Can't stop binge eating! 3700 calories :(

Options
13

Replies

  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    Options
    Hmmn... I've read the advice here... basically the consensus of this accumulated wisdom is -
    'eat less food'.
    Am I right? That's the sage advice is it? Wow. Well after hearing that all our troubles are over and mfp can shut up shop. Oh yes there was the not so hidden theme of
    'Pull yourself together.'
    Great. You guys (with one or 2 exceptions) should do drugs counselling. 'Stop taking drugs. Problem solved.'
    :mad: :grumble: :huh:
    This is an interesting response. Comparing binge eating to taking drugs is like comparing apples to oranges.
  • Shellz31
    Shellz31 Posts: 214 Member
    Options
    Why spend the money on school when it is going to be really tough to find a decent job if you are obese or you tell your potential employer "I stress easily".

    Wow, telling someone they shouldn't get an education if they're fat seems pretty ridiculous. While there is discrimination against the obese in the job market, it's not like they can't get jobs. I graduated in December 2008, when the economy was in the toilet, and had a job in my field before graduation despite being obese. My weight was a non-issue, as it is for many employers. No one should be told to not better themselves. "Oh you have a flaw, better not try to do anything worthwhile with your life!" Pathetic.
  • Fatandfifty3
    Fatandfifty3 Posts: 419 Member
    Options
    Hmmn... I've read the advice here... basically the consensus of this accumulated wisdom is -
    'eat less food'.
    Am I right? That's the sage advice is it? Wow. Well after hearing that all our troubles are over and mfp can shut up shop. Oh yes there was the not so hidden theme of
    'Pull yourself together.'
    Great. You guys (with one or 2 exceptions) should do drugs counselling. 'Stop taking drugs. Problem solved.'
    :mad: :grumble: :huh:
    This is an interesting response. Comparing binge eating to taking drugs is like comparing apples to oranges.
    It's my British sarcasm. I'm saying binge eating isn't simplistic. Neither is drug or alcohol abuse. All need empathy and professional help not self satisfied smug amateur knee jerk responses. ('Over eating? Stop over eating.' If only it were that simple.)
  • LaReinaDeCorazones
    LaReinaDeCorazones Posts: 274 Member
    Options
    Stress is holding down a job, paying the mortgage/ bills and looking after your children. Odly enough I know plenty of people who dothe above and don't massively overeat.

    The op sounds bored, get out of the house and do something interesting to take your mind off food. Go for a run or a walk.

    Yeah different people are different. Don't be such a jerk about it. Going for a run or a walk is good advice. But advice like that is like telling anorexic people to just eat some effing food. It's arrogant and ignorant.
    +10000000
  • LaReinaDeCorazones
    LaReinaDeCorazones Posts: 274 Member
    Options
    @ JaneiR36 Basically if you are a comfort eater this is your thought process.

    Gah I had to wait an hour for the dentist today and he told me i needed a root canal ... hmm better get some food.

    Someone cut me off at the traffic light! *kitten*! hmm ... you know what I need a burger.

    I feel depressed and lonely. This is a problem only a tub of ice cream will solve!

    Grr I stubbed my toe ... hmmm how about some doritos.

    Urrgh theres' nuthin on tv ... but ... DONUTS!!

    Basically you get the picture anything and everything that goes wrong triggers an immediate desire to eat something tasty that will make it all better. As a coping mechanism it has the unfortunate combination of being very bad for you. And very good at it's job. It's sad to say that scarfing a whole pizza or a tub of ben and jerrys does a lot for the sad panda inside. And thus for comfort eaters it becomes their primary go to if anything goes wrong. As the problem grows older healthier coping mechanisms become abandoned in the face of the new king. Especially as the sufferer's expanding waistline may be affecting their social confidence or romantic prospects. They may even lose friends suffer mockery or lose their relationship with their significant other. The stress of which has them reaching for yup .. you guessed it more food.

