Desperately in Need of Help - Binge Eating

Lottie_

Hi,

I'm 19 years old, 5ft 3 and 62kg, and in serious need of help to control my eating. I've been trying to lose weight for about 1.5 years and got absolutely nowhere. I haven't actually put on any weight, I'm about 1kg lighter than I was but I am very unhealthy and completely miserable.

I know about healthy eating and I know what my body needs but every time I make it through a good week I sabotage myself by binging and put all the weight I lost back on again. I don't know whether this is a psychological thing or what but if anyone could give me advice on how to get over this vicious cycle I would hugely hugely appreciate it

I don't know whether its an issue of will power or something deeper but I can't afford to see someone about this but I NEED to get over this because I dread to think what all of this binging is doing to my body.
I would like to get down to about 54kg but mainly I need to get over this whole binging and self sabotage mentality so that I can be healthy and happy and I know that the weight loss will follow after that.


Does anyone have any advice?

I really badly need help

Stench Blossoms

Under eating always leads to over eating.

Don't deprive yourself off the odd treat.

I found that when I cut out all things unhealthy I started to crave them even more.

El_Dangeroso

Hi Lottie,

I really think you need to stop trying to lose weight until you get your binging under control. Dieting fuels the binge cycle more efficiently than anything else. The dieting forms a sort of 'punishment' for the binge.

You need to sort your head out before attempting to diet again.

mimirose

Hi Lottie,

totally feel your pain and understand how frustrating it can all be. You are in your healthy range of the BMI scale so you are not unhealthy. Rather than concentrate on dieting you should look at wellness. Exercising might help level out your mood so you wont need to binge to get that seratonin boost that a lot of bingers get from eating. I dont mean binge exercising I mean something fun like a zumba class or a great workout dvd something that puts a smile on your face. Try keeping a diary to work out what is your trigger that is upsetting your great week of healthy eating.

Binging is a symptom of something deeper. If you are investing time and money into ongoing diets then you are able to invest into your mental health by going to your local doctor.

Also one bad day does not ruin a week everybody slips it's human nature! I hope you get some relief from this problem x

roseybear

Everything ppl are saying here is right, I have the exact same prob with the binge eating, and I know it's down to my mental health. If I were you I would consider maybe having a diary of some sort so you can point out the triggers and then try and protect yourself so to speak when they arise. There's an app called headspace that I found good just for making you take a second and chill out and think about what's going on

mathepac

@Lottie, if you feel you have issues relating to food or eating, could I first of all suggest you seek some professional help here - http://www.bodywhys.ie/

The week before last was marked by a series of high-profile media events, sorry if you missed them.

You might also like to consider contacting the Rutland Centre http://www.rutlandcentre.ie/about-us/

Halfway down the page is a link to the eating disorder programme.

HTH, good luck.

realgirl

Sorry to hear you're having a tough time with this. I think it would help you a lot if you saw a good dietician to help with eating healthily and went to counselling to help with any unresolved issues that may be contributing to the situation. I know this can seem daunting (and expensive) but in my experience there's no substitute for good professional help. Good luck :-)

Lottie_

Thank you so much for all of the replies, I really appreciate you taking to time to respond.

I just don't really know how to go about stopping binging, is there any way I can do this on my own without having to pay for counselling? I don't really think a dietician is necessary as I know what it good for me and what a balanced diet is, its the emotional/ mental side of things I don't know where to start fixing...

Orla K

Lottie_ wrote: »

I just don't really know how to go about stopping binging, is there any way I can do this on my own without having to pay for counselling? I don't really think a dietician is necessary as I know what it good for me and what a balanced diet is, its the emotional/ mental side of things I don't know where to start fixing...

Honestly, just stop! If you do it don't beat yourself up about it, just tell yourself it's not going to happen next time but try notice any patterns for those triggers and deal with those in a different way or avoid them all together. Maybe have a look into a cbt book.

Do not have the binge food at home!

gud4u

Orla K wrote: »

Honestly, just stop! If you do it don't beat yourself up about it, just tell yourself it's not going to happen next time but try notice any patterns for those triggers and deal with those in a different way or avoid them all together. Maybe have a look into a cbt book.

Do not have the binge food at home!

A person with BED will binge on whatevers at hand, they don't have to go out and specifically buy junk.

Lottie, binge eating is seldom overcome alone as there are much bigger issues at hand than just stuffing your face. Have a look at Bodywhys, the price of the Rutland centre would be enough to cure some people:D not saying I wouldn't like to go there of course.

