I'm new to this board...........but I cant help but add my 2 cents. I know without a doubt that I have an eating disorder. It explains the 90 lbs I have to lose and why I keep eating and have a hard time sticking to my WW program, as easy as it is. I think the question for me - or questions as they may be- is how do I handle this? Do I allow myself to be a social outcast ( afterall , we all know fat people are not very well liked or looked upon) or do I figure out why I feel the need to stuff myself until I'm a donut away from being physically ill. Well, I think I "know " why I eat.......I mean..........growing up in the family that I did It's no wonder that I have some sort of vice but how exactly do I get my brain to believing that I'm worthy of being a healthy size . I think that's the trick.

How do you get there?
Whats the secret?
What works for you?

Hizzie,

You're right not all ED's are purgers. I am a compulsive eater and I have been fighting it for years (and years and years and years.) What I did (and what you might want to try) is perhaps go see a therapist that specializes in compulsive eating. (Not just anorexia or bulimia - make sure they treat comp. eating.)

As for stuffing yourself until you burst, one thing I've found helpful is before eating ask yourself the question, "Do I want this because I'm hungry or ???" Some reading I've done suggests that one reason of stuffing yourself is to stuff down feelings. "So-and-so hurt my feelings today - where's the rocky road?" "Talked to Mom about my weight, where's the chicken?" I still need to do this and every so often, I can say,"Ok, I'm not hungry" and put back the piece of cheese in my hand. When you do find a moment when it isn't hunger, write about it - what happened that day? By writing in a journal, you may be able to discover a pattern in behavior.

To treat compulsive eating is to begin a voyage of self-discovery and like any trip, not all of it is going to be fun. But is worthwhile.

Donna

I am also a compulsive eater. I rarely eat from hunger. I practive preventive hunger by eating long before the actual pangs. I also eat long after I am full.

I am trying Slim Fast now.