Sometimes I find myself pigging out and it's like I'm not even enjoying it. I mean, clearly it's doing something for me otherwise I wouldn't, but it's not like I'm savoring the flavor like OHMYGOD THIS IS SOO GOOOOD.

For other people (who don't binge, or at least don't consider their binges an issue), I watch them eat and it's like this whole body sensory experience of savoring the food and tasting the food and enjoying every second of it.

When I'm bingeing it's like I'm just bored or anxious and it's a distraction or something. I never really enjoy food, even when I'm sitting down to a normal meal. I feel so cheated once I'm full because the meal is over and I don't feel like it really gave me anything except now I feel fat.

Anyone else have this? Do you eat and find the food not even that enjoyable, but you keep going?

Yes. Im not really one of those people who enjoy eating. Some food can taste good but im not one of those people who enjoy the eating experience or trying new foods. Excessive eating for me was more about feeling distracted and somewhat intoxicated.

Oh, yup. When I binge, I feel crappy but don't stop until the food in front of me is gone. I almost always feel horrible afterwards.

Energie- that's a good way to put it. Food can taste good to me, but I'm not a foodie by any means. My family can go out to a restaurant and stay for hours, eating and picking every little thing off of their plates. It's like a past time for them, THEY LOVE IT.

They love the excitement of trying a new place, they love going back to an old favorite, ordering multiple appetizers...I hate doing that. It always leads to just eating way more than you need to. I hate eating out because you don't get to control exactly what goes into your food also.

They feel so satisfied and full and happy afterward, but I just feel guilty and mad at myself when I eat that way. I avoid going out to eat like the plague.

I must admit I'm just like your family. I've never not enjoyed eating, even when mindlessly pigging out.

F.

Even when I used to binge, I only really enjoyed the first few bites. After that it seemed like the food no longer had much flavor.

That's why I had to quit for good. I realized that, gee, after the first ten bites or so, this was insane! The food tasted dull, and I was getting nothing out of it except pure habit -- oh yeah, and weight gain! Weight gain for it not even tasting good. What a joke! and it certainly didn't feel good, and the guilt and hangover the next day was never worth it. Not for one single second. So, I quit. Just quit, like smoker goes cold turkey. Feel an urge, and say NO! They go away; they get weaker, and my life comes back.

Yep. Nowadays I probably binge more out of habit than anything else, and there's no pleasure involved. One of the main reasons I want to make it stop completely--what's the point of eating 20 cookies if I don't enjoy them?? It's mind-boggling, really. Especially since I enjoy my food much more when I ear normally and don't binge!

Same here, I don't actually get any joy out of eating. Sometimes I might get something out of the first few bites but after that it's really nothing to me. No matter how good it might taste, I get nothing out of it except feeling sick and angry.

My pleasure is intense at the first bite of something I really crave, but then it is like the law of diminishing returns, with each extra bite tasting less and less good until I feel sick/guilty/angry/helpless.

For me it was a means to an end, to feel numb. Bingeing has always been a chore I made myself do so I would feel less bad at some point.

Unfortunately, I love food and love to eat. What's I'm finally realizing is that I absolutely cannot have any distractions while I'm eating. Since I live alone, I tend to have the TV on or read a book. Before I know it, I've eaten everything and gone back for me. So there's the problem of distraction overeating, which is not really binging. But I'll also get a craving -- always at night -- for something sweet or salty and will just zone out while I eat potato chips, or buttered popcorn and then move on to ice cream and finish it up with Hershey kisses.

Hhhmmmmm......maybe I'm on to something here. Think I'll implement a rule that says no distracted eating. No book. No TV. Eat what I want, but I must be aware of what it is that I'm eating.