Binge Eating Disorder and Food Addiction

ekbcpa
ekbcpa Posts: 1 Member
edited November 15 in Motivation and Support
I have never been addicted to drugs or alcohol or tobacco, but when I try to eat right and eliminate fast food....I swear it's like I'm a crack addict who needs my fix. I constantly crave "bad" food and a lot of it. When I have any money available, I blow it all on food. It's crazy.

If I went to an AA meeting having never had trouble with alcohol, they'd throw me out.

I feel so alone.
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Replies

  • joycelyngray
    joycelyngray Posts: 12 Member
    @ekbcpa your not alone there are millions of people and me who battle with the same disorder / disease. Eaters Anonymous site has good info.
  • LushFix
    LushFix Posts: 303 Member
    I am also a binge eater and have just got back on track, feel free to add me!
  • Minifit00
    Minifit00 Posts: 1 Member
    Well I'm not a binge eater. I'm more of a bulimic/anorexic. Lol first time I'm doing this so please don't judge me. Just looking for support and motivation
  • MsAmandaNJ
    MsAmandaNJ Posts: 1,248 Member
    ekbcpa wrote: »
    I have never been addicted to drugs or alcohol or tobacco, but when I try to eat right and eliminate fast food....I swear it's like I'm a crack addict who needs my fix. I constantly crave "bad" food and a lot of it. When I have any money available, I blow it all on food. It's crazy.

    If I went to an AA meeting having never had trouble with alcohol, they'd throw me out.

    I feel so alone.

    You will be welcomed at an open AA meeting, closed ones are for alcoholics only. I've been to AA meetings where OA members were present because not all communities have Overeaters Anonymous groups. Sounds like you're open to AA as a possible solution, check it out - you'll hear people describe how you feel and you won't feel alone. AA was the first time I felt I belonged anywhere.
  • SherriLynnLeeman
    SherriLynnLeeman Posts: 22 Member
    I'm with ya! We all have our addictions in life, some not so graceful as others... you're not alone and you CAN over come!
  • terrillscott
    terrillscott Posts: 13 Member
    After reading this, I feel like this might be the place for me. I've known my eating is emotional, I kind of know my triggers to binge, but it's accepting what it is. An addiction. It makes sense as in some other areas of my life I am prone to excess. I feel like you folks would "get" me and support not judge. Glad I found this thread.
  • I get you totally :)

  • aimjolie
    aimjolie Posts: 60 Member
    You are definitely not alone. With me, i am eating very little and losing weight. Than I begin to start feeling good. Then something will trigger me, like someone's birthday, stress, a holiday, someone baking a delicious cake and bringing it to office for everyone, etc and that will start making me feel again out of control. For example, last week someone at work had a birthday cake. Everyone had a slice and so did I. Big mistake! It started me off that all day I could not get enough to eat. I started binging on junk food. This binge lasted for at least 5 to 6 days. It stopped when I started feeling sick to my stomach. That binge caused me to gain at least 6lbs. With any kind of junk food, cake, cookies, nuts, potato chips, pretzels makes me feel like a drug addict with no control. A normal person would have had the slice of cake, enjoyed it and that would have been it. I can't control it. I find junk food to be irrestible. It's very difficult be all or nothing and feeling so out of control. Now I am back to eating healthy and starting to lose some of that 6 lbs. But it is so difficult.
  • Lukdbestucan16
    Lukdbestucan16 Posts: 168 Member
    aimjolie wrote: »
    You are definitely not alone. With me, i am eating very little and losing weight. Than I begin to start feeling good. Then something will trigger me, like someone's birthday, stress, a holiday, someone baking a delicious cake and bringing it to office for everyone, etc and that will start making me feel again out of control. For example, last week someone at work had a birthday cake. Everyone had a slice and so did I. Big mistake! It started me off that all day I could not get enough to eat. I started binging on junk food. This binge lasted for at least 5 to 6 days. It stopped when I started feeling sick to my stomach. That binge caused me to gain at least 6lbs. With any kind of junk food, cake, cookies, nuts, potato chips, pretzels makes me feel like a drug addict with no control. A normal person would have had the slice of cake, enjoyed it and that would have been it. I can't control it. I find junk food to be irrestible. It's very difficult be all or nothing and feeling so out of control. Now I am back to eating healthy and starting to lose some of that 6 lbs. But it is so difficult.

