Originally Posted by
AlericB 
Maybe it's the same mechanism. We haven't evolved a way to cope with the intense pleasure of artificial foods such as ice cream and so it can spawn a misdirected survival drive in the same way that drink/drugs can.
It certainly appears so. I too have compulsively and excessively overeaten calorie laden, foods, to my detriment. Once I start, I can't stop, one chocolate down the hatch, and the whole box follows!
Although this book is aimed at men (apparently because the author thought woman were more amenable to 'love the inner child' and wouldn't appreciate 'demonising' the urge/compulsion to overeat/binge) I found it useful in curbing my eating excesses. It's a free ebook on kindle and free on his website, together with other material, if you provide an email address, by Glen Livingston entitled "Never Binge Again".
It is AVRT, with reworking, because of course, we wouldn't want to never eat, but he does recommend RR/AVRT for stopping drinking. He uses the "Pig" for the desire to overeat/eat the wrong foods and "Pigsqueal" as the Pig's AV. He states the Pig is powerless, you are its master and to disempower it you set a food plan, with food categories of 'always, never, sometimes and conditional'. For the first six months of sobriety, I put on weight. Since applying Glen's suggestions, I've lost almost 3 stone, and believe me, I'm not on a 'diet' I'm just aware of my 'Pig' and ignore its squeals, when it seeks foods which contravene my eating rules.
Edited to add: cross posted with Zen - fantastic, insightful post!