If you feel compelled to eat specific foods, but emotionally detached from those experiences, the problem might be chemical. Have you been diagnosed with any sort of medical condition (outside of an eating disorder)? I'm not an expert but I know that our bodies are wired to crave certain foods for certain 'reasons.' If something is wrong with that craving trigger, it can go haywire can cause you to crave things you don't need (look up the condition 'pica').

The way you described this episode makes it seem like it's a very difficult to control compulsion more than an emotional want. Make sure your diet is balanced and it should help you control the cravings...but if the episodes are as scary as they sound, you might want to speak with your doctor.

One thing is for certain. This has nothing to do with set point.

I also seriously doubt it is hormonal. The main two hormones that control hunger, leptin and ghrelin don't function in the manner of how you describe your binging.

You're describing it as an uncontrollable urge that causes you to stuff food down your gullet as rapidly as possible in your car. How this could be hormonal I don't know but I'm not an expert on hormones nor binge eating.

You mention you're seeing someone. Perhaps you should see someone else. Someone who specializes in treating binge eating.

Goodluck

I used to be a big binge eaters. I probably ate 6 full sized dinner type meals in a day, if not more. Bored? Binge! Lonely? Binge! Sad, happy, and everything in between? Binge. I am no expert but it sounds like a combination of being sensitive to sugar, having self esteem issues, and feeding a void in your life. Definitely get your blood checked, just in case. I am now getting this under control and haven't binged since March. I can now eat a little tiny bit of sugar, but more than that and I feel the sense of helplessness, like I might not be able to stop. You might need to try a plan that allows for more frequent eating so you don't feel hungry, and perhaps limiting your calorie intake at one meal. Good luck to you!

What does a normal day of eating look like for you? Do you try and keep your blood sugars level all throughout the day?

I'm sorry your going through this. I was separated from my husband for a year and that's when I went through a chewing and spitting phase. When we got back together that went away completely.

Sometimes things are really deep rooted. But sometimes we have self fulfilling prophecies. You seem to talk a lot about getting back to the weight of 220 and this supposed set point. Maybe you actually really want to be there?

Well I lost it today unfortunately. Just finished a 4,500 calorie binge.

It started this morning. I abruptly woke up around 5am this morning and headed straight to the fridge and ate an entire box of "organic" cheerios with a ton of milk!! I have no idea why either. I didn't even feel consciously alert. I just woke up and ATE a whole box of cheerios!! This was probably the beginning stages of the binge.

After I ate it I went right back to bed and woke up. I woke up and I asked myself what happened but I really did eat the whole box. I started getting hungry around 11am. It was legit hunger (hunger paigns, stomach cramp, etc). So I ate some oatmeal..then some tuna..then a 1/2 cup of brown rice..and then another 1/2 cup of brown rice. So a little bit after that I went to the store and did my weekly grocery shopping. Bought pretty much anything that looked good for the week (I'm not too strict)...bought 10 protein bars (to last me through the week), box of cereal, chicken, lean red meat, tuna, veggies, apples, cottage cheese, fruits, etc. Felt perfectly fine and in control when I was buying all this stuff. Didn't even think about taking it home and binging.

Well I got in my car and I immediately started thinking of those protein bars. Especially the chocolate peanut butter one. I ate one in my car and game over. Thoughts such as "I am going to eat them all" started to intrude my head. I ate another, then another..and then...

Here I am finishing off all 10 bars PLUS the whole box of cereal. At least I didn't eat the ice cream but dang..I binged!!!

Right now I feel relieved and the cravings/urges/thoughts have subsided. I did not snap out of it until I finished eating all the protein bars and cereal. Of course I have thoughts such as "this will never happen again" which is obviously not true. I see my therapist tomorrow so I'll discuss this. I also have a self-help book on the way that I am going to start reading.

I am not upset so much that I went on excess calories, I am upset I gave into it. That's what bothers me the most. I understand that you can always lose weight and cut down. Granted I am not "happy" I am gaining weight from doing this, it's losing the fight that bothers me.