    You end up trapped in a vicious case of Stockholm syndrome with food. You love it and you hate it. It's your master your jailer your lover and your best friend. It's always there and it always satisfies. But it takes it's price. And leaves it's marks. It's like being stuck in an abusive relationship where your significant other wrecks your self esteem to such an extent that you are convinced that they are the only one who would have you. As comfort eating progresses you see yourself as the "fat person with no self control" more and more. And you keep reaching for food because at least the food still gives you a bit of pleasure.

    That's comfort eating in a nutshell. And people with it don't need tough love or your lectures about self discipline. They need acceptance, support and help.

    Heh. Thank you for the quick background/perspective. I'm just saying instead of a tub of icecream sitting in the house waiting to comfort you, how about a single serving, or buy the smaller pack of Doritos or wait to eat a single donut at work when someone brings it in. Another option is to actually feel the negative feelings. Not every single pain has to be eased immediately. Sometimes you just feel so ****ty and can't imagine things changing. But more often than not , if you're a bit patient, they do

    Again, this is assuming just a normal healthy person that doesn't have a true eating disorder or diagnosed depression, etc
    It sounds like op lives at home so she might not have the option of not having triggers in the house, I know that when I lived at home and wanted certain things out of the house I was basically told too bad...you just have to find other ways to solve it...I deal with emotional eating too
  • LAT1963
    LAT1963 Posts: 1,375 Member
    Options
    Hmmn... I've read the advice here... basically the consensus of this accumulated wisdom is -
    'eat less food'.
    Am I right? That's the sage advice is it? Wow. Well after hearing that all our troubles are over and mfp can shut up shop. Oh yes there was the not so hidden theme of
    'Pull yourself together.'
    Great. You guys (with one or 2 exceptions) should do drugs counselling. 'Stop taking drugs. Problem solved.'
    :mad: :grumble: :huh:
    This is an interesting response. Comparing binge eating to taking drugs is like comparing apples to oranges.

    More like comparing apples to sulfur-breathing sea-floor volcanic-vent tubeworms.
  • LAT1963
    LAT1963 Posts: 1,375 Member
    Options
    I understand your problem. I was involved in a office shooting incident last year and have gained 30 lbs since then. All of my co-workers have had the same problem. Stress can cause you to binge all the time. The important thing besides counseling is to remember to start every day with a new goal and try to obtain it. My new goal is to jump on the treadmill when my stress level gets high instead of eating all the peanut butter snickers I can find in a 50 mile radius. Weight issues are not about looking great in a bikini although that is a nice benefit. This is about how your body feels when you get up in the morning and through out the day. I am tired of being tired all day long. I bet on those binge days you are tired for the rest of the week. It becomes a vicious cycle. Be careful with your self you only get on body. Just keep trying or as Dory say just keep swimming.:smile:

    Yikes! Best wishes on recovering your sense of safety.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    Options
    Hmmn... I've read the advice here... basically the consensus of this accumulated wisdom is -
    'eat less food'.
    Am I right? That's the sage advice is it? Wow. Well after hearing that all our troubles are over and mfp can shut up shop. Oh yes there was the not so hidden theme of
    'Pull yourself together.'
    Great. You guys (with one or 2 exceptions) should do drugs counselling. 'Stop taking drugs. Problem solved.'
    :mad: :grumble: :huh:
    This is an interesting response. Comparing binge eating to taking drugs is like comparing apples to oranges.
    It's my British sarcasm. I'm saying binge eating isn't simplistic. Neither is drug or alcohol abuse. All need empathy and professional help not self satisfied smug amateur knee jerk responses. ('Over eating? Stop over eating.' If only it were that simple.)
    Fair enough on the British sarcasm, but bingeing and drugging are not even close in proximity. The point is that you need food to live, but not drugs.

    The processes to stopping binge eating and stopping drugs are on completely different.

