I think I'm a binge eater...

I have never eaten healthy, always eaten junk food, but never like this. For a few months I have been unable to stop eating at once. If I buy a block of chocolate I have to eat the whole thing in one go. Today I had 4 magnum ice creams some mini pizzas, biscuits, cheese and lots of pepsi. I don't know how to stop. I buy diet shakes but last half a day then give in and eat. I don't want to get any bigger I weigh 70kg now might not sound like a lot but I weighed that much at 9 months pregnant.
I do next to no exercise aswell, I don't want to be fat but i can't muster the willpower to stop. I don't know what to do :(

Would u consider going to see a dietician? They may be able to help you get on the right path.

What if you didn't buy that stuff? If you had fruit and stuff in the house and could only eat those other things when out maybe it would help?
I have no willpower either, but if it's not here I either don't eat anything or I hunt out something less toxic.
Not sure if it helps though

i think those diet shakes set you up to binge eat.
you are much better off eating lots of fresh healthy unprocessed food.

Weight watchers!!! I binge every monday after weigh in hahahhahaha and ive still lost 46 kg.

Littlelara, I will just go to the shops and buy bad food if there's none in the house. I've totally screwed up my body if I don't eat sugar first thing in the morning I get the runs, vomit and go into a cold sweat (sorry TMI)

There's an eaters' annonymous thread around here for support. It is a great first step that you have acknowledged that you have a problem.

Hmmm maybe you should go see a naturopath, there could be an underlying reason for your body wanting sugar so badly and reacting the way it does when you don't have it.
I used to need to have chocolate every day and if you can survive two weeks of the cravings without having it you lose the cravings. Don't buy the food, give your key card to someone if it means you won't buy it. Do a weekly shop and stock the cupboards with healthy foods. Diet shakes pretty much set you up for disaster I think as your not satisfying yourself at all.
If you really know you just don't have the will power to do it then get yourself into a group with ppl who are struggling with the same things so that you have the support.
Could there be reasons why you are eating unhealthily? I mean emotional?
Even if you cut out the sugary drinks that would make a massive difference, at one point I was addicted to drinking coke zero, I think it was the sensation you get when you drink it, it's so fizzy.
I cut it out and switched to cordial and now can't drink it.
Wish I could help hun, all I can say is I believe you can do it I think you just need someone else who can help you, hold you accountable.
Good luck :)

I mentioned this on FB but what I do to curb giving into constant snacking is brush my teeth more frequently -- nothing goes well with toothpaste ick!

Babyluv I get paid cash so I always have money for food lol, I guess we were brought up eating junk and cause it just me and DD I don't see the point cooking a meal as such. All I drink is coke Zero I figure its better than full strength coke, I'm not sure how to approach healthy eating as I've never done it.. I hate fruit and veg, I'll only eat green apples and roast veggies like corn potato pumpkin etc

Hmmm in this case I would say definately get yourself into a program that can set you on the right track. You've already taken the first step and that's acknowledging you have a problem and you want it to change, sounds like you're ready to make the changes you just need the support now :)
Good luck tattoo-mama you can do it!

The sugar thing sounds like an addiction hun - I once read an article about white sugar, it said that given what scientists now know about its effects on our bodies and its addictive properties, it should never have been allowed for human consumption. The only problem is its been in everything for so long that we're all addicted, so they can't just stop it. I do a detox every now and then, and cut out everything with sugar; the first 3 days are horrendous but I feel SO much better after I get past that, more awake, more energetic, less bloated. The cravings go as well, as long as you can get past the first few days.

WRT coke zero v coke, it's actually better to drink the full strength one if you hafta drink it. While Coke has an obscene amount of sugar in it, Coke Zero uses artificial means to make the taste the same. When I went to my acupuncturist for the first time, he told me and DH to get off the diet drinks, because they're actually used as contraceptives in some countries as they effect fertility, in particular sperm production. Isn't that insane?! Don't get me wrong, I still enjoy a Coke or two (especially with Jack ;) ), but always the full strength stuff.

I know how you feel about binge eating - I don't think I'm binging, but I'm definitely eating more than I need to. Can you make yourself accountable to someone and keep a food diary? I have at times kept a food diary on my blog, and it stopped me from eating bad stuff, because I didn't want everyone to know what I was eating...

Interesting you say that Keike as DH and I drank alot of coke zero until we went to the naturopath (because we'd had 2 m/c) and were told we weren't allowed it anymore.

Hey,
I have the exact same problem hun. :( I know what I'm doing is wrong...and I know it's an addiction, but I find myself plotting out how to get my hands on my next block of chocolate/bag of lollies/ice-cream/biscuits etc.

I went to the Naturopath a few months back, and she gave me a rude shock about what I was doing to my body. She also explained why I was stuck in such a nasty cycle. Basically, she laid out an eating plan for me (plenty of vegies, fruit, protein and some grains) and just told me to do it. I had about 3 days of feeling more rotten than I have in a long long time (caffeine and sugar withdrawals) BUT after day 3 I started to feel better. Then I hit a patch of time where there was always a morning tea at work, and I was working late, so just grabbing whatever I could, and I got back in to my old ways...and I feel so much more revolting eating this way again that I'm going to start looking after myself from today.

It sucks - I feel run down because I eat rubbish, but then because I feel run down, I reach for comfort food (which is more rubbish) so I keep feeling run down. :(

Good luck hun. xoxo

I think a combination of a Dietitian and also a psychologist may help. Going by past threads it sounds like a combination of habit and emotional eating. Foods high in fat and sugar are great comfort foods and if you are feeling a little low that tends to by what we go for in the first instance (I know I do :lol: ).
There are some great threads on here for Diet and helping you on the right track.
Good luck Tatoo Mama, you are thinking about what you are eating, now you just have to learn to stop eating the bad and start eating the good. You are a strong person, I have faith that you can do it!