    That is totally me.its soo bad.cuz because of this the weigth loss journey keeps
    getting longer.
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  • Lukdbestucan16
    Lukdbestucan16 Posts: 168 Member
    It's taken a long time for me to admit I was addicted to food. It's even worse because I love to cook and only have me to cook for.

    I've considered going to OA meetings, but there is no way I'm going to adopt a 12-step program where I pray to a higher power to stop me from putting food in my mouth. I may still go anyway because it might be good for me to talk with others who share the same addiction.

    What makes things especially hard for me is that I cannot change most of what I hate about how I look.....which makes it VERY, VERY EASY to say, "Screw this. I'm going to be seen as a big guy even if I eat 500 calories a day" and go get something to eat (and often, something to drink, as well, if you know what I mean).

    One other strange thing I've noticed...if I make a decision to lose weight, my first thought is "Now let's go get one last big meal."

    Soo true abt the last big meal.am soo surprise to see many people share my struggles..
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  • goldthistime
    goldthistime Posts: 3,213 Member
    edited January 2017
    A friend on here called it Last Supperitis. I know it well. One of the benefits of not being on a superstrict diet is that I feel less of a need to eat all my verboten foods the night before.

    ETA: In fact there aren't really any "night before's" anymore. Just one long continuing string of doing the best I can at the moment.
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  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,415 Member
    @Look_Its_Kriss - what meds did you get prescribed? Is it an SSRI?
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  • shanae727
    shanae727 Posts: 546 Member
    Been there. I swear by the book Brain Over Binge like it's my B.E.D. bible. Look it up, it's been a blessing! Hope it helps.

    You're not alone and sometimes conventional therapy doesn't work or it doesn't work "alone" but in conjunction with other therapy. It gets better.

  • MoodyFoodie23
    MoodyFoodie23 Posts: 26 Member
    I completely understand! I'm the same way. I've just recently started researching ways to combat this addiction. If you need a friend for support please do add me! It'd be nice to be friends with someone who knows what I'm going through too!
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  • goldthistime
    goldthistime Posts: 3,213 Member
    I am not a doctor or a psychiatrist, i never recommend people self diagnose themselves.
    But what i do know is... there are people out there who have episodes of binge eating. Often these are the result of a series of previous events. Elimination Diets, Fad Diets or having a habit of putting foods into bad or good categories and spending their time trying to avoid the foods they have labeled as bad. These people find themselves eventually eating too much of something... cookies, cake, ice cream.. pizza... whatever.. shaming themselves and going right back to the previous behavior, they may give up on a diet for a while out of shame and feeling like a failure.. go back to old eating habits of eating higher calorie density foods and either maintaining their larger size or gaining/regaining weight back before trying again to lose weight. The people who don't quit though can often find ways to avoid a binge by not having the food in the house, making sure they get enough protein so theyre not hungry, making sure they eat close enough to goal, Etc.. little tricks they can play on themselves to make the process of binge eating on whatever it may be just slightly more difficult. This is just behavior modification. It works with a lot of people. However with Binge eating disorder there is no tricks. When the mind takes over the days and months that can pass.. there is no picking and choosing which foods... its all food, its any food, you eat and you eat.. and you do it in secret, you can put locks on the fridge and cupboards and give someone the key but you still cant control it, you throw out all your food and you bring in only healthy fruit and veggies and even that makes no difference and the more you try and do all these little tricks the more stupid you feel because you fail, every time, and the calories pile up and up into the thousands each day.. cause its not just one night.. or one meal... its months.. years..

    Good point.

    I have binged plenty. Sometimes thousands of calories in a short period of time. But I don't have B.E.D. I agree that there's a big difference.

  • Hearts_2015
    Hearts_2015 Posts: 12,031 Member
    edited January 2017
    If you really want something like AA go to food addicts in recovery anonymous or over eaters anonymous. They both use same 12 step program, meetings and sponsor approach as AA. They are not my solution but they are right for some.

