Chicks in Control Overeating? Binging? Share uplifting support and gain control!

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Old 04-10-2013, 01:05 PM   #76  
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ha ha, note i added my stats for silverskys benefit.
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Old 04-10-2013, 02:29 PM   #77  
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http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/m...food-addiction

interesting link. I can really relate to this. Fear with regards to certain types of food only. Anyone else feel this?
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Old 04-10-2013, 02:41 PM   #78  
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http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/...food-addiction

very interesting. kind of shows how behaviours surrounding food can be very individual.
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Old 04-10-2013, 02:52 PM   #79  
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http://bedaonline.com/about-beda/history/

another one. I enjoyed reading this because the woman had food issues from as long as she could remember from very early childhood. She seems to have found a benefit to not dieting.
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Old 04-10-2013, 03:29 PM   #80  
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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/irene-...b_1405651.html

another article on food addiction. this person is pro-calorie counting. Interesting to see all different takes on it. I am still continuing on with my no calorie counting/dieting approach. I will also try and include the foods I feel I have an unusual addictive response too, however for now i feel I will do this in a public place.
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Old 04-10-2013, 04:15 PM   #81  
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http://www.nationalpost.com/Food+Add...662/story.html

This article discusses two approaches to binge eating. Abstinence and mindful eating. Interesting.
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Old 04-10-2013, 05:04 PM   #82  
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I gotta run (to dinner, ha) and will comment more later but you nailed my eating habits perfectly.
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Old 04-10-2013, 05:26 PM   #83  
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veggie, I'm not versed on the subject of food addiction. I suspect that I am not however, a food addict as I never was as a child. I had a complete lack of interest in food as a kid and was more interested in running outside like a loon until the sun went down, and watching bad cartoons ad nauseum.

I also doubt that people who diet and then binge are true food addicts. The bingeing and obsession with food is just a natural response to their restriction. It's an awful experience, but normal to have happen because the body wants calories to stay alive. For those who have been obese and obsessed with food since childhood, perhaps they do have an addiction, but as I said, I don't know enough about it and it's different than what we're talking about.

Your story with the donuts versus steak made me think: I'm not sure of your most recent dieting ventures, how many calories you were on, or how many calories you eat now. It's highly possible that your body is still trying to make up for a past deficit. It doesn't matter how long ago said deficit was. That energy is going to need to be replaced and that usually requires more than maintenance calories. That's why the donuts made you want more donuts. The body likes fast, quick, carbs, when it's energy stores are low. After all, no one ever binges on lettuce!

People that are non-ED normal eaters don't tend to get strong cravings for many donuts at once, at least not in my experience. Sure, a lot of normal eaters might be at a party and eat to be eating junk food for the fun of it (I did a lot of this at sleepovers, but was never distressed or concerned), but they don't get those "feelings" coming over them, nor do they debate about, "should I, or shouldn't I?" There's no dwelling. Your stomach may be full, but often times your brain knows more about the energy state of your body than your stomach does. A lot of people coming off restrictive diet plans cannot follow IE for this reason. The body/mind has not fully recovered, and hunger/fullness are skewed for the time being.

You know why I don't overeat anymore? Because for months now I have kept giving my body back the food and calories I robbed of it during 2011 and most of 2012. I ate a LOT more than I was during those times. In the beginning the food was good and I thought about it a lot; all the things I would and should eat. Ice cream was a biggie that I added back in; (I used to fear it more than any other food, now I eat it daily and there's no issue). But now...eh, food is not so interesting anymore. Nothing really excites me until the hunger is strong enough to make me get up and go get something to eat (moderate hunger, not ravenous). Basically, my brain shut up. And it shut up because it's better fed.

If you're having persistent thoughts about eating something and it's nagging you, go with it. Eat it. Gain some weight, restore the energy balance in your body and heal. I'm not telling you or anyone to gain 100lbs; I'm not promoting being fat, whatever that means... But in order to heal from an ED or a restriction, usually some weight gain is required. The body will sort that out later if you leave it alone and let it do it's thing. Even your sister gained weight and then it came off spontaneously by itself. The point is that it shouldn't matter though. The weight does not matter. Beating the restriction for good does.

ETA: A note about why we tend to binge on high fat/salt/sugar: When rebounding from an energy deficit, the body doesn't give a damn about nutrients, only calories. That's why that lentil soup, even though formerly restricted, didn't entice you the way the donuts did. And what's more calorific than ice cream, donuts, cake, cheese, etc? If someone was literally starving in front of you, would you offer them a salad or a cheeseburger? If it were me, I'd smack the person who offered me a salad!

