I can't control my eating.

I've pretty much always had tendencies towards occasional bouts of manic overeating - fairly sure it originates from the "rules" when I was a kid, which essentially dictated that Sunday to Friday was for exceptionally clean eating, with Saturday as a free for all. I'm not sure whether it really falls under the same remit, as I luckily don't have much trouble snapping straight back to healthy eating come Sunday - but I'll still happily eat beyond the point of full and then some.

I think it helps a lot to log exactly what you're eating, as you're eating it (not afterwards!) - this makes it far easier to curb your intake, for me anyway. I'm trying to cut this mentality completely now, so I've started planning my Saturdays in advance and leaving a few hundred calories leeway, rather than defaulting to giant-takeaway-and-entire-cake defacto (my fiancé is also quite bad for this, which doesn't help!).

I know there are a quite a few support groups for binge eating here - so it may be worth having a look around for some more useful advice. And other than that, just take one day at a time, avoid thinking "well I've started now so screw it" (i.e. never too late to curb yourself), and always try to get straight back to healthy eating the next day. From what you've said though (not noticing what you're eating or when you're eating it), you may see a difference just from vigilantly tracking throughout the day if poss?

enter it into your food diary before you eat maybe being calorie shocked might snap you out of your binge eating. I find it helps me when it comes to cravings. Also they say to wait 15 minutes once a craving begins. Usually after the 15 in you would have forgotten about the food you were thinking of. Also you might want to try brushing your teeth ratehr than snacking. You never like to snack after brushing your teeth. For one it tastes gross and second you will have to brush your teeth again after you eat so if you are lazy like me its too much work and not worth the extra snack. Try chewing on a piece of gum or sucking on a lifesaver, it may help your mind get off of food. I find I binge eat the worst when I am stressed so I know exactly what you are going thru. Good Luck.

Take a friend shopping with you for impulse control... Tell her not to let you touch the snacks! Don't go food shopping when you're hungry. Plan out your meals for the next couple of days so you aren't always thinking about what to eat next. Almost all of us are trying to overcome the control of food. It gets easier when you stop giving in to the impulse to binge.

If you don't want this, you won't do this. End of the story. We all love food. That is why we are here. But if you want it bad enough you will take responsbility of what you consume.

^^^^ couldn't agree more!:laugh:

The first step starts with you. Are you ready to stop, or not? Once you've made up your mind, the rest becomes easier.

Start by logging EVERYTHING. All of it. Be honest. Don't try to change it yet, just log it all, big and small. Set your tracker up so you can monitor calories, carbs, fats, proteins, sugars, and sodium. Force yourself to start drinking 64 ounces (8 8 ounce glasses) of water a day to get started. Water fills a void, and thirst is often mistaken for hunger and causes binges.

When you can actually see what you're doing to yourself broken down into nutrition, it may serve as a wake-up call. When you're drinking enough water, you might find the cravings easier to control.

If not, then ADD healthy foods, even if you can't control the bad foods at first. Even if it means EATING MORE. Make sure you meet your daily eating goals for carbohydrates, fats, and protein. You may be binging because your body is missing something - adding that something might make the binges go away.

PS: before you go to the grocery store, EAT SOMETHING. Preferably something with lots of fat and proteins and complex carbs, but WHATEVER IT TAKES. Going to the grocery store hungry is the key to making poor food decisions. Going to the grocery store satisfied means that you might be better-equipped to choose wisely. If you can manage not to bring the crap home, it won't be there to eat.

you can have foods you like or similar you do need to read labels watch sugars and carbs i went thought my cabinets it is hard to break a habit but you can do it one day at a time ♥ when u loss your 1st five pounds you'll be on cloud 9 then you will keep trying . we didnt get this way over night so it will take time ask a friend to go to the store with you i did this in the beggining cause i wanted to buy cookies snacks and all that now i go to farm stand and buy 100 calorie treat add me if you want i will support you ♥

There are probably 100 reason why you eat too much, or the wrong thing. Just start logging you food - every darn mouthful. In no time, you will see where you are going off the track, then you will know what to fix.

If you are really serious, you can clean out your house of al the junk, and buy foods that are good for you. There are tons of recipes available that taste good and are good for you. Even some of the "not so good" foods can be eaten in moderation, but that doesn't sound like you.

This can be done - so log the food and get started. Make some MFP friends and work on it.

Its called temptation, you just gotta look at yourself in the mirrior, or wherever and just tell yourself how much you wanna get fit.

you could try these tips they may help:

- Plan your meals for the full week and when to eat your meals, hopefully this way will keep you motivated to stay on it... (saving yourself from snacking)
- Smaller portion sizes ( its shocking how much we over eat)
- eating slower, and only drinking water/beverage after your meal, as the water/beverage expands your stomach and you feel less full.
- Cleaning your teeth, drinking water (most of the time we're thristy, instead of hunger cravings *the minty toothpaste helps*)
- If your really craving sweety foods (in moderation)... take the ones with natural sugar, sawping normal coke, for diet coke is the worst you can do, as the artifical sweeters mess up your body.

hopefully some of them help you.
GL

I had the same experience with MFP.