    Knee jerk responses and lack of empathy, if indeed that is what you are replying, is in your perception only. All I see is honesty with plenty of empathy.
  • Tanie98
    Tanie98 Posts: 675 Member
    Options
    Stress is holding down a job, paying the mortgage/ bills and looking after your children. Odly enough I know plenty of people who dothe above and don't massively overeat.

    The op sounds bored, get out of the house and do something interesting to take your mind off food. Go for a run or a walk.

    Yeah different people are different. Don't be such a jerk about it. Going for a run or a walk is good advice. But advice like that is like telling anorexic people to just eat some effing food. It's arrogant and ignorant.



    Unfortunately there comes a time in life where everybody has to take responsibility for their own actions..

    Sitting in the kitchen all morning, eating 4000 kcal before dinner and then moaning about gaining weight won't solve anything. Making excuses just makes a bad situation worse and then going along/ agreeing with the excuse makes it even worse..

    This
  • MelodyandBarbells
    MelodyandBarbells Posts: 7,725 Member
    Options
    Hmmn... I've read the advice here... basically the consensus of this accumulated wisdom is -
    'eat less food'.
    Am I right? That's the sage advice is it? Wow. Well after hearing that all our troubles are over and mfp can shut up shop. Oh yes there was the not so hidden theme of
    'Pull yourself together.'
    Great. You guys (with one or 2 exceptions) should do drugs counselling. 'Stop taking drugs. Problem solved.'
    :mad: :grumble: :huh:

    Food is not drugs. How do you truly know from where you sit that the OP has a diagnosable medical condition? We've all posted our perspectives, if the poster is truly an adult as all MFP users are required to be, she can make a decision and proceed accordingly. I ate most of a whole pizza yesterday until I threw out the last couple slices. How can you know for certain that she doesn't have the same "issues" I have, and that reading experiences from my perspective won't help her?
  • Tanie98
    Tanie98 Posts: 675 Member
    Options
    Stress is holding down a job, paying the mortgage/ bills and looking after your children. Odly enough I know plenty of people who dothe above and don't massively overeat.

    The op sounds bored, get out of the house and do something interesting to take your mind off food. Go for a run or a walk.

    Yeah different people are different. Don't be such a jerk about it. Going for a run or a walk is good advice. But advice like that is like telling anorexic people to just eat some effing food. It's arrogant and ignorant.
    +10000000


    I don't think this person was jerk at all.just blunt
  • MelodyandBarbells
    MelodyandBarbells Posts: 7,725 Member
    Options
    @ JaneiR36 Basically if you are a comfort eater this is your thought process.

    Gah I had to wait an hour for the dentist today and he told me i needed a root canal ... hmm better get some food.

    Someone cut me off at the traffic light! *kitten*! hmm ... you know what I need a burger.

    I feel depressed and lonely. This is a problem only a tub of ice cream will solve!

    Grr I stubbed my toe ... hmmm how about some doritos.

    Urrgh theres' nuthin on tv ... but ... DONUTS!!

    Basically you get the picture anything and everything that goes wrong triggers an immediate desire to eat something tasty that will make it all better. As a coping mechanism it has the unfortunate combination of being very bad for you. And very good at it's job. It's sad to say that scarfing a whole pizza or a tub of ben and jerrys does a lot for the sad panda inside. And thus for comfort eaters it becomes their primary go to if anything goes wrong. As the problem grows older healthier coping mechanisms become abandoned in the face of the new king. Especially as the sufferer's expanding waistline may be affecting their social confidence or romantic prospects. They may even lose friends suffer mockery or lose their relationship with their significant other. The stress of which has them reaching for yup .. you guessed it more food.

    You end up trapped in a vicious case of Stockholm syndrome with food. You love it and you hate it. It's your master your jailer your lover and your best friend. It's always there and it always satisfies. But it takes it's price. And leaves it's marks. It's like being stuck in an abusive relationship where your significant other wrecks your self esteem to such an extent that you are convinced that they are the only one who would have you. As comfort eating progresses you see yourself as the "fat person with no self control" more and more. And you keep reaching for food because at least the food still gives you a bit of pleasure.