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Old 04-10-2013, 05:42 PM   #84  
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yes, bingefree2013, I totally hear you on the restriction thing. I am not convinced I am a true addict to certain things, just something I'm considering. You could very well be right ablut my reaction. It is true my sister initially gained some weight after the restriction period. She has also not binged for a few years now. The only thing different from you than her though is that she does have to exercise some restraint with regards to certain foods where you do not, and she does sometimes overeat certain foods (not binge) where you do not. My mother is just like you though, never ever feels compelled to overeat anything. Up until now, those certain foods for me I've completely abstained from. Logically it made sense to me but I have still been a binger. My sister has incorporated them, and although sometimes overindulges, never binges. I am eating them now. Obviously I hope to be where you are where I never ever feel compelled to keep eating them in excessive amounts, but I would also settle for being like my sister. Yesterday I overate the donuts to where I was far more than full. I guess I will just see what happens.
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Old 04-10-2013, 05:46 PM   #85  
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Quote:
Originally Posted by veggiedaze View Post
Hi, I've decided to start a new thread for people who would like to stop dieting and being restrictive. I am also hoping those of you that have been successful at this will give tips on how they were able to transition from being a chronic dieter/restrictive eater to someone who no longer restricts and considers themselves recovered from disordered eating.

I am a binge eater and have considered that to be my problem for some time now, but I think my main problem is really being an obsessive dieter/restrictive eater and binging is just the symptom of that behaviour. Please any tips on how to not diet would be much appreciated. Also, just personal stories for inspiration would be so great. I have never had a weight problem and have never weighed more than 120 pounds at 5'5", yet I struggle so much with restriction followed by binging.

The moment I decided to lose weight, all I have in my was "diet... diet...diet" because I'm so focus in losing weight no matter what. But then as I moved forward, I realized that it's not just about dieting and losing weight anymore as the most important is me . I'm doing it for myself in order to be healthier and be able to do the things I wasn't able to do before with my previous weight.

Now, I'm not restricting myself anymore but I'm more careful of what I eat because I want to be healthy. You are not overweight, so you don't have the need to lose weight anymore. It's just more on how you set your mind on what's best for you. Most of all, love everything about yourself when you look at the mirror . Currently I eat healthier and exercises regularly even just for an hour a day. It makes me feel great having no restrictions but with a different mindset

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Old 04-10-2013, 05:50 PM   #86  
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I think your sister is fine where she is. Even normal eater children and adults have to say, "hey, this is good, but I'm gonna stop here and have some some other time." That's normal. No dilemma. No angst. Some other types of us like me and your mother just get to a point where a little goes a long way and the food becomes, "ick, nast!" or boredom sets in.

The problem is when people are restricting and banning foods and the food literally haunts them and it's all they can think about. Two reasons: a.) because forbidden fruit is always more tempting, and b.) because usually what they are banning is high fat/sugar/salt and their energy depleted body is screaming for some of that!

When they do give in (and they always will; the body will always be the winner. If it doesn't then you die because you were successful at starvation) they eat like the food is going out of style, and we all know that's not true of McDonalds! Erosion of trust--->restriction--->binge--->guilt--->restrict harder--->binge. And on and on and on.

I think junk food here, gets a really bad wrap. It's painted with a stroke of the devil as if it made anyone do anything. Always a trigger food. Ice cream was mine. Oh that devil food making me get another scoop. There are no trigger foods. There's foods that the body recognizes that will help it make up for the calorie deficit efficiently and so the brain makes them more enticing so we eat them. Again, broccoli, just ain't gonna cut it. For a well-fed normal eater, this isn't even an issue. Once I stopped starving myself, my love/hate relationship with ice cream died.

As for those who just like to plain overeat - well that is a learned behavior to override hunger and fullness and eat just to be eating.

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Old 04-10-2013, 06:10 PM   #87  
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There has been some very compelling evidence that food high in fat, sugar and sodium can trigger the same brain pathways in some individuals as other, more serious addictions. It has been well documented that food companies (both grocery and eat-out) have purposely used this sugar-fat-sodium combination and other food qualities (mouth feel, bliss point, etc.) to engineer food to trick the brain and make consumers consume more. With some foods, we are not talking about what our body is, for the largest part of human history, used to dealing with. I do not count calories, and I do eat rather intuitively a great deal of the time. I binged often as a teenager, but that has, due to a fix of my hormones, larglely gone away. With foods like this, however, I always remind myself that these food constructions, which are relatively new to the diet of humans, do have these qualities of addiction. I eat these foods with restraint and practice Krampus's avoidance as well. It is not out of fear, however, but out of knowledge that these foods, while tasty, are not telling my body the truth. I can listen to my body, but if my brain is being tricked, I'm not getting the right signals.

I do believe that if intuitive eating of this food is what it takes to cope with fear and disordered eating, then okay. I believe gaining power with knowledge and trusting your mind and intellect is the way to go... at least for me. I know my own body enough to know that these foods mess with it. I don't know if that's the same for everyone, but it's rather well documented that it's true for some.

Awesome article in New York Times a while back about the science that goes into addictive junk food: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/24/ma...anted=all&_r=0

Last edited by Song of Surly; 04-10-2013 at 06:28 PM.
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Old 04-10-2013, 06:38 PM   #88  
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I like this post, Song.

