Hi everyone

Well today is the tomorrow I promised yesterday and the day before and every day for the last 15 years!! Every day I wake up with the best intentions then by 10am I am sat eating crisps/chocolate/cake etc.....

I am a binge eater and have been for most of my adult life but only found out about Binge Eating Disorder about a year ago. Before this I thought it was just me that would sneak copious amounts of food when I was on my own and eat and eat... But there was never a switch off point to tell me I was full so I just carried on.

I could eat a multipack of crisps, 10 chocolate bars, sweets, cakes, bread, and much more in one sitting all whilst watching tv or reading a book, I was never in the moment, I would always distract myself from what I was doing. I never tasted what I was eating just ate it as quickly as possible.

Then when I had finished all I felt was guilt. I was ashamed that I had done it again!! I would vow that this would never happen again and at the time I would mean it!! But then as the sugar wore off my urges would start to rise and the same thing would happen again.

I found out that there are more people in the UK that suffer with Binge Eating Disorder that Anorexia and Bulimia put together but it's not as recognised as a disorder!!

This is because overweight people are seen as lazy and greedy.... But ask yourself this.... Why would I choose to be overweight, why would I choose to feel this way.

But then I read a book that helped me with the perspective of why I do this and gave me the tools to stop and it has helped me so much..... It's called Brain Over Binge by Kathryn Hansen......

So today I am starting, I feel motivated right now but I know it's not going to be easy so I am asking for help from anyone that can give me advice or encouragement. I will also promise to be honest about my journey and help others too......

Thanks in advance and good luck to everyone else on here

Maria
xx

procrastination is my worst enemy too......

you can do it .... sometimes it feels like an addiction and you have to treat is as so........ mmmmmmm that food is yummmmy and makes your brain happy - but then you have to realize what it's doing and try to stop. That is the hardest part - to avoid the food and stop.... This is the heaviest I have EVER been - I have 8 months to get back in shape - I have a lot to loose - it is going to suck but it will be worth it - just keep thinking of the outcome and how nice it will be.....
you CAN do it!!!!!!!!!!!

hi Marialeeuk happy for you. however your eating disorder may not be your fault, you nutrition maybe different in some way and it leads you to snack alot. I had a similar problem.

please feel free to ask me any questions if you think it will help.

Hello Marialeeuk, well done for having made the decision to take control. I also have binge eating disorder, and used to beat myself up for sabotaging myself in this way. I now recognise that certain foods are triggers and once I start I cant stop eating them. For me its refined carbs - breakfast cereals, bread, pasta rice etc. I got up to 290 lbs ( over 20 1/2 stones ) and felt out of control.

This weight forum is a great help, and after identifying my trigger foods, and trigger situations, I am now seeing my weight come down. I am now 220 lbs and the trick is to be kind to yourself. If you fall off the wagon, say 'Oh dear' and then get back on.

Lets do this together !

that is true Bubble, and Great job on the 70lbs you have on your belt so far.

Thanks for the lovely comments everyone

Bubble.... that is amazing!! Im only on day 3 of no binges but it feels like the best thing ever, to wake up in the morning with no guilt.... AMAZING!!

Part of me still thinks that it's gonna happen again soon but I'm staying positive and taking it one day at a time my new way is if I fall off the wagon, rather than say oh well I've broken it now and eating everything in sight, I will start back on it straight away..... although I hope I don't need this

Good luck everyone xx

What strategies are you using? What did the book suggest. Keep using the book. Make notes from the book perhaps.
Also maybe work with a dietician to help you start eating more healthy foods, learn to cook. You need to learn about good quality healthy and delicious foods. Go out to a restaurant and choose anything but the desert. Try a salad.
Just learn about food. Read some books about nutrition. Try not to read fad books.
A very good quality book i can vouch for is an Australian book called The Total wellbeing diet. There is a lot of nutritional information in it. But there is more still to learn.
Learn how your body processes food.
go to some cooking classes.
And you have a lifetime habit. its not going to change overnight so you are going to have to change you whole lifestyle.
Don't sit around the house all day doing what you used to do. While you are motivated, start doing other new activities too if you can. It doesn't have to exercise. Try a book club, a knitting club or meditation or yoga group. Get into the habit of getting out there and trying new things.

Also with all that, be prepared for set back. There will be many. Don't beat yourself if you slip back. Life is a learning process. So long as you are still making an effort its all good. Good lu and good on you for getting started.

Hi Marialee,

You should stop by the Chicks in Control thread. Lots of support for us binge eaters over there.

Congratulations on 3 days no binge!



J.

***edit to add: didn't mean to barge in on your group - just happened to see your post pop up on the main page

Hi Maria,

It's nice to read such an honest and open post!

It sounds very much like an addiction, although I don't want to go into it I understand very well how addiction works and feels and although (thankfully) I am over mine now I certainly understand the struggle that goes with it. Here's wishing you all the luck and determination in the world! You can do it!

It is like an addiction but unlike drug and alcohol addiction you can't actually give up eating. That's why its even harder than drugs, i think.

I am a binger by the way, though i have dealt with all the emotional stuff. I have longish periods where i don't feel like cooking proper food and so when i get hungry, my solution is to go and buy lollies or ice-cream. I have really shifted from chocolate to ice-cream to lollies. I figure they are less unhealthy than the former two though of course its all bad.

I am quite an all or nothing person. I find it hard to eat sweets in moderation. But one trick i did recently discover was that if i was making dessert for myself at home, i should have it first because the give me more feeling goes away as soon as i start eating my savoury foods and then when i'm finished i am ready to stop. Not the case when i finish with sweet foods, unless i am in company at a restaurant or something like that.

Hi Marialeeuk, well done for the 3 days not binging. It wasnt until you said it that I realised that one of the best things about sticking to my diet, is waking up in the morning and not feeling that I had let myself down the day before.
It made me realise how much I 'judge' myself as a failure or a success based on what I have eaten. I am really trying to think about myself as a person that is more than just a weight. I am trying to set different goals and recognise and praise myself when I achieve them.
I agree with Pattience about writing things down. I tend to 'forget' what I have achieved and focus on what I havent done, and by writing your goals down, and acknowledging them to yourself, we can view ourselves more than just a weight.
Thats why this forum is great, because you can share your goals with others, who will recognise their importance.