of eatting!

BurtHuttz

Chips, not cookies. The OP said a whole bag of chocolate chips. That's a lot of chocolate...

Yeah, probably a ten ounce bag, whereas the typical chocolate bar maybe probably 2 ounces. So, like five candy bars in a day.

That's a ton, but not clinically insane behavior like eating broken glass.

Don't none of y'all act like you haven't had 5 full size candy bars in a day!

limesublime

I have wondered this myself, I struggle with the same behavior. From a mental health point of view I think the important question is how much does the behavior impair your functioning, and what purpose is that food serving - clearly not nutrition/fuel because chocolate chips are empty calories and no one needs a whole bag for fuel. If you feel like the behavior is impairing your ability to function in life, it is really making you unhappy to the point it is disruptive, then yes, you have a problem that you should probably address. But that line is different for everyone. The other aspect, what purpose is food serving, is something you may have insight into. For me, it is comfort and 'reward' especially when I'm overwhelmed. Wish I had a clear answer, but I can tell you you're not alone!

Idka81

Sugar aids in the release of serotonin in our brain which is a "feel-good" chemical. Addictions to sugar have been likened to drug addictions in the way that they affect our behavior and cause us to compulsively return for more. If you find that you can't stop yourself, try quitting processed sugar entirely for a while, and turn to things like fruit and healthier, high-protein foods instead. Much like quitting smoking, it will be tough at first, but after a week or two it will get easier.

limesublime

Chips, not cookies. The OP said a whole bag of chocolate chips. That's a lot of chocolate...

Yeah, probably a ten ounce bag, whereas the typical chocolate bar maybe probably 2 ounces. So, like five candy bars in a day.

That's a ton, but not clinically insane behavior like eating broken glass.

Don't none of y'all act like you haven't had 5 full size candy bars in a day!

^---THIS!

funkyspunky872

Please excuse me if this is rude, but I find this question pretty damn stupid and a bit offensive. There are people that have actual eating disorders and feel completely out of control in terms of their consumption of food. Eating a lot of cookies is one thing. Like the Lays ad says, there are some foods where you "can't have just one". Our bodies are programmed to want fat, salt, and sugar and we crave those things.

The idea that you might have disordered eating for devouring a bag of something monthly, is pretty ridiculous and I think makes light of people who actually do struggle with food on a daily basis. Perhaps I am being sensitive because I have struggled with disordered eating and my mother is a diabetic who is currently attending Overeater's Anonymous meetings because she can't seem to control her binging even though it's killing her. However, please do think before you type. Disordered eating is a serious issue and comparing it to a case of the munchies or a sweet tooth trivializes it.

Yeah, you're being insensitive.. this coming from a bulimic.

OP, some people (including me) would consider the occasional overeating as completely normal. People eat because it taste good, because they are in good company, because it's Thanksgiving and grandma only cooks your favorite dish once a year, etc. Yes, even eating a bag of chocolate chips over the course of the day could be normal. The thing to be worried about is how often you overeat this way. Are there any emotions associated with your days of overeating? Do these days extend into several days or even weeks of overeating? Do you feel out of control while eating? And if so, do you feel guilty? Do you purge, restrict calories, take laxatives, or exercise excessively to rid yourself of guilt and/or calories?

The key is guilt. A normal intuitive eater can eat an entire bag of chocolate chips and only be amused with the craving before continuing on with the next meal. A disordered eater (and by disordered, I don't necessarily mean you qualify for an eating disorder) eats the entire bag of chocolate chips and feels guilty and ashamed.

ChapinaGrande

I've recently become aware that I have this same behavior, OP. I'm interested in what others have to say. My behavior does result in bad emotions, bad physical feelings, and, or course, obesity. So... BUMP.

RobynLB

Please excuse me if this is rude, but I find this question pretty damn stupid and a bit offensive. There are people that have actual eating disorders and feel completely out of control in terms of their consumption of food. Eating a lot of cookies is one thing. Like the Lays ad says, there are some foods where you "can't have just one". Our bodies are programmed to want fat, salt, and sugar and we crave those things.

The idea that you might have disordered eating for devouring a bag of something monthly, is pretty ridiculous and I think makes light of people who actually do struggle with food on a daily basis. Perhaps I am being sensitive because I have struggled with disordered eating and my mother is a diabetic who is currently attending Overeater's Anonymous meetings because she can't seem to control her binging even though it's killing her. However, please do think before you type. Disordered eating is a serious issue and comparing it to a case of the munchies or a sweet tooth trivializes it.

Yeah, you're being insensitive.. this coming from a bulimic.

OP, some people (including me) would consider the occasional overeating as completely normal. People eat because it taste good, because they are in good company, because it's Thanksgiving and grandma only cooks your favorite dish once a year, etc. Yes, even eating a bag of chocolate chips over the course of the day could be normal. The thing to be worried about is how often you overeat this way. Are there any emotions associated with your days of overeating? Do these days extend into several days or even weeks of overeating? Do you feel out of control while eating? And if so, do you feel guilty? Do you purge, restrict calories, take laxatives, or exercise excessively to rid yourself of guilt and/or calories?

The key is guilt. A normal intuitive eater can eat an entire bag of chocolate chips and only be amused with the craving before continuing on with the next meal. A disordered eater (and by disordered, I don't necessarily mean you qualify for an eating disorder) eats the entire bag of chocolate chips and feels guilty and ashamed.