How to Combat Food Addiction?

Hi there, I have recently been diagnosed with PTSD and a rare eating disorder where I overeat to make myself overweight and unattractive to potential sexual predators. Now that I have that knowledge, I'm no longer having the problem of, halfway through a diet, thinking to myself "I need to stay this weight so that strange men aren't interested in anything other than friendship." Now I'm having problems resisting temptation and eating only the amount that I need. I eat way too much and just cannot stop. I'll try to resist a temptation then the thought of the food stays on my mind and gets worse and worse until I give in. I have been overweight since I was about 12 and I just want to know what it feels like to not be so overweight for once in my life...

Replies

  • Seffell
    Seffell Posts: 2,218 Member
    Do you live alone or with other people? Is it possible to not buy any tempting foods (treats etc) for a while and only buy things which you think are less likely to trigger you?

    What if you tell yourself that you can have that food that you have on your mind, but just not today? What I'm doing at the moment is eating at a deficit for a week and then eating at maintanance for a week (You still need to carefully weigh and log during that maintanamce week). This way I can still have the foods that I crave but just not this week.

    Everyone likes treats. We just don't have them everyday and every meal because they wouldn't be treats anymore.

    Also make sure you are aiming for a small deficit. This way you can incorporate more of the foods you want to eat and still lose weight.

    I can't give any advice with relation to your eating disorder. I hope you're geting good advice from your treatment team/doctor.

  • SCoil123
    SCoil123 Posts: 2,108 Member
    Hi there, I have recently been diagnosed with PTSD and a rare eating disorder where I overeat to make myself overweight and unattractive to potential sexual predators. Now that I have that knowledge, I'm no longer having the problem of, halfway through a diet, thinking to myself "I need to stay this weight so that strange men aren't interested in anything other than friendship." Now I'm having problems resisting temptation and eating only the amount that I need. I eat way too much and just cannot stop. I'll try to resist a temptation then the thought of the food stays on my mind and gets worse and worse until I give in. I have been overweight since I was about 12 and I just want to know what it feels like to not be so overweight for once in my life...

    My aunt was an assault survivor and struggled with the same disorder. She developed diabetes and passed in her 50s after having a second stroke.

    I’m also a survivor and in recovery for bulimia.

    So many others with eating disorders I’ve connected with over the years are also survivors with diagnosed PTSD. You’re not alone.

    For me I needed a few things to start my recovery journey
    1. Therapy for the PTSD
    2. I worked the 12 steps through EDA and found people who also struggled with eating disorders to build a support group of people who understood
    3. Found activities that I really enjoy doing that are physical. For me this really helped start the healing process of my relationship with my body. I fell in love with boxing and weight lifting feeling strong and have recently started trail running again after years

    Please feel free to add me and message anytime
  • hroderick
    hroderick Posts: 756 Member
    Good martial arts instruction will help mentally, spiritually, and physically.