Food to me is like alcohol to an alcoholic
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You just told my story! But you can get back on track. You sound like a very strong person. We all fall sometimes the important fact is that you get back up! I cleaned house...that is what worked for me. I emptied cabinets of all the bad stuff and fridge and freezer. It feels like a fresh start when you do that. I dont recommend the following but it works for me...so may work for you. I tempt myself...at my local Tom Thumb...that is my trigger; the bakery corner...OMG. But I restarted my diet this week so I went in Weds and again Friday and purposely passed AND looked at the Banana Pie and the Coconut Pie that I usually crab and kept walking. It made me feel proud and oddly enough I believe it gave me a little boost of motivation. YOU CAN DO THIS!!!!
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I may check online for the OA site. I know it's a sign of binging when I go into the next room to not be seen eating. It's hard not to keep any sweets in the house. I do have a 5 year old. However- hers IS giving in moderation and not given as rewards. I think that's part of our problem today? Sad, lets eat. Happy, lets eat. Job well done, lets celebrate and eat. We've all fallen victim of it. Time to break the cycle. [/quote]
Yep, the emotional link to food was my problem too 0 -
I am in the same boat. I have been 200+ pounds since I had my 4 year old daughter. It has been 4 years of eating whatever I wanted and here I am, 31, prediabetic and not taking control of my health. Since Feb 12th of this year, I have been eating the right foods and keeping to my calorie goals. I have focused more on my diet then exercise at the moment--although I have upped my exercise to 30 min walking daily, and 20 mins of cycling every other day--with strength training. And I did trip up Saturday and have a cupcake (sweets are my trigger too). I record everything I eat using this app and I also have a scale (WeightGuru) that I use everyday to record my weight, bmi, water mass, muscle mass, etc and it syncs directly into my phone. I have found that if I track everything and be honest with myself, then I am more successful.
I was just like you--eating sweets secretly, woofing down 6 cupcakes, eating new york style pizza every week, hardly eating veggies. Terrible, just terrible. My first week monitoring my diet, I ate more fruit because I wanted to satisfy my sweet tooth. I keep to that mentality--grab a fruit for sweets. And since my slip up on Saturday I have been doing good--that day, I didn't go over my calorie goal, but I didn't eat well and I could tell. In almost 3 weeks I am down 11.5 pounds.
Feel free to add me as a friend--we can help each other!0 -
No? So you think a compulsive overeater can stop eating entirely? What would they live on?
You and I have such an obvious disparity of reasoning regarding this subject that it's not even worth either of us trying to convince one or the other.
You think over eaters have it harder than alcoholics.
I think that's a laughable assertion.
Let's leave it at that.0 -
I think I'm a Binge eater0
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I lose then lose control gain ten pound in a week then lose I feel stuck0
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Agree. Although the addiction mindset is the same, as an alcoholic you do have the option to stay away from your addiction. Even though it's very difficult, alcohol is still option. Food is not.0 -
Yep, forgive yourself. We all have weaknesses. You have just motivated me to pitch the stupid brownies a "friend" brought over. Tired of saving them for hubby and looking at them. Also the "shrimp chips" another family brought over, not to mention the "400 gold dollar chocolates" another friend brought over. GEEZ!!!!!0
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No? So you think a compulsive overeater can stop eating entirely? What would they live on?
Was that question for me? Or did I miss a post?
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What an incredibly helpful piece of wisdom.0 -
The topic headline caught my attention- I can so relate. I often feel so hungry at night and the cravings for carbs is so bad that I do look like an alcoholic searching everywhere for something to kill the urge. There are some good ideas here but it is obvious that some folks (those that don't get the terrible cravings) just do not understand how hard it is. I too can be an emotional eater. Counseling isn't the answer. I know my issues and why I have them. But just like other behaviors that are linked to emotions and our sense of worth we need to find ways to deal with the triggers. A counselor might be able to give suggestions for ways to identify and what to do instead but we know ourselves the best and only we can make those differences that are sustainable for the long haul. OA might be a good way also to get the encouragement and helpful ideas we need. I might look for one in my small rural area. Good luck and remember you are never alone in this journey.0
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@Jack_NYC alcoholics have to drink, but they do not have to drink alcohol. Compulsive Overeaters have to eat, but they do not have to eat chips/donuts/cakes/girl scout cookies or whatever it is that they can't control.
