Hi
I'm not new to 3FC (I post on the LA Weightloss topic), but I am new to this one. I have always dealt with compulsive overeating. When I was in high school, I'd hide food in the house until everyone was asleep and then I'd eat until I thought I might explode. Sometimes this brought me to the point of being so nauseous I could only lie in bed until some of the food digested... and I'd go back for more!
And the foods I chose were only the worst kind: whole bags of chips, whole packages of pre-mixed cookie dough, whole boxes of cereal. I felt as if I hadn't done my job unless the package was empty.
This past Spring, I had some disturbing health problems for my age (I was 22). I began having gallbladder pain attacks, which went undiagnosed until four months (and a change in doctors) later. I had to have it removed. When it came out, it was so full of stones, most of the doctors who attended me had never seen so many. I am convinced that my lifestyle contributed to this, since the gallbladder serves as a reservoir for bile, which breaks down fats in the food you ingest. I knew something had to give.
I started seeing a psychiatrist for this problem, as well as general depression. It had become impossible for me to get out of bed and to class during the day. My grades dropped. I began to rely on the pain meds they gave me for my surgery to go to sleep at night. He put me on a regimen of talk therapy and Prozac.
It was only through this regimen that I was able to take control (somewhat) of my eating, join a weightloss center, and learn to cope with daily life. I am convinced that my binging was related to a chemical imbalance.
I still binge occasionally, but it has been months since I purposely bought large quantities of food and consumed them the same night. Instead of binging every day, I now occasionally slip up every month or so. These are strategies I believe are helping me through this:
1) I stay very, very busy. I am a grad student, so I have school from 8-12, then work full time from 1-9pm. I do not have as much time to "listen" to the food calling to me in the fridge.
2) I bring only what I should eat to work with me. I do not bring money for the vending machines or to order out. I try to make it impossible for me to buy additional food. For emergencies, I have my credit/debit card.
3) I make grocery lists and budget a certain amount of money for the grocery store. I do not bring snacks into the house (unless they are "approved" by my program, like fruit), and I ask my boyfriend not to do the same. He is very good with this.
4) LAWL has supplemental candy bars with its plan. I do not buy more than I will be able to eat for the week at a time. I know that if I have a large supply (they are chocolate), I will eat them all at once, which I have done on occasion.
This is working so far, but whenever I have time at home when I am not SUPER busy, I will start to eat again. Someday I hope to control my eating without these rules. It is my hope that when I am happy with the way my body looks, I will not binge out of depression anymore.
Out of the options in this poll, I think the best one to describe my problem is a chemical imbalance. Once I began to treat the imbalance that created my depression, things got a little easier.