Hello, forgive me if this topic has been shared or discussed. I am new and didn't find an option to search for previous topics.
I have been suffering from binge eating/food addiction for about 3-5 that I have recognized I needed help but probably longer before I realized what was going on. I am food obsessed and will eat until I become almost sick. I was able to get it under control for about a year, I got healthy, got to a healthy weight in a healthy way and then something happened where “I fell off the wagon”. My trigger is fast food, it’s all I think about until I get it, I eat it until I can’t and then I sit around waiting until I no longer feel full and make another trip to another drive threw. When I had stopped I felt like food no longer controlled me and it was the greatest feeling I had felt in a very long time. I want to feel that way again but don’t know how to get back to that spot and more importantly once I get there I don't know how to stay that way. I was seeing a therapist for about a year but made little progress specifically on binge eating. I can no longer afford to see someone professionally for help. I feel like if I had more support, something more like addiction help with people I could reach out to when I get the urge to or begin to binge, people that understood me that could help a lot.
I am interested in meeting others with binge eating disorders and interested to hear about their received help or how they are working towards recovery. I would love to hear any kind of information about what brought you to binge eating to maybe try to find some insight into myself (though I realize everyone is different). Thank you in advance for any help or feedback received, looking forward to finally getting this under control, for good.
I’ve had BED, anorexia and bulimia. I’m 27 now, this started when I was 19, and I would say I’ve been in solid recovery for about a year. Once in a while, I still struggle with the urge to binge, everything in the pantry, even things I don’t like. But something that really helps is when I feel that urge, i stop and write how I’m feeling emotionally at the time, and what thoughts I’m having, what I was doing that may have triggered the urge. If you do this consistently, you might start to see a pattern and identify your triggers. For me, it’s triggers either trauma or just stress related, anything that starts to make me feel out of control. Some coping skills I turn to instead are distraction; a hobby (adult coloring books and diamond painting help me), a book, a tv show, reaching out to someone I trust to talk about the feeling that’s leading me to binge. You’re not alone and we’re here for you!
Hi msnobody, we're sorry to hear you've been struggling, especially for such a long time. We understand that finding the ED treatment and support you deserve can often be unnattainalbe for a variety of reasons, one of which being the cost. However, we do have some options that you may be interested in. The following link has some information on free, virtual support groups that can be a good place to connect with others in similar situations: https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/neda-network-virtual-support-groups. If you would like to discuss more free or low-cost support options feel free to contact our NEDA Helpline: number 800-931-2237 or chat options via this website. Helpline phone hours are Monday-Thursday 11am-9pm ET, Friday 11am-5pm ET. Helpline chat hours are Monday-Thursday 9am-9pm ET, Friday 9am-5pm ET. We wish you the best!
Rare to see the strictly "binge eating" post, although I'm sorry for anyone's pain, I personally need to hear from other's particularly sharing mutual experiences. My professional diagnosis has been "food addiction". Imagine telling another type of hard core addict "you still have to "do it" X times a day. I love and eat all types of foods. I don't call anything I eat junk, because it's always good quality. I love what foods folks label healthy but my struggle continues. I was in an on line 24/7 support group (sadly disbanded),but hundreds and hundreds of women, nationwide and international as well, but with so many there was always someone there to respond instantly when you pleaded for help. For me, I have the briefest moment of choice, before the addiction takes over with an overwhelming force. But, with that connection, I could "catch my breath" and know that someone "grabbed" my hand, hears me, and shares their "stuff' as well until that addictive propellant subsides and my upfront sensible consciousness is in charge once more. Whew.
I posted the above yesterday at noon. Guess this website doesn't get enough posts, certainly not re:binge eating, now included in NEDA. "food addiction", my curse since 13 yrs. old and can you believe it, with all the sensible effort at this my whole life, and now just turned 86 yes. Treatment and brief remissions working et al, with all the suffering of overweight and trying not to be folks out there nada. Nothing. So much guilt. Pointless. And I know numerous women in private pain, unable to talk about this. Buying into the "should be able just to "do it yourself" like it's just a "habit"."mind over matter"sort of thing. Sorry the lady who posted this originally and I responded never returned to see my post to her. I'm off. Nite all.
Wow! You are 86 and started with your ED since you were 13? I kind of relate to it, although I am 40. To be honest, I just do not plan to give up. I have been in treatment several times. Last time I started I told my therapist I did not want to be 80 and still have an eating disorder.