    That's comfort eating in a nutshell. And people with it don't need tough love or your lectures about self discipline. They need acceptance, support and help.

    Heh. Thank you for the quick background/perspective. I'm just saying instead of a tub of icecream sitting in the house waiting to comfort you, how about a single serving, or buy the smaller pack of Doritos or wait to eat a single donut at work when someone brings it in. Another option is to actually feel the negative feelings. Not every single pain has to be eased immediately. Sometimes you just feel so ****ty and can't imagine things changing. But more often than not , if you're a bit patient, they do

    Again, this is assuming just a normal healthy person that doesn't have a true eating disorder or diagnosed depression, etc

    Yeah I don't think what you said was wrong i just wanted to offer some perspective on what it's like to get so pathologically mentally dependent on food. In the end discipline is required to break out of any kind of mental disorder. You can't help those that don't want to be helped. But All I was saying is that discipline alone is insufficient in these cases. A true comfort eater would go perhaps a week or so of keeping no treats in the house but after 7 days of not being able to vent their stress at all they will simply give in. That's where the support comes in. All you really need to say no to food is another way to get rid of all that pent up stress. Once that's out of the way then yeah. It's a matter of self discipline and really no different from anybody else's weight loss issues. I mean yeah in the end of the day we all like food. If we didn't we wouldn't have to lose weight :)

    FYI wasn't being sarcastic and actually enjoyed reading your post :smile:
  • MelodyandBarbells
    MelodyandBarbells Posts: 7,725 Member
    Options
    My normal diet is very healthy, I have very little sugars ( only natural ones such as bananas) very little saturated fats, and lots of whole grains and lean meats. Most of the year i run 8 kilometres twice a week and swim twice a week. 3700 calories is nor normal for me, and my diet and my body is suffering today because of it...

    It's possible that your normal diet is a bit too restrictive, causing you to go bat **** nuts when you see foods you've been craving all along. You may wish to consider figuring out how to work small and regular portions of items you obviously like into your diet. All that is required to lose weight is a calorie deficit. Sweets are not the devil.
  • WhyLime113
    WhyLime113 Posts: 104 Member
    Options
    Stress is holding down a job, paying the mortgage/ bills and looking after your children. Odly enough I know plenty of people who dothe above and don't massively overeat.

    The op sounds bored, get out of the house and do something interesting to take your mind off food. Go for a run or a walk.

    Yeah different people are different. Don't be such a jerk about it. Going for a run or a walk is good advice. But advice like that is like telling anorexic people to just eat some effing food. It's arrogant and ignorant.

    Unfortunately there comes a time in life where everybody has to take responsibility for their own actions..

    Sitting in the kitchen all morning, eating 4000 kcal before dinner and then moaning about gaining weight won't solve anything. Making excuses just makes a bad situation worse and then going along/ agreeing with the excuse makes it even worse..
    They're not making excuses. You're posts are quite honestly far more useless in the context. You aren't providing any solutions to the problem except to say "Ah, you don't have anything to be stressed about! Just take responsibility!" when it clearly goes deeper. OP is stressed, regardless of whether you can sympathize or not (seriously, people stress of different things, a school stress is just as valid as family stress), and the issue is stress related. Sure, she could just stop eating badly, but then she loses her support and is liable for a mental breakdown. You need to address the root of the problem, but you're addressing the superficial problem. Kind of like putting a bandage on a patient with internal bleeding.
  • soheilink
    Options
    Don't worry about it. We all have been there. You are here to learn. Keep entering your food and in time you see you make smarter and healthier choices. We didn't become fat over night, hang in there :)
    WE ARE HERE FOR YOU
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,626 Member
    Options
    For most people, dieting really is a matter of just not eating so damn much. When they want to stop, they do.

