Hiding Eating?

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SBHWeav
SBHWeav Posts: 89 Member
in Food and Nutrition
That is what I do. Today, I did super well on my food intake. Calorie goals, perfect. Honestly, my best day yet.

So WHY?!?!?! Why is it that the second I am all alone, I feel the need to binge? I ran down the street to get my MIL a drink, and while there I grabbed a bag of Flamin Hot Cheetos. And ate the whole thing. Correction. Not ate. Inhaled. I get home, everyone is in their respective rooms, doing their respective relaxing. I hang out in the living room. I'm alone, and feel the need to eat. So I go grab a couple handfuls of popcorn out of the holiday tin we were gifted.

It's not even a need, it's a compulsion. Like I HAVE to have a snack. I HAVE to eat. My DF was so proud of me today for my goals and made me feel so good about it! So why do I feel like I need to ruin it?! Help???
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  • SBHWeav
    SBHWeav Posts: 89 Member
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    bump?
  • auzziecawth66
    auzziecawth66 Posts: 479 Member
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    Sounds like emotional eating... When you get the urge stop close your eyes and ask yourself am I really hungry, do I really need this and think about what you are really feeling in that moment...

    Edit to say (I know I do the same thing when I'm bored or lonely, it really helps me to consciously think about what I'm doing and I find the feeling will pass)
  • lil_pulp
    lil_pulp Posts: 701 Member
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    Therapy (which I started for other issues, but it's all connected for me!) has helped me learn why I did this. I'm working on those underlying issues now and my eating is much more "normal and healthy." I still struggle with the same stuff you mentioned, but I'm making progress and am confident that the progress will continue. Good luck.
  • SBHWeav
    SBHWeav Posts: 89 Member
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    Shameless bump
  • jgandy13
    jgandy13 Posts: 24
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    I've seen on a lot of these message boards people saying bump....what does that mean?
  • bathsheba_c
    bathsheba_c Posts: 1,873 Member
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    People bump articles for one of two reasons. 1) They want to read what people write later, and commenting puts the thread in the "My Topics" list. They don't have an actual comment, so "bump" serves as a placeholder. 2) The topic was posted at a low-traffic time and sort of got pushed down to the bottom of the list, so they want to make sure that it gets the attention it deserves.
  • Destinie589
    Destinie589 Posts: 211
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    I agree with lil_pulp... You might need to see a therapist. Learn how to overcome that feeling. Learn ways to maybe cope and learn how to just feel comfortable in the moment without the need to binge.
  • Findingmyathlete
    Findingmyathlete Posts: 57 Member
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    Sometimes when I binge after a perfectly good day, its because I'm subconsciously emotionally sabotaging all my efforts. In that moment I don't really believe that I can reach my goal. I think I'll fail like many times before. So, as previous poster already mentioned - I have started asking myself if I am really hungry. I pause before I inhale. I think about my calories, I think about how badly do I want the food vs how badly I want to be healthy and love my body. Then I tell myself to drink two glasses of water and walk away. Lately I have been overcoming because I have started to recognize the sabotage and my will power has started to become stronger as I have said no more often.

    I think its a challenge that you have to prepare for before it happens. Write it down "This is what I'll do when I feel the need to inhale something that I don't need". That way when it happens your conscience can dig it up and play it in the background. =) Don't give up, don't walk away from your goals, don't beat yourself up. Find out what works for you, keep at it, and tell yourself that you deserve the body that you want. You are worth it!
  • kittenbobitten
    kittenbobitten Posts: 199 Member
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    Hey there. I have been a compulsive eater most of my life so I understand those feelings. When I was in my teens and early 20's I could eat myself nearly sick. I would cook a meal sized for a family and eat the whole thing. I would sneak and hide food, hide eating. I was so excited to have a job and a car (as sad as it is) so I could eat everything I wanted and no one would know.

    I still have the compulsive tendencies, and some things I still can't control myself around (like movie theatre popcorn), but it has gotten better over time with me. Part of that is therapy. I have worked on other issues aside from food but those issues helped me deal better with my food issues. Plus I actively try to talk myself through the eating.

    I know that is not all amazing advice, but it is what I have! :) I hope it helps at least to know other people are going through the same things.
  • HeinzPrincess
    HeinzPrincess Posts: 92
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    I am in the same boat!

