Binge Eating Forum

Support to stop binge eating, stop emotional eating, and stop overeating.

Binge Eating Forum » Introductions

1. 

   Miss J
   Member

   Hi,

   I'm so glad I found this forum, I thought I was the only one that seemed to have this problem of eating too much and keeping it a secret! I've wanted to talk to someone so much about it but it's not an easy conversation to start with friends and family.

   I think my problem is that I'm obsessed with being healthy - and I really enjoy healthy eating as I'd always pick soup or salad over a burger. I think partly its because I'm terrified I'll put weight on - I was a bit of a chubby child but have lost a lot of weight as I've got into my 20s. But it's become such a big thing in my life that I have to plan my meals and go to extremes such as not eating carbs, scrapping sauces off food etc.

   But...when I do allow myself to have something sweet, I just can't stop. The other day I had a piece of dark chocolate after lunch and it was like something switched in my brain and I couldn't control it. I literally went through the fridge and cupboards looking for everything sweet. I ate half a tub of chocolate ice cream even though I don't like it! It was more about the act of eating than actually tasting any of the food. And obviously I hid all the wrappers, would never ever admit to anyone that I'd done it.

   Does anyone else feel like this? I'm not sure this post makes much sense - in a way I feel like I'm living a double life; the healthy me that everyone knows and then the secret binge eater!

   Posted 12 months ago #
2. 

   Lorena
   Member

   Hi Miss J,

   Your story is similar to mine. I lost weight and I am extremely terrifeld of putting it on that even if i see my weight go up by a pound i freak and unfortunately lately it's gone up by a few due to my binging.

   Again I deprived myself of anything which i thought could make me fat but then when i tasted one thing i turned into a crazy person and just couldn't get enough. For me I find it better to stay away from it all together but hopefully once i've combatted the binging I can add these slowly back into eating. At the mo I'm doing well and am gonna allow myself a treat at the weekend but only once a week or otherwise i will binge.

   Its great you've come on here. The advice i can offer is to begin slow and take a day at a time. At first you will probably do well then there will be a day where you don't but don't give up and hang in there. You're beginning a big change and the transformation will be slow. Personally I don't think this road is supposed to be easy but we will all get there, including you.

   Posted 12 months ago #
3. 

   daisy24
   Member

   welcome miss J. i am the same; having previously been anorexic and scared of putting on any weight during recovery, i have now become a secret binge eater consuming masses amounts of food...i become this monster.
   I was always so healthy and never touched any sugar or fat etc and now on binge days i just cant get enough of the stuff, even though i so desperately want to avoid it and be healthy again. I cant even 'treat' myself just now because it leads on to a full on binge.
   I hope that with every1s support on here we can slowly overcome this awful disorder and share tips and advise on how to stop binging once and for all.
   Good luck, you can do it!

   Posted 12 months ago #
4. 

   stay at home mom
   Member

   HI Miss J: welcome to the forum.

   It's great that you honestly enjoy healthy food. I also think that if lower-carb has kept you slim, it's good to stay the course even if you find the carb-creep happening sometimes. The literature I've read re: lower carb is that once you lose the weight, it's important to increase the fat in your eating style to get enough fuel so you don't binge due to lack of calories; there's a limit to how much more protein you can eat without feeling nauseous and sickish.

   Alternatively, at the maintenance stage of Atkins, you can increase your carb intake until you discover that threshold at which you start to gain weight. I've personally found that I could control sweets most times by eating them daily with my meals, but during my random occasional comfort binge, I definitely lose it on carby things like noodles and dessert. I don't expect lower-carb to be a permanent cure for overeating or bingeing, but it does seem to keep my appetite in check.

   I think the fear of weight gain causes us to over-stress about our food choices and make weird decisions based on calories which leave us hungry and very vulnerable to recurrent binges. I've switched the focus to trying to eat when hungry and stopping when satisfied or comfortably full...never mind about actual calories because I think it's false that we only need 2000 calories daily...I think most women who have jobs or kids or study need more.
   Helen

   Posted 12 months ago #
5. 

   Miss J
   Member

   Thank you all of you. It really helps hearing that people feel the same as me. I have a question though - do your friends and family ever comment on your diet/eating habits? I think if my family didn't tease me for being so healthy I wouldn't keep my binges on sweet food such a secret.

   Posted 12 months ago #
6. 

   daisy24
   Member

   yeh i know what you mean Miss J. My work colleagues always comment on me eating healthy salads and looking slim (except i really dont think i am atall and am trying to lose weight), and whenever there is cake etc at work i refuse, and they all comment on what such great willpower i have etc....little do they know i go home some nites and eat boxes of cereal, packets of biscuits and loaves of bread, and the only reason im not obese by now is coz i then starve for a couple of days after, and do crazy amounts of exercise. So i think you are right, maybe my binges might not be so bad after work if i just ate more during the day. Good point!
   Hope youve had a successful day!

   Posted 12 months ago #
7. 

   Miss J
   Member

   Hi Daisy - your story sounds so familiar! Have you ever thought of telling them that their comments aren't helpful? I really want to broach the subject with my parents but have no idea how!

   Posted 12 months ago #
8. 

   daisy24
   Member

   i dont think i could tell my colleagues at work coz it will put more pressure on me not to binge and that will ultimately make me binge no doubt! My mum knows and its great to be able to openly talk to her about it on the phone and shes very supportive. Infact my mum used to have a binge eating disorder while i was a toddler and shes now 100% over it - so theres hope for us all!
   Does any1 know about your eating disorder miss J? coz i think you will feel soooo relieved if you tell someone u are close to. Do u live at home with your parents? Maybe they know already but have never brought it up with you until they know you are ready - which sounds like it might be now?!
   Its not an easy conversation i know. I just came straight out with it and said i was feeling really unhappy just now because i couldnt control my eating and was overeating continuously and i didnt know why etc. And ive been able to chat about it freely with mum since, without feeling any shame or embarrassment. She promises me it will get better and that it wont be forever. That I just have to ACCEPT that "hey sometimes i binge, sometimes i starve, but thats me just now and that it really wont be forever"

   Anyway hope this helps somehow

   Posted 12 months ago #

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