To confront DH over bingeing

Perhaps that could be the problem? If you are healthy and only eat a couple of squares of dark chocolate, he may feel uncomfortable eating sweets in front of you? He is an adult, and should be able to manage his food consumption regardless of what his partner eats, or does not eat.

I really love chocolate. I could and sometimes do eat several bars of chocolate a week. It's delicious. I don't see that as problematic. If anyone mentioned it I would laugh. But if you think he is bingeing, behaving in the way pp have described then surely the first step is to ask if anything is wrong.

I disagree. I won’t go on the drugs because I know that (1) I have a BMI 28 so I could be risking far more by taking the drugs and (2) because when I’ve lost the weight and stop the drugs I will revert to emotional eating of chocolate. I am not prepared to take drugs for the rest of my life.

It would help me enormously if DH challenged me. He won’t - because he’s more overweight than I am. So I am doing my best by addressing the problem times - evenings. I got a TV for the bedroom so I am away from the kitchen, and I mark at work- my biggest danger time is marking.

The 55-60% sugar refers to free, ie added sugar and doesn’t include milk. It’s quite scary…

This is the worst advice.

Because there is sugar in milk……this makes it sound like half the bar is made up of table spoons of caster sugar

How big is family sized? Do you mean the 100g bars or the really big ones?

I think you've done well to spot the issue. The question is what to do about it, and there are good sources of information and advice out there (the van Tulleken twins have interesting things to say, and I seem to remember Richard Osman struggled, too).

I wouldn't go in with both feet by suggesting healthy ideas, but I wouldn't drop hints either (worst of both worlds - you'll trigger the shame and embarrassment, but you'll also leave him in denial). Pick a quiet moment, and try something along the lines of "I'm worried that you might be struggling with binge eating, and if you are I want you to know that I will support you in any way you are comfortable with." He won't like it, mind, because nobody likes being made to confront their demons; but you will have got rid of the need for secrecy.

For your own peace of mind remember that you can do nothing else. Only he can.

Chocolate is addictive. It’s not a question of whether his behaviour is troubling. He may not want to do it. In fact, I’m sure half the people on this thread probably eat things they’d rather not, but do.

I mean you’ve got to be supportive without being judgmental, it’s a tightrope. And given your language about “confronting” him, and some of the other things you’ve said, I’m not sure you’re capable of doing that.

Are there healthy snacks you can buy that would make it easier for him to eat healthily?

She posted several times and it could have been a name change.

😂😆

Yeah, I guess her one and only first posting has tired her out (coupled with low blood sugar)

It could be emotional eating, but also, chocolate is really addictive!

I've had phases in my life where I've eaten chocolate daily and been stuck with the habit for a while. But when I've had a break from it for some reason that craving goes pretty quickly.

I don't think the crazy lady is coming back.

I feel like this thread really shows that there are two tribes when it comes to eating chocolate.

There’s a ‘two squares of dark chocolate, only eaten very occasionally as a treat’ tribe, and there’s a ‘eating a few bars of chocolate throughout the week, when I feel like it’ tribe. And some people in the first group really can’t comprehend the second group!

. A 'family' bar of chocolate three times a week seems pretty normal. If you divided it down it would only about one normal bar and a half a day? Most kids and teens eat that.

If many people consider this normal, no wonder we have an obesity crisis and the rate of type 2 diabetes is spinning out of control…

Most commercial chocolate consists of 55-60% sugar!

Yes, this.
Crazy.

I might join the chocolate police, sounds like a right laugh rifling through bins for evidence of organised choc eating 🥳

It’s crazy isn’t it! He’s a grown man who can eat whatever he wants to 🤣

Also I’ve got a friend who is on those type of weight control injections and they are so expensive and it’s for life really!

He’s only eaten some chocolate (outside of the couple of squares allowed on the diet plan mentioned by OP 🙄) he’s not got a stash of crack cocaine hidden in the shed ffs!

EXACTLY! I don’t even eat chocolate becauseI don’t like sweet food but I can easily see that other people want to and it’s just none of my business!

Also I don’t understand how this even came about, he ate some chocolate then OP trawled through the bin and saw he’d eaten it? Like who goes through the bin like that? That’s creepy in itself!

Even if she did go through the rubbish and find wrappers how would she know he’d eaten the chocolate all at once and also … WHO CARES??? 🤣 My DH eats all sorts but that’s his business!

This thread is weird AF

Mumsnet is batshit sometimes 😂

And of course there’s the suggestions that he needs to start taking weight loss medication (despite no mention by OP of what his weight is).

Because everyone knows that the solution to someone enjoying a few chocolate bars a week is heavy duty, prescription medication, that people need to take long term, and that has a range of potential side effects.

Nothing screams disordered eating like describing the “odd croissant or a few squares of dark chocolate” as unhealthy.

Are you sure that you’re not so obsessed with your “healthy” diet that you’re projecting onto your husband and the man has just been enjoying chocolate in private because of your potential reaction?

OMFG 🤣🤣🤣🤣

This thread is hilarious, someone eats 3 bars of chocolate a week and needs therapy? Really? 🤣🤣🤣🤣

If you want to help then you need to be very gentle but just ask straight out: “Is everything ok with you darling? I found a load of chocolate wrappers on Tuesday which isn’t like you - are you unhappy or stressed about stuff?”