Major food issues

THEsnails
THEsnails Posts: 25 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I apologize in advance for this lengthy post, and I thank anyone who reads what I have to say. I have an overeating problem that has gotten quite bad as of late AND I NEED HELP D:

I am 5'1" and 133 pounds. That's a little overweight, but my doctor told me my BMI was very good. However, I am a very serious dancer, and I will be attending a summer ballet intensive for about a month this summer. I'm leaving for it at the end of June, and I was told by my ballet teacher that I should consider losing some weight before I leave. She wasn't really out of place to say this; I'm extremely chubby according to the ballet world, and it's kind of ridiculous to expect to be successful in partnering class, etc. if my partner can't even pick me up..............

Anyway, I really want to lose at least 20 pounds. I was 100 pounds about 4 years ago (same height), but I don't know what happened. It would be so nice to be back at that weight, for both my mental and physical health. I know if I lose the weight, I'll feel more confident in dance class and in everyday life, I'll be happier, etc. etc. etc. We all know WHY we want to lose weight. It's just the doing part that I have a problem with. It's not even the exercise....I love working out. I try to do heavy exercise everyday for at least an hour, etc., plus I have ballet class up to 5 times a week. Technically, I should be in really good shape. I JUST EAT SO MUCH. My overeating problem has gone from nonexistent, to mild, to severe, to COMPLETELY OUT OF CONTROL. For instance, the other day I consumed well over 3000 calories for no reason. Eating is exactly like a drug high for me; it calms me down, it makes me happy......but then after I eat a ridiculous amount, I feel terrible and ashamed. Then I eat more to compensate for my bad feelings. I know I have lack of willpower, lack of dedication....and I keep trying to tell myself that I want to lose weight and be a successful dancer MORE than I want to eat. But eating always wins. I was doing so well today, and then I ate like...four Luna bars just because they were there. I BOUGHT THOSE FOR BREAKFAST D:

I just need help so bad. I don't know who to talk to because it's such a stupid thing to not be able to control. But I am having such inner turmoil here....it is disrupting my everyday life and making it very difficult to function, considering every meal is a struggle. (Some days I won't eat anything and then I'll go on some awful binge in the middle of the night). This behavior is so unhealthy, I just need it to stop. Please, if anyone has any advice, I'd appreciate it so much. (Note: I'm considering going to an Overeaters Anonymous meeting, but I'm just way too ashamed to talk about it with people face to face I think).

Replies

  • Lady_Bane
    Lady_Bane Posts: 720 Member
    Deglutition has been proven in Physiology to release serotonin, which in turn makes you feel better. Finding a good support network can help you get past those bumps in the road before you binge. Starving yourself all day will only make matters worse. Slowly every few days reduce your calorie intake, not too fast...not too slow. Eat more filling foods that will keep you full for longer. When you feel the need to eat....chew gum...the act of swallowing may help aid in your need to feel better.
  • StarkLark
    StarkLark Posts: 476 Member
    Many people here have issues with overeating, so you are certainly not alone in your struggles. You could also check out this group:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/666-overeaters-anonymous-oa
  • naomi8888
    naomi8888 Posts: 519 Member
    I'm sorry to hear about this problem. Some good books were mentioned in this thread yesterday, maybe some will help you.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/108450-books-that-changed-your-outlook-on-nutrition?hl=books&page=7#posts-8784896
  • abetterjune
    abetterjune Posts: 219
    (Note: I'm considering going to an Overeaters Anonymous meeting, but I'm just way too ashamed to talk about it with people face to face I think).

    They have some phone and online meetings if you want to see what it's about without "seeing" anyone. I've been to a few meetings IRL and the people are actually really nice and supportive.

    My first suggestion is to see a nutritionist or dietician and get a meal plan. You might be missing some vital nutrients in your diet that is causing the cravings or something.

    Second, and it sounds like you're already doing this, but log EVERYTHING. And keep detailed notes about times you ate, situations, feelings, etc. Try to distinguish a pattern.

