[JoseLo]

Just wanted to express it... I hae struggled with compulsive eating and binge eating since my early teens, been trying to lose the weight since about then too. I have found getting support hard because on other online forum people tend to get 'compassion fatigue' with me, sick of being supportive when I keep messing up again and again, get's to the point they get bored of it and I feel like they give up on me. I seem to be able to stick to a diet for a little bit but then the sooner or later I have a binge eating episode, and that seems to lead to a period of overating I find hard to get out. Sometimes I feel hopeless, I have tried for so long to overcome this and still cannot. I am male in my early 20s, back up to over 420lbs. I wish I knew why this compulsion is so so strong
Joselito

[mirax3]

Hey Joselito, I completely understand where you are coming from and I probably could have written the exact same post. I have a very bad binge-eating disorder and have struggled with it for many years (I am in my early 20's as well). It is such a hard thing to overcome and I myself am currently struggling to do so. Even when I was losing weight regularly, the only reason I would lose is that I would starve myself at around 900-1000 calories (plus exercise) a day, and then binge on a couple thousands calories in one sitting on the weekend. In my mind, allowing myself to binge on the weekends was the only thing getting me through the weekdays of low-calorie eating.

I've found that binge eating for me is usually more severe when I am undergoing a lot of stress or feeling depressed. Is this the case for you? I have depression and anxiety, and the cycle of binge eating has just made it worse. Have you tried any type of therapy? I have just recently started therapy and I think it is helping.

You are definitely not alone and I feel your pain, trust me. Treating the psychological reason behind your binge eating is definitely the first step. I know it can be so hard to keep going, especially when you feel defeated, but try your hardest not to think too far into the future when it comes to eating. You will have to find what works for you, and once you get going and stay consistent for a little, it might start to get easier. It's the first steps that are always the hardest.

Feel free to private message me if you would like, I struggle with the same thing and I know how nice it is to have support, especially if you are like me and do not talk about it with your loved ones/friends.

[Palestrina]

You're not a burden on anyone, an online community is a great place to seek support. Nobody's given up on you, but perhaps nobody knew how to help you. If losing weight could be fixed with dieting then we'd all be winners by now, but diets do not work, they never worked, they will never work. People like us who are compulsive bingers have certain behavioral patterns that are ingrained in us and that cannot be changed by eating different foods or even eating less food.

First, you have to acknowledge that eating serves an important role in your life. It provides some kind of feeling that you enjoy, it is enjoyable to eat after all. I know the proverbial saying of "emotional eating" sounds dumb but people like me (and I assume you) have learned to interpret our feelings as hunger. Its a complicated process and I'd be happy to elaborate on it if you're interested but just know this - emotional eating is not a fru fru concept, it's a real problem with a real physiological basis.

So if you'be been trying to fix this problem by changing the food you eat and have consequently noticed that the binging is getting worse then you're on the wrong path. I mean I've been on a diet for 15yrs, and I've gained more weight in those 15yrs than you'd think is possible for someone who is dieting lol. Binging has nothing to do with what you're eating, it's got everything to do with why you're eating and how you're eating. Change the why and the how and you can solve this problem. That's what I'm doing and it's working.

[gymrat05]

I was really struggling with BED in my teens and in my early twenties I lost a good chunk of weight (almost 70lbs very slowly) and the binging and food guilt went away. If I wanted a cookie I had a cookie. I felt in control.

Now (4 years later), I've slowly started gaining weight again and the binging and food guilt has started up again. It's an awful feeling and I can totally empathize with you. Right now I'm focusing on treating the binging. Not losing weight, not what the scale says. It's hard to do but my goal is choosing good, nutritious foods, and not feeling restricted (as I find that triggering). It's only been a week, but I do feel a lot better already.