Take care.

Orla K

gud4u wrote: »

A person with BED will binge on whatevers at hand, they don't have to go out and specifically buy junk.

Lottie, binge eating is seldom overcome alone as there are much bigger issues at hand than just stuffing your face. Have a look at Bodywhys, the price of the Rutland centre would be enough to cure some people:D not saying I wouldn't like to go there of course.

Take care.

I don't think the op has a very serious problem here, I think it's more of a cycle of punishment/binge which may or may not have other issues tied to it. Nearly everyone has some of those food that once they have a bit of it they want more, whether you have an eating disorder or not.

I do think the op would benefit from some cbt methods but this reply is more about that you think she has an eating disorder and I think she has disordered eating, only the op can really figure out which it is.

metamorphosis

Im conflicted as to what to think of you OP.

What constitutes a binge to you? I mean, if it is just overeating for the sake of it/no willpower etc, then that is different.

If you are actually binging (meaning you have NO control or feel you have no control and physically eat anything to hand) - then we cannot help you here. And you cannot do it alone.

Whether you have money or not - Give Marino Clinic a call in Dublin. They have Councillors all over Ireland.

If it is overeating that is the case and you do not have other issues attached to your eating then it's a case of finding a trigger that causes it. A detailed diary of food and where you are and how you feel when eating is a good tool (BUT NOT if you suffer from BED - then you need help and assistance, dont feel alone please)

psychward

Lottie, you need to try to replace your obsession with food with healthier obsessions. As they say Eat to live not live to eat. You need to identify what apart from food makes life worth doing for you. Ask yourself what would you do and how would you live if you reached your goal ? And maybe cook all your food from scratch with fresh ingredients. Thats one way to work up an authentic appetite. When humanity evolved they had to work to get their food and prepare it which cost extra calories.

Lottie_

Thanks again for the replies.

@metamorphosis - the thing is I'm not really sure... I've read all about BED on bodywhys and I don't think I quite have this disorder but it seems as though I am heading towards it rapidly. And I can relate to some of the symptoms which worries me; for example: I sometimes would eat until I feel uncomfortably full and afterwards have feelings of guilt or I am annoyed at myself for 'binging'.

In general I think my overeating comes from a lack of willpower, a little loss of control but at the moment I'd say a lot of it is due to stress (I want to study medicine and this is leading to a lot of pressure with my school work, etc.) so I have turned to food a little... and maybe even habit. I seem to be stuck in this vicious cycle that I don't know how to break so I just (subconciously) keep it going because I don't know how to stop... I don't know if that makes much sense at all?
But I wouldn't completely lose control and eat all around me, it would normally be large portions of specific foods such as pasta or chocolate, etc.

Does this sound like I have an eating disorder? To me it looks like it could develope into one, if thats even possible..


(I hope this doesn't constitute as asking for medical advice, apologies if it does)

gud4u

Hi Lottie,

If your still in school, you're a teenager, yes?

Please talk to your parents and ask them to help. I'm sure your mum would want to help if she thought you were finding it difficult to change your eating habits.

If you are not in control of shopping and cooking it can be harder to control portion sizes and food choices.

Get a smaller plate for the dinner and as you are wanting to study hard, boost those brains with plenty of oily fish, nuts and seeds. Water for hydration so you are not mixing up thirst with hunger.

You sound like an intelligent young woman, talk to your mam, if someone else knows about it they can help you keep a check on it.

As you'll be heading off to college in the future, you need to learn good food shopping and cooking skills now, otherwise when you get there you'll find it even harder. Nip what could be a problem now before it gets out of hand.

Good Luck.

g'em

Lottie_ wrote: »

(I hope this doesn't constitute as asking for medical advice, apologies if it does)

Unfrotunately Lottie it's straying that way, and I would love us to be able to continue helping you here but we're not qualified to help

fwiw I've attended bodywhys group meetings and found them relatively helpful, if only to help me see that I wasn't the only person who felt the way I used to about food. ED's often have an element of control at the centre of them, and when a person is under a huge amount of stress in their lives it can manifest itself in abnormal eating patterns. The guilt and immense feelings of guilt you have following the binges certainly suggests that you have an unhealthy relationship with food at times (that's not a criticism, it's something I recognise only too well in myself ).

Binge eating is about more than just lacking in will power, it's about how you see yourself and how you respond to the feelings that over-eating gives you. Even if you can't afford a counsellor the bodywhys.ie service provides a lot of cost-free group meetings and advice.

Best of luck.