Will it be possible? Who knows but we can not lose hope.
I think it is never too late for recovery and I do hope you keep trying. You get so discouraged because recovering gets us tired/exhausted. However, every step forward is worth.
Haven't you enjoyed life much more when you have been in remission? Why not to look forward to be better every day? Eventually, you will not believe how far from the bad times you have moved on.
Hugs to you. You deserve to recover.
Annet
I am glad you came to post here. I struggled with BED for a while and to be honest, that stage of my disorder made my life a disaster. I also used to go out and start buying things everywhere until I could not eat anything else. The regrets on the next day were HORRIBLE. There were days when I only ate and slept. I didn't do anything else... Weeks like that.
I just want to tell you that regardless the disorder, food ends up ruling your life. It controls it.
I would suggest you to get some treatment. If a therapist is not the right fit, change him/her. You need to find one that really suits your needs. It is not easy but it is possible.
What helped me control my BED?
1. Having my 3 meals and 1 snack EVEN if I had had a binge before during the day.
Doing this helps your body know that food is always available and that no food is forbidden. So, the binge urges start to fade away (it takes time, you just stick to it).
2. Avoiding having binge food at home
3. If I was going to go to a fast food restaurant, I would go with company or would eat one normal portion and then I would go visit someone.
4. Avoid eating alone.
5. Keeping my mind busy helped me. When we are immerse into binge eating we isolate ourselves to eat. So, joining some classes, workshops or simply keeping your mind busy helps. Especially when you have the responsibility to show up to a job at a certain time and you can not just miss it.
6. Relax techniques
7. Moderate exercise
8. If after a meal I felt like binging, I used to brush my teeth and go out for a walk (with no money)
9. Putting off the urges also helps. Start by putting them off by 10 minutes, then 20, then 30. Eventually, u will not end up bingeing...
You can do this. Believe me. It is possible and sometimes if the anxiety is too much, medication may also give you a hand.
Annet
Amazing (today's word) how many of the things you've listed are things that I do or have done. But still, how unique we all are, our own DNA, fingerprints, life history etc. even though we share much. AND, the times sure are different. I’ve never physically appeared “unhealthy,” yes but that's because I've never given up and done all positive "stuff", probably very familiar to you. I've chosen "working toward" as a category actually because before and every time I eat food my consciousness shifts. I'm not even aware that it has, until my episode is over. Then the awareness that "I'm free" and it's gone. But as I said in my first post I have to do this thing that I love at least 3 times a day. If I didn't love and need to do this to live , no problem. Done, overwith. So I choose the word "manage". Like folks manage their BP or diabetes or even bi-polar or mental conditions. (little brief history) Fine therapy "up the wazoo", OA 15 yrs. hospital stays twice. Right now with Covid 19 precautions and multabal other elder physical "stuff". Well, you get it, yes? Thanks so much for responding. CC
Yes, I get it and that feeling of not knowing if I will ever be ED-free drives me crazy. I have tried too hard, multiple times and every time I hear about "functional anorexics/bulimics or whatever the disorder is" I feel hopeless. Because that means that somehow some of us fall down into the chronic state of the disorder.
I wished there were doctors/therapists with a "magic stick" that helped us get out of the "functional/chronic" thing.
I have no doubt many people has completely recovered. I have met several recovered men and women. The question always in my mind is: "Will I ever be one of them?"
I hope yes but believe me, I still do not believe it (or see it close).
I am sure you understand this feeling...
Just "try to manage" your disorder better and better every day. In all that we do there is some room for improvement and little by little you can continue your recovery.
I think life is to be lived and we only need to think/focus on food at the right times (and not all day long). I also do love eating. My eating times are like mindful moments. I am 100% focused on what I am eating, the taste of my food, its look, how my stomach feels. I do not want anyone to "distract me". But food is to enjoy with others, too. So, we need to reduce the priority we give to it.
Hugs
Hi, Casacera and Annet - thank you for your honest and open dialogue. Your posts had to be edited to comply with our Community Guidelines (please take a moment to review): weight-stigmatizing language, details about disordered eating, and specific advice are not allowed on our forums. We sincerely hope you continue posting. Remember that we at NEDA believe recovery is possible - and that means complete recovery! Take good care of yourselves!