You are going to have to ride out being tired, fatigued etc if you want to get over binge eating. It sounds like carb withdrawal and as long as you keep fueling it, it'll stay strong. Come up with alternative things you can do besides eating. When you feel you have to eat, eat vegetables first. If you don't want them, you aren't hungry physically but emotionally. Set a timer for 15 minutes. That's all the longer a craving lasts for most people. Get busy with something else and it will pass 99% of the time.

The solution is not to gain weight. There is no guarantee if you did the binging would go away. You could keep right on gaining past 220. Concentrate on a healthy diet and you will succeed.

My cravings do not stop within 15 minutes. They literally last ALL DAY. I mean yesterday it was ****. It was all out warfare from the time I woke up till the time I went to bed.

I just binged again just now. Went to the store and bought some ice cream and ate it. I am feeling so upset at this moment and I am crying right now as I write this. Literally pouring tears out of my eyes asking God why me? I am not just crying but weeping very bad. I feel so upset right now.

I live on my own and can't deal with this anymore. I called a friend up and will be moving in with him for approx 2 weeks so I have someone to always be with. It seems be alone is triggering this and I need to break the habit.

It sounds like being with someone right now is your best option. And please do continue to talk to your therapist.

I will. Even as I read your reply here I started crying again. I just don't know why this is happening. What did I do to deserve this? I am crying right now just asking why me..what is the purpose of all of this? This has been going on for almost two years with no end in sight. I have no choice but to stay with someone at this point. I am feeling very sad..crying..and hopeless. There is nothing medically wrong with me, I am just flatout addicted.

Addiction can be medical, though. People are chemically (our brains do release chemicals after all, that's how they control the body) and habitually addicted to different things. Drugs of all sorts and varieties, gambling, food... if it exists people can be addicted to it.

There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to it. We each have our own crosses to bear. And we each have to find the best way to do that. If being alone is a trigger for you, then you've come up with the best solution right now. That's all we can do. Come up with solutions one at a time.

My thoughts are definitely with you.

I understand what you're saying. Now that I binged, I have that "high" like feeling that my body released all those chemicals. That's exactly what's going on. I am also sick to my stomach and my head is spinning because of all the sugar. I just can't wait to get out of this place and be with someone for a week at minimum, possibly two weeks. As I write this, packing up and getting ready to leave. I am of course crying and upset right now, but what cna I do? I am going to work and coming home to face temptation day in and day out. I can't do it anymore. I give up. I can't fight this alone.

To stop and think that a cardboard carton full of refined sugar and fat has caused such havoc it's caused me to move out for a week or two, then so be it.

You do not "suffer" from binge eating "attacks". You binge because you like how it makes you feel, that's exactly what you said. You do need to see a doctor, but a psychiatrist type - this is psychological problem, not a need for a certain nutrient. You are seeking the high to avoid looking at how you feel about things, to numb you. I know it well, I did it myself for years and years.

I agree that if you don't have it in the house, you can't eat it - set your environment up for success. There are certain foods (even diet stuff like SF popsicles) that I just can't buy, because I will sit here and shovel the entire box down my throat. No, it's not many calories, but it IS disordered eating, "normal" people don't eat a whole box of 24 popsicles just because. So I can't buy them.

I am seeing my therapist. He has helped me a lot thus far. I was really depressed at one point and he helped pull me out of that.

Right now I just "moved" into my friends home for the next week. I am really going to do my best to beat this. I told him when the cravings come up I would talk to him to help me beat it.

Also, I gave my credit card up, he will have it 24/7 so I have no access to any money whatsoever - so no sneaking out at midnight to the grocery store. Even told him if I need gas he will have to go with me.

Your friend is really doing you a solid. That sounds like a good plan to me! You can get over this, but it will take longer than a week. However, hopefully you'll be out of the woods by then! Hugs!

Can you try not eating anything with sugar or flour in the first four ingredients for three weeks and then see what happens? Usually you stop craving it completely after then. At least thats how long it took me. If after three clean weeks you are still having these issues and they haven't gotten any better then maybe your body is needing a certain vitamin or mineral its not getting.

One thing to keep in mind though, there are 5 million different names for sugar. And its different than most plans in that you really have to be clean. Its not like just making sure you stay in your allowance. Once your body has it it craves more of it. Whats the worst thing that could happen by trying it?