    Good luck. You can overcome this. There are other things that really are better than food.
  • dovesgate
    dovesgate Posts: 894 Member
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/538381-in-place-of-a-road-map

    This is what I do. If you run all the numbers in the post you'll get to a chart that tells you how much you ought to be eating to get to your goal. It's probably higher than you think you ought to be eating but with the calories it gives you, you probably won't end up binging.
  • gharbutts
    gharbutts Posts: 4
    Maybe try to reach for vegetables when you feel the need to binge. It sounds like you're plenty active, and that might make your body crave so much food by itself.

    Of course, I only know what you've written here, and maybe you just eat for the sake of eating all the time because you're bored, or out of habit. Try to only eat sitting down at a table and paying full attention to eating, and keep yourself busy. Don't go to the kitchen for no reason, go when you actually WANT to eat.

    If you're finding that you're actually hungry, then it may be the activity that is making you want so much food, in which case, try my original suggestion of eating veggies when you want food. They are filling and low in calories and really good for you, so you can feel free to sit down with a few hearts of romaine and a bag of radishes and just eat to your heart's content. This will likely land you closer to an ideal number of calories at the end of the day. Good luck!
  • THEsnails
    THEsnails Posts: 25 Member
    Maybe try to reach for vegetables when you feel the need to binge. It sounds like you're plenty active, and that might make your body crave so much food by itself.

    Of course, I only know what you've written here, and maybe you just eat for the sake of eating all the time because you're bored, or out of habit. Try to only eat sitting down at a table and paying full attention to eating, and keep yourself busy. Don't go to the kitchen for no reason, go when you actually WANT to eat.

    If you're finding that you're actually hungry, then it may be the activity that is making you want so much food, in which case, try my original suggestion of eating veggies when you want food. They are filling and low in calories and really good for you, so you can feel free to sit down with a few hearts of romaine and a bag of radishes and just eat to your heart's content. This will likely land you closer to an ideal number of calories at the end of the day. Good luck!

    It's funny because I'm a vegan...you would think reaching for vegetables would be a lot easier than it is! I've tried this over and over again but it never seems to last. I'll feel like eating, so I eat some carrots or whatever...but it never satisfies because it's not full of carbs and sugar I suppose. So then I end up eating a disgusting amount of pasta or something. I'll keep trying though. And I like your idea of only eating at the kitchen table and only going in the kitchen for meals. Way too often do I simply wander through the kitchen and end up eating 3 bowls of cereal, haha. Thank you for your advice, I really appreciate it!

    Also thank you to everyone else as well!
  • StarkLark
    StarkLark Posts: 476 Member
    Maybe try to reach for vegetables when you feel the need to binge. It sounds like you're plenty active, and that might make your body crave so much food by itself.
    THIS. Sometimes when I'm feeling binge-y I prepare a heaping plate of raw veggies. The time spent cutting and preparing also allows me to practice actively resisting the "eat everything now" urge, and if I'm still feeling like I need to eat when I finish prepping there are certainly worse things than a couple hundred extra calories of fresh vegetables.
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,423 Member
    YOu might like the book "Eating Less" by Gillian Riley,
    She talks a lot about addictive eating and has some practical strategies to help.
    Good luck, I know it's not easy.
  • EmilyTwist1
    EmilyTwist1 Posts: 206 Member
    How old are you? I ask this in all seriousness, because that could be a major factor in your weight gain over the past few years. I weigh about 10-15 pounds more now than I did four years ago. Four years ago I was 18, and part of being a woman at that age is building up fat stores for having children. If you're in your late teens/early twenties, some of your weight gain could be due to the natural development of your body. I'm not trying to discredit the overeating issue; just something else you might want to consider.
  • Lady_Bane
    Lady_Bane Posts: 720 Member
    Maybe try to reach for vegetables when you feel the need to binge. It sounds like you're plenty active, and that might make your body crave so much food by itself.
    THIS. Sometimes when I'm feeling binge-y I prepare a heaping plate of raw veggies. The time spent cutting and preparing also allows me to practice actively resisting the "eat everything now" urge, and if I'm still feeling like I need to eat when I finish prepping there are certainly worse things than a couple hundred extra calories of fresh vegetables.

