Compulsive Eating?

Emma_Problema

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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http://www.myfitnesspal.com/welcome/guidelines

I thought the question she had was about whether or not she had an ED...so how is that not relevant? But sorry, mod. Someone just doesn't take well to being called the "b word" by a stranger for stating an opinion. But I'll play nice, I promise.

Emma_Problema

QUOTE:

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.
Edited by funkyspunky872 on Tue 12/04/12 12:49 PM

Beautifully put!

So....she didn't mention purging, restricting, taking laxitives...or anything along those lines. She just said that she ate too many cookies and felt bad. Nothing about guilt was actually mentioned nor was anything about feeling out of control. I think perhaps the OP didn't properly express herself.

But I'm not really looking to get into an argument. I'd just like to say that I disagree with the notion that food guilt = eating disorder. Women are taught to be ashamed of overeating. Guilt and food go hand in hand. There is more that goes into the thought process of disordered eating than guilt. It's about trying to fix things on the inside not the outside. Control, perfectionism, low self-esteem....that's really what EDs hinge on, IMHO. If you think you have disordered eating, you should really do your research or see someone. MFP boards are hardly the way to diagnose yourself.

And if you have bad cases of the munchies of a sweet tooth, please see Brian Wansink's book "Mindless Eating". The man is a genius! So many things impact how we consume food, from the music playing at a restaurant to location of our food, to the size/shape of our glasses and plates! He has a bit in there about how you eat things that are right in front of you but won't go across the room to eat something. I really try to portion out foods before I eat them. Nothing good ever comes from eating from the bag.

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.

I think this makes a lot of sense. There may also be something to the addiction myth about chocolate because it has unique chemical compounds. And with drug addiction, you have to keep upping your does to get the same high... so that might explain the increase in quantity over time... I've tried to switch from chocolate to straight cocoa powder with some success...

Sugar is definitely addictive. The more you eat, the more you crave it, which explains the original poster's inability to stop at just a few chips and going for the bag. It's a feelgood thing, but it's only temporary, so you keep going back for more and more, only to realize that it's not a lasting effect. Kicking the habit is hard, but not impossible.Once you cut it out for a while, you will absolutely crave less sugar . If you reintroduce it, you have to control your intake. I love chocolate, but I'm also impulsive when it comes to it and can eat quite a bit before I realize that I'm going overboard. If you like chocolate, I can't imagine just eating cocoa powder, lol. You are right that chocolate does have some chemical compounds that makes the person consuming it come back for more. I once read that chocolate shares some of it's chemistry with something found or similar to marijuana. If you like it, why don't you try some less sweet chocolates where labels read 85/90% cocoa. They are less processed. The 90% cocoa tastes like chocolate, but has almost no sweetness and you can use it to flavor just about anything. I find that you really can't eat a ton of it, because it's not as easy to eat as something intensely sweet that you swallow in a blink of an eye. Quality chocolate does have some health benefits, but if not restricted, they are pointless.

quirkytizzy

From what I understand, disordered eating in general, specifically binging - has an emotional aspect to it. The physical act of eating uncontrollably coupled with emotions of panic, horror, and self-loathing are what crosses the line of "I've had a bad day and I'm destroying this box of Girl Scout cookies, health be damned!" into "I've got a problem."

I do not know if that is what is considered compulsive eating, though.

lizziebeth1028

I would call that a binge. Something a lot of us on here have been guilty of a time or two I'm sure. It only becomes a problem when it becomes a constant vicious cycle of bingeing and then exercising like a demon to offset it....or even worse making yourself throw up. If this doesn't apply to you and you don't feel you're headed in that direction don't worry about it.