I can't stop eating - what is wrong with me ?

[Thefroglover]

I'm usually very good at watching what I eat. For the last 8/9 weeks I have been eating anything and everything. I'm not always hungry, I am eating because the food is there. WFH isn't helping. I have zero discipline. I eat crap, I put on weight, I feel crap so I eat and then the cycle repeats. Every day for the last 2 -3 weeks I have woken up saying 'this is it. This is day 1. I will regain control' and I don't. I woke up at 3am this morning and ate a 4 bar kitkat.
What is wrong with me ? on top of the eating issue, I have zero energy, zero get up and go, lost the spring in my step, cannot sleep at night and am just sitting staring my my PC most days when I am supposed to be working.

Depression ? perimenopause (I'm 47) ?

I want to hide away for 6 months to lose the weight, work on myself and regain control of eating/myself.

This is me OP 100 times over

Get a blood test.
Take iron and vitamin D.
Eat more protein.
Get out of the house for a walk every day.
Can you go back into the office maybe one or two days a week? A change in your routine might help.
Drink more water (and less alcohol and coffee)
This is what i'm trying to do! Am on HRT now too and it's made a positive improvement to my mood and joint pain.

I bet it's perimenopause and could you possibly have ADHD?

I eat twice as much on WFH days as WOH days or weekends/ holidays when the kids are home. I'm bored and lonely I think, and have lots of small bits of time where I don't really have time to make proper food or do some housework or anything, just have time to use the toilet or eat a packet of crisps or something.

Dietary advice recommending fried bread. Nobody with any respected qualification would advise this.

Eating more protein is good. Plenty of ways forward with that though, before you introduce fried bread or granola (which is not protein based)

Fruit with a high protein yoghurt and some nuts for breakfast, perhaps? Bacon and eggs, yes, in moderation. Scrambled eggs takes 2 minutes...

I did get rid of biscuits and sugary snacks when I was trying to lose weight. I didn't buy them any more. My dcs were older though so could buy something on the way back from school if they wanted. I still rarely buy them now and noone is bothered.

I think the trick is not buying unhealthy snacks in the first place, so you only need to be good in the supermarket, rather than every minute at home.

When I am trying to lose a few kilos I pre cut carrots every night and make them my snack all day. I have a healthy breakfast, then maybe an apple for lunch, and then whatever I want and as much as I want for dinner. Just doing that and walking a little is enough for me to drop a few kilos in a few weeks and then I go back to normal.

I find it easy to stick to because I can always have a big dinner to look forward to.

Frozen sandwiches! 😕 Yuk

Have you tried doing it, @Enthrallingstory ? It's miraculous. And very surprising. My initial response was exactly the same as yours.

It saves loads of time. You just have to make sure your fillings can be frozen, so it's better with home mad fillings than pre-bought/reconstituted stuff.

This. Since when do chocolates and biscuits count as snacks? Since the times of obesity and diabetes I suppose...

I'll probably be called "abusive" or something but... My 9yo son has never had a packet of crisps with his lunch. Shock! Horror!
The treats are not vilified but it's for the movie nights, for birthdays and parties, for cake in a coffee shop, for games nights. As it should be.

I have only read the OP's posts.

I think you need to tackle your low mood and tiredness before you can begin to overhaul your diet.

Not washing or brushing your hair for a week is a concern. Not having the energy for basic personal care is worrying.
nb I acknowledge that not washing or brushing hair for a week might be normal and fine for some people or hair types, but this does not sound like the case for the OP.

Try calorie counting to shock yourself out of it. I use NutraCheck to attempt to keep on track. I always go off the rails at TOTM but it helps me pull myself back after a couple of days where I’ve eaten really unhealthily.

Also good not to buy the junk food in the first place. If you meal plan and allow for a couple of snacks I found this was a game changer.

I think you need to tackle your low mood and tiredness before you can begin to overhaul your diet

Poor diet may be at the crux of the problem though. This suggestion might be like 'Deal with getting over the mountain before you worry about getting some climbing shoes'.

I know! 🤮 Why should the rest of the family have shit sandwiches so one person can hold off the bread?

And yes, nobody needs chocolate/crisps/sweets but we're allowed some treats in life! Although mine would always be wine over any food

I have heard human’s struggle to comprehend the negative emotionally. The difference between “don’t drop that glass” (you immediately image it dropping) and “hold it tight”. Could you turn it round into a more positive thought. To improve my health, I am going to focus this week on drinking more water for example. A few little things will soon add up.