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I suffered in silence for about 3 years. I chalked my weight gain to my line of work, I am a chef. But when I found myself making a cake then it being gone in 2 days, only to find out I was the one who ate the whole thing, or buying candy at the store eating the whole bag in minutes so I could hide it from my wife. Feeling like I was out of control when it came to certain foods. I just had no way to stop or limit myself. I would hide what I ate from my family, and lie to my kids about where their candy went. I would try to diet to lose weight and I would do good for a while then one slip and it would derail everything I had lost to that point. It was a constant battle within myself. I honestly had no control when it came to food. I would find things at work to make, or bake just to be able to have samples of it, which in turn led to me eating it. I figured out how to make the cream filling of an oreo cookie, then put the cream on EVERYTHING. It is a scary place to be when you battle your own mind for control and lose all the time. That in turn makes things worse, because now you feel like you have failed, and then you eat more to cope with those feelings. It is awful, but if you realize and acknowledge that there is a problem, and you take the hard steps to get help, the help that is out there actually works. So I did that I was so bad and out of control I knew I could no longer do this on my own, so I got help. Now since getting help I for the first time in years feel like I am in control of what I eat, and how much I eat. I still get urges to eat sweets, and crappy food, but now I can have 1 cookie, instead of the entire bag. So my issue and I may have over shared on this post, was that I had Binge Eating Disorder. So to the OP do not be afraid to ask and seek out help. This place is a good support system and most people are very knowledgeable, and helpful, but that is no substitute for getting true medical help if it is needed.0
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No? So you think a compulsive overeater can stop eating entirely? What would they live on?
You and I have such an obvious disparity of reasoning regarding this subject that it's not even worth either of us trying to convince one or the other.
You think over eaters have it harder than alcoholics.
I think that's a laughable assertion.
Let's leave it at that.
+1.0 -
I suffered in silence for about 3 years. I chalked my weight gain to my line of work, I am a chef. But when I found myself making a cake then it being gone in 2 days, only to find out I was the one who ate the whole thing, or buying candy at the store eating the whole bag in minutes so I could hide it from my wife. Feeling like I was out of control when it came to certain foods. I just had no way to stop or limit myself. I would hide what I ate from my family, and lie to my kids about where their candy went. I would try to diet to lose weight and I would do good for a while then one slip and it would derail everything I had lost to that point. It was a constant battle within myself. I honestly had no control when it came to food. I would find things at work to make, or bake just to be able to have samples of it, which in turn led to me eating it. I figured out how to make the cream filling of an oreo cookie, then put the cream on EVERYTHING. It is a scary place to be when you battle your own mind for control and lose all the time. That in turn makes things worse, because now you feel like you have failed, and then you eat more to cope with those feelings. It is awful, but if you realize and acknowledge that there is a problem, and you take the hard steps to get help, the help that is out there actually works. So I did that I was so bad and out of control I knew I could no longer do this on my own, so I got help. Now since getting help I for the first time in years feel like I am in control of what I eat, and how much I eat. I still get urges to eat sweets, and crappy food, but now I can have 1 cookie, instead of the entire bag. So my issue and I may have over shared on this post, was that I had Binge Eating Disorder. So to the OP do not be afraid to ask and seek out help. This place is a good support system and most people are very knowledgeable, and helpful, but that is no substitute for getting true medical help if it is needed.
Thanks for sharing. I completely understand. It's so easy to go into the downward spiral. One day at a time is now my motto.0 -
@Jack_NYC alcoholics have to drink, but they do not have to drink alcohol. Compulsive Overeaters have to eat, but they do not have to eat chips/donuts/cakes/girl scout cookies or whatever it is that they can't control.
True statement. Thought maybe I offended you. I agree whole heartedly with your statements. I have friends who are recovering alcoholics, also have those that have overcome Meth(to whomever replied with that statement). No matter the addiction, it's a struggle and is easier to handle when you have people to turn to that support and encourage.
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@Jack_NYC alcoholics have to drink, but they do not have to drink alcohol. Compulsive Overeaters have to eat, but they do not have to eat chips/donuts/cakes/girl scout cookies or whatever it is that they can't control.
True statement. Thought maybe I offended you. I agree whole heartedly with your statements. I have friends who are recovering alcoholics, also have those that have overcome Meth(to whomever replied with that statement). No matter the addiction, it's a struggle and is easier to handle when you have people to turn to that support and encourage.
No, you're right. It is offensive to make that comparison. I don't know why someone would compare "falling off the wagon" in your diet to the struggle of an alcoholic.0 -
Yep, forgive yourself. We all have weaknesses. You have just motivated me to pitch the stupid brownies a "friend" brought over. Tired of saving them for hubby and looking at them. Also the "shrimp chips" another family brought over, not to mention the "400 gold dollar chocolates" another friend brought over. GEEZ!!!!!Yep, forgive yourself. We all have weaknesses. You have just motivated me to pitch the stupid brownies a "friend" brought over. Tired of saving them for hubby and looking at them. Also the "shrimp chips" another family brought over, not to mention the "400 gold dollar chocolates" another friend brought over. GEEZ!!!!
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