The whole medical world is so *compartmentalized. How to use *this in a positive way to achieve just one day. Did I say "just". This is no just when I've had very few "remission" days recently. So many things contribute to this that don't even mention food. Like my sleep (too short, can't wait for breakfast waking me up). Like my lack of motility in my colon causing constipation. Recent physical limits on the kind of physical activity I love and need. Seeking out better PT help. Posting my broken-down-in-segment approach today."Just for today" to "manage" my food addiction and work to achieve "remission". So for now. up at 6. Standard, healthy breakfast 6:30. Pay no attention to the usual "what am I going to have for lunch and when" message. AND to state it out loud, Outside of myself to help my commitment for the next 5 hours, since it's already after 7 when I posted this. INSTEAD OF GRAZING when my stomach is less full.
Talk about a challenge! But Annet's posting gave me the motivation that I sorely needed. Thank you Annet. Should be busy till lunch. Don't think of this aft.now. Just get through this AM, CC. Just this AM.
Everything's a song to me. From "Get Me To The Church On Time". Just before the chorus:
"There's just a few more hours.
That's all the time you've got. A few more hours"
Close to 9AM, ah 3 hours at least if not longer (if I( can) till lunch. Numerous essential phone calls this AM toward accomplishing needed things. Helped me to feel I could have a constructive impact on some area of my/our lives. CC
now if I only don't fall over the cliff... after lunch can and should be ended
lunch (and a good one in every way)...but it's over "The Party's Over" another song but been here before, many times and I believe on some level that I'm simply going to stick with my plan ..because I want this so much. My hope lies in the fact that I laid the ground work for some safe, positive interaction with the outside world this aft. Countdown 6 hrs.Whew, once again.CC
3:20 ...3 HOURS TO GO TILL DINNER. (around 6) HUNGRY. SO WHAT ELSE IS NEW? BUT, GONNA DO THIS NO MATTER WHAT! NOBODY BUT THOSE CLOSEST TO ME KNOWS HOW HARD I WORK AND HAVE WORKED AT THIS FOR MY GOOD HEALTH AND MY PHYSICAL AND EMOTIONAL COMFORT.
3:20 AND 3 HOURS TO GO!
Hey Casacera!
Congratulations on your hard work! It is amazing that you are taking one day at a time and I would say one meal and one second at a time. That is the trick: to live in the present and to avoid food/exercise ruling our lives. After all, all that we have is the present moment and in the present moment we want to be the best version of ourselves.
Keep going. It may be hard at first. However, practice makes mastery. If you train your brain and body to think of food just when it is time to eat and let them focus on other stuff over the rest of the day, eventually, your life will be much better.
I send you a big hug and yeah... Dinner is the next stop. Remember snacks are part of the game, too. If you have them, just ensure you take them as that they are... just a snack to fuel your body in between meals.
I am right in the middle of my food addition attacks and it's been day after day of exhausting struggle. I speak to other overeating strugglers but the guilt and
"I should be able to do this myself syndrome" and then, they don't/won't talk about it, but suffer alone. No where to go with this thing. My subscious overwhelming my sensible conscious mind. Reach out EVERYWHERE. Nada. Major contributing factor to Covid is obesity and no 24/7 hotline to help the afflicted. Hope all's well for you. CC
It's so hard to read this. I'm sorry you are facing an eating disorder. I'm sure you need to see a specialist determine the cause of your disorder. I'm sure you have no idea what's causing your problem. Most of the time, I've heard from people at a website when I took a course there, people had this eating disorder because they were somehow pointed out that they were "overweight." Also, there are a lot of stories about when people are stressed out trying at least to enjoy food. Perhaps you've caught yourself thinking this but haven't tried to handle it more globally.
Dear Youngfei, we would like to inform you that we edited your post to remove the website link as posting outside links is not permitted on our forums. You can review our community guidelines here. Thanks for your understanding and please continue to post!
Food addiction and compulsive overeating have many overlapping factors.
Do you struggle with binge eating? It may help to learn about compulsive overeating, binge eating disorder?
Are you still suffering this addiction?
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I think you have achieved the most difficult task to realize what is going on and help is needed. Please do not get me wrong plenty of people and here I include myself are living for a very long time in self deception. Thinks like o is normal there are also others like me was giving me self justification for a long time. But as soon as the problem is acknowledged and you are looking for help this is 50% from solving the problem.
Regards
Ivo
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