Food addiction - link with mental health, how do I break the cycle?
kt90gurl
Posts: 37 Member
I am looking for anyone here who feels they have a genuine food addiction. Possibly an eating disorder, linked to over eating. I'm 5'2 and weight approx 210 pounds. The last 7 years I have battled with mental illness, trying to diet and over eating. I use the my fitness pal tracker daily, do really well and then when it comes to the quieter times at night I over eat. I have a problem with using food to stop my sadness. I don't drink, smoke or do drugs, so feel like I use food as a vice. Anyone else who does this and ways to combat it? It genuinely feels like a mental struggle. Also I tried not having the food in the flat, and I always end up going out to get it.
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I eat healthily and moderately, but then when I binge. I REALLY binge. Like I'll eat 5 Choc bars in a row. Or 5 bags of crisps. When I am doing it, I know it's wrong and I should stop, but it's like I have no control. Of course I have spoken to my doctor about it and they put me on anti depressants, which helped but I had to come off them because of all the other side effects.0
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I've got quite a lot in my arsenal against this.
Yoga and meditation help you stay in touch with yourself, how you are feeling. They help you experience the bad stuff, knowing it will pass. Food helps me dissociate, it helps me not feel or be present, which can feel very uncomfortable to me, given my history of trauma and abuse. Yoga and meditation help me know it's safe to feel and be, even if it's uncomfortable, I don't have to zone out, which is ultimately what binge eating let me do.
Another huge help is positive affirmations. It's something I did for a long time, all the time, over and over. "I am capable, I am lovable I am whole." OVer and over, like a mantra. Don't think about what you're saying or try to believe it. Just recite it as often and as long as you can.
Journal. Write 3 pages a day. It doesn't have to be good or interesting or meaningful or insightful or whatever. It can be "I don't know what to write" over and over for three pages, just hit the page count. Of you require 3 pages a day of yourself, the interesting and meaningful stuff will come eventually, without you trying to make it happen.
A lot of this comes down to spending time with yourself. Listening to yourself. Paying attention to your feelings. It sounds simple but it isn't at all. It takes time and practice.
One last thing along these lines that may seem very odd but just try it, look for signs from the universe. Look for signs that the universe wants you to do something or stop doing something or that you're on the right path. You don't actually get signs from the universe, this is actually a conversation you're having with yourself. If you struggle to trust your own intuition, a much easier way to do it is to interpret symbols in the world around you.
This is all really about learning who you really are, what you really want, what will make you feel happy and satisfied and not wanting to binge eat every night. It's SHOCKINGLY hard to do and it takes a light hand. So, don't try all of these things at once and be as kind to yourself as possible. You deserve that.8 -
Thank you so much for your post. I had not tried yoga, meditation or a journal before, so they seem like great ideas I also have a history of trauma and abuse, and you are right, food is an escape, but I don't want to use it as an escape anymore.1
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You are so welcome.
You can find peace and ease. It's work but it can be done. And you are worth it 💝1 -
I had to get a therapist (one I liked, trusted And felt safe around)
There was no way I could stop punishing myself with food and hating myself for no good reason
On my own
It’s too much for me
I needed help, and when I asked for it
it changed everything for the better
Good luck
There is a solution!
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have you tried any talking therapy?1
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Yoga seems to be working for me. Not just the physical aspect but the mental as well. When I slow down to actually think about the why and then acknowledge that it’s okay to feel that way. Seems to help me work through it.
Just remember there’s no magic fix to changing a mindset. You’re going to stumble but that’s okay too because you are human.2 -
It is such a long waiting list in the UK for therapy on the NHS I am still on the waiting list and it's been 6 months. I know someone who had to wait 1 year and 2 months I cannot afford to go private0
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It is such a long waiting list in the UK for therapy on the NHS I am still on the waiting list and it's been 6 months. I know someone who had to wait 1 year and 2 months I cannot afford to go private
Are there any groups like Overeaters Anonymous in the UK that you might look into for support until you can meet with a therapist? Or perhaps a faith-based group that meets for weight loss support? (Even if you're not religious/a member of the church, you might be welcome.)
Good luck. I hope you find some peace.1
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