Compulsive Overeating/Binge Eating Disorder

chunkydunk714
chunkydunk714 Posts: 784 Member
in Motivation and Support
I've just been diagnosed with ^^ disorder (see title)....I went to a group class through Kaiser and it totally creeped me out. Id much rather go back to Weight Watchers and sit through those meetings than sit through one of Kaisers group therapy sessions.

I think im in denial and i want to say my issues with food arent that bad but sadly, they are. I've come to a point where I feel like I've lost all control (hence, the diagnosis)

I want to see if anyone here can relate? Your thoughts, what helped, any recommendations? Basically please tell me im not alone...(obviously, im not or the entire world would be a size 0, right?)

Thanks :)

Replies

  • MaraDiaz
    MaraDiaz Posts: 4,604 Member
    So I looked this up and yeah, I'd fit the definition.

    So those of us who stuff our faces until we're practically sick and then feel bad about it later and of course get fat and then go on diets are now considered mentally ill, huh? I have to roll my eyes at the mental health industry. I figure, if I can't get disability for it, it isn't worth putting up with their yap. Maybe if they have an appetite suppressant I could stay on all my life that worked, maybe then I'd bother with their little group get togethers.

    Otherwise, if a roomful of people talking about their undying love for mainlining cupcakes and huffing the frosting or whatever gives you the creeps, by all means, go back to WW. I refuse to call myself a food addict until I'd prostitute myself for a cookie. I'm certain I wouldn't! (Okay, almost certain! :tongue: )
  • AislinnKitten
    AislinnKitten Posts: 18 Member
    I emotionally eat, I've been diagnosed as clinically depressed with anxiety so whenever I my anxiety goes through the roof or the blues get me down I feel compelled to eat. Now that I know what I'm doing I handle it...better...ish, haha. Sometimes I slip up but hey, nobody is perfect. I don't really binge eat since I don't eat large amounts at once but over the span of a day if I let my emotions get the best of me, I can eat a very high calorie amount. Along with my emotional eating, I've been quite poor at times in my life so having food in my fridge now makes me want to eat it, and eat it all, but that's another problem I'm working out, one day at a time! And I say one day at a time because like you I feel defeated at times with it because I'll get real down and my depression will really set in on my mind and I'll eat horribly and a lot that day, which at first was a heart wrenching set back for me whenever it'd happen but is starting to just become a speed bump and far/few in between (it's taken sometime for that change in attitude and frequency). You just have to push yourself, find your good positive friends/family and ask them to help motivate you to beat your disorder. You're a strong person to admit somethings wrong, even if at times you find it harder to face than others, time, dedication to yourself, motivation to be happy and healthy, and your strength that will continue to build as you keep at it will help you beat your disorder! Good luck to you, I hope the very best!
  • AislinnKitten
    AislinnKitten Posts: 18 Member
    "undying love for mainlining cupcakes and huffing the frosting" HAHAHA that's hilarious!
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,422 Member
    Do you have a better plan? You must have left WW for a reason.

    Binge eating/Compulsive overeating are anxiety related. Once you learn to control your anxiety, you will be able to control your food issues.

    If hunger isn't the problem, food isn't the solution.....

    It's not what you're eating, it's what's eating you....

    One day at a time.....

    Be in the moment.


    Maybe you could just get some Cognitive Behavior Therapy. I think the group thing is a good idea, though. The fact that you are resisting it seems like all the more reason to keep going.
  • MaraDiaz
    MaraDiaz Posts: 4,604 Member
    "undying love for mainlining cupcakes and huffing the frosting" HAHAHA that's hilarious!

    Thanks, gotta laugh or I'd cry and all that.

    But I do find it interesting that one of the drugs used to treat this shiny new diagnosis is an anti-seizure medication.

    A ketogenic diet is an old treatment for seizures. And it cuts my cravings and hunger pretty well.

    I wonder if there is a connection?
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,422 Member
    "undying love for mainlining cupcakes and huffing the frosting" HAHAHA that's hilarious!

    Thanks, gotta laugh or I'd cry and all that.

    But I do find it interesting that one of the drugs used to treat this shiny new diagnosis is an anti-seizure medication.