    If you want to stop and find that you can't, you might consider talking to a therapist who specializes in eating disorders. They can help you determine if you have one, but can also help you deal with your relationship with food, even if you don't have a disorder.

    You know something is wrong.

    If you really want to stop and be better, make the calls, find a therapist and make your whole life better.

    Just give it a shot.
  • shabaity
    shabaity Posts: 792 Member
    Options
    I'm not an eater when stressed, upset, or sick. So this being said, firstly see a therapist when you binge like this its not a good thing, second drink a glass of water you may just be thirsty, and third find something else to do depending on time of year I either go walk 5+ miles then have to call for a ride home or go start pulling dead wood outta the woods right behind my house to get the burn pit ready for a trash burn. Note neither of these is the healthiest option as I usually have trouble moving for a day or so afterwards but I don't feel quite so stressed either.
  • tennisgirl444
    tennisgirl444 Posts: 57 Member
    Options
    Please seek a therapist- binge eating is treatable.
  • jnv7594
    jnv7594 Posts: 983 Member
    Options
    Stress seems to be the common excuse for over eating. I know a lot of people including myself that encounter stress on a routine basis and yet don't use it as an excuse to pig out. You say you are sick, and yet you go out of your way to continue eating. You are getting ready for school ? Why spend the money on school when it is going to be really tough to find a decent job if you are obese or you tell your potential employer "I stress easily". Time to take a hard long look in the mirror and help yourself. Tough for others to help you if you aren't willing to help yourself. Is this a tough love reply to you ? Yes it is. I know I and many others would love to help you if you would be willing to help yourself. You hold the answers to your over eating so beginning today quit using excuses and just do it.


    People deal with stress differently. Some people run, Others watch uplifting funny or saccharine shows. Some listen to music. Others write poetry of varying caliber. Punch a punching bag. Or *kitten* and *kitten* and *kitten*.

    Others throw food down their mouth like it was a god damn garbage chute. it's a terrible coping mechanism to have I should know cos I have it. Every time my life gets hard there's this huge urge to deal with it by eating more calories at once than i should consume in 2-3 days. And honestly from my experience it's not something you can just get through with "tough love" That's a good way to just break someone. You can't just take away someones coping mechanism especially if it could be the only one they have or at least the only really effective one. OP needs to learn a few new coping mechanisms and find one that is less destructive. Either that or take steps to reduce their daily stress levels if at all possible. It really is no use saying just "suck it up".

    For me I discovered walking. When i am too stressed and I start to get the urge to binge eat I put on my mp3 player loaded with relaxing music and take a stroll among nature. By the time I get back the urge to binge eat has always all but disappeared. It is however forever there. Food is good and once your body learns it is a coping mechanism well ... that doesn't leave you. But if you have other ways to vent you can resist. But in the end the steam HAS to go somewhere.

    Well said RHachicho. I have always been a stress eater myself. and sometimes people telling me to "suck it up" just made things worse. Because then when I did binge, I would feel like even more of a failure for not being able to control myself. Diversion is the way to go. I use walking as well, but many things work. It's about finding what works for you and helps you decompress a bit and let off some steam.
  • lighteningjeanne855
    lighteningjeanne855 Posts: 566 Member
    Options
    I see a LOT of carbs and sugars in your original post. STOP!
    Proteins and fats don't trigger binge eating, in my experience.

    Scramble some eggs with butter for a 'quick fix'.
    Boil up some eggs and chicken breasts,
    and make each into chopped salad/spread
    before the next snack attack. Use lots of Mayo,
    and scoop up the salad/spread with
    cucumber slices, carrot sticks, or stuff a tomato.

    The calories from these foods will be less than you think,
    because you will feel "satisfied" more quickly.

    I recommend that you go to the 'wheatbellyblog.com'
    to understand what grains are doing to you.

    Best Wishes!