[Lifenthefastlane]

I am new to this board (to posting anyway) I read it a lot.
I was always (thick) 135lbs 5'6 but I was fit and healthy. I have had 2 kids and now at my heaviest 210. I am miserable.. but to make a long story short I am sure I have a addiction to food.. My problem is I eat healthy not even for half a day and by dinner I ALWAYS BINGE on fast food or eating whatever I can in the house.. WHY DO I DO THIS?? Please tell me I am not alone and possibly some ideas on how to stop doing this.

[joefla70]

You are most certainly NOT alone. There are many people here -- myself included - who did the same thing at one time or another and struggle with this daily. It took me a long time to come to the realization that I had a food addiction. I couple years ago I went to OA (Over Eaters Anonymous) meetings with a friend and the room was full of people who described eating habits similar to what you described -- and far worse. I have binged on fast food by going from one drive-thru to another ordering way more food than what would fill me up. Very often I would eat when I wasn't even hungry... probably just out of boredom. Every night, late in the evening, is a battle not to eat junk food in my pantry while I watch TV. Actually, tonight I went out for a walk for a couple hours so I would be out of the house and not just sitting around being tempted to graze in the kitchen.

Take solace that you are not alone, and that you can beat your temptations to binge if you put your mind to it. I have done it for the past two months. Heck, if I can do it, anybody can! What I have found in the time I've been dieting is that I've become addicted to something else.... something good. I've become addicted to the diet plan and seeing my weight drop when I weigh-in. I've worked so hard to get where I am now that I can't see all that hard work ruined by allowing myself to binge. I can definitely say that it has gotten easier since I started. Take each day one at at time and commit yourself to not bingeing that day. Don't look at it as something to do forever. Give yourself manageable goals. And then, if you slip up one day, don't give up. Get right back on your plan. But definitely make a plan and work it.

Anyway, good luck with your struggles against binging and by all means, come back here to talk about it if you need any support. That is what this forum is all about!

[RedHeadLongLegs]

Very nicely said, Joe! I also suffer from the binge eating in the evenings and some nights I cannot stop myself. Other nights are better when I figure out I need to do something else besides thinking about food! Get going and get busy doing something else.... anything else! I pick up my OA book, go for a walk, jump on the elliptical, play with the dog, surf on line and my favorite is to read all these posts were there are people just like me! They can overcome this disease, so can I!! Read the success stories, they give me so much hope! Fifenthefastlane, know you are not alone!

[angelsandfairies]

I am a new member and I have struggled with what I have now come to realize as a food addiction since I have been reading the posts and looking through the forums. My food addiction is sweets and lots of them. You need to realize that there is nothing wrong with you and it is not your fault.

[Beck]

You are not alone, and I'm sorry that you struggle with this. I've struggled with food addiction, but I'm recovering. One book that I recommend you read is The End of Overeating in America. It is truly eye-opening, and it made me realize that it's not just me, that there really is such a thing as food addiction (the book relates studies done on rats that show fat, sugar, salt [basically junk food] is as addictive as cocaine [I believe it!]).
http://www.amazon.com/The-End-Overea...+of+overeating

You can overcome this. It won't be easy, but it will be worth it.

Another book I highly recommend, and it's helped me so much on my weight loss journey, is Dr. Judith Beck's book Diet Solution http://www.amazon.com/Beck-Diet-Solu...ords=beck+diet

Wishing you strength and determination!

[BethRicher]

I can control my eating during the day well most days however between 6 pm and 10 pm I am out of control. I leave the house so I don't eat then when I get home I want to eat and I do eat more nights.. I need to stop this but find myself out of control so any suggestions would help me greatly and Beck I ordered the 2 books you mentioned in your post

[joefla70]

Originally Posted by BethRicher

I can control my eating during the day well most days however between 6 pm and 10 pm I am out of control. I leave the house so I don't eat then when I get home I want to eat and I do eat more nights.. I need to stop this but find myself out of control so any suggestions would help me greatly and Beck I ordered the 2 books you mentioned in your post

Beth, I am just like you. Before starting my diet regimen a few months ago I used to eat during the evening hours after dinner. But I have been able to stop that.

Are you following any particular dietary plan? I am doing a low carb / low fat diet, spreading my meals and snacks out throughout the day. Breakfast has never been a big deal for me. In fact, I used to skip it. Now, I just have an egg and sometimes a small bowl of fibrous cereal. For lunch and dinner I typically have lean protein and veggies with a low glycemic index. In between meals I have a high protein, low fat and low carb snack and/or a low sugar fruit (like raspberries). I particularly like the "Pure Protein" brand of protein shakes that I buy pre-made.

Now, after dinner I often eat a Pure Protein bar -- which is like having a desert because they are very good. This usually satisfies any hunger or craving that I have in the evening. I have realized that in the past when I raided the pantry in the evenings I was not really hungry.... I was eating out of habit and boredom while I was watching TV. On occasions when I am actually hungry in the evening and want to eat something other than my protein bar, I will eat some veggies. I would eat a few pickles (because they are very low in calories and carbs, but they have a high sodium content which I am trying to minimize). So, what I have done is make a cucumber salad comprised of thinly sliced cucumber marinated in apple cider vinegar and sprinkled with splenda.

I have found that as I have taken off weight, it has become easier to follow my diet plan. This is because I have worked so hard to lose the weight I have lost so far, and I do not want to do anything to jeopardize that weight loss and waste all my effort and hard work. Its just not worth it for a few moments of gratification. Another major thing I have done is make sure that I make meals that are tasty -- even if they are low carb, low fat and low calorie. I have been experimenting with lots of different recipes that I have never made before, incorporating spice and ingredients that I have never or rarely used. This varying of my diet has made it easier to stay on the diet plan and makes me realize that this is something that I can do for the long haul.

[GeraldineHearne]

Congratulations Joe,

Sounds like you have developed a stable and sustainable program that not only delivers weight loss but enables you to get a healthy dose of nutritious foods.
I think a lot of the diets people go on, (some from this website too) are NOT built to last.

They don't help people by changing their eating habits and or address their potentially self-destructive beliefs/addictions.

Well done! You are truly an inspiration and a great example for the rest of us!

Geraldine
xx