    A ketogenic diet is an old treatment for seizures. And it cuts my cravings and hunger pretty well.

    I wonder if there is a connection?

    Very good point. Keto diets are great for anxiety, too.

    ...and there's a Shiny New Disease created every time a new pharmaceutical is invented. I mean, how else would you sell that $600 a month drug?
  • MaraDiaz
    MaraDiaz Posts: 4,604 Member
    "undying love for mainlining cupcakes and huffing the frosting" HAHAHA that's hilarious!

    Thanks, gotta laugh or I'd cry and all that.

    But I do find it interesting that one of the drugs used to treat this shiny new diagnosis is an anti-seizure medication.

    A ketogenic diet is an old treatment for seizures. And it cuts my cravings and hunger pretty well.

    I wonder if there is a connection?

    Very good point. Keto diets are great for anxiety, too.

    ...and there's a Shiny New Disease created every time a new pharmaceutical is invented. I mean, how else would you sell that $600 a month drug?

    Well they won't be selling any $600 drugs to me, I'm poor! But if they gave me something for free that cut my appetite and killed my cravings every day for the rest of my life, I'd jump on it!

    Not sure it helps my anxiety, though. Maybe a little.

    Edit: And in keeping with my obnoxious comment on addiction (sorry if I offended anyone, I have a bleak and twisted sense of humor) I must mention that I don't actually suffer from an anxiety disorder, it's actually a healthy fear and distrust of an apex predator, namely, other humans.

    Also, I'm not ADHD, I'm...ooooh what was that shiny?
  • kwirky1
    kwirky1 Posts: 58
    This sounds like me, to a T.

    It makes me so sad :(

    Depression makes the whole thing a vicious circle - I can't win and that makes me sadder still.
  • titi4j
    titi4j Posts: 97 Member
    "undying love for mainlining cupcakes and huffing the frosting" HAHAHA that's hilarious!

    Thanks, gotta laugh or I'd cry and all that.

    But I do find it interesting that one of the drugs used to treat this shiny new diagnosis is an anti-seizure medication.

    A ketogenic diet is an old treatment for seizures. And it cuts my cravings and hunger pretty well.

    I wonder if there is a connection?

    Very good point. Keto diets are great for anxiety, too.

    ...and there's a Shiny New Disease created every time a new pharmaceutical is invented. I mean, how else would you sell that $600 a month drug?
  • chunkydunk714
    chunkydunk714 Posts: 784 Member
    I come back to the computer to find awesome support :) Thank you all for your responses.

    I think I'm going to stick with therapy and give it a fair shot. Unfortunately, its more than just simply gaining control....I need to literally re-train my brain into thinking and treating food in a whole different way.

    I also need to start loving myself and get rid of this all or nothing attitude.

    Baby steps :)
  • daniela_dimech
    daniela_dimech Posts: 26
    Same here girls , what is it with woman and food , i always wish i have a mans mentality :S lol

    ive lost 30 pounds but re gained it in the past 2 months :( , i constantly eat if im happy i eat if im sad bored i eat . i know all the nutritional ways to lose weight the healthy way but i have lost controll , so any motivational ideas would be really healpfull

    lets all help each other get through this !!!!!! :)
  • Aleph13
    Aleph13 Posts: 83 Member
    I think you should definitely stick with therapy. I find it slightly disturbing when I read women's profiles that state 'tired of being fat'.... and then I look at their pictures and they're super slender... kinda freaks me out and I think 'uh oh'
    You're not fat ... you don't need to diet... u need to feel happy and at peace... whole different issue... but no, you're not alone... there are a loada tiny girls on here crying about being fat and obsessing about protein and carbs... it's christmas... go drink eat and be merry
    See your therapist and find out what causes your pain coz it definitely aint food. Be strong ... x
  • psfr
    psfr Posts: 25 Member
    I recommend the books "Women, food, and god" (not religiously affiliated) and "50 ways to sooth yourself without food". Can't recall the authors of the top of my head, but give it a Google.
    For me it's less about gaining control and more about letting go of fears, building a better sense of self-worth, and making the decision (and effort!) to take a second, step back, and dig deep to figure out what's really going on in me that I want to bury with food. (Usually for me that uncovers fears and "I'm-not-good-enough-and-never-will-be" sentiments...hence the letting go and learning self-worth).
    Whether you want to label it a "mental illness" or not, the experience is real. And no pills are going to make you "normal". We all have our battles. Maybe we're all mentally ill, or maybe it's just part of the human condition and not an illness at all.
  • Smurfette1987
    Smurfette1987 Posts: 110 Member
    http://www.amazon.com/Overcoming-Binge-Eating-Christopher-Fairburn/dp/0898621798/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1356393083&sr=8-1&keywords=overcoming+binge+eating+by+christopher+fairburn