    I have a 26 year history of binge eating disorder so I totally understand where yo are coming from. You are not alone, there are lots of us in same situation.
    ekbcpa wrote: »
    I have never been addicted to drugs or alcohol or tobacco, but when I try to eat right and eliminate fast food....I swear it's like I'm a crack addict who needs my fix. I constantly crave "bad" food and a lot of it. When I have any money available, I blow it all on food. It's crazy.

    If I went to an AA meeting having never had trouble with alcohol, they'd throw me out.

    I feel so alone.
    I'm sorry you feel alone, you're not. <3

    They wouldn't throw you out... they'd welcome you. You can go to any 12 meetings you like they are all based on the big book, they all use the steps. Any of the meetings can be really helpful, online meetings, call-in meeting, there are OA and NA and AA groups on here as well.
  • Hearts_2015
    Hearts_2015 Posts: 12,031 Member
    shanae727 wrote: »
    Been there. I swear by the book Brain Over Binge like it's my B.E.D. bible. Look it up, it's been a blessing! Hope it helps.

    You're not alone and sometimes conventional therapy doesn't work or it doesn't work "alone" but in conjunction with other therapy. It gets better.
    @shanae727
    I don't know if you heard but she's got her book on tape now. So handy when you're driving etc.


    @cmriverside I am currently taking 50mg of Vyvanse, it is a drug used to treat ADHD but it is also used to treat moderate to severe binge eating disorder.

    @Look_Its_Kriss same ^ I just jumped to 40mg a couple days ago, how's it working for you? Have you been on it long?
  • EmilyK75
    EmilyK75 Posts: 3 Member
    I have a problem with binge eating, too. Even when I'm in the middle of eating crap I tell myself to stop eating, but keep on eating. I feel so powerless. I'm trying really hrs to overcome it. Maybe some support and motivation here will help.
  • elpint0r
    elpint0r Posts: 99 Member
    You're not alone. Diagnosed with binge eating disorder and bulimia a few years ago. What honestly helped me was going to an inpatient eating disorder treatment center. I had to completely surrender to the fact that I had a problem and immerse myself in positivity and make a change. Two years later, I'm still slowly recovering. It's a long hard road but find yourself a therapist to start. You can do this!
  • Lukdbestucan16
    Lukdbestucan16 Posts: 168 Member
    I am the king of Final Binges.

    BEFORE THE STORE:
    "Okay, now STARTING TOMORROW, you're gonna lose weight. No excuses. Out the door to work out at 6 am, that's right...and we're going to eat ONLY WHEN REALLY, REALLY HUNGRY. All right, since you're about to do this, let's 'say goodbye' to bad food and booze as well. We'll hit the store and you can get whatever you want, JUST THIS ONCE (never mind the other times you've done it). Want a frozen pizza? Three or four boxes of movie-size candy? Pop? Booze? Well, since booze is fattening, maybe we oughta pick up some beer, since we're 'saying goodbye' to that as well."

    MID-BINGE:
    "All right, come on, finish it up (but I'm stuffed!)...you can't keep any of this crap around tomorrow (and the notion of THROWING FOOD AWAY is foreign...you might waste a whole ten dollars worth of junk food!), so keep eating. This is a good thing. You're getting stuffed and all buzzed from the booze as well and you're really going to feel disgusted and bloated when you're done...WHICH IS GOOD! I'm sure you'll be so revolted at what you've done to yourself that you'll be EXTRA DETERMINED tomorrow!"

    NEXT MORNING:
    "Oooohhhhh....I feel sooooo sick. I can't go running, I can't lift weights, I'll throw up if I do anything but sit watching TV. Ughhh...I am not going to eat for at least a day, clean out my system."

    THREE HOURS LATER:
    "Ugh, I'm still tired. Hmmmm...maybe eating food will give me some energy, make me feel less logy. And hey, maybe JUST THIS ONCE, I'll let myself have something loaded with carbs, to give me energy!"

    Thats just me ..it such a cancerous habit..lol
  • mactaffy428
    mactaffy428 Posts: 61 Member
    Minifit00 wrote: »
    Well I'm not a binge eater. I'm more of a bulimic/anorexic. Lol first time I'm doing this so please don't judge me. Just looking for support and motivation

    Sorry, it I have to judge this. I judge you as being brave to tell us and ask for support! I know it is hard. Proud of you - no one will think badly of you. I hope this community can provide you with what you need.

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