I do believe the chemistry of food creates triggers that are addictive to some of us & we can use our intellect to a degree to help us manage that.

I use the path of avoiding wheat & to some extent avoiding sugar with my calorie counting, which has become easier than ever since I said bye bye to wheat. But the paths of using IE or any other reasoned approach such as you and others on the thread have shared seems equally valid.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Song of Surly View Post
There has been some very compelling evidence that food high in fat, sugar and sodium can trigger the same brain pathways in some individuals as other, more serious addictions. It has been well documented that food companies (both grocery and eat-out) have purposely used this sugar-fat-sodium combination and other food qualities (mouth feel, bliss point, etc.) to engineer food to trick the brain and make consumers consume more. With some foods, we are not talking about what our body is, for the largest part of human history, used to dealing with. I do not count calories, and I do eat rather intuitively a great deal of the time. I binged often as a teenager, but that has, due to a fix of my hormones, larglely gone away. With foods like this, however, I always remind myself that these food constructions, which are relatively new to the diet of humans, do have these qualities of addiction. I eat these foods with restraint and practice Krampus's avoidance as well. It is not out of fear, however, but out of knowledge that these foods, while tasty, are not telling my body the truth. I can listen to my body, but if my brain is being tricked, I'm not getting the right signals.

I do believe that if intuitive eating of this food is what it takes to cope with fear and disordered eating, then okay. I believe gaining power with knowledge and trusting your mind and intellect is the way to go... at least for me. I know my own body enough to know that these foods mess with it. I don't know if that's the same for everyone, but it's rather well documented that it's true for some.

Awesome article in New York Times a while back about the science that goes into addictive junk food: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/24/ma...anted=all&_r=0

Last edited by Amarantha2; 04-10-2013 at 06:40 PM.
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Old 04-10-2013, 08:16 PM   #89  
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Re: your theory... I personally question the whole concept of addiction, whether to food or alcohol or cigarettes or whatever. I believe there are various degrees of attraction toward a substance. If you happen to be highly attracted to alcohol, you'll have trouble moderating your intake. Same goes for food. I think some of us just like food more than others, just as some people like booze or sex more than others. Who knows why?

We all INTERPRET stimuli differently. For example, I enjoy the feeling of being really full. Someone else may dislike that very same feeling. I think the difference lies more in our neurology (the way we interpret the feeling) than in the elasticity of our stomach muscles or even our leptin levels. Just as one person may love the colour purple and another hate it. Same wavelength, same stimulus to the eyes and brain, different interpretation.

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Old 04-11-2013, 07:54 AM   #90  
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Song of Surly View Post
There has been some very compelling evidence that food high in fat, sugar and sodium can trigger the same brain pathways in some individuals as other, more serious addictions. It has been well documented that food companies (both grocery and eat-out) have purposely used this sugar-fat-sodium combination and other food qualities (mouth feel, bliss point, etc.) to engineer food to trick the brain and make consumers consume more. With some foods, we are not talking about what our body is, for the largest part of human history, used to dealing with. I do not count calories, and I do eat rather intuitively a great deal of the time. I binged often as a teenager, but that has, due to a fix of my hormones, larglely gone away. With foods like this, however, I always remind myself that these food constructions, which are relatively new to the diet of humans, do have these qualities of addiction. I eat these foods with restraint and practice Krampus's avoidance as well. It is not out of fear, however, but out of knowledge that these foods, while tasty, are not telling my body the truth. I can listen to my body, but if my brain is being tricked, I'm not getting the right signals.

I do believe that if intuitive eating of this food is what it takes to cope with fear and disordered eating, then okay. I believe gaining power with knowledge and trusting your mind and intellect is the way to go... at least for me. I know my own body enough to know that these foods mess with it. I don't know if that's the same for everyone, but it's rather well documented that it's true for some.

Awesome article in New York Times a while back about the science that goes into addictive junk food: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/24/ma...anted=all&_r=0
So very true, and quite obvious that you read The End of Overeating. I'm in the middle of it myself. Since then I haven't entirely stopped bingeing however I have noticed without a doubt that my bodies reacts very differently when presented with whole foods. I used to go to Chili's and was certain that by ordering grilled chicken I was making a better choice than the fried chicken tenders. Not true. Come to think of it that chicken melts in your mouth so quickly and smoothly it's impossible for me to fool myself anymore into thinking it's healthy - something's been done to that chicken, injected with salt/sugar and who knows what else. It has been engineered to melt in my mouth, chicken breast by nature when made at home does not melt in your mouth, it's good, it tastes good, and has a nice firm texture, but it does not melt in your mouth.

Anyway, sorry to ramble. I'm on the start of this journey to eat real food and find it incredibly horribly difficult. I feel like a lab rat, responding to food triggers, commercials, fast food signs, it's terrible. You mentioned that your hormones are now "fixed" - how did you achieve that?
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