If you can grab a copy of a book called sweet poison. Its about kicking the sugar habit and explains how to do it without it causing to much complications. Its a good read and its only about $20 for the book.

:hug: Have you considered seeing someone to talk about why you do this? I'm talking from a psychological perspective as well.

I have a friend who is a binge eater and is also bulimic. She has struggled with food issues for most of her teenage/adult years. She says it is definitely more related to how she feels emotionally than physically.

i think it wouldn't hurt you to join something like weight watchers just to teach you about healthy food. they provide you with lots of recipes and tips. it sounds like you need some support.

:hug: hun... i think firstly you need to take 1 day at a time, small goals.. DO NOT try and cut out sugar all together and slowly incorporate new foods into your meals while cutting out the 'bad' stuff.

I would def suggest seeing a dietitian and or a naturopath but it sounds to me that any attempt you make will need to be in small stages.

Maybe you can take DD for a walk, chasing her around is exercise there are little things in our days that we don't THINK are exercise but they are... when you hang the washing put the basket AWAY from the clothes line, you have to walk backwards and forwards to it :p

GL hun... i know you can do this... you can do anything you set your mind too :)

I would look at the emotional eating side of this too. Maybe next time you start craving, look at what else is running through your head at the same time.

GL

So I tried to be good today. I had 2 cans of coke zero and 2 min noodles for lunch, but then caved and had 2 rows of dark chocolate, a handful of chips and having a pizza for dinner at least it's thin crust...sigh :(

Don't think of it as CAVING hun, it's one step at a time.
Set yourself a challenge - pick ONE food to try and go without this week.. something little and don't stress if you replace it with something else (pick something SMALLER) and work from there, weed out ONE thing at a time.

So what were you thinking/feeling at the time?

And now 2 cornettos :(
Lu, that they tasted soooo good and I just had to have them :(

I have to say I agree with Lu.

I've binged before, and I've been an emotional eater. For me sugar cravings is one of two things emotional crap that I'm squashing usually resulting in anxiety or 2 low blood sugar.

Sounds like the way I eat when I am on the pill (evil thing!) - are you on any contraceptives at the moment? Anti-depressants (SSRIs especially) are also NOTORIOUS for causing people to eat...it's a chemical thing I think.

I agree with Lulu and Rouge. Emotions play a huge part in binge eating and eating crap. I use to eat chocolate, biscuits, anything sweet I could get my hands on whenever I was feeling tired, or the kids were grating on my nerves, or when it was just a really ****ty day. I also realized I was eating crap when I was feeling good too! I would go out for a walk and be feeling great from being outdoors, getting fresh air and doing exercise and rationalized to myself that it would be ok to have that chocolate. Once I realized all that it was much easier to make the switch and now I allow myself treat snacks or meals once a week and I really look forward to them!

Whenever you think about eating something bad, just stop, have a big glass of water and really focus on what you are feeling at that point in time. Write it down if you need to remind yourself. Keep doing this and you will soon learn a lot about your eating. Those foods do taste good but unfortunately they are not good for us to eat ALL the time. Just think how your body is functioning on that. Just think how much better you would feel with the right food in your system. You can change it if you really want to.

Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels!

i'd definitely ditch the shakes. well, i know they work for some people but i've never had any success with me - i just feel like i'm depriving myself, which makes me want to eat more. and i also think that this shouldn't be so much about 'good' or 'bad' foods but should be about making positive lifestyle changes that you can stick to for good.

i agree on the emotional eating - i'm def one of those as well & it's tough to break the cycle.

would you consider committing to some exercise? cos what about if you focussed on making sure you exercise (even if it's just a walk around the block to start with) initially & then think more about food later? or even making sure you eat one decent meal a day. rather than thinking about what you need to deny yourself/stop eating, think about something healthy you will eat - so maybe have a decent breakfast or have those roast vegies for dinner.

While DP was not a binge eater he had the worst diet/eating habits when I met him. One thing that turned it around for him was learning to cook. Have you considered going to a cooking class for food you do like and starting from there? DP has become a whizz in the kitchen and is not totally into cooking, especially healthy stuff. He eats vegies he wouldn't have touched when we met. He likes to set a good example for DD too.

Amanda, not on any contraception cause I'm on primolut ATM to stop bleeding ( have had my period non stop for a few months now but have to be on this primolut stuff for 2 weeks before I can go have an u/s to check for ovarian cysts).
I am more happy within myself and with my parenting than I have been in a long time so I don't know what's wrong with me, I think it's boredom eating. I live in a dodgy area no way would I walk around here so I think I'm gonna get a second hand treadmil or cross trainer. At least then if I eat bad I will work off some of the calories?

Start keeping a food diary Em. CalorieKing dot com dot au is a really good site for recording everything you put in your mouth. You'll be surprised by how many calories you're eating. I quickly worked out what you told us you ate yesterday (Ice cream, pizza, noodles, coke zero) and that came in at around 1800 calories. That's way more than you need. Your body probably needs around 1300ish calories a day just to function (just a rough guess as I don't know your height, weight) and to lose weight you probably want to stick to 1200 calories a day with exercise.

To burn off all that you ate you'd have to run on that treadmill for at least an hour to an hour and a half every day!

And I know you're thinking that you could still eat it all if it came under 1200cals, ;-) but it won't work because the junk food will not satiate you and you'll end up binging again. Not to mention there's no nutrition in the crap food.

Weight loss (and maintenance) is 80% nutrition and 20% exercise. I can guarantee if you honestly ate 100% cleanly you would lose weight even with minimal exercise.