I am really at an all time low, diet and healthwise....
I just feel very very overwhelmed, and don't have anyone to talk to about this.
Here is my story... I am 23 years old. I was diagnosed with anorexia when I was 14. I recovered at about 18. Although I am at a normal weight now (I'm 5'3, 108 pounds) I just feel like my eating is completely out of control. I am an extremely healthy eater, except when it comes to suger. It is an addiction. And whoever else I admit this to, laughs or doesn't believe me. Because I am not overweight, it's hard for others to believe that I have a problem.
I am so tired of binging. It takes away all of the self-esteem that I have tried so hard to build up. I have come to the conclusion that sugar is something that I can't have even in moderation. I won't buy any junk food, anything with sugar in it, but if it around me, I will finish it, no matter how much it is.
I am not looking to lose weight... I am just looking for any kind of advice on what to do. I want to stop binging more that anything in the world... I just don't know how to go about it. Please help!
I wish that I could *poof* offer you some fabulous advice that would totally help you.
But......I can offer some suggestions. Maybe examine what you are feeling before or during a binge. If you can identify what exactly you are dealing with emotionally then you might be able to attack those issues and perhaps the binging would lessen or end. Also, maybe, if you identify sugar as an addictive food for you.....treat it like an addiction. Stay away from it if you can't find any way to handle your consumption. Check out the OA forum above. There you can read their literature about food addiction. It might help.
Also, maybe, if you identify sugar as an addictive food for you.....treat it like an addiction. Stay away from it if you can't find any way to handle your consumption.
That's some of the best advice you are going to get. I too had a sugar addiction; for me, South Beach seems to have worked well to curb my cravings. Is it easy? No, but nothing is. You can do this, but you need some sort of plan to keep yourself organized. Feel free to keep getting your feelings out, and you can always PM one of us too. Hang in there.
Thanks everyone for your replies. It is really liberating to know that I am not alone.
I've wanted to try south beach before, but I am a vegetarian and really hate eating processed food. I just bought "Get the Sugar Out" which seems to have some really good advice... I am just going to take it one day at a time. It's amazing how much better I feel when I am not eating sugar, it's just that initial "withdrawal" period that kills me!
Thank you again for your support!
Hi Rose,
I am also 23, and can relate to your feelings about sugar. Except for about a year in college, I have never been overweight, but have struggled with bingeing since I don't know when. I tend to be triggered by sugar as well, but otherwise eat a very clean diet. What finally worked for me and helped me lose the college pounds and then some, was making the decision to limit my consumption of processed foods as much as possible. I threw out anything with white flour, added sugar, and especially high fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated oils. I also have a sweet tooth, and found that having a piece of fruit after lunch and a fat free yogurt after dinner helped curb the cravings so I wasn't going crazy for sugar, but having the natural sugars in the fruit helped me avoid bingeing on less healthy sweets. I began this in November 2006, and by the time Christmas rolled around and I tasted a Christmas cookie, I couldn't believe how sweet it tasted! I was repulsed to be quite honest, and I was amazed at how my tastes had changed once I cleaned up my diet. Even though you don't need to lose weight, it doesn't hurt to eat the most nutritious foods possible, so my suggestion would be to just get anything out of the house that tempts you, and try eating foods as close to their natural state as possible. It was truly the only thing that helped me conquer my cravings and get a handle on my bingeing. I am not close to being perfect, and in fact have been struggling with bingeing during the past few weeks, so if you (or anyone else!) have any other suggestions for stopping the urge to binge, it would be much appreciated! Hope this helps!
As you can see, you are most definitely not alone! I wish I had more advice for you but I haven't been doing so well myself lately and that would be sort of hypocritical. So, just let me say, hugs to you, and everyone else with this problem and I am listening...
This issue actually really hits home for me as my mother literally gets severe headaches from having too much sugar. She's gone to the doctors a few times to see if she was diabetic, but told she wasn't, that her body simply cannot handle sugar very well. It is a BIG struggle though to avoid foods/drinks with sugar in it because nowadays, what doesn't?
However, will try to find this book that was mentioned above at my local library and check it out. So see, you're not only getting advice from others, but you've helped others in the process too! It's a hard road, but I recommend keeping a diary (private online works for me) of why you ate that particular food, what you were feeling at the time, and over time, replace food with something else, such as exercise or some other hobby.
I'm beginning to think that maybe it's not the sugar that's addicting, but maybe the behavior is. Distracting yourself. Maybe the extremes make you feel alive. Almost as if our minds need some kind of crisis or drama to fix. We find comfort in habits, even self-destructive ones. It's almost like we crave a pattern and then a disruption. You might also be giving yourself permission to binge on junkfood because you didn't buy it.
I don't know what to do with myself anymore
I wish that I could *poof* offer you some fabulous advice that would totally help you. 
Maybe examine what you are feeling before or during a binge. If you can identify what exactly you are dealing with emotionally then you might be able to attack those issues and perhaps the binging would lessen or end. Also, maybe, if you identify sugar as an addictive food for you.....treat it like an addiction. Stay away from it if you can't find any way to handle your consumption. Check out the OA forum above. There you can read their literature about food addiction. It might help. 
