Can't stop obsessively overeating

I totally relate. I'm a comfort and emotional eater. I find tracking everything helps so I can be aware of how much I am eating, and in the diary just summarising what I am feeling before I think about bingeing. I also find that finding a positive obsession, such as exercise replaces the food obsession. That's what works for me when I let myself go as I have this past 2 years. I'll send a friend request and we can work together if you like.

you are me

read Breaking Free from emotional/complusive eating by Geneen Roth. its a short read and a game changer.
don't let the title scare you off. she writes incredibly on the subject.

no false promises there is work involved and you must be ready. but its honestly the key to long term success without all this struggle.

and its a start but it gets your brain working in the right direction

nickelpickle wrote: »

I have my blood checked every year at my physical and my doctor always says my numbers are 100% spot on. I have been vegetarian for a long time and vegan for a couple of years, and have always had this problem, even as a child, so I know it's not diet related.

But it could be diet related. See if you have a really balanced diet and maybe you'll notice there's some nutrients your body craves because you're missing them.

However, bets are you probably just love to eat. I do, too. My numbers are good and I'm a healthy weight, but everyone is always shocked at how much I love food. It's all I think about, and it looks like there are many kindred spirits in this thread.

Try to find other things to focus on, and maybe try to get quality food and make high quality meals and snacks than just stuffing in whatever you see (even though junk food is amaaaaaaazing!).

You look great and are a normal weight. My recommendation is to log your intake and exercise. If you like food, then focus on strength training (to build/retain muscle) and cardio exercise (to stay within your maintenance calorie zone). You probably crave food because you have high energy needs. Don't worry too much about macros since it sounds like you eat a good balance of healthy food with high protein and fiber.

I think it's more common than we think but most don't realised and admit they have a problem.

I understand an eating disorder therapist is expensive but there are plenty of information and help on the internet. For example, the Weight-control Information Network has lots of free resources you can use.

Definitely, to speak with a forum member who was in the same situation and can understand how do you feel, might help you more than any therapist.

Best of luck!

Do what are your stats, age, height and weight? The reason I ask is becayse its a different kettle of fish if we are answering questions to someone who is nearly a normal weight compared with someone who is a massive overeater and out of control.

I am not doubting you feel how you feel, but when compared with reality, then it it more in your mind as opposed to you being this massively overweight and growing human hoover?

Lets say you are 10lb overweight or 10lb heavier than your profile.

My reaction would be big deal get some perspective and you can soon shift that by delivering a consistent defict. It will not take long and then as long as you are sensible and track your food, then you can still eat well.

From what you say it runs more to the pyschological though and being able to see a professional would be helpful but you explained why you cant. The next best thing is to contact a charity or support group, who often have the expertise and knowledge you will be looking for.

Have heard good things about overeaters anonymous on these forums.
http://www.oawmass.org/wordpress/

You might also want to investigate whether its just a type of obsessive disorder and food just happens to be the thing? Thats a slightly different angle.
http://www.eatingdisorderfoundation.org/EatingDisorders.htm

Read the sites, contact them and see if they understand what you are talking about. Its not my area, but I know how to find information. Charities dont normally charge anything. If its having such a serious effect on your life, then you owe it to yourself to find out who might understand and be able to help. Keep asking the questions until your needs are met. Good luck.

I was you. I probably will be you again at some point in the future. I've even been to an eating disorder specialist, and they didn't really help. But for now, I'm doing so much better. I can now have lots and lots of sweets and chocolates in the house and not be constantly taunted by them. I don't have to eat them all. Which still amazes me, because for years and years, if there was chocolate in the house, I had no peace until I'd eaten it.

I've worked on this for years. I've had to work on my mental health for years, and this was all part of it. Symptom or side effect, I don't know, but it was all bound up in lots of other stuff in my head. My relationship with food was a learned one - I was fine until a key point in my childhood when food ended up being the one thing I felt I could count on to always be there... and later, because money ran out, it sometimes wasn't. It was never going to be a quick, simple fix.

Geneen Roth helped me enormously. Especially the Refrigerator book, which was my introduction to her. A really easy read. Overcoming Overeating is another good one by different authors. Mind you, I first read her about 17 years ago, and it's taken until now for it all to come together! But she made me much more aware of what was actually going on with me.

Regular exercise helps, especially the energetic sort that gives you a hit of the good body chemicals afterwards.

I've discovered that carbs, especially the white sort, make my obsessions worse. The more sugar and flour I eat, the more I want to eat EVERYTHING. I was filling up on those and only getting about 25-35g of protein a day. Once I focused on getting more than 100g of protein a day, (which left less room for carbs) my obsession with food started to go away. (When I was vegetarian by the way, this was even worse - I definitely wasn't getting enough protein then and was eating way, way too many carbs. I could obsess about and eat cheese and pasta all day long!)

I still need sweet treats, but I've found higher protein recipes online for quick one-serving treats like brownies. They are never going to be as yummy as the real thing, but they hit the spot, and the leave me satisfied rather than wanting more.

I've been using hypnosis apps on my phone at night, especially one tailored for sugar addiction (the app was free, and this track was a couple of dollars I think). Others may snort, but Paul McKenna's CD and book were helpful too. It's sold as a diet aid, but really it's about dealing with food better: he's mostly just using the same gentle tactics and ideas as Roth, but with some hypnosis thrown in. Does hypnosis help? Dunno, but I *think* it might, and that's what matters.

I'm pretty sure that where I am now is a combination of all of the above, and just being sick to death of it still being a problem after so many years. But I'm 100% certain that cutting carbs and increasing protein has been key - it really all changed when I fixed that.

Pootler74 wrote: »

I've discovered that carbs, especially the white sort, make my obsessions worse. The more sugar and flour I eat, the more I want to eat EVERYTHING.

Same here. Don't get me wrong, i still eat them - just had two slices of white toast this morning. But, I don't eat them often, maybe a couple of times a week at most, because I notice a direct relationship between how much bread/pasta/cake etc I eat, and how often/badly I binge and want to binge. When I cut back on these, my cravings reduce and I don't spend the day constantly thinking about what I can eat next.

NickelPickle, I've been battling binge eating for 20+ years (interspersed with dieting), and I just had this conversation with my dad a few weeks ago where he said I didn't have a problem because I'm not fat. Don't ever let anyone tell you it isn't a problem when you know in your heart that it's overtaking your life and emotionally tearing you apart. My opinion is that part of the reason it's so hard to get over overeating is that people don't take it seriously—we get the well-intentioned advice like "go on a diet" or "use some will power" from people who probably have no idea what it's like inside to live with the obsession. It's a big deal.

I'm trying to find my way out too—I'm here for you!