    No advice yet...still learning how to deal.
  • JoyousRen
    JoyousRen Posts: 3,823 Member
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    It's not an uncommon thing. I have issues with secret eating. It always increases when I have emotional things going on. I have a friend that has had a lot of success with Overeaters Anonymous in dealing with it. I'm still in denial so I haven't gone that route but She has been doing it for years and I've never seen her happier.
  • Kelogik
    Kelogik Posts: 58
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    I do the same thing and really haven't found a way to totally stop doing it :( One thing that does help (some times) like others have suggested, is just taking a minute to think if you are actually hungry and if you may regret it later. When I was smoking a lot, I used a tactic close to this where when I craved a cigarette, I would give myself 5 minutes and if I still craved it then, I'd go smoke. More often than not, I would already have my attention on something else and not even remember the craving I had 5 minutes ago.
  • savlyon
    savlyon Posts: 474 Member
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    I've done the same thing off and on for a long time. It is so frustrating...and humiliating!! Like, I'm so ashamed of it. I totally have addict behavior (fortunately/unfortunately my only addiction is food.)
  • PaulW2MD
    PaulW2MD Posts: 44 Member
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    This was so me. I would go get fast food or junk anytime I was alone. I don't have an answer other than just stop. Break the pattern. Make new patterns. I have not done this in 4 months and I feel so much better.

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  • LisaKunz
    LisaKunz Posts: 73 Member
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    I struggle with it, too. I made an appointment with a counselor, but had to cancel because insurance won't pay for it and I can't afford it. I just don't understand. Mostly I do so well, but if I come across something good (like homemade cookies), I inhale them before I even have a chance to think about it. It's not the calories I'm worried about, it's the behavior. I've been at this almost a year, and while the weightloss part has been a success, the thought processes (or LACK of them!) are the same. It's so discouraging. I don't know what to do.
  • asaw00
    asaw00 Posts: 1,904 Member
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    Some tricks to get you through. Drink water, chew gum, brush teeth, do something with your hands (like a hobby!) Ask yourself if yourself if your really hungry and eat some of what you want. Try to stick with serving sizes. Good luck! I do the same thing at night when is asleep. My go to is chocolate chips and peanut butter! Over time it has gotten less and less but its still there.
  • c_tap77
    c_tap77 Posts: 189 Member
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    I've done the exact same thing. The worst part about it is the guilt I feel as soon as I've finished that bag of Cheetos which usually leads to more binge eating!

    In order to break myself of the pattern I've started doing the following:

    Whenever I feel the urge to binge or feel a craving for something I know I probably shouldn't be eating, I set the timer on my phone for 20 min. Usually within that 20 minutes one of three things happens: 1) Something else distracts me and I forget about the desire to binge in the first place. 2) I can talk myself out of the binge and into a healthier option 3) If I get to the end of the 20 minutes and STILL have the urge to eat whatever it is that I probably shouldn't, I will let myself have a small serving of it. The 20 minutes at least allows me to cool my head enough to realize that if I'm going to eat junk I shouldn't ruin all the other good I did and eat an entire bag of Cheetos or stop by the local McDonalds on my way home.

    Another thing that has helped me is refusing to eat in my car! By eating my meals at a table at planned times (in front of others 90% of the time) it makes me think about what I'm putting in my mouth. I also keep a lot of healthy snacks that I happen to really like on hand (veggies, nuts, etc.) so if I get a case of the munchies, I don't feel the desire to run down to the break room vending machine.
  • ChristyRunStarr
    ChristyRunStarr Posts: 1,600 Member
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    WHY?!?!?!

    Honeslty, only YOU can answer that but like others said, it's probably emotional eating
  • breza262
    breza262 Posts: 40 Member
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    Agree with asaw00.

    I've read that 10 minutes is the time it takes for your mind to switch gears to something else. So set the timer for 10 minutes and do something else, walk, read, do laundry, whatever, just to occupy your mind from eating. And put a piece of gum in. Or brush your teeth. Or drink an entire glass of water. It sounds like it's a habit that you have formed when you are bored, so now you have to change that habit. Good luck!
  • Bookchick887
    Bookchick887 Posts: 126 Member
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    I just have to jump in here bc I see myself in your comments. It's funny that I didn't notice this before. I mean, I knew I did it but never brought it out into my conscious mind. I guess it's time to address my secret eating. I know why I started doing it (back in my teens) but why do I continue to do it? That anxious feeling I get when I want to eat a bad food and the guilt that I have that I must hide it like anyone would care. Thanks for bringing this subject fior conversation.

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