Overeating battles

[IWishYouWould]

Has anyone who uses overeating as a coping mechanism, overcome their issues? I'm trying to find other people who battle with this to start a support chat. I'm currently at my worst and I am gathering the courage to tackle my underlying causes. but where to start?

[Crawling]

I used to be anorexic now I overeat I haven't overcome it but I am interested in a support group.

[IWishYouWould]

crawling, thanks for responding. I used to have an issue the other way too. I think my relationship with food in general is awful and so wrapped up in my emotional state, I don't know how to undo it and separate the two. It's not something I've spoken in depth to anyone about before, but the issue has been with me most of my life. have you ever had any help with your eating or do you try to cope on your own?

[Crawling]

I've had therapy but mostly for other reasons but we touched on it. It's hard I guess I use food now when I'm down to make myself feel better where before I used to restrict my eating to make me feel more in control of my life. I don't understand why I've suddenly changed.

[MargeryAllingham]

Hi, iwish and crawling. I've a similar battle myself, in fact feeling physically and mentally sick this morning after overeating already. I'd be interested in a support group.

[CrochetKate]

i would aslso be interested

[IWishYouWould]

I'm glad that I started this thread. We can feel better, in a way, knowing we aren't alone.
So if we find it helpful, perhaps we could suggest a new topic to MNHQ. Unless I haven't looked hard enough, I dont think we fit into a current one, as we bridge various topics.
So on that note MNers welcome to our first support chat.

[issynoho]

A feeble wave and a nod from me. Am interested in support but not feeling up to stringing many sentences together right now. Will be back...

[IWishYouWould]

I figured I'd outline my stort of how I ended up here. (It's majorly condensed). I had a disrupted childhood, born into a family I guess that didn't talk about emotions. my parents split, mum remarried and we left our home for a totally different county. it was far from amicable and I ended up limiting food to have control over something in my life. This went quite far, but not enough for intervention. Sadly my DM had lots of unresolved issues herself. I had to care for her but also took the brunt of her emotions over 10-15 years or so. Being thinner meant you were accepted by the wider family. so not a great set up for someone with very low self esteem. My pivot into over eating was 6 years ago. A traumatic event left me with severe depression and agian food was my comfort. This time to try and feel happy rather than an accepted. It has got progressively worse over the years. My weight fluctuates wildy over a yearly period, depending on my mood. But I have never been this far lost. I can't go a day without over eating, despite how low I feel about it or the consequences. I am now heavier if not more than I was after childbirth. Since june I've put on about 2 stone I daren't step on the scales any more as it's self destructive circle. I know the health risks and it's something I need to change befire the damage is irreversible .

[Crawling]

I'm so sorry to hear that Iwish here is my story. I'm the child of a drug addict who was also a dealer and in and out of prison and a mentally ill mum who I cared for a lot.

When I was 13 I entered into a abusive relationship eventually culminating in rape. I also have scizoaffective which is a cross between bipolar and scizophrenia. I started having eating issues age 13 I used it in order to have control over something at 15 I was addmitted to hospital after a failed suicide attempt and kept in for a month as I weighed only 6 stone.

This last year the overeating started and today I have stuffed as usual but as its my birthday I'll let today slide.

[IWishYouWould]

Crawling, Reading your story is very emotional.
I'm back at work, so it's short, but just wanted to say Happy Birthday .

[Crawling]

Thank you IWant

[MargeryAllingham]

Thanks for both those stories. Mine started as a child, sexually abused and sought comfort in food. I left home at 16 and had no concept of cooking, even though I understood all about calories, etc. I was on income support, surviving on bread and pasta.
Now, whenever I am fed up, tired, stressed, whatever, food is what I want. I seem to lock my rational brain out and just eat as much as I can. I'm a huge control freak in every other element of my life with a very responsible job, so I clearly can make the right choice, just not when it comes to food

[Viviennemary]

I have a bit of an issue about overeating. When I am stressed or worried about something in particular. I am trying to overcome it and have had moderate success. I am trying to lose weight and in the past once I've decided to come off the diet for a bit then I overeat. I've decided I won't be doing this as there doesn't seem to be much point. I say do I want this biscuit. And ask each time. So I might have two or three biscuits or whatever but not loads.

[IWishYouWould]

Thank you to everyone who has been able to share their stories so far. Margery, I hope your day got better and you're not feeling ill now. Issy, I hope we see you back and that you feel able to join in.

