Please Help With Teenage Overeating
 

:hug: You are definitely not alone. I think more and more teenagers are doing this now...eating unhealthily or too much. Life is stressful, your hormones are a little out of whack and there's a lot to do and be anxious about.

I used to do the same thing. I would come straight home from school and eat pretty much until I went to bed. I don't remember ever being actually hungry, I just wanted to eat...frozen pizza, soda, ice cream, lots of bread, pudding, string cheese, etc. I think for me, it was the lack of structure in my life. I would have NEVER done that at my dads house, but my mom was never home and bought us lots of food that was quick to make and pretty unhealthy.

It's easier now because I have such a routine. Routines are important. When our hands are busy and are minds occupied, we are definitely less likely to eat out of boredeom. And try to think about what you're going to eat in advance. You're a little less likely to eat something unhealthy if you've been telling yourself all day that you'll have a healthy snack instead.

But a lot of it does come right down to will power and getting in the right mind set. Eating habits are hard to change, but little changes add up and help.

Good luck, I have all the confidence that you can get on track and start making some healthy changes for yourself!

thank you so much for your advice, and i know your compeletely right, its just a lot harder said than done. But im erally trying to make a change, and i really hope this site can help me. although im a little confused how to work it, im just suprised someone replied haha:)

My binging problems started when I was in 8th grade, and though I don't like having regrets or wishing I could change the past....... If I could change one thing about my past is that I would have never, ever started binging! There are lots of different things you can do, some things work better for some than others. Some people can chew gum to calm their cravings, but I can't. I also can't "keep my mind busy" because that stresses me out and makes me want to binge more. Instead, when I want to eat, I really stop whatever I'm doing and ask myself, "OK, am I really hungry or am I trying to avoid doing my homework/cleaning/getting something done/etc.?" If I'm truly hungry (only about 10% of the time), I try to get a drink of water or Crystal Light and see if that helps. I also try to stay on a routine - I try to eat as soon as I wake up, noon, and 5-6PM. If I can help it, I don't snack. These are just examples of what works for me, you should try them and other things that people suggest (even complete opposites!). Good luck! I hope you're able to solve this as soon as possible, before it becomes a lifelong habit that's super hard to break.

It's really hard, that much I know. I've been doing the 3 meals a day(no sugar and flour) and no snacks between meals for the past 3 days. Today is day 4. It's a process. Some days are harder than others but I'm trying to take it day by day.

Good luck!