    Good book if you are open to CBT, sometimes therapy does just seem like mumbojumbo nonsense, I guess however you do it the solution as already mentioned is "what's eating you". I found the behavioural parts of the course helpful, the cognitive bits are sometimes a bit... frilly, to me. But combining it with re-channeling anxiety and some life changes, I'd say it helped.
  • Emma_Problema
    Emma_Problema Posts: 422 Member
    I'd recommend going to an Overeater's Anonymous meeting. My mom goes and she said it was a really great and supportive environment. Take a look at the mfp group and see what you think.

    I know therapy sounds silly, but it's really (as another poster said) not what you're eating but what's eating you. Addicts are addicts are addicts. I'm not a food addict or a drug addict or an alcoholic, but I identify as an addict. I've used relationships to emotionally regulate myself and fill the void inside me (as cheesy as that sounds). The behaviors of any addiction are fairly similar and often are indicative of deeper issues. I'm not saying you do have deeper issues, but it's something to explore.

    So, long story short, go to a meeting. See a therapist. Get some form of support. It will do a lot of good. Putting it off as "Oh, women! They just love cupcakes. So silly. Everyone emotionally eats. You're just a woman" won't solve the problem. Best of luck to you!!!
  • musclesglasses5
    musclesglasses5 Posts: 16 Member
    I can definitely relate -- and congrats to you for finally recognizing it, putting a label on it, and reaching out for help so that you can get better.

    You need to get off all grains, sugar, dairy, and other non-fruit/veg carbs to extent possible. I had a horrible addiction to sugar / chips to the point where one bite of dessert would force me to lose the willpower eventually to stop from eating an entire bag of pita chips a few days later. Sugar and grains cause your body to produce insulin which messes with how hungry you feel / think you are. Obviously if there are some psychological issues that you have to work through, those will be critical to fix in order for you to get better. However, I find that it is almost impossible to stop binge eating when you are eating grains/sugar/dairy/etc. Coffee and alcohol I found are other gateway drugs that can impair your decision making and get you to inadvertently eat grains/sugar/dairy etc.

    If you want a good site that is focused on helping people get acquainted to the above type of eating (Primal/Paleo) -- I'd check out Mark's Daily Apple (www.marksdailyapple.com) and you'll find a lot of great material on how to eat this way, why it makes sense from a chemical / biological perspective, and the success that many, many people have had on this diet.

    If you have any questions., feel free to friend me or send me a message.
  • miriamwithcats
    miriamwithcats Posts: 1,120 Member
    Definitely have this disorder since childhood. Was also bulemic for a dozen years from the age of 12 (my pic) to 24 when I quit purging but not the binge eating. I do find that my antidepressant medication (Effexor and Wellbutrin) help, and I also use cognitive therapy, exercise, and light to help control all my symptoms. I have a seasonal component to my disorder too, it is worse in the winter (primitive hibernation response- eat carbs and sleep). Mine is related to depression and stress, but not to anxiety. This site is really helping me- the logging AND the support.
  • shonovo
    shonovo Posts: 104
    I completely feel the same way as you... i struggled with binge eating as far back as i can remember, i eat and sneak food whenever possible no matter what mood im feeling... food is always there for me! i need to fgure out how to stop binging... i stopped for some time and lost 55 lbs and now here i am starting to gain it back and losing control yet again, i know all the ways to lose weight i just need to follow them and not eat like a pig and lie when i exercise...

    we are all in this together and anyone who relates please feel ree to send me a message or friend request would love to support and get support!

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