Well I have had a busy but happy day. My GP told me that I can come off my anti-depressant over the next two weeks. I can't cope with the side effects, mostly feeling tired all the time. I do feel that this makes my eating worse. So although this is a big trial run, I'm positive. The hard part is that since I'm having such a good day, I let myself eat too much. So for tea I had paella, small crumble and ice cream and the about 4 lindt style chocolates. It was a reasonable amount for me, but added to the buffet I ate, on top of my packed lunch today. It's a bit frightening. The only good thing I did was have a slim fast milkshake for breakfast, so I couldn't eat too much then.

Does anyone else find replacing certain meals with shakes helps, or like Vivien touched on, is it something we are simply putting off? Diets are very much the same for me (until now) I have been able to get on them and lose a few stone. But it's like a sling shot, I celebrate by eating and all too soon I'm back to over eating.

[MargeryAllingham]

That's good news iwish. I found that antidepressants added to my overeating too. I've never tried meal replacements as I don't like milk shakes and I feel that diets as such aren't the way forward for me, for example denying. My aim is to not want those things in the first place, if that makes sense?

[BadSeedsAddict]

Hi, just adding my bit in case it helps, bits of it may be relevant hopefully!

I have had disordered eating due to ADHD (inability to uptake dopamine properly) since being a child. Over the years this became bulimia and I developed a horrible relationship with food. Gradually I have learned that wheat, sugar and carbs are addictive for me (give a surge of dopamine but make me more hungry generally and lethargic, also more ADHD symptomatic). So I try to follow the Paleo diet. Worth looking it up and understanding the reasons behind it. Chromium supplements have helped me stick to it when craving carbs (when stressed or confidence low). It really works for me, I have been trying to get into it for two years though so it can take time to get the concept into your head and get used to it. Anyway hth

[Geckos48]

Chronic over eater here.

[Crawling]

I have gonna and had take away again today

[HugAndRoll]

I'm a big overeater. I'm also on antidepressants but have to stay on them to stabilize my mood.

I have always been thin or overweight and nothing much inbetween. I think, from reading so far, most of us have previously really restricted food and now overeat. I wonder if there's significance in that?

I am addicted to carbs and chocolate. I say addicted because I managed to quit smoking yet I can't quit chocolate.

[IWishYouWould]

crawling, I'm with you. I have eaten loads today. I'm stuffed now I just can't get my head around it. I'm smart enough and like another poster mentioned previously, in other areas of my life I am in complete control. I understand the psychological process and yet still do it.
Although I am aware that this has been a long term problem, yes it is very insightful to see a lot of us used to control food to excess. Does anyone have any ideas as to why we changed course? Mine was after a traumatic event, that I had to cope with alone. Anyone else have a specific time it changed?

Being on this thread has meant I'm thinking more about the emotions I'm experiencing. Hopefully they will unscramble enough I can put some into words. The main thing that stands out at the moment is, when I type I feel self centered for typing 'I' and finding ways to remove it from the post as much as possible.

[IWishYouWould]

I have had some info via email regarding BEAT. It's a service that is looking to help people with food issues like over eating. It may be worth a look. has anyone had any experience with them?

[Hermione123]

Just joining, teenage history of severe dieting then bulimic, now regular binges that I struggle to break. Alcoholic parents, lots of disruption as a teenager at home, always the good child that had to do the right thing, awful self esteem in general. I read a book about over-eating about having a time and a plan for each meal beforehand but can't seem to control more than a few things in my life at once, if I'm not bingeing I'm spending too much, if not that in obsessing over work or cleaning or dc etc.

[KinkyDorito]

Joining after reading the thread in chat. Food is my nemesis.

I have no answers, but I am seeking some. I'm trying to stop dieting, which is hard when I'm still overweight and I don't feel that I trust myself not to go made with pizza.

Like some of you, my weight fluctuates hugely over a year - usually a couple of stones - but I never get back into a normal range. I've overeaten since I was a child and it is definitely a comfort thing for me. I actually feel physically hungry when something stressful happens.

[KinkyDorito]

Hermione I do that too - I have an obsessive personality. I binge-spend and I also go through periods where I work manically then feel burnt out.

[TheYamiOfYawn]

I ordered a book last week which was on the BEATb website called Overcoming Binge Eating. It has a self help plan which I am going to start on probably next week once I've had a chance to read it properly. The reading thing has crept up on me. I have PMDD which is very very severe PMS and I used to self-harm when that was bad. I Speed that a long time ago but would bone from time to time. But for some reason things have got quite bad over the past year or so. I think that now I have kids I can't really do the things I used to rely on to keep me sane like having lots of time by myself and going for long walks and getting enough exercise so I feel shit and make myself feel even worse by eating too much. I realised a couple of weeks ago that not only had I put on a lot of Wight but I'd also started eating in secret, hiding food and spending so much money on chocolate that it was seriously affecting my finances so I decided I needed to do something.