    I like your prepping advice.
  • EmilyTwist1
    EmilyTwist1 Posts: 206 Member
    Maybe try to reach for vegetables when you feel the need to binge. It sounds like you're plenty active, and that might make your body crave so much food by itself.

    Of course, I only know what you've written here, and maybe you just eat for the sake of eating all the time because you're bored, or out of habit. Try to only eat sitting down at a table and paying full attention to eating, and keep yourself busy. Don't go to the kitchen for no reason, go when you actually WANT to eat.

    If you're finding that you're actually hungry, then it may be the activity that is making you want so much food, in which case, try my original suggestion of eating veggies when you want food. They are filling and low in calories and really good for you, so you can feel free to sit down with a few hearts of romaine and a bag of radishes and just eat to your heart's content. This will likely land you closer to an ideal number of calories at the end of the day. Good luck!

    It's funny because I'm a vegan...you would think reaching for vegetables would be a lot easier than it is! I've tried this over and over again but it never seems to last. I'll feel like eating, so I eat some carrots or whatever...but it never satisfies because it's not full of carbs and sugar I suppose. So then I end up eating a disgusting amount of pasta or something. I'll keep trying though. And I like your idea of only eating at the kitchen table and only going in the kitchen for meals. Way too often do I simply wander through the kitchen and end up eating 3 bowls of cereal, haha. Thank you for your advice, I really appreciate it!

    Also thank you to everyone else as well!

    If you have not done so already, I recommend you see a nutritionist. Vegan diets can lead to deficiencies in things such as protein, B12, iron, etc. A nutritional deficiency, especially with something like protein, can make you feel like you need to eat all the time. Even if you were an omnivore, I'd recommend getting checked out by a nutritionist, and getting some blood work done to check if you have any nutritional deficiencies.
  • THEsnails
    THEsnails Posts: 25 Member
    How old are you? I ask this in all seriousness, because that could be a major factor in your weight gain over the past few years. I weigh about 10-15 pounds more now than I did four years ago. Four years ago I was 18, and part of being a woman at that age is building up fat stores for having children. If you're in your late teens/early twenties, some of your weight gain could be due to the natural development of your body. I'm not trying to discredit the overeating issue; just something else you might want to consider.

    I'm 18, so yes, growth/development could definitely be an attributing factor to some of the weight gain. But I'm pushing 40 pounds in 4 years! aaaaaahah
  • THEsnails
    THEsnails Posts: 25 Member
    [/quote]
    If you have not done so already, I recommend you see a nutritionist. Vegan diets can lead to deficiencies in things such as protein, B12, iron, etc. A nutritional deficiency, especially with something like protein, can make you feel like you need to eat all the time. Even if you were an omnivore, I'd recommend getting checked out by a nutritionist, and getting some blood work done to check if you have any nutritional deficiencies.
    [/quote]

    I have never considered going to a nutritionist before. Does it cost much to meet with one a few times? And my doctor told me to get blood work done but I just never got around to it...I'll do it soon.
  • EmilyTwist1
    EmilyTwist1 Posts: 206 Member
    How old are you? I ask this in all seriousness, because that could be a major factor in your weight gain over the past few years. I weigh about 10-15 pounds more now than I did four years ago. Four years ago I was 18, and part of being a woman at that age is building up fat stores for having children. If you're in your late teens/early twenties, some of your weight gain could be due to the natural development of your body. I'm not trying to discredit the overeating issue; just something else you might want to consider.

