for eating 5 bags of crisps and a big bag of haribos every day?

[NCJunkBinge]

I'm worried what this is doing to my health

I'm eating at least 150g (1 large bag/5 small packets) of crisps every day.
Then a big bag of haribos (200g) (not quite every day but) 4 or 5 times a week.
Then there's the chocolate biscuits, other sweets etc.

Apart from all this, my diet is very healthy - I eat loads of veg and wholesome food, small amount of alcohol. I'm on the lower end of a healthy bmi so my weight isn't an issue. But I'm worried about the long term implications of eating like this. I know it's not normal! But it's got to the point where I can't help myself anymore .

AIBU eating like this? Does it matter as long as you're not overweight?

You appear to have a compulsion/addition - because you say you can't get through the day without this food. Or you feel it the way to cope with the stress in your life.

You need to see a therapist who specialises in compulsive behaviours or have some form of CBT treatment to break your association with needing this food to cope with stress.

If you feel yourself reaching ofr the food to cope with stress you need ot recognise this and stop yourself - by doing something different, or distracting, or odd (hopping one foot for instance) to break your need to react to stress with reaching for the food.

You can also stop buying it in the first place - but this is likely to cause you anxiety if you do this.

You also require the help of your family. One quite simple technique is get your family to yell "Lard!!!" or even "sprouts!!" at you very loud when they see you reaching for the foods to help you break the thought/action pattern you have fallen into. And don't substitute one form of compulsive eating with another - so don' try substituting apples all the time - that just lets you revert to eating crisps as you have not tackled the issue of breaking the cycle of feeling stress-reaching for food.

You may want to try deep breathing or mindfulness exercises whenever you feel the need for this food - there are DVD and also classes - but you have to hunt them out

Can I ask what people drink if fizzy drinks are out? I don't like tea or coffee, hot chocolate and water leaves me feeling thirsty still, probably because I'm so active. I don't like alcohol, so would never want to drink a beer. I don't like fruit juice, because sugar is added and even if not, its full of natural sugars. Flavoured diluting juices like Robinsons ditto and they also leave me with an aftertaste and still feeling thirsty. So what is there left to drink?

I ate crap for years. I never got fat but I have spent a bomb at the dentist as a result.

If you're getting that many calories from sweets and crisps and not putting on weight, then you can't be eating that much 'normal' food. The crisps and sugar may not be a problem in themselves, but you might be deficient in other areas. Even if you eat enough healthy fruit and veg.

I would say start logging all your meals on my fitness pal, just for a week, and add in all your sweets and crisps into the 'snacks' section. Separate them out and get a realistic picture of how many calories you're eating, and how many you're not eating for your meals. Seeing the imbalance might help you to move away from it.

HTH

LessMissAbs, I buy sparkling spring water and mix it with fruit juice like orange or lemon/lime or I sometimes buy the flavoured sparkling water from tesco or Co-Op. I hate plain water and always need something flavoured.

I find two things really help with sugar cravings. Either clean your teeth (or eat a minty chewing gum) - you're much less likely to eat crap if your mouth feels clean - or if you really want a sugar hit, buy the smallest packet of sweets available. A tiny packet of gummy bears hits the spot just as effectively as a massive bag.

Can you try trail mix? Fruit and nuts would give you the same carb hit but with better oils and fruit sugars and probably better vitamin and minerals?

Yy to fruit juice and sparkling water - I use a touch of elderflower and 17p sparkling water - cheap and refreshing

What about fruity tea? I would never have thought ,I'd like it, but I drink loads during the day going cold turkey on normal very sugary tea.

I also drink fizzy water at night.

I find that upping my calorie intake during the day is critical. I was eating a light sandwich/soup type lunch but have to have proper substantial food to avoid a crash and eating junk. I have a lighter supper instead.

if you are active and getting all your nutrients, and burning off the excess calories, it's not a problem. Just a waste of money.

However you CAN help yourself, just stop buying and guzzling expensive crap. Not rocket science!

Unfortunately I don't like milk either. I really loathe tea, it tastes like poison to me and in fact the vapours of certain types of tea cause an allergic reaction in me - headaches, insomnia, blocked nose!

I already drink the Tescos or Sainsbury flavoured water, as I try not to drink much diet coke. Is that bad for you? I'm worried because it contains sucrose.

I'm noticing a lot of people drink fizzy water and flavour it, I could also do that.

I drink either plain or sparkling water. Sometimes add elderflower cordial to sparkling water. It's a lot healthier to add a little flavouring to say sparkling water than to buy it ready flavoured as thy often contains added sugar or too much flavouring.

LessMissAbs The problem with 'diet' drinks of any type is that the sweeteners like aspartame are not seen by our body as food so either cause allergies or create more hunger than if we'd had normal drinks.

NCJunkbinge please listen to dreamingbohemian She is recommending the VERY BEST way to deal with emotional eating which is Paul Mckenna His way of eating is so good it can help with underweight and over weight because it helps SOOOO MUCH with our self image and why we eat in secret or whatever.

dh does this but you wont put on weight from this kind of thing its not stodgy enough.My vice is energy drinks and savoury junk food.It is hard to stop I cant do it.

Yesterday afternoon I spent nearly two hours in the dentist's chair. I had a filling replaced in one tooth and the adjacent tooth prepared for a crown. When the dentist had drilled out the old fillings and decay, he handed me a mirror to show me the situation before he started the next stage. I don't think it was his intention, but what I saw was an absolutely huge wake up call. There was practically nothing left of those two teeth, just tiny stumps in the corners and my mouth was full of blood. I was horrified at the damage I have done to myself through a lifetime of crap eating. I don't drink fizzy drinks at all, don't touch alcohol, have never smoked, I exercise and I'm the right weight for my height. However, I no longer feel like I can be smug because the evidence was there for me to see - I am ruining my teeth with sugar and it has to stop now.

I looked at the biscuit tin at work today and all I could see were the brown stumps in a pool of blood that I saw in the mirror yesterday. The dental work is going to cost me over £500 and I am sure I have been spending more than that each year on sugary, processed crap most of which is entirely free of any nutrients and is not needed in any way by my body. It's time for change.