Food Addict Looking for Support

I failed to mention above that I am back on here to lose 50-60 lbs! I know tracking is key as much as I hate it. trying to keep it simple and look at the positive side of it which to me is seeing my daily goals of logging and staying under 1500-1600 cals a day, calories burned, and progress chart! the forums here are a huge plus as well. I'm 5'8" 220 lbs. first goal to reach "Onederland" (under 200)! we can do this!! #bam

"it's hard working out and eating right. it's also hard being overweight and self-defeated. pick your hard"

I have a fast food and Dr. Pepper addiction. I used to eat it several meals a day but have cut that down. It's so hard because that's why I got on the forums this morning. I want a McDonald's breakfast. It's not even that I think fast food tastes good, because it doesn't! I have a healthy frozen breakfast I just need to heat up. That helps- having something ready to eat that is as convenient as rolling through a drive-thru. I'm going to stick with my healthy breakfast. Screw Mickie D!

Feel free to add me! I'm making a new start and trying hard. Would love to have/be support.

Hi-
Thanks for your honesty. Food addiction is real.
I reach for food when i don't want to feel. Ok, I reach for sugar. I maul sugar, mostly at night. The last 3 weeks I cut out sugar, flour and eating after dinner. I just got tired of feeling sick and tired.
I've made my diary public -the mfp app -support and accountability are great tools.
Please feel free to add me so we can journey together!

Wow, this post I could have written myself. I also have food addiction, compulsive overeating disorder. It
Is SO hard. I, like a lot of people on this thread, really love fast food and have gone into a restaurant at McDonald's before, had a menu, plus a cheeseburger and dips, then gone back and ordered 3 more cheeseburgers, a bigmac, chicken nuggets, a wrap, fries, ice cream and got it to take away, gone home and eaten the whole lot, to the point I felt sick. I can consume a huuuuuge amount of food even when I'm not hungry, and that's the problem, people say just eat when you're hungry, but it's not like that. Then of course you feel super guilty, disgusted with yourself, and say it will never happen again.
Right now I am nearly 2 weeks since my last binge (which was dominos pizza, which made my day into an over 4000 calorie day, Urgh)!


For me, I have yo-yo dieted so many times before but somehow this time feels different, I can't tell you what clicked, but I watched a documentary called "that sugar film" it's on YouTube and it's pretty shocking. I also did more research on sugar and wow! In my opinion it's the route of every eating problem..... No one gets hooked on broccoli do they? Soooo I took the decision to throw calorie counting out the window (within reason!) eat when I am hungry and only when it's actual hunger, and do not touch anything with added sugar in it (again within reason!) the other day I opened my cupboard and saw a bar of
Dark chocolate, ate far more than I intended too, and had to force myself to throw it into the trash whilst I was mid
Munch, then I proceeded to throw out Nutella, chips, more chocolate that I honestly though I had under control. Turns out I didn't. I have good days and bad days, and I'm nearly 4 weeks in. So far it is working so much better for
Me though. I nearly caved and had McDonald's last week, but didn't. I am losing weight, maybe in a few weeks I won't, but for the first time ever I feel this is sustainable, even with an eating disorder. I will have the odd day I overeat, but my sugar cravings are getting less and less and I don't CRAVE much these days So I can make a more informed decision about what to eat....

I would absolutely recommend seeing someone about it. I went a while ago and was told by a dr that's what I had, and referred me to a therapist. I never went....I didn't want to accept it, and it's really silly but I don't know why I didn't accept the help. I have since moved to another country and it wouldn't work, and I don't speak the language sooo well here so yeah, but I do feel like I am slowly overcoming it.

Sorry that turned into an essay, feel free to add me for some support when you want to.

I too was an anxious person. I had therapy with a counselor who taught me the ACT principles. It has really helped. It has taught it's okay to be anxious but it is not who I am. It is not the core me.

Dargrohm wrote: »

I could write a novel on just my issues with food, let alone my anxiety disorders. I've been trying, and failing, for well over a year now to lose weight and have had virtually zero success. I need to be held accountable. I have big issues with food, going all the way back to childhood, and I'm fighting like crazy right now to get this weight off of me. I've been miserable in my own skin for so long, and I'm tired of it. I've been yo-yo dieting for over a year now, and I'm so frustrated with everything. I've decided to get back on here and try to stick to 1200 calories every day. I'm 5'1", and I weigh 163 pounds right now. My ultimate goal is 110-115 pounds, but for now, I'm aiming for 130 (so my BMI will be in the normal range again). The trouble is, my self-esteem is rock-bottom, and I don't even like myself. I just need to be held accountable. My biggest issue right now is my addiction to fast food. It's more of an emotional attachment than anything. All my life, I have learned to associate fast food with happiness and comfort, and now I'm in a heck of a mess. It's honestly embarrassing... I'm trying to abstain from fast food/restaurants completely, because I literally can't control myself around it. One restaurant meal, and I am off track for weeks, and that's not an exaggeration. It's an addiction for me. I feel like I need it to be happy. Fast food isn't the only problem, though. I binge at home, too. I think it's a control issue. I tell myself I don't want to go over my calorie limit, and then I go stuff my face to the point of nausea, almost like I'm rebelling. I keep sabotaging my own efforts, and I don't know why I keep doing it. I know I need help, and I'm in the process of getting it. I'm back on my anti-anxiety/anti-depression medication, and I'm going to start therapy soon. In the meantime, however, I'm going to go completely against my stubborn, hermit nature and ask for support in this effort from the mfp community. I've tried countless times to go it alone, and I'm still at step one... I need help. I think I'll go now and make my diary public, to help feel more accountable for my actions.

This post really spoke to me. I too am around your height and current weight. I've been in therapy the last 10 years, discovery 8 years ago I was addicted to food. I've had a hard childhood with a lot of loss in my life and looking back food became my friend at a very young child. My therapist turned out to also struggle with food addiction and recommended Overeaters Anonymous. I went to meetings off and on for probably 2 years. Sadly I can't say I got anything out of it but I didn't really work the program. Food addiction is no different that any other addiction. It's filling an inside void with outside stuff. It's been hard because my husband doesn't get any kind of addiction especially to food. To him he thinks just don't eat it. Like so many others I have also been addicted to McDonald's since a young child. I am now 42 so that's a lot of years eating that junk. I would eat it every day for lunch and sometimes even in the evenings, always going through the drive through and always throwing away all the evidence before I got home. It's been over 30 days since I last had it and it hasn't been as hard as I thought. My last meal there I felt so sick. I feel like something has shifted in me with my eating. I pray it's lasting. I did Atkins over 10 years ago losing 55 lbs but at the time had no idea I had an addiction. It was the hardest thing I ever did for myself and here I am 10 years later and I'm back up to almost my heaviest. A lot wiser now however about myself. I'm really working on trying to love myself which I've never known how to do. It's a struggle and a process but I am determined this time to beat this demon. Thanks again for sharing.