    I'm 18, so yes, growth/development could definitely be an attributing factor to some of the weight gain. But I'm pushing 40 pounds in 4 years! aaaaaahah

    That is more than average. Have you had your body fat percentage checked? Since you are pretty active, that could be muscle gain.
  • EmilyTwist1
    EmilyTwist1 Posts: 206 Member
    If you have not done so already, I recommend you see a nutritionist. Vegan diets can lead to deficiencies in things such as protein, B12, iron, etc. A nutritional deficiency, especially with something like protein, can make you feel like you need to eat all the time. Even if you were an omnivore, I'd recommend getting checked out by a nutritionist, and getting some blood work done to check if you have any nutritional deficiencies.
    [/quote]

    I have never considered going to a nutritionist before. Does it cost much to meet with one a few times? And my doctor told me to get blood work done but I just never got around to it...I'll do it soon.
    [/quote]

    I'm not sure about the costs of nutritionists, but it would be a good idea to get the blood work done that your doc recommended as a starting point. Even if it's not related to your weight gain, it's good to know because deficiencies can cause other health problems as well.
  • THEsnails
    THEsnails Posts: 25 Member
    How old are you? I ask this in all seriousness, because that could be a major factor in your weight gain over the past few years. I weigh about 10-15 pounds more now than I did four years ago. Four years ago I was 18, and part of being a woman at that age is building up fat stores for having children. If you're in your late teens/early twenties, some of your weight gain could be due to the natural development of your body. I'm not trying to discredit the overeating issue; just something else you might want to consider.

    I'm 18, so yes, growth/development could definitely be an attributing factor to some of the weight gain. But I'm pushing 40 pounds in 4 years! aaaaaahah

    That is more than average. Have you had your body fat percentage checked? Since you are pretty active, that could be muscle gain.

    I can't recall my BMI offhand, but my doctor told me it was good. I had it checked at the gym a few months ago too, and the trainer said I was average but it wouldn't hurt to lose some fat.
  • EmilyTwist1
    EmilyTwist1 Posts: 206 Member
    How old are you? I ask this in all seriousness, because that could be a major factor in your weight gain over the past few years. I weigh about 10-15 pounds more now than I did four years ago. Four years ago I was 18, and part of being a woman at that age is building up fat stores for having children. If you're in your late teens/early twenties, some of your weight gain could be due to the natural development of your body. I'm not trying to discredit the overeating issue; just something else you might want to consider.

    I'm 18, so yes, growth/development could definitely be an attributing factor to some of the weight gain. But I'm pushing 40 pounds in 4 years! aaaaaahah

    That is more than average. Have you had your body fat percentage checked? Since you are pretty active, that could be muscle gain.

    I can't recall my BMI offhand, but my doctor told me it was good. I had it checked at the gym a few months ago too, and the trainer said I was average but it wouldn't hurt to lose some fat.

    I plugged your height and weight into a BMI calculator, and it says it's 25.1. That's right on the edge between normal (18.5-24.99) and overweight (25-29.99). Again, a lot of that could be muscle, which is a good thing. 25.1 is certainly nothing to panic about, but losing some weight won't hurt either. You could lose 30 lbs and still be in the normal range.

    I wish I had some advice on the overeating, but that's not something I've had to deal with. My best advice would be to approach the situation from multiple angles, and you will have a much better chance at getting the results you want.
  • THEsnails
    THEsnails Posts: 25 Member
    How old are you? I ask this in all seriousness, because that could be a major factor in your weight gain over the past few years. I weigh about 10-15 pounds more now than I did four years ago. Four years ago I was 18, and part of being a woman at that age is building up fat stores for having children. If you're in your late teens/early twenties, some of your weight gain could be due to the natural development of your body. I'm not trying to discredit the overeating issue; just something else you might want to consider.

    I'm 18, so yes, growth/development could definitely be an attributing factor to some of the weight gain. But I'm pushing 40 pounds in 4 years! aaaaaahah

    That is more than average. Have you had your body fat percentage checked? Since you are pretty active, that could be muscle gain.

    I can't recall my BMI offhand, but my doctor told me it was good. I had it checked at the gym a few months ago too, and the trainer said I was average but it wouldn't hurt to lose some fat.

