On one occasion I tried to tell my doctor about my eating compulsion and subsequent self-loathing and all he said was "I have heard this from people before".
Because I was so ashamed of my eating it had taken a great deal of courage for me to approach the doctor about it and I realised that I could get no help there and I was too devastated to try and search out another doctor for help.
I believed I knew the reasons why and I may have been right but all I felt I could do in the interim was tackle and cope with the symptoms and "retrain" my eating in the hopes that discipline would enforce a new regime.
I do not know how serious my situation was, just that I had to change it. I suspect had I continued on that path I would be in considerably greater physical distress than I am. However, I did succeed simply by making a few changes and it has not been easy ... but they are changes people say all the time:
1) Do not keep stuff in the house that could contribute to eating and gaining weight ie stock fruit, not cookies, so when you reach into the cupboard you are forced to select something healthy and low calory. (I appreciate this is difficult)
2) Understand when you are cheating. Keep a record. It is easy to go into denial and conveniently forget that second sandwich.
3) If you open a packet let it be a small two portion pack (like those weight-watcher biscuits that come in little two biscuit wrappers) so you dont get to consume the whole pack and look back at it in amazement wondering how the heck you did it without realising.
4) Refocus how you live. The kitchen may be your primary "living" room because you focus on catering, for yourself or your family. Make it secondary, a place you need to spend time because you need to turn out a meal but really the terrace, or living room, is where your primary living is.
5) Take each day at a time, if needs be each hour, moment, or compulsion, at a time. For each time you feel you failed you will succeed every two times.
5) Forgive yourself. This is a new day and you can be proud of yourself.
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