Stewy84

Hello folks,

I just wanted to require if anyone has experienced issues with binge eating?

I have successfully kicked booze into touch but unfortunately now I seem to be eating more and more in terms of junk food.. This tends to happen in the evenings usually quite late on and I tend to go through crisps, chocolate, cakes, pastries and Pizzas.

It is not what anyone would consider a single portion of the above foods. It is more full packets of things. For example 6 packets of crisps in one sitting. I have previously eaten in this fashion in the past. I have managed to kick the habit eventually but this time seems different. It is like every time I try to stop something in my brain just tells me I need more. It has got to the point where it is costing me upwards of 10 extra pound each day to go to the shop after work to buy these foods . I am off work this weekend and I really do not want to spend the whole weekend thinking about when I can go and buy these foods andBinge on them.

I have also put on additional weight which is now very noticeable as my clothes are fitting a lot tighter. I would like some help and advice if anyone has been in a similar situation and if anyone can give me some pointers about how I can make a start kicking this dreadful habit.

I tend to get a craving halfway through the day and then just think I'm going to go and buy the food straight after work. There is no halfway point or points of negotiation. It is like a switch in my brain which says right you are going to eat junk today and as much junk as is humanly possible for you to eat.

Thank you for reading

MidnightBlue

Hi, Stewy.

I used to have big issues with binge-eating, and it is a really serious problem.

I've read a lot of scientific research on this topic since then, and in a nutshell - it is not just in our head. Highly-palatable food is rewarded because it's hard-wired as important for survival. Brain reads highly-palatable (all these cookies, ice-cream, potato chips and so on and so far) as packed with energy. It's way too simple. but gets the idea.

Binge-eating battle is not your average "willpower trick" - it requires the same amount of attention and efforts as quitting drinking.

Did you read our eating disorders section?

Eating Disorders - SoberRecovery : Alcoholism Drug Addiction Help and Information

Anna

Stewy, when you switch from one addiction to another, it's often because you have underlying issues which need to be looked at. It's possible that therapy could help.

gettingsmarter

Hey Stewy,

I feel ya man. It feels just like the compulsion to continue drinking after you have had one. As long as I fill myself up with good healthy food it's not an issue. If I am hungry and then eat something sugary/fatty I can't stop. I am using the same mindfulness I used to stop drinking to stop this.

Soberwolf

Hey Stewy, when I went on a diet I stuck strictly to chicken & green veg in around 8 weeks I lost a good amount of weight I kept it up for a good few months & its what I do if I feel the pounds adding on

Just before Christmas I was doing a good amount of 5 mile walks now I just take the dog on daily walks

Do you go gym or workout at home ?

PurpleKnight

Could it be stress Stewy, as I know you've been having for a long while a rough time at both work and with depressed feelings, could it be a shift of addictions as Anna mentioned?

For me exercise became the foundation of dealing with stress, I really do think I'd probably eat a lot more if I wasn't going for walks after work, we gotta find a way of dealing with life I guess that then doesn't cause additional issues!!

blueberry2015

Im doing it too, eating absolute rubbish, crisps, chocolate, sweets, biscuits and I dont know why! I do find I crave sweet things quite often. Argh! Need to motivate myself to eat sensibly, im replacing nutrious meals with junk and putting on weight...grr. Anyway just wanted to let you know your not alone on that one x

Shantilove

I'm going through this right now. Eating as much as possible in one day because ' tomorrow I'll start to diet/eat clean' tomorrow never comes and I am binging again in the morning. Obsessively.

StayStrong33

Yes, I've struggled with this for a good bit of my sobriety (13 months) but it has gradually gotten better. I used alcohol to change how I felt so when I stopped my body was like ummmm what will we use now?! FOOD AND SUGAR! I had to get in tune with what I really needed emotionally that I was stuffing with food because I could no longer drown it with alcohol. Be kind to yourself and give yourself time to learn the new you. Try to replace junk with healthier options over time. Are you working a recovery program? I've also applied some recovery concepts to my addiction to sugar.

happyandfree

Same thing happened here...I'm trying to cut out the junk food and just eat healthy food. In the beginning, I gave myself permission to eat anything, but just for a while. I agree that it takes the same effort as quitting drinking.

Nic233

I've been doing the same since I stopped drinking just 6 days ago. I almost have to lock my pantry up lol!!! Sweets, lollies, chips, cakes and chocolates which are things I would never usually eat.
I agree with Anna.. I think therapy may help. I know speaking for myself I replaced drug taking with alcohol and now it seems I have an obsession with sugar lol

Nic233

I have just joined weight watchers to see if that will help me eat a more wholesome diet

JK130

I used alcohol to control my eating. It worked, but over the years I became an alcoholic. Now I'm sober, but the original, underlying eating disorder is back in full force.

Stewy84

Thank you everyone for your responses, I'm using them as a starting point to really attack this issue

juppe

Begin daily exercising - your body will start to crave healthier food options naturally

zjw

I go through phases where I eat rediculous amts of food easily 6000 calories at times. Can't help it I'm hungry and I run a lot.i stick to mainly fruit and high carb low fat vegan food with no major adverse effects.

So Bing if you want but maybe binge on fruit or something and veggies.

Stewy84

Thanks. I have just poured all of my remaining bottles of Pepsi down the sink in a similar way that I poured my last cans of beer away over a year ago.

I have only kept a couple of chocolate bars for my daughter as a treat at weekends.

I'm aiming for this to be an act of defiance against bingeing. It's insidious much like alcohol isn't it.

Hopefully I'll be at peace with all this addiction stuff soon and be able to really focus on things that matter.

I'll certainly have more time and money on my hands

Sunflowerlife

Hey Stewy, I have been meaning to chime in on this thread. I suffered from binge eating for many years so I know how awful it feels to not have control over what goes into your mouth. Anyone who hasn't experienced it cannot possibly understand - It's not as easy as just switching to healthy foods or exercising. I always did both and still binged.

My guess is that you are switching from one addiction to another. For me it started after a period where I was almost anorexic (I say almost because I was starving myself but did not fit the criteria of anorexia). I was a binge eater for 7 or 8 years, it finally lifted recently.

I don't know what program you use for your recovery but I was looking at some books on Amazon last night and the guy who wrote Rational Recovery has a book specifically for EDs. I also read, while reading the reviews for it, that that original Rational Recovery book can also be applied to food. Here are a couple of links:

Rational Recovery: The New Cure for Substance Addiction: Jack Trimpey: 9780671528584: Amazon.com: Books

http://www.amazon.com/Taming-Feast-B...C13F1BTHPHSEG7

Soberwolf

Good job Stewy

secretchord

I'm a recovering binge eater. One thing that I'm working on currently is eliminating foods that cause me to binge like cookies, chips, cheese, pizza, sugar. It's hard. I'm not going to lie. I'm totally a food addict. I've lost a lot of weight so far since I quit in December so that's been motivating. I also go by weight watchers simply filling technique.