Food Addiction / Emotional Eating / Compulsive Overeating

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brithemp
brithemp Posts: 9
in Health and Weight Loss
Hey all! My name is Brit, and I'm a college freshmen. Within the past year I've come to the conclusion that I have 19 years of symptoms relating to food addiction, emotional eating, and compulsive overeating. No, I haven't been diagnosed. I lost twenty pounds two years ago from calorie restriction (1200-1500). I gained it all back the next year due to stress. I was happy at 180 lbs., but would have liked to lose more. I'm now 195 lbs.
I am just really at a loss. I have been trying to restrict myself, but I am having such a hard time saying "no" to myself. I can talk myself up to not eat a cookie, but then I physically feel that I absolutely cannot and my mind goes blank, and I go for that cookie. I also have a really hard time knowing whether or not I'm hungry.
I have tried cutting calories (I'm eating between 2000-2500 on average) this time around. It's not working. I don't know if I have less will power than before or have change or am worse or if I'm doing too much at first, I don't know. I'm just having a very hard time.
I have a tumblr/fitblr, neverazero.tumblr.com, and am afraid to write about my failures on that.
This post is really muddled, but I'm basically asking for some advice or tips on how to overcome these issues with food that I have. :)

Replies

  • krissy_krossy
    krissy_krossy Posts: 307 Member
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    I know some people say it's silly, but I'm a huge advocate for therapy. Granted, there are some crackpot therapists out there (and I've met with several,) but a good one can make a world of difference with problems like that. I've seen over a dozen different therapists (most never for more than the first appointment because they were, well, not good) but over the past decade I've found two that really helped with some problems I couldn't overcome on my own.

    If it's not something you can deal with alone, perhaps your college offers some help in that department. It might be worth checking out. I know most colleges offer mental health treatment for students. It wouldn't hurt to look into.
  • allshebe
    allshebe Posts: 423 Member
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    try logging everything you eat for a week, without trying for "much" control, if any (another week shouldn't change anything significantly and will give you a real baseline for what you are currently eating). Then plan 3 meals and 3 snacks per day with a calorie total 100-300 calories less than what you normally consume. You could go so far as plan for an entire week at a time. Try to emphasize things that you like that are high bulk and low calorie (most non-starchy vegetables), because those will tend to fill you up quicker. Obviously, they also need to be things that are readily available to you. If you're planning for somewhere around 1800-2000 calories, there should be room in your "budget" for a cookie or two from time to time (I had a piece of bacon toffee last night at 130 calories and fit that into a total of about 1400 calories). Be mindful of portion sizes. No food is inherently "bad", some are just better "bargains" than others. Eat the calorically "expensive" items in tiny quantities. If you can plan a rational meal plan ahead of time, it may help you to stick to the plan until it becomes "normal". It also helps to never allow yourself to really get hungry. Have some "backup" plans for if you find yourself feeling deprived - could be a tiny piece of really good chocolate or a big bag of air-popped popcorn - find something that works for you.
  • dangerousdumpling
    dangerousdumpling Posts: 1,109 Member
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    You can learn how to control this kind of chaotic, out of control thinking. Therapy will definitely help but if you want to try on your own I'd suggest a book called Feeling Good by Dr. David D. Burns. It's a book for depression but at its core it's cognitive therapy. Basically identifying incorrect thinking or thinking that doesn't benefit you and retraining it. For some people the problem is all or nothing thinking and for others it might be emotional thinking which is thinking that if you feel it then it must be true. There are other destructive thinking patters too and they all cause problems and keep us from living our best life. They keep us mentally trapped in a cycle.
    I have to add that just reading the book will not help. There are writing exercises and other things that you need to do to identify what's going on in your head before you can change them. It works.
  • mandypizzle
    mandypizzle Posts: 633 Member
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    Oh my gosh I'm exactly the same way! I hate it sooo bad. It's very hard to deal with. I go through spurts where I can handle it and do good at eating but then the next week it bites me in the butt. I lose weight and I get stuck every now and then because I go through this. will look up that book mentioned above. I love to read.
  • toridehaven
    toridehaven Posts: 95
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    Thank you for your honesty! I cannot tell you how many times I have felt this way just this week! I feel like I wake up every morning inspired and ready to make the healthy changes I need but then by the end of the day I can name at least a dozen ways I have failed. I feel like I have no control and I feel like I am developing somewhat of a fear towards food. If I look at it I just have no will power and this scares me!!! Anyway, the best thing I can say is take this one day at a time. You did it before so I am sure you can do it again. Are you perhaps putting too much pressure on yourself? Maybe comparing the last time to this time is setting yourself up to fail. I think thats where a lot of my issues come in I am constantly comparing myself to others and to the person I was 10 years ago. Self sabotage at its finest! Anyway, good luck!
  • Mjhnbgff
    Mjhnbgff Posts: 112
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    2nd the therapy. Cognitive behavior therapy helped me a lot, and it wasn't until I addressed the emotional and psychological issues I had that I was able to really start losing weight.

    This is really really tough and I don't see a way to overcome your food issues other than with the help of a good therapist. Good luck to you.
  • naiomitamakloe
    naiomitamakloe Posts: 1 Member
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    Take it one day at a time, plan your meals like the other replies say and if you have a bad day then don't let it put you off your goal. It is really difficult I know, and not everyone understands food addiction. People laugh like it isn't as serious as any other addiction. Keep trying, you've done it before and you will do it again!

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