    I plugged your height and weight into a BMI calculator, and it says it's 25.1. That's right on the edge between normal (18.5-24.99) and overweight (25-29.99). Again, a lot of that could be muscle, which is a good thing. 25.1 is certainly nothing to panic about, but losing some weight won't hurt either. You could lose 30 lbs and still be in the normal range.

    I wish I had some advice on the overeating, but that's not something I've had to deal with. My best advice would be to approach the situation from multiple angles, and you will have a much better chance at getting the results you want.

    Thank you for doing that! I will get a re-check at the gym soon and let you know, although 25.1 is probably fairly accurate. Thank you for all of your help.
  • misspersimmon
    misspersimmon Posts: 29
    I know how painful and disruptive this issue can be, I'm sorry you're experiencing it. I found that when I went 100% raw for a couple of weeks, I eliminated a lot of cravings and got back into an intuitive and moderate cycle of eating. When I started adding cooked foods again it was a lot more manageable. Have you considered seeing a counselor? I know for a lot of binge eaters, this is really essential in terms of total recovery. Seeing a counselor was helpful for me. I would also look into "intuitive eating," it is a concept that has helped a lot of binge eaters recover as well.

    A while ago I was suffering very much like you, not that long ago even, a month or two, I was bingeing frequently. I haven't binged in about 20 days or more now due to raw foods and eating food groups in moderation. Be kind to yourself and forgiving. Feeling shame about food or a binge will only lead to more issues with food. Offer yourself forgiveness and respect, even after a binge. Tell yourself you love yourself and offer peace and kindness. Mental peace is just as important for your recovery.
  • stingraycat
    stingraycat Posts: 33
    try finding other ways to soothe yourself. plan meals ahead of time and make sure you're getting enough calories every day. the hungrier you are, the harder it is to resist eating a bunch of ****.
  • THEsnails
    THEsnails Posts: 25 Member
    try finding other ways to soothe yourself. plan meals ahead of time and make sure you're getting enough calories every day. the hungrier you are, the harder it is to resist eating a bunch of ****.

    Yes definitely, good point.
  • EmilyTwist1
    EmilyTwist1 Posts: 206 Member
    Something else that might help is eating foods that are high in protein, such as nuts. Proteins will make you feel fuller. When I'm really hungry, I often go for peanut butter, as even a little bit makes me feel full.

    Also, you might want to try chewing more. Chewing sends signals to your brain that you're getting full, so the more you chew, the fuller you will feel.
  • THEsnails
    THEsnails Posts: 25 Member
    Something else that might help is eating foods that are high in protein, such as nuts. Proteins will make you feel fuller. When I'm really hungry, I often go for peanut butter, as even a little bit makes me feel full.

    Also, you might want to try chewing more. Chewing sends signals to your brain that you're getting full, so the more you chew, the fuller you will feel.

    Ah I love peanut butter. I eat it right out of the jar. But I have a hard time paying attention to my hunger signals, so when I go to eat peanut butter or something, I will end up eating half the jar instead of just a few tablespoons. Not because I'm hungry, but just because it is delicious.......haha. And I love your chewing idea. I'm thinking of getting some of those tea tree toothpicks to chew on when I feel like eating a lot.
  • EmilyTwist1
    EmilyTwist1 Posts: 206 Member
    Something else that might help is eating foods that are high in protein, such as nuts. Proteins will make you feel fuller. When I'm really hungry, I often go for peanut butter, as even a little bit makes me feel full.

    Also, you might want to try chewing more. Chewing sends signals to your brain that you're getting full, so the more you chew, the fuller you will feel.

    Ah I love peanut butter. I eat it right out of the jar. But I have a hard time paying attention to my hunger signals, so when I go to eat peanut butter or something, I will end up eating half the jar instead of just a few tablespoons. Not because I'm hungry, but just because it is delicious.......haha. And I love your chewing idea. I'm thinking of getting some of those tea tree toothpicks to chew on when I feel like eating a lot.

    You might want to give yoga a try. It's great for developing body awareness, which can help you feel when you are full and when you are hungry.

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