A little bit about me

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Hello everyone. My name is Tiffany. I'm am just reopening my fitness pal today. I am desperate and scared for my life right now. I have high blood pressure,high cholesterol,high triglycerides, pre diabetes, on top of all that I have BED. Binge eating disorder. I have lost control so much I don't even know where to start. I was bingeing everyday multiple times during the day and night. I eat so much sometimes that I pass out. I have been doing ok for three days now but I think I'm just starving now because I'm so scared to eat. I need help and I don't know where to go or what to do. My doctors don't listen to me about the binge eating. This is where I need to start I think. I need to address this issue and somehow find a way to stop. Any advice would be great. I've read a lot about it. I need to control myself which seems to be extremely difficult for me.

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  • T0M_K
    T0M_K Posts: 7,526 Member
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    I'd search all over and find a new doctor that validates you and your needs and works to help you address them.
  • subcounter
    subcounter Posts: 2,382 Member
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    I also used to be a binge eater. I have tried anything really. What works for me might not work for you. For me, the biggest help was simply not buying any unhealthy options at the grocery store. If I have some chocolate in the cupboards, I would eat the whole thing. If you have salads, healthy lean meat, fruits, veggies, you end up eating those. As long as you do enough exercise, you can eat a LOT of healthy food.

    Always weight, and write down what you are eating. Only then you understand the calorie amounts. You need to force yourself a little for the first weeks or so but it will come naturally later on.

    And again, I can't stress this enough, please do exercise. It will boost your morale, and will give you an idea of the calories you are consuming. Not sure for anyone else but it also suppresses my appetite for couple of hours.

    Let me know if you have any questions! Make sure to eat properly to get your values back to normal.
  • kschwab0203
    kschwab0203 Posts: 610 Member
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    I myself struggle with binge eating. It's awful! It's not something I do everyday. But, I recognized my over eating as a problem when I started hiding it from my boyfriend. If I am home alone and no one can see sometime I'll go completely off the rails. I will hit up anything in my fridge or pantry and eat until I feel sick sometimes.

    I never really had much of a problem with binge eating as an adult until recently. When I was a kid my parents just let us eat whatever whenever which is what I did. So I guess that's binge eating too. But this has become something that I am shameful of.

    For example, if we are eating dinner together either out or at home, I will be really mindful of how much I eat in front of him. Then I sit there looking at the food left on the plate wishing that I could eat it until I was stuffed. If we are at home, I'll say "I'm going to clean the dishes" and will sit in the kitchen where he can't see me and shovel more food into my mouth until I feel overly full. After, I feel disgusting and then of course the self loathing comes in.

    This behavior makes me feel so ashamed. Like I am hiding something from him. And lying to myself. I've gained about 25 lbs in the 3 years we have been together and I know he notices. It's just such a mixture or emotions.
  • zorander6
    zorander6 Posts: 2,711 Member
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    I would change doctors and find a counselor/psychologist to talk to. There may be other issues that are triggering the binge eating that can be addressed to help reduce it. Possibly stress or other issues. The medical issues may also be contributing but that's where I'd suggest starting. It's not a sign of weakness to seek professional help, it's a sign of strength.
  • Victanya
    Victanya Posts: 4 Member
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    Thank you to everyone who shared with me. I do see a counselor/psychiatrist as well as a family physician. I have numerous times talked about my binge eating. It really does feel like they shove that under the rug and ignore concern for it. I will keep trying my best to overcome this and anyone else who is struggling don't give up!
  • CALS0CCERBEAR87
    CALS0CCERBEAR87 Posts: 38 Member
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    subcounter wrote: »
    I also used to be a binge eater. I have tried anything really. What works for me might not work for you. For me, the biggest help was simply not buying any unhealthy options at the grocery store. If I have some chocolate in the cupboards, I would eat the whole thing. If you have salads, healthy lean meat, fruits, veggies, you end up eating those. As long as you do enough exercise, you can eat a LOT of healthy food.

    Always weight, and write down what you are eating. Only then you understand the calorie amounts. You need to force yourself a little for the first weeks or so but it will come naturally later on.

    And again, I can't stress this enough, please do exercise. It will boost your morale, and will give you an idea of the calories you are consuming. Not sure for anyone else but it also suppresses my appetite for couple of hours.

    Let me know if you have any questions! Make sure to eat properly to get your values back to normal.

    Sometimes when you've been binge eating for a long while and you're at an obese bmi/feel disgusting... it's harder to get motivated and eat better/at a deficit, especially when you're overwhelmed/depressed about being overweight/so many failed attempts...it's like being hurt about being fat (along with other issues your facing-- ie. job stress/less confident/no relationship) makes you binge more--even when u know that controlling the binge eating is the answer (bad cycle).

    I faced these feelings...and eventho not buying the bad stuff and keeping them at home helps...i would still have days of making a list of all the bad stuff, buying it all and eating everything + drive-thru's on every corner didn't help..

    what really helped me was seeing my family doctor and getting the drug Vyvanse prescribed (it's the only FDA approved drug for BED on the American market)....unfortunately, since it's a powerful amphetamine like Adderall, it's controlled and there are no refills at the end of the month...and have to be in contact with your doc to get 1

    i took it once every morning (at an appropriate dose) at my heaviest (240 ish lbs) and it helped a lot, lasting pretty much all day-- it brightened my mood and helped change my relationship with food and get me into healthier habits....like i'd eat more protein (grilled chicken breast, omelets, greens, low-carb stevia-based choc protein blended with almond milk, high fiber fruits like apples) and started doing more cardio/felt more motivated to continue consistently...and eventhough i still ate junk food, i had it a lot less often and never felt the need to overeat it....there definitely has to be a willingness to change but sometimes the right pharmaceutical is a helpful aid as well (especially in the beginning/as a jumpstart)...once i reached the 190's/felt better and my habits became in-grained, i tapered down off the drug completely and still continued on a healthier track and now see food more as fuel (especially with the results reflecting